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Top 3 Personal Statement Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them When preparing for the arduous medical school application process, many prospective medical students become fixated solely on the objective measures used by medical school admissions committees such as the MCAT and their Science GPA. While these are critically important aspects of the process, the significance of the personal statement is often minimized.
It is self-evident that the essays should not contain typos and grammatical errors, so in this discussion we’ll focus on 3 of the most common substantive and strategic mistakes that students make when constructing their personal statements.
The personal statement provides the applicant with a chance to control the narrative and address any potential weaknesses in their application. In addition, the applicant is afforded the opportunity to state, in their own words, specifically what skills and benefits they would bring to the medical school. This can be accomplished by making the statement “personal”, and truly reflective of your individuality.
2. Repeating Information found Elsewhere in the Application The personal statement also provides an opportunity for the applicant to provide new information or build upon the information found elsewhere in the application. By restating the information already provided the applicant is missing a valuable opportunity, and substantially diminishes their chances of receiving an interview.
3. Not Having a Trusted Editor Review your Essay Even the most skilled and experienced writers value the input of a trusted editor. Writers often have blinders on to their own shortcomings, and benefit tremendously from the recommendations of an objective, experienced editor. Dr. D’Agostino and Ross Blankenship, JD can work with you to craft a meticulous personal statement, as well as work with you through all aspects of the medical school and graduate school admissions processes. For more information on personal statements contact us today. The Importance of the Verbal Reasoning Section
The MCAT is a challenging exam that requires more than simply a nuanced understanding of DNA replication and Organic Chemistry to master.
It is immediately apparent why the Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences sections are valuable tools in assessing a future physicians level of preparedness for medical school. For example, knowledge of fluid dynamics becomes important when you are learning about cholesterol plaques building up in coronary arteries; and familiarity with the role of digestive enzymes is equally important when assessing malabsorption. But many students preparing for the MCAT do not appreciate the equally important role that the Verbal Reasoning section plays in assessing one’s level of preparedness for medical school.
The Verbal Reasoning section is composed of 40 passage-based questions (between 5-10 questions per passage) that you have 60 minutes to answer. It is scored from 1-15, with a mean score of 8.0 and a standard deviation of 2.5. The Verbal Reasoning section is designed to test four main skills: Comprehension, Evaluation, Application, and Incorporation of New Information. But why is it so valuable?
As both a medical student and a physician it is important to be able to efficiently and accurately extrapolate important information from a large amount of data. These important skills are assessed in the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT. Too many students focus disproportionately on the Physical and Biological Sciences sections, and fail to realize that the critical thinking and reasoning skills necessary to succeed on the Verbal Reasoning section are directly transferable to medicine.
Admissions Committees members are acutely aware of this, and the Verbal Reasoning section is often the differentiating factor between an invitation to interview and a letter of regret.
To work one-on-one with Dr. D’Agostino to maximize your success on the MCAT and to have an experienced advisor through all aspects of the admissions process, contact AdmissionsCounselor.org or TopTestPrep.com.
| What is a Good MCAT Score?
Navigating through the medical school admissions process is a universally arduous experience, but there is no aspect of the process more feared or misunderstood than the MCAT.
Perusing various medical school rankings or medical school admissions websites can leave applicants feeling discouraged and confused. If the average MCAT score at a particular school is 34, does that mean that I shouldn’t apply with a 28? What is a good MCAT score, and what will I need to get accepted?
To quickly break it down, the MCAT is composed of 4 sections: Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences, scored from 1-15, and a Writing Sample, scored from J-T. Therefore, the highest score possible is 45T. The mean MCAT score for all 75,809 people who took the exam in 2008 was 24.9, with a standard deviation of 6.4 and a Writing Sample score of O. However, the average MCAT score of those admitted to any allopathic (MD) medical school in 2008 was approximately 29, and the average for many medical schools is significantly higher.
When defining a good MCAT score, it is useful to think of the 3 B’s: Balance; Better than the mean, and the Best score that you are capable of.
A balanced score is the first, and arguably the most important component of a good MCAT score. For example, a perfectly balanced 36T, is unequivocally a great score. However, a balanced 29R (PS: 9, VR: 10, BS: 10) with a solid writing sample score (P-T) may be preferable to a widely varied 33J (PS: 11, VR: 6, BS: 15).
While this may seem obvious, a good score on the MCAT generally needs to be approximately one standard deviation (about 6 points) above the mean. This translates to roughly a 10 in each section, and a P or Q in the writing sample. Mathematically this makes sense, when you think that approximately 75,000 applicants take the test each year, 42, 000 apply to medical school, and there are only 18.000 spots.
To assess this last factor you need to be honest with yourself. While it is undoubtedly preferable to take the MCAT only once, many people underestimate what it takes to succeed the first time. You can recalibrate, develop a more detailed plan and make it happen. Look for an upcoming article on when you should retake the MCAT, as well as detailed admissions advice.
To work one-on-one with Dr. D’Agostino and Ross Blankenship, JD to maximize your chances of admission, contact AdmissionsCounselor.org or TopTestPrep.com or call (800) 501-PREP.  |
