Looking for the right word

[mcater2006]

Hi:

 

"My formal education prepared me for the academic side of medicine while my volunteer experience prepared me for the more important ( ) side of medicine."

 

i was wondering what the ideal word to fill in ( ) would be. "Practical" came to my mind almost immediately, but doesn't complement as well with academic. "Non-academic", on the other hand, sounds too trivial and not very appropriate.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Mcater2006

[peachy]

"My formal education prepared me for the academic side of medicine while my volunteer experience prepared me for the more important ( ) side of medicine."

I don't have a specific suggestion for a word to put in that blank. But one tip that I find useful for writing a strong essay is to avoid using generic sentences that could apply to absolutely anybody's medical school application. If it were me, I'd try to replace the entire sentence with one that says something about you in particular rather than using a standard filler line.

[docofmedicine]

how about 'humanistic'?

[Wheels2010]

Hey! I'd have to agree with Peachy. With the space in these applications so precious, you'd probably be better off explaining exactly HOW these things prepared you for medicine. For example, you could explain what it is about your academic or volunteer experiences that sets you apart from the academic or volunteer experiences of other applicants? What did you take away from them that others may not have? Remember that schools see hundreds or even thousands of applications, so the less generic yours sounds, the better your chances will probably be. That's just my opinion, though.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Cheers,

 

Wheels