amcas essay tips

Crafting a Powerful AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

Crafting a powerful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay can be a daunting task, but with the right guidance, you can create an impactful and compelling essay that showcases your unique experiences and qualities. Keep reading to learn more!

Posted July 9, 2024

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If you’re applying to medical school , you know that the application process can be daunting. One of the most important components of your application is the AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) most meaningful experience essay. This essay allows you to highlight your personal qualities and the experiences that have influenced you to become the aspiring physician that you are. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of crafting a powerful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay that will help you stand out in the competitive pool of medical school applicants.

Why the AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay is Important

The AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is crucial as it provides a comprehensive overview of who you are as an individual and what drives you as a medical professional. It allows you to highlight your strengths, demonstrate your commitment to the field, and showcase your communication skills. A well-written AMCAS most meaningful experience essay can make the difference between being accepted into medical school and being placed on the waitlist. The admissions committee wants to know what motivates you, your goals, and your personality. This essay helps them determine how you'll fit into the medical community.

One of the reasons the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is crucial is that it provides you with the opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Medical schools receive thousands of applications each year, many of which have similar academic backgrounds and extracurricular activities. However, your most meaningful experience essay is unique to you and can highlight your individuality. It also showcases your ability to reflect on your experiences and how they have influenced your perspective on medicine.

Furthermore, the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay can help you prepare for medical school interviews. The experiences you write about in your essay can serve as talking points during interviews, allowing you to expand on your thoughts and experiences. It can also help you articulate your goals and motivations for pursuing a career in medicine, which is a common question during medical school interviews. Overall, the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is an important component of your medical school application and should be taken seriously.

Understanding the Purpose of the AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

The purpose of the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is to provide the medical school admissions committees with insight into your character and values. In many ways, this is the equivalent of a personal statement you might submit to a job. It enables them to gain insight into your personal and professional perspectives, the impactful experiences in your life, and what drives you to pursue a career in medicine. While grades and test scores are important factors in the admissions process, the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay allows you to take center stage and highlight your achievements outside of the classroom.

When writing your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay, it's important to choose experiences that deeply resonate with you. Instead of just focusing on impressing admissions committee members, select experiences that have significantly impacted your life and contributed to who you are today. This approach will enable you to craft a more genuine and compelling essay that truly highlights your unique qualities and strengths.

Another key aspect of the AMCAS most meaningful experience essay is to reflect on the lessons you learned from your experiences. Admissions committees are interested not only in what you did but in your personal growth and development as a result of these experiences. It's essential to emphasize the skills and qualities you gained, such as leadership, teamwork, empathy, and resilience. This will illustrate to the admissions committee that you possess the personal and professional attributes necessary for success in medical school and beyond.

What is a Most Meaningful Experience in Medical School and Why it Matters

A most meaningful experience in medical school is an experience that has shaped you personally and/or professionally. This experience could have occurred during clinical rotations, volunteering, medical research/clinical trials, or extracurricular activities. It is important because it provides a deeper understanding of your motivations and how you will contribute to the medical community.. Being able to articulate your most meaningful experiences in detail is essential in demonstrating to the admissions committee why you would be an ideal candidate for medical school.

How to Choose the Right Most Meaningful Experience for Your Essay

When selecting your most meaningful experience for your essay, it’s important to reflect on your experiences and identify those that have had the greatest impact on your personal and professional development. Keep in mind that it's not just the experience itself that makes it most meaningful, but how it affected you and the lessons you learned. After considering a few experiences, think about which ones best demonstrate the personal qualities and characteristics you want the admissions committee to know about you.

Tips for Brainstorming and Selecting Your Most Meaningful Experiences

It can be challenging to brainstorm and select your most meaningful experiences, but it’s important to spend time reflecting on your experiences to articulate why they were important to you. Take a few minutes to do some free writing to generate possible ideas. You might also try brainstorming with a friend or family member to get a fresh perspective. Once you have a few possible experiences in mind, create a list of the personal qualities and values you exhibited during each experience. This will help you decide which experiences will best showcase your strengths and fit in with the message you want to convey to the admissions committee.

Tips for a Powerful Essay

Strategies for writing a compelling introduction to your amcas essay.

The introduction is the most important part of your AMCAS essay. You need to capture the reader's attention and give them a reason to continue reading. One way to do this is to start with a personal anecdote or a thought-provoking question related to your most meaningful experience. Another approach is to begin with a quote or a surprising fact that helps to frame your essay's topic in a compelling and relevant way. Regardless of the approach you choose, ensure that your introduction is engaging and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.

Structuring Your AMCAS Essay for Maximum Impact

The structure of your AMCAS essay is crucial for ensuring maximum impact. You should present your experiences in a clear, concise, and organized manner that is easy for the reader to follow. A common structure for the AMCAS essay is to start with an introduction, followed by a description of your most meaningful experience, a reflection on what you learned, and a conclusion that ties everything together. You can also use headings to help organize your essay and make it easier to read.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Most Meaningful Experience AMCAS Essay

There are several common mistakes to avoid when writing your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay.

• Avoid being vague or generic
• Focus on the impact the experience had on you rather than just the experience itself and explain its significance
• Don’t try to include too much in your essay - concentrate on a single experience and explore it in-depth
• Make sure to proofread and edit your essay for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors

Key Elements of a Successful AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay

Remember to include these key elements in a successful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay:

• Provide a clear and concise description of your experience
• Explain what you learned and how it impacted you
• Reflect on how the experience has influenced your values, beliefs, and goals
• Showcase your personal qualities and characteristics that make you an ideal candidate for medical school
• Be authentic to yourself in your essay

How to Edit and Revise Your AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay for Clarity and Coherence

It's important to edit and revise your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay to ensure it's clear and coherent. Start by reviewing it for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Then, read it out loud to catch awkward or unclear sentences. Consider having someone else read it and give feedback. Finally, make sure the essay flows smoothly and that your most meaningful experience is presented in a logical way that highlights the personal qualities you want to showcase.

How to Make Your AMCAS Most Meaningful Experience Essay Stand Out from the Crowd

Make your AMCAS most meaningful experience essay stand out by focusing on presenting a personal narrative with specific details and emotions. Use descriptive language that draws the reader in and allows them to connect with your experience. Additionally, showcase your personal qualities and characteristics that make you unique as an individual and a candidate for medical school. Lastly, ensure that your essay is authentic to who you are and what motivates you personally and professionally.

Final Thoughts

When writing a powerful AMCAS most meaningful experience essay, it is important to engage in reflection, introspection, and attention to detail. Selecting an experience that is genuinely meaningful to you and demonstrates personal qualities that would make you an asset to the medical community is crucial. When crafting your essay, it's important to avoid common mistakes, structure it appropriately, and use descriptive and engaging language. By following these tips and writing from the heart, you can create an essay that stands out and helps you take the first step toward realizing your dream of becoming a medical professional.

Get Into Your Dream Medical School With the Help of an Expert

We understand how overwhelming the medical school application process can be. Fortunately, our experienced medical school admissions coaches are here to provide you with personalized guidance and support. From selecting your most meaningful experiences to perfecting your essay, these experts are dedicated to helping you succeed in getting into your dream medical school. Take a look at our full list of med school coaches here , or view our highest rated experts below.

For more expert tips on how to successfully navigate the medical school application process, check out these articles:

• Preparing for Medical School: A Comprehensive Guide
• Mastering Medical School Interviews: Questions and Strategies
• How to Craft the Perfect Medical School Interview "Thank You" Letter
• How to Get Clinical Hours for Med School: Building Your Experience
• How to Write a Standout Internal Medicine Personal Statement

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Personal Comments Essay

Consider and write your Personal Comments Essay carefully; many admissions committees place significant weight on the essay. Here are some questions you may want to consider while writing the essay:

• Why have you selected the field of medicine?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What do you want medical schools to know about you that has not been disclosed in other sections of the application?

In addition, you may wish to include information such as:

• Unique hardships, challenges, and obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits.
• Comments on significant fluctuations in your academic record not explained elsewhere in your application.

Formatting Your Essay:  Medical schools receive all text-entry responses as plain text. This means that formatting options such as bulleted lists, indented paragraphs, and bold and italic fonts do not appear for reviewers and are not available in the AMCAS application. You may want to include an extra space between paragraphs because the essay does not permit indentation.

To avoid formatting issues, we recommend typing your essay directly into your AMCAS application; copying formatted text into the application may result in formatting problems that can’t be edited after your application is submitted. If you do cut and paste your essay(s) into the application, you should draft your essay(s) in a plain text format, such as Microsoft Notepad or Mac TextEdit.

Please keep the following in mind:

• Proofread carefully! No changes (including corrections to grammatical or typographical errors) may be made to your essay after you submit your application to the AMCAS program.
• You can’t run a spell check in the AMCAS application, but most browsers have built-in spell checking that you can enable. Use English (United States) characters; other characters may not be accurately recognized.
• Medical schools prefer to receive applications that follow normal writing practices regarding the case of letters. You should avoid using all uppercase or all lowercase letters for the text responses in your application.
• Plagiarism or misrepresentations may result in an investigation. You may use artificial intelligence tools for brainstorming, proofreading, or editing your essays. However, it's essential to ensure that the final submission reflects your own work and accurately represents your experiences.
• It isn’t necessary to repeat information reported elsewhere on your application.
• The essay will be sent to all the medical schools you apply to.
• The space allotted for the essay is 5,300 characters, or about one page. Spaces are counted as characters. You will receive an error message if you exceed the character limit.

• Medical School Application

AMCAS Personal Statement: My Best Tips for Writing It

Featured Expert: Dr. Christian Cuevas, MD

Your AMCAS personal statement is one of the most important components of your AMCAS application . It can be the tipping point for whether you get an interview. But your AMCAS personal statement won’t write itself, and synthesizing all your ideas, experience, and background into about 5,300 characters is no easy feat. For me, the personal statement was one of the most difficult portions of the AMCAS application, so I'll share with you everything I learned through writing it.

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Article Contents 11 min read

Amcas personal statement example #1.

916 words (5,181 of the maximum 5,300 characters with spaces)

My mother grew up as one of 14 children in a very poor home in rural Ontario, where both parents, while loving and warm, suffered from alcoholism. She and her siblings experienced significant childhood adversity, the legacy of which still looms large. Later, as the matriarch of her own family, she ran a small business, supported my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and provided stability for all of us. She modelled, and I internalized, compassion for my loved ones as they lived through uncertainty, conflict, illness, and loss.

You might wonder why I tell my mother’s story, rather than my own. I could say that my mother inspired me to go into medicine and leave it at that. However, to call it inspiration would be a discredit to the profound influence my mother has had on my life and the lives of everyone around us.

They say, “it takes a village,” but my family basically made up half the village where I lived. I’m exaggerating, but it’s almost true. In such an isolated place, the few families that existed formed a close, interdependent community. When someone fell ill, it was often the family who stepped in, since the nearest clinic was 40 minutes away.

 On how to stand out in your personal statement :

“The personal statement is an opportunity for you to shine and really impress the committee to invite you for an interview. In order to stand out, it is important to answer the main questions well: a bit about yourself and what led you to medicine, why you would make an ideal medical student and future physician, what attracts you to this particular institution, and what sets you apart from the other candidates.” - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

“what i did was start with a story. like any good novel, the stories first lines are meant to hook the reader. this can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application... it is important that the story be real... while in my opinion it is ok to slightly embellish some details of story to make it more interesting, straight lying or overly unrealistic situations should be avoided.” - dr. jamie cazes, md, “i focused on my journey to medicine and opportunities that i sought out along the way. everyone’s path and validation is unique, so walking the reader through your growth to the point of application will naturally be different.” - dr. monica taneja, md, tip #1: get an early start.

I went the “last minute route” which I DO NOT recommend. I took my MCAT in early May, and in the process of waiting for my score to be released, I began writing my personal statement. About 2-3 weeks sounds like it would be plenty of time to write but taking into consideration writing your AMCAS activities section while also requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation , due dates can come up quick! I highly DO NOT recommend going this route unless you enjoy unnecessary stress and potentially decreasing the quality of your personal statement.

A realistic timeline for writing your AMCAS personal statement will look like this:

• 6 months prior to the AMCAS opening date, start brainstorming and reflecting on your experiences to get an idea of what you want your AMCAS personal statement to look like and pinpoint experiences that are truly convincing and authentic.
• 5-6 months prior to the opening date, begin an outline/rough draft of the ideas comprised and start piecing everything together. Decide what will go in your introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. At this point, start having someone look over your paper, either a trusted friend or mentor or a professional such as a med school admissions advisor.
• 1 month prior to the opening date, have a final draft ready to allow time to complete other aspects of your application.  

Tip #2: The Essay Is a Story, not a Resume

You want to captivate your reader’s attention from the beginning to keep them engaged throughout the rest of your personal statement. When writing my personal statement, I described falling backwards and having glass shatter on my face, requiring a trip to the emergency department and my first encounter with a physician. I used this story to give my reader an example of what my first memory was when interacting with the medical system and begin giving them a glimpse of my story in medicine. 

Introduction

The introduction is arguably the most important aspect of your paper, so use it to immerse your reader into your story right away:

Unconscious and confused, I woke up and registered my surroundings. My parents, with pale, frantic expressions, stared back at me in disbelief. I simply wanted to help my mother tidy the kitchen shelves flooded with decorative, glass knick-knacks. It was spring cleaning time in our household. Instead, my face was lacerated by falling glassware. The warmth of my blood running down my face startled me as my parents picked me up and carried me to the car. When we got in the car, I felt lightheaded and eventually lost consciousness. I woke up a second time in my father\u2019s arms as he rushed me towards the emergency room where hordes of people crowded us. Still unsure of what was happening, I recall being placed on a bed and greeted by a man in a white coat. When he spoke, a sense of peace and hope came upon my family. We knew everything would be alright. ","label":"AMCAS Personal Statement Introduction","title":"AMCAS Personal Statement Introduction"}]' code='tab1' template='BlogArticle'>

Body Paragraphs

In your body paragraphs, you want to give your reader a “roadmap” as to what you are going to discuss in the body of your personal statement (essentially, the topics you are to discuss in the body paragraphs). This is done to give your reader a clear idea of what they are about to read.

The body of your personal statement is where you discuss 2-3 personal experiences that have helped drive you to pursue medicine. For example, my 2 experiences consisted of talking about a family member who suffered from cancer and my time in Haiti providing care for the rural Haitian people. When describing these experiences, you want to paint a specific story (a patient interaction, for example) to make it more personable and “show” instead of “telling” what you did. Additionally, you want to make sure you discuss what you learned from the experience and how it convinced you to pursue medicine.

I had the privilege to go with a group of missionaries to provide health care to the people of Haiti. Once we arrived, we immediately noticed the damage done by the earthquake, even years after the tragedy. The brokenness and anguish from that event were etched into the people\u2019s faces and culture. Traveling from village to village, our hearts ached from seeing people covered with filth, dirt and bugs. Many were infected with diseases that a simple antibiotic could treat, yet their malnourished bodies could not fight them off. Once we established a good rapport among the villages by providing health care, such as simple physical exams or procedures such as hysterectomies, we saw their attitudes shift from despair to radiant hope. Adults would run to different doctors on our team, repeatedly thanking them with gifts of fresh produce. The joy on the faces of the Haitian children whenever they would hear our four-wheeler coming up the mountain is an image I will never forget. This pivotal experience shaped my attitude towards helping marginalized groups of people; I learned to be more patient, understanding, and welcoming to all walks of life. Understanding that not all are privileged to have easy access to simple healthcare. Additionally, I learned to be able to adapt to my surroundings and provide quality care, even in a setting where there may be a lack of resources. ","label":"AMCAS Personal Statement Body","title":"AMCAS Personal Statement Body"}]' code='tab2' template='BlogArticle'>

Lastly, you want to wrap up your paper by bringing up all of your experiences and briefly touching upon their learning points and how you will use those experiences to be a good physician in the future. You can also call back to the experience/topic you brought up in your introduction to make the conclusion connect to your introduction. This will help wrap up your paper nicely and bring everything together for your reader.

A physician has many responsibilities: diagnosing illnesses, offering treatments, prescribing medications. However, I believe the most important one is being a beacon of hope to the hopeless, a light illuminating the path for those who fear their debilitating ailments. Sensing peace overcome my parents during my first chaotic visit to the hospital ER, seeing \u201cJaimie\u201d have hope in physicians knowing she could potentially die, and hearing the Haitian people yell with joy when they received necessary treatment are the kinds of emotional experiences I wish to bring to others, experiences which will make every ounce of hard work more than worth it. Regardless of what mentally strenuous and physically taxing trials this career brings, I want to one day be that hope for many. ","label":"AMCAS Personal Statement Conclusion","title":"AMCAS Personal Statement Conclusion"}]' code='tab3' template='BlogArticle'>

It’s always easier to write an essay if someone assigns you the topic. For instance, maybe you had to research diversity and inclusion in medical education at some point and think you know the “secret” to writing an excellent diversity secondary essay . But what do you do when there is no prompt – or the topic is you? Where do you start? How do you choose? What do medical schools want to hear? How do you come across as unique when the purpose of the essay is so generic?

When brainstorming through all of your previous experiences, there are the straightforward ones that make sense, such as shadowing, clinical and volunteer work, and research. When I began brainstorming for my AMCAS personal statement, I used my running document of all of the undergraduate medicine or science related experiences I had since starting college . But I also did some self-reflection on any medically related experiences I had growing up in terms of my own run-ins with medicine, as well as family medical experiences that I thought were worth mentioning.

In my AMCAS personal statement, I highlighted my experience as a patient, what my immigrant parents experienced in the healthcare system, and my involvement in translating for a free clinic focused on Spanish-speaking patients. I chose these experiences as they were the easiest to explain and talk about; they truly were part of my passion in trying to improve healthcare for people with a similar background to me.

My number one recommendation for choosing topics to discuss in your personal statement is to choose stories that show your passion. The main purpose of the AMCAS personal statement is to convince the admissions committee that there is nothing else you would rather do then to study medicine. 

Do you need inspiration for your AMCAS personal statement? Check out this video with examples:

Tip #4: Remember that Writing Is a Craft

The challenges I had with writing my personal statement are likely similar to the challenges you will face when writing yours. My drafting experience was a bit rough as I am not the strongest writer. I had a lot of help from friends, family, and professors who I trusted. Writing your AMCAS personal statement may take more than 2-3 drafts (mine took about 10 drafts), so be patient with yourself! It is completely okay to re-write a paragraph or even your whole personal statement to get it to where you want it to be (this is why I recommend starting your rough draft six months to a year before your application is due).

Usually, I made one small edit, sent it out to people, and received 10+ recommendations for change. At times, it was hard to keep track of all of the recommendations as at times I would receive conflicting recommendations. Looking back, I wish I had services to help with narrowing down what aspects of my personal statement truly needed to be changed and which are okay to keep.

Become a good – even great – writer in the process of applying to medical school, and you can rest easy that you’ve given this particular part of your application your best shot.

Getting behind the idea of creative writing may not appeal to science majors, but believe me, it’s a skill that will serve you in medicine in more ways than you can imagine. However, it may seem like just another chore to get out of the way. If that’s your mindset, you should change it – because your AMCAS personal statement is a real opportunity to reflect on and distill your passion for medicine.

And why not take advantage of our free offer to acquire BeMo’s Ultimate Guide to Medical School Personal Statements & Secondary Essays? This 300-page guide with tips, strategies, and sample successful personal statements promises to “help you learn to write captivating essays, even if you are not a natural writer.”

Tip #5: Get Expert Feedback

Like I described above, getting recommendations from multiple people that were conflicting made it difficult to focus on the aspects of my personal statement that truly needed revising as I would spend too much time focusing on the minor details that may or may not improve my paper. Get an expert second set of eyes to look at your AMCAS personal statement draft and provide you with objective feedback.

The reality is that every great writer has an editor, and you will need one. Given the importance of the AMCAS personal statement, there’s really no reason not to consider medical school personal statement editing services to help you out. There’s no question that a medical school application tutor is worth it to radically improve your personal statement and other components that can highly influence your admission chances.

AMCAS stands for American Medical College Application Service. Most medical schools in the US use this centralized application service.

You have 5,300 characters, including spaces, to work with.

You would not discuss your MCAT score or academics in your personal statement, but if you have used an MCAT score calculator and found that you fall short or have had to retake the MCAT , you may want to address the issue in your personal statement to explain how your grades and/or other achievements offset your lower score and why you remain an excellent candidate for medical school.

We recommend giving yourself a minimum of 2 months to brainstorm, draft, polish, and revise. Don’t hesitate to get medical school admissions consulting help if you are struggling with any aspect of admissions.

If you’re applying to medical schools in Texas, you will use TDMSAS , and if you are applying to medical schools in Canada, you might use OMSAS . Moreover, certain medical schools may have their own distinct application procedures, so be sure to research the specific medical school requirements for the schools to which you are applying. 

Yes, we recommend a standard academic essay structure with an eye-catching introduction, three body paragraphs, and compelling conclusion.

Writing skills are a big part of producing any application essay, but what you include and why are just as important. Admissions advisors can guide you with their advanced knowledge of medical school application processes.

No, your AMCAS personal statement will be sent to all the schools you apply to, so it should focus on you and your interest in pursuing medicine, not the specific schools that interest you.

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Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Nadia mourtada

Thanks for providing us with some good ideas on how to write a good statement. That helped with my personal statement, however, I have a question: Do they really read our personal statement? Please let me. Thanks

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Nadia! Thanks for your comment. Yes, admissions committees do read your personal statements. After your grades and MCAT score meet the requirements, your personal statement is usually one of the most influential components of the application. It can really help you get the interview invite, so we strongly recommend spending time and effort on it!

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March 22, 2018

Ace the AMCAS Essay

Introduction

Let’s get straight to the point. You want to create an AMCAS essay that makes you look good…really good. But you’re not a writer – you’re a premed, science-y person. So how are you going to compose a masterpiece of an essay without spending hours and days trying to figure out WHAT to write about and HOW to write it well?

Simple! You’re going to follow the straightforward advice that we provide in this blog post. Are you ready to rock your AMCAS essay? Read on!

Who should write your essays?

The obvious answer here is that YOU should (and if anyone else does for you, then you can expect to be found out and rejected). But there’s a bigger question here – Which YOU will be writing your essay?

I’d like to present two important principles here:

Principle #1: To thine own self be true

One of the purposes of the AMCAS essay is to provide a snapshot – a quick and accurate introduction – of yourself to the med school admissions board. If the application were to ask you to attach a photo, you wouldn’t include a picture of someone else, and I hope that you wouldn’t Photoshop or alter your photo to create an image of who you WISH you were, rather than of who you actually ARE.

Your essays should serve that same purpose. The stories that you tell in your AMCAS essay should be authentic and honest so that the YOU in your essay would be recognizable to anyone who actually knows you.

Principle #2: Put your best foot forward

While you want to be as authentic as possible, you also want to be sure that you’re not:

a) offering too much personal or private information

b) dwelling on your weaknesses.

Yes, you want to portray your true self (Principle #1), but you don’t want to needlessly air your dirty laundry. Nobody wants to read about your most recent breakup or how devastated you were when you woke up with a huge zit on the day of your high school prom. Furthermore, if you have difficulty juggling tasks or following directions, don’t be “too honest” and rant and complain about how you have so much trouble getting things done. Of course you should never ever EVER lie, but you also don’t need to volunteer irrelevant or inappropriate information or details that will make you look unqualified.

What should you include in your essay?

As we discussed, your AMCAS essay serves as your introduction to the med school admissions board. In this way, your essay much more resembles a human interest story than it resembles a report. As a “science person,” you may be more familiar with factual, data-driven, analytical writing, with reports that are based on facts, figures, and statistics. In your application, all of this data will be included in your score reports and your resume … not in your essay.

Your AMCAS essay, your own personal human interest story, needs to be anecdotal and emotional. This is your opportunity to reveal your passion, your humor, your drive, and, in short, your unique personality. Remember, the admissions members reading your essays are human beings. Their job is to wade through a mountain of boring, trite, monotonous essays in search of that compelling gem of a story – the one that you’re going to write .

For that gem to gel, you will need to choose meaningful experiences that show your strength of character , integrity, individuality, and most importantly, your non-academic qualifications and motivation for pursuing medical school and a career as a physician.

Which would be a more interesting essay – one in which you speak generally about how you volunteered in a volunteer setting, or one in which you talk specifically about your experience working in Uganda with Doctors without Borders? Obviously the latter – an experience shared only by a handful, if any, of your competitors, will stand out more than an essay in which you talk about a vague experience that every other applicant shares.

But what if you haven’t worked in Uganda or climbed Mt. Everest or discovered a cure for cancer while a freshman? What if your most notable achievements are a little more pedestrian? Specifics and stories will still make them stand out. Furthermore, if you include in your essays your distinctive motivations, take-aways, and insights from those critical events that are important enough to you to include in your AMCAS essay, you will have a killer essay.

When you choose your essay topic, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Will this topic authentically introduce me to the reader?

2. Is this topic distinctive, or is it just going to come across as one more essay about how a grandparent’s illness directed the author at the age of 10 to medicine?

3. Does this essay reflect positively on my fitness for a career as a physician?

5 effective techniques to improve your writing

So far we’ve talked about the WHO, WHY, WHAT, and HOW of creating an exemplary AMCAS essay. Now we’re going to offer some bonus tips that will help elevate your essay so it’s not just covering the right material in the correct order, but it’s actually written WELL.

1. Use active, lively, vivid verbs. You can “go” somewhere, or you can “meander,” “wander,” “race,” “rush,” etc. Variety enhances your verbiage!

2. Use metaphors and images to enliven your writing. This will help your reader jump into your experience.

3. Avoid clichés . Saying that you “think out of the box” isn’t really the most creative way of stating that you are creative. It’s just too overused.

4. Use suspense and irony. These elements show depth to your writing and to your personality.

5. Be succinct.

How should you structure your essay?

In this post we’re not going to talk about the actual writing and editing (we’ll save those technical elements for another time), but we are going to suggest HOW to structure your essay. After you choose your topic, you will need to sit down and make an outline that highlights the structure that your essay will take.

A successful essay structure usually looks like this:

1. Lead or hook

As a personal interest piece, you want your reader to read your essay out of interest, not obligation. The best way to do this is to draw your reader in with some captivating, spellbinding opening. “Hi, my name is…” or “I was born in…” or “I want to be a doctor because…” certainly won’t cut it! Stay away from the common and ordinary. Start with a catchy anecdote, question, bit of dialogue, or description that you think will capture your reader’s attention. Put your reader in the middle of whatever story you plan to tell.

Your thesis acts as the core idea of the essay. While a successful essay doesn’t necessarily need to spell out a main topic (for example, you don’t need to say “the purpose of this essay is…”), it should somehow be present in your essay – both as a guiding light to make sure that you don’t get lost in your writing and ramble on about a million different topics, and so that your reader remains focused and attentive to the point that you’re trying to convey.

The body of your essay is the longest section. In the body you’ll present evidence (specifics that add interest and credibility to your essay and distinguish you from your competition ) to support your thesis. In this section of your AMCAS essay, you’ll want to order your points (and sub-points if you have them) either chronologically, logically, or thematically. You should always put your most interesting points earlier in the essay.

4. Conclusion

Your essay’s conclusion should restate your main idea or theme. You shouldn’t parrot what you introduced earlier in the essay, but you should find a way to include it and also relate an implication or two, for example, why this theme or story is important or revealing. Also, if you asked a question at the beginning of your essay, make sure you’ve answered it by the end.

Why do we have personal statements?

Do the essays in your med school applications serve as mere padding for the rest of your application? Or do they have some higher purpose?

I’d like to propose three important reasons WHY the med schools request essays in addition to all the stats and data that you provide in other sections of your application.

The purpose of the AMCAS essay is to…

 1. Provide a window into who you are.

Not just into your grades and scores and impressive awards and experiences, but into the real you . Your AMCAS essay gives you an opportunity for the admissions community to meet you beyond the hard facts. This is your chance to introduce yourself.

2. Add insight and value to your application.

Your AMCAS essay will allow you to delve deeper into specific experiences and to discuss your motivation and the lessons you learned. Be careful not to merely repeat info found on other parts of your application; instead, build and add to it with an insightful essay.

3. Demonstrate writing ability.

Strong writing skills are indicative of strong communication skills, which are critical in the medical world. Let the adcom readers see that you know how to get your point across.

To sum up, your essays shouldn’t pad your application with meaningless filler material, but should serve as a different kind of PAD – Provide a window, Add value, and Demonstrate writing skills. Include these elements in your AMCAS essay, and you’ll be one step closer to creating a captivating piece of writing and capturing a spot in your dream med school!

For individualized assistance, check out Accepted’s  AMCAS Application Advising and Editing Packages get matched with an expert med school advisor who will help you highlight your competitive advantage and get ACCEPTED!

Related Resources:

•  What to Include in the AMCAS Work and Activities Section [With Examples] •  Admissions Tip: BE YOURSELF! •  4 Things to Do Before Submitting Your AMCAS Application

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