personal statement for medical school

When choosing the right applicants among hundreds or thousands of students, admission panels from medical schools usually look for several things.  And one of them is the commitment to finish the medical degree.  Pursuing a medical degree is no laughing matter.  It involves years of study and sacrifice, especially in terms of social life.  Because of this, showing the admissions panel of your commitment to pursue a degree in medicine through your personal statement for medical school is a step closer to getting a spot at the school.  One way to do this is to use your volunteer work experience as an essay topic.

Why volunteer work experience is an effective personal statement topic

Joining a volunteer work experience program is definitely a plus when applying for medical school.  This is because such an experience opens your mind to various ideas and exposes you to a variety of personalities and situations.  Plus, the fact that you did volunteer to work for a company or organization means you have the initiative to commit yourself to a responsibility or task — an attractive trait for a future medical practitioner.

Having the aptitude to ace your med school exam and to get high grades during your pre-med years is very impressive.  However, without the commitment to actually study hard throughout your years in medical school, all your efforts during pre-med years are put to waste.

Nowadays, medical schools are looking more into the applicants’ previous experiences that can help them convince that a certain applicant is willing to endure the hardships one has to undergo when studying medicine.

Effectively discussing your volunteer work experience

To be able to land that spot in your dream med school, you have to effectively discuss your volunteer work experience in your essay.  You can do this by citing specific situations you encountered during volunteer work.  Then explain how these situations have convinced you to pursue a medical degree or how they have shaped your beliefs and value system as a possible practitioner in the field of medicine.

Avoid including too many details when writing about your volunteer work experience.  Too much details can confuse your essay readers.  Always keep your focus on your topic when writing your essay.

Other things to keep in mind when talking about volunteer work experience

For a more persuasive personal statement for medical school, you can also discuss why you chose to join a volunteer work program in the first place.  By doing so, you are giving the admissions panel a glimpse of your real character.