Guest Ger Posted October 21, 2001 Report Share Posted October 21, 2001 I just can't seem to figure out the writing sample...arghh...I mean I know if I just answered the questions, I would get a P...but after doing that I still just got a N on the real thing...someone please suggest how to do this section properly...any tips or advice would be great...Believe it or not, this seems to be my biggest obstacle at present... ..HELP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted October 21, 2001 Report Share Posted October 21, 2001 Hi, Maybe I can be of some help. In terms of what to write for the writing sample, I never really did anything above and beyond the instructions that were given- I simply defined the statement, cited an example in which the statement was not supported/true and then discussed (are those the tasks you have to accomplish in your answer? I don't know offhand). I didn't have any "frills" if you will, unless you count the fact that in the 30 minutes I was able to write 2 pages and 3 sentences, writing every line, for both questions. I didn't have any insightful anecdotes or anything like that, if that's what you're worried about; all I did was present my case and support my claims with practical examples from real life- not necessarily my own. Of course, I'm told that I write well, and writing seems to come naturally to me, so I'm not sure I can suggets anything overly groundbreaking. But I will try to help if you want my input. What do you think was wrong with your answer? You mentioned that if you just answered the questions, you would have got a P, yet you ended up with an N. Are you sure you accomplished all that was required for this section? What do you feel you did differently? Was this your first time writing the MCAT? I assume that it wasn't, but just making sure. (Sorry if this section sounds condescending- it isn't meant to be!) The way the writing sample is marked is subjective (sorry for the understatement), but it can be very frustrating when: a) you don't know exactly what they're looking for and you can't find anything wrong with what you'ev done. Unfortunately, not everyone meets the criteria for Q and beyond- maybe your sample was marked by someone who wasn't giving good grades at the time. Who really knows with some of this? Didn't Kirsteen mention something about an avenue through which you can resubmit your writing sample for re-grading? Although I hadn't heard of this before, maybe that is an action you may want to take- are you looking to get into UWO or elsewhere that requires a higher WS score? If so, then you'd really have nothing to lose by re-submitting. Sorry about the raw deal with the WS and sorry about the novel-length reply. A good prep for the writing sample is a course involving essays- like an english or history- I was in science and I didn't have to write a (real) essay until my History of Soviet Russia class in 4th year! Hope this helps and best of luck! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted October 21, 2001 Report Share Posted October 21, 2001 Hi, Maybe I can be of some help. In terms of what to write for the writing sample, I never really did anything above and beyond the instructions that were given- I simply defined the statement, cited an example in which the statement was not supported/true and then discussed (are those the tasks you have to accomplish in your answer? I don't know offhand). I didn't have any "frills" if you will, unless you count the fact that in the 30 minutes I was able to write 2 pages and 3 sentences, writing every line, for both questions. I didn't have any insightful anecdotes or anything like that, if that's what you're worried about; all I did was present my case and support my claims with practical examples from real life- not necessarily my own. Of course, I'm told that I write well, and writing seems to come naturally to me, so I'm not sure I can suggets anything overly groundbreaking. But I will try to help if you want my input. What do you think was wrong with your answer? You mentioned that if you just answered the questions, you would have got a P, yet you ended up with an N. Are you sure you accomplished all that was required for this section? What do you feel you did differently? Was this your first time writing the MCAT? I assume that it wasn't, but just making sure. (Sorry if this section sounds condescending- it isn't meant to be!) The way the writing sample is marked is subjective (sorry for the understatement), but it can be very frustrating when: a) you don't know exactly what they're looking for and you can't find anything wrong with what you'ev done. Unfortunately, not everyone meets the criteria for Q and beyond- maybe your sample was marked by someone who wasn't giving good grades at the time. Who really knows with some of this? Didn't Kirsteen mention something about an avenue through which you can resubmit your writing sample for re-grading? Although I hadn't heard of this before, maybe that is an action you may want to take- are you looking to get into UWO or elsewhere that requires a higher WS score? If so, then you'd really have nothing to lose by re-submitting. Sorry about the raw deal with the WS and sorry about the novel-length reply. A good prep for the writing sample is a course involving essays- like an english or history- I was in science and I didn't have to write a (real) essay until my History of Soviet Russia class in 4th year! Hope this helps and best of luck! Tim (2x 'S' in WS) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GEr Posted October 21, 2001 Report Share Posted October 21, 2001 Well..Yes, I am seriously looking towards western and hence the problem...I seriously couldn't find any problems with my essay...the sentences were simple, yet to the point...I did all three tasks as required and in the concluding paragraph, I tied it all up..I really don't think there were any grammer or spelling mistakes... I used to give my essays for marking to Kaplan instructors, and had never got below P...I really really don't know what I should do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JSS02 Posted October 21, 2001 Report Share Posted October 21, 2001 You can resubmit your writing sample for a remark if you pay them $30. Check out AAMC's MCAT website... however, keep in mind that an N is probably good enough for pretty much every school in Canada other than Western. It's also the cutoff for many schools, so if you are unfortunate enough to get a new score that is actually lower than your original score, then that could put you at a greater disadvantage. So it's up to you to decide whether it's worth the risk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GER Posted October 21, 2001 Report Share Posted October 21, 2001 actually I haven't tried that...but to be honest I know a bunch of people who did try it and none of them went up...so instead of attempting that I might as well focus on trying to improve my skills for that section...For all you experts out there, are there certain pointers in the essay section that you think might be important? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted October 22, 2001 Report Share Posted October 22, 2001 Hi there, When it comes down to it, having essay writing experience is valuable when tackling the MCAT WS section, but in many ways, WS essays are quite different from sitting down, planning and writing a good university-level essay a month before its due date. I approached the WS section by viewing each essay as being based on a formula (as suggested by some prep courses), and to do very well I added a few more terms to that formula. With respect to the formula, the basics are that you need to logically address each of the items that are laid out in the essay question. The relevant pro, con, and synthesis (or resolution). That's a bare minimum. One of the keys that I found to writing these essays was taking the time at the very beginning (I allocated 5 minutes) to plan the essay, come up with ideas, find relevant or poignant examples and vocabulary that I'd like to use. I'd also use this time to plan a good introduction to the essay: one that worked backwards from an idea, thought, quote, etc., and gradually drew the reader into the crux of the question. After all, this intro provided a first impression and set the stage for the reader; given that the evaluation of these essays is based very much on holistic impressions why leave all the festivities to the synthesis paragraph (in fact, my conclusions tended to be pretty bare in comparison)? Falling into the "extra terms" category aside from a more extensive intro, is being able to come up with relevant, current, more in-depth analogies or examples to support what you're saying. These can be used throughout the essay: in the introduction (mine consistently tended to be 1/2 to 3/4 of the first page in length), in the pro paragraph and in the con paragraph. Also, with respect to vocabulary, a little variety and a few choice words, I felt, added some interest to my essays. You're not looking to spend all of your time trying to remember everything that you crammed from Roget's; instead, in the months that you're using to prepare for the MCAT, if you come across any words that you like in your readings, jot them down. I had quite a few faves and ended up with a list of ~15. At the beginning of each practice essay I'd jot down as many of these words that I could remember and as I wrote each essay, if any fit well into any of the sentences I'd dot them around. Same goes for grammar--variety helps to add a little dimension to the overall structure of the essay. Practice playing with it. (A great and fun book, if you feel like brushing up on English grammar and writing style (and which I read a few months before embarking on the PR course) is "Adios Strunk & White".) Regarding content and all the examples, anecdotes, etc., that I'm blabbing about, it's a great idea to try to expose yourself to rich resources. The Economist contains plenty of large topics that could be tailored to many an essay question, and if you read it each week (a feat in itself) often provides you with a running commentary, in many voices, and from many perspectives. Another fabulous resource: the movie, "Gandhi". Rent it! Not only is it great entertainment (Ben Kingsley worked for that Oscar), but the wee dude was awesome, inspirational and yep, fitting fodder for many an MCAT WS essay. It's also important that you try to figure out how you're progressing as you go. For guidance, get your hands on a copy of the AAMC Writing Sample booklet. It gives you an idea of how they define a 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 essay. The essays that score 6 may feel beyond your means initially, but with repetitive practice, you can pull yourself closer to that target. Lastly, while on that topic, practice and practice. You don't have to write full essays for each topic in the AMCAS booklet every time; instead, diligently and strictly allocate a certain amount of time for each in order to practice your essay plan for each topic: come up with a pro, a con, some vocab and some examples for each. Set aside some time to do this repetitively each day, couple of days, whatever suits you. Hope some of this helps. Good luck, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GER Posted October 22, 2001 Report Share Posted October 22, 2001 Hi kirsteen...that is exactly the kind of advice i was looking for....Thanx a whole lot...I am going to try it out and then take it from there...(Hey maybe you should consider a prep couse yourself;) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GER Posted October 22, 2001 Report Share Posted October 22, 2001 actually let me clarify the above...maybe you should consider 'starting' your own prep course:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted October 23, 2001 Report Share Posted October 23, 2001 Oooooh nooo thanks! I'll let those pros handle what they do best and I'll mind my own bananas! Good luck and glad to be of service, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest A reader Posted February 16, 2002 Report Share Posted February 16, 2002 Many thanks, Kirsteen and all who share your opinions here. Being a reader and not often a writer, I have found much of use on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest not rex morgan Posted February 17, 2002 Report Share Posted February 17, 2002 Hey guys. Kirsteen's advice is quite good re. this writing sample. To put what she said another way, and more bluntly, throw out all you know about writing. Pretend like English is not your first language and you will do well. The topic is ..Blank...you start with "Blank means...." It makes my skin crawl to write like that, but that's what they want you to do. Throw out the interesting, perspective-building intro, and get right to it. Definintely start with an outline. Examples will get you higher marks. Keep in mind, these guys get payed per essay marked, so the more structured and simple, the better. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vunu Posted April 18, 2002 Report Share Posted April 18, 2002 I have a perfect formula to help you out. If you need help just post your email and I will get back to you with some help, and I also have a GREAT WS book if you think you want to use. Let me know, Vunu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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