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Book Updates and Links
 
Here you'll find updates to Part 1 of Perfect Personal Statements, including links to relevant online resources. (All links open in a new browser window.) NOTE: Some of the updates on this page are included in the book's 2nd edition (published in February, 2002).
The AMCAS Essays (for Medical School Admission)
[updates pp. 22-23 of the book's 1st edition]

115 medical schools currently participate in AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service), a centralized application service created by medical-school admissions officers to simplify and standardize the medical-school application process. Part 3 of the AMCAS application requires two essays, which the instructions refer to as "Practice Vision" and "Personal Comments."

  • The "Practice Vision" Essay. In this essay you are to describe your life and medical practice as you envision them ten years from now. This essay must be no more than 550 characters in length (equivalent to approximately 1/4 of a page).

  • The "Personal Comments" Essay. This essay is extremely open-ended. The instructions for this essay suggest that you consider discussing any of the following:
    • your reasons for selecting the field of medicine
    • your motivation to learn more about medicine
    • special hardships, challenges or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits
    • significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere in your application.
    • anything else you want medical schools to know about you that hasn't been disclosed in another part of the application
The "Personal Comments" essay must be no more than 5,300 characters in length (equivalent to approximately one full page).

Personal Statements and Applying for Admission Online
[updates pp. 23-24 of the book's 1st edition]

In General

Most B-schools, as well as many law schools, medical schools and graduate (M.A., M.S.) programs now provide for electronic submission of personal statements as part of an online (web-based) application process. An efficient way to complete and submit electronic applications to multiple schools or graduate programs is through Embark (www.embark.com). At this website you can fill in a form with information common to all applications, then select the schools to which you want to apply, and the information is automatically inserted into the proper fields in each school's application. Some data fields, including those for personal statements (or statements of purpose), you'll need to complete separately for each application. Once you've completed your applications, you can transmit them electronically to the schools via Embark. At this time the Embark.com service is free, although you must still pay each school's regular application fee, and some schools require that you pay an additional $10 fee to apply via Embark.com.

    NOTE: Medical-school applicants may use Embark.com only for supplemental applications, not for the standard AMCAS application, which applicants complete and submit online at the AAMC website. Law-school applicants may prefer to apply electronically through LSAC's website (www.lsac.org) instead of Embark.com. (See below for details about both procedures.)

Applying to Law Schools via the LSAC Website

An efficient way to complete and submit electronic applications to multiple law schools is through the website of the Law School Admission Council (www.lsac.org). At the LSAC site you can fill in a form with information common to all applications, then select the schools to which you want to apply, and the information is automatically inserted into the proper fields in each school's application. Some data fields, including those for personal statements, you'll need to complete separately for each application. You'll save your application information on LSAC's secure central database, so you can access it any time. Once you've completed your applications, you can print them out and mail them to the law schools yourself, or you can transmit them electronically to the schools via LSAC's electronic application clearinghouse. All 184 ABA-approved law schools accept applications electronically via LSAC.

    NOTE: LSAC also offers a CD-ROM with the same features as the Web-based product described above. Neither version is free; and the fee you'll pay for either one is in addition to the application fees that the law schools assess.
The AMCAS Application Form (for Medical School Admission) at the AAMC Website

If you're applying to one or more of the 115 medical schools participating in AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service), you must first complete and submit to AMCAS the official AMCAS application formūvia the AMCAS area of the AAMC (American Association of Medical Colleges) website (www.aamc.org). The electronic application includes fields for both essays ("Practice Vision" and "Personal Comments"). AMCAS assembles your completed application file, verifies it and forwards the application (which includes your essays) to your designated medical schools.

Online Resources for Writing Personal Statements

Following is a list (in no particular order) of just a few of the many Web-based services that specialize in assisting applicants with their personal statements. CAVEAT: I neither endorse such services nor recommend some over others. I list them here for informational purposes only.

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