<p>Are there any special words of wisdom and experience to be offered for the MS4s who are about to submit residency apps?</p>
<p>I know they should explain their interest in the chosen field and also include information about themselves as a person. What ratio of those two? What is most important? About how long should it be?</p>
<p>probably want advice from interns who were successful rather than current MS4s. My school (and many others) provide students with the responses of questionnaires that are administered to students at the end of MS4 regarding the residency process.</p>
<p>Could also see if First aid for the match is any good. I saw it in the bookstore the other day (first time I’d ever heard of it) when I was getting something else.</p>
<p>So, the personal statement is one of those things that for 90% of applicants does nothing to help or hinder them. People do read them, and for the 5% that are great, it helps, while for the 5% that are terrible…</p>
<p>Here’s what a friend of mine who is an assistant program director for a residency program said when I asked her about my fellowship personal statement:
</p>
<p>There’s a bunch of different ways to go. The stereotypical PS is some sort of story about a patient that gets to the heart of why that field is being chosen, usually with some sort of supporting evidence on how the student has followed through on that - either through volunteering/extracurriculars/previous employment/etc. and then a smaller amount of time spent on what they’re looking for in a residency program, and finally some insight into who they are as a person, though that’s less important (at least in my mind).</p>
<p>Keep in mind though, that my experience is pretty limited to pediatrics and not more competitive fields, so, there may be greater pressure to list out some accomplishments, particularly if they’re notable (ie AOA initiation, student of the year or something like that) in those fields.</p>
<p>wouldn’t mentioning AOA in a personal statement be exactly what your friend said not to do?</p>
<p>I assume that for the specialties/programs where AOA is important that there are much easier ways for the PD to determine an applicant’s AOA status than to read through the PS anyway?</p>
<p>Signing on. Got nothing but signing on. ;)</p>
<p>I would think the LOR would mention AOA</p>
<p>Of all the positive things I have to say about my kid’s school, the way it has worked out, not having AOA (available at the time of the apps) is not a positive thing.</p>
<p>Unless that is either mentioned or well known! Then the kids who will get it plus the ones who are going to be close, but miss could all get the benefit of being potentially AOA?</p>
<p>Brown</p>
<p>I interpreted it as the difference between being over the top in terms of telling the reader how great you are vs noting something significant. There are ways to note accomplishments without throwing it in people’s face.</p>
<p>BRM,</p>
<p>I think we’re probably missing each other’s point and essentially disagreeing over nothing.</p>
<p>I understand what you’re saying but at most schools isn’t AOA just about getting the most honors? I fully agree with your overall point but just didn’t think AOA is a good example of such a thing since it’s pretty universally known and what it means to be AOA can be captured better in ways other than mentioning you are AOA. An award that might not be captured in other ways and could make for a nice contribution in a personal statement would be for example if you won “The Random Alumnus Dr. So-So award,” an award given each year to the student in your class voted by everyone else as “the one I would most want to take care of my own future children.” I was under the impression that AOA means nothing more than “I got really good grades throughout medical school.”</p>
<p>Additionally, I haven’t seen what ERAS looks like but I was under the impression that there is literally a box you check off if you are AOA?</p>
<p>I’m ready to admit I might be totally misguided in terms of how AOA is used/perceived in the process.</p>
<p>I am probably wrong, but I believe AOA chapters can impose their own selection criteria (maybe on top of some national criteria?). I believe that may include things other than grades that are more subjective ( leadership, involvement). (I believe my D’s school is one of those.)</p>
<p>somemom. I dunno. I am quickly losing touch. </p>
<p>As of now, nobody can have a higher “GPA” than my D. They can be tied. 
But she tells me that even if she finished 4th year in the same place that was still no guarantee of AOA at her school. Hellifiknow.</p>
<p>Yes, Curm. Agree with you. AOA criteria have been evolving most recently, and as usual, they are getting more and more selective with time. At DS’s school, in the past, all those who honored all courses in MS1 and MS2 would get inducted into AOA. However, this year, they changed the criteria to make it more selective. This year’s inductees had to have completed ECs (work in local shelters or mentoring other students etc) and research in addition to having honored all MS1, MS2, and MS3 Fall rotations. This April, from a class of 180, only 15 juniors got inducted although there was a larger pool of MS4s getting inducted to Sr AOA same time.</p>
<p>In regards to adding AOA status in P.S - It’s not necessary to add AOA to P.S.<br>
DS’s school is scanning and uploading all his honors and awards on line in CAS. Also on SF match, there is a separate box to check if you are an AOA inductee. Figure ERAS should be the same too.</p>