Originally from:
Osteopathic Medical School Personal Statements That Can Beat 20,720 Applications
Be distinctive from the masses with these valuable tips.
In this article, Osteopathic Medical School Personal Statements that can beat 20,720 Applications, you will learn to create a sincere, interesting, and thoughtful essay that highlights your strengths, qualities, and focuses on “why Osteopathic medicine.”
Remember:
With more than 20,000 applicants to Osteopathic medical school this year, only those with a compelling story will be selected to interview.
What else:
While numbers, such as the MCAT scores and GPA’s, are crucial, osteopathic admissions committee members view applications holistically meaning “who you are” and “what is important to you” matters just as much as your “metrics.”
We’ve got your back:
Below are some plans you can employ that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Getting Started
Let’s begin:
AACOMAS essay prompts are generally not topic-driven like a traditional essays you might write for an academic class. So let me guide you to understand how your Osteopathic medical school personal statement can beat 20,270 Applications.
Keep in mind:
We do not encourage applicants to try and create a topic-driven essay that has a distinct theme.
Instead, focus on telling your story and write about your path to medical school.
Of course, from time to time, a student might write a beautiful essay with self selected theme, but, most of the time these essays do not succeed in telling an applicant’s story comprehensively and convincingly.
Hmm, what should I write about?
MedEdits Medical School Personal Statement Webcast 2018 – 2019
I don’t have anything to write about.
Of course you have a story. Everyone does.
You’ve worked hard. Tell your story and write about your most influential experiences. Below is a list of questions that can help osteopathic applicants find key elements of his or her story.
Before we begin, don’t get stressed.
You hear conflicting advice. Some tell you not to open with a story. Others tell you to always begin with a story. Regardless of the advice you receive, be sure to do these four things:
Be true to yourself. Everyone will have an opinion regarding what you should and should not write. Follow your own instincts. Your personal statement should be a reflection of you, and only you.
Start your D.O. personal statement with something catchy. Think about the list of potential topics above.
Don’t rush your work. Don’t panic. Composing great documents takes time and you don’t want your writing and ideas to be sloppy and underdeveloped.
Do explain why you want to be an Osteopathic physician. Was there an Osteopathic experience that you observed that motivated to you? How do you relate to the Osteopathic manipulative practice of medicine and ideals of practice?
Osteopathic Medical school personal statements that can beat 20,270 applications.
Applying to DO school as a traditional or non-traditional student.
Whether you’re a traditional or non-traditional applicant who’s applying to osteopathic medical schools, remember:
Stay focused!
Whether you have a 500 or 520 on the MCAT, you’ll needed to showcase how former careers make you an asset.
But that’s not all.
You’ll also need to convey why osteopathic medicine is an ideal fit.
Remember,
Be sure to illustrate your commitment to medicine and explain why and how you made the well-informed decision to pursue Osteopathic medicine.
Show, Don’t Tell
Know this mantra, remember this mantra:
Something my clients hear me say throughout the application process, and a common mantra for anyone who works in admissions, is to “show” rather than “tell.”
So, what exactly does this mean?
It means that whether you are writing a personal statement or interviewing, you should offer evidence for what you are trying to communicate.
Here’s an example.
In a DO personal statement, never say that you are compassionate and empathetic; instead, demonstrate that you possess these qualities by offering concrete examples.
Also keep in mind:
Like your personal statement, your interview responses, too, should evoke all the qualities and characteristics that your interviewer is seeking. Again, show don’t tell.
And consider this:
The following is a common medical school interview question, “Tell me about your most valuable shadowing experience and why it was important to you.”
Hit them with this kind of answer:
“My most valuable experience was shadowing Dr. Brit. I really learned so much about oncology, which I found fascinating. I would go home every night and read about what I had heard and learned. But I also enjoyed watching him talk to patients. I noticed that he held each patient’s hand, listened to them attentively and made clear to each person that he really cared.”
And there’s more:
By talking about his mentor, this applicant shows his understanding of the importance of compassionate care, and in expressing this, further suggests that these ideals are important to him, too.
What are some differences between AMCAS and AACOMAS?
So remember:
AMCAS allopathic personal statment: 5300 characters with spaces.
Osteopathic personal statement: 4500 characters with spaces and be sure to discuss “why osteopathic medicine.”
TMDSAS personal statement: 5000 characters with spaces.
Do not recycle your allopathic personal statement for your Osteopathic application.
Where can I find further inspiration?
Need help with your DO personal statement?
Click here to visit the DO applicant Student Doctor Network webpages to find out how other students are preparing to write their personal statements.
Click here to see what students on the Reddit medical school personal statement premed forum are saying about their personal statements.
Your application materials must be authentic, but sometimes a little inspiration helps, so read The MedEdits Guide to Medical School Admissions. There you will find examples of ‘successful’ personal statements and application entries.
I would like more resources about osteopathic medical school personal statements and how to apply.
Where should I look?
For those of you who love to drink coffee and stay up until the roosters come out. Here’s a great “go to” list where you can read about more DO personal statements, application topics and other medical school.
Click here to visit the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine website to review important requirements for your AACOMAS application.
Click here to visit www.AAMC.org to learn about AACOMAS, the osteopathic (D.O.) application service.
If you want to apply to medical schools in Texas, you will need to complete the TMDSAS application. Click here for more information.
Osteopathic Personal Statement Myths
Personal Statement Myths: The list below is based on an article I wrote all the way back in 2010 for The Student Doctor Network. I guess some solid advice never gets old.
#1: Never write about anything that took place in the past or before college. #2: Never write about topics unrelated to osteopathic medicine. #3: Never write about a patient encounter or your own experience with health care. #4: Always have a theme or a thesis. #5: Don’t write about anything negative.
Example Osteopathic Personal Statement
Synopsis: A non-traditional applicant showcases through his former career and what he learned through his work made him an asset. He also conveys why osteopathic medicine was an ideal fit for him. This personal statement is an excerpt from The MedEdits Guide to Medical School Admissions, P. 219.