How to Write Essays for BS/MD and Med School

Most students treat the personal statement like a chore they have to finish before the deadline.

They write it once, have a parent or teacher read it, fix the grammar, and submit it.

I have sat on admissions and ranking committees. I have read more personal statements than I can count. And I can tell you exactly what happens when a committee member opens your essay: they give it approximately 90 seconds before forming an impression that is very difficult to reverse.

What you write in those first three sentences determines whether they read the rest with interest or obligation.

This is a skill you will need for college supplementals, for BS/MD secondary applications, and for AMCAS & AACOMAS. Then you will need it again for residency and fellowship. The ability to write a good personal statement follows you for the entire length of your medical career.

So let me tell you what I actually notice when I'm reading yours — and how to fix what most students get wrong.

The Framework: Open a Door, Then Walk Through It

The best personal statements I have ever read share one structural quality. They open with a moment that has nothing obvious to do with the applicant, they take the reader somewhere, and then they close by returning to exactly where they started — but now the reader sees it differently.

Think of it like a loop. You open the door in sentence one, you walk through it together, and you close it at the end. The reader feels the journey and the resolution.

Here is how to execute it.

Step 1. Start with a scene, not a statement.

Your first sentence should place the reader inside a moment. A physical location. A specific detail. Something only you could have written because only you were there.

Avoid starting with "I." The word "I" in sentence one signals that you are about to tell me about yourself. Yes, I know it seems counterintuitive for a “personal” statement but don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to talk about yourself soon.

Instead, make the first sentence about something else. A room. A person. An object. A sound. A smell. That thing is going to be the setting for our story. Let the reader arrive somewhere before they know they're reading about you.

Step 2. Make it about someone or something other than yourself — at first.

The most compelling openings introduce another person or a situation before the applicant enters the frame. This creates natural curiosity. The reader wants to know how you're connected to this moment. They keep reading to find out.

Step 3. Take them somewhere.

The body of your statement should show transformation. Not list experiences. Transform. There is a difference between "I volunteered at a clinic and learned about health equity" and walking the reader through the specific moment where something shifted in how you understood medicine. Give the reader a journey with a before and an after.

Step 4. Close the loop.

Your final paragraph should return to the image, person, or moment you opened with. This is the most underused technique in personal statement writing and it is the one reviewers notice most. When done well, it gives the essay a feeling of completeness. The reader feels like they traveled somewhere and came back changed. That is what you want them to feel about you.

Before and After: What This Actually Looks Like

The fastest way to understand this framework is to see it in action. Here are real examples of weak openers and how to rewrite them.

Example 1

Before: "I have always wanted to be a doctor. From a young age, I knew medicine was my calling."

Why it fails: Starts with "I." Makes a claim with no evidence. Every committee member has read this sentence ten thousand times. It is instantly forgettable.

After: "The phone rang on a rainy afternoon. My mother answered it in the kitchen, and I knew from the way she stopped moving that something had happened. Something bad."

Why it works: No "I" to start. Places the reader in a moment. Creates immediate tension. The applicant has not even appeared yet — and the reader is already invested.

Example 2

Before: "My volunteer experience at the hospital taught me the importance of empathy and compassion in medicine."

Why it fails: This is a conclusion masquerading as a story. It tells the reviewer what to think instead of showing them the moment that produced the thought. It could have been written by anyone.

After: "It wasn’t until the moment he let go of my hand, with a gentle smile, that I realized why I would never be happy doing anything else with my life. I want to dedicate the next several years of my life to creating more moments just like this."

Why it works: Opens with another person. Creates a specific, unique but recognizable, human detail. The reader immediately feels your dedication. The applicant's insight will land harder because the reader arrives at it alongside them.

Example 3

Before: "Growing up watching my grandmother battle her illness inspired me to pursue a career in medicine where I can make a difference."

Why it fails: Grandmother illness essays are among the most common personal statement topics in existence. This sentence tells the reviewer exactly what they are about to read. There is no specificity. No texture. No scene.

After: "Three weeks into her stay, my grandmother had finally been moved out of the ICU and into what the nurses called a “step down” room. I know we were supposed to celebrate that transition, but, for me, something still felt wrong.”

Why it works: Same story, completely different entry point. The reader is now in that room. The detail about uncertainty introduces the complexity that made this experience meaningful.

And the biggest mistake? Treating the personal statement like it’s another resume.

When I say don't regurgitate your resume, I don't mean don't reference your experiences. I mean don't describe them the way your activity list already does.

Your activity list says you volunteered at a free clinic for 150 hours. Your personal statement should not say "I volunteered at a free clinic where I helped patients from underserved communities."

Your personal statement should say what happened in that clinic that you could not have understood from the outside. What you saw. What surprised you. What you were wrong about before you walked in. What you now understand that you didn't before.

The resume tells them what you did. The personal statement tells them who you are.

Those are not the same thing. Reviewers can see both. Make sure they are giving different information.

One More Thing: The Close

Most personal statements end with a version of this sentence: "I am excited to bring my skills and passion to your program and contribute to the field of medicine."

That is not a close. That is a formality.

A real close returns to where you started. If you opened with your grandmother in the ICU, your final paragraph should bring the reader back to that room but with a different understanding of what was happening in it. If you opened with a setting, end with that setting transformed. If you opened with a question, end with an answer — or a better question.

The reader should feel the loop close. That feeling is what they remember when they're deciding who to interview.

Fast Trackers to MD Timeline:

9th–10th Grade: You will write your first version of this for college supplementals in 2–3 years. Start paying attention now to which moments in your life have changed how you see something. Those are the seeds of your best essays.

11th Grade: College supplementals are coming. BS/MD secondary applications are coming. Pull up some BS/MD programs’ prior supplemental essays and start learning the patterns in the prompts so you can pay attention during the rest of the year before its your turn to write.

12th Grade: If you are in the BS/MD application process, your personal statement is one of the most controllable variables in your file. Use the framework. Get it reviewed by someone who has actually read applications, not just someone who will tell you it's “good.”

College Students: For AMCAS, your personal statement should be drafted before the portal opens so you can submit early. Early submitters have a measurable advantage in secondary invite timelines.

PS. The personal statement is one of the most coachable parts of this entire process. If you need help, reply to this email. Also, FTI is ending it’s $149.99 pricing today. After midnight, only the $279 price will be available. Get your access before it expires.

Dr. Samarrai

Fast Track to MD

You cannot leverage pathways you don't know exist.

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