Medical school mission statements all sound alike

[heartsink]

I've read the threads on this but they're mostly pretty old and I didn't really get a good answer:

Upon reading through the first 40 or 50 medical schools pages in the MSAR, I realized that for the most part they all sound more or less the same. Once in a while a school might be more explicit in their focus on research, or primary care, but 95% of the time it reads with some combination of phrases like "focused on training both informed clinicians and clinical scientists in a wide variety of populations and a great breadth of clinical experiences."

It all blurs together to me. I've tried reading the actual websites of schools and I'm shocked at how many paragraphs they can write about themselves and still sound like the last schools website I just read. Maybe I've just been reading too long?

What are other peoples thoughts on this?

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[dyspareunia]

They're all the same. The onus is on you to tell each one why they are a special flower (or snowflake).

 

[heartsink]

They're all the same. The onus is on you to tell each one why they are a special flower (or snowflake).

That's the other part of my issue: I want to write a genuine personal statement about why a school agrees with my goals / focus, but I genuinely can't tell the difference. I was hoping to avoid writing a bs personal statement...

 

[tantacles]

I've read the threads on this but they're mostly pretty old and I didn't really get a good answer:

Upon reading through the first 40 or 50 medical schools pages in the MSAR, I realized that for the most part they all sound more or less the same. Once in a while a school might be more explicit in their focus on research, or primary care, but 95% of the time it reads with some combination of phrases like "focused on training both informed clinicians and clinical scientists in a wide variety of populations and a great breadth of clinical experiences."

It all blurs together to me. I've tried reading the actual websites of schools and I'm shocked at how many paragraphs they can write about themselves and still sound like the last schools website I just read. Maybe I've just been reading too long?

What are other peoples thoughts on this?

You're 100% correct. If you want to find out what's unique about the school, which is what you'll need to know for any of your interviews, contact a current student.

 

[dyspareunia]

That's the other part of my issue: I want to write a genuine personal statement about why a school agrees with my goals / focus, but I genuinely can't tell the difference. I was hoping to avoid writing a bs personal statement...

You write 1 personal statement that gets sent to every school. They are not school specific.

As far as secondaries go, you don't have to answer "Why our school?" with something that is unique to the school. Maybe you are interested in urban medicine and the school has a popular student-run clinic. Even though tons of schools have those, you can still say that you are interested in it and would like to be involved.

The "Why our school?" question isn't "Why our school and not the other 140+ med schools?".

 

[Microglia]

You write 1 personal statement that gets sent to every school. They are not school specific.

As far as secondaries go, you don't have to answer "Why our school?" with something that is unique to the school. Maybe you are interested in urban medicine and the school has a popular student-run clinic. Even though tons of schools have those, you can still say that you are interested in it and would like to be involved.

The "Why our school?" question isn't "Why our school and not the other 140+ med schools?".

I disagree with this advice. Following it gives you a pretty bland "why our school" essay. Instead, I would recommend finding out actually unique things about the school (research fields they are strong in that you're interested in- esp if you have background in it, international opportunities, strengths in certain clinical research, and also the more common structure of curriculum, early patient exposure, etc.) that aren't as cookie cutter. Those essays tend to go over the best with admissions.

If it seems like you know the school quite well in the essay it gives you a huge leg up. Best way to figure out strengths: talk to current students.

 

[mrh125]

I've read the threads on this but they're mostly pretty old and I didn't really get a good answer:

Upon reading through the first 40 or 50 medical schools pages in the MSAR, I realized that for the most part they all sound more or less the same. Once in a while a school might be more explicit in their focus on research, or primary care, but 95% of the time it reads with some combination of phrases like "focused on training both informed clinicians and clinical scientists in a wide variety of populations and a great breadth of clinical experiences."

It all blurs together to me. I've tried reading the actual websites of schools and I'm shocked at how many paragraphs they can write about themselves and still sound like the last schools website I just read. Maybe I've just been reading too long?

What are other peoples thoughts on this?

They're all the same. Do more digging on them and find stuff special or frame it in a way that makes the school seem unique. Take the time to go through their website

 

[tantacles]

They're all the same. Do more digging on them and find stuff special or frame it in a way that makes the school seem unique. Take the time to go through their website

Websites, in my experience, are extremely low yield. You'll get the PR experience of the school, but little else. What's really telling is speaking to a current student. They can tell you the buzzwords of the admissions department, the unique programs, and the curriculum emphases specific to the school you're looking for.

 

[masaraksh]

Secondary essay for "why our school?"
Harvard: you are USNWR #1
Penn: you are USNWR #2, and I have no chance at Harvard
WashU: you are USNWR #3, and I have no shot at Harvard, Penn
Etc.

If you're applying "mid tier" this should just about hit the character limits.

 

[dyspareunia]

I disagree with this advice. Following it gives you a pretty bland "why our school" essay. Instead, I would recommend finding out actually unique things about the school (research fields they are strong in that you're interested in- esp if you have background in it, international opportunities, strengths in certain clinical research, and also the more common structure of curriculum, early patient exposure, etc.) that aren't as cookie cutter. Those essays tend to go over the best with admissions.

If it seems like you know the school quite well in the essay it gives you a huge leg up. Best way to figure out strengths: talk to current students.

I disagree that it gives you a bland essay. Premeds largely do the same activities (volunteer, research, shadow, etc), but how you describe them and how well you reflect on them is what sets you apart. The same is true for the cookie-cutter strengths/weaknesses of various med schools. If a school has something special that you're interested in, then by all means write about it. There's no reason to kill yourself making sure that X program at HMS doesn't exist anywhere else in the country though.

 

[WingedOx]

A school that shall remain nameless asked me: "based on our mission statement, why are you a good fit for our school." Of course as a boring traditional applicant from the East Coast I had nothing to say.

In hindsight, I should have just written something along the lines of "Given that your institution recently closed its trauma center despite being the only one for miles in a crowded city in an impoverished area, I too believe that treating poor people isn't cost effective."

/I didn't get in anyway in case you didn't notice.