Information blast — this was the very phrase that came into my mind the moment I opened the SF Medical School Life Examiner main page. It seemed like some sort of a web portal leading to many different kinds of information and web content such as videos, news articles and commentaries, personality tests and assessments, book reviews, medical students, information on infectious diseases, entries on the health care system, and many others. I would dare say it is intended for and highly helpful not only to medical students, but also to other medical practitioners, researchers, interested readers, and other members of the medical education community.
What’s to like about Examiner
What?s special about this blog is that it includes many different types of content and information with different angles under an umbrella topic: Medicine. The author includes her political views, as well as her opinion on current issues in relation to health and medicine. I particularly liked her entry on the raids to pharmacies regarding the issue of Michael Jackson?s death, where she said that the raids are “justified” but “worrisome.” Besides the articles on current issues, there are also information and content helpful to medical students and other interested audience such as personality assessment tests and results. At the top of each article, there are buttons for fast and easy printing, comments, sending through electronic mail, and subscription. Beside the array of entries is a side bar containing links to contents arranged according to categories. At the top are tabs for easy navigation.
Areas for improvement
With the layout of the main page, however, the blog has the tendency to look cluttered. I must admit getting a little disoriented for a couple of seconds before being able to find the articles that I wanted to review and look at. For a while, I didn?t know how and where to start. The lead in paragraphs for the array of entries are a little too short and the division of the page into three columns didn?t work quite well, with the “main content” on the left column.
In the Study: Life in Medical School is a comprehensive personal blog of a University of Tennessee College of Medicine student?and a U.S. Navy scholar at that. It seems that the blog is basically for his friends and for other people who might be interested in how a medical student?s life works: the day-to-day tasks, occasional dilemmas, bizarre and interesting experiences, and many others.
Etmeek’s good points
The main page of the blog shows an array of paragraphs and links to his latest blog entries. On the side are links to other pages and other navigation options. Overall, the blog is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
The content of the blog is basically personal, but not really private. The author?s use of first person perspective, simple and conversational language, and light writing style give the articles an interesting twist that would encourage one to read, and to keep on reading. It?s like reading one?s journal and sharing in a medical student?s thoughts. I particularly became interested in an entry about his Ob/Gyn
exercises, where he shared how he never actually thought he could do Ob/Gyn until that day he tried.
Among the links you’ll find on the blog?s main page, you can find links to other pages containing other information you might be interested in, such as some trivia about the author. You can also check out the archive for his past entries, which date back to 2005. He?s got entries on various topics besides school experiences such as adventure, life, science, humor, sermon notes (being a proud follower of Christ, as he stated on his About Me page), quotes, and useless facts, among others. He also provided links to his friends, the church he?s involved in, his school, and other things that matter to him. Some entries include photos to make them more interesting.
Etmeek’s weak points
Making use of more videos, photos, and media files would spice up the blog more. It would also do with more interesting trivia and stories that could inspire other medical students or aspiring medical students.
To end up with a competitive application, it takes a lot of revisions on your first draft. It takes more than 10 drafting and re-drafting to get the competitive edge in your personal statement. It is also advisable to have professional advisers or experts to read your work and ask them to pose questions about your personal statement. This will help you to think further and add more content to your work. This is a very helpful tip if you want to be confident that your work is proofread.
Look for grammatical flaws
Before thinking of passing your primary application, the most important thing you should never take for granted is the grammatical errors you might have committed. It is very common to see grammatical errors in essays, which have not been revised thoroughly. This could give the admissions officers a bad impression about you. They might think you?re not really interested in becoming a doctor. It is a very small error that applicants take for granted. But this small error could cost them their admission.
Check if each sentence is clear
Read and re-read your sentences. Make sure that they convey your point and that they are simple enough to be understood by a lay person. Don?t make a sentence too long. It will be confusing to the reader. Ask one of your friends to read it for you and see if he or she understands your point in every sentence. Organize the sentences so they show an organized timeline of events. This will prevent your personal statement from becoming a big jigsaw puzzle.
Make sure that all ideas are cohesive
The final thing to check is if all the ideas are telling the admissions committee one thing. It will be a mess even if your essay is grammatically incorrect or if the sentences cannot be understood easily. It all comes down to the essay as a whole. Ask yourself this: Did my essay convey the same message all throughout? It will make a great difference if the admissions committee sees nothing wrong with the grammar–all sentences are clear and concise and they all say the same thing to them. If you find there are discrepancies or irrelevant ideas, don?t be afraid to revise your quotations, words, sentences, paragraphs, or even rewrite the whole essay. Take your time and be determined to give them a perfect essay.
Related links:
Medical School Application ? Using a personal approach for med school admission essays
Personal Statement Guide ? Tips on writing a personal statement
Journalism experience – Using your journalism experience as an edge in writing personal statements
Specialization in Medicine – why discussing specializations in admission essays are important
Foreign Med Students – Guide for foreign students in applying to US med schools
It is very important to make a draft when writing your medical school essay. You can?t just pass an essay the first time you wrote it. It takes more than that. To ensure a perfect and complete medical school essay you must be vigilant in drafting and redrafting your work. It only takes one error for your essay to be rejected. Most common errors to look out for when drafting are grammatical errors. That?s why a lot of revisions are necessary for you to make a perfect essay, one that will get you admitted into the school you?re applying to.
Make sure you answer the question
After all the drafting and re-drafting you?ve done, you must be confident and sure that you have a complete essay. Mistakes could still be committed so always put in mind the topic of the essay, the question the school has thrown at you. Read your personal statement thoroughly and ensure that you have made your point regarding the question at hand. Only answer the question asked from you and don?t make your essay longer or fancier by adding other details. This will just confuse your reader and could give your essay a chance for rejection.
Make sure you stay focused on the topic
The essay should always be in line with the topic. You don?t start your essay with your work experiences, and in the middle or in the end you write about how you wanted to be a doctor. Stay focused on the topic. Write an outline to be organized and make sure your outline also goes with the chosen topic.
Make sure that essay is unique and compelling
The most important thing to remember is to make a unique essay. Admissions officers will get bored and may reject your work if they find a similarity in your work with the other essays or from past applicants’. Make sure you get their interests right from the start with personal experiences. Get their minds set to your work by sharing your best career experiences. Give them one story they haven?t heard or will not hear from other applicants. Always stay true, and your essay?s uniqueness will follow.
Related links:
Journalism experience – Using your journalism experience as an edge in writing personal statements
Specialization in Medicine – why discussing specializations in admission essays are important
Anecdotes in essays ? Using anecdotes in personal statements
Medical School Application ? Using a personal approach for med school admission essays
Personal Statement Guide ? Tips on writing a personal statement
