Why us essay feedback

[Adpotential2025]

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Hello all, I have submitted some secondaries recently and have been chipping away at the dozen I have yet to even open, but I wanted to get some feedback on my "why us" approach. I have lived abroad my whole life except for college. I went back during COVID-19 and volunteered there in both clinical and non-clinical settings. From my PS, my why medicine stemmed from seeing the inequities in healthcare in my country and seeing how the few physicians there are trying their hardest to keep up.

The approach I have been taking for the Why Us is very genuine and true to what I am looking for in a program, which is 1) small group learning (problem/case-based) 2) some sort of population or global health track (electives, field experiences, research opportunities) 3) community engagement in free clinics/ homeless shelters etc.

I have been tying stuff to my background in navigating a burdened healthcare system and how that has driven me to try and address health inequities in my medical career, then talking about my basic science research experience and how that has given me experience in the research field that I intend to use for global/pop health projects and then talking about my work at a homeless shelter/ emergency department and mentioning how a free clinic would help me continue my work with these communities that I have been working with for the past 2 years.

I know this might sound neurotic, but I am genuinely worried that because I don't have any work that directly addresses health inequities, such as advocacy work or global health research work, etc. then, adcoms might overlook this and think I am just writing about this out of the blue. Is this even the correct approach for this essay or not?

I know some schools might have more focus on global and pop health more than others but my reasoning for writing about these things, even though on Reddit and SDN many advise you to not do it, is that if a school has a global health program or track and a center for global health then why would they not be interested in student who wants to pursue these opportunities?

Apologies for the long post!

 

[LunaOri]

Your essay reads more like a PS than a “why us”. Your second paragraph would be sufficient explanation for me.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I agree. The point of "why our program" is for you to explain what you are looking for in a program and what the school offers that fulfills your wishlist.

 

[Adpotential2025]

So if I understood correctly, what the overall outline should be is to mention specifics about the program (organizations, curriculum, tracks, elective, etc.) and then tie them to how they will help me achieve my goals (what I am looking for in a program).

 

[deleted929944]

So if I understood correctly, what the overall outline should be is to mention specifics about the program (organizations, curriculum, tracks, elective, etc.) and then tie them to how they will help me achieve my goals (what I am looking for in a program).

Yes. Something like that. I suggest not going with minimalism:

Your school: is a med school.
My goals: get into any med school.
Therefore, it's a match made in heaven. Where do I sign?

 

[LunaOri]

So if I understood correctly, what the overall outline should be is to mention specifics about the program (organizations, curriculum, tracks, elective, etc.) and then tie them to how they will help me achieve my goals (what I am looking for in a program).

Yes, and also to let the school see what a good fit you are for their program.