Guest dalgrad03 Posted October 16, 2002 Report Share Posted October 16, 2002 I just finished my OMSAS application, now it's onto Dal's. Just wondering what approach people are taking for the 2nd essay (strengths & weaknesses) - or what approach people have taken in the past. They have a big spiel about stating *both* your strengths and weaknesses - so should the essay be 50-50, or weighted more toward strengths with say, a paragraph on weaknesses? I suppose they could be discussed together throughout the whole thing... Also, were parts of the essays mentioned during interviews? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest arcticaguy Posted October 19, 2002 Report Share Posted October 19, 2002 hey dalgrad03, congrats on finishing the omsas aps! You can breathe a bit better now, I'll bet. As for the dal application, ALL they are aiming for here is to get a sense of who you are. For the strengths and weaknesses part, I personally mentioned things that completed the picture that I'd painted in my first essay. At first glance, my 'issues' seem minor, but they are infact very relevant to the COPS mode of teaching here at Dal. Among other topics, my interview touched on my weaknesses. Whether that was because I mentioned them (in the essay) or because they were part of the curriculum stuff, I will never know. I'll add that I took a different approach in that essay: I highlighted my weaknesses (about 70% of the write-up). I also made it very clear (succinctly though) my approach to dealing with these issues. Reason: turn REAL weaknesses in to points of strength and tried to stand out in the crowd. Remember that a large number of my colleagues are not coming in right out of undergrad, hence my approach. Hope this helps a bit. Sorry it took so long to reply, but our first exam is fast approaching and we're all 'a bit' busy. If you have any other questions, I'll definately be checking up on the board more often between now and the application deadline. back to the great nerves of the Head, I guess... cheers and good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dalgrad03 Posted October 27, 2002 Report Share Posted October 27, 2002 thanks for your helpful suggestions. I have been very busy, so i've spent this weekend on the essays and they're going well. It's hard to get the 2nd essay to flow nicely, especially with a 1 page limit, but I just attempted to be honest and relate everything to aspects of medicine. The toughest aspect was probably citing my compassionate nature without sounding cliche. On a personal level, it is a large part of what drives me to medicine, but providing an example of things that are so implicit in your personality isn't easy. anyway, thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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