Writing style and quality - in applications

[NonTradJp]

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Hello SDNers,

Each time I ask a question I get plenty of great answers. Thank you for all those who offered their wisdom in the past.

This time I was hoping for perspective on quality of writing and ease of reading in PS, Secondary Essays, and in the Meaningful Activities section. Of course the better you write the better things are. My question is about whether a very dry A B C writing style or a overly aggressive "I've done all this..." would or did push someone who is borderline into a reject pile.

I've read a couple of essays from others and shared my thoughts on their content. There are some applicants that have great experiences and great intention content wise but their writing does not allow those things to bloom and clearly stand on its own. And there are others that feels like they are trying really hard to talk about themselves as if they are insecure the reader will not know what they have done.

Do adcoms recognize passion and experiences in bland writing and even read into it a bit? Say the applicant mentions military experience and soup kitchens. Would that be read as team work, leadership, and altruism if it's not stated? Do adcoms get turned off by insecure applicants who laundry what they have done to hope none of their efforts slip through unnoticed?

 

[ThisCouldBeYou]

You are combining two separate concerns: your writing style and your experiences. Portraying yourself within an interesting context to create a full picture of who you are is "your style". Choosing what to write about is "your experiences". One does not replace or overshadow the other. More than likely, your personality will come through no matter what. But, since compiling it all is still not sufficient, the interview confirms what the schools want to know.

 

[soccerman93]

In interviews and almost all written components of the app I feel there is something to be said for crafting a narrative. While you shouldn't be overly flowerly, I think it is important that your prose is as pleasant on the eyes as you can make it without compromising any substance. Adcoms read a lot of applications and I'd bet a lot of premeds write a lot of the same things. Try to focus your experiences and background towards a bit of a unifying theme if you can, I'm sure that might stand out a bit in a good way

 

[NickNaylor]

I would state things explicitly but in a tactful way. More experienced adcoms will be able to read between the lines, but I wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt. It can also be helpful in cases where what you actually did during an experience isn't clear.

 

[johnnytest]

I strongly believe those who are able to write persuasively have an advantage over others. The whole point of the PS is to tell your story and persuade your reader you are committed to being a doctor and here's how xyz proves it. I think for the activity descriptions, those who are able to succinctly write their responsibilities in a few sentences and a brief sentence why it was meaningful (better if it can be related to medicine) have an advantage over those who ramble and are not able to convey the importance of their activities and what they got from it.

 

[LizzyM]

One thing I would add is that military supervisors write very informative letters. It is just the style they have that states factually what the applicant has done that I think really gives those applicants a boost over and above what they write about themselves.

That said, I endorse @soccerman93 's statement above. "Craft a narrative" meaning make a story that has a theme and that provides concrete examples to back up your theme.

I've helped edit many PSs for people I know in real life (I don't do it for people I only know online so don't ask) and the bad ones are all bad in their own ways and all have benefited from good editing. One source of help I strongly recommend is a fellow college student majoring in communications or advertising.... they tend to be good writers who will not be afraid to take your essay apart and put it back together in better form and they don't feel that they are in competition with you as fellow pre-meds may be.

 

[breakintheroof]

One source of help I strongly recommend is a fellow college student majoring in communications or advertising.... they tend to be good writers who will not be afraid to take your essay apart and put it back together in better form and they don't feel that they are in competition with you as fellow pre-meds may be.

For similar reasons, probably the most helpful person for me in editing my PS was a friend who is a journalist. He knew how to structure a story. (Plus how to get in under a character limit.)

 

[victoryXfailure]

For similar reasons, probably the most helpful person for me in editing my PS was a friend who is a journalist. He knew how to structure a story. (Plus how to get in under a character limit.)

That or an English major friend. Also, a really good Forum RP writer can help with style and word count too. (Only I would suggest someone who rps to read a PS Haha.) My two go to people to help with my PS.

 

[hmockingbird]

I had a friend read over my PS for "TMI", but my main editor was one of my English professors. I knew enough from reading pre-med advice what I needed to address so I mainly wanted to make sure I got my message across in the clearest and engaging way possible. (ETA: And while she was not a pre-med advisor, she does edit PS's for grad school so she had some experience with admissions essays.)

ETA2: As for the activities descriptions, I agree with going more for trying to fit in the most important aspects of that position in a concise way, and then a sentence or two on why it was meaningful. For the longer "most meaningful" essays, I expanded both on what I did and why it was meaningful (about 1 paragraph per topic). For secondaries, just make sure you actually answer the question. For example, a lot of the "overcoming adversity" questions ask about your coping skills or how you overcame the adversity... so you don't need to go into a lot of detail about what happened, just summarize it and move on to the meat of what the question is asking, like coping skills. And I agree with having a consistent narrative, and tying everything into your narrative/"theme" if you can!