Six Reasons Why You Don't Get Into Med School

I found this article through KevinMD.com on Twitter and decided to share. 

It was written by Jessica Freedman and was originally published in PreMedLife.

Every year medical school applicants feel confused and in the dark about why they have been rejected by medical schools. They do not understand what they did wrong or what they need to do differently when they reapply. Whether you are a premedical student trying to make sure to “do everything right” or a medical school applicant who has not yet been accepted to medical school, it may help to learn what applicants who are not accepted to medical school often have in common. Many of these problems are easy to avoid while others take a little more time and effort to remedy.

Here are six problems I have observed:

1. Applying to a narrow range of medical schools. 

Everyone has told you that you are a great applicant and you should have no concerns. Premed advisors, friends, and family may advise you to reach high and that you don’t need to apply to more than 10 to 15 medical schools. I advise most students to be wary of this advice. While I always encourage medical school applicants to “aim high” and to have dream schools in mind, being realistic is also important. The competition for medical school admissions is fierce; fewer than half of 42,742 applicants matriculated in 2010/2011. So unless you have outstanding grades, MCAT® scores, letters of reference, experiences, written application materials, and a great interview experience, it is extremely important to cast a wide net and to apply broadly to a large range of medical schools. Sometimes applicants (or their advisors) overestimate their competitiveness and apply to mostly top-tier medical schools. These applicants are then surprised when they are not accepted to any of them. The bottom line is that, even if you are a top-notch applicant, you must consider adding to your list medical schools that are not ultra-selective.

2. Lacking clinical experience. 

You are applying to medical school, right? Then you must be able to demonstrate to the admissions committee that your experience fits this career decision. Many medical school applicants are interested in science and, while research is important, it cannot substitute for clinical exposure. Some medical school applicants submit applications with an impressive list of accomplishments and experiences but don’t demonstrate any clinical exposure, which comes in many forms: You can shadow your own family physician, volunteer in a free clinic or a hospital, or participate in a formal premedical program that includes time spent with physicians. It is very tough to convince an admissions committee via your written documents or during interviews that you want to pursue a career in medicine if you have never spent time in a clinical arena.

3. Submitting poorly composed written documents. 

Regardless of your candidacy’s strengths, composing persuasive application materials is essential for success. Whether you are competitive applicant seeking acceptance to the most prestigious medical schools in the country or a “borderline” applicant with lower than average grades, experiences, or MCAT® scores, your experience descriptions and personal statement must convince the people reviewing your application that you are worthy of an interview and an acceptance. This is especially important during the first stage of the medical school admissions process when the admissions committee decides whether or not to extend an interview invitation. The committee bases this decision on the objective material you present such as your academic profile, but your written materials, including your application and letters of reference, make a difference. You don’t have control over the content of your LORs, but you do have complete control of what you write in your application materials. Written documents that clearly and articulately express the evolution of your interest in medicine with introspection and thought are more likely to motivate the admissions committee to click the “interview” box when deciding your fate.

4. Having a lackluster academic profile. 

You have done “okay” in college and on your MCAT®, but is your performance strong enough to gain admission to medical school? Many medical school admissions committees “screen” applications; if your grades or MCAT® don’t reach a certain threshold, you are automatically rejected and your application isn’t reviewed. Other medical schools use a school-specific “formula” that takes into account your grades and MCAT® score and determines whether or not your application will be reviewed if you earn a minimum score. The general rule of thumb is that you must have an overall undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) of 3.5 with a strong performance in the sciences and a minimum MCAT® score of 30 to gain admission to medical school, but this rule has variations. For example, if your UGPA is lower than a 3.5, your MCAT® is a 31 and you have outstanding LORs, documents, and interview skills (see below) you can still gain admission to medical school. Medical schools also consider the rigor of your academic course load, undergraduate institution competitiveness, outside pressures (such as financial difficulties), and upward grade trend when evaluating how you performed. Many students perform poorly as a freshman in college and as they adjust to college life their grades steadily increase as they improve their study and time management skills; admissions committees consider this. The evaluation of applicants is also subject to various nuances. For example, the student who attends a competitive undergraduate institution and pursued a difficult major, with a UGPA of 3.4 and an MCAT® 36 might be viewed more favorably than the student who attended a less competitive college, pursued a less rigorous major and had a 4.0 but earned a 31 on the MCAT®. In other words, to some extent admissions committees consider the competitiveness of your undergraduate institution and course load. At the same time, you need to realize that applicants’ MCAT® performances are the only measures admissions committees have for comparing “apples to apples.” This is why an exceptional MCAT® performance is important regardless of where you attend college.

5. Submitting a late application. 

You are an outstanding applicant but submitted a late application. Though this problem is easy to “fix,” you should understand why it’s important to rectify it. Every year the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) starts accepting medical school applications on or around June 1st  And submitting your primary application as close to this opening date as possible is essential. Why? AMCAS® must review and verify your application, which can take up to six weeks (or more if there is a problem), and medical schools will review your application only after you are “verified” and they have received all supplemental application materials, such as letters of reference, Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT®) scores, and secondary applications and essays. By submitting an early application you will be considered within a smaller pool of applicants early in the season. In contrast, applicants who wait until deadlines to submit their application materials are typically considered within a much larger pool of applicants. In addition, because early applicants have been invited for some of a school’s finite number of interviews, those who apply late are competing with a large number of applicants  for fewer interview slots. Similarly, for medical schools with rolling admissions, interviewing late in the admissions season is less than ideal since in March or April, for example, most initial acceptance offers have been extended. This means that even if you are a competitive applicant, the medical school may not have any more interviews or acceptances to extend. This is why many great applicants who submit late applications, receive “hold”, ‘reject,” or “wait list” decisions rather than acceptances. If you are rejected by medical school and decide that your academic record needs to be enhanced, you have many options. If grades are the issue, consider taking upper division classes at a four year university after graduation. Postgraduate special master’s programs specifically designed for students who want to attend medical school are also a good alternative; a searchable database of such programs is available from the Association of American Medical Colleges: http://services.aamc.org/postbac. Other possibilities are to pursue a master’s in public or global health or in a specific scientific discipline in which you are interested. These are all great options if you need to improve your academic profile. If your MCAT® is the concern, you must critically evaluate what you need to do to improve so you can target your studying.

6. Demonstrating poor interview skills. 

 Once an applicant reaches the interview stage, the interview is the most important determinant of success. Typically, interviewees with great interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence are naturally better interviewees than applicants who are more introverted. Applicants who are very nervous, not articulate, or who aren’t comfortable  peaking about themselves can under-perform during the interview. Even though some US medical schools are adopting the multiple mini interview (MMI) format, most medical schools still conduct one-on-one interviews. Contrary to what most medical school applicants believe when they start this process, medical school interviews are typically relaxed dialogues; the interviewer is trying to get to know each applicant, assess if he or she has the qualities and characteristics the school is seeking in medical students, and if he is a good fit for the school. While a certain degree of subjectivity influences every interview experience, applicants can perform well if they practice speaking about themselves before the interview and if they clearly express their motivations and experiences that influenced their decision to practice medicine.

I have seen applicants fail to be accepted to medical school again and again for one or more of these “Top Six” reasons. Nonetheless, how a school weighs each of these factors, among others, is determined by each applicant’s unique profile and situation and the criteria and admissions process of that particular school. Always remember that each medical school considers every candidate individually and there are many things you can do to improve your chance of success.

Big Brother Week 1

Recap: Willie is HOH. Britney and Janelle have combined their teams into one big alliance.
Willie also made a side deal with Frank and said he would not get nominated.  

So Willie is a liar. 

He nominated Frank anyway. Kara is also on the block. 

Naturally, Frank is mad. And confused.

Julie drops a bomb on the coaches.
She reveals that each week the coaches will compete for a special power.
The winning coach picks one of their players to be safe for that week.
Each coach also picks one of their players to be a have not.
The first coach comp was the BB Derby.
Two coaches had to race around a slippery track in attempts to catch the other.
Dan threw the competition. 

Boogie won and gave the immunity to Ian. 

The havenots are Shane, Dan, Ashley, and Ian.  

The havenot room looks awful. The walls are hypnotic black and white swirl. 

The beds are slanted, curved, and have little raised bumps all over! 

I have never seen a havenot room that's so bad! 

Ian is kinda acting like a creeper and Boogie is talking smack about Britney and Janelle. 

Everyone also seems to think that Joe is cooking too much and using all the food. 

***The following are live feed updates and may contain spoilers***
***If you don't want to see them, scroll fast.***

Willie made fun of Wil's (gay) voice by repeating something that Wil said but in a higher voice. 

Wil was upset (read: crying). Frank started spreading around the house that Willie was making homophobic slurs toward Wil, probably to get back at Willie nominating him! 

Kara has been wasting no time throwing people under the bus (already!?). And she cries alot.
I've heard Kara has posed for Playboy.. 

Apparently, we might have a budding showmance this early in the game. 

Ian and Ashley went on a "date," inside the house, of course.

Ashley has also been getting cozy with Willie. 

Jojo has slept in the HOH room with Willie for several nights now. 

Britney thinks the coaches will eventually enter the game, no longer playing as coaches. 

Janelle doesn't really think so because their contract said
coaches will not have  to go to jury house.

Britney mentioned this to Willie and then very soon regretted it.
Willie is freaking out. He threatens Shane to vote Kara out. 

He started forming more alliances outside Britney and Janelle's alliance. 

He calls a "house meeting" without the coaches,
and tries to convince everyone to play against the coaches.

He makes the point that "they need us, but we don't need them," and tells them that there is a very good chance that the coaches could eventually enter the game.

He really drives home that the newbies need to play the game for themselves and not let the coaches control what they do. This results in widespread paranoia for the newbies.
Joe ran to Janelle and told her about the meeting. 

The coaches were outside later laughing at how paranoid they are all acting. 
It comes up later that Frank started all this mess, but I think it was Willie. 

It also came into view that Frank and Jenn have a secret alliance. 

Joe tried to lead an effort with Frank, Jenn, and Wil to get Willie out.

Anybody else notice the burglar in the storage room? The feeds went down for two hours.
Rumor is it was production hiding POV IDOLS!
A new twist?

Willie comes down from HOH room carrying his duffel bag and heads toward the diary room.
Again, mas paranoia spreads like wildfire. Willie emerges with the bag looking obviously fuller, but he looks happy. I think he was trying to lead everybody on by making them think he won a special power or something. What's in the bag?
A computer for HOH blogs and the HOH camera.
I'm really starting to not like Willie.
 
At this point, Janelle's team now wants Willie out.
All the houseguests are comparing notes
and realize that Willie has an alliance with almost everyone.
Not like his brother at all? Yeah, right.
Britney ends up hiding (and crying) in all this mess.

Someone finally exploded. Willie and Frank had a huge fight Tuesday night.
Click here for a nice recap.

Later, Joe, Jenn, Wil, Ian, and Ashley chatting in storage room.
Joe says their alliance name is Diversity and wants them to be final 6, including Frank.
Diversity? Really? You  couldn't think of anything better?

Wil and Ashley are talking about Janelle later
and both are saying she is fake and can't be trusted.
Wil was spreading crap about Willie and look what happened.
Now he's spreading crap about Janelle bullying him, when in fact,
he was harassing her about leaving her baby to play BB.
Wil can't be trusted either.
Janelle is my favorite.
I think I'm pulling for Ian now.
And maybe Danielle. I like her too.

Oh, and Ian streaked in the house, covering up with Joe's cowboy hat.


***End spoilers***

------------------------------------------------


Wednesday's episode was interesting.
Boogie tried to bully/intimidate Britney and then Janelle.
He threw Dan under the bus and Janelle let Dan know that.
Janelle really hates Boogie. I think it's funny when she calls him Booger.

The veto comp turned the backyard into a huge bubbly laundromat.
Willie, Frank, Kara, Wil, Danielle, and Shane competed.
They had to race from one side through washing machine tunnels to the other side of the yard and dig through the mountains of bubbles, and find coins. Slipping and sliding, they had to bring the coins back and toss them into their washing machine. They needed to find $1.30 using dollar coins, quarters, and nickels. Shane won and considered making deals with both Frank and Kara, but ended up not using the veto.




---------------------------------------------

Thursday's episode was the long awaited live eviction and HOH comp.

Julie confirmed the Kara Playboy rumor/suspicion, referring to her as 'the playmate.' Five votes are needed to stay in the house. Frank went to Willie because he needed votes and Willie told him to just keep quiet and he will handle it. Britney and Janelle both say Dan needs to go so they should vote out Kara. Britney had a hunch that the coaches will enter the game eventually. She tells Willie. Willie freaked out. He calls a house meeting in the HOH room with everybody EXCEPT the coaches.Willie tells them that they have to play for themselves and not for the coaches.




Willie made fun of Wil's voice. Frank was getting mad about Willie and says he can't be trusted. Frank told the others about Willie's mocking of Wil. Willie then denied making fun of Wil and confronted Frank for spreading "lies." Of course there was yelling. And fruit loops. Boogie jumps in asking Willie who made him the boss telling everybody how they should vote. 

 

Julie said another twist was coming, but first, she asked the houseguests a few questions.
In Frank's last minute speech before the vote, he pinpointed Willie by saying,
"Nobody should let a bully dictate your vote because bullying is not okay inside or outside the house."

Then it was time for the live eviction.
Danielle voted for Frank
Shane voted for Frank.
Joe voted for Kara.
Ian voted for Kara.
Jojo voted for Frank.
Jenn voted for Kara.
Wil voted for Kara.
Ashley voted for Kara.
With a vote of 5-3, Kara was evicted.
Wil and Ian both looked like they were going to cry.

Outside the house, Kara talks with Julie. She says she's shy. Right. And that's why she posed for Playboy. Julie shows Kara's goodbye messages from Danielle (aww), Joe (what a jerk), Shane ("I'm gonna miss those long legs."),
and Dan ("I guess this is my fault." - yep, you threw the coach comp.)

The houseguests were woken up in the middle of the night (several times)
and had to watch clips of a burglar wrecking havoc in the house.
He was shown eating their food, shaving, playing chess, and drink from the milk jug.
For the HOH comp, the backyard was decorated like a crime scene.
Willie couldn't compete as outgoing HOH and the coaches couldn't compete either.
It was a memory competition called BB Break In.  
The houseguests were asked questions about the burglar video clips.
They all answered the first question right.
Shane was eliminated after question two.
Question three eliminated everyone EXCEPT Frank and Joe.
They both answer a question wrong and then both answer one right.
Question six eliminated Joe.
FRANK is the new HOH.
Willie storms off.

Julie finally reveals the new twist.
Each week, the winner of the coach competition can either SAVE a player
or TRADE a player for any other player, except the HOH.

Personal Statement review - Dr. Wood

I also sent my personal statement (draft 3) to a doctor I had shadowed. 

Dr. Wood is an OB/GYN who works in a practice with several other doctors.

She graduated with a Psychology major. After college, she found a job and started a family. 

After eight years off, she decided to apply. 

She took an MCAT review course and I think she was only accepted at MCG.   

 This is the feedback and again, my thoughts are in white.  

---------------------

 I really like the first paragraph, it grabs attention (which is important) and is descriptive.  

(This made me feel better. I had really worked on creating a first paragraph that would catch the attention of the reader and she appreciated it, unlike Sergei.)

I would consider going from there into what is the 4th paragraph now "In elementary school…"  (Interesting..) After the sentence "I wondered if it was just because that's what I had always said and I didn't want to consider another answer", you could talk about answering that question by shadowing. (Hmm. I like the way that sounds. 

But how would I make that transition? Moving from holding a gallbladder to being asked what you want to be when you grow up seems a little rough.)

Don't get too hung up about explaining what specialty you want to pursue in your personal statement, because they know that most people change their mind in medical school.

 (But I didn't mention a specialty.) They are looking for people who are interested in primary care, however, so mentioning that you are interested in internal medicine isn't a bad thing. 

(I figured, especially for Mercer.) 

In the next paragraph you could focus on the characteristics/ personality traits that you think will serve you well in medicine.  Is there a particular band or tutoring experience that pushed you?  Specific examples are always good and interesting to the reader.

 (Aww, I should have know someone would tell me I really need examples! Crap.)

You have lots of those traits tucked into the essay:  PRIDE, tutoring teaching communication and problem solving, being a teaching assistant challenging you academically and expanding responsibility/ leadership.  I don't know that you have room for every one of those. 

(I was totally expecting this.)  Pick the ones you think are most important and use a paragraph to focus on them. (Just one paragraph? That's still alot to talk about in one paragraph.) 

Use the last paragraph as a wrap-up.  I like your sentence "Perhaps my answer to that familiar question never strayed from medicine because I was meant to care for patients." 

 (Yay! I was hesitant about that sentence.)

Try to get the whole essay down to a page. (I knew this was coming too.) It seems very difficult at first, but sometimes when we write we say the same thing a couple of times, and trying to pare it down makes you get rid of the redundancy.  You have a great start and getting started so early gives you time to rework it. (Eactly.)

 ------------------------- 


She liked my draft better than Sergei and was not blunt about anything.  
She also emphasized that I don't have to change anything if I don't want to because this is my personal statement and it's important that it's mine and I'm happy with it (I left that part out). 
She also made suggestions, which was very helpful. 
She didn't have as much to say as Sergei, but in a way, I think she spoke more. 
She looked at the big picture and overall structure andflow. 
Sergei focused on individual ideas by commenting on almost every sentence. 
I definitely will consider what Dr. Wood had to say, when I redraft. 

Personal Statement review - Sergei

So, when I was taking my Kaplan review class, 

I asked my TAs to look over my personal statement (draft 3). 

One of them agreed. His name is Sergei and he is Russian. 

This is the feedback he sent.. (brace yourself)

My thoughts are in white. 

 --------------

At first glance, here are my suggestions:

The first paragraph sounds like a field trip to the zoo and it's too drawn out... 

(I already knew it was too long. That's why I need help!)

As much as creative writing is appreciated by admissions committee, all I got from it is "this is so exciting!" Adding "squeal like a little girl" and anything that belittles the experience would not do you much good. 

(I don't think it belittles anything. I think it reflects my personality.)

My advice would be to trim it down by half

 (Already planning on that, but you didn't offer any suggestions on how to do that) 

and add more analysis  (That would make it longer...putting me back in the same dilemma) 

that would reveal your understanding of how much trust is required between a surgeon, nurse, patients, and a volunteer! (This experience actually sounds pretty special... 

if I were a physician, there's no way I'd let a volunteer get his hands on a surgical patient).

Also, I don't know what you meant to say by a hobby "painting nails" in the third paragraph. 

(Umm.. hobby means I do it in my free time because I enjoy it) Every phrase you put into your essay should have a meaning. If you paint nails like an art form, like those crazy Japanese nail artists, then it's something worth mentioning to show your creative side and desire for exploration. (While I wouldn't call myself an artist, I have been told by many people that I am pretty good, but does this mean I should mention my blog in my personal statement or my application??)

The paragraph about music can be trimmed down (I spent so much time writing that paragraph and you just want to chop it up) with the most important points left only: Why do you play, What did you learn besides the songs and techniques, and Where will this mentality lead you. (You were obviously not in band.) For example, the part where you talk about the "PRIDE" school band motto seems like an extra boost that really doesn't add much: it's like a "oh and by the way, my band motto was pride, and I'm really proud of my work." 

(That's where I talk about all my wonderful character traits! They came from band!!)

The point of the personal statement is to differentiate yourself from the crowd beyond GPA, grades, and activities. Pick only three things at which you excel or those that impacted your life the most, and talk about them with insightful analysis (75% analysis and thought, 25% content). (That's alot harder than you make it seem, buddy) No need to add extra information. The description of your activities in the AMCAS application is the opportunity to explain whatever you omitted in the personal statement.

 (Oh yeah, I forgot about that..)

I had a really hard time reading the last paragraph (almost gave up on finishing actually. A committee member certainly would) (That's what I was afraid of, but this is the part that I knew needed the most work) You spent too much time writing the justification for your initial commitment to be a doctor. There is too much rambling, and you leave the reader with an air of uncertainty. (I disagree) Personally, I'm not convinced that you would love the job.

 (Well you don't matter, only the admissions committees do) In reality, it's not that exciting. (Oh really, you know the reality of being a doctor? Then why didn't we call you Dr. Sergei? Gee, maybe because you're not a doctor and you don't know the reality. Maybe it's not exciting to you because that's not what you want to do with your life. I think it would be very exciting. I have wanted to do this my whole life. I want to do more in life than sit around all day in Arizona staring at a computer all day helping applicants review for the MCAT, like you. I have bigger ambitions) The hours are long, and the work is hard. You completely ignore this reality with the light-hearted attitude. (I am in no way under the impression that this is going to be easy. I know it's hard and I know the life of a doctor can be rough. I did not ignore it it. I just do not think that belongs in a personal statement. By shadowing and having some clinical exposure, the admissions committee should assume that I have seen what it's like first hand and so I know that's it's not always fabulous. I would appreciate it if you gave me a little more credit than that, Sergei. I have shadowed before.) Although you mentioned your perseverance and hard work in your extra-curricular activities, you didn't say how this would really fit into practicing the profession as a physician. (e.g. I have worked incredibly long hours before and there's something pleasant in hitting the "void," where my body and fingers automatically do the work without much thought.)  (This won't be hard to add, I think I already have an example in mind, using what you said here)

Here are some questions that arise in my mind as I read your writing: there's a lot about how caring for patients fills the place in your heart... but what's in it for the patients? (Why does that matter? I'm supposed to be discussing why I want to be a doctor. I accomplish that by explaining why I want to care for people, not by saying what's in it for them. Doesn't showing my compassion for patients imply that they will therefore get better care? I think it does and I do not think it therefore has to be stated.) How will more time spent with the patients result in better quality of care? There are so many patients, their numbers are growing everyday, and you would like to spend time only with the few? (What? How in the world did you make that conclusion? I never said I would spend time with only a few patients, as opposed to seeing more patients and spending less time with them. I think Sergei interpreted this all wrong.) What's the reasoning behind it? What are the criteria for choosing quality over quantity? (You should always value quality over quantity, especially in the field of medicine.)

Don't use negative words in regards to your commitment: things like "eliminate doubt" should be changed into "reaffirm commitment" etc.  

(Finally some decent criticism that I can actually use) 

Finally, cut down on the word "I." There's on average one "I" per line throughout the essay. 

(Again I disagree. This is MY personal statement. It is about ME. It's supposed to have "I" in it. How else am I supposed to refer to myself? In  third person? 

Well, Ashley doesn't like that idea.)

Seek lots of outside advice, (I tried,but you stomped all over it and didn't give much advice. You just criticized.) look at other sample essays, and browse the personal statement forums.This is not something you can write over night. You should read, reread, rewrite, at least 5 times for it to sound good. (This is my third draft and I actually did write this one overnight. I don't think it's in such horrible shape like you implied.)

-----------------

OUCH. 

Well, I don't think I would consider that constructive criticism, just criticism.

He also didn't seem to care about my feelings. He was too blunt. 

He did make a few good points, but most of them I already knew. 

For the most part, I know what needs to be done; I just don't know how. 

That's what I was looking for but Sergei didn't pick up on that and offer suggestions. 

 I also think he interpreted the last part wrong. 

He also made several comments about things I left out or "ignored." These are things I do not think should belong in a personal statement, especially when I have a tight length limit.

I plan on keeping my mind open though to everything he said, 

but with a grain of salt, when I redraft.

 

Personal Statement Draft 3

This is my third draft. 

I think it's much better, but still needs some work. 

It's a great deal shorter but is still too long. 

The ending needs the most work. My last paragraph is just awful! 

                It was beautiful as it lay in my hand, despite the swelling and abnormal coloring. The excitement within me was growing as I began to realize this was reality. I gently rolled it around in my hands, suppressing the urge to squeal like a little girl. I had waited so long for a moment like this; a moment experiencing the marvels of the human body hands-on. The heart monitor beeped occasionally in the background. The laparoscopic camera was inserted into the patient’s abdomen and I found myself feeling curious and excited. Fascinated by the complexity of the human body, I was thrilled to experience my first look inside a living human. It finally came into focus; we were looking at a swollen gallbladder. Dazed and amazed, I didn’t immediately hear the nurse telling me to put on gloves. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; the nurse was going to let me hold a gallbladder. She placed the warm organ into my open hand and I wanted to jump for joy. I was actually holding an organ. I was holding an organ that had just been removed from a living human being. An organ that only minutes before had been part of this patient, embedded under the liver with blood pulsing through it. This was incredibly exciting to me.

                Holding the gallbladder ignited my desire to shadow more, observing any procedure I could. Eager to learn and experience medicine closely, I observed multiple surgeries.  It wasn’t until afterwards that I realized there was a problem. Shadowing surgery, while incredibly interesting, lacked patient contact for me. I waited in the operating room as one patient was wheeled out and the next one rolled in. I didn’t get any interaction with patients because they were all under anesthesia when I saw them!  In light of this, I dug deeper pursuing my interests in science and medicine, looking for patient contact.

               I had to look no further when I shadowed Dr. Carson at his private practice of internal medicine. As I sat patiently in the waiting room, the receptionist asked how I wanted to practice medicine some day. I hadn’t put too much thought into it at this point and said I was considering working as a hospitalist without any practice of my own to see a wide variety of patients every day. But once all those words escaped my mouth, I wanted to reel them back in. I realized that working as a hospitalist would not allow me to build relationships with patients because I probably wouldn’t see any of them again. I didn’t like that. I spent the majority of the day talking to the receptionist about how the office works, watching the nurse check blood pressures, and observing Dr. Carson himself diagnose patients. When I left that afternoon, I felt like my answer to the receptionist’s question had completely changed. I was already leaning towards internal medicine myself based on the science behind it, but I hadn’t considered the patient aspect of it until I met Dr. Carson. Watching him interact with patients, I could feel how genuinely he cares for each one. My answer changed because I realized I want what he has; his own practice and a large patient base that he knows personally beyond their medical chart. This led me to seek other opportunities to interact with people, such as tutoring, working as a teaching assistant, and becoming a weekly volunteer at Redmond Hospital.

                Outside of the classroom, I have hobbies like painting my nails, reading and playing clarinet. Some of my fondest memories revolve around my clarinet. I have been playing for almost nine years and this experience has greatly impacted my life. My high school band director, Mr. Barnett, taught me not only to be a better musician, but also to be better a better person. He taught me the importance of perseverance by pushing me to practice and continually improve, highlighting the truth behind the words practice makes perfect. I learned responsibility and dependability because he placed me in several leadership positions that demanded nothing less than an individual beyond capable of handling the position. He instilled the value of integrity within me. Last but not least, he taught me how to live life to the fullest by having enthusiasm. These five character traits form the acronym PRIDE, the epitome of my high school band. The things I learned through band bubbled over into my classes and I carried them to college. I will always carry them tucked in my back pocket to remind me of all my band director has taught me and of the wonderful memories band has given me, and to remind me to always show PRIDE in everything I do.

                In elementary school, they ask what you want to be when you grow up. Surrounded by future princesses and monster truck drivers, I said doctor. I’m not sure where the desire came from, especially in a family without any physicians. Growing older, the answers turned into being future veterinarians and lawyers but my answer never changed. I wondered if it was just because that’s what I had always said and I didn’t want to consider another answer. I started to question myself and my future. But the experiences I have had banished any doubt that I had and showed me the real side of being a doctor, beyond the stereotypical lifestyle I saw on TV. Shadowing is thrilling and leaves me wanting to see more, wanting to have my own experiences as a physician. The patient contact I have had fills a space in my heart that nothing else previously could. They light up with joy at the thought that I’m there to help them any way I can and I can also lend an ear to just listen to them. Tutoring other students taught me how to communicate better and to handle problems. Being a teaching assistant challenged me academically and allowed me to expand my responsibility and leadership skills.

                Reflecting on my background, I cannot help but smile. Whether it was not giving up while practicing a hard piece of music or tutoring other students in biology, these experiences along the road of my academic career have molded me into the person I am today by teaching me valuable character traits like discipline, compassion, integrity, and the true value of hard work. These values are combined with other skills that have not been perfected but are continuing to be refined. I gained insight into myself and was able to be self-correcting when needed. Yes, I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. Maybe when I was younger, I wasn’t exactly sure why I wanted it or I wanted it for the wrong reasons. But now, I can say all that has changed. After experiencing first-hand what being a doctor is really like through clinical observations, I have realized medicine goes well beyond having a good job. My aspiration of becoming a physician has been reinforced multiple times, each experience more exciting and meaningful than the previous. Perhaps my answer to that familiar question never strayed from medicine because I was meant to care for patients and I was only slowly realizing it. Primary care involves a genuine passion to help people stay healthy with a desire to build long term relationships with patients so that in the process, the physician grows and develops as well. My perspective has been broadened to include the desire to have more patient interactions. With the right focused purpose behind my desire, I can only look forward to what lies ahead with eager eyes.

Personal Statement Draft 2

This is my second draft. 

It's not very different from the first. I think it's a little shorter.  

But still wayyyyy too long.

                 It was beautiful as it lay in my hand, despite the swelling and abnormal coloring. The excitement within me was growing as I began to realize this was reality. I gently rolled it around in my hands, suppressing the urge to squeal like a little girl. I had waited so long for a moment like this; a moment experiencing the marvels of human body hands-on.

                 The heart monitor beeped occasionally in the background. The scalpel reflected light beautifully as it lay on the tray along with various other tools. The smell of iodine lingered in the air. I watched silently as the first incision was made and a tiny drop of blood rolled down the skin of the patient. The laparoscopic camera was inserted into the patient’s abdomen and I found myself feeling curiosity and excitement. Fascinated by the complexity of the human body, I was thrilled to experience my first look inside a living human body. It was so interesting to watch as the surgeon navigated the small camera through the abdominal cavity and under the liver until it came into focus; we were looking at a swollen gallbladder. Watching the surgeon maneuver various tools inside the body to snip the ducts and main blood vessels of the gallbladder reminded me of the delicate motions of a ballerina. Dazed and amazed watching the gallbladder removed via the navel, I didn’t immediately hear the nurse telling me to put on gloves. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing; the nurse was going to let me hold a gallbladder. She placed the warm organ into my open hand and I wanted to jump for joy. I was actually holding an organ. I was holding an organ that had just been removed from a living human body. An organ that only minutes before had been part of this patient, imbedded under the liver with blood pulsing through it. This was incredibly exciting to me and right then I knew that I wanted to follow through and become a doctor.   

                 The gallbladder removal was not the first surgery I had shadowed. It was the last and, by far, the most exciting surgery I had watched in a series of shadowing physicians. During that shadowing adventure, I had spent about fifteen hours in observing in the operating room shadowing two doctors, Dr. Williams, a plastic surgeon, and Dr. Fromm, a general surgeon. I saw several different procedures ranging from a gastric plication and breast biopsies to a tummy tuck and a nasal lacrimal duct obstruction. I had only ever been on the patient side so it was very thrilling for me to put on scrubs and be in the operating room during a procedure on the physician side. I enjoyed shadowing and it only intensified my desire to become a physician.  I feel like I learned quite a bit just from observing but they were missing one thing. I had very little patient contact and I didn’t see any doctor-patient interactions, which was a problem. 

                 The problem was resolved when I shadowed another doctor, Dr. Carson, at his private practice of internal medicine. As I sat patiently in the waiting room, the receptionist was a busy bee handling patients walking in the door and answering phone calls. The receptionist asked how I wanted to practice medicine. I said I was looking into working as a hospitalist without any practice of my own to see a wide variety of patients every day. But as I was answering her, I realized that if I work as a hospitalist, I probably wouldn’t see most of my patients again and I didn’t like that. After that, I spent the majority of the day talking to the receptionist about how the office , watching the nurse check blood pressures, and observing Dr. Carson himself. By the time I left, my answer to the receptionist’s question had changed. As I watched Dr. Carson interact with his patients, I could feel how genuinely he cares for each one. He told me multiple times how much he enjoys his job and can’t picture himself doing anything else. My answer changed because I realized I want what he has; his own practice and a large patient base that he cares for. I realized that when I was younger, I was strictly focused on the academic side of medicine. Now, my focus has shifted. Instead of losing focus of the academics behind medicine, my perspective has been broadened to include the desire to have more patient interactions and to build long-term relationships with patients.  

                 With the right focused purpose behind my desire, my other qualifications seem to fall into place in helping to prepare me for the long, difficult path that lies ahead before I reach my goal of being a physician. Being involved in several different things throughout my academic career has taught me valuable lessons and developed many important characteristics that will carry me far in life. Tutoring fellow students, being a biology teaching assistant, gaining research experience, and performing clarinet have all played a role in shaping who I am today. I really enjoy the opportunity to tutor other students. I help them understand the material on a deeper level and share valuable studying and time management skills. Through this opportunity, I have gained insight in helping others and developed better study habits as well. There is no greater satisfaction than seeing a student I tutored light up with joy because they succeeded and knowing that I played a major role in helping them reach that point. The experience of being a teaching assistant was also rewarding. It challenged me academically and I greatly enjoyed working closely with a faculty member. Through preparing weekly quizzes and grading assignments, I could see how I was becoming more responsible. I feel like through being a teaching experience I had to develop my leadership skills and be a role model to some degree. I was given another opportunity to work closely with a faculty member. From now until I graduate, I am a research assistant for Dr. John Graham, a professor at Berry College. He is interested in developmental stability and fluctuating asymmetry. We use various strains of Drosophila melanogaster as well as a variety of environmental stressors to affect both the genetic and environmental factors of development. Through this opportunity, I will gain valuable research experience on a long-term level as well as responsibility and understanding how much effort and time goes into conducting research and publishing papers.  

                 Some of my fondest memories of high school and college revolve around my clarinet. I have been playing for almost nine years and out of all my other qualifications, I feel like this one has made the biggest impact on my life. My high school band director taught me not only to be a better musician, but also to be better a better person. He taught me the importance of perseverance by pushing me to practice and continually improve, highlighting the truth behind the words practice makes perfect. I learned responsibility and dependability because he placed me in several leadership positions that demanded nothing less than an individual beyond capable of handling the position. He told me stories to instill the value of integrity because it softens the heart and makes a person kind. Last but not least, he taught me how to live life to the fullest by having enthusiasm. These five character traits form the acronym PRIDE, the epitome of my high school band. The things I learned through band bubbled over into my classes and I even carried them to college. I will always carry them tucked in my back pocket to remind me of all my band director taught me, to remind me of the wonderful memories band has given me, and to remind me to always show PRIDE in everything I do.

                 Medical school seems to be the only option for what I have been striving for. Working hard along the way led not only to knowledge, but also to revelations and self-improvement. The challenges and opportunities I have faced have allowed me to gain insight into myself and be self-correcting. These values are combined with other skills that have not been perfected but are continuing to be refined. 

                 Whether it was practicing a hard piece of music on my clarinet and not giving up until I could play it or tutoring other students in biology, these experiences along the road of my academic career have molded me into the person I am today by teaching me valuable character traits like discipline, compassion, integrity, and the true value of hard work. Reflecting on my background, I can’t help but smile. Despite a few bumps along the way, I am proud of what I have accomplished and can only look forward to what lies ahead with eager eyes. Being in band opened my eyes to characteristics I didn’t already appreciate. Berry College only contributed by emphasizing service to others and highlighting the important balance of educating your head, heart, and hands.

                I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. As I look back, I realize when I was younger, I wanted the high salary and the nobility that comes with the stethoscope. I think I wanted to be a doctor because it looked cool on TV. I was interested strictly in the science aspect of it and this only intensified as I grew older and learned more about science. I was considering a specialty in cardiology. But now, I can say that this has all changed. After experiencing first-hand what being a doctor is like through clinical observations, I have realized medicine goes well beyond having a good job and looking cool on TV. Primary care is about what’s behind the stereotypical life of a doctor you see on TV. It involves a genuine passion to help people and a desire to build long term relationships with patients so that in the process, the physician will grow and develop as a person as well. I want to be able to help people for any type of problem they have rather than focusing on a certain specialty. I want to build long term relationships with patients through my own practice of internal medicine in Georgia and I feel my background has prepared me to do so and reach my destiny.