medical school application essays

The blog on the Best Foreign Medical Schools is dedicated to providing helpful information on the best options for foreign students looking for medical schools in the United States and in other countries around the world. As such, the site features sections on medical schools in Asia, the Caribbean, South America, and UK. The blog also has sections that discuss other medical school concerns, such as medical school exams, guides to pre-med, and financial help. A typical type of blog entry that you can find on Best Foreign Medical Schools is the article on “Charting a Course to Medical School”.

The best of the Best Foreign Medical Schools blog

The best thing about the Best Foreign Medical Schools blog is that it has content that is meaningful and relevant to its target readers. From personal statement writing tips and financial aid help to residency listings and current healthcare news, the blog certainly covers topics that medical students should know about. Also, I like how the site caters specifically to foreign students, yet the content provides information that can be helpful for any medical student, professional, or anyone interested in medicine. Creating sections for each geographical location is also a good idea that makes the site easier to navigate, especially for those who already have an idea of where they want to attend medical school.

More room for improvement

Despite the fact that the Best Foreign Medical Schools blog contains insightful blog entries, it can use an upgrade on its design. Currently, the site looks just too plain and simple. Many Internet users are drawn to different blogs because they are interesting, with pictures and a good overall web design. Best Foreign Medical Schools blog, however, fails to incorporate pictures, colors, and graphics to spruce up the site and make it easier on the eyes. The site also lacks organization, but this can easily be fixed by adding some color and graphics to indicate the various areas of the blog.

The Warwick Medical School Blog has the aim of offering information about medicine and medical school to students, staff, and practitioners. As such, the blog contains articles like Making virtual patients a reality with eViP, which discusses a platform for medical training with the use of virtual patients. The blog is rather simple and straightforward.

Good things about Warwick Medical School Blog

Perhaps the only good thing about the Warwick Medical School Blog is that its content is relevant. Although the blog doesn’t have much content, the blog entries that it does contain are informative and current. This blog could improve greatly if they could just continue to produce more informative and relevant content to entice readers with.

Room for improvement

There is a lot of room for improvement for the Warwick Medical School blog. Sure, the site does a good job of targeting a specific audience, but it simply lacks content. Some of the weakest blogs on the Internet are those with little content and Warwick’s Medical School Blog is a good example. Little content equates to slower traffic and it gives readers no reason to come back to the site. If a visitor can read all of the content on this site in a single day, then there is no point for that reader to come back for more. Furthermore, the website has a weak design that is frankly quite boring. With no pictures, few navigational links, and an overall drab look, it’s difficult to believe that Warwick’s med school blog has worthwhile content. Unfortunately, a bad combination of little content and a generic web design just won’t cut it. The Warwick Medical School Blog will have to step up its game if it plans to be of any use to medical students, medical staff, and Internet users in general.

The Student Doctor Network, or SDN, is a website that has a lot to offer to health students and health practitioners. With sections on many of the medical fields, including dental, optometry, and medical fields, the Student Doctor Network has loads of information that is invaluable for anyone looking to be a successful doctor. Students can find help from other students and professionals via the member blogs, which includes topics like First Week of Dental School and Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses.

What SDN is doing right

The Student Doctor Network is doing a lot of things right. Not only it is catering to a specific audience, but it also has just the kind of high-quality content that today’s health care students and professionals seek. With such great content, it’s easy to see why visitors would feel compelled to come back to the Student Doctor Network. The website is also professionally designed, making use of great web features such as applets, drop-down menus, and an intuitive layout that is easy to understand. Furthermore, the community aspect of the Student Doctor Network makes it the perfect platform for students to get in touch with healthcare professionals for their opinions, ideas, studies, or just for a good conversation.

What SDN can improve on

Perhaps the only that I don’t like about the Student Doctor Network is the design of the blog page. The blog page has a design that is very similar to a message board. Perhaps it’s a matter of personal preference, but I find message-board designs to be rather cluttered and confusing to navigate around. Still, the good side of having a message-board design is that the members might feel more compelled to actually contribute their thoughts and concerns on the blog. I just wish that the Student Doctor Network carried over its professional design from the website to the blog site.

So, You Want To Be a Doctor? blog is Dr. Daniel Williams? sort of an online publication of lectures and other informative articles and content for medical students and aspiring med students in various fields. The entries are basically downloadable transcripts of his lectures, some of which even have videos and audio files.

What I liked about Medical Mastery

The blog is quite easy to navigate. There are tabs at the top of the pages for those who might want to read testimonials, know more about the blog administrator, inquire about the pricing, and others. At the side bar of the homepage are links to lectures on various topics about medical education, med schools, med admission, and even medicine and medical practice. The lectures are practical information that would really be of great help to students studying medicine and other related disciplines. The most commonly used tags are also displayed on the home page to facilitate easy searches. There is also an option for search so you could easily find lectures or articles that you need.

Each lecture comes with options for downloads of audio files or lecture transcripts. Aside from topics such as MCAT practice tests and test techniques, test anxiety, and med school interviews and admissions, there are also self-help and inspirational articles for med students and hopefuls. There?s this article on MCAT verbal reasoning, which convinced me that the lectures would really be helpful. An entry entitled the “15 Things Every Future Doctor Must Know” lists the articles and lectures that would guide a med student or aspiring med student through the whole “course.”

Suggestions for improvement

Apparently, with the use of videos and mp3 files, the use of media is maximized, although the blog could still do with more photos for a more interesting read and browsing. A little more spice in the layout and array of entries would also do to avoid making the blog look quite boring.

Med Ed Update perfectly fits into my concept of a “professional blog.” It is a collection of news and blog articles about the goings on in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. The blog caters to the university’s medical education community, keeping its audience updated on the latest news, happenings and issues within, around, and concerning the college. The blog seems to be intended for Carver College of Medicine’s students, faculty, and other people interested in knowing the latest about the college.

Good things about MedCom

The first thing I noticed about the blog is its simplicity that allows for easy navigation. You wouldn’t have to lie idle for a couple of seconds just to figure out how to find the things that you want to find in the blog. Just below the header are two links: one to the article before the one you are reading, and another to the next article. Should you wish to visit the college’s main website, you can click the logo of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine on the upper left hand corner of each page.

The articles or blog entries include pictures to keep each page from being too plain or boring. The blog is composed mainly of news entries about the latest happenings in Carver College of Medicine, but there are also feature articles about some notable people in the medical education community. An example is an article about student Jennifer Miller Meyer, who extends service to an underserved community in Mazatlan, Mexico. There is an option to add a comment at the end of each blog entry.

Not-so-good things about MedCom

If the blog would maximize the Internet’s capacity by making use of other forms of media, it would be better. Perhaps the blog administrators can spice up the blog more by adding videos, sound bytes, and even more pictures to make the blog more hip and interesting.

Choosing the field of specializations is one big decision to make in the career of a medical practitioner. Medical specializations are the specific line of expertise of a medical practitioner. If you are a medical practitioner, you might be needing some help in choosing your medical specialization. Here are some tips to guide you through:

* Never let salary be the sole reason in choosing the field of specialization that you would like to take. Look for a specialization that will help you gain personal satisfaction and professional recognition by doing what you love most.
* Focus on a medical specialization that you are passionate about, one which is aligned with your skill set. That way, you will be able to do your duties effectively, so all else will follow.

Below is a shortlist of popular medical specializations:

* Pediatrics – This is a medical field that is most concerned with the health and welfare of infants and children. Pediatricians check for the young patient’s vital signs, as well as ensure the kid’s physical, mental, and social health. They also give tips and appropriate medication to avoid chronic illnesses and maintain proper nutrition in children. This medical specialization is quite popular because pediatrics generally have many patients to care for.

* Plastic Surgery – This medical specialization is most concerned with the reconstruction of physical deformities as well as the enhancement of physical features. In other words, plastic surgeons are called the doctors of beauty, because they are the ones who are known to deal with appearances. They perform surgeries on patients who need to improve a part of their body.

* Obstetrics and Gynecology – This medical specialization deals with the female reproductive health. Pregnant or not, women should schedule regular check-ups with their OB Gynes. This way, they can treat any hormonal imbalance or abnormality.  OB Gynes also help ensure safer delivery for pregnant women.

Photo Credit : tamakisono

Medical education in the US is open to everyone, even to foreign students like you. American students and foreign students are given equal opportunities when it comes to medical school admissions. Medical students are chosen based on academic excellence and medical potential, not racial origin or religious beliefs. The requirements for medical admissions, however, is not the same for American and foreign students. Here are some application tips for foreign students like you who wish to study in a US medical school.

Practice in speaking fluent English

Because English is always the language used in teaching medicine, you need to practice your English communication skills before applying to US medical schools. Both written and verbal forms of English are important to help you adapt to the advanced education system in medical school. All research papers and medical reports must be written in English while group discussions and oral reports must also be delivered in English. Learning how to write and speak English is not only advantageous to your academic performance, but also to your social life. Being fluent in English gives you more confidence in interacting with your professors and fellow students.

Write an amazing personal statement

The US academic curriculum is different from other countries, so American medical school applicants have an advantage when it comes to the required subjects. You can increase your chances of admissions, though, by writing an amazing personal statement. Most admissions evaluators are especially interested in reading personal statements from foreign students like you. The information they will look for your personal statement is the explanation on why you would rather study in a US medical school. To get their approval, write a brief comparison between the education system in your country and in the US. You may also share that learning medical concepts from a different perspective might be beneficial for the advancement of medicine in your country. Write an amazing personal statement, but keep it as honest as possible.

Medical school is tough for both American and foreign students. Academic excellence and medical success is not measured by skin color or geographical location. The key to being a great doctor is in you. If you persevere enough to reach for the stars, then you will be rewarded with sweet success.

Photo Credit : Sam Blackman

Though many people perceive that applying to a US medical school is especially difficult for foreign students due to the extra requirements, many medical schools are actually looking forward to welcome non-Americans.  This is because some US medical schools, like many US colleges, want to be recognized as culturally diverse institutions.  Foreign students desiring to study medicine in the US should have the following things in mind.

Choosing a US medical school

Because you will be studying away from home, you need to choose a medical school that will at least be near someone you know in the United States.  A little emotional support is always welcome, especially when you are going through two difficult changes at one time: moving to a new country and starting medical school.  Another thing that you must consider is financial aid.  Apply to schools that offer aid to foreign students like you.  This will be a big help to a financially demanding course.

Submitting the usual requirements

There are application requirements that all applicants, American or foreign, must submit.  Your resume and transcript of records will give the medical school info about your grades and achievements.  You must of course have taken the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), so you have to present your official results.

To get a peek at your personality, medical schools will also require you to submit recommendation letters and medical school application essays.  Recommendation letters must be written by those who know your academic and extra-curricular capabilities and experiences.  Personal statements, or your medical school application essays, will reveal your values and goals in your own words.  Medical school application essays are very important factors in your applications because the admissions committees find out through them if you are capable of becoming not just a medical student but also the potential of becoming a fully fledged doctor.

Special requirements

As a foreign student, you will be asked to submit some extra requirements.  You first have to settle all of your affairs at immigration and must have all documentation ready at all times.  Then, if you are from a non-English speaking country, you must present your Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) result.  Some medical schools may even require you to study for at least one year in the United States or Canada before accepting your application.  So, if you still lack some required courses, you can opt take them in the United States.  Take note also that you will be paying a higher tuition than American students.  So, US medical schools require you to submit proof that you are, or your family is, financially capable.

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