Is Your Personal Statement a Little Too Personal?

by Michelle A Finkel MD, Insider Medical Admissions

I have a guest blogger today - my first ever. Dr. David Presser graduated from UCSF Medical School, completed his Emergency Medicine residency at UCLA/Olive View and his MPH at Harvard. He wrote an excellent primer on getting into an Emergency Medicine residency. Here's today's blog written by him:


Picture, if you will, a residency admissions committee member beneath a halo of light reading applicant essays in her office at midnight. Caffeine on her breath, crumpled white coat next to her desk chair, she is making steady progress on the never-ending stack of applicant files until she picks up a residency personal statement that begins, “I first became interested in Internal Medicine when Grandma was diagnosed with cancer…” Pulling out her hair by the fistful, she tosses the file into the trash. That cancer may not have killed your grandma, but it just might have killed your application.

Many students devote a significant portion of their ERAS essays to describing a universal experience that may have piqued their initial interest in a specialty. A residency admissions committee member does look for evidence of how your fundamental connection to humanity will make you an empathetic and skilled physician. The problem comes when an applicant starts to make the reader feel like s/he is providing counseling to the applicant, that is, when the candidate uses language that could strike the wrong reader as inappropriate for a professional application. The admissions committee can handle empathetic writing; however, if they suspect you mistook your essay for the journal under your pillow, they may not be forgiving.

Think carefully about the topics you choose. With all due respect to each of us who has had a family medical catastrophe, you can estimate the prevalence of cancer among the elderly and conclude that starting an essay with the description of a grandparent’s battle with cancer is not going to catch the reader’s attention. Unfortunately, just because it is genuine, it may not be compelling reading or a useful means to distinguish you from the hundreds of residency applicants whose essays share similar themes.

There are exceptions. You can be forgiven for including a common topic if it directly ties into highlighting a unique personal accomplishment. Perhaps grandpa’s prostate cancer diagnosis led you to seek out a research position with a faculty member at your local university lab where you were directly involved in sequencing a promising new molecular marker for prostate cancer. Give the generic topic a brief mention and transition rapidly into how it demonstrated that you are a mover and shaker who took a universal experience and, by virtue of your work ethic and intellectual curiosity, turned it into a contribution to science.

You get a pass on writing about universal experiences if you can pull off a convincing reason to keep the midnight reader going; otherwise, keep your essay distinctive and befitting the professional you hope to become.

Couples' Match

by Michelle A. Finkel MD, Insider Medical Admissions

I've received a few questions about the couples' match. Here is the information that the NRMP sends to applicants who inquire about it:

(Note the syntax mistakes are not mine :).)

Any two applicants may participate as a couple and may choose to link their individual rank order lists in the NRMP system so that corresponding pairs of programs may be considered together during the matching process.

Couples do not participate in a separate match. Each applicant register separately in the NRMP R3 System and then each partner must link themselves to the other partner in the “Update My Profile” Couples option, any time prior to entering their rank order lists. The rank order list function opens on January 15.

Programs consider, interview, and rank each applicant separately based on their individual merit or qualifications and not based on the fact that one is part of a couple in the Match. The NRMP does not indicate to the programs that applicants plan to enter their rank order lists as a couple.

Both applicants may rank the same or different specialties and programs. However, partners that rank the exact same program MAY possibly end up competing for the same positions in the program in this scenario.

Programs may be located at the same or different hospitals. The programs may be in any location preferred, such as the same city, neighboring cities, neighboring states or any other location of the applicants’ choice.

Prospective partners should determine early in their application process, as many acceptable locations of programs to apply to, so that they will have more workable combinations to rank (subject to interviews).

Couples have two unique options available to them in creating rank order lists:

· The same program of one partner may be ranked multiple times in combination with different programs of the other partner, increasing the possibility of one partner matching to a particularly desired program.

· After all combinations have been exhausted, one partner may also choose to go unmatched in order for the other to match to a program. The partner who is willing to go unmatched enters 999999999 opposite the corresponding program choices of the other partner. The partner who is unmatched will try to find a position through the “Scramble” for unfilled positions.

The R3 System tries to match your first choice and the partner’s first choice, your second and the partner’s second etc. until a match occurs or the entire rank order list is exhausted. Please note: The R3 System will only match you as a couple under this process. If it cannot match you as a couple, it will not try to match you as individuals. The coupling function is only done on the primary rank order lists of the two partners so any supplemental lists will be considered individually without regard for the coupling link.

Each partner of a couple will be billed $15.00. Additionally, for each program over 30 different unique program codes listed per each partner’s primary list, there is charge of $30.00 per additional program. For purposes of billing, even if the same unique program code number is used on one partner’s list more than one time in multiple combinations with different programs on the other partner’s list, it would count only as one code toward the 30 programs per list (no additional charge) limit.

Supplemental list fees per person are $30.00 per each unique program code over 30 programs ranked on all supplemental lists combined.

Please visit our website at www.nrmp.org under Residency Match and then click on the left menu on your applicant type and then on Couples to read further about the process.

Applying to Multiple Specialties

by Michelle A. Finkel MD, Insider Medical Admissions

Just a clarification for those medical students applying in multiple specialties: The program directors cannot see your ERAS Document Submission Form and will not be aware of the other programs to which you will be applying. I know this has been a question that has come up many times.

Contact me for ERAS and personal statement help.

NRMP Program Director Survey

by Michelle A. Finkel MD, Insider Medical Admissions

The results of the 2010 NRMP Program Director Survey are out. (The last survey was done in 2008.) This document is tremendously helpful, documenting what percentage of residencies (separated by specialty) use specific factors (personal statement, perceived commitment to the field, etc.) in interviewing and matching applicants. You can use this evidence to make a strategic plan for your candidacy. (Warning: The PDF is large, and the download may take a while.)

Please contact me now for help with your residency application. You want to submit as early as possible.

Double Vision

by Michelle A. Finkel MD, Insider Medical Admissions

I've had a couple of clients this season tell me that they had other professional editors revise their personal statements but that they want me to do a re-edit because they need my expertise. Instead of double paying for a second look, please come to me directly. I do outstanding work and expedite your edits. Here is my testimonials page. The number and caliber of remarks about my work says it all!

Why an Early ERAS Submission Will Help You

by Michelle A. Finkel MD, Insider Medical Admissions

When I was an Assistant Residency Director evaluating ERAS, I was impressed with residency applicants who submitted their materials early. I figured those were the people who were on-the-ball and would make reliable residents. Also, early in the season, when I had only a few applications to assess, I was able to spend extra time on each ERAS. Later in the season, when I was flooded with applications, I could only give each one its allotted time.

For those two reasons, I strong recommend submitting your ERAS on September 1. Please contact me now so that you can achieve that goal.

IMG Study

Here's an interesting article regarding a study published in Health Affairs that supports foreign-born IMGs' clinical work.

Interestingly, the research results also demonstrate concern over US-citizen IMGs' capabilities. It's worth a read.