How to Avoid Common Mistakes in Your ‘Why BS/MD Program?’ Essays

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Good morning parents and future doctors,

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The ‘Why School/Program X?’ essay is one of the most crucial components of your application. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate not only why you’re an ideal fit for the program but also how the program aligns perfectly with your educational and professional aims. However, a common pitfall many students encounter is offering generic praise and empty flattery. Admissions officers see countless essays filled with references to a school’s reputation or rankings, which offer no real insight into your authentic interest nor provide meaningful details about you as an individual.

Our newsletter today breaks down six common mistakes we see every year from BS/MD applicants who come to us without guidance. Most of the students who intially come to us – before working with our BS/MD coaches – we see make three or more of these mistakes and need to completely rewrite their essays from scratch. To prevent this situation, read the following pointers before writing the crucial ‘Why School/Program X?”” essays.

For the more comprehensive version with actionable guidance, you can read all the details for each of these mistakes in our blog article here.

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Avoid Generic Praise

It’s easy to be tempted by highlighting the school’s renowned faculty, picturesque campus, or impressive rankings. While mentioning positive attributes is acceptable, your essay shouldn’t rely solely on these aspects. Admissions officers are well-acquainted with their institution’s accolades and are more interested in understanding your personal connection to the program.

Actionable Tip: Identify and remove any statements that could apply to any university. Instead, focus on specific opportunities of the school/program that align directly with your unique aims and motivations.

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Start with a Compelling Story

Most students know to storytell in their Personal Statement, but ignore this guidance in their ““Why School/Program X?”” essay. Instead, students often start writing about the school without providing any meaningful information about themselves or their experiences. By leading with a strong anecdote, a compelling essay will reinforce your unique value and engage reader from the outset. Without a personal anecdote or defining moment, your essay instantly becomes more generic and does not fulfill the purpose of showing your alignment with a school. A vivid, specific story serves as evidence for the unique strengths and motivations you will leverage in this essay to highlight applicant-program fit.

Actionable Tip: Don’t forget to provide a core anecdote from your experiences – this is critical evidence that leads into your discussion of well-aligned program-specific opportunities. Keep it clear and relevant to set the tone for your essay.

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Clearly Articulate Your Goals

Don’t make admissions officers guess your aspirations. Clearly and explicitly state your academic and professional objectives early in your essay. Be precise about what you hope to study and achieve, both during the program and in your future medical career. This sets the foundation for your discussion of the specific school/program opportunities that will enable you to achieve these aims.

Action Item: Outline your short-term and long-term goals. This clarity demonstrates self-awareness and a well-thought-out plan for your future – and it helps admissions officers visualize your potential trajectory.

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Identify Unique Opportunities

After you have articulated your professional and education aims, you have the exact direction to take when researching the school/program. Your essay should demonstrate that you’ve conducted in-depth research by mentioning specific programs, courses, faculty members, research labs, or extracurricular activities that the school offers. Connecting these opportunities to your educational, professional, and personal aims shows authentic interest in the program, which is incredibly important for admissions committees reviewing your application.

Actionable Tip: Take the time to deeply explore the institution’s offerings beyond the main website. Explore departmental pages, faculty research interests, and recent projects that excite you, by following your aims as defined per the previous pointer.

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Demonstrate Fit with the Program’s Values

Admissions committees look for candidates whose values resonate with their institution’s culture. Depending on the specific essay prompt, you want to consider highlighting how the school’s mission and core values align with your own experiences and aspirations, whether it’s a commitment to community service, diversity, innovation, or global health.

Actionable Tip: For BS/MD programs, this can be challenging, as it’s not publicly available information. At Outperform BS/MD Coaching, we look at admitted class data for each BS/MD program to determine the preferred candidates and share this with our students. From here, you want to reference the experiences you’ve had that align directly with these desired applicant characteristics.

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Explain How You Will Contribute

Your essay should also highlight what you bring to the table. Discuss how you plan to engage with the campus community, be it through clubs, research, volunteer work, or leadership roles.

Actionable Tip: Identify key meaningful opportunities you have pursued in high school, and then be specific about how you intend to get involved in similar opportunities and contribute, demonstrating your proactive mindset and enthusiasm.

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Keeping all these pointers in mind, it’s essential to maintain your authentic voice through your essay. Avoid overly formal language or technical jargon unless it reflects your natural style. Admissions officers value and can detect authenticity, and they want to get to know your true motivations and experiences.

These strategies are just the beginning. For an in-depth exploration of these tips and more on transforming your ‘Why BS/MD Program?’ essay, read our full blog here.

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Yours in Success,

Rishi Ray

Outperform BS/MD Coaching

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Our team at Outperform BS/MD Consulting is dedicated to guiding you through the BS/MD application process. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to discuss strategies tailored to your student’s unique situation.