Medical School Personal Statement

For those of you getting butterflies in your stomach just thinking about the medical school personal statement that you're going to have to write soon, here is a recent article I wrote on the Varsity Tutors blog.


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Busy Week

Wow! This past week has been crazy busy. Here we go:

1)  Congratulations to all of my residency applicant advisees: I am thrilled by the enormous success the Match brought to these candidates in a variety of fields. (For fun, here is a play list of Match Day videos from medical schools around the country.)

2) The AMSA national conference was a great, great success. "Interview Like a Ninja" sessions were really robust, and we had a full auditorium at my lecture. Thanks to a very engaged audience.

3) Please take a look at my headlining article on the Student Doctor Network home page, "Tales from an Insider...."

Whew! I'm ready for a rest.

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Inaccuracies in Medical Student Grades Translate into Residency Application Strategy

Here's an interesting article by Dr. Pauline Chen on medical student grades. In reading the article, residency applicants should reflect on how important the content of their letters of recommendation is, especially in the setting of medical school grades that may be inflated or simply inaccurate. The 2012 NRMP Program Director Survey (yes, I do mention that document a lot because it's so helpful) supports the importance of letters, as well, with statistics. Make sure your letters are very strong; remember that mediocre letters should not be a part of your residency package.

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It's Never Too Early To Start Thinking about Applications

Last month I was an invited exhibitor at Student Doctor Network's Test Prep Week 2013. As an exhibitor, I received several good questions. Because I am always impressed with someone who thinks ahead, one of my favorites was

When do you suggest students begin preparing for residency applications?

The below was my response:

Good question. The simple answer is to start working on a personal statement and ERAS activities draft around March of the year you are planning to apply. Assume it will take multiple drafts to get your written materials into good shape. Once you've done your best, find someone with residency admissions experience (like me) to help you get your documents into outstanding shape.

In terms of your comprehensive residency candidacy, you should start planning a strategy toward the beginning of your first year of medical school. If you are applying in a very competitive field (derm, plastic surgery), you should get started on your first day of med school. (No joke.) Consider hiring me for a Strategy Session early.

I hope this helps current first-, second-, and third-year medical students who are thinking ahead!

Check me out at www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com