Medical School Personal Statement FAQs

Medical School Personal Statement FAQs

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Here’s a seemingly simple question to consider when applying to medical school: Who are you? This is one of the most challenging and essential questions pre-medical students face on their path to medical school. Understanding who you are, why you want to be a physician, and how you have tested your motivation to determine your fit for the profession is the foundation of your response to the required medical school application essay, known as the Personal Statement. There are a couple of important themes to remember while brainstorming subject matter for your personal statement, or what many admissions officers refer to as “your interview in writing.” Keep reading and we’ll answer some frequently asked questions about the medical school personal statement.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

What is the AMCAS essay prompt?

The question posed—or the essay prompt—is relatively open-ended. The AMCAS Personal Statement prompt is: “Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school.” Depending on how you look at it, this broad net can prove both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it allows you to take your story in just about any direction, and what could be better than that? On the other hand, it can feel overwhelming if you overthink it. While similar, guidance for writing your AACOMAS Personal Statement may be found here, and here for the TMDSAS Personal Statement.

What should I write about in my medical school personal statement?

Even though the prompt for the medical school personal statement is vague, it is generally understood that you have three goals to accomplish in this essay. Focus the essay with these in mind, but don’t be afraid to be creative:

  1. Why do you want to go into medicine?
  2. What motivates you to learn about medicine?
  3. What do you want medical schools to know about you?

Note that this is also a good opportunity to explain any significant inconsistencies in your grades and/or discuss any obstacles you have had to overcome in your educational pursuits.

Your medical school personal statement is your opportunity to share your personal journey and goals. You’ll need to think seriously about why you want to go into medicine and, more specifically, why you want an MD or a DO. Far too often, students write generic, impassioned passages about “wanting to help people.” While that is a completely valid reason to go to medical school, it doesn’t really explain why you want to become a doctor to the exclusion of other health careers, like nursing or physical therapy. It doesn’t really explain why you want to go into medicine. Firefighters, teachers, plumbers, and landscapers help people too!

Medical School Personal Statement Writing Tips

Here are some quick tips to use when writing your medical school personal statement:

  • Tip #1: Explain your “why.”

    Why specifically do you want to become a physician? Is it the translation of your scientific knowledge into patient education about how to live a healthy lifestyle? Is it the pursuit of new therapies and cures through research? Is it the rigor of a career that demands lifelong learning? Take a step back and consider your motivations for becoming a physician. It’s a good starting point for your essay and a critical part of your story to communicate to admissions officers.


  • Tip #2: Highlight what makes you different.

    Medical schools want to know that if they admit you, you’ll contribute to the class in a unique and meaningful way. Think about what makes your desire to become a physician unique. Medical schools want to admit a diverse class. Although diversity in medical education is a rather broad topic in general, they’re looking beyond just demographics—to facets such as educational experiences, life challenges, medical interests, and more. How does everything fit together?


  • Tip #3: Tell a story.

    You want your medical school personal statement to tell an intricate story about you—something a reader can get excited about and relate to. Rather than simply rewriting your résumé in paragraph form, construct your essay around a theme to which you can keep returning. Perhaps you’re a musicology major who’s also passionate about education and patient care. Focusing on the intersection between the arts and sciences, both historically and in your own life, could be a good launching-off point. Take it from us—it’s worked before.


How long should my medical school personal statement be?

The AMCAS and AACOMAS Personal Statements have a maximum of 5,300 characters, roughly equivalent to 1.5 pages when single-spaced and using 12-point font. The TMDSAS Personal Statement has a maximum of 5,000 characters, but includes two additional essays: the Personal Characteristics and Optional essays. You are not required to utilize all available space. In fact, a more concise and focused personal statement that does not reach 5,300 characters will always be more effective than one that is artificially lengthened with irrelevant information or digressions.

How many versions of my medical school personal statement should I write?

Unlike the school-specific, tailored information you’ll provide in your secondary applications, your primary application essay(s) will remain uniform across all schools using the AMCAS, AACOMAS, or TMDSAS primary application service. Since you’ll only have one version of the personal essay for each application service, your Personal Statement should not be directed towards any individual school. Use your secondary applications and essays to express your interests in specific medical schools.

Who should edit my medical school personal statement?

This is a key (and often overlooked) question. You want your medical school essay to be a highly polished product that genuinely impresses admissions officers. To accomplish this, enlist the help of at least three editors:

  1. Someone who knows you really well. Medical schools can spot a disingenuous personal statement from a mile away. Ask a best friend, parent, or significant other to call you out on any bluffing or “gaming” in the essay. It’s not about writing what you think the admissions committee wants to hear—it’s about expressing the truth, representing yourself tactfully, and allowing your accomplishments to speak for themselves.
  2. A strict grammarian. To be sure, using a comma when you should be using a semicolon will not, by itself, prevent you from being admitted to medical school. But, sloppiness or a lack of clarity in your statement will subtly and collectively diminish your words’ overall quality and effectiveness.
  3. Someone who knows medicine. Who should know better what will appeal to a medical school admissions committee than someone who’s already been there and done that? A physician you’ve shadowed, a PI with whom you’ve worked, or a friend who’s already a medical student will help you hone your statement’s message. Your pre-med advisor fits the bill If you are currently an undergraduate student. 

Ultimately, your application’s Personal Statement is crucial to your success in applying to medical school, so go ahead and start writing. By thinking through what you want an admissions committee to know about you, you’re helping define who you are as a citizen, as a student, and as the physician you’re well on your way to becoming.

Need more help on your personal statement? Check out our Medical School Admissions Consulting packages >>>

Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Maria Lofftus, JD and Claudia Mikail, MD, MPH. Maria has extensive experience in graduate admissions and was part of the AAMC’s National Committee on Diversity. Dr. Mikhail is a practicing physician, professor, author, diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, and a member of the American College of Medical Genetics.





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