Personal Statement - What Makes You Distinctive?

I have been receiving a lot of med school and post bacc personal statements lately and with them a lot of questions about how to best write a medical application essay. Here is a listing of all of my PS blog entries. Remember: The key is to write about what makes you a distinctive applicant and how your accomplishments have afforded you skills that make you an exceptional candidate.

IMGs: 2009 NRMP Results

The ECFMG has published stats about this year's Match for IMGs. The data is not significantly different from 2008, which means it's still not great news: In 2009 only 47.8% of U.S. citizen IMGs obtained first year positions through the Match. Of those IMGs who were not U.S. citizens, only 41.6% matched. Of course, high board scores and excellent LORs are extremely helpful. It's also important to ensure your ERAS and personal statement are optimal for submission. Contact me for help earlier rather than later please, so I can assist you best.

Mama's Rules

I strongly recommend a charming piece recently published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine written by Emergency Physician Arthur Kellermann. Most of us go into medicine for the right reasons, but it's amazing how quickly we get bogged down by exhaustion, especially during residency.

Medical School Financial Aid Options

I've have several clients who were admitted to medical school this season and may not be able to go secondary to difficulty securing tuition. Remember that getting a Federal GradPlus or other type of loan is difficult now, and that will likely continue at least through next year. Start to think now about how you will finance your education and whether you are a good risk for a loan. If not, consider what family member might co-sign a medical school tuition loan for you. The AAMC has a section on their site called Financing Your Medical Education, which is a good starting point in considering these issues.

Post Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Application Help

I've been offering help to post bacc applicants informally (with great success; my last client got into Penn). But now I've added a post baccalaureate page with a list of my services for clients. Take a look at my first blog entry on searching post baccaluareate programs for help deciding where to apply.

Physician Shortage

Here's an interesting NYT article focusing on the predicted U.S. physician shortage. It's worth a read particularly because it describes how residency slots are funded, something many people don't understand.