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Reapplying to Medical School

Ohio state offers advice for those reapplying to medical school. learn more about your portfolio and reusing your personal statement..

Finding out that your medical school application was rejected can be discouraging. Before you reapply, ask yourself some tough questions: When you imagine yourself in that white coat, what aspect of being a physician leaves you feeling good inside? Is it the fulfillment of a deep desire to help others by curing, treating and preventing illness? Is it the high esteem in which doctors are held, or imagining how proud your family will be?

Although your time in medical school and residency training can be exhilarating and life-affirming, it can also be exhausting. You’re making a commitment to years of sacrifice and service — so be sure your motivation will sustain you on this journey.

If you’re confident that you want to be a doctor, then hold your head high and reapply. Know that you aren’t alone: Many current physicians were once in your place before experiencing the joy of ultimately gaining acceptance to medical school.  Every year, Ohio State accepts about 200 future doctors into medical school and, because there are far more applicants than there are seats in a class, some of these students will inevitably be repeat applicants.

As you reapply, here are some tips for success based on the experiences of repeat applicants.

Reapplying to medical school

Ask the question: Where did I go wrong in my medical school application?

Now’s not the time to be shy. It’s your responsibility to find out why you were rejected. Consider reaching out to your premedical advisor to discuss your possible shortcomings:

• Did you apply late in the cycle? 
• Did you present an application that was light on community service or research? 
• Are your GPA and MCAT scores competitive? 
• Did your essay make it clear that you’re passionate about becoming a physician?
• Did you convey to the admissions committee that you are well-rounded?
• Did your communication style fail to impress the interview committee?

Consider contacting the schools that rejected you, and ask for their advice on ways to strengthen your application. Draft a plan with their input, and then — and this is important to avoid insulting the school that took time to counsel you —  follow that plan .

An example: A rejected applicant met with an adviser to go over his application. It was clear that his undergraduate GPA was the problem. He had excellent experiences, including volunteer, community service, leadership and research. His MCAT score was only slightly lower than the school's average. His interview performance hadn’t been stellar, but it wasn’t bad either, and he would have had a significant chance of being offered an acceptance were it not for his low grades. The admissions committee liked him overall but was concerned that he would not be able to handle the medical school curriculum.

The adviser suggested he enter a one-year master's degree program in biomedical science, retake the MCAT and wait to reapply until he had completed the full year of graduate study. While this route would delay his medical school matriculation by two years, it would also significantly improve his chance of acceptance. Performing well in the courses, with at least a 3.5 GPA, would prove to admissions committees that he had the cognitive ability to master graduate-level biological science work — and studying these graduate science courses would also be excellent preparation for the MCAT.

Seeking advice is the first step, and following it can be the difference between achieving a goal and continuing to daydream about it.

Take time to positively impact your portfolio before you reapply to medical school

Think twice before reapplying immediately. The reason you weren’t offered an acceptance is because medical schools perceived shortcomings in your application. Most shortcomings are remediable and, given proper emphasis, your weaknesses can become strengths.

You want it to be obvious to anyone reading your file that you made a turnaround. To maximize the chances of giving off this perception, you must allow enough time before reapplying. This may prove to be the hardest part of the process, but be patient — if you rush it, you may join the ranks of those who are applying for a third time.

If your plan is to improve your chances by engaging in a meaningful research project, and you obtain a full-time research assistant position the summer after your unsuccessful attempt, wait at least one year before reapplying. One year of full-time, meaningful research is very powerful, and you may have the opportunity to present your research at a meeting — or, more impressively, co-author a scientific publication.

Even if you don’t publish or present at a national meeting, performing research for one solid year will give you plenty to discuss during your interview. If you reapply immediately the next cycle, you’ll still be too new in the research lab to have developed a sound knowledge of what you’re doing.

Another example: Say you were on a medical school waiting list until a week before classes started in August before you were finally rejected. You decide, with the school's input, that a higher MCAT score will make you competitive. Some candidates in this position retake the MCAT the very next time it is offered so they can reapply the very next cycle. But with this rushed approach, it’s unlikely that your MCAT score would improve much. It would be wiser to forget about the next cycle and plan to take the MCAT in January or the next spring after months of preparation, possibly including a formal MCAT prep course or a course or two in advanced biology that will hone your skills at problem-solving and reading comprehension. Then, apply the following summer for an entering class two years after your rejection.  

Another option you can pursue is an  online degree  to supplement your knowledge in area you are interested and passionate in. An online degree can give you the flexibility to earn a degree while participating in other activities such as research or clinical experience to supplement your application. Don’t get discouraged with the additional time it may take to pursue your goals. Everyone has 24 hours in a day — what you do with your time is what is important.

Can you reuse your personal statement for medical school when you reapply?

As a reapplicant, you must change something. You don't want to be a “boomerang applicant” — someone who responds to a rejection by simply sending out the same application the very next cycle. This is disrespectful to the medical school to which you are applying, and gives the impression that you don’t care about the process. It’s also a missed opportunity to show what you’ve learned. Even if you don’t apply to the same medical school, the admissions committee will likely know that you were unsuccessful the last time around.

You have an excellent opportunity here to take the negative and turn it into a positive. Consider these questions in your revised personal statement:

• Since being rejected from medical school, what did you learn about your perceived shortcomings?
• What have you done to improve upon them?
• In the interval between your medical school rejection and your reapplication, what did you learn about yourself?

Maybe you learned that you’re a person of great resilience and persistence — someone who simply won’t give up on their dreams. All of this is great material for your essay. Use it.

Many applicants in this position never mention that they were rejected the first time around. Some mistakenly think medical school reviewers are unaware of this fact, and if you don't mention it, they’ll never know. Most of the time they’ll know. In fact, if you’re reapplying to the same school, they’ll likely review your old application and your new application side by side to see what you’ve improved upon.

So step up to the plate, bare your feelings about being rejected, and paint a picture of how you methodically went about improving your portfolio. The admissions committee likely will be impressed.

Use the interview to show how you have improved as a medical school reapplicant

Should you receive an interview, you can be sure that you’ll be asked about your medical school rejection. If you’ve followed the advice above, this is the time to talk about it.

It’s uplifting to hear a reapplicant describe how they methodically went about preparing to reapply. When you describe how you contacted the schools that rejected your application to find out where you went wrong, you sound mature — someone who’s on a mission and won’t let one bump along the way stop them. Talk about how you drafted a new plan and put it into action.

Show them your persistence, determination and commitment to your goal of becoming a physician.

Helpful Links

• American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)

For help with any step along the way, contact: Office of Admissions The Ohio State University College of Medicine 614-292-7137 [email protected]

Get Expert Help With Your Secondary Essays!

Session 152

Applying to medical school is hard. Needing to reapply is even harder. Where do you start? What do you have to redo? That’s what our question is today.

All your questions answered here are taken from the Nontrad Premed Forum . Register for an account for free. Join a collaborative community of students and ask away!

If you haven’t yet, please check out our newest podcast, the MCAT CARS Podcast with Jack Westin . It’s a valuable resource, especially if you haven’t taken the MCAT yet. One of the biggest components of the MCAT is knowing what you’re reading and doing, as well as really thinking critically through it.

[01:44] OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

“I recently listened to an episode of the Q&A where Dr. Gray talked about needing to rewrite your personal statement when you reapply. I understand the logic behind it but it felt more applicable to the younger, traditional student. The driving point made was the student is expected to “grow” between the cycles. As far as my application is concerned, my stats are low and I see that as the primary hurdle to even being looked at. I am working on a DIY postbac and will retake the MCAT if needed. But otherwise, I’m having trouble seeing how to improve my application. I feel my personal statement is pretty good and very honest. Beyond numbers, I can’t see how to improve my chances for next year. I have one interview invite for this cycle. If I don’t get in this year, what should I do? I find hoop-jumping to be disingenuous and have done my best to approach this entire process with open eyes and honest effort. Not just tick box to make you like me.”

[02:44] What Do You Need to Change?

You laid our your heart out at this point, and how will that change from year to year if you need to reapply? But how do you know what it is in your application that is causing the schools to be turned off? Is it as easy as your stats being low? A lot of times, it is. But you don’t really know. And maybe they’ve read your personal statement and that your stats are low and your personal statement wasn’t good enough to overcome and make them want to invite you for an interview. Well, this obviously worked for one school where the student has one interview invite per school for this year. But what is it about the application that made one school decide to interview her vs. other schools? That’s the biggest problem when you need to reapply. So the best advice is to change as much as you can.

[Tweet “”The personal statement has one goal in mind, to tell, to show the admissions committee why you want to be a physician.” https://medicalschoolhq.net/opm-152-how-to-improve-your-med-school-application-as-a-reapplicant/”]

[04:55] An Honest Personal Statement?

The poster says she feels her personal statement is good and honest, but would you even lie in your personal statement? What are you being honest about in your personal statement? A lot of students will be honest about the troubles they have to overcome. But your personal statement is supposed to talk about why you want to be a physician, and not about the hurdles you’ve overcome along the way.

[Tweet “”There are so many variables in an application that you just don’t know what it is that caused the issue for not getting an interview invite.” https://medicalschoolhq.net/opm-152-how-to-improve-your-med-school-application-as-a-reapplicant/”]

[05:42] What Watered the Seed?

As you’re going through this process, you’re still getting clinical experience and you’re still shadowing. Hopefully, you’re still out there doing things and gaining more experience. When it comes to writing your personal statement and rewriting your extracurriculars, you had new stories to lean on, to show the interviewer the interactions that you’ve had with patients and physicians to highlight why you want to be a physician.

Your beginning story is the seed as to what made you want to look into medicine, to begin with. That’s not going to change. Your seed is your seed. You can’t change your seed. But you can change your watering story. What watered that seed that led you to be even more convinced that being a physician is right for you.

[Tweet “”What watered that seed that led you to be even more convinced that being a physician is right for you?” https://medicalschoolhq.net/opm-152-how-to-improve-your-med-school-application-as-a-reapplicant/”]

Hopefully, you’re journalling after each of your experiences (clinical experience, volunteering, etc.) so that you have new, different stories to lean on. So you can’t just look at your stats if that’s good enough because you don’t know. You don’t know what the admissions committees are looking at. You don’t know how they’re reviewing and judging it and critiquing your essays. So don’t try to convince yourself that they’re good. They may be great. But you don’t know.

[07:50] Final Words

Rework as much as you can with new stories based on new experiences that you’re getting through this time. Check out The Premed Years Session 171 , which is dedicated to reapplicants and one of the biggest mistakes students make when they reapply is reapplying too soon, and not being able to fix their application.

[Tweet “”Fix whatever it was that was wrong with the application which caused them to not get an interview or acceptance.” https://medicalschoolhq.net/opm-152-how-to-improve-your-med-school-application-as-a-reapplicant/”]

The number one thing that students aren’t able to get into medical school the first time they apply is lack of clinical experience. But for this poster, she already has one interview invite and it only takes one. But should she need to reapply, and you need to reapply, look at tweaking your essays, your extracurriculars, and really presenting new stories to highlight your journey to why you’re doing this.

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PMY 171: Reapplying to Med School: What You Need to Know to Improve

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Revise a Personal Statement for Your Medical School Reapplication

Getting into medical school for dummies.

Sign up for the Dummies Beta Program to try Dummies' newest way to learn.

If you reapply to medical school, be sure to revise your personal statement. Do not reuse your previous personal statement; as a reapplicant to medical school, you really need to differentiate your current application from the previous one as much as you can. Some medical schools keep previous applications on file and compare the old and current applications.

When revising a personal statement, you don’t have to do away with all the material from your original version. For example, if your previous statement discusses an early experience you had within the medical field that inspired you to pursue the profession, you can still mention that activity in your new version.

However, you should also do a significant amount of fresh writing and emphasize your achievements and growth since the last time you applied, discussing how they’ve further motivated or prepared you for a medical career.

Because the opening and closing of a piece of writing make the greatest impact on a reader, revamping those sections for your new personal statement is especially important. A statement that starts exactly the same as last year’s essay sets the expectation that you won’t be offering much new material this time around.

Some applicants choose to directly address the fact that they’re reapplicants, discussing what they learned from the experience of applying previously and reflecting on how they’ve worked to improve their applications since they last applied. Others highlight new activities and discuss why they’re stronger candidates for medical school than ever before without addressing outright that they’re reapplying.

Both approaches are acceptable; however, if you decide to talk about a past attempt, don’t make it a major focus of the essay. The limited space you’re allowed for the personal statement is better used to discuss your strengths and motivation for medicine than to dwell on a previous rejection.

Even if you don’t mention that you’re a reapplicant, the schools that you’ve applied to before will likely still have your old application on file and be aware that you’re reapplying.

About This Article

This article is from the book:.

• Getting into Medical School For Dummies ,

About the book author:

Carleen Eaton , MD, has used her expertise in admissions and test preparation, as well as her experiences as an applicant who received acceptances to top-ranked medical schools, to guide hundreds of applicants successfully through the medical school admissions process. She is the founder of prehealthadvising.com, a medical school admissions consulting firm.

This article can be found in the category:

• Medical School ,
• Getting into Medical School For Dummies Cheat Sheet
• How Do Letters of Recommendation Affect Your Medical School Application?
• Be Ready to Explain Why You Want to Be an Osteopathic Physician
• Selecting a Specialty for Medical School
• Thinking about Changing Careers to Become a Physician?
• View All Articles From Book

6 Tips for Writing Your AMCAS® Personal Comments Essay

New section.

The Personal Comments Essay section of the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) application is your opportunity to tell medical school admissions officers who you are and what makes you unique. Here are some tips to help you as you write your essay.

The AMCAS® application to medical school asks for a lot of information about yourself. It includes biographical information, courses taken, and work experiences just to name a few.  The application also requires you to include a Personal Comments Essay, which is entered in Section 8 of the application. This essay provides an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants and provide admissions officers with more insight into why you have chosen to pursue a career in medicine.

Many admissions committees place significant weight on this section, so we have compiled a list of tips to help you craft a well-organized and compelling essay.

• Take time to think about the content of your essay before writing a first draft. As you’re thinking about the structure of your essay, remember to keep the content general because it will go to all medical schools you apply to. Try not to duplicate information provided elsewhere in the application. Some questions you may want to consider before you begin writing include: What are some of your personal values and how have they influenced your desire to enter the medical profession? What motivates you to learn more about medicine? What should medical schools know about you that isn’t described in other sections of the application?
• Show, don't tell.  If challenges in your childhood or a defining experience led you to consider medicine, use details to describe those experiences and bring your essay to life. Try to include content that aligns with the premed competencies for entering medical students . Write in your authentic voice; your essay can help you contextualize and elaborate on topics during your interview.
• Stay on topic. There is a 5,300 character limit (including spaces) in this section. This equals about 1 1/2 pages of writing, single-spaced. Make sure your essay is interesting, follows a logical and orderly flow, relates to your reasons for choosing medicine, and describes why you believe you will be successful as a physician.
• Don’t be afraid of the editing process.  Be sure to write more than one draft and make edits to your essay. Find a reviewer who does not have a personal relationship with you, as an external reviewer will help you gain new perspectives on your writing and refine the story you want to tell admissions committees.
• Remember to proofread and be mindful of formatting. The AMCAS application does not include spell -check, so be sure to proofread your essay for any typos or grammatical errors. You will not be able to go back into this section to make any edits after submitting your application. To avoid formatting issues, we recommend that you draft your essay in text-only word processing software, such as Microsoft Notepad or Mac TextEdit, then copy and paste your essay into the application. You can also type your essay directly into the AMCAS application.
• If you are applying to MD-PhD programs, there are two additional essays you will need to complete. The first essay asks your reasons for pursuing the combined degree and is relatively short. The second essay asks you to describe your research activities and is about three pages long. You can read more about these additional essays in the 2024 AMCAS® Applicant Guide (PDF) or get further guidance from your prehealth advisor or career counselor.

For more AMCAS program-related tips, please check out the AMCAS Tools and Tutorials page . There, you’ll find video tutorials, presentations, guides, and recordings of past webinars. For further advice from current prehealth advisors, access our “Advisor Corner: Crafting Your Personal Statement” article .

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Is it OK to reuse personal statement from last year?

• Thread starter TrillyPop
• Start date Jun 16, 2008

Full Member

• Jun 16, 2008

LikeClockWork

The general concensus is that you shouldn't use the exact same one. Being a re-applicant, the real questions on the adcom's mind is "What's different this year?" I reused a large portion of last year's PS (reworking and rearranging it some), but made sure to include a paragraph about what the last year has been like. What I've been doing, how it's further solidified my resolve to pursue medicine, stuff like that. You should probably at least add something that updates on the last year so they aren't left wondering.  

It is reported on SDN that some schools do keep the previous application and compare them. The main body of information can surely remain the same, but consider reorganizing a bit, maybe change the first paragraph (most likely to read carefully on both), and tweak any info that needs updating. All of these changes are difficult to make if you were in love with your previous prose and can't imagine it being better, I know. Ask some new people to read it and comment when you finish.  

TrillyPop said: Hey all, So I applied last year and didnt get accepted...I applied really late. For this year, I have raised my MCAT and am about to send my primary. Is it OK to reuse the same personal statement from last year? My reasons for wanting to go to medical school are still the same. Do schools keep my application from last year on file (primary/secondary)? Will this be looked down upon? Thanks much! Click to expand...

Panda Bear said: Wait, there are differences between individual personal statements? Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat now. My problem is that my previous PS took up the entire space alloted. I want to add a few sentences, but I need to rearrange now. Sigh.  

• Jun 17, 2008

LikeClockWork said: All hookers wear lipstick, but sometimes you have to mix up the colors a little bit to keep the customers from getting too bored. Click to expand...

Mobius1985 said: Good comeback! Click to expand...

HoboCommander

Membership revoked.

is it OK for you to write a new personal statement with a completely different reason why you want to be a doctor compared to last year?  

padres0629 said: I'm of the mindset that if you said everything you wanted to say the first time around, you shouldn't have to re-write it. A few years ago, I was in the same boat you're in now. A lot of people told me to re-write my essay. I didn't, and it didn't seem to hurt me at all. Click to expand...

OP im in exactly the same boat as you. I had a long discussion w/ my premed advisor about it, and in the end i decided to resubmit the SAME EXACT PS. I added a period i forgot last year. That was my only change. Reasons for my decision: I feel (after speaking to people who are/were on a few of the admissions commitees of the schools i applied to, in addition to my premed advisor) that the reasons I didnt get in (Im waitlisted so theres still hope!!) are: 1) I applied late because a) i took my MCAT late (end of august)--and then bombed it and b) one of my letters wasnt in until november (out of my control long story), so i wasnt "complete" anywhere until thankstiving time I have since retaken the MCAT (and improved my score drastically - 2 points in each of the three sections), and I submitted my primary on the first day possible this time around, and have my letters all lined up already. So I think that those two things will hopefully correct the problems with my application last year, the problem definitely wasnt w/ my personal statement. Most people who read it said they were moved/touched/impressed, so I was dreading having to rewrite it. My PS said EXACTLY what I wanted it to say the first time around. I spent like two months working on it and perfecting it. Its earnest and sincere, and there is absolutely nothing I can add to it that would make it any more clear. I changed the "factors" that I think impeded me from getting in last year (submitted AMCAS first day possible, improved my MCAT scores), and so I didnt see any reason in re-writing it. I think if you are clear about what your problems were the first time around, and those problem areas didnt include any writing issues/clarity issues w/ regard to the PS, then there is no reason to rewrite it. Can you better answer the question? has some experience in the past year moved you? have you changed your reasons for wanting to become a physician? have those reasons been strengthened by something that happened to you in the past 12 months? if the answer to those questions is "no," i cant understand why someone in their right mind would go through the headache of rewriting.  

The South Face

shevie said: My PS said EXACTLY what I wanted it to say the first time around. Its earnest and sincere, and there is absolutely nothing I can add to it that would make it any more clear. I changed the "factors" that I think impeded me from getting in last year (submitted AMCAS first day possible, improved my MCAT scores), and so I didnt see any reason in re-writing it. Click to expand...

• Jun 18, 2008

I'm not entirely sure about how admissions committees and screening works, but I am also a reapplicant from last year (2007 cycle), where I reapplied again this year and was finally accepted. Even though my personal statement said what I wanted it to, there must have been something wrong with the personal statement and my secondaries that affected my chances of getting interviews and being accepted. I did not do a complete rewrite, but I went through numerous revisions to tweak and polish it further; I think there are always ways to make it different. It feels wrong to submit the same thing, it makes it seem that I am just applying again to see what happens....  

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How to Approach Your Personal Statement: Dos and Don’ts

• By Sammi Scarola
• May 6, 2021
• Medical Student , Pre-med
• Medical School Application , Personal Statement

Like many premed students, you are diligently working hard on applications, getting transcripts, asking for letters of recommendation , and choosing how to approach your personal statement. Writing your personal statement is a daunting and, in some cases, painful experience, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be motivating to recall the events and influences that have led you to this point in your life—applying to medical school.

Learn from the many, many premeds who have been down this road before. Our list of personal statement Dos and Don’ts will help you make the most of the experience and ensure you don’t make any of the usual mistakes.

Read our free Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write a Medical School Personal Statement for tips on getting started, what to include, and common mistakes to avoid.

The Purpose of a Personal Statement

Medical school admissions committees want to see what inspired you and prepared you to go to medical school. They want to know if you truly have a passion for medicine and are ready for the rigor of medical education.

Medical school is challenging, stressful, expensive, and only the beginning of a much longer journey. Medical schools want to ensure they are accepting students that are equipped for the journey and have a genuine desire to practice medicine. This saves both the school and the student time and money.

|| 6 Common Medical School Application Mistakes – Pre-Meds Be Warned ||

The Personal Statement is an Opportunity

Instead of looking at the personal statement as yet another hurdle to jump through when applying to medical school, view it as an opportunity. All of the other aspects of your application are pretty standard. They see your MCAT score , your college GPA and course performance, your volunteer hours, and your listed clinical experiences. What they don’t see is who you are underneath your accomplishments.

This is what the personal statement allows you to demonstrate. Admissions committees already have your CV and transcripts, so the personal statement should show a more multifaceted view of who you are.

This is your chance to convey your personality, character traits, and personal narrative. Your personal statement is what helps you to stand out among thousands of similar applicants. Be sure to share meaningful information and help the readers feel a personal connection with you. Tell your story.

Getting Started

Many students find getting started is the hardest part of writing a personal statement. Writing your personal statement requires ample time for reflection. To get started, brainstorm some of your best qualities and character traits and list them on paper. Ask yourself: “ What character traits do I want admissions committees to focus on? ”

Then, brainstorm some of the events and experiences in your past that best portray these qualities. For example, avoid telling the admissions committee that you are “ motivated, empathetic, and compassionate .” Instead, SHOW them that you’re motivated, empathetic, and compassionate by telling a story that exemplifies these characteristics. It is important that your personal statement is a narrative rather than a list of your accolades and qualifications.

For more on how to begin your process, read: How to Start the Medical School Personal Statement .

Writing your Personal Statement

Once you’ve identified the personal traits and experiences you want to convey to the admissions committee, writing your personal statement will come much more easily. Remember to share moments of your life that mattered. The experiences you choose to share must have played an active role in shaping who you are as a person and influenced your desire to pursue medicine.

When writing about your experiences, ensure they showcase your passion for medicine and be sure to include your own reflections and lessons learned. These experiences are not required to be medical in nature but should portray why your journey through medical school will be successful.

With so many career paths relating to science and the medical field, it is imperative that you portray why being a physician is the only path for you and why it’s a good fit for who you are as a person. Show them why you would be a good physician and what unique gifts you will bring to the field to help your patients. Remember to share information that makes you memorable and unique so that you stand out among many similar applicants.

Don’t forget that during your interviews , the admissions committee will certainly ask you about the experiences or traits expressed in your personal statement, so share information you want to be asked about and can elaborate on in person.

Learn more in The Anatomy of a Medical School Personal Statement .

How to Approach Your Personal Statement: Dos and Don’ts

• DO organize your personal statement . It should have a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion that flow into each other.
• DO start writing as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the perfect idea magically pops into your head. Do some brainstorming and get writing as soon as possible. Your first draft won’t be anywhere near perfect so the sooner you begin, the more time you will have to edit, refine, or start over again with a better idea.
• DO have a theme. Ensure that the theme is present throughout the entire personal statement.
• DO use transition sentences. Transition sentences highlight the logical relationship between paragraphs and sections of a text. They provide greater cohesion and make explicitly clear how ideas are related to one another. Think of a transition sentence as a bridge between one idea and the next.
• DO follow the requirements: 5300 character limit for MD applications. Remember that if you are applying to DO schools your personal statement must address why you want to become an osteopath specifically, and if you are applying through TMDSAS, there’s a 5000 character limit. ( AMCAS vs. AACOMAS vs. TMDSAS Application Differences )
• DO put significant effort into editing your essay. Read your essay over and over again for proper grammar and sneaky typos. Use editing apps such as Grammarly and Hemingway Editor , but don’t rely on bots alone.
• DO consult experts : You don’t have to go it alone. Seek out help and personal statement editing from professionals who have years of experience reviewing personal statements and serving on admissions committees. Ask mentors, or anyone else you know, with intimate experience in the medical school admissions process. If you don’t have anyone in your own network, Med School Insiders has top advisors who have admissions committee experience as well as extensive experience editing thousands of successful Personal Statements.
• DON’T use clichés. It’s great that you like science, but I can assure you that all applicants like science. It is important that you want to help people, but so do all of the other applicants. Avoid stating the obvious. Instead, try to be unique.
• DON’T make careless grammatical errors. This can be the difference between an interview offer and a rejection . Grammatical errors suggest that you are either careless or don’t really care about entering medical school. Attention to detail is important in medicine, so exhibit that skill while writing your personal statement.
• DON’T lie or fabricate stories or information . Just don’t do it. You do not want to get caught in a lie in the middle of an interview, and it is simply unprofessional. Remember that your personal statement is your only chance to demonstrate who you are , so tell your story truthfully.
• DON’T make excuses for poor grades or MCAT scores. This is definitely not the place for that. Focus on sharing your story and expressing the personal qualities you’re most proud of. If there was an event that played a large role in your journey, feel free to write about it, but do not simply make excuses for weak parts of your application.
• DON’T speak negatively about a physician or healthcare professional. You may have had negative interactions with a physician and feel compelled to discuss how those negative encounters shaped your desire to become a physician, but leave this out of your statement. These experiences may have strongly impacted you, but admissions committees may be deterred by your cynicism towards the healthcare profession.
• DON’T overuse the word I. Doing so makes you more likely to state your accomplishments instead of telling a story.
• DON’T use flowery language or words you found in a thesaurus. Be respectful and thoughtful with your language, but focus on using words that come naturally to you.
• DON’T list your accomplishments or rehash your CV and extracurriculars. They already have access to those aspects of your application. Use the personal statement as an opportunity to provide a deeper insight into who you are as a person and prospective physician.
• DON’T beg for an interview or acceptance. This is unprofessional and not at all the purpose of your personal statement.
• DON’T explain to a physician what medicine is all about. Talk about yourself and your experiences; the admissions committee already understands medicine.
• DON’T procrastinate. Get started on your personal statement as soon as you can. Set time aside every day to reflect on the moments in your life that have shaped your desire to become a physician.
• DON’T edit your personal statement by yourself. You should get outside opinions and have others edit your essay to ensure there’s nothing you missed. Having strong writers edit your essay is helpful, but it’s best to have physicians and those who have served on admissions committees as editors. They can edit beyond spelling or grammar to provide an insider’s perspective on what will impress medical schools. Med School Insiders offers a range of personal statement editing packages , from general editing to unlimited, in-depth editing with a physician.

Learn more about our Comprehensive Medical School Admissions Packages and follow our blog for the latest premed advice, study strategies, and more.

|| Guide to Understanding the Medical School Application Process ||

Sammi Scarola

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Reusing personal statement for reapplication?

Hi all, so I'm thinking of reapplying next year. My primary was already verified yesterday though, but I used the throwaway method and only applied to 2 schools that I know I'll never get into.

If I reapply next year, can I reuse my personal statement/activity descriptions from this year, as long as I don't send them to these 2 schools that I applied to this year? Pls help!