- Begin your essay with an attention grabber.
- Finish your essay with a conclusion that refers back to the beginning of your statement and restates the theme.
- Be concise, a lot of ideas, not unnecessary words.
- Do Address Your Weaknesses. Don't Dwell on them; the best tactic is to spin the negatives into positives by stressing your attempts to improve. How you made it…?
- Get a second opinion; especially for creative or gimmicky expressions!
DO NOT:
- Make the writing process a group effort. This does not work.
- Procrastinate until the very end to begin your statement. You need to start months in advance.
- Include topics in the statement that if asked to discuss you would not be able to answer, such as particular research points….
- Overuse the “I’s”: Overuse of the first person singular is a lack of writing skills.
- Write about Medical melodrama; most probably the reader will not “buy” your experience.
- Go over 1 page, except for Psychiatry.
- Criticize anybody, anything, anyplace, or any other career.
