A personal statement is your introduction to the admission staff at the medical college at which you are applying. This essay should be written to let them know why you would like to be a doctor and why you feel that you are a good fit for their program. Give examples of why, instead of just telling the admissions staff why. Detail your strengths. Instead of allowing your essay to drift over all of the points you feel make you a good candidate, focus on the one area that you felt was your strongest.
The formal interview process is one of the steps you will undertake when applying for a medical school. This interview will be similar to an interview that would be conducted if you were applying for a job. Practice is the key to a successful interview. Ask college professors and friends to help you come up with some sample questions and go through mock interviews with various different people. Have each person critique your interview to help you improve. Allow answers to flow naturally. Memorizing answers will cause you to sound insincere and may cost you admission.
Knowing what the medical school you are applying to is all about will help you when you enter into the interview process and as you write your personal statement. Visit the school's website and learn everything you can about the mission statement, research the school is involved in and community service projects. Knowing all of this information will help you to formulate answers that are specific to the school and allow you to ask questions that show you are interested in the school and how it operates.
Out of all of the students that apply for medical school, only a small percentage are actually accepted each year. Most of the students who apply really want to become doctors. Therefore, it is important to make yourself stand out from the others. Add a personal story to your interview as you tell the interviewer about yourself. Stay on topic, but give it a personal touch. Do not make something up just to make it sound better. Be honest and keep things simple, but avoid giving cookie cutter answers that many of the other students may likely give. Make the interviewer remember you.
Once you have been asked for letters of recommendation as a part of the admission process, you will need to make careful selections. Choose those you have worked with in the science or health care field, such as college professors or employers. Their weight on your ability to handle the medical field will be more than your English professor or boss at the local grocery store. Ask for letters from people you have worked with more recently, as well. If any of your possible references have a connection to the school you are applying for, ask them to write you a recommendation.