Comments on: Mastering the University of Toronto Medical School Essay – Part 5: Putting it All Together

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:28:00 +0000

Thanks Ashley, I’m glad you find this series so helpful! I think it’s important to be honest. Whether or not you are thinking about a particular specialty in medicine isn’t really important. What is helpful is showing that you have put some thought into a career in medicine. So if you do find yourself leaning towards something particular in medicine, by all means, share that. If you aren’t, that’s fine too. Just be honest and you will convey a strong message. Good luck!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:06:00 +0000

Hi Joshua

I’m so glad I stumbled upon this series, what an excellent resource to spark some creative thinking! You mentioned how you angled your essay towards a specialty in medicine you would like to pursue. I have always been passionate and direct about the area of medicine I would like to pursue. I’m worried angling my essay might be disadvantageous, particularly at this point when I am applying to a general medical degree?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Hi Cindy,

No, I don’t think you should feel like you have to focus your essay on experiences that you have references for. I think very often both align by chance, but I highly doubt the admissions judges would notice these things or even care. Write the best essay you can and get the best letters you can. Whether or not they overlap is not a big deal at all.

Good luck!

By: Cindy

Cindy — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Hi Joshua,

I’m currently applying to U of T and am finding your series extremely helpful to set me on the right path. Thank you. I just have one question. How closely aligned were your references with your personal statement? If I focus on a particular aspect of my life in the personal statement (i.e. an inspirational professor/ research supervisor) without having that particular person as my reference, would that undermine my credibility. Would you suggest focusing more on the stories that more closely align with those provided by the references?

Thanks so much!

By: Joshua

Joshua — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:15:57 +0000

@Brittany: I would definitely include it if you believe it is relevant and can explain how it contributed to your journey to medicine. I would just make sure not to dwell on it too much. I think it's important to have several main ideas throughout your essay, and not spend too much time on a single one. Good luck!

By: Joshua

Joshua — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 22:14:49 +0000

@Mike: Neither Shelly nor I applied to American medical schools, so unfortunately, our knowledge of the American admissions process is quite limited.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:50:03 +0000

Did any of you think of going to any American medical schools?

Is the admission process very rigorous there?

Both of you did an excellent job.

Thanks,
Mike

By: Brittany

Brittany — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:15:41 +0000

Hi Josh, I also found this series very helpful. I was wondering if it would make an impact to include personal emotional stories, such as witnessing a family membe with a disease or even you yourself. Do they consider this a legitimate contribution to your journey into medicine, or do they see this as space fillers? I know I went through something personal that helped my decision, but I don’t know if I should include this.

By: Joshua

Joshua — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:16:06 +0000

Thanks! =) I'm really glad you found this series helpful. Best of luck to your sibling!

By: Enlightened

Enlightened — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:27:06 +0000

Hey Joshua,

The insight you provided was incredible and most of all you can feel the honesty behind your words. I am reading this to better help a sibling with their application. Good luck on your future journies.