Medical School Essays that Made a Difference, 3rd Edition

by The Princeton Review, The Princeton Review

Many pre-med students have great MCAT scores and excellent grades—the best way to stand out in a crowd of medical school applicants is to write an exceptional essay!

Medical School Essays That Made a Difference , 3rd Edition puts you in the admissions officer's seat—inside you'll find real application essays, interviews with admissions pros, and profiles of students who've been through the process and made it to medical school. This book is an essential guide for anyone navigating the very competitive medical school admissions process.

Medical School Essays That Made a Difference , 3rd Edition includes essays submitted to the following

Albany Medical College
Baylor College of Medicine
Boston University, School of Medicine
Brown University, Brown Medical School
Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine
Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Cornell University, Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical Center
Creighton University, School of Medicine
Duke University, School of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Emory University, School of Medicine
Florida State University, College of Medicine
George Washington University, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Howard University, College of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine
Loma Linda University, School of Medicine
Louisiana State University, School of Medicine
Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Medical School
Medical College of Georgia, School of Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical University of South Carolina
Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine
Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine
New York University, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York University, NYU School of Medicine
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Ohio State University, College of Medicine and Public Health
Oregon Health & Science University, School of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Rush University, Rush Medical College
Saint Louis University, School of Medicine
Southern Illinois University, School of Medicine
State University of New York–Downstate Medical Center
State University of New York–Stony Brook University, School of Medicine
State University of New York–University at Buffalo, School of Medicine and
Biomedical Sciences
State University of New York–Upstate Medical University, College of Medicine
Temple University, School of Medicine
Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College
Tufts University, School of Medicine
Tulane University, School of Medicine
UMDNJ, New Jersey Medical School
UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
University of Alabama–Birmingham, School of Medicine
University of California–Irvine, College of Medicine
University of California–Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California–San Diego, School of Medicine
University of California–San Francisco, School of Medicine
University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Florida, College of Medicine
University of Illinois at Chicago, UIC College of Medicine
University of Iowa, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
University of Kentucky, College of Medicine
University of Maryland, School of Medicine
University of Massachusetts, Medical School
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University
University of Michigan, Medical School
University of Minnesota–Duluth, Medical School
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, Medical School
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine
University of North Dakota, School of Medicine and Health Services
University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine
University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry
University of South Alabama, College of Medicine
University of South Dakota, School of Medicine
University of South Florida, College of Medicine
University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine
University of Tennessee–Memphis, College of Medicine
University of Toledo, Health Science Campus
University of Virginia, School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health
Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine
Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine
Wake Forest University, School of Medicine
Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine
West Virginia University, School of Medicine
Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Yeshiva University, Albert Einstein School of Medicine

Genres: Health Care

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know that every Princeton Review guide has its fair share of typos, but it’s really difficult to take a book about essay composition seriously when it is as rife with errors as this one was (particularly when the most poorly edited chapter appears to be the one discussing grammar and punctuation).
The sample essays are helpful for getting an idea of the themes other applicants have chosen to cover, and it is interesting to look over their stats (MCAT and GPA) and personal statements and then to review which schools they applied to, what the schools’ admissions decisions were, and where the applicants ended up matriculating. However, the beginning of the chapter featuring the sample personal statements contains a disclaimer in which Princeton Review asserts that they are not responsible for the editing of the essays; in order to provide readers with an accurate picture of the admissions process, all personal statements are printed exactly as they were received by the schools’ admissions committees. This would be all well and good, except that the rest of the book is so poorly edited, how am I to trust that all the errors evident in the essays were actually made by the students who wrote them? This book was interesting, but I would take it with a very large grain of salt.

[Mae]

Good resource for those planning to write the MCAT or applying for American medical schools. It is full of tips on writing the MCAT, and includes promotions for other books in The Princeton Review series. Also contains advice on grammar and punctuation, which is ironic since the essays were published without any edits from the publisher (so you may catch a few errors here or there). The submitted AMCAS statements/secondary essays are a good inspiration for people writing motivation letters or personal statements - it does not necessarily have to be for medical school, which is the beauty of such a book.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Describes the application process in great detail. Shows 40 profiles of applicants, including demographics, GPA, MCAT score, personal statement, secondary essays, where they applied and where they were accepted, waitlisted and denied. Very helpful!

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful read. More critiques by admissions experts would have been good.