Admission to medical school is a tough process. It will test your readiness and commitment to your personal goals and the cause of medicine. Apart from these, you will have to compete against thousands of other hopefuls, who are as competent and dedicated as you. How do you stand out? A sure way for your application to get noticed is to submit an application essay with a catchy introduction. Here’s how you can do it:
The importance of a good application essay intro
On the average, a member of the admissions board reads at least 3,000 application essays each year. This means that in order to rise above the competition, your essay needs to catch the board’s attention right away. Not only that. your essay introduction must be able to hold that attention up to the last word. Some writers tend to hold off discussing substantial information until the latter part of the essay’s body. Unless your intro is able to grab and hold on to the reader’s attention, your reader, the admissions board, may miss the whole point of your admissions essay.
Tips in writing a catchy admission essay intro
Composing an essay with a catchy intro is tricky. There is always that risk of coming up with a totally inappropriate albeit memorable beginning. Unless you are applying for admission to a literary program, find a balance between creativity and relevance. To get a good grasp of what you can work with, read admissions essay sample intros. The Internet is a rich source of information on the subject, and there are plenty of reference materials online for preparing a creative but safe intro. One example of a good intro is to tell a story about the first time you realized that you wanted to become a doctor.
The biggest challenge that applicants to med school face is standing out amidst thousands of other candidates. Use your essay to get the kind of attention you deserve. Read essay samples to find a creative yet appropriate start to your essay. Always remember, never compromise substance.
Related questions:
1. Why do you need a catchy introduction for your medical school application essay?
2. What is the risk involved in attempting to write a catchy intro?
3. What are some of the ways you can find a balance between creativity and relevance?
One need not be a literary genius to come up with a well-written medical school application essay. In fact, many of the essays written by successful candidates are those that are not excessively creative in their approach. The prevalent characteristics of admission essays that work may be summarized into 3Cs (coherent, concise, and clarity of purpose). Here are some tips to help you write a 3C essay of your own:
Why an outline is important when writing an admission essay
Achieving a 3C quality to any written material starts with a good outline. As what your grade-school teacher may have told you, the outline provides a solid backbone to your composition. There are four main reasons explaining the importance of a good outline:
- It helps shape your composition and set limits to its coverage.
- It provides order and logic to your write-up.
- It guides you in preparing smooth transitions for your essay.
- It can be used to review shortcomings in logic.
Admission essay tips when creating your outline
Given the value of a good outline, it is important to allot an adequate amount of time at the pre-writing stage. It is also equally important not to get into outlining right away. Brainstorm and answer self-assessment questions that need to be addressed before writing an application essay. Simply write down your thoughts as they come, and resist the urge to edit. Later on, you can weed out irrelevant or less important items by using an essay checklist.
Using your outline, you can start writing a rough copy of your essay and revise it as you deem fit. Review your draft for lapses in grammar and structure, and tweak your content around to strengthen its logic. Lastly, have someone, whose opinion you trust, read and comment on your essay. It should show how articulate and logical you are. Most importantly, your essay should be able to demonstrate your motivation and consistency to purpose. Writing a great essay will help make you feel good about yourself and more confident about your application.
Related questions:
1. What are the three most common characteristics of effective admission essays?
2. What are the four reasons which explain why an essay should start with a good outline?
3. How do you prepare yourself to make a good outline? What tools should you use?
Completing a degree in medicine is not a walk in the park, so the members of the admission board will want to know why you want to put yourself through all the trouble. Medical schools are particularly interested in knowing what drives you and what influenced your decision to pursue medicine. Here is why and how discussing your motivation in your essay should help in your application:
Why motivations are good topics for medical school admission essays
Application essays are generally brief. It is important to give priority to information about yourself, which are not evident in your transcript of records. Using your motivation as the central theme of your essay enables you to accomplish two important things: (1) show how medicine fits into your personal and professional goals and (2) build a strong framework to hold your essay together. There are different styles of discussing your motivations, so there is no need to worry about your essay becoming generic. Write about people and personal experiences that inspired and influenced your decision. Your motivation is something that shows how you are an authentic and unique candidate, so use it to your advantage.
Tips when coming up with medical admission essay topics
A career in medicine requires compassion and genuine dedication for the development of the field. Before writing your essay, examine yourself and check your motives. Make sure that there is no mismatch between your goals and the program objectives. Search the Internet for application prompts and use these to brainstorm for your essay topic. Ensure that your essay always provides truthful answers to the why questions. Study med school essay writing resources online and essay samples before you start writing.
The most important element of an admission essay is your statement of purpose. How you explain your reasons for pursuing medicine and show your fitness for the program is essential. The submission of an admission essay is your opportunity to show the admissions board how dedicated you are and just how much pressure you can take.
Related questions:
1. What kind of information does the admission board need to know about you?
2. What are the two advantages of using your motivations as the main topic of your medical school admission essay?
3. Why is the statement of purpose very important and how can you use it to your benefit?
