General personal statement and application question

[ImmunOLT]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I just read "Goro's guide to the med school app process, 2016 version" and "You're doing it wrong, part 1: your personal statement", and in light of the insights presented by goro and Med Ed, have a question:

How much merit is there to an essay-style statement (which I imagine make up the vast majority of these things)?

I can't help but think that if it were me, and if I had to read hundreds of statements, the format would bore me to tears. Additionally, I would probably develop a habit of skimming for key phrases or words, or at least not thoroughly reading each one. If this is the case, would an applicant not just be better off with a concise, bulleted list? Something like:

Who I am:

• point 1
• point 2
• point 3

Why medicine:

• point a
• point b
• point c

How I got to this decision:

• event 1
• event 2
• event 3

Important considerations with respect to my application:

• Point 1
• point 2
• point 3

Am I being ridiculous for thinking this would be a superior approach?

 

[bannie22]

I think if you did this I would give you an interview for your guts alone

 

[ImmunOLT]

Also, what do I need to be a compelling writer for? Every medical bigwig ever writes emails (even supposedly important ones) like:

"k cancel monday" or "well see" or "push OR time back" (doesn't specify how far).

Bastions of written eloquence, those. Real masters of the Queen's English.

(joking, mostly, maybe)

 

[aldol16]

It's good practice. You will have to write cover letters for jobs if you haven't already. Think of it as a cover letter but for the medical profession as a whole. Judges can also write bullet points that rule one way to the other in a case. But they always write it essay style. There's a reason.

 

[kamakazi5]

Also, what do I need to be a compelling writer for? Every medical bigwig ever writes emails (even supposedly important ones) like:

"k cancel monday" or "well see" or "push OR time back" (doesn't specify how far).

Bastions of written eloquence, those. Real masters of the Queen's English.

(joking, mostly, maybe)

You don't necessarily need to be a very compelling writer, just competent enough to get the point across and show you have at least some sense of professionalism. No matter what industry you go into you need to play the game a bit.