How Sample College Admission Essays Can Help You Discuss Relevant Health-related Experiences in Your Essay
If you are a student planning to take up a medical degree in the future, it is very important that you gather as many health-related and research experiences as possible to guarantee your medical school admission. Make sure you capitalize on them when you write your essay for the admissions committee. Of course, as an applicant, you’d want to be the best candidate in the eyes of the admissions committee. So, here are some tips on how to write your essay, emphasizing your health-related experiences, which definitely will help guarantee your school admission.
Highlighting experiences
Highlight your “hands-on” or practical experience on handling real patient-care situations, either in school or in your community. Focus your writing on your previous experiences on the various health fields such as having direct patient contact, working in a hospital or doctor’s office as a receptionist, or working in summer camps for diabetics. Tell them how these experiences allowed you to observe the nature of work of various professionals that make up a health system, which includes the doctors, nurses, support staff and patients.
Clinical, research, and community service experiences, which you may have had, are also very important to highlight especially if they involve direct patient contact. You should aim to list down as many health-related experiences you’ve had as possible, so that you will be a very much potential candidate for admission, as well as be very knowledgeable in preparation for your admission interviews.
You may also include your practical experiences in hospital work such as hot-line or personal counseling, EMT, and lifesaving CPR, which are highly valued by the admissions committee. If you emphasize these, you increase your chances of being accepted to medical school. Since your experiences will indicate your interests in the field of medicine, be unique in laying-out your health-related experiences. You may also highlight a volunteer organization you have joined, such as the volunteer services in hospitals and health-related agencies, where you have participated in. If you have experienced paid jobs for positions such as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA), Phlebotomist, EMT, and many others, include them as well for they will be an integral part of your evaluation.
Other factors vital for admission
Students should be aware that high grades alone are no guarantee of admission. In recent years, admissions committees have been going beyond reviewing undergraduates’ grades and standardized test scores such as the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and PCAT. Now, they also review an applicant’s character, knowledge of health care, and the depth of commitment to pursuing medicine. Dwell on these factors and you are guaranteed admission.
Most medical school committees also scrutinize for a trace of “leadership” or “organizational ability” in the applicants, looking for any record of health-related participations. So, always remember that the school admission committee will put great value on your record of service. Therefore, make sure you highlight this as well on your essay,not to mention that you have a broad understanding of the human conditions. Again, if you really are decided on pursuing a career in the field of medicine, make sure you qualify for the school admissions committee’s criteria. You should have theneeded level of maturity, participated actively in community service, have experience in healthcare-related fields, be aware of healthcare issues, show human compassion and sensitivity, possess medical ethics and the trait of a logical problem solver. Make sure you clearly write them down on your essay. With these, you are surely on your way to becoming a doctor.
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