Putting together a health professions application
What’s in a health professions application?
• Personal statement
• Transcript
• 3x letters of reference
• Resume
 How are these components weighted?
Assessing an application
admissions
committees need
to consider a lot
of applications in
a short time –
notice that the
most important
factors in
determining an
interview invite
are very quick to
evaluate
https://www.aamc.org/do
wnload/261106/data/aibvo
l11_no6.pdf
Assessing an application
AAMC (2008): “American medical schools receive, on average, 31 applications for each place in the entering
class, with a range of 2.5 applications for each place among some public medical schools to 76 applications among
private medical schools.”
Assessing an application
For Washington University (St Louis) (mstp.wustl.edu/admissions/Pages/Statistics.aspx)
Ranked #4 in US (2011)
Assessing an application
• Your application is not a few documents and test scores, it is the
presentation of what you have learnt and done over the last 4+
years
• You should be planning your application years in advance of
submitting it
A winning personal statement (http://scienceprofessor.blogspot.com/2008/12/sop-contest-entry-1.html)
"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if
it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?”
-----John Lennon
I am open-minded, just like John Lennon, and really want to explore some of these so-called "myths" by
pursuing a graduate degree at your prestigious institution. I believe your joint Anthropology-Herpetology
graduate program will nourish my efforts to prove the Neanderthal-gecko connection. This hypothesis has
been cherished by me since 2nd grade, when Mrs Lewis first introduced me to the different kinds of
geckos.
My first experiments on this topic earned me a "Moderately Commended" at our school science fair, and
really encouraged me to broaden my views. This led me to experiments in plants. As Albert Einstein said
"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?". The great man's
insight sparked my curiosity and my next science fair project (in high school) was about whether
gooseberries would ripen quicker if I got my little brother Ernie to play Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" to
them. Unfortunately, I didn't get any awards for this project but this disappointment has taught me how to
overcome great obstacles and persist in my scientific career. As somebody said, "What doesn't kill you
makes you stronger".
My most recent work experience has been great preparation for graduate school. I wasn't so good at
making the cappuccinos so I was promoted to stacking boxes of supplies in the back of the shop, which
has really improved my quantitative and spatial skills. I had to work a lot of hours at this job so my grades
weren't so good for the last couple of semesters, but I've always believed that you can't really see the
potential in someone based on their grades alone. My greatest role model in science, Leonard Nimoy,
didn't make his Hollywood debut until age 20, so he was clearly a late bloomer, just like me.
Naomi Ward
The winning personal statement (http://scienceprofessor.blogspot.com/2008/12/sop-contest-entry-1.html)
•
Previous SOP has the following awesome elements:
1)
a deep quotation used to explain the applicant's reason for being
interested in Science (or whatever);
2)
obsequious statements and adjectives ('prestigious institution');
3)
mention of childhood (e.g., an important elementary school teacher; a
relative etc.; special bonus points for mentioning a science fair);
4)
mention of famous scientists (Albert Einstein is, of course, a particularly
good choice);
5)
random cultural references (Vivaldi?)(extra bonus points for Leonard
Nimoy);
6)
unintentional mention of reasons why the applicant might actually be a
loser as a person and a scientist.
*Competition was to find the worst SOP 
http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2008/12/sop-contest-entry-1.html
So, what does make a good SOP
•
Be specific! Give concrete examples, not vague generalizations. Emotional
reasons as to why you “know” medical school is for you are OK – but realize that
95% of applications will also be from people that “have wanted to be a doctor since
I was 5 and my neighbor broke a leg and I realized that I wanted to be able to help
people (as I slung them over my shoulder and took them to the emergency room).”
•
Your challenge is to take an experience that was meaningful to you, and present it
in a way that is meaningful to the admission committee. E.g., “…this experience
inspired me to [do something concrete]”
•
Try to be memorable – but stay professional and don’t try to be clever. What are
your genuinely notable achievements/experiences relevant to the application? Be
specific! (“I’ve placed in the top three of the state science fair in each of the last
three years with projects examining […]” not “I’ve always had a calling for science,
exemplified by my love of science fairs.”)
•
Writing is important! Admission committee members are trying to get a sense of
who you are as a person and your suitability for their program. Almost certainly, the
ability to write well will be a plus – your statement is the most direct evidence that
you can do this.
•
There are many online guides “How to write the perfect Personal Statement” –
read, but don’t follow mindlessly
•
Get feedback – ask people if they find your statement to be a convincing argument
for your admission
So, what does make a good SOP
•
The admissions committee want specifics:
o
What are you interested in studying? – don’t be too specific (“I want to study the
effect of streptomycin on Pseudomonas.” better to say “I want to study the effect of
toxins on microorganisms.”). Explain why.
o
Relevant experience – anything that they can use to evaluate your potential for
doing research (if you’ve done research and been productive and independent as
an undergraduate, the committee can extrapolate to you being a productive
independent grad/med/etc. student)
o
Motivation – why do you want to get a MD/PhD etc.? Convince the committee that
you have a mature grasp of the relevant career path (so that you won’t have an
epiphany half way through your degree that it is not for you because you’re not
going to be a multi-millionaire at the other end). Your application must represent a
reasoned decision, not a default because you are clever and don’t know what else
to do.
o
Why this institution? Be specific: why do you think this institution is a good fit for
you? Prove that you’ve done some homework – is there a lot of research being
done in the area you want to enter? Who does it?
o
Accentuate the positive and address the negative – if there is some aspect of
your application package that will raise eyebrows but that you can explain (“I have
bad grades in my third semester because I was in a coma for my final exams.”)
without making it sound like an excuse, consider doing that.
Transcript
o The better your grades, the better your application
• GPA in Science and Math is the single most influential factor in
determining whether an application results in an interview
• If grades aren’t uniformly good, it is better if they are getting better than
if they are getting worse
• Make sure you take classes relevant to the program you want to apply
to – taking only a required program is a minimum…
• Taking other courses (e.g., a minor in French) can make an application
more compelling as evidence of your breadth of interest
• Looking at your transcript is a chance to assess your suitability for med
school: low grades in key courses is an indicator that med school may
not be right for you
Letters of reference
• Letters are important…
• but generally bad!
www.aamc.org/download/344546/data/may2013evaluation-letters.pdf)
• Letters of recommendation rank
fourth in importance in getting you
an interview and second in
importance in getting you an offer
https://www.aamc.org/download/261106/data/aibv
ol11_no6.pdf
Help your letter writers write you a
good letter! You need to know them
well enough that they can address
the points that admissions
committees want to here about
Letters of reference
• You’ll need at least three letters of reference – get to know three people to ask
to do this for you
• A letter should address as many of the following as possible
(https://www.aamc.org/download/332578/data/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf):
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Critical thinking
Quantitative reasoning
Ability to think scientifically
Ability to communicate clearly (writing and oral)
Ability to apply scientific knowledge
Service
Teamwork/social skills
Reliability/maturity
Capacity for improvement
• In aggregate your letters should address most of these points
• You need to give letter writers the material they need to address these points
Letters of reference
• It’s too late to contact someone 6 months after the end of a class, ask them to
write a letter and say you’ll send any information they need. People are busy,
unless they genuinely know you, you won’t get a meaningful letter from them
(it will tick a box on your application checklist, but it won’t help you).
• Be organized! Give the letter writer all the information he/she needs in order to
write you a letter (your transcript, resume, HPAC release form, and personal
statement, the deadline for letter submission, and details of where/how the
letter should be submitted).
• If possible, choose a range of people to ask – they should all be able to speak
to general points re. your suitability for med school, but it will be helpful if they
can focus on different aspects of that suitability. E.g., a professor  your
academic quality; a doctor you’ve shadowed  your interactions with patients
etc.; a researcher  your reliability, practical skills, etc..
Resume
• (As for your personal statement) try to be concise and specific
• Look at the many websites providing guides on content and presentation
• Proofread – mistakes will leave a bad impression
• Your resume is a chance for you to highlight the reasons why your application is
strong – don’t trust the admissions committee to find the hidden gems in your
application, highlight them in your resume
Sections (there are many options around a basic format, look through examples):
1. Personal contact information
o Names, address, phone number, email (make sure your email address is
“professional”)
2. Education
o Institution, degree, start and completion month year
o If more than one institution/degree, list most recent first
o High school details are not necessary unless there is some special reason
to include them
Resume
3. Honors, awards and activities
4. Experience
o Details of paid work, internship, leadership, research, student group and
volunteer experiences.
o Highlight your accomplishments and skills related to each specific
experience.
5. Computer/technical language skills
o Indicate your knowledge of technical, foreign language, research,
specialized computer software (don’t include MS office!), programming
languages, and other specialized skills.
o Use appropriate wording to describe your language ability (fluent,
proficient, or some knowledge). You can quantify your experience as well
(e.g., two semesters of college-level French).
• Ask someone to proofread your resume and give critical feedback – make sure
that there is nothing that your proud of that is not clearly indicated in your
resume
Choosing a program
• You’ll need to do research to decide which programs:
o are a good fit for you (location, specialties, size, …)
o you are competitive for (E.g., US News and World Reports
tracks statistics of MCAT, GPA, etc. of the incoming class)
Summary
• You should plan your application years in advance of its
submission – a strong application includes evidence of
attributes that will take years to come across as convincing
(research experience, volunteer work in a medical setting,
leadership roles, etc…)