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How To Describe Your Shadowing Experiences On Your Medical School Application

You’ve worked so hard as a premed student to be competitive and now it’s time to put all your experiences and accomplishments in the medical school primary application. 

Whether you are filling out the AMCAS, AACOMAS, or TMDSAS it can be a stressful experience. You have done all the heavy lifting, now you need to figure out how to articulate everything to make your application as competitive as possible.

Let’s tackle one very important topic: Your shadowing experience. 

How To Describe Shadowing Experiences

Also, it is helpful to provide specific examples from your shadowing experiences. 

There is debate about whether you should include a description or just list the kinds of doctors you shadowed . Some argue that medical school admission committee members don’t have the time to read through hundreds of shadowing experiences. The personal statement is the time to get wordy.

Although brevity is important, you should still include some kind of reflecgion that impacts your view on medicine. It never hurts to use up the 700 character limit to write about your experience. 

Should I List All My Shadowing Experiences In One Entry Or Split Them Into Multiple Entries?

You should list all shadowing experiences in one shadowing entry. If you shadowed one physician in particular for many hours , you can make a separate entry for that physician. 

You are limited to up to 15 work and activities entries , so if you shadowed a bunch of different doctors, you may not have enough entries for other extracurriculars. 

Also, the process of putting in entries gets very repetitive and will take up unnecessary time on your behalf and the person reviewing your application. 

AMCAS Shadowing Description Example

If you are looking for more specific example of how to describe your shadowing experience on your AMCAS application, I’ll walk you through it here.

We recommend this format:

First list the doctors you shadowed, their specialty, their facility, when you shadowed them, and how many hours you shadowed them for.

Dallas Presbyterian Hospital (July 2018 – August 2018) – 40 hours

Dr. John Doe, Orthopedic Surgeon

(Then you would list each other physician under a similar format)

Then include a brief reflection on your shadowing experiences.

What struck me the most while shadowing these physicians was the dynamic between the physician and his or her patient during a time when they are vulnerable. I was also amazed by the number of unique cases that came through and how the physicians I shadowed worked with such a diverse group of patients while giving each person the best possible healthcare. I also witnessed the hardships of being a physician that I could encounter in my career: Giving patients bad news, being on call in the middle of the night, and being unable to save someone after trying everything. 

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How Do You Describe Your Online Shadowing Experience ?

If you are applying during the COVID pandemic you may be forced to do some online shadowing. 

The key to describing your online shadowing experience is to try to describe the experience like you are actually there and not a removed passive observer. 

Admission committee members know that the pandemic made it hard for many premed students to receive in-person shadowing experiences. Instead of mentioning how the pandemic restrictions made it difficult for you to shadow anyone, focus on describing your online shadowing experience like a real shadowing experience. 

Remember, excuses are never a good thing when it comes to applying to medical school.

Should You Include Shadowing Experiences In Your Primary Or Secondary Essays?

This really depends on how much your shadowing experiences impacted your decision to pursue medicine. Your medical school personal statement should include the most meaningful experiences you had that led you to decide to apply to medical school. 

Every medical school will have different prompts for your secondary essays so you may find that you will have more opportunities to include your shadowing experiences in those. 

Remember, you are allowed to describe your shadowing experiences in the work and activities section of the medical school application. Therefore, don’t feel like you need to include it in any essay unless it can add serious value to your statement. 

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How to Write About Your Virtual Shadowing Experiences

By: Savvy Pre-Med Staff

Unless you did your clinical shadowing before the lockdown in March 2020, or unless you’re one of the lucky pre-meds to find in-person shadowing during the pandemic, then you’ll be forced to write about virtual shadowing in your 2021-2022 application.

It seems like a difficult task. Due to the passive nature of shadowing, it’s already tricky to write about it compellingly, and the virtual format only makes this more challenging.

But it can definitely be done, especially if you’ve gone out of your way to find optimal virtual shadowing and taken steps to get the most out of the experiences.

We’re here to answer all your questions about writing about your virtual shadowing experiences, including some do’s and don’ts and an example for you to emulate.

If you follow this advice, you’ll be able to show medical schools the value of your virtual shadowing experience in a memorable, convincing narrative!      

There are several considerations we need to discuss before diving into the actual writing process, so let’s get started:

Why Do Medical Schools Make You Write About Shadowing?

• Medical schools want to see whether you understand a physician's demands, lifestyle, and duties, especially compared to other healthcare roles (shadowing does this more than other clinical experiences). In short, do you know what it takes to be a physician?
• They also want to see how well you interact with patients, especially those who are different from you. What are your people skills like? Can you exhibit professionalism in a clinical setting?

What Kind of Virtual Shadowing Experiences Will Medical Schools Be Looking For?

Before pursuing a virtual shadowing experience, ask yourself these questions:

• Is it active or passive learning?
• What is the consistency and accessibility of the sessions?
• How much credit can you get? And how restrictive is the process?
• What is the content presented?
• How closely does it reflect actual in-person shadowing?

Virtual shadowing can potentially offer all these criteria, but it will be important for you to seek the right platforms that will maximize your virtual experience).

Weak Virtual Shadowing:

Some virtual shadowing opportunities consist of doctors talking over PowerPoint presentations. They’re passive and not very immersive, meaning that you don’t truly see the performance of duties or get the full picture of a doctor’s job. We understand if medical schools view these with a level of scrutiny. 

Solid Virtual Shadowing:

Other virtual shadowing experiences involve pre-meds learning clinical skills from recorded patient interactions. These are more active and can actually build diagnostic skills through insights into real cases and a firsthand view of the job’s demands and duties.

Strong Virtual Shadowing: 

The most sophisticated virtual shadowing experiences involve the doctors walking pre-meds through the cases themselves. This is the best of both worlds, in the sense that you get to build skills while also directly discussing the cases with the physicians themselves. 

As an applicant, part of the onus will be on YOU to make sure that the medical schools fully understand the quality of your virtual shadowing and what you learned from the process. That means you’ll need to write about these virtual shadowing experiences in an effective, persuasive way.

Where Should You Include the Writing About Your Virtual Shadowing Experiences in Your Application?

• Activity descriptions (700 characters each) - if you’ve had several brief shadowing experiences, we recommend grouping them into one activity entry, but if you’ve accumulated many hours with one physician, it would be acceptable to separate that one shadowing experience off from the rest into its own activity entry
• Secondary essays (various character limits) - there will be some secondary essays that specifically ask about shadowing experiences; however, if the questions ask about “meaningful clinical experiences,” we recommend choosing something other than virtual shadowing if possible
• Most Meaningful Essays (1325 characters) - it’s NOT the best idea to write about virtual shadowing as one of your Most Meaningful essays, unless you’ve accumulated TONS of hours and feel confident that you can show how the experience shaped your personal growth; choose other activities if possible
• Personal Statement (5300 characters) - there’s a point in every Personal Statement (usually in the middle) when you explain your exploration of medicine that tested your commitment to the field and confirmed your decision to become a doctor; in some cases, your virtual shadowing will be the best experience to illustrate this affirmation, but if there’s a better option where you’re more active and involved (scribe, medical assistant, etc), it’s probably wise to choose that experience instead

What Are the Do’s and Don’ts When Writing About Your Virtual Shadowing Experiences?

• If possible, discuss any interactions between you and the patients themselves, especially diverse patients who are much different than you
• Make yourself as active as possible in the narrative
• Explain new clinical skills you learned or practiced
• Bring up the questions you asked the physicians and the insights you gained into their diagnostic or treatment process
• If possible, show a continuity with certain patients and their repeated visits
• Show a recognition of the challenges of medicine, but also express an excitement to embrace those challenges
• Try to illustrate how the experience shifted your perspective on medicine 
• Don’t draw too much attention to the pandemic’s restrictions and the struggles of the virtual format; you don’t want to complain or sound whiny and resentful
• Don’t exclude yourself from the story and remain on the periphery the whole time; don’t just say “the doctor did this, then the doctor did that…”
• Don’t assume that an interesting case will do all the work for you; it’s great to discuss unusual conditions or situations, but only if you can show yourself as actively and presently involved in the narrative
• Don’t ignore the challenging realities of being a physician; you’ll sound naive if you present a rainbows-and-sunshine perspective of medicine

Is There a Good Example of Virtual Shadowing Writing That You Can Follow and Emulate?

Sure. Here’s a good example of what a virtual shadowing activity description (696 characters):

• Shadowed multiple physicians (cardiology, endocrinology, family medicine) at ABC Hospital during telehealth visits
• Introduced myself to patients and families and thanked them for consenting to my participation in the visit
• Learned about common cases like hypertension/diabetes, but also complicated conditions like blood clots/Graves’ disease 
• Asked patients questions about symptoms/history when prompted by the physician; actively listened and debriefed with physician afterwards
• Observed physicians comforting crying patients and fielding aggressive questions from distraught family members
• Discussed physicians’ specialties in between visits; heard about the biggest rewards and challenges of each

Here’s how you could turn this same experience into a meaningful paragraph in your Personal Statement:

With my interest in medicine piqued from my biology classes, I sought out shadowing experiences to test my commitment to a physician’s duties, responsibilities, and daily lifestyle. One meaningful experience was observing Dr. NAME’s telehealth consultation with a recently diagnosed diabetic patient. After introducing myself to the patient, I was allowed to ask a few questions about the patient’s family history, diet, and lifestyle. Dr. NAME commended my inquiries but also filled in the gaps with some additional questions. When Dr. NAME drew a diagram of the bloodstream and pancreas to show the patient what was happening in their body, I copied it down myself and took notes so that I could debrief with the doctor afterwards. The patient worked busy hours and lived in a food desert, so their main concern was eating healthy and controlling their diet. This showed me the importance of personalizing one’s care and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. Dr. NAME took the time to outline what a typical day’s meals could look like, along with tips and resources for healthy cooking on a budget. I found some local groceries in walking distance of the patient’s neighborhood where they could purchase healthier, more nutritious options. Since my uncle has diabetes, I also shared my family’s strategy of changing our diet together to support him and help him stay accountable. The patient was surprised and intrigued by this approach, thanking me for my advice. In the end, the patient left the visit with a clearer understanding of their condition and how they could control it through a combination of insulin and lifestyle modifications. As Dr. NAME and I discussed the case afterwards, I felt even more drawn to medicine as a way to share my knowledge as a trusting guide and educator who can steer people towards healthier futures.

Have any questions about writing about your virtual shadowing experiences for medical school? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll respond to you personally!

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Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got 6 Acceptances

Featured Admissions Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

These 30 exemplary medical school personal statement examples come from our students who enrolled in one of our application review programs. Most of these examples led to multiple acceptance for our students. For instance, the first example got our student accepted into SIX medical schools. Here's what you'll find in this article: We'll first go over 30 medical school personal statement samples, then we'll provide you a step-by-step guide for composing your own outstanding statement from scratch. If you follow this strategy, you're going to have a stellar statement whether you apply to the most competitive or the easiest medical schools to get into .

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Listen to the blog!

Article Contents 36 min read

Stellar medical school personal statement examples that got multiple acceptances, medical school personal statement example #1.

I made my way to Hillary’s house after hearing about her alcoholic father’s incarceration. Seeing her tearfulness and at a loss for words, I took her hand and held it, hoping to make things more bearable. She squeezed back gently in reply, “thank you.” My silent gesture seemed to confer a soundless message of comfort, encouragement and support.

Through mentoring, I have developed meaningful relationships with individuals of all ages, including seven-year-old Hillary. Many of my mentees come from disadvantaged backgrounds; working with them has challenged me to become more understanding and compassionate. Although Hillary was not able to control her father’s alcoholism and I had no immediate solution to her problems, I felt truly fortunate to be able to comfort her with my presence. Though not always tangible, my small victories, such as the support I offered Hillary, hold great personal meaning. Similarly, medicine encompasses more than an understanding of tangible entities such as the science of disease and treatment—to be an excellent physician requires empathy, dedication, curiosity and love of problem solving. These are skills I have developed through my experiences both teaching and shadowing inspiring physicians.

Medicine encompasses more than hard science. My experience as a teaching assistant nurtured my passion for medicine; I found that helping students required more than knowledge of organic chemistry. Rather, I was only able to address their difficulties when I sought out their underlying fears and feelings. One student, Azra, struggled despite regularly attending office hours. She approached me, asking for help. As we worked together, I noticed that her frustration stemmed from how intimidated she was by problems. I helped her by listening to her as a fellow student and normalizing her struggles. “I remember doing badly on my first organic chem test, despite studying really hard,” I said to Azra while working on a problem. “Really? You’re a TA, shouldn’t you be perfect?” I looked up and explained that I had improved my grades through hard work. I could tell she instantly felt more hopeful, she said, “If you could do it, then I can too!” When she passed, receiving a B+;I felt as if I had passed too. That B+ meant so much: it was a tangible result of Azra’s hard work, but it was also symbol of our dedication to one another and the bond we forged working together.

My passion for teaching others and sharing knowledge emanates from my curiosity and love for learning. My shadowing experiences in particular have stimulated my curiosity and desire to learn more about the world around me. How does platelet rich plasma stimulate tissue growth? How does diabetes affect the proximal convoluted tubule? My questions never stopped. I wanted to know everything and it felt very satisfying to apply my knowledge to clinical problems.

Shadowing physicians further taught me that medicine not only fuels my curiosity; it also challenges my problem solving skills. I enjoy the connections found in medicine, how things learned in one area can aid in coming up with a solution in another. For instance, while shadowing Dr. Steel I was asked, “What causes varicose veins and what are the complications?” I thought to myself, what could it be? I knew that veins have valves and thought back to my shadowing experience with Dr. Smith in the operating room. She had amputated a patient’s foot due to ulcers obstructing the venous circulation. I replied, “veins have valves and valve problems could lead to ulcers.” Dr. Steel smiled, “you’re right, but it doesn’t end there!” Medicine is not disconnected; it is not about interventional cardiology or orthopedic surgery. In fact, medicine is intertwined and collaborative. The ability to gather knowledge from many specialties and put seemingly distinct concepts together to form a coherent picture truly attracts me to medicine.

It is hard to separate science from medicine; in fact, medicine is science. However, medicine is also about people—their feelings, struggles and concerns. Humans are not pre-programmed robots that all face the same problems. Humans deserve sensitive and understanding physicians. Humans deserve doctors who are infinitely curious, constantly questioning new advents in medicine. They deserve someone who loves the challenge of problem solving and coming up with innovative individualized solutions. I want to be that physician. I want to be able to approach each case as a unique entity and incorporate my strengths into providing personalized care for my patients. Until that time, I may be found Friday mornings in the operating room, peering over shoulders, dreaming about the day I get to hold the drill.

Let's take a step back to consider what this medical school personal statement example does, not just what it says. It begins with an engaging hook in the first paragraph and ends with a compelling conclusion. The introduction draws you in, making the essay almost impossible to put down, while the conclusion paints a picture of someone who is both passionate and dedicated to the profession. In between the introduction and conclusion, this student makes excellent use of personal narrative. The anecdotes chosen demonstrate this individual's response to the common question, " Why do you want to be a doctor ?" while simultaneously making them come across as compassionate, curious, and reflective. The essay articulates a number of key qualities and competencies, which go far beyond the common trope, I want to be a doctor because I want to help people.

This person is clearly a talented writer, but this was the result of several rounds of edits with one of our medical school admissions consulting team members and a lot of hard work on the student's part. If your essay is not quite there yet, or if you're just getting started, don't sweat it. Do take note that writing a good personal essay takes advanced planning and significant effort.

I was one of those kids who always wanted to be doctor. I didn’t understand the responsibilities and heartbreaks, the difficult decisions, and the years of study and training that go with the title, but I did understand that the person in the white coat stood for knowledge, professionalism, and compassion. As a child, visits to the pediatrician were important events. I’d attend to my hair and clothes, and travel to the appointment in anticipation. I loved the interaction with my doctor. I loved that whoever I was in the larger world, I could enter the safe space of the doctor’s office, and for a moment my concerns were heard and evaluated. I listened as my mother communicated with the doctor. I’d be asked questions, respectfully examined, treatments and options would be weighed, and we would be on our way. My mother had been supported in her efforts to raise a well child, and I’d had a meaningful interaction with an adult who cared for my body and development. I understood medicine as an act of service, which aligned with my values, and became a dream.

I was hospitalized for several months as a teenager and was inspired by the experience, despite the illness. In the time of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, I met truly sick children. Children who were much more ill than me. Children who wouldn’t recover. We shared a four-bed room, and we shared our medical stories. Because of the old hospital building, there was little privacy in our room, and we couldn’t help but listen-in during rounds, learning the medical details, becoming “experts” in our four distinct cases. I had more mobility than some of the patients, and when the medical team and family members were unavailable, I’d run simple errands for my roommates, liaise informally with staff, and attend to needs. To bring physical relief, a cold compress, a warmed blanket, a message to a nurse, filled me with such an intense joy and sense of purpose that I applied for a volunteer position at the hospital even before my release.

I have since been volunteering in emergency departments, out-patient clinics, and long term care facilities. While the depth of human suffering is at times shocking and the iterations of illness astounding, it is in the long-term care facility that I had the most meaningful experiences by virtue of my responsibilities and the nature of the patients’ illnesses. Charles was 55 when he died. He had early onset Parkinson’s Disease with dementia that revealed itself with a small tremor when he was in his late twenties. Charles had a wife and three daughters who visited regularly, but whom he didn’t often remember. Over four years as a volunteer, my role with the family was to fill in the spaces left by Charles’ periodic inability to project his voice as well as his growing cognitive lapses. I would tell the family of his activities between their visits, and I would remind him of their visits and their news. This was a hard experience for me. I watched as 3 daughters, around my own age, incrementally lost their father. I became angry, and then I grew even more determined.

In the summer of third year of my Health Sciences degree, I was chosen to participate in an undergraduate research fellowship in biomedical research at my university. As part of this experience, I worked alongside graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, medical students, physicians, and faculty in Alzheimer’s research into biomarkers that might predict future disease. We collaborated in teams, and by way of the principal investigator’s careful leadership, I learned wherever one falls in terms of rank, each contribution is vital to the outcome. None of the work is in isolation. For instance, I was closely mentored by Will, a graduate student who had been in my role the previous summer. He, in turn, collaborated with post docs and medical students, turning to faculty when roadblocks were met. While one person’s knowledge and skill may be deeper than another’s, individual efforts make up the whole. Working in this team, aside from developing research skills, I realized that practicing medicine is not an individual pursuit, but a collaborative commitment to excellence in scholarship and leadership, which all begins with mentorship.

Building on this experience with teamwork in the lab, I participated in a global health initiative in Nepal for four months, where I worked alongside nurses, doctors, and translators. I worked in mobile rural health camps that offered tuberculosis care, monitored the health and development of babies and children under 5, and tended to minor injuries. We worked 11-hour days helping hundreds of people in the 3 days we spent in each location. Patients would already be in line before we woke each morning. I spent each day recording basic demographic information, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, weight, height, as well as random blood sugar levels, for each patient, before they lined up to see a doctor. Each day was exhausting and satisfying. We helped so many people. But this satisfaction was quickly displaced by a developing understanding of issues in health equity.

My desire to be doctor as a young person was not misguided, but simply naïve. I’ve since learned the role of empathy and compassion through my experiences as a patient and volunteer. I’ve broadened my contextual understanding of medicine in the lab and in Nepal. My purpose hasn’t changed, but what has developed is my understanding that to be a physician is to help people live healthy, dignified lives by practicing both medicine and social justice.

28 More Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got Accepted

What my sister went through pushed me to strengthen my knowledge in medical education, patient care, and research. These events have influenced who I am today and helped me determine my own passions. I aspire to be a doctor because I want to make miracles, like my sister, happen. Life is something to cherish; it would not be the same if I did not have one of my four sisters to spend it with. As all stories have endings, I hope that mine ends with me fulfilling my dream of being a doctor, which has been the sole focus of my life to this point. I would love nothing more than to dedicate myself to such a rewarding career, where I achieve what those doctors did for my family. Their expertise allowed my sister to get all the care she needed for her heart, eyes, lungs, and overall growth. Those physicians gave me more than just my little sister, they gave me the determination and focus needed to succeed in the medical field, and for that, I am forever grateful. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #3","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #3"}]" code="tab4" template="BlogArticle">

I came to America, leaving my parents and friends behind, to grasp my chance at a better future. I believe this chance is now in front of me. Medicine is the only path I truly desire because it satisfies my curiosity about the human body and it allows me to directly interact with patients. I do not want to miss this chance to further hone my skills and knowledge, in order to provide better care for my patients. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement #4","title":"Medical School Personal Statement #4"}]" code="tab5" template="BlogArticle">

The time I have spent in various medical settings has confirmed my love for the field. Regardless of the environment, I am drawn to patients and their stories, like that scared young boy at AMC. I am aware that medicine is a constantly changing landscape; however, one thing that has remained steadfast over the years is putting the patient first, and I plan on doing this as a physician. All of my experiences have taught me a great deal about patient interaction and global health, however, I am left wanting more. I crave more knowledge to help patients and become more useful in the healthcare sector. I am certain medical school is the path that will help me reach my goal. One day, I hope to use my experiences to become an amazing doctor like the doctors that treated my sister, so I can help other children like her. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #5","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #5"}]" code="tab6" template="BlogArticle">

My interest in the field of medicine has developed overtime, with a common theme surrounding the importance of personal health and wellness. Through my journey in sports, travelling, and meeting some incredible individuals such as Michael, I have shifted my focus from thinking solely about the physical well-being, to understanding the importance of mental, spiritual, and social health as well. Being part of a profession that emphasizes continuous education, and application of knowledge to help people is very rewarding, and I will bring compassion, a hard work ethic and an attitude that is always focused on bettering patient outcomes. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example # 7","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example # 7"}]" code="tab8" template="BlogArticle">

Medicine embodies a hard science, but it is ultimately a profession that treats people. I have seen firsthand that medicine is not a \u201cone-treatment-fits-all\u201d practice, as an effective physician takes a holistic approach. This is the type of physician I aspire to be: one who refuses to shy away from the humanity of patients and their social context, and one who uses research and innovation to improve the human condition. So, when I rethink \u201cwhy medicine?\u201d, I know it\u2019s for me \u2013 because it is a holistic discipline, because it demands all of me, because I am ready to absorb the fascinating knowledge and science that dictates human life, and engage with humanity in a way no other profession allows for. Until the day that I dawn the coveted white coat, you can find me in inpatient units, comforting the many John\u2019s to come, or perhaps at the back of an operating room observing a mitral valve repair \u2013 dreaming of the day the puck is in my zone. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #8","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #8"}]" code="tab9" template="BlogArticle">

When I signed up to be a live DJ, I didn't know that the oral skills I practiced on-air would influence all aspects of my life, let alone lead me to consider a career in the art of healing. I see now, though, the importance of these key events in my life that have allowed me to develop excellent communication skills--whether that be empathic listening, reading and giving non-verbal cues, or verbal communication. I realize I have always been on a path towards medicine. Ultimately, I aim to continue to strengthen my skills as I establish my role as a medical student and leader: trusting my choices, effectively communicating, and taking action for people in need. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #9","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #9"}]" code="tab10" template="BlogArticle">

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t I pursue medicine sooner?\u201d Is the question that now occupies my mind. Leila made me aware of the unprofessional treatment delivered by some doctors. My subsequent activities confirmed my desire to become a doctor who cares deeply for his patients and provides the highest quality care. My passion for research fuels my scientific curiosity. I will continue to advocate for patient equality and fairness. Combining these qualities will allow me to succeed as a physician. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #10","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #10"}]" code="tab11" template="BlogArticle">

Medical school personal statement example: #11

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Please note that all personal statements are the property of the students who wrote them, re-printed with permission. Names and identifying characteristics have been changed. Plagiarism detection software is used when evaluating personal statements. Plagiarism is grounds for disqualification from the application. ","label":"NOTE","title":"NOTE"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

As one of the most important  medical school requirements , the personal statement tells your story of why you decided to pursue the medical profession. Keep in mind that personal statements are one of the key factors that affect medical school acceptance rates . This is why it's important to write a stellar essay!

“Personal statements are often emphasized in your application to medical school as this singular crucial factor that distinguishes you from every other applicant. Demonstrating the uniqueness of my qualities is precisely how I found myself getting multiple interviews and offers into medical school.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

But this is easier said than done. In fact, medical school personal statements remain one of the most challenging parts of students' journeys to medical school. Here's our student Melissa sharing her experience of working on her personal statement:

"I struggled making my personal statement personal... I couldn't incorporate my feelings, motives and life stories that inspired me to pursue medicine into my personal statement" -Melissa, BeMo Student

Our student Rishi, who is now a student at the Carver College of Medicine , learned about the importance of the medical school personal statement the hard way:

"If you're a reapplicant like me, you know we all dread it but you have to get ready to answer what has changed about your application that we should accept you this time. I had an existing personal statement that did not get me in the first time so there was definitely work to be done." - Rishi, BeMo Student

The importance of the medical school personal statement can actually increase if you are applying to medical school with any red flags or setbacks, as our student Kannan did:

"I got 511 on my second MCAT try... My goal was anything over median of 510 so anything over that was honestly good with me because it's just about [creating] a good personal statement at that point... I read online about how important the personal statement [is]... making sure [it's] really polished and so that's when I decided to get some professional help." - Kannan, BeMo Student

As you can see from these testimonials, your medical school personal statement can really make a difference. So we are here to help you get started writing your own personal statement. Let's approach this step-by-step. Below you will see how we will outline the steps to creating your very best personal statement. And don't forget that if you need to see more examples, you can also check out our AMCAS personal statement examples, AACOMAS personal statement examples and TMDSAS personal statement examples to further inspire you!

Here's a quick run-down of what we'll cover in the article:

Now let's dive in deeper!

#1 Understanding the Qualities of a Strong Med School Personal Statement

Before discussing how to write a strong medical school personal statement, we first need to understand the qualities of a strong essay. Similar to crafting strong medical school secondary essays , writing a strong personal statement is a challenging, yet extremely important, part of your MD or MD-PhD programs applications. Your AMCAS Work and Activities section may show the reader what you have done, but the personal statement explains why. This is how Dr. Neel Mistry, MD and our admissions expert, prepared for his medical school personal statement writing:

"The personal statement is an opportunity for you to shine and really impress the committee to invite you for an interview. The personal statement is your chance to be reflective and go beyond what is stated on your CV and [activities]. In order to stand out, it is important to answer the main questions [of medical school personal statements] well: a bit about yourself and what led you to medicine, why you would make an ideal medical student and future physician, what attracts you to [medicine], and what sets you apart from the other candidates. The key here is answering the last two questions well. Most candidates simply highlight what they have done, but do not reflect on it or mention how what they have done has prepared them for a future medical career." - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

“my essay also focused on volunteering in the local health clinic during the many summer breaks. volunteering was more than just another activity to tick off my bucket list for my medical school … i volunteered because i wanted to view medical practice through the lenses of already qualified doctors, not because i needed a reason to be a doctor. i understood that the admissions committee would be more interested in how i was motivated.” – dr. vincent adeyemi, md.

A personal statement should be deeply personal, giving the admissions committee insight into your passions and your ultimate decision to pursue a career in medicine. A compelling and introspective personal statement can make the difference between getting an interview and facing medical school rejection . Review our blogs to find out how to prepare for med school interviews and learn the most common medical school interview questions .

As you contemplate the task in front of you, you may be wondering what composing an essay has to do with entering the field of medicine. Many of our students were surprised to learn that medical school personal statements are so valued by med schools. The two things are more closely related than you think. A compelling personal statement demonstrates your written communication skills and highlights your accomplishments, passions, and aspirations. The ability to communicate a complex idea in a short space is an important skill as a physician. You should demonstrate your communication skills by writing a concise and meaningful statement that illustrates your best attributes. Leaving a lasting impression on your reader is what will lead to interview invitations.

A quick note: if you are applying to schools that do not require the formal medical school personal statement, such as medical schools in Canada , you should still learn how to write such essays. Many medical schools in Ontario , for example, ask for short essays for supplementary questionnaires. These are very similar to the personal statement. Knowing how to brainstorm, write, and format your answers is key to your success!!!

You want to give yourself as much time as possible to write your statement. Do not think you can do this in an evening or even in a week. Some statements take months. My best statement took almost a year to get right. Allow yourself time and start early to avoid added stress. Think of the ideas you want to include and brainstorm possible ways to highlight these ideas. Ask your friends for ideas or even brainstorm your ideas with people you trust. Get some feedback early to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

“I wrote scores of essays at my desk in those few weeks leading up to application submission. I needed it to be perfect. Do not let anyone tell you to settle. There was no moment when I had this shining light from the sky filtering into my room to motivate me. The ultimate trick is to keep writing. It is impossible to get that perfect essay on the first try, and you may not even get it on your fifteenth attempt, but the goal is to keep at it, keep making those edits, and never back down.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

All personal statements for medical school, often start by explaining why medicine is awesome; the admission committee already knows that. You should explain why you want a career in medicine. What is it about the practice of medicine that resonates with who you are? Naturally, this takes a lot of reflection around who you are. Here are some additional questions you can consider as you go about brainstorming for your essay:

• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What is something you want them to know about you that isn't in your application?
• Where were you born, how did you grow up, and what type of childhood did you have growing up (perhaps including interesting stories about your siblings, parents, grandparents)?
• What kinds of early exposure to the medical field left an impression on you as a child?
• Did you become familiar with and interested in the field of medicine at an early stage of your life? If so, why?
• What are your key strengths, and how have you developed these?
• What steps did you take to familiarize yourself with the medical profession?
• Did you shadow a physician? Did you volunteer or work in a clinical setting? Did you get involved in medical research?
• What challenges have you faced? Have these made an impact on what you chose to study?
• What are your favorite activities?
• What kinds of extracurriculars for medical school or volunteer work have you done, and how have these shaped who you are, your priorities, and or your perspectives on a career in medicine?
• What was your "Aha!" moment?
• When did your desire to become a doctor solidify?
• How did you make the decision to apply to medical school?

You shouldn't try to answer all of these in your essay. Try only a few main points that will carry over into the final draft. Use these to brainstorm and gather ideas. Start developing your narrative by prioritizing the most impactful responses to these prompts and the ideas that are most relevant to your own experiences and goals. The perfect personal statement not only shows the admissions committee that you have refined communication skills, but also conveys maturity and professionalism. It should also display your motivation and suitability for medical practice. Here's how our student Alison, who was a non-traditional applicant with a serious red flag in her application, used her brainstorming sessions with our admissions experts to get a theme going in her medical school personal statement and her overall application package:

"I think it was during my brainstorming session that we really started talking about... what the theme [was] going to be for my application. And I think that was really helpful in and of itself. Just [reflecting] 'Hey, what's your focus going to be like? How are we going to write this? What's the style going to be?' Just to create an element of consistency throughout..." Alison, BeMo Student, current student at Dell Medical School 

After brainstorming, you should be able to clearly see a few key ideas, skills, qualities, and intersections that you want to write about. Once you've isolated the elements you want to explore in your essay (usually 2-4 key ideas), you can begin building your outline. In terms of structure, this should follow the standard academic format, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

As you begin thinking about what to include in your personal essay, remember that you are writing for a specific audience with specific expectations. Your evaluator will be familiar with the key qualities desired by medical schools, as informed by the standards of the profession. But keep in mind that they too are human, and they respond well to well-crafted, engaging essays that tell a story. Here's what our student Alison had to share about keeping your audience in mind when writing your personal statement:

"Make it easy for the reader to be able to work [their] way through [your personal statement]. Because, at the end of the day, I think one thing that helped me a lot was being able to think about who was going to be reading this application and it's going to be these people that are sitting around a desk or sitting at a table and [go] through massive numbers of applications every single day. And the easier and more digestible that you can make it for them, gives you a little bit of a win." - Alison, BeMo student, current student at Dell Medical School

The admissions committee will be examining your essay through the lens of their particular school's mission, values, and priorities. You should think about your experiences with reference to the AAMC Core Competencies and to each school's mission statement so that you're working toward your narrative with the institution and broader discipline in mind.

The AAMC Core Competencies are the key characteristics and skills sought by U.S. medical schools. These are separated into three general categories:

You are not expected to have mastered all of these competencies at this stage of your education. Display those that are relevant to your experiences will help demonstrate your commitment to the medical profession.

Review the school's mission statement: Educational institutions put a lot of time and care into drafting their school's vision. The mission statement will articulate the overall values and priorities of each university, giving you insight into what they might seek in candidates, and thus what you should try to display in your personal statement. Echoing the values of the university helps illustrate that you are a good fit for their intellectual culture. The mission statement may help you identify other priorities of the university, for example, whether they prioritize research-based or experiential-based education. All this research into your chosen medical schools will help you tremendously not only when you write you personal statement, but also the rest of your medical school application components, including your medical school letter of intent if you ever need to write one later.

Just like the personal statement is, in essence, a prompt without a prompt. They give you free rein to write your own prompt to tell your story. This is often difficult for students as they find it hard to get started without having a true direction. Below is a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Use these prompts as a starting point for your essay. Also, they are a great way of addressing why you want to be a doctor without saying something generic.

• The moment your passion for medicine crystallized
• The events that led you toward this path
• Specific instances in which you experienced opportunities
• Challenges that helped shape your worldview
• Your compassion, resilience, or enthusiastic collaboration
• Demonstrate your commitment to others
• Your dependability
• Your leadership skills
• Your ability to problem-solve or to resolve a conflict

These are personal, impactful experiences that only you have had. Focus on the personal, and connect that to the values of your future profession. Do that and you will avoid writing the same essay as everyone else. Dr. Monica Taneja, MD and our admissions expert, shares her tip that got her accepted to the University of Maryland School of Medicine :

"I focused on my journey to medicine and opportunities that I sought out along the way. Everyone’s path and validation is unique, so walking the reader through your growth to the point of application will naturally be different, but that's what I wanted to share in my personal statement." - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

“the essay is not about what you have been through; it's about who it made you into.” – dr. vincent adeyemi, md.

Admissions committees don't want your resumé in narrative form. The most boring essays are those of applicants listing their accomplishments. Remember, all that stuff is already in the activities section of the application. This is where you should discuss interesting or important life events that shaped you and your interest in medicine (a service trip to rural Guatemala, a death in the family, a personal experience as a patient). One suggestion is to have an overarching theme to your essay to tie everything together, starting with an anecdote. Alternatively, you can use one big metaphor or analogy through the essay. Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD and experienced admissions committee member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, encourages you to be creative when it comes to the theme of your personal statement:

"It is very easy to make the “cookie cutter” personal statement. To a reviewer who is reading tens of these at a time it can become quite boring. What I did was [tell] a story. Like any good novel, the stories' first lines are meant to hook the reader. This can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application. It could be about the time your friend was smashed up against the boards in hockey and you, with your limited first aid experience helped to treat him. It is important that the story be REAL." - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Your personal statement must be well-organized, showing a clear, logical progression, as well as connections between ideas. It is generally best to use a chronological progression since this mirrors your progression into a mature adult and gives you the opportunity to illustrate how you learned from early mistakes later on. Carry the theme throughout the statement to achieve continuity and cohesion. Use the theme to links ideas from each paragraph to the next and to unite your piece.

Medical School Personal Statement Structure

When working toward the initial draft of your essay, it is important to keep the following in mind: The essay should read like a chronological narrative and have good structure and flow. Just like any academic essay, it will need an introduction, body content, and a conclusion. If you're wondering whether a medical school advisor can help you with your medical school application, check out our blog for the answer.

Check out our video to learn how to create a killer introduction to your medical school personal statement:

Introduction

The introductory paragraph and, even more importantly, the introductory sentence of your essay, will most certainly make or break your overall statement. Ensure that you have a creative and captivating opening sentence that draws the reader in. This is your first and only chance to make a first impression and really capture the attention of the committee. Starting with an event or an Aha! moment that inspired your decision to pursue a medical profession is one way to grab their attention. The kinds of things that inspire or motivate you can say a lot about who you are as a person.

The broader introductory paragraph itself should serve several functions. First, it must draw your reader in with an eye-catching first line and an engaging hook or anecdote. It should point toward the qualities that most effectively demonstrate your desire and suitability for becoming a physician (you will discuss these qualities further in the body paragraphs). The thesis of the introduction is that you have certain skills, experiences, and characteristics and that these skills, experiences, and characteristics will lead you to thrive in the field of medicine. Finally, it must also serve as a roadmap to the reader, allowing them to understand where the remainder of the story is headed.

That is a lot of work for a single paragraph to do. To better help you envision what this looks like in practice, here is a sample introduction that hits these main points.

I was convinced I was going to grow up to be a professional chef. This was not just another far-fetched idealistic childhood dream that many of us had growing up. There was a sense of certainty about this dream that motivated me to devote countless hours to its practice. It was mostly the wonder that it brought to others and the way they were left in awe after they tried a dish that I recall enjoying the most creating as a young chef. But, when I was 13, my grandfather was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and I realized that sometimes cooking is not enough, as I quickly learned about the vital role physicians play in the life of everyday people like my family and myself. Although my grandfather ended up passing away from his illness, the impact that the healthcare team had on him, my family, and I will always serve as the initial starting point of my fascination with the medical profession. Since that time, I have spent years learning more about the human sciences through my undergraduate studies and research, have developed a deeper understanding of the demands and challenges of the medical profession through my various volunteer and extra-curricular experiences, and although it has been difficult along the way, I have continued to forge a more intimate fascination with the medical field that has motivated me to apply to medical school at this juncture of my life. ","label":"Sample Introduction","title":"Sample Introduction"}]" code="tab3" template="BlogArticle">

In the body of your essay, you essentially want to elaborate on the ideas that you have introduced in your opening paragraph by drawing on your personal experiences to provide evidence. Major points from the above sample introduction could be: dedication and resilience (practicing cooking for hours, and devoting years to undergraduate studies in human sciences), passion and emotional connection (being able to create something that inspired awe in others, and personally connecting with the work of the grandfather's healthcare team), motivation and drive (being inspired by the role physicians play in their patients' lives, participating in volunteer work and extracurriculars, and an enduring fascination with the field of medicine). Depending on the details, a selection of volunteer and extra-curricular experiences might also be discussed in more detail, in order to emphasize other traits like collaboration, teamwork, perseverance, or a sense of social responsibility – all key characteristics sought by medical schools. Just like an academic essay, you will devote one paragraph to each major point, explaining this in detail, supporting your claims with experiences from your life, and reflecting on the meaning of each plot point in your personal narrative, with reference to why you want to pursue a medical career.

Your final statement should not be a simple summary of the things you have discussed. It should be insightful, captivating, and leave the reader with a lasting impression. Although you want to re-emphasize the major ideas of your essay, you should try to be creative and captivating, much like your opening paragraph. Sometimes if you can link your opening idea to your last paragraph it will really tie the whole essay together. The conclusion is just as important as the introduction. It is your last chance to express your medical aspirations. You want to impress the reader while also leaving them wanting more. In this case, more would mean getting an interview so they can learn more about who you are! Leave them thinking I have got to meet this person.

The narrative you construct should display some of your most tightly held values, principles, or ethical positions, along with key accomplishments and activities. If you see yourself as someone who is committed to community service, and you have a track record of such service, your story should feature this and provide insight into why you care about your community and what you learned from your experiences. Saying that you value community service when you've never volunteered a day in your life is pointless. Stating that your family is one where we support each other through challenge and loss (if this is indeed true), is excellent because it lays the groundwork for telling a story while showing that you are orientated towards close relationships. You would then go on to offer a brief anecdote that supports this. You are showing how you live such principles, rather than just telling your reader that you have such principles:

"Remember to use specific personal examples throughout your statement to make it more impactful and memorable for the readers. Often, painting a picture in the reader’s mind in the form of a story helps with this." - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

A lot of students make the mistake of verbalizing their personal attributes with a bunch of adjectives, such as, "This experience taught me to be a self-reliant leader, with excellent communication skills, and empathy for others..." In reality, this does nothing to convey these qualities. It's a mistake to simply list your skills or characteristics without showing the reader an example of a time you used them to solve a problem. If you simply list your skills or characteristics (telling), without demonstrating the ways you have applied them (showing), you risk coming across as arrogant. The person reading the essay may not believe you, as you've not really given them a way to see such values in your actions. It is better to construct a narrative to show the reader that you possess the traits that medical schools are looking for, rather than explicitly stating that you are an empathetic individual or capable of deep self-reflection. Instead of listing adjectives, tell your personal story and allow the admissions committee to paint the picture for themselves. This step is very challenging for many students, but it's one of the most important strategies used in successful essays. Writing this way will absolutely make your statement stand out from the rest.

While it may be tempting to write in a high academic tone, using terminology or jargon that is often complex or discipline-specific, requiring a specialized vocabulary for comprehension. You should actually aim to write for a non-specialist audience. Remember, in the world of medicine, describing a complex, clinical condition to a patient requires using specific but clear words. This is why your personal statement should show that you can do the same thing. Using large words in unwieldy ways makes you sound like you are compensating for poor communication skills. Use words that you believe most people understand. Read your personal statement back to a 14-year-old, and then again to someone for whom English is not their first language, to see if you're on the right path.

Ultimately, fancy words do not make you a good communicator; listening and ensuring reader comprehension makes you a good communicator. Instead of using complex terminology to tell the admissions committee that you have strong communication skills, show them your communication skills through clear, accessible prose, written with non-specialists in mind. A common refrain among writing instructors is, never use a $10 word where a $2 word will suffice. If you can say it in plain, accessible language, then this is what you should do.

Display Professionalism

Professionalism may seem like a difficult quality to display when only composing a personal statement. After all, the reader can't see your mannerisms, your personal style, or any of those little qualities that allow someone to appear professional. Professionalism is about respect for the experience of others on your team or in your workplace. It is displayed when you are able to step back from your own individual position and think about what is best for your colleagues and peers, considering their needs alongside your own. If a story is relevant to why you want to be a physician and demonstrates an example of how you were professional in a workplace setting, then it is appropriate to include in your essay.

One easy way to destroy a sense of professionalism is to act in a judgmental way towards others, particularly if you perceived and ultimately resolved an error on someone else's part. Sometimes students blame another medical professional for something that went wrong with a patient.

They might say something to the effect of, "The nurse kept brushing off the patient's concerns, refusing to ask the attending to increase her pain medications. Luckily, being the empathetic individual that I am, I took the time to listen to sit with the patient, eventually bringing her concerns to the attending physician, who thanked me for letting him know."

There are a couple of things wrong with this example. It seems like this person is putting down someone else in an attempt to make themselves look better. They come across as un-empathetic and judgmental of the nurse. Maybe she was having a busy day, or maybe the attending had just seen the patient for this issue and the patient didn't really need re-assessment. Reading this kind of account in a personal statement makes the reader question the maturity of the applicant and their ability to move past blaming others and resolve problems in a meaningful way. Instead of allocating blame, identify what the problem was for the patient and then focus on what you did to resolve it and reflect on what you learned from the whole experience.

One last note on professionalism: Being professional does not mean being overly stoic, hiding your emotions, or cultivating a bland personality. A lot of students are afraid to talk about how a situation made them feel in their personal statement. They worry that discussing feelings is inappropriate and will appear unprofessional. Unfortunately for these students, emotional intelligence is hugely important to the practice of medicine. In order to be a good doctor, one must be aware of their own emotions as well as those of their patients. Good doctors are able to quickly identify their own emotions and understand how their emotional reactions may inform their actions, and the ability to deliver appropriate care, in a given situation. Someone who is incapable of identifying their emotions is also incapable of managing them effectively and will likely struggle to identify the emotions of others. So, when writing your personal statement, think about how each experience made you feel, and what you learned from those feelings and that experience.

How to Write About Discrepancies and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Part of your essay's body can include a discussion of any discrepancies or gaps in your education, or disruptions in your academic performance. If you had to take time off, or if you had a term or course with low grades, or if you had any other extenuating circumstances that impacted your education, you can take time to address these here. It is very important to address these strategically. Do not approach this section as space to plead your case. Offer a brief summary of the situation, and then emphasize what you learned from such hardships. Always focus on the positive, illustrating how such difficulties made you stronger, more resilient, or more compassionate. Connect your experiences to the qualities desired by medical schools. Here's how I student Alison address an academic discrepancy in her application:

I had an academic dishonesty during undergrad, which, at the time, ended up being this big misunderstanding. But I was going to appeal this and get it off my record. I was supposed to start nursing school two weeks after this whole ordeal had gone down and, at our university, if you try to appeal your academic dishonesty then you'd have to take an incomplete in that class and I needed this class in order to start nursing school. So I wasn't able to [appeal]. So when I talked with the people at the nursing school they were like ‘it's no big deal, it's fine’. [But] it came back and it haunted me very much. When I was applying [to medical school] I started looking online [to see] how big of a deal is it to have this ‘red flag’ on my application. I started reading all of these horror stories on Student Doctor Network and all of these other forums about how if you have an academic dishonesty you shouldn't even bother applying, that you'll never get in. Schools will blacklist you and I was [wondering] what am I going do. [My advisor suggested I use the essay to talk about my discrepancy]. 

First off, if anyone out there has an academic violation don't read student doctor network. don't listen to anybody. you absolutely are still a potential medical student and schools are not going to blacklist you just because of one mistake that you made. that's all lies. don't listen to them. i don't even think it came up a single time during any of my interviews. i think a lot of that came back to how i wrote that essay and the biggest advice that i can give that i got from the [bemo] team is explain what happened… just give the facts. be very objective about it. in the last two thirds [of the essay] you want to focus on what you learned from it and how it made you a better person and how it's going to make you a better physician.” – alison, bemo student, current student at dell medical school.

We hope many of you find a peace of mind when you read Alison's story. Because it shows that with the right approach to your medical school personal statement, you can overcome even red flags or setbacks that made you dread the application process. Use your personal statement to emphasize your ability to persevere through it all but do so in a positive way. Most of all, if you feel like you have to explain yourself, take accountability for the situation. State that it is unfortunate and then redirect it to what you learned and how it will make you a better doctor. Always focus on being positive and do not lament on the negative situation too much.

Additional Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Statements:

Check out this video on the top 5 errors to avoid in your personal statement!

Step 3: Writing Your First Draft

As you can see, there is a LOT of planning and consideration to be done before actually starting your first draft. Properly brainstorming, outlining, and considering the content and style of your essay prior to beginning the essay will make the writing process much smoother than it would be you to try to jump right to the draft-writing stage. Now, you're not just staring at a blank page wondering what you could possibly write to impress the admissions committee. Instead, you've researched what the school desires from its students and what the medical profession prioritizes in terms of personal characteristics, you've sketched out some key moments from your life that exemplify those traits, and you have a detailed outline that just needs filling in.

As you're getting started, focus on getting content on the page, filling in your outline and getting your ideas arranged on the page. Your essay will go through multiple drafts and re-writes, so the first step is to free write and start articulating connections between your experiences and the characteristics you're highlighting. You can worry about flow, transitions, and perfect grammar in later drafts. The first draft is always a working draft, written with the understanding that its purpose is to act as a starting point, not an ending point. Once you've completed a draft, you can begin the revising process. The next section will break down what to do once you have your first draft completed.

You can also begin looking at things like style, voice, transitions, and overall theme. The best way to do this is to read your essay aloud. This may sound strange, but it is one of the single most impactful bits of writing advice a student can receive. When we're reading in our heads (and particularly when we're reading our own words), it is easy to skip over parts that may be awkwardly worded, or where the grammar is off. As our brains process information differently, depending on whether we're taking in visual or auditory information, this can also help you understand where the connections between ideas aren't as evident as you would like. Reading the essay aloud will help you begin internalizing the narrative you've crafted, so that you can come to more easily express this both formally in writing and informally in conversation (for example, in an interview).

#1 Did You Distinguish Yourself From Others?

Does your narrative sound unique? Is it different than your peers or did you write in a generic manner? Our admissions expert Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, shares how she got the attention of the admissions committee with her personal statement:

"I also found it helpful to give schools a 'punch-line'. As in I wanted them to remember 1-2 things about me that are my differentiators and I reiterated those throughout [the personal statement]." - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Use your narrative to provide a compelling picture of who you are as a person, as a learner, as an advocate, and as a future medical professional. What can you offer? Remember, you will be getting a lot out of your med school experience, but the school will be getting a lot out of you, as well. You will be contributing your research efforts to your department, you will be participating in the academic community, and as you go on to become a successful medical professional you will impact the perception of your school's prestige. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, so use this opportunity to highlight what you bring to the table, and what you will contribute as a student at their institution. Let them know what it is about you that is an attribute to their program. Make them see you as a stand out from the crowd.

#2 Does My Essay Flow and is it Comprehensible?

Personal statements are a blessing and a curse for admission committees. They give them a better glimpse of who the applicant is than simple scores. Also, they are long and time-consuming to read. And often, they sound exactly alike. On occasion, a personal statement really makes an applicant shine. After reading page after page of redundant, cookie-cutter essays, an essay comes along with fluid prose and a compelling narrative, the reader snaps out of that feeling of monotony and gladly extends their enthusiastic attention.

Frankly, if the statement is pleasant to read, it will get read with more attention and appreciation. Flow is easier to craft through narrative, which is why you should root the statement in a story that demonstrates characteristics desirable to medical schools. Fluidity takes time to build, though, so your statement should be etched out through many drafts and should also be based on an outline. You need to brainstorm, then outline, then draft and re-draft, and then bring in editors and listeners for feedback (Note: You need someone to proofread your work. Bestselling authors have editors. Top scholars have editors. I need an editor. You need an editor. Everyone needs an editor). Then, check and double-check and fix anything that needs fixing. Then check again. Then submit. You want this to be a statement that captures the reader's interest by creating a fluid, comprehensible piece that leads the reader to not only read each paragraph but want to continue to the next sentence.

#3 Did You Check Your Grammar?

If you give yourself more than one night to write your statement, the chances of grammatical errors will decrease considerably. If you are pressed for time, upload your file into an online grammar website. Use the grammar checker on your word processor, but know that this, in itself, isn't enough. Use the eyes and ears of other people to check and double-check your grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Read your statement out loud to yourself and you will almost certainly find an error (and likely several errors). Use fresh eyes to review the statement several times before you actually submit it, by walking away from it for a day or so and then re-reading it. Start your essay early, so that you actually have time to do this. This step can make or break your essay. Do not waste all the effort you have put into writing, to only be discarded by the committee for using incorrect grammar and syntax.

#4 Did You Gather Feedback From Other People?

The most important tip in writing a strong application essay is this getting someone else to read your work. While the tips above are all very useful for writing a strong draft, nothing will benefit you more than getting an outside appraisal of your work. For example, it's very easy to overlook your own spelling or grammatical errors. You know your own story and you may think that your narrative and it's meaning make sense to your reader. You won't know that for sure without having someone else actually read it. This may sound obvious, but it's still an absolute necessity.

“It was very helpful for two of my mentors to review my statements before submitting my application. Ensure you trust the judgement and skills of the person to whom you would be giving your personal statement for review.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

Have someone you trust to read the essay and ask them what they thought of it. What was their impression of you after reading it? Did it make sense? Was it confusing? Do they have any questions? What was the tone of the essay? Do they see the connections you're trying to make? What were their takeaways from your essay, and do these align with your intended takeaways for your reader? Ideally, this person should have some knowledge of the application process or the medical profession, so that they can say whether you were successful in demonstrating that you are a suitable candidate for medical school. However, any external reader is better than no external reader at all.

Avoid having people too close to you read your work. They may refrain from being too critical in an effort to spare your feelings. This is the time to get brutal, honest feedback. If you know someone who is an editor but do not feel that they can be objective, try and find someone else.

Want more examples? Check out our video below:

FAQs and Final Notes

Your personal statement should tell your story and highlight specific experiences or aspects of your journey that have led you to medicine. If your first exposure or interest in the medical field was sparked from your own medical struggles, then you can certainly include this in your statement. What is most important is that you write about what factors or experiences attributed to you deciding that medicine is the right career path for you.

Sometimes students shy away from including their own personal struggles and describing how they felt during difficult times but this is a great way for admissions committees to gain perspective into who you are as a person and where your motivations lie. Remember, this is your story, not someone else's, so your statement should revolve around you. If you choose to discuss a personal hardship, what's most important is that you don't cast yourself as the victim and that you discuss what the experience taught you. Also, medical schools are not allowed to discriminate against students for discussing medical issues, so it is not looked at as a red flag unless you are talking about an issue inappropriately. For example, making yourself appear as the victim or not taking responsibility.

All US medical schools require the completion of a personal statement with your AMCAS, TMDSAS or AACOMAS applications.

Medical schools in Canada on the other hand, do not require or accept personal statements. In lieu of the personal statement, a few of these schools may require you to address a prompt in the form of an essay, or allow you to submit an explanation essay to describe any extenuating circumstances, but this is not the same as the US personal statement. For example, when applying through  OMSAS , the  University of Toronto medical school  requires applicants to complete four short, 250 words or less, personal essays.

Many students struggle with whether or not they should address an unfavorable grade in their personal statement. What one student does isn't necessarily the right decision for you.

To help you decide, think about whether or not that bad grade might reflect on your poorly. If you think it will, then it's best to address the academic misstep head-on instead of having admissions committees dwell on possible areas of concern. If you're addressing a poor evaluation, ensure that you take responsibility for your grade, discuss what you learned and how your performance will be improved in the future - then move on. It's important that you don't play the victim and you must always reflect on what lessons you've learned moving forward.

Of course not, just because you didn't wake up one morning and notice a lightbulb flashing the words medicine, doesn't mean that your experiences and journey to medicine are inferior to those who did. Students arrive to medicine in all sorts of ways, some change career paths later in life, some always knew they wanted to pursue medicine, and others slowly became interested in medicine through their life interactions and experiences. Your personal statement should address your own unique story to how you first became interested in medicine and when and how that interest turned to a concrete desire.

While your entire statement is important, the opening sentence can often make or break your statement. This is because admission committee members are reviewing hundreds, if not thousands of personal statements. If your opening sentence is not eye-catching, interesting, and memorable, you risk your statement blending in with the large pile of other statements. Have a look at our video above for tips and strategies for creating a fantastic opening sentence.

Having your statement reviewed by family and friends can be a good place to start, but unfortunately, it's near-impossible for them to provide you with unbiased feedback. Often, friends and family members are going to support us and rave about our achievements. Even if they may truly think your statement needs work, they may feel uncomfortable giving you their honest feedback at the risk of hurting your feelings.

In addition, family and friends don't know exactly what admission committee members are looking for in a personal statement, nor do they have years of experience reviewing personal statements and helping students put the best version of themselves forward. For these reasons, many students choose to seek the help of a professional medical school advisor to make sure they have the absolute best chances of acceptance to medical school the first time around.

If you have enough time set aside to write your statement without juggling multiple other commitments, it normally takes at least four weeks to write your statement. If you are working, in school, or volunteering and have other commitments, be prepared to spend 6-8 weeks.

Your conclusion should have a summary of the main points you have made in your essay, but it should not just be a summary. You should also end with something that makes the reader want to learn more about you (i.e. call you for an interview). A good way to do this is to include a call-back to your opening anecdote: how have you grown or matured since then? How are you more prepared now to begin medical school?

The goal is to show as many of them as you can in the WHOLE application: this includes your personal statement, sketch, reference letters, secondary essays, and even your GPA and MCAT (which show critical thinking and reasoning already). So, it’s not an issue to focus on only a few select experiences and competencies in the personal statement.

Yes, you can. However, if you used an experience as a most meaningful entry, pick something else to talk about in your essay. Remember, you want to highlight as many core competencies across your whole application). Or, if you do pick the same experience: pick a different specific encounter or project with a different lesson learned.

Once your essay is in good shape, it's best to submit to ensure your application is reviewed as soon as possible. Remember, with rolling admissions, as more time passes before you submit your application, your chances of acceptance decreases. Nerves are normal and wanting to tinker is also normal, but over-analyzing and constant adjustments can actually weaken your essay.

So, if you're thinking about making more changes, it's important to really reflect and think about WHY you want to change something and if it will actually make the essay stronger. If not your changes won't actually make the essay stronger or if it's a very minor change you're thinking of making, then you should likely leave it as is.

The reality is, medical school admission is an extremely competitive process. In order to have the best chance of success, every part of your application must be stellar. Also, every year some students get in whose GPAs or  MCAT scores  are below the median. How? Simply because they must have stood out in other parts of the application, such as the personal statement.

The ones that honestly made the most impact on you. You'll need to reflect on your whole life and think about which experiences helped you grow and pushed you to pursue medicine. Ideally, experiences that show commitment and progression are better than one-off or short-term activities, as they usually contribute more to growth.

Final Notes

This Ultimate Guide has demonstrated all the work that needs to be done to compose a successful, engaging personal statement for your medical school application. While it would be wonderful if there was an easy way to write your personal statement in a day, the reality is that this kind of composition takes a lot of work. As daunting as this may seem, this guide lays out a clear path. In summary, the following 5 steps are the basis of what you should take away from this guide. These 5 steps are your guide and sort of cheat sheet to writing your best personal statement.

5 Main Takeaways For Personal Statement Writing:

• Brainstorming
• Content and Theme
• Multiple Drafts
• Revision With Attention to Grammar

While a strong personal statement alone will not guarantee admission to medical school, it could absolutely squeeze you onto a  medical school waitlist , off the waitlist, and onto the offer list, or give someone on the admissions committee a reason to go to battle for your candidacy. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the incredible skills you've worked and studied to refine, the remarkable life experiences you've had, and the key qualities you possess in your own unique way. Show the admissions committee that you are someone they want to meet. Remember, in this context, wanting to meet you means wanting to bring you in for an interview!

Dr. Lauren Prufer is an admissions expert at BeMo. Dr. Prufer is also a medical resident at McMaster University. Her medical degree is from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. During her time in medical school, she developed a passion for sharing her knowledge with others through medical writing, research, and peer mentoring.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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I have been reading posts regarding this topic and this post is one of the most interesting and informative one I have read. Thank you for this!

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Medical Student to Be Shares Insights on Shadowing

Learn from this important experience.

Physician shadowing, why it is important, and what I gained

When I first started my pursuit of getting into medical school , I didn’t think shadowing was going to be that important—especially as a non-traditional applicant. To be honest, the idea of shadowing sounded silly to me. It reminded me of that middle school “follow your mom to work day.” I was almost convinced that I wouldn’t need to shadow. Luckily, I met with my postbacc advisor in the fall semester of my postbacc year. During my talk with her, I found out that shadowing is a non-spoken requirement. Still skeptical, I inquired further about the shadowing requirement for a non-traditional applicant. After all, I had heard stories that shadowing opportunities were difficult to find—especially for non-traditional applicants. My advisor then shared with me that the strongest post-bacc applicant in the previous year had been rejected from all the medical schools to which he applied because he lacked shadowing experience. Needless to say, that definitely pushed me to seek shadowing experience!

Eventually, I was able to log about 300 hours of shadowing by the time I was ready to submit my application to medical school. Looking back, I know that I benefited from shadowing and those benefits were more than just being able to say I shadowed 300 hours on my AMCAS application.

Here are the five key benefits/takeaways I gained from my own shadowing experience apart from the numbers of hours I was able to log.

I gained two important mentors (and two solid letters of recommendation).

From my experiences as a teacher, I learned that having solid mentors in your field/career is very important. While I know I will make my own mistakes on my path to becoming a doctor, it has been helpful to have mentors who were able to provide me with their insight and advice so I didn’t make the same mistakes they did. At the end of my time with the two physicians, both told me that they would give me strong letters of recommendation for medical school, which was a nice addition to my recommendations package. I am still in touch with both physicians and have been able to get their insight on selecting a school and getting ready for medical school. I anticipate that I will continue my relationships with them throughout medical school and beyond.

I was able to get a glimpse of the realities of being a doctor over a long period of time.

While I also shadowed other specialties for several weeks at a time, I shadowed an internist and a psychiatrist on a weekly basis from January to August. During breaks, I shadowed them more frequently. During this long period of time, I was able to get a better idea of what the realities of being a physician are (at least in rural areas). Due to my extended shadowing time, which led to stronger relationships, I was able to join my physicians for their board meetings and other committee meetings, which further added to my knowledge about the nonmedical responsibilities physicians have.

A longitudinal shadowing experience also allowed me to see the same patients several times during the course of the year. This was really eye-opening, especially in psychiatry, enabling me to see what treatment can and can’t accomplish over an extended period of time and the realities of treating long-term patients.

I was able to manage my expectations of what it meant to be a doctor or specialist. 

After shadowing a pediatrician for a few weeks, I learned that this specialty was completely different from what I anticipated and that I probably did NOT want to be a pediatrician. I had assumed that because I loved working with kids (note: I was a teacher), that I would love being a pediatrician. From what I observed, I don’t think I actually would. Of course, this could change with my rotations in medical school. But I didn’t foolishly write that I could see myself going into pediatrics just because “I love working with kids!” or commit myself to pediatrics when I really knew nothing about it. Expectations are often not aligned with reality.

I had more confidence and evidence to say that I could see myself in the field of medicine and how my own strengths/skills would make me a good doctor.

This goes along with takeaway number three and four. It was much easier to say that I wanted to be a doctor because I was also able to say that I had an idea of what it really was like to be a doctor (or at least some types of doctors). I knew that medicine was not like TV’s  Grey’s Anatomy and I knew that the job wasn’t as “glamorous” as it sometimes is made out to be. (One pediatrician I shadowed saw 10 patients with ear infections and four with sore throats in a single day.) As I continued to shadow, I became more excited about becoming a doctor in spite of some things I saw and my excitement continued to confirm my desire to be a doctor. Shadowing also gave me an idea of where my own strengths/skills and would come into play as a doctor. This was helpful when convincing ADCOMs for medical schools of my medical-related qualities as a future medical student and doctor.

I just learned a lot. Period. 

From looking up different drugs on Epocrates to repeatedly observing a mental status exam or patient history interview, I just learned a lot. While it’s nothing compared with what medical students learn, I got a glimpse of what practicing medicine would be like. Even though I wasn’t a medical student yet, I tried to take advantage of any opportunity to learn, to offer to help when I could, and to ask a lot of questions.

Bottom line :

Shadowing is a key part of your application and evidence that you’ve done the research/homework and you’re still confident that medicine is a field you want to pursue. At every one of my interviews my interviewer and I discussed shadowing experiences such as shadowing a pediatrician. And, I am sure that without my shadowing, my application would have been much weaker.

About the Author

Z is a graduate of Brown University and a former Teach for America corps member. In her free time, she likes to blog about her experiences as a premed and give her (limited) advice to other premeds and also bore them with stories about her daily life. Z blogs at 5 year journey: medical school edition .

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Physician Shadowing – What to Expect and Gain

Why do you need to shadow physicians? What does it mean to shadow a physician? What should I consider when shadowing? How long should you shadow a doctor? What do you do when you shadow a physician? Can you shadow any type of doctor? What questions should I ask the doctor? Find some answers in the following article.

Why Do You Need to Shadow Physicians?

The best way to know what career best suits you is to get some sort of first-hand exposure to that specific career. For many careers, this means taking part in an internship. For a career in medicine, you need to go to medical school before you can actually work as an intern. So, with the option of interning gone, the final, and one of the most effective options to get acquainted with medicine is to shadow physicians.

What Does It Mean to Shadow a Physician?

First, shadowing a physician means that you are following the doctor as he or she engages with his or her daily duties. You observe how the doctor interacts with patients, performs procedures, converses with his/her coworkers, and even how he/she spends lunchtime. You are not expected to do much, especially since you know very little about medicine.

||Start Shadowing: Virtually Shadow More Than 20 Specialties ||

What Should I Consider While Shadowing?

1. Can I see myself doing the doctor’s tasks on a daily basis?

2. What am I attracted to about this profession/specialty?

3. Is there anything that I dislike?

4. Am I more drawn to diagnostic problem-solving or performing procedures?

5. What makes this experience meaningful?

6. Does this increase or decrease my motivation in becoming a doctor? Why?

7. Do I enjoy being around patients?

How Long Should You Shadow a Doctor?

You want to aim for 100-150 shadowing hours. However, you shouldn’t strive for that at the expense of performing poorly in your prereq courses. Getting stellar grades and studying for your MCAT should take precedence over shadowing hours, as these are set benchmarks medical schools have in place. If your GPA and MCAT score are below a medical school’s standards, your application might not even be looked at.

What Do You Do When You Shadow a Physician?

There is an incredible amount of variability in shadowing. Depending on the specialty, practice setting, time pressures, and personality of the doctor you are shadowing, your time could be rich and engaging or it could be a time where you become a literal shadow. Your physician might not involve you in any of his/her daily routines, or he/she could be incredibly accommodating and ask you to do more than you expected. No matter what the situation may be when you do decide to shadow a physician, it is best to keep your expectations low. Do not be surprised if you are not asked to help with any procedures or conduct medical interviews with patients. As a shadower, you are there primarily as an observer. If you do want your experience to be somewhat significant, you must be somewhat proactive and intentional .

||Read:  How Do I Know I Want To Be A Doctor? ||

Can You Shadow Any Type of Doctor?

Yes! In fact, it’s encouraged to shadow a doctor in the specialty you’re interested in. Whether that be dermatology, radiology, emergency medicine, etc. The whole idea of shadowing is to give you an idea of what doctors do daily, so you have a better understanding of their career and help you make the decision if this is something you want to do.

||Read: Reasons To Be A Doctor ||

What Questions Should I ask the Doctor?

1. What do you like most and least about your job?

2. How did you get to where you are today?

3. Can you explain more about X disease?

4. Do you have specific strategies or tips when engaging with patients?

5. How does your profession affect the other areas of your life (Ex. Family)?

6. Do you have any advice for me?

The point of asking these questions is to help you find purpose and pleasure in shadowing.

What Are the Benefits of Physician Shadowing?

There are three parties involved when you shadow: the physician, the patient, and you. The first benefit of shadowing is that it provides you with a great way to build a relationship with a physician, he or she can serve as your mentor. You can ask for a letter of recommendation and/or a referral to another physician to shadow. Second, shadowing allows you to engage with patients, giving you the opportunity to learn more about them and their ailments. Hearing patient stories was one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed shadowing. Lastly, shadowing a physician should challenge you and help grow a greater hunger to learn more about medicine. You should finish your time shadowing wanting to be in your physician’s shoes in the future. Shadowing gives you tangible goals to work towards as you realize more of your passion for medicine. At the end of the day, shadowing is really what you make of it. While shadowing will be different based on who or where you shadow, you will still be the one who controls expectations, thoughts, and levels of commitment. Make sure to go into your shadowing experience with an open mind, ready to learn, be impacted, and moved. You never know; your most meaningful shadowing experience could become a major part of your personal statement.

You can read also about Virtual Doctor Shadowing

**This article was first posted on US News Education .

||Read: The Importance of Mentorship ||

With all the demands of being a pre-med student, squeezing in time to physically shadow a physician can be difficult. Even though we recommend you do seek physical shadowing, virtual shadowing is a feasible option to do in the meantime. Luckily, MedSchoolCoach offers a plethora of medical specialties you can shadow!

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• The Importance of Mentorship
• Pre-Med Myths

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Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

April 25, 2022

Standing Out In Your AACOMAS Personal Statement and Experience and Achievements Section

The AACOMAS Personal Statement

The AACOMAS requires one personal statement that is a maximum of 5,300 characters long. Below are five tips to help make your AACOMAS personal statement shine .

• Show, don’t tell The first axiom of the personal statement is to “ show, don’t tell .” Honest, compassionate, caring, dedicated – you want to show all of these qualities. But, listing them isn’t effective. Instead, explain how you’ve shown these qualities using examples that illustrate them.
• Do not treat the personal statement as a narrative resume Do not run through your undergraduate experiences chronologically. Instead, tell a story , about you or about someone else, a patient from a mission trip abroad related to health care, disaster relief or public health – as stories of insight and growth.
• Don’t just repeat the AMCAS statement. Osteopathic schools want applicants who are interested in their schools and their approach to medicine. Some applicants are tempted to reuse their AMCAS personal statement for their AACOMAS application as well. Not only are the length requirements different, but allopathic schools have different points of focus than osteopathic schools. Also, osteopathic schools want to know why you’re applying to them, and your response should be an informed one about what you value about osteopathic medicine. Do not regard or infer osteopathic medicine as a default plan. Why Osteopathic Medicine? If you can bring this out through a story that demonstrates a holistic vision of the patient and a holistic approach to care, all the better. Highlight your knowledge of osteopathy; show that you understand osteopathic principles; provide a story or an experience that reflects the values of osteopathic medicine. >> Still wondering what to write? Have a look at Accepted’s sample AACOMAS personal statements here .
• Make the personal statement active Conclude positively and insightfully. Use experiences and anecdotes that reflect your path to medicine and accent your positive qualities and insight. Don’t apologize, make excuses, blame or complain. Instead, show your enthusiasm for medicine. If you write a story about a struggle, be sure to demonstrate overcoming , managing and learning from it in a way that elucidates maturity and insight.
• Proofread Make sure that you have proofread your essay multiple times and have someone else read it for grammatical errors and confusing sentences. If your essay is sloppy, you will make a sloppy impression. This is not what you want to do.

The AACOMAS personal statement is the one place in the application where you speak in your own voice and give the admissions committee an idea of who you are: your character, your humanity and depth. Make sure that you use this space to your best advantage and make your personal statement an advantage in your application in order to stand out in a competitive field.

The AACOMAS Experiences Section

The Experiences section in the  AACOMAS application  asks you to list your non-academic work, including healthcare-related work, non-healthcare work,  volunteer work , and extracurricular activities. The Achievements section is the space for you to include academic honors, awards and scholarships.

Below are five tips for completing this section of the AACOMAS.

• Categorize your activity by type. The AACOMAS application doesn’t let applicants list hours twice. If your experience includes two different types of activities – like research and clinical work – divide the experience and hours into two separate categories (e.g. 10 hours research and 30 hours clinical work). The AACOMAS doesn’t have a section for publications and poster presentations. You should put them in the Achievements section.
• Focus on quality, not quantity. There is no limit for AACOMAS Experiences, though there is a limit of 5 for Achievements. Use the AMCAS 15 activities limit total as a general guiding principle, keeping in mind AACOMAS does not ask you to identify the most meaningful activities among those you list as Experiences or Achievements. If you have related/overlapping experiences combine them into one entry (i.e. shadowed 3 Osteopathic doctors during the month of July). If you have duplicate achievements (Dean’s List, all semesters, University of Michigan, 2018-22) combine these as well. Do include work for pay.  If you are a non-traditional student , do include professional work from a related or unrelated career even if a supervisor is no longer employed with the company. Then, give a general Human Resources contact number for employment verification. Admissions committees aren’t impressed by a large number of activities that require minimum commitment. Instead, they look for depth of experience and time dedication. So, don’t pad your list or fill it up with “a day here, a day there” shadowing or volunteer work. These types of activities might best be bundled together or omitted if they seem less relevant than or detract from other key experiences.
• Include college and post-college experiences only. Don’t include experiences from high school.
• Do not include future experiences. If you haven’t started an activity yet, you should not include it in the AACOMAS experiences section. Hypotheticals, theoreticals and “not yets” aren’t experience. If an activity you had planned for got delayed or canceled due to Covid-19, do not list it in Experiences unless you’ve actually started it, albeit later than hoped. You will have an opportunity to address missed opportunities due to Covid-19 in a supplemental essay.
• Write in complete sentences. When you describe your experiences, use complete sentences rather than bullet points. This simply adds to the professional appearance of your application. Follow the 600 character limit rule.

Remember that the experiences section of the AACOMAS is your opportunity to present non-academic achievements to the admissions committee. Use the space to impress the committee with your dedication, your compassion, your communications skills, and  your leadership  – with the non-academic, qualitative and human side of you. Include any outside interest that is truly a passion, especially those that require dedication, acceptance and/or certification. Do you scuba dive? Do you run half-marathons? Are you a sax player in a jazz band that plays summer festivals? Do you deliver Meals on Wheels? 

Use the Achievements section to  highlight academic achievement that goes beyond good grades  and a solid GPA. Take a moment to think about this section of the application. Avoid replicating the educational accolades listed on your resume. Instead, tell the brief story that brought this recognition your way – especially if it demonstrates integrity, maturity and/or humility. The key to this section is to avoid bragging, avoid ego, avoid sounding competitive or repetitive. Build your character in the write-up of these achievements. A “best of” list evidenced by stats and numerics could be a missed opportunity for having provided insight, context and (inherent) values that likely led to a moment of recognition, even an academic one.

Are you a Scholar-Athlete but not necessarily the best player on the team? Why did you win this award? (Hint: the answer probably has something to do with dedication, inclusion and harmonious people skills.  Can you show these skills at work  rather than say you have them?) Did you win an academic award that was much more difficult for you to earn than others – for instance, if English is a second language, what actions and steps preceded winning an essay competition or a research grant? 

You need to work hard if you want to submit a winning AACOMAS (or AMCAS or AADSAS) application — and we can help! Check out Accepted’s Primary Application Package to receive complete application guidance from conceptualization to final review. Your experienced consultant will guide you through the entire primary application, ensuring that you make the best use of your time to create a compelling portrait of yourself as a future leader in the medical field.

Related Resources:

• The Quick Guide to Acing Your AACOMAS Application , a free guide
• 5 Tips for Requesting an AACOMAS Letter of Recommendation (Evaluation)
• 5 Tips for Completing AACOMAS Secondary Applications

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Watch CBS News

Hacking group claims it breached Ticketmaster and stole data for 560 million customers

Updated on: May 30, 2024 / 7:28 AM EDT / CBS/AFP

A hacking group claims it breached global events giant Ticketmaster and stole the details of 560 million customers.

The group, named ShinyHunters, said in an online forum that the stolen data includes the names, addresses, phone numbers and partial credit card details of Ticketmaster customers. The group's post said the data was available for purchase for $500,000 in a "one-time sale."

The Australian government said Thursday it is investigating the claims, and the FBI has offered assistance to Australian authorities, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Canberra told Agence France-Presse.

"The Australian Government is aware of a cyber incident impacting Ticketmaster," a spokesperson for the Australia Home Affairs Department said in a statement to CBS News. "The National Office of Cyber Security is engaging with Ticketmaster to understand the incident." The department also urged people with "specific inquiries relating to this incident" to contact Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, haven't issued statements on the possible breach.

The authenticity of the dataset offered by ShinyHunters couldn't be immediately verified. The alleged hack was first reported by the websites Hackread and Australia-based  CyberDaily .

ShinyHunters' hacking history

ShinyHunters became notorious in 2020-21 when it exposed huge troves of customer records from more than 60 companies, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

In January, a court in Seattle jailed Sebastien Raoult, a French computer hacker who was a member ShinyHunters. He was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay more than $5 million in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors said the extensive hacking caused millions of dollars in losses to companies that were victimized and "unmeasurable additional losses" to hundreds of millions of people whose data was sold to other criminals.

Hacks are impacting more people with increasingly severe consequences, Katina Michael, a cybersecurity professor at Australia's University of Wollongong, told AFP. The number of people hacked "will grow, it could be up to one billion in the future," she said.

Governments, companies and consumers aren't doing enough to protect themselves or investing in basic protection mechanisms such as two-factor authentication, Michael warned.

Justice Department suing Ticketmaster and Live Nation  

Ticketmaster, which is based in Beverly Hills, operates one of the largest online ticket sales platforms in the world.

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit last week accusing  Ticketmaster  and its parent company Live Nation of illegally monopolizing the live entertainment industry to the detriment of concertgoers and artists alike.

In a  128-page civil suit  filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, federal officials alleged that Live Nation has illegally thwarted competition and unduly burdened consumers in part through its ownership of Ticketmaster, which effectively gives it control over much of the market for live entertainment.

Justice Department officials said they're seeking structural changes to how the company does business, which could include breaking the two entities apart.

In 2022, Ticketmaster's  mishandling of ticket sales for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour  prompted enormous public outcry over Live Nation's hold on the entertainment and ticketing industries. The Justice Department's Antitrust Division was already investigating the company when the Swift fiasco unfolded, CBS News previously reported.

• Live Nation
• Ticketmaster

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PGA TOUR winner Grayson Murray passes away at 30

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Grayson Murray, who won his second PGA TOUR title at this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii, passed away Saturday.

"We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “The PGA TOUR is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.

“I reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play,” Commissioner Monahan continued. “They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”

Grief counselors were made available at the venues for this week’s PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour events. Commissioner Monahan, who traveled from TOUR headquarters in Florida to the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, said he was "devastated" by the loss.

Grayson's parents, Eric and Terry Murray, said in a statement Sunday that the cause of death was suicide .

"Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes," his parents wrote. "By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and – it seems – by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed."

Murray, 30, was a standout golfer from his youth. He won three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships (2006-08) and was the top-ranked golfer in his age group. He made his first cut on the Korn Ferry Tour at age 16, becoming the second-youngest player ever to do so. After stints at Wake Forest University, East Carolina University and Arizona State University, he got the break he needed in 2016 when he was given a sponsor exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour event near his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. He finished inside the top 10 at that event, the Rex Hospital Open, which qualified him for another start. When he posted another top 10 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, his professional career took off. He concluded his season with a victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship to finish second on the Korn Ferry Tour money list and earn full status on the PGA TOUR for the 2016-17 season. The win came a week before his 23rd birthday.

Murray wasted little time establishing himself on golf’s biggest stage as a rookie. He won the 2017 Barbasol Championship while still just 23 years old. His final-round 68 not only secured a one-shot victory, but also solidified a two-year exemption through the 2019 PGA TOUR season. He finished 66th in the FedExCup and earned nearly $1.5 million.

Grayson struggled for the next few seasons on the PGA TOUR. In 2023, he found his game again on the Korn Ferry Tour; he notched two victories – the Advent Health Championship in Kansas City and the Simmons Bank Open outside of Nashville – to finish fourth on that tour’s points list and earn a spot back onto the PGA TOUR for the following season.

Murray opened the 2024 season with a playoff victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He made a clutch up and down on the 72nd hole for a birdie to force a playoff. Then he sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to defeat Byeong Hun An and Keegan Bradley. He reached a career-high 46th in the Official World Golf Ranking after that victory.