Applications to the University of Toronto's MD program are submitted through the Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS). In addition to the Autobiographical Sketch (ABS), letters of recommendation (or “Confidential Assessment Forms” - CAFs), and other basic materials required for all Ontario medical schools, UofT has two unique requirements: the Brief Personal Essays (BPEs) and the ABS Statement. In this guide, we'll break down what these essential components entail, why UofT requires them as part of your application, and how to construct impactful essays that are likely to be reviewed favourably.
Brief Personal Essays (BPEs)
The BPEs are short essays (maximum 250 words) written in response to specific questions related to UofT Med’s mission and values. These questions are newly created every year. The BPE question stems for the 2022-23 application cycle are:
1. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed obligatory changes in all our lives. What have you learned and how has this changed you as a person? Are there ways that you adapted that you would keep going forward?
2. What is the purpose of a mentoring relationship? What are the 3 most important elements of a mentoring relationship? Discuss a mentoring situation that you experienced in relation to these qualities.
The point of these questions
It's important to first understand the purpose of these essays. UofT's BPEs are designed to reflect the values of the “four clusters” across which they rank applicants, and determine if you can demonstrate these values through critical analysis and proof of relevant experience.
The four clusters
The four clusters summarize UofT's MD program mission and values, which are essentially just condensed CanMEDS roles:
1. Professional Cluster: Maturity, reliability, perseverance and responsibility
2. Communicator/Collaborator/Leader Cluster: Communication, collaboration, teamwork, time management and leadership
3. Advocate Cluster: Advocacy, community service and social responsibility
4. Scholar Cluster: Academic standing, achievements in leadership, research and social responsibility as demonstrated by (but not limited to) awards, conference presentations, publications and scholarships
How to score well
There's an art to writing these short essays effectively. While each BPE is different, and while an optimal response will depend on your unique experiences and applicant profile, we've broken down the most essential elements of a good response:
Identify the cluster(s) each question is designed to address and frame your response in relationship to those attributes. UofT loves their clusters. Know them well, understand their importance, and use them as a framework for constructing your responses.
Support your responses with details from relevant personal experiences. It's not enough to simply tell the Admissions Committee about your thoughts and opinions on the question being asked. You need to show them by using personal anecdotes from your experiences that provide direct evidence for the claims that underlie your responses.
Provide clear, concise, and logical responses to the questions being asked. Many applicants get caught up discussing the clusters or their personal experiences without actually answering the questions. Ensure your responses address the questions being asked - there are often multiple embedded in each prompt.
Make meaningful connections to medical school and/or the profession of medicine. Don't forget that these prompts are, in one way or another, related to your potential future as a physician. Formulate impactful responses by drawing nuanced connections between your values and personal experiences, and how they will impact you as a potential medical student and future physician.
The ABS Statement
For UofT’s ABS Statement, you are asked to write a 500-word personal statement in response to the following prompt: "Write about an impactful experience from your Autobiographical Sketch that demonstrates your personal growth, character and values. How did this experience prepare you for medical school?"
The point of this statement
As with the BPEs, your response will again be evaluated across the four clusters. However, UofT makes this aspect of their application a bit more broad and open-ended. In fact, the lack of constraints on your response is, at least in part, what makes this component of the application difficult. UofT’s Admissions Committee is looking to understand the most impactful experience that has motivated you to pursue medical school, and whether your personal growth, character and values make you well-suited to do so. Notice also that your statement will implicitly reflect your perception of the kinds of qualities that are important in medicine, which ultimately reflects your understanding of what it takes to succeed in medical school and the medical profession.
How to score well
Although this is a fairly open-ended prompt, you need to ensure that you address each of the points being asked of you in the question stem. To do so effectively, it’s important to understand the various nuances embedded within the prompt and how they can help you organize the description of your experiences.
Let’s break the question down into its component parts. You are being asked to describe an impactful experience that demonstrates your:
Personal growth: To experience growth, you have to learn something new, change your perspective on an important issue, and alter your behaviour accordingly. Think about the activities in your ABS and when this may have occurred. Maybe you tried to help someone in need, but despite your best intentions, you weren’t able to solve the issue at hand. What did you learn from this experience? How did your perspective and behaviour change as a consequence? This is an effective way to begin your statement.
Character: Your actions are the truest reflection of your character, and this is arguably the most important part of your essay. What did you do as a consequence of what you learned? How did your new perspective on this important issue motivate you to take action? Medical schools are looking for your ability to identify needs in your community and your willingness to take action to address those needs. The learning experience you describe and the subsequent actions you took could be framed in relation to this critical concept.
Values: What personal values did you derive from this impactful experience that are integral to who you are as a person? Will you be different moving forward? Did this experience strengthen and reinforce values that were already important to you? Did these values influence the decisions you made during this experience? How will they influence your actions going forward? Values such as honesty, integrity, equity, and advocacy are just a few of the many cornerstone values of medicine that you can talk about here.
How did this experience prepare you for medical school? In order to answer this effectively, you must have a good understanding of the qualities and characteristics necessary to succeed in medical school and the profession of medicine. The UofT clusters and CanMEDS roles are a good starting point to help you orient yourself here. However, be careful not to simply parrot the clusters and roles. Take the time to find insightful ways to demonstrate you possess these important qualities without explicitly repeating them. Ensure that you draw clear connections between your experiences, one or more of the lessons derived from those experiences, and how they will be important for you as a potential medical student and future physician.
While crafting your ABS statement, ensure that your response touches on each of the component parts above, with an orientation towards UofT's clusters. As always, use personal anecdotes to back up your claims and show reviewers the kind of a candidate you are. If you can do all of this while remaining clear and concise in your writing, you should be able to submit your application to UofT Med with confidence!
In Summary…
Applying to medicine is an exciting step in your journey towards becoming a physician. Remember that all schools – UofT included – have created an application process that isn’t meant to scare you away, but rather enable you to provide a clear picture of why you are ready to take the next step in your medical career! Take the written components of the UofT application as an opportunity to share what makes you unique with the Admissions Committee. You’ve put in a lot of work to get to this place and have much to be proud of – get excited about showcasing these experiences to those reviewing your application!
Want additional assistance for your UofT application? Our Admissions Advisors are happy to help guide you at all points in the process. Reach out for more information today, or schedule an appointment with one of our Advisors. We are here to make the process as seamless and stress-free as possible!
Wishing you the very best!