Getting into medical school is a rigorous procedure that requires many steps. For instance, whereas other graduate school programs require only one personal statement, many medical school applications require that the student write two personal statements: an AMCAS application essay, and a secondary application essay.
How does AMCAS work?
AMCAS is an application processing service that allows you to put together just one application, which is then submitted to all of the medical schools of your choice. One of the pieces of your AMCAS application is your primary personal statement.
Because your AMCAS application essay is submitted to multiple schools at once, it focuses on the applicant, leaving out the school-specific information that many graduate school personal statements include. As a result, many medical schools require prospective students to submit a secondary application essay, which is written with that specific school in mind.
What Does My AMCAS Personal Statement Need to Include?
Most graduate schools require that your personal statement address your interest in that school, as well as answering a range of questions about yourself. When you use AMCAS to apply for medical school, however, you will need to omit the school-specific information in order to create a primary personal statement that can be submitted to all of your chosen schools.
The AMCAS personal statement or primary application essay should always answer two different types of questions: