Disney Comic #2: The Fastpass

Disney Comic #2-- The Fastpass. 

Joe read this and laughed -- it is very much based on actual events. 

Disney Comics Series: 'Of Mice and Men'

We went on a trip to Disney World last May and I'm going to tell you about it my way....

... through Comic Strips!

(I'm sorry if you can't read the print-- I'm figuring this out as I go :) I recommend zooming in on the photo if the font is too small).

Comic #1: Of Mice and Men

-Jenna

Pink Baby Shark Doo Doo... Cake

My little girls love to choose their birthday cakes. Piper decided that her cake this year would feature Baby Shark (with pink, of course). 

And so I present to you... Pink Baby Shark!

How each cake starts...

-Jenna

On Writing a Personal Statement

When applying to medical school, each hopeful applicant must complete a large online application through AMCAS, which is the centralized application service. 

Part of this application is the personal statement, which is a short essay giving the student an opportunity to put personality into their application. The personal statement gives the applicant a voice and the chance to set themselves apart. 

There's some debate among layfolk (at the very least, between my husband and myself) about how important the personal statement is. A beautiful personal statement can never make up for a poor MCAT score, for example. 

However, one of Joe's residency interviewers opened with the line, "I really enjoyed your personal statement!"

There's also the fact that the admissions personnel must see thousands and thousands of personal statements every year, not to mention the tens and hundreds of thousands of statements over the span of a career. The odds are that, unless you are an entrepreneur who solved world hunger and ended the Israeli-Palistinian conflict (and wrote a stunning analysis about it all), your statement is probably not going to be remembered. 

(There's a caveat, here. If your essay is really terrible, I bet the admissions folks remember it. The human race is funny that way).

You know what? This is okay. It means that your goal needs to be centered around creating a nice-and-neat essay that hits all the important marks. It doesn't have to be special, different, or utterly perfect. It just has to be good enough to get you on to the next level, which would be the secondaries/interview. 

This year, a few different family members sent me their grad school application essays and let me play editor. I had so much fun that I went further and contacted my alma mater's premed club to see if anyone would like an edit of their personal statement. A few people were interested and willing to work with me on edits. 

After editing many essays, I compiled a list of things to do (and things not to do) when creating your own personal statement. 

DO: start with an outline. Make a bullet point list of your key topics and put them in an order that makes sense. If you make an outline, you'll have a roadmap and a place from which to start.

DO: talk about your successes, the things that make you stand out as a person and as an applicant. 

DO: take a paragraph to explain anything questionable in your application. For example, are your grades on the low side? Is there a gap in your education from a religious mission or something similar? Was there a dip in grades because of a family emergency? This is the place to explain anything unusual.

DO: present yourself as someone who will succeed in medical school. The people reading your application are looking for students who will succeed in their school's rigorous coursework and difficult programs. 

DO: recognize that many of your interviewers will ask you questions about ideas presented in your personal statement and secondaries. If you write something and send it in, be prepared to discuss it at length. 

DO: run your essay through Grammarly or another online grammar check system. 

DO NOT: dwell on failures or past mistakes. 

If you are taking a paragraph to explain something questionable, do it in a way that presents yourself as someone who can and will succeed in medical school.

DO NOT: say things that are overtly political. Your essay will be read by many, many different people all over the USA and who are all over the political spectrum. Stay politically neutral.
(This, by the way, is the hangup where Joe and I agree that the personal statement matters less than the scores. We had a political statement in his essay which probably raised some hackles and we still got lots of interviews and acceptances.)

DO NOT: say anything that will raise any kind of red flag. If in doubt, take it out.

One final piece of advice is to submit everything on time. The sooner you submit to AMCAS, the sooner you will get secondaries. Get those secondaries turned around quickly too so that you can start getting interview invitations. 

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If you would like me to look over your personal statement, message me or comment below and I'll get in touch with you. 

Good luck, and happy writing!

-Jenna

Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Cake

A birthday cake for a Pittsburgh Penguins fan!

-Jenna

The Funny Bunny Carrot Cake

Joe requested a carrot cake this year for his birthday and boy, was that a good choice. This was AMAZING.

I followed this recipe for the cake and this recipe for the cream cheese frosting.

We added pecans for texture and a little allspice for taste. 

Each of the bunnies represents one of the family members. Can you guess who is who? :)

-Jenna