And those students who are accepted into its first semester could receive substantial scholarships, a first step on the college’s ultimate goal of being a tuition-free medical school.

One day after officials learned the school had received its preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, prospective students were already calling and inquiring about admissions.

“We are open for business,” Robert D’Alessandri, M.D., Commonwealth’s dean, told a room full of supporters at a formal announcement of the accreditation Tuesday morning at the school’s headquarters. “Today we can start the recruitment process.”

Until Monday, the college had been unable to advertise itself to students. The admissions staff will now move quickly to recruit students. At midnight Tuesday, the school launched a revamped Web site, with information for prospective students. Representatives will now visit universities across the state.

With community donations, all doctor of medicine students who are accepted for the fall 2009 semester will receive $20,000 scholarships for each of their four years of school. The college’s goal is to eventually be tuition-free, so students are not saddled with loan debt and may be more likely to stay in this region to practice.

Officials have a goal of at least 70 percent of the student body being from Pennsylvania, particularly Northeast Pennsylvania.

The ideal student is from this region, “is highly competent, highly qualified,” and is someone “who believes medicine is really about serving people,” Dr. D’Alessandri said.

Officials plan on receiving 2,000 applications, and will interview 500 to 600 applicants, he added.

“We think we’re going to be able to attract some outstanding students,” said Paul Katz, M.D., vice dean.

Prospective students will soon be able to apply for admission through the American Medical College Application Service. Sixty students will be accepted in the doctor of medicine program in the first year, and 30 students will be accepted for the master in biomedical sciences. Enrollment will grow when the school’s future home on Pine Street is completed. The school is now located inside Lackawanna College.

Officials have already secured the $120 million necessary to build the school’s Scranton headquarters.

The preliminary accreditation is the first step in overall accreditation, and official accreditation can be granted during the fourth year of a school’s first medical class. Students must attend an accredited school to be eligible to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

Degree details

Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program:

■ Four-year program with anticipated enrollment of 60 students in fall 2009.

■ Tuition: In-state $35,000 and $40,000 out of state.

■ Application through the American Medical College Application Service, secondary application and interview required for admission. Application fee is $100.

■ All applicants must have successfully taken the Medical College Admissions Test.

■ Evaluation criteria will include science grade-point average, nonscience GPA, overall GPA, MCAT scores, interview reports, letters of recommendation, secondary application essays and personal statements.

■ Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree and must have completed required coursework.

Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program:

■ One-year program with anticipated enrollment of 30 students in fall 2009.

■ Tuition: $35,000.

■ Interview required for admission. Application fee is $35.

■ All applicants must have successfully taken either the Graduate Record Examination or the MCAT.

■ Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree and must have completed required coursework.

How to apply

■ For Doctor of Medicine program students, complete an application through the online American Medical College Application Service at www.aamc.org.

■ Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.

■ Application deadline is Dec. 15.

Naomi Gadian, 21, claims the use of the tests discriminates against people with the learning difficulty and is challenging the medical regulator GMC to scrap them.

The second year student hopes medical schools will be forced to drop the exams if she wins at an employment tribunal.

The GMC says it has no powers to set medical examinations.

Gadian claims that, as a body which sets the standards for undergraduate medical education, the GMC is discriminating against her on the grounds of disability.

She told BBC News Online: “In normal day life, you don’t get given multiple choice questions to sit. Your patients aren’t going to ask you ‘here’s an option and four answers. Which one is right?’”

If Gadian wins and medical schools have to change their testing systems, other trade bodies may have to follow suit, according to her solicitor, John MacKenzie.

He said: “Every professional body or employer who relies for a professional qualification, or as a promotional gateway, on multiple choice questions is heading for a fall.”

Gadian, who got a grade A and two Bs in her A-level exams, has completed two years at the Peninsula medical school that was founded in 2000 by the universities of Exeter and Plymouth.

She said the condition meant she reads much slower than other people and “jumps words”.

She told the BBC’s Today programme that essays and practical exams have not proved a problem but she may have to leave because of poor results in multiple choice exams.

“They don’t let me express my knowledge,” she said.

The school says it makes adjustments for those with dyslexia, which affects the reading and spelling abilities of some 10% of the population.

It will not discuss her situation but says it takes the issue seriously. Over the last two years nine of its students with dyslexia have qualified as doctors.

The GMC said it neither comments on individual cases nor has the statutory power to decide what adjustments medical schools should make for students with disabilities.

It said new guidance for medical schools would help them make adjustments.

A straight A-grade student who was told he couldn’t become a doctor because of his spent criminal conviction has been offered an interview at a top medical school.

The University of Manchester’s medical school today told Majid Ahmed, 18, he would be interviewed for a place to study there this September.

Ahmed, from Little Horton in Bradford, lost an appeal against Imperial College London’s medical school, which refused him a place on its medicine degree after considering his conviction.

Ahmed was convicted of burglary in 2005 and ordered to serve a four-month referral order for community service. His conviction is now spent and he has since moved schools, volunteered with disability charities and obtained four A grades at A-level in an attempt to train as a doctor.

The General Medical Council has confirmed that people can still become doctors if they have a criminal record. A candidate could be barred if they were thought to pose a risk, but evidence including references would be considered.

The University of Manchester also initially rejected Ahmed. Confidental memos, obtained by Ahmed under the Freedom of Information Act, show Manchester’s academics viewed his conviction as a factor in deciding whether to offer him a place.

Publicly, the university said Ahmed had been rejected on purely academic grounds and that they had been concerned that he had spent his gap year in educational rather than medical settings.

Ahmed appealed against Manchester’s rejection. He said he was delighted to find out the university had changed its mind.

The minister for innovation, universities and skills, Bill Rammell, was one of many who criticised Imperial for withdrawing its offer to Ahmed, who is from one of the poorest parts of England.

Rammell said: “Universities should be open to people like Ahmed, who has a spent conviction, but has put his life together and done everything that society would ask of him.

“Universities should not turn away talented individuals who have successfully rehabilitated, when their convictions are spent or when they have made positive steps to change their lives and improve their futures.”

Rammell’s department had spoken to Imperial in March when Ahmed’s MP, Terry Rooney, had written to Rammell.

Phil Willis, chair of the Commons select committee responsible for universities, said Imperial’s decision was “against all natural justice”. He said: “You cannot have a university saying someone with a spent conviction has to suffer for life.”

Paul Cavadino, chief executive of the crime reduction charity Nacro, said Imperial’s withdrawal of its offer was “discriminatory”.

Imperial said it had withdrawn the offer to uphold trust in the medical profession and would not reconsider its decision.

The university had initially offered Ahmed a place to study this academic year, but when Ahmed wrote to admissions tutors to inform them of his spent conviction, they withdrew the offer.

Ahmed had not put his spent conviction on his Ucas university application form. He says he was advised that he did not have to. For most subjects, this is the case. But for medicine, a conviction is never spent.

Medical schools run Criminal Records Bureau checks on all their applicants and Ahmed’s conviction would have come up. Imperial called Ahmed for a “fitness to practise” interview, where a panel of medical and non-medical experts decide whether to allow an applicant with special circumstances to train as a doctor. He failed this interview.

Manchester confirmed it would be interviewing Ahmed. It refused to make any further comment.

• Identifying Information.
  Your name, address, Social Security number, date of birth and employment information are used to identify you. These factors are not used in credit scoring. Updates to this information come from information you supply to lenders.
• Trade Lines.
  These are your credit accounts. Lenders report on each account you have established with them. They report the type of account (bankcard, auto loan, mortgage, etc), the date you opened the account, your credit limit or loan amount, the account balance and your payment history.
• Credit Inquiries.
  When you apply for a loan, you authorize your lender to ask for a copy of your credit report. This is how inquiries appear on your credit report. The inquiries section contains a list of everyone who accessed your credit report within the last two years. The report you see lists both “voluntary” inquiries, spurred by your own requests for credit, and “involuntary” inquires, such as when lenders order your report so as to make you a pre-approved credit offer in the mail.
• Public Record and Collection Items.
  Credit reporting agencies also collect public record information from state and county courts, and information on overdue debt from collection agencies. Public record information includes bankruptcies, foreclosures, suits, wage attachments, liens and judgments.

The Basics

What is an “inquiry”?
When you apply for credit, you authorize those lenders to ask or “inquire” for a copy of your credit report from a credit bureau. When you later check your credit report, you may notice that their credit inquiries are listed. You may also see listed there inquiries by businesses that you don’t know. But the only inquiries that count toward your FICO score are the ones that result from your applications for new credit.

Does shopping for a loan affect my FICO score?
Fair Isaac’s research shows that opening several credit accounts in a short period of time represents greater credit risk. When the information on your credit report shows that you have been applying several times for credit in a short period of time, your FICO score can be lower as a result.

How much will rate shopping affect my score?
The impact from rate shopping will vary from person to person based on their unique credit histories. In general, credit inquiries have a small impact on one’s FICO score. For most people, one additional credit inquiry will take less than five points off their FICO score. For perspective, the full range for FICO scores is 300-850®. Inquiries can have a greater impact if you have few accounts or a short credit history. Large numbers of inquiries also mean greater risk. Statistically, people with six inquiries or more on their credit reports can be up to eight times more likely to declare bankruptcy than people with no inquiries on their reports. While inquiries often can play a part in assessing risk, they play a minor part. Much more important factors for your score are how timely you pay your bills and your overall debt burden as indicated on your credit report.

Does the formula treat all rate shopping inquiries the same?
No. Research has indicated that the FICO score is more predictive when it treats mortgage-related and auto loan-related inquiries in a different way. For these type of inquiries the FICO score ignores all inquiries made in the 30 days prior to scoring. So if you find a loan within 30 days, the inquiries won’t affect your score while you’re rate shopping. In addition, the score looks on your credit report for rate shopping inquiries older than 30 days. If it finds some, it counts all those inquiries that fall in a typical shopping period as just one inquiry when determining your score. For FICO scores calculated from older versions of the scoring formula, this shopping period is any 14 day span. For FICO scores calculated from the newest versions of the scoring formula, this shopping period is any 45 day span. Each lender chooses which version of the FICO scoring formula it wants the credit reporting agency to use to calculate your FICO score.

Student Loan Shopping

What about shopping for a student loan – how does the FICO score treat that?
Currently, the treatment of student loan inquiries by the FICO credit scoring models depends on the manner in which those student loan inquiries are reported by lenders to each of the three bureaus. The FICO score is built using credit bureau data, so if the inquiries are reported by the lenders in a manner that indicates rate shopping, the FICO credit scoring model uses the same inquiry logic described above.

Why doesn’t the credit scoring model treat student loan-related inquiries the same as mortgage-related inquiries and auto loan-related inquiries?
Because to date, the consumer credit data we use to update the FICO scoring formula hasn’t included enough student loan-specific inquiries or accounts for our scientists to determine the predictive properties of student loan inquiries. Our scoring formula is based on the results from our statistical analysis of many, many sample credit records, so the scoring formula does the best job possible to assess risk from the data that is reported by lenders to credit bureaus.

Why doesn’t Fair Isaac simply change the FICO formula now?
It’s important to understand that the FICO score is based upon mathematics, not policies. By relying on statistical objectivity, the FICO scoring formula is a much better predictor of risk than was the subjective, judgmental processes lenders once had to rely on exclusively to estimate credit risk. Lenders’ use of FICO scores has helped millions of people to qualify for credit – including student loans – who previously would have been declined or not even considered.

What’s the best advice for people shopping for student loans so they protect their FICO scores?
Doing a little homework first is always a good idea no matter what type of credit you’re seeking. When shopping for a student loan, we recommend that you do some research to compare two or more lenders. Then select a lender and apply for your loan to see if that lender can provide the loan you want – at the terms you want. This approach will result in the smallest number of credit inquiries and best possible outcome for your FICO score.

After five years of growth among the total number of medical school applicants, this year’s number dropped slightly to 42,230, compared to 42,315 last year, and first-time applicants declined by 3 percent. Nevertheless, the overall applicant pool is one of the largest in more than a decade. On average, there were more than two applicants for every available medical school seat.

“In a time of great economic uncertainty, interest in the healing profession of medicine remains stable,” said AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. “There has been a slight fall in applicants this year, but it’s important to look at the multi-year trends and signals.”

The numbers reveal some positive signs for certain demographic groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the medical profession. First-year Hispanic enrollees increased by more than 10 percent this year, and Hispanic students represent almost 8 percent of the 2008 first-year medical school class. The number of Native American first-year students grew by about 5 percent, while the number of black students held steady from last year. American Indians and blacks represent 1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively, of this year’s entering medical school class.

Males applied for and enrolled in medical school at a slightly higher rate than their female counterparts, with men comprising 51.8 percent of all applicants and 52.2 percent of the entering class. The percentage of women applicants and enrollees dropped slightly—less than one percentage point in both cases—from last year.

According to the report, the average applicant’s academic prowess is on the rise, with MCAT® exam scores and grade point averages the highest on AAMC record. Applicants participating in community service (both clinical and non-clinical) and medical research also rose this year; 68 percent of applicants conducted or participated in research projects, while 77 percent and 63 percent of applicants, respectively, volunteered in medical and non-medical capacities. Eleven percent of applicants were involved with an artistic endeavor such as a musical group, up 1 percent from last year.

“These applicants are not only intellectually capable of succeeding in medicine, but have a sense of service, commitment, and discovery that we all want in the people at our bedside,” Kirch said.

Although the applicant pool did not change dramatically from last year, more students secured medical school slots this year because of continued medical school expansions, according to the data. The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and Mercer University School of Medicine had the most significant upswings in their first-year student numbers, with 18 percent, 32 percent, and 43 percent increases, respectively. All three institutions have just established or are planning to establish branch campuses.

“The schools set a very specific goal of increasing their class size,” said AAMC Director of Student and Applicant Studies Gwen Garrison, Ph.D. “And as the data show, they were truly successful at meeting this milestone.”

The entering medical school class could grow even more in years to come as newly accredited medical schools start accepting applicants. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Florida International University College of Medicine in Miami, Orlando-based University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and the Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, Pa., have received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and should open their doors to students soon. Garrison said that the development of new institutions and the continued growth of existing medical schools make the conditions favorable for prospective medical students.

“Our schools are growing, and the number of slots is growing,” Garrison said. “It is a good time to apply to medical school.”

In a press teleconference to release the new data, Kirch cautioned that a larger medical school class is only part of the solution to a widely predicted physician shortage.

“We still have to confront the issue of resident availability,” said Kirch. Retirement patterns among practicing physicians and doctors’ choices about part-time work are also important factors to investigate, he noted.

“Without sufficient doctors, we are in deep trouble in this country,” Kirch said. “But we also must make this a better system for delivery and a better system for payment.”

—By Elissa Fuchs

GAIN ADMISSION TO YOUR TOP SCHOOL
content provided by EssayEdge.com.

THE ADMISSION ESSAY

Each year graduate schools receive tens of thousands of applications and admit only a fraction of students. How are you going to make yourself stand out from the crowd, especially from those with similar grades and test scores?

WORK WITH A PROFESSIONAL
Your essay needs to connect with an admission committee quickly and effectively. Professional editors, like those at EssayEdge.com, will review your essay with a critical eye to ensure maximum impact, clear language, varied sentence structure and compelling word choices.

Although professional editors won’t write your essay for you, they will make changes directly to your essay and provide a detailed critique to help you become a better writer. The editors at EssayEdge.com have read thousands of admission essays and will correct your statement with an objective eye, ensuring that your application gets noticed.

SAMPLE ESSAYS
The following excerpts show how the editors at EssayEdge.com have transformed these applicants’ admission essays with valuable critiques.

MEDICAL

Before
When I started my internal medicine training, I was not sure what I should do for my fellowship training. Like most of internal medicine resident, geriatric fellowship was not in my mind at that time. While I was struggle to find the most suitable fellowship for myself, I had had the most wonderful and valuable experience with my patient. She was a tiny elderly lady who was admitted to my service with the diagnosis of urinary tract infection and mild dementia. We, meaning me and my resident, had treated her with standard treatment. After her physical status had gotten better, she still looked very depressed to me. Sometimes she cried and even screamed at nursing staffs. Nobody liked her at that time. The thought of her dementia could be secondary from her depression came to my mind. I decided to come and talk to her. It took a while before she opened up her story. She was at home by herself and just lost her husband and one son. She felt very lonely and had no friends. After we finished, she told me before I left her room, “Thank you doctor. It is nice talking to you. You just brightened up my day.” Finally we got the social service involved in the case. We tried very hard to reach another son who is in California and we did it successfully. We ended up sent her to an assisted living and recommended her to come to our local senior center. After she was discharged from the hospital, I heard from the social worker that she has been doing well. One day I walked into this senior center, as a part of our rotation in ambulatory medicine, a happy looking lady came to me and asked whether I can remember her. It was my patient. I was totally surprised how she had changed. She said, “Thank you doctor for whatever you have done for me. You had made my life so happy.” Currently, she still does volunteer work at the senior center and we are very good friend with each other.

Critique

Many of the changes I made to your essay were confined to the sentence level. I reworked awkward phrases, varied vocabulary, adjusted tone, and increased the direction and flow of your writing. I corrected grammatical errors such as “geriatric staffs” and “many researches,” and I eliminated tautological phrases such as “treating her with standard treatment.” I also varied sentence length to intersperse long sentences with short, pithy phrases.

Paragraph 1
Your overall approach to this long and comprehensive paragraph is effective. The anecdote you employ is interesting and revealing, and it will undoubtedly hold the attention of a busy fellowship director.

After

Like many residents in internal medicine, I started my training unsure of which specialty I would choose for my fellowship. I had very broad clinical interests and desired a field in which I could connect with patients on a personal and professional basis. Despite these expansive interests, I had not even considered geriatrics until I met the patient in Room 74.

ABOUT ESSAYEDGE.COM
Founded in 1997, EssayEdge.com is a super-source for admission essay prep and a one-stop shop for applicants seeking top-notch essays. As the world’s largest application essay editing company, EssayEdge has helped thousands of students gain admission to their top choice programs. EssayEdge employs more than 200 professional editors who are graduates of the nation’s most competitive colleges including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Stanford.

Visit us at www.essayedge.com now.

 
<p align = “left”>
<font size=”3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”><b>Content provided by <a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”><font size=”3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>EssayEdge.com.</b></font></a></font>

<p align = “left”>
<a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”><b><font size=”3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>Put Harvard-Educated Editors to Work for You!</font></b></a>

<p align = “left”><b><font color=”#000000″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif” size=”4″>Sample Medical School Essays</font></b></p>

<p align = “left”><b><font color=”#800000″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif” size=”3″>Why
Medicine? Essay</font></b></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>My earliest impression of medicine occurred when
my mother repeatedly required the assistance of physicians in dealing with her
chronic migraine headaches. Her doctors were always there for her, day or night.
The respect that my parents bestowed on doctors, and the doctors’ ability to
ease suffering, sparked a desire to one day become a physician myself. This was
an ambitious goal for someone coming from a family in which no one had obtained
a professional degree. However, my traditional family-oriented culture,
emphasizing doing good for others, contributed to this decision to pursue a
career in the medical field. Furthermore, the American individualistic spirit
gave me the confidence and opportunity to undertake a challenging medical
career.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>I also had the chance to gain some firsthand
experience in the medical profession when I volunteered for over a year in the
emergency room of a regional hospital. From my volunteer experience, I learned
the importance of organization and effective communication skills, and I was
exposed to the diversity that exists in my community. It has also demonstrated
to me why the American health-care system is the best in the world; I saw some
knowledgeable minds using some very sophisticated equipment. But I also saw many
ways it can be improved. For example, uninsured homeless and immigrant people
would often come in, complaining of problems they had been having for a long
time. Although we would treat these people as best we could, a health-care
system that intervenes in such sicknesses earlier would have minimized costs
associated with treating diseases in their later stages.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>As a doctor, I hope to participate in these
changes in order to benefit more people than are currently being served. Doctors
should be able to serve people of all different races, ages, backgrounds, and
cultures. I intend to use my skills and unique experiences to achieve this
vision of what I think a doctor should be.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><b><font color=”#800000″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif” size=”3″>Uniqueness
Essay</font></b></p>
<font SIZE=”2″>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Martial arts and medicine. They seem worlds
apart, but they both have played significant roles in my life and for reasons
that are surprisingly similar. They both offer challenge, require great
discipline, and necessitate a goal-oriented approach.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>I first became involved with the martial arts
when I was only 13 years old. At that time I began studying karate in my
hometown in northern California. Even then I was a goal-oriented individual who
was attracted to the step-by-step progression involved in studying karate.
Within a year I had earned a brown belt (the next-to-highest ranking) and was
actually serving as an instructor at the karate academy where I had learned the
sport. Dedication, discipline, and physical and mental prowess were behind my
success, which included being the youngest person in the area to attain the
brown belt.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>In college I became involved in Tae Kwon Do, the
Korean counterpart of karate. This sport, too, requires patience, determination,
and a clear mind in addition to physical strength, endurance, and agility.
Within a year I had become president of my university’s 80-member Tae Kwon Do
club, which ranks among the top sports clubs on campus. In assuming this
position I began to have the opportunity to test myself as a leader as well as
an athlete.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>One of the reasons I became interested in
medicine is that it, too, requires a meticulous, goal-oriented approach that is
very demanding. Of course, it also happens that the substance of the profession
holds strong appeal for me, both in terms of the science and the potential for
serving others who are in need.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Most of my exposure to the profession has
occurred within the areas of surgery and emergency medicine. After first serving
as an emergency medicine volunteer technician at a northern California hospital
(where I had a moving experience with a young girl’s death), I acquired the
EMT-1A/CPR certifications and then worked as an Emergency Medical Technician-1A
during a subsequent summer. This job was a fascinating, educational, and
high-pressure experience that exposed me to the realities of medicine as
practiced in crisis situations.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>My extensive involvement with cardio thoracic
surgery research over the last three years, first as a volunteer technician and
currently as a staff research technician, has further fueled my desire to become
a physician. I have had to rely upon my own ingenuity and problem solving skills
as well as what I have learned in the classroom, and this has been exciting. One
of the more unusual aspects of my work has involved me directly in the procedure
of heterotopic heart transplantation in rats. This precise and technically
demanding procedure encompasses microsurgery and usually is conducted only by
residents. In fact, I am the only undergraduate student doing this procedure,
which has shown me the extent of both my manual dexterity and capacity for
learning sophisticated techniques.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>I have been fortunate enough to have had the
opportunity to participate and contribute in almost every way during
experiments, from administering anesthesia and performing extensive surgical
preparations to analyzing the data obtained and operating monitoring and
recording equipment, ventilators, and the heart-lung machine.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>I am a somewhat shy individual, but I have found
that within the medical environment my shyness evaporates. The opportunity to
help others one-on-one is so rewarding and comfortable for me that I feel very
much at ease, regardless of with whom I am working. I think one of the
particularly attractive aspects of medicine for me, especially within such
specialties as internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology, is the potential for
forming close, lasting, meaningful relationships with a wide array of patients.</font></p>
<p align = “left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>For me, medicine emerges as the perfect avenue
for indulging my impulses to contribute, to be involved with science, and to
establish important links with others at both critical and noncritical moments
in their lives.</font></p>
             

<center><a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”><img src = “http://www.essayedge.com/banners/new/ee_468×60_medical.gif” border=”0″ alt=”Visit EssayEdge.com!”></a></center>

<p align = “left”>
<font face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>
<a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”><font size = “3″><b>About EssayEdge.com</b></font></a> <font size = “2″>- EssayEdge.com offers all users free access to the most extensive <a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”>Admissions Essay Help Course</a> on the Internet and over <a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”>300 Free Sample Admissions Essays</a> accepted by the United States’ top undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Named <b>”the world’s premier application essay editing service”</b> by the New York Times Learning Network and <b>”one of the best essay services on the Internet”</b> by the Washington Post.</font>
<p align = “left”> 
<a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”><font size = “3″><b>Put Harvard-Educated Editors To Work For You!</b></font></a>
</font>
<p align = “left”>
<a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/8f116gv30v2IMLRPRROIKOOPMLL” target=”_top”><b><font size = “3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>Special Discount Coupon</font></b></a>
<font size = “2″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>Use coupon code CYB7 for <b>$5.00 off</b> EssayEdge.com’s critically acclaimed admissions essay editing services valued at $150 or more. Enter the coupon code on the order form when placing your order.</font>
<img src=”http://www.tqlkg.com/96117r6Az42OSRXVXXUOQUUVSRR” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″/>

 
<p align = “left”>
<font size=”3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”><b>Content provided by <a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”><font size=”3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>EssayEdge.com.</b></font></a></font>

<p align = “left”>
<a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”><b><font size=”3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>Put Harvard-Educated Editors to Work for You!</font></b></a>

 
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”3″><b>Medical School Personal Statement
Secrets</b></font><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><br>
<i>EssayEdge.com contains thousands of pages of free admissions essay advice by
Harvard-educated editors.</i></font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Medical school admissions officers
will often emphasize that they don’t care what you choose to write about in your
essay. They stress this because most writers try too hard to meet the
expectations of their imagined readers, discarding all of their own personality
in the process. Of course, there’s truth in their advice: you should write with
the goal of expressing your own values and conveying the qualities most
important to you. But you must exercise your creativity with an eye toward the
themes and points that will justify your suitability for medicine. After all,
your ultimate goal is not just to stand out as a likeable person, but to obtain
admission to a medical school.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>In addition to the challenge of
crafting a fresh take on standard ideas, you face the difficulty of integrating
multiple sophisticated themes into a single coherent piece. The themes can be
grouped into two basic categories: those that speak to your motivation for
becoming a doctor and those that demonstrate the characteristics and abilities
that qualify you for the profession.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>As the founder of EssayEdge.com, the
Net’s largest admissions essay prep company, I have seen firsthand the
difference a well-written application essay can make. Through its free online
admissions essay help course and 300 Harvard-educated editors, EssayEdge.com
helps tens of thousands of student each year improve their essays and gain
admission to medical schools ranging from Harvard to State U.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Having personally edited over 2,000
admissions essays myself for EssayEdge.com, I have written this article to help
you avoid the most common essay flaws. If you remember nothing else about this
article, remember this: <i>Be Interesting. Be Concise.</i></font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><b>Why Medicine?</b></font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Because people don’t usually make
career decisions based on pure reason, it can be difficult to explain why you’ve
chosen the field you have. Moreover, your basic reasons probably look a lot like
everyone else’s. In this type of essay, you’ll have to develop your ideas
effectively and insightfully while emphasizing your uniqueness.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Medicine requires such a serious
commitment that few people stumble across the idea of pursuing it late in life.
It’s very likely that you have always wanted to be a doctor, and that’s not a
fact that you should hide. But don’t offer your point in such a clichéd,
prepackaged way as to make your reader cringe. For example, you shouldn’t start
your essay, &quot;I have always wanted to be a doctor&quot; or &quot;I’ve always
known that medicine was my calling.&quot; Better to describe early experiences
and then let your interest unfold naturally.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Describing the direct impact a
doctor had on your life or the life of someone close to you can be an effective
way to demonstrate what draws you to medicine. A twist on the &quot;patient’s
perspective&quot; approach is to describe a time when medicine failed to save or
heal someone close to you. The purpose of this tactic would not be to rail
against the medical profession, of course, but rather to show how a
disappointing loss inspired you to join the struggle against disease and
sickness.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><b>How Are You Qualified?</b></font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>The way to prove your qualification
is not to list attributes you believe you possess but to discuss concrete
experiences that show your abilities and qualities. As always, details are
paramount. The rest of your application has already summarized your
accomplishments and your activities. Show the reader what you did in concrete
terms, and again, highlight your active roles.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>The experiences that demonstrate
your qualification are not necessarily distinct from those that explain your
motivation. You shouldn’t plan on dividing the essay into two separate sections
for each, but rather organize the structure by topic and extrapolate insights as
they develop. It’s important that you think of the essay as an integrated whole,
not as a checklist of questions you must answer.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Some degree of hospital experience
is usually expected, though it’s more essential to the &quot;testing your
interest&quot; aspect we discussed in the last section of the course than to
your qualifications. The main point you’re trying to convey here is that you
will work well with patients and in a clinical setting. Your shadowing
experience might overlap this material, but the emphasis here is on what you
learned through observation.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>A strong research background helps
your case, because the laboratory is such an integral part of the medical school
experience. It’s not possible to prove your intellectual capability through a
short description of your projects, so you should try to convey such intangible
qualities as creativity, initiative, and original thinking. Focus on your
contribution rather than your research topic. For example, you could describe a
situation where you recognized a flaw in a procedure and had the initiative to
show your supervisor how efficiency could be improved. No matter how minor your
contribution seems, it’s better to focus on some tangible input that you had
than to describe the project as a whole. As always, the key is to delineate your
active role.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><b>TOP 10 MEDICAL SCHOOL PERSONAL
STATEMENT WRITING TIPS</b></font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>1. Don’t Resort to Clichés.</u></b></i><br>
Every year, medical school admissions officers read thousands of variations of
this sentence: &quot;I want to be a doctor so I can help people.&quot; It’s
undoubtedly true in most instances, yet it inevitably fails because it reveals
nothing unique about the individual applicant. If you demonstrate a penchant for
helping others by describing specific activities–community service, for
example–it will become unnecessary to declare that desire, as it will already
be clear. Every doctor helps people, so focus on the specific actions you have
taken.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>2. Don’t Bore the Reader.
Do Be Interesting.</u></b></i><br>
Admissions officers have to read hundreds of essays, and they must often skim.
Abstract rumination has no place in an application essay. Admissions officers
aren’t looking for a new way to view the world; they’re looking for a new way to
view you, the applicant. The best way to grip your reader is to begin the essay
with a captivating snapshot. Notice how the blunt, jarring &quot;after&quot;
sentence creates intrigue and keeps the reader’s interest.&nbsp;</font></p>
<blockquote>
  <p align=”left”><font face=”Courier New” size=”2″><b>Before: </b>I am a
  compilation of many years of experiences gained from overcoming the relentless
  struggles of life.<br>
  <br>
  <b>After: </b>I was six years old, the eldest of six children in the Bronx,
  when my father was murdered.</font></p>
</blockquote>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>3. Do Use Personal Detail.
Show, Don’t Tell!</u></b></i><br>
Good essays are concrete and grounded in personal detail. They do not merely
assert &quot;I learned my lesson&quot; or that &quot;these lessons are useful
both on and off the field.&quot; They show it through personal detail.
&quot;Show, don’t tell&quot; means that if you want to relate a personal
quality, do so through your experiences without merely asserting it.</font></p>
<blockquote>
  <p align=”left”><font face=”Courier New” size=”2″><b>Before: </b>If it were
  not for a strong support system which instilled into me strong family values
  and morals, I would not be where I am today.<br>
  <br>
  <b>After: </b>Although my grandmother and I didn’t have a car or running
  water, we still lived far more comfortably than did the other families I knew.
  I learned an important lesson: My grandmother made the most of what little she
  had, and she was known and respected for her generosity. Even at that age, I
  recognized the value she placed on maximizing her resources and helping those
  around her.&nbsp;</font></p>
</blockquote>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>The first example is vague and could
have been written by anybody. But the second sentence evokes a vivid image of
something that actually happened, placing the reader in the experience of the
applicant.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>4. Do Be Concise. Don’t Be
Wordy.&nbsp;</u></b></i><br>
Wordiness not only takes up valuable space, but also confuses the important
ideas you’re trying to convey. Short sentences are more forceful because they
are direct and to the point. Certain phrases, such as &quot;the fact that,&quot;
are usually unnecessary. Notice how the revised version focuses on active verbs
rather than forms of &quot;to be&quot; and adverbs and adjectives.</font></p>
<blockquote>
  <p align=”left”><font face=”Courier New” size=”2″><b>Before: </b>My
  recognition of the fact that we had finally completed the research project was
  a deeply satisfying moment that will forever linger in my memory.<br>
  <br>
  <b>After: </b>Completing the research project at last gave me an enduring
  sense of fulfillment.</font></p>
</blockquote>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>5. Do Address Your
Weaknesses. Don’t Dwell on Them.</u></b></i><br>
At some point on your application, you will have an opportunity to explain
deficiencies in your record, and you should take advantage of it. Be sure to
explain them adequately: Staying up late the night before the MCAT is not a
legitimate reason for a bad performance, while documented sickness could be. If
you lack volunteer hospital experience, you might point out the number of hours
you had to work to make college more affordable for your family. The best tactic
is to spin the negatives into positives by stressing your attempts to improve;
for example, mention your poor first-quarter grades briefly, then describe what
you did to bring them up.<br>
<br>
<i><b><u>6. Do Vary Your Sentences and Use Transitions.</u></b></i><br>
The best essays contain a variety of sentence lengths mixed within any given
paragraph. Also, remember that transition is not limited to words like
nevertheless, furthermore or consequently. Good transition flows from the
natural thought progression of your argument.</font></p>
<blockquote>
  <p align=”left”><font face=”Courier New” size=”2″><b>Before: </b>I started
  playing piano when I was eight years old. I worked hard to learn difficult
  pieces. I began to love music.<br>
  <br>
  <b>After: </b>I started playing the piano at the age of eight. As I learned to
  play more difficult pieces, my appreciation for music deepened.</font></p>
</blockquote>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>7. Do Use Active Voice
Verbs,</u></b></i><br>
Passive-voice expressions are verb phrases in which the subject receives the
action expressed in the verb. Passive voice employs a form of the word to be,
such as was or were. Overuse of the passive voice makes prose seem flat and
uninteresting.</font></p>
<blockquote>
  <p align=”left”><font face=”Courier New” size=”2″><b>Before: </b>The lessons
  that have prepared me for my career as a doctor were taught to me by my
  mother.&nbsp;<br>
  <br>
  <b>After: </b>My mother taught me lessons that will prove invaluable in my
  career as a doctor.</font></p>
</blockquote>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>8. Do Seek Multiple
Opinions.</u></b></i><br>
Ask your friends and family to keep these questions in mind:</font></p>
<ul>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Does my essay have one central
    theme?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Does my introduction engage the
    reader? Does my conclusion provide closure?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Do my introduction and
    conclusion avoid summary?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Do I use concrete experiences as
    supporting details?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Have I used active-voice verbs
    wherever possible?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Is my sentence structure varied,
    or do I use all long or short sentences?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Are there any clichés, such as
    &quot;cutting-edge&quot; or &quot;learned my lesson&quot;?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Do I use transitions
    appropriately?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>What about the essay is
    memorable?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>What’s the worst part of the
    essay?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>What parts of the essay need
    elaboration or are unclear?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>What parts of the essay do not
    support my main argument?</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Is every single sentence crucial
    to the essay? This must be the case.</font>
  <li>
    <p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>What does the essay reveal about
    my personality?</font></li>
</ul>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>9. Don’t Wander. Do Stay
Focused.</u></b></i><br>
Many applicants try to turn the personal statement into a complete
autobiography. Not surprisingly, they find it difficult to pack so much
information into such a short essay, and their essays end up sounding more like
a list of experiences than a coherent, well-organized thought. Make sure that
every sentence in your essay exists solely to support one central theme.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><i><b><u>10. Do Revise, Revise,
Revise.</u></b></i><br>
The first step in an improving any essay is to cut, cut, and cut some more.
EssayEdge.com’s free admissions essay help course and Harvard-educated editors
will be invaluable as you polish your essay to perfection. The EssayEdge.com
free help course guides you through the entire essay-writing process, from
brainstorming worksheets and question-specific strategies for the twelve most
common essay topics to a description of ten introduction types and editing
checklists.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″><b><br>
SAMPLE ESSAY</b></font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>His eyesight was almost completely
gone, yet there he was on the diamond. I met Jason last summer in Chicago, where
I volunteered at a tournament for Beep Baseball, a baseball-like sport for the
visually impaired. He was my age–handsome, friendly, and athletic. But Jason
was blind. Struck by glaucoma, he had begun to lose his vision in his early
teens. By high school, he had become legally blind. My sympathy only intensified
when I learned that, had his disease been diagnosed earlier, he almost surely
would have retained partial vision. Financially strapped, Jason’s family had
avoided taking him to a doctor for as long as they could; when he finally
visited a physician, it was too late. For years I had planned to work in
technology, but my encounters with Jason and others like him convinced me that
medicine is my true calling.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Actually, growing up I had always
planned to become a doctor, but my goals changed as I began to take computer
science classes at [COLLEGE NAME]. In the first meeting of my sophomore-year
class on Programming in Artificial Intelligence, Professor B joked, &quot;You
know those movies where killer robots eventually take over the world? Believe
them.&quot; I did just that, placing my trust in the vast opportunities offered
by computer programming. In my first computer course, I created applications
that could beat a human in tic-tac-toe, calculate complex mathematical problems,
and even converse with humans on a specified topic. Fascinated with the
potential of these programs, I embarked on a different path, away from clinical
medicine. I saw a world in which computers would change and even replace
processes in every industry, and I wanted to join the researchers at the
forefront of this revolution.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Five years after that first class,
the potential contribution of computer technology still inspires me. The
possibilities are astounding. Scientists mapped the human genome years before
their original deadline. Nanotechnology promises to revolutionize the way we
detect and cure diseases. Still, the more I learn about technology, the more I
recognize its inadequacies. Although the &quot;psychologist&quot; program I
created faithfully reproduces human responses, I discovered that I would never
want to speak with a computer about my problems. Certain interactions simply
demand personal contact. As I have tutored underclassmen in math and science,
worked with athletes in the Special Olympics, and visited with patients as a
volunteer at Northwest Community Hospital, I have realized that the human
element in such relationships is irreplaceable. While technology may shape the
future of mankind, only humanity can touch individual lives.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>Jason’s story touched mine,
confirming my growing sense of the deficiencies in science and technology.
Advances in medical knowledge and techniques are useless without parallel
progress in healthcare accessibility, widespread education about health issues,
and most importantly, strong doctor-patient relationships. The revolutionary
treatment methods I imagined myself inventing might never have an impact on
patients like Jason. On the other hand, the dedication of just a few volunteers
allowed him to play the sport he had always loved. Science could not fix Jason’s
eyesight, but supportive doctors, volunteers, and friends could help him live a
fulfilling life. Spending time with him and others convinced me that, in
addition to my research in medical science and technology, I wanted to work
directly with those whose ailments cannot currently be cured.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>I have thus circled back to my
original path towards medicine, with no regrets about the scenic route that led
me here. Indeed, I am confident that I will make good use of my computer science
skills as I research potential advancements in medical technology. This summer,
I began work as a research assistant to Dr. C at Northwestern’s Buehler Center
on Aging. With Dr. C, I am developing a computer program that determines the
&quot;quality of life&quot; of terminally ill patients. By compiling physician
diagnostics and patient responses to questionnaires, the system assesses the
value of given treatments as well as the efficacy of specific pharmaceuticals.
Through this project, we hope to understand and improve the current care of the
terminally ill. After watching Dr. C and other doctors at the medical research
facility, I can now declare with confidence that I want to follow their example
in my own career, combining clinical practice and research.</font></p>
<p align=”left”><font face=”Arial” size=”2″>My work on the &quot;quality of
life&quot; evaluation project gave me a perfect opportunity to fulfill this dual
goal, and I look forward to a lifetime spent on similar pursuits. Yet I will
never forget that the seeds of my current ambition arose not in the laboratory
or at the health center, but on a baseball diamond filled with people playing a
game they likely thought they would never play again. In my own career as a
physician, I will strive to serve my patients not only as a healer, but also as
a friend, supporting them in their toughest moments, and as a mentor, guiding
them to live healthy lifestyles. Robots may assist in my endeavors, but they
will never possess the compassion of my fellow physicians and me.</font></p>

 
<center><a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”><img src = “http://www.essayedge.com/banners/new/ee_468×60_medical.gif” border=”0″ alt=”Visit EssayEdge.com!”></a></center>

<p align = “left”>
<font face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>
<a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”><font size = “3″><b>About EssayEdge.com</b></font></a> <font size = “2″>- EssayEdge.com offers all users free access to the most extensive <a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”>Admissions Essay Help Course</a> on the Internet and over <a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”>300 Free Sample Admissions Essays</a> accepted by the United States’ top undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Named <b>”the world’s premier application essay editing service”</b> by the New York Times Learning Network and <b>”one of the best essay services on the Internet”</b> by the Washington Post.</font>
<p align = “left”> 
<a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”><font size = “3″><b>Put Harvard-Educated Editors To Work For You!</b></font></a>
</font>
<p align = “left”>
<a href=”http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3286885-10301015” target=”_blank” onmouseover=”window.status=’http://www.essayedge.com’;return true;” onmouseout=”window.status=’ ‘;return true;”><b><font size = “3″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>Special Discount Coupon</font></b></a>
<font size = “2″ face=”Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif”>Use coupon code CYB7 for <b>$5.00 off</b> EssayEdge.com’s critically acclaimed admissions essay editing services valued at $150 or more. Enter the coupon code on the order form when placing your order.</font>
<img src=”http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-3286885-10301015” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″/>