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Sitting down to write your personal
essay for your med school application can be an
intimidating task. It's not easy to know the best
approach, format, or style. That's where reading sample
essays can help. But be careful—this seemingly harmless
tool can quickly become your worst enemy.
A study conducted by the Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service (UCAS), the organization that handles
undergraduate applications to universities and colleges
in the U.K., found that more than 200 applicants to
undergraduate medical, dentistry, or veterinary programs
at U.K. universities plagiarized personal stories in
their essays. They were easily detected—they all used
the same story from a sample essay about burning their
pajamas while playing with a toy chemistry set as a
child.
Despite your most honest intentions, if you read too
many sample essays, you may end up plagiarizing—whether
you mean to or not. Even if you don't plan to copy
anything, reading a slew of sample essays can make it
difficult to approach yours with a fresh perspective.
The language and style of the samples will creep into
your mind, and before you know it, yours will end up
sounding like all the others.
And if you do try to copy from the samples, you're
likely to do more harm than good. At worst, the
admissions committee will recognize the plagiarism and
dismiss your application. You never know how many other
applicants are using the same material. At best, you'll
just blend into the pool of all the other applicants who
sound unoriginal, and you'll miss your chance to stand
out from the crowd.
It can't hurt to read a couple of sample essays to help
you get started. But don't let yourself get sucked into
sounding like a canned essay, likely to get drowned out
in the sea of others that sound the same. Your personal
essay is one of your best tools to make the admissions
committee remember you. It's your chance to introduce
yourself as a unique individual. If you're serious about
getting into med school, put in the time and effort to
make the most of this opportunity. Spend some time doing
a little soul-searching, and let your true self come
through in your essay.
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