Personal Statement For Medical School

As the only chance to really explain yourself and who you are in any depth on your primary application, your personal statement for medical school is very important.  The primary application process is pretty much all numbers and statistics with the exception of your personal statement.

While you do have an opportunity to briefly describe some of your hobbies, interests, employment experiences, and extracurricular activities, the personal statement is the only part of the primary application that gives you free reign to really express yourself.  I certainly don’t mean in an artistic sense, though I suppose there is almost a sort of art to personal statements for medical school.  When you are just one of several thousand people applying for one of around a hundred slots, trying to stand out is really important.

Unfortunately, the primary application process is largely number oriented.  Admissions review committees will first look at your GPA and any MCAT scores already submitted before even bothering to read your personal statement.  Sometimes there are certain ‘cutoff’ scores or GPAs that they look for, and if you don’t have the right numbers they won’t even read your statement. 

The good news is, many medical schools will give you a secondary application automatically, which allows for a chance to explain yourself more thoroughly.  Even with a secondary application submitted, admissions committees still pay a lot of attention to the primary application, including the personal statement you wrote for it, as they continue to review your application.  Indeed, the secondary application is referred to by many schools as a ‘supplemental’ application, which clear designates it as merely a compliment to the primary application. 

So clearly your greatest effort should be summoned for the personal statement on your primary application.  The same statement will go to every school you apply to, unlike secondary application essays, and so it is crucial that it is well polished and well written.  What you say in your personal statement for medical school is up to you; it has to be unique and informative about you, so there really isn’t any advice I can give as to its content.  My advice is just to make sure you spend a LOT of time thinking it through, writing it and rewriting it.  Also, have at least three people proofread it for you, and offer feedback.  Ask people you can trust to be both objective, honest, and thorough.

Of the entire application process, the personal statement for medical school is the most important.  The rest, such as GPA and MCAT scores, is already done and you no longer have control over.  Recommendations are also very key, but only your personal statement for medical school affords you a chance to really describe yourself and hopefully stand out.