 
   Step 2: Identify and develop
personal points of reference (4:40)
   Step0% COMPLETE
3: Determine the 'voice' of
your application (7:03)
   Step 4: Select the most
appropriate format
   Step 5: Add the content (in bullet
point form)
   Step 6: Chop and refine to polish
off your application
   Step 7: Receive credible and
constructive second, third and fourth
opinions
Exemplars - The Good, Bad and why
   The Good (57:06)
   The Bad (16:52)
 Previous Lecture Complete and continue 
   Step 4: Select the most appropriate format
The reason as to why we decided on our voice first before thinking about the type of specific sentence-
by-sentence structuring (i.e. formatting) is to make sure the writing flows in a way that the reader
comprehends your application in a way you intended him/her to comprehend it. 
A lot of the times, candidates have little experience writing applications and therefore do not know ‘what
to put where’ for their points to sound the best. Instead, candidates write in a way that is either too
‘academic’, ‘informal’ or even ‘bullet-pointy’ - none of which are appropriate for answering an application
question. In this step, we will explore how a combination of a few sentences organised in differing orders
can make massive differences when it comes to helping improve the ‘readability’ of a paragraph. By
showing you some idea will help you determine the plan of what each sentence will look like in your first
draft. 
Say, we are looking at the question ‘Why do you want to become a medical practitioner?’, here are a
few suggestions about how you can format your answer better:
Organise your answer to answer into three parts which each serves a distinct purpose for the reader.
Note, each ‘part’ does not necessarily have to a separate paragraph or passage, but rather just three
parts of your answer that looks to build on from each other in helping the reader realise your suitability as
a future medical student and doctor.
Part 1 (first/top part i.e. the first part read by the medical selector): should serve to introduce the crux
of HOW (the process) you’ve come to identify medicine as the ideal career for yourself compared to all
other careers out there and WHY you believe medicine will provide you with the greatest sense of
reward based on your values, beliefs, motivations and the goals of a career. Part 1 works as a quick but
focused explanation to the medical selector about the extent and effort you put into making medicine
your number career choice. Do not be overly-descriptive in the details of the HOW and WHY (that is
reserved for the interview and latter parts of this application) but focus on hitting home the key messages
that will allow the reader to get to know the type of person you are through your decision to pursue
medicine.
Summary: Part 1 is essentially an introductory/summary passage that outlines the mindset and
mannerism you went about confirming medicine to be your career of choice. 
Part 2: (middle part, i.e. the second part read by the medical selector): should serve to elaborate on
one or a maximum of two key reason(s) of your decision-making process that was introduced in part 1.
The best way to describe what this part is meant to provide to the readers is as if you’ve him/her a
magnifying glass into the thinking process behind this decision. So by diving deep and examining the
intricate steps behind your decision-making process allows the reader to realise why the things you
absolutely NEED in a career are important to you (and found in medicine). Part 2 of your answer should
be the largest and most in-depth part of the entire response to the application question and if you do
have a sizeable word limit to play with, feel free to separate part 2 into two small paragraphs. Each
paragraph can elaborate on each of the two key reasons behind your decision-making process.  
Summary: Part 2 expands on the most important reasons behind your motivation to gain entry into the
medical profession. You are effectively sharing the significance and value of each of the reason behind
your decision to become a doctor. 
Part 3: (final part, i.e. the third part read by the medical selector): Now that you’ve ‘hit the nail in the
coffin’ by making the background decision-making process behind choosing a career in medicine
absolutely clear in part 2, it is time to show the reader just how committed you are in making this dream a
reality. A beneficial addition you can include in an application is by showing the type of work you’ve put
in to ensure that you can become the best medical student and doctor you can become. After all, if the
medical career is indeed your ‘do or die’ career pathway, wouldn’t you have spent every waking hour
doing the things that you think will develop you into the best version of yourself to tackle and overcome
the challenges thrown to you by the career? Part 3 therefore should introduce (again don’t go into depth
as you can go into depth in a following section of the application) the types of experiences and activities
you’ve undertaken (and any notable hands-on experiences) that has helped you understand the day to
day tasks of a doctor even better from both a clinical and research context and anything that have helped
build some of the key traits that will make an individual a great doctor. 
Summary: Part 3 informs the medical selector that you are so serious about getting into medicine that
you’ve committed yourself to become further immersed in the field and have actively made consistent
efforts to develop critical traits required to be a competent medical student and doctor. I call part 3 the
‘icing on the cake’, as it adds ‘sweetness’ to the points mentioned in part 1 and 2. 
You can take the part 1, 2 and 3 approach as the way you would format the response to any other
question asked in the application e.g. Tell us why you are interested in a course where important themes
are Indigenous and tropical health and rural, remote medicine?
As long as the parts exist in some form or shape and the same order as described above, your response
will flow much smoother and be easier to understand.  
Discussion
Post a comment
Nikolaos Kalominidis
Leave a comment...
Post Comment
0 comments