Writing Sample Advice

[cmacmil8]

Im from Ontario and Ive applied to med school twice and have had 4 interviews in total (Calgary, Ottawa, Mac, NOSM) and all have been rejections.

 

Ive written the MCAT three times (10VR 11BS 12PS O; 11VR 12BS 12PS, M; 11VR 11BS 11PS M [latest]). I obviously needed to improve on my writing sample (if I even want a chance to interview at Western or Queens).

 

On the MCAT website it says that in 2013 the writing sample will no longer be on the test. Ive also noticed that schools are starting to either remove the writing sample or lower there cutoffs (eg. Western went from Q to P to O over the span of a few years; a McGill first dropped the writing sample and then a year later dropped the MCAT as a requirement).

 

Do you think that I should rewrite the MCAT this summer just to try and raise my writing sample score (M) or see what happens next year and write it in 2013 without the writing sample? Do you think that Western or Queens will stop looking at the writing sample next year?

 

Thoughts or opinions?

[liverpool]

I was wondering the same actually, would anyone have any insight on this matter? I've been trying to get ahold of these schools' admissions offices but it's been so hard

[Outlaw]

I don't think anybody knows what schools plan to do when the writing sample is scrapped. My personal speculation is that it would just be thrown out for everyone once the 2013 writers are eligible to apply. However, I don't think there is any reason to believe that things would change for next years requirements. OP, an increase in your WS score this year would probably only help you for the next application cycle. With that being said, if you have the time to re-write, I think it would be a good idea. You need to maximize your chances for admission.

[Looktoabove]

Your mcat scores are consistently good, how did you study? Looks like you know what to do to get those scores so if you have time to work on the writing sample in addition to what you did those three times looks like there's not a great risk, theres a few threads in this forum, a year application may be worth it for you or you can apply again to the same schools next year and if it doesn't work out apply again when the WS is dropped?

[trojjanhorse]

Im from Ontario and Ive applied to med school twice and have had 4 interviews in total (Calgary, Ottawa, Mac, NOSM) and all have been rejections.

 

Ive written the MCAT three times (10VR 11BS 12PS O; 11VR 12BS 12PS, M; 11VR 11BS 11PS M [latest]). I obviously needed to improve on my writing sample (if I even want a chance to interview at Western or Queens).

 

On the MCAT website it says that in 2013 the writing sample will no longer be on the test. Ive also noticed that schools are starting to either remove the writing sample or lower there cutoffs (eg. Western went from Q to P to O over the span of a few years; a McGill first dropped the writing sample and then a year later dropped the MCAT as a requirement).

 

Do you think that I should rewrite the MCAT this summer just to try and raise my writing sample score (M) or see what happens next year and write it in 2013 without the writing sample? Do you think that Western or Queens will stop looking at the writing sample next year?

 

Thoughts or opinions?

 

Those are very stable scores. Writing --> read BR Writing. What is your OMSAS cGPA if you don't mind

[cmacmil8]

Your mcat scores are consistently good, how did you study?

 

Ive always studied by myself (with Kaplan books mainly). The year after I got the O I sought out professional help just for the writing and then got an M, then after that I practiced a lot on the questions they give you and still got an M. Basically the last two times I wrote it Ive focused on the WS.

 

Those are very stable scores. Writing --> read BR Writing. What is your OMSAS cGPA if you don't mind

 

cgpa is 3.92. Im finishing a M.Sc. now with some publications. Its not like a cant write its just that I cant do the MCAT Writing.

 

Im leaning towards writing again. But I honestly dont think anything will change. I also dont want the VR score to drop

[trojjanhorse]

Ive always studied by myself (with Kaplan books mainly). The year after I got the O I sought out professional help just for the writing and then got an M, then after that I practiced a lot on the questions they give you and still got an M. Basically the last two times I wrote it Ive focused on the WS.

 

 

 

cgpa is 3.92. Im finishing a M.Sc. now with some publications. Its not like a cant write its just that I cant do the MCAT Writing.

 

Im leaning towards writing again. But I honestly dont think anything will change. I also dont want the VR score to drop

 

You need to read WR books for MCAT. They actually help as it explains what the graders are looking for when reviewing your answers.

[abelign]

Hey, so you originally asked for advice regarding the Writing Sample portion of the MCAT and to be honest, you do not have to be a great writer to score high. I am by no means an exceptional writer, yet I was able to score a T on the Writing Sample.

 

Wanna know the secret? Quality > quantity, but QUANTITY matters a lot! So yes, I do acknowledge that I'm sort of spitting out generic advice you'd hear from anybody, but I mean it when I say you need to initiate "keyboard diarrhea mode." I spent the first 5 minutes of each prompt writing down the following:

 

1) As many definitions you can come up with, addressing the arbitrary words within the prompt. The graders need TRULY operational definitions in order to set parameters around your synthesis because a bunch of these prompts can be vague and generalized to almost anything.

 

2) Set up your thesis and only brainstorm examples. This is because the premise and wording of the rest of this paragraph can be thought of while you actually type the essay out. Don't waste your precious 5 minutes on thinking about how pretty you want to make it, the examples are the important part and they need to accurately illustrate your thesis. Of course, as always, concrete historical or factual examples are preferred over hypothetical ones.

 

3) Set up your antithesis. Again, brainstorm examples and the rest will come as your type it out.

 

4) Set up your synthesis. This needs to tie everything together and your synthesis needs to come off as a certain set of criteria, or a "policy" regarding the requirements to fulfill the basis of your thesis and your antithesis. TPR provides a VERY useful list of dichotomies that are honestly applicable to all prompts, so it'd be in your best interest to check it out.

 

My last piece of advice is don't be overwhelmed with the false assumption that you need to be a literary genius to score an R or above. I'm a science major, and the only "creative" aspect of my background is my experience with visual arts (has nothing to do with your ability to write, so this is irrelevant). Just keep calm and FOLLOW that theses-antithesis-synthesis structure. Both my essays were three paragraphs each. I also went into the MCAT with my only practice being two prompts which I did months before my actual MCAT. I do advocate practice, but if you have the general structure set up in your head, then you should be fine. Also have a few examples on hand ready to apply to the appropriate prompts. I always love historical examples because they're sort of "complete" and have consequences regarding decisions made or events that occur, in contrast to recent events which may still be in the process of "happening," if you know what I mean.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Abel

[waynecolquitt]

The MCAT writing assignment asks you to use three to five paragraphs to investigate a statement critically, something like 'In a free society, people should be allowed to do what they want'. The word 'critically' means something particular here in reference to the specific three part nature of the assignment, which conforms to the dialectical three part figure of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Dialectic is critical writing or thinking itself, the movement or rhetorical impetus of discussion aiming for enlightenment, or so Socrates argued. In more modern philosophies, the dialectical figure stands in for consciousness and self-consciousness, or even the genesis of history or Weltanshaung in the German philosophies of Kant, Fichte and Hegel. This is what the MCAT writing assignment is. They give you a statement. Ask you to investigate it In Itself, and then For Some Other, then reach a Synthesis. It is not a five paragraph theme where you say what you are going to say, say it more, and then say what you have said. Understanding how dialectic can work as a rhetorical figure in a larger composition, or within the MCAT writing assignment, to make a single unified short essay, is a really valuable skill for writing critically, so it's good to take the assignment seriously whether or not Admissions Committees do.

[jerkoutnow2]

MCAT writing doesn't need practice.

 

 

Just read up on some random international political historical fact on wikipedia and abuse those examples during the writing section

 

Also just follow a simple guideline

 

 

1st paragraph -- State the argument

2nd paragraph -- state an example illustrating the argument

3rd paragraph -- State a situation where the argument may not be true

 

 

Be clear, concise, minimize pronouns, conjunctions, excessive use of words like 'very' 'much' 'in addition' 'also' 'like'

 

Read some scientific journal articles and see how minimalistic the paragraphs are = that is an example of 'academic writing' that is required in medicine

 

 

tips: read up on history of Quebec politics, and some random asian country politics -- abuse them in the MCAT (the American graders love international examples)

 

i literally did the above, didn't practise any before the mcat, read up some wiki articles the day before. Got an R

[med-dream]

Im from Ontario and Ive applied to med school twice and have had 4 interviews in total (Calgary, Ottawa, Mac, NOSM) and all have been rejections.

 

Ive written the MCAT three times (10VR 11BS 12PS O; 11VR 12BS 12PS, M; 11VR 11BS 11PS M [latest]). I obviously needed to improve on my writing sample (if I even want a chance to interview at Western or Queens).

 

On the MCAT website it says that in 2013 the writing sample will no longer be on the test. Ive also noticed that schools are starting to either remove the writing sample or lower there cutoffs (eg. Western went from Q to P to O over the span of a few years; a McGill first dropped the writing sample and then a year later dropped the MCAT as a requirement).

 

Do you think that I should rewrite the MCAT this summer just to try and raise my writing sample score (M) or see what happens next year and write it in 2013 without the writing sample? Do you think that Western or Queens will stop looking at the writing sample next year?

 

Thoughts or opinions?

 

I think your MCAT scores are good enough. It is the interview that plays more important role than MCAT score.