The admission essay is an important part of your application package. This will serve as a means to tell the admission committee something about yourself apart from all of the information that is already on your application forms, resume, and transcript. If you use the admission essay properly, you can give the committee some insight into your personality, character, and how you live your life. Despite the freedom that you have when writing your admission essay, there are still a number of mistakes you should look out for, and here are some of them:
Boring your readers right from the start
One of the biggest mistakes that people sometimes commit on their admission essay is to bore their readers. You might as well check out some poorly written personal statement examples to get an idea of what a boring essay is. Remember that your goal is to get the reader hooked on who you are and why you deserve to be in the school. If you bore the reader from the start, then what’s to keep him or her from putting down your essay and going on to the next applicant? Try to hold the reader’s interest with an attention-grabbing introduction, an interesting body, and a clinching conclusion.(1)
Using the thesaurus to find inappropriate, big words
Another mistake that some applicants make is using the thesaurus to look for big words. People tend to think that big words will make them sound more educated or well read. The truth is, many of the best writers and speakers out there are able to convey volumes of useful information with the use of simple language that most people can understand. Try checking some examples of personal statements and pay close attention to their language use. You’ll probably notice that most personal statement examples make use of simple and sincere language. Instead of using big words, try to focus on expressing yourself in a simple but interesting manner.(2)
Saying the same things over and over again
Another common mistake is writing an essay that goes around in circles, repeating the same information in different ways. Some tend to give too much information, or they just use the same information over and over again. A useful trick to remedy this mistake is to compose a short outline that will guide you through what you want to say.(3) Try to emulate a personal statement example that reads well and keeps the reader’s thought process flowing.
(1) http://businessmajors.about.com/od/admissions/a/essaytips.htm
(2) http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jun2008/bs20080619_275093_page_2.htm
(3) http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/a/DosandDonts.htm
Whether you are entering into college, graduate school, or a job position, you will probably have to go through an admissions interview. Aside from your personal statement, the interview is one of the few components of your application that will show your personal side to the admissions committee. Here are some tips on how to have a successful admissions interview.
Gathering pertinent information
The first step to having a successful admissions interview is to gather all of the information you need. Begin by taking note of your interview schedule and do what you can to free up that time slot. Next, gather some information on the background of the place and program you are applying to. This will help you answer and ask questions competently and completely.
Getting a head start
Like using examples of personal statements to prepare for writing your essay, you should also make use of example interview questions and answers to prepare for your interview. Many websites offer applicants help by providing some of the common questions that are asked during interviews. Also, use example interview answers to get ideas of the tone, quality, and style of answers that are expected from you as the applicant. This is just like using examples of personal statements to get ideas on the theme or topic for your essay. Preparation and practice is key for success.
Keep these tips in mind for a successful interview
* Try to have a conversation with interviewers, instead of merely answering their questions with a yes or no. You can do this by explaining your answers and asking your own questions.
* Do not be late or miss your interview schedule. If, for some reason, you have to postpone your interview or you think you may be late, try to contact the interviewer to let them know in advance.
* Be comfortable, but not casual. You should dress well, speak well, and act appropriately. Treat your interviewer with respect and always thank him or her after the interview.
* Just like you would not copy examples of personal statements, you also do not want to copy the example answers you find. Let your own personality, thoughts, knowledge, experience, and education shine through during your interview.
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Your resume will be one of the first things that admissions committees and possible employers get to see from you. Resumes outline the experience, training, and education that you have had which is relevant to the field you are entering into. As a main component of your application package, it is important to make an exceptional resume; here are a few things to keep in mind in writing that resume.
Keep it concise
It can be tempting to write down all of your educational and professional accomplishments on your resume. Still, you have to consider how many resumes employers have to go through. Keep your resume concise by going straight to the point and keeping things short – one to two pages should be all you need. You can use bullet points for each accomplishment and skip the long explanation. If the readers have any questions, they can be answered during the interview.
Read, revise, and get and advice
Once you have finished making your resume, be sure to read it over a few times. Take a break from making your resume, revisit it and see what revisions you can make. Here are some simple tips on how to revise your resume:
* Make sure there are no grammatical, spelling, or syntax errors.
* Try not to sound redundant by avoiding repetitive words or phrases.
* Be honest and confident, but avoid sounding boastful.
* Make sure that all information is relevant, true, and complete.
After you have revised your resume and you think it is ready for submission, seek the advice of colleagues, friends, relatives and guidance counselors. Have them read your resume and give you their comments and suggestions. Make changes appropriately.
Tying in your resume with your application package
Once you have finished your resume, you will want to compile it with all of your other application requirements. If asked for a personal statement, you can use the essay to explain how the experience, training, and education mentioned in your resume has impacted you as a person. Use examples of personal statements to get an idea of what employers and admissions committees look for. You can also get ideas, themes, and topics from examples of personal statement available online.
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The ambition to become a medical doctor is a goal that must be steadfastly followed. Medical school itself, with its demands on one’s physical and mental abilities, may already be too stressful for many. The end of it, however, is still not the end of the road for some.
If you want to be part of the medical community, you still have to apply to medical school. Medical schools will be looking at your GPA and your personality when you apply. Even if your grades are not as high as most top medical schools in the country require, give yourself points by completing requirements that are needed. These requirements include credits in the natural sciences and the social sciences. You will also need to submit a personal statement. If you have observed examples of personal statements written for medical schools, they give accounts of community involvement or other instances that support your medical school bid. These examples of personal statements will also shed light to characteristics needed in order to become a fully-fledged doctor.
Being in medical school
When already in medical school, be prepared for long hours of studying. The first two years are mostly spent inside the classrooms, listening to lectures, and being exposed to the basic disciplines of medicine such as human anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, and medical ethics.
Many students, especially those who did not major in the sciences in college, have difficulties in subjects like biochemistry and pathology, so having a rich background in the sciences is essential. It is also much difficult to cram in medical school, so you do have to keep up for every lesson. Second year may already find some students experiencing burn-outs while third year becomes a temporary reprieve because it is more clinical than theoretical. Many medical students in their first and second year pull all-nighters to study for an exam. These years are also the time when being sociable becomes a plus factor because many medical students join study groups so that they can perform in their exams better.
At this stage of their medical training, medical students begin making supervised rounds in hospital wards. However, your responsibilities also increase when you reach fourth year because you will be have surgical rotations.
The difficulties of becoming a full-fledged doctor
The road to become a full-fledged doctor is very long and stressful. You need to have a bachelor’s degree, which usually takes 4 years, to enroll into medical school. Then, after four intensive years in medical school, you have to take three more years of residency (at the very least) to earn a specialization. Residency is much more difficult than the already stressful medical school because you will put your knowledge to practical use while earning several hours of sleep debt every night you are on-call. The number of years of residency will depend on the specialization, which can range from 3 to 7 years. If you still want to get a higher rank or receive more specialized training, you have to go through a fellowship after your residency, which can last for two to three years.
Rewards and challenges
The challenges are not over after you become a full-fledged doctor. You still have to go through regular stressful situations and may get sued for malpractice. However, if you love your job and do well in your specialization, the financial reward may be as high as more than a million dollars annually. Of course, there are also specializations that can only reward you around $100,000 annually. To earn more, you need to choose more complicated specializations such as neurosurgery.
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Copying someone else’s work as your own is considered criminal, which is something akin to violating someone’s intellectual property rights. Using a sample as your guide, however, is helpful. Because the members of the admissions committee read hundreds of personal statements every year, the chances that they will read a plagiarized essay is not that slim. So, come up with your own attention-grabbing personal statement, something that will really stand out from the pile.
There are many examples of personal statements found in books and on the Internet, all of them aiming to improve your understanding of what a personal statement is. These samples touch on several situations because each admission candidate is unique. For example, there are personal statements designed for those applying to law school and personal statements that are appropriate for foreign students. You will be able to choose essays that are nearest to your status and use them as your guides.
How examples of personal statements act as guides
Though most candidates know that personal statements, otherwise known as admission essays, must reflect their self beyond the resume, a lot of applicants are still confused about how to write them. Some only know how to list down all their achievements and best personality traits as if they were writing their resume. Examples of personal statements will then help them structure their essays.
If you are having trouble with what content to use, good essay samples will make you realize what to avoid and what to include. You will also learn to make your essay more interesting. Excellent examples of personal statements will show you that there is a need to make words flow more easily and to make ideas coherent.
Through examples of personal statements, you appreciate what makes a personal statement readable. You will also need to apply what you have learned from those samples so that your personal statement will not be boring or clichéd. The last thing that you want to do is bore your audience from the very first line – this may make your essay unreadable and be ignored, resulting in your not getting accepted into the college of your choice. A dragging and pointless essay may reflect a dull or apathetic personality. Examples of personal statements also show you how to gracefully handle some topics, such as bad grades, or how to highlight factors that can make your essay stand out.
Controlling your use of personal statements
Reading different kinds of sample college admission essays are very important when your aim is to perfect your personal statement. If your grades are not particularly spectacular, you need all the boost you can get. You need to skim through all the samples that are available to produce properly structured but original work. You have to remember that, though there are thousands of examples of personal statements out there, you will not be able to find one that will define you exactly. So, use the samples as mere guides and not just reword or rephrase the text from the samples. Remember, copying ideas is a form of plagiarism too.
Themes of personal statements
If you read through many good examples of personal statements available online, you will notice that these essays stick to a particular theme. These themes can include overcoming adversity, highlighting a personal achievement at school, at home, at church, or in the community. When you write your own personal statement, stay focused on the theme. Do not include unnecessary details that will only add clutter to your ideas. Most institutions of higher learning would prescribe a specific word count to the personal statement; so, stay away from useless anecdotes and make each word count.
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