Question for TX residents re: Personal Statement

[mustangsally65]

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I had someone ask me how to address the prompt for the Texas med schools application thing, and I don't know how to answer the question.

Can some of you guys who have applied already give us your opinion about how to address this prompt?

Explain your motivation to seek a career in MEDICINE. Discuss your philosophy of the medical profession and indicate your goals relevant
to the profession.

There's also a question in the PS help thread. We'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

 

[heyimnick]

Bumping this thread up.

Anyone who has gone thru the TMDSAS process or is going through it right now, please offer any advice or suggestions for the PS. I was the one who broached the question, and my concern was that my own personal statement doesn't really address the prompt, and I was wondering whether we should really focus on the prompt as our guideline or merely work the prompt into a PS that's more of a story. Thanks.

 

[EvoDevo]

• Don't bull****.
• Really think about why you want to go to medical school.
• For the love of God, do NOT say "you just want to help people."
• Be excited
• Be succint. Work hard at not being "fluffy" in your writing.

Good luck.

 

[Pemberley]

• Don't bull****.
• Really think about why you want to go to medical school.
• For the love of God, do NOT say "you just want to help people."
• Be excited
• Be succint. Work hard at not being "fluffy" in your writing.

Good luck.

This addresses the AMCAS prompt, but not the TMDSAS prompt. What, for the love of all that's holy, is my philosophy of medicine? I generally hate multiple choice questions, but I could sure use one here. 😛

-Pemberley

 

[Anastasis]

• Don't bull****.
• Really think about why you want to go to medical school.
• For the love of God, do NOT say "you just want to help people."
• Be excited
• Be succint. Work hard at not being "fluffy" in your writing.

Good luck.

Are you kidding me!?! D@mn it!

 

[EvoDevo]

This addresses the AMCAS prompt, but not the TMDSAS prompt. What, for the love of all that's holy, is my philosophy of medicine? I generally hate multiple choice questions, but I could sure use one here. 😛

-Pemberley

Okay, think about it this way: If you know *why* you want to be a physician, then you'll have your philosophy of medicine.

For example, if you have a [true] desire to help the underserved, then your philosophy would be something to the effect that the underserved [or those sans health insurance] deserve outstanding health care despite an inability to pay top dollar.

Or, if you really think that you get off on all the technology and science involved in medicine, then your philosophy could be something to the effect that you think that science and medicine should hold hands more. Or something like that.

 

[EvoDevo]

Are you kidding me!?! D@mn it!

I'm serious. I went through....25 total drafts for my PS. 😳 I had some friends who are MUCH better than me with the English language (and I'm pretty good) be brutal. It was painful...BUT, I uniformly got excellent comments at ALL of my interviews regarding my PS. I was shocked.

It pays to avoid verbal diarrhea. 😀

 

[Anastasis]

I'm serious. I went through....25 total drafts for my PS. 😳 I had some friends who are MUCH better than me with the English language (and I'm pretty good) be brutal. It was painful...BUT, I uniformly got excellent comments at ALL of my interviews regarding my PS. I was shocked.

It pays to avoid verbal diarrhea. 😀

I've gone through about 5 at this point - and I'm sure I've got about another 5 to go after I have some commenters get back to me. But I was an English major!! How can I avoid verbal diarrhea - that was my whole degree!!

 

[Pemberley]

Okay, think about it this way: If you know *why* you want to be a physician, then you'll have your philosophy of medicine.

For example, if you have a [true] desire to help the underserved, then your philosophy would be something to the effect that the underserved [or those sans health insurance] deserve outstanding health care despite an inability to pay top dollar.

Or, if you really think that you get off on all the technology and science involved in medicine, then your philosophy could be something to the effect that you think that science and medicine should hold hands more. Or something like that.

OK, so what we're thinking is that it is the same prompt as AMCAS's, just pretentiously worded?

-Pemberley

 

[potato51]

OK, so what we're thinking is that it is the same prompt as AMCAS's, just pretentiously worded?

-Pemberley

I thought of the TMDSAS essay as just a slightly shortened version of the AMCAS one.

 

[potato51]

I'm serious. I went through....25 total drafts for my PS. 😳 I had some friends who are MUCH better than me with the English language (and I'm pretty good) be brutal. It was painful...BUT, I uniformly got excellent comments at ALL of my interviews regarding my PS. I was shocked.

It pays to avoid verbal diarrhea. 😀

hehe, I went through 8 drafts myself, 4 of which were completely different version of each other. The easy part was writing the statement - the difficulty was in choosing which version I wanted to send. Ultimately I chose the 'safe' essay.

 

[EvoDevo]

I've gone through about 5 at this point - and I'm sure I've got about another 5 to go after I have some commenters get back to me. But I was an English major!! How can I avoid verbal diarrhea - that was my whole degree!!

Then the going shall be roughest on you, young padawan. 🙁

 

[EvoDevo]

OK, so what we're thinking is that it is the same prompt as AMCAS's, just pretentiously worded?

-Pemberley

Yes.

 

[browniegirl86]

This addresses the AMCAS prompt, but not the TMDSAS prompt. What, for the love of all that's holy, is my philosophy of medicine? I generally hate multiple choice questions, but I could sure use one here. 😛

-Pemberley

I talked about patient care and putting the patient first. I related that "philosophy" of medicine to an experience I had in India, and then moved into other activities/experiences, how they've helped me, and why I know I want to be a doctor.

It's a pain in the ass, but a few sentences can fulfill the "philosophy" requirement.

 

[LadyJubilee8_18]

I had someone ask me how to address the prompt for the Texas med schools application thing, and I don't know how to answer the question.

Can some of you guys who have applied already give us your opinion about how to address this prompt?



There's also a question in the PS help thread. We'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

I wrote my AMCAS personal statement with the TMDSAS questions in mind so I was able to use the same one. I think it worked well; they are pretty much just asking things that should be in your personal statement anyway.

 

[MadameLULU]

Then the going shall be roughest on you, young padawan. 🙁

🙄