Application writing addresses the aspects of your application that numbers cannot. GPA, test scores, and experiences show that you are academically prepared and professionally ready. Your writing demonstrates who you are, how you think, what you have learned from your experiences, and what you will bring to your future profession. Strong writing shows admissions committees the person behind the application. Conversely, generic writing can drastically detract from even a highly competitive applicant.
Across nearly all health professions, application writing falls into three major categories:
- Personal Statements
- Experience Descriptions
- Secondary Essays
The information here provides an overview of each writing component and how to approach them strategically. Each component is an opportunity to showcase your defining qualities, specific experiences, meaningful impact, and evolution towards becoming a healthcare professional.
Start Writing Earlier Than You Think!
Don’t underestimate the amount of writing required for your healthcare program applications. While the personal statement receives the most attention, it is only one piece of a much larger writing portfolio. Depending on the profession and number of programs you apply to, you may need to write a personal statement, experience descriptions, supplemental essays, program-specific responses, and interview preparation materials. By the time your application cycle is complete, you may have written tens of thousands of words!
Starting early allows you to reflect on your experiences, identify meaningful themes, seek feedback, revise thoughtfully, and avoid rushed submissions. Strong application writing is never produced in a single draft. Give yourself ample time to develop your ideas, refine your stories, and ensure your writing accurately represents the experiences, qualities, and perspectives you plan to bring to your future profession.
Recommended Timeline
Begin brainstorming and outlining at least 6–9 months before you submit your applications. Begin drafting your writing at least 4-6 months before application services open. Early preparation gives you plenty of time to outline, write, and participate in multiple rounds of revision, reducing stress and allowing your writing to be focused, authentic to you, and contribute rather than detract from your competitive application.
Successful personal statements answer two questions:
Why this profession?
Why you?
Unlike an undergraduate admissions essay, which often focuses on your broad outlook on life, a personal statement for a graduate healthcare program demonstrates why you are pursuing your chosen profession and the qualities you will bring to that field. The personal statement is often the most important writing component of your application because it allows admissions committees to understand who you are beyond your grades and test scores.
Your personal statement should not function as a narrative resume. Rather than describing an entire volunteer experience, research project, or job, focus on meaningful "micro moments,” individual interactions, conversations, observations, or challenges that reveal your defining qualities and motivations. These moments help admissions committees understand your decision-making and learning patterns, as well as how you interact with others.
Avoid using valuable character space to explain your GPA, admissions test scores, coursework, or awards unless a prompt specifically requests that information. Instead, use the personal statement to showcase the qualities, perspectives, and experiences that distinguish you from other applicants.
Ensure your personal statement focuses on your specific experiences and interactions rather than broad summaries of activities that sound generic. Ensure your application is competitive and effective by including a personal statement that connects your experiences, motivations, and personal qualities into a clear narrative that demonstrates why your chosen profession is the next logical step in your journey.
| Profession (Application) | Prompt | Length |
| MD (AMCAS) | Explain why you want to become a physician. | 5,300 characters |
| DO (AACOMAS) | Explain why you want to become an osteopathic physician. | 5,300 characters |
| Dental (AADSAS) | Explain your motivation for pursuing dentistry. | 4,500 characters |
| Optometry (OptomCAS) | Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals. | 4,500 characters |
| Physician Assistant (CASPA) | Explain why you want to become a Physician Assistant. | 5,000 characters |
| Veterinary (VMCAS) | Explain why you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. | 3,000 characters |
| Pharmacy (PharmCAS) | Explain why you selected pharmacy as a career and how the Doctor of Pharmacy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. Describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals. | 4,500 characters |
| Nursing (NursingCAS) Direct-Entry MSN Programs | Institution-specific essays explaining why you have selected nursing and why a direct-entry MSN pathway specifically. | Varies by program (typically 250–1,000 words per essay) |
Many healthcare program applications include a section for you to describe your experiences outside your coursework. Depending on the profession and application service, these sections may be called Work & Activities, Experiences, Experiences & Achievements, or similar titles.
Although character limits are often short, these descriptions play an important role because they are frequently reviewed before admissions committees read your personal statement. These are not resume entries, which list your roles and tasks, rather these are carefully crafted to describe the significance of your experiences and what you gained from them.
A useful framework is the Five Components of Experience:
1. Timeframe & Title
Identify the duration and commitment level (e.g. full-time, per diem, night shift, 12-hour shift, etc.) and your title (ED Tech, barista).
2. Responsibilities
Briefly list unique or important duties and accomplishments beyond the standard tasks for the role.
3. Qualities
Highlight the skills, traits, and characteristics you utilized to carry out your responsibilities.
4. Impact
Explain how your actions affected patients, clients, students, organizations, research projects, or communities.
5. Learning & Growth
Describe what you learned, how you changed, and how the experience influenced future activities.
| Profession (Application) | Experience Section | Length |
| MD (AMCAS) | You can include up to 15 experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. Identify 3 of the experiences you include as most meaningful on your path into medicine. | 700 characters for each description. 1,325 additional characters for each most meaningful experience to describe their significance. |
| DO (AACOMAS) | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. No experiences identified as most meaningful. | 700 characters for each description. |
| Dental (AADSAS) | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. Identify up to 6 of the experiences you include as most meaningful on your path into dentistry. You can include an unlimited number of achievements. Competitive applications have 2-5 relevant, impactful achievements. Identify up to 4 of the achievements you include as most meaningful on your path into dentistry. | 600 characters for each experience description. No descriptions for most meaningful experiences. 600 characters for each achievement description. No descriptions for most meaningful achievements. |
| Optometry (OptomCAS) | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. No experiences identified as most meaningful. | 600 characters for each experience description. |
| Physician Assistant (CASPA) | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. No experiences identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of achievements. Competitive applications have 2-5 relevant, impactful achievements. No achievements identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of certifications. Competitive applications have 1-3 relevant, impactful certifications. No certifications identified as most meaningful. | 600 characters for each description. 600 characters for each achievement description. 600 characters for each certification description. |
| Veterinary (VMCAS) | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. No experiences identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of achievements. Competitive applications have 2-5 relevant, impactful achievements. No achievements identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of certifications. Competitive applications have 1-3 relevant, impactful certifications. No certifications identified as most meaningful. | 600 characters for each description. 600 characters for each achievement description. 600 characters for each certification description. |
| Pharmacy (PharmCAS) | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. No experiences identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of achievements. Competitive applications have 2-5 relevant, impactful achievements. No achievements identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of certifications. Competitive applications have 1-3 relevant, impactful certifications. No certifications identified as most meaningful. | 600 characters for each description. 600 characters for each achievement description. 600 characters for each certification description. |
| Nursing (NursingCAS) Direct-Entry MSN Programs | You can include an unlimited number of experiences. Competitive applications have 12-15 relevant, impactful experiences. No experiences identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of achievements. Competitive applications have 2-5 relevant, impactful achievements. No achievements identified as most meaningful. You can include an unlimited number of certifications. Competitive applications have 1-3 relevant, impactful certifications. No certifications identified as most meaningful. | 700 characters for each description. 700 characters for each achievement description. 700 characters for each certification description. |
Many programs require additional profession-specific and/or school-specific essays either embedded within the primary application or provided after you submit your primary application. These are often referred to as supplemental essays, secondary applications, secondary essays, or program-specific essays.
Some schools send secondary applications to all applicants, while others only send secondary questions to applicants who meet certain screening criteria (e.g. MCAT score, GPA, etc.). Some schools have as few as one secondary essay question, while others have ten or more questions. Response length varies greatly across schools and question types. Some schools have character limits while others have word limits.
Secondary essays are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your fit with a school’s specific mission, curriculum, patient population, student body, and institutional values. Common topics include:
- Why are you interested in this program?
- How do you contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion?
- Describe a challenge you have overcome.
- Discuss an ethical dilemma.
- Explain a gap, withdrawal, or academic difficulty.
- Describe your most meaningful service experience.
- Discuss your leadership experiences.
Your secondary essay responses should always explicitly answer the specific question being asked. In addition to directly addressing the prompt, be sure you are also providing new insights into your experiences and perspectives.
Because secondary applications can require dozens of additional essays across multiple schools, it is important to begin drafting early, creating a repository of key phrases and responses you can use as a framework to write your specific responses.
