Tips for Writing

By Joanne Snapp, EdD, Founder of My Honest Advisor

Since so much of this process is honestly impression management, the writing in your personal statement, work & activities, impactful experience description and secondaries can really make or break a cycle. Everything, from the words you choose to use to your tone or the style of your essay, sends a message. The message can be, "I'm a really funny person." Or it can be "I'm very introspective about the world around me." Or it can be, "I don't think too deeply. I'm just proud of doing all of these things."

Our words can scream self-importance, or what the admissions committee I worked on would call, "ME ME ME" or it can show cultural humility, humanism, and patient-centered approaches. The same story can be told in many ways, but if you are not intentional about HOW you tell your story, what you choose to highlight, and how you portray yourself, you could not only be falling short on highlighting your competencies, but worse, cause harm by creating a a poor impression.

Here are some application writing tips:

• Say exactly what you mean, specifically. Instead of, "I realized the importance of caring for people with compassion" say, "I cared for our patients with compassion."

• Get to the point fast. Eliminate any unnecessary details. I often ask, "What does this have to do with the point you're trying to make?" People often want to include things that "show off" what they've done, but the writing has a purpose, which is to show why you want to be a physician, not to simply brag about what you've done.

• State your Why in future tense. As a physician, I want to.... I expect to know why within the first paragraph. Everything else is support, or evidence, for that claim.

• Reflect on your stories. Don't just tell a story and stop. Tell the reader what the story has to do with you wanting to become a provider. Tie it to your future.

I don't believe everyone is born a writer, nor is anyone born knowing what medical schools want. Some people have a natural knack for getting this process. Most others need help.