Have you ever watched a movie trailer so bad you decided not to see the movie?
Admissions officers do that with your personal statement. Your first few lines—the “hook”—decide whether they’re intrigued or already tuning out.
Most students think their hook needs to be profound, dramatic, or philosophical. Nope. It just needs to make the reader want more. Here’s how to write a hook that actually works.
A hook should drop the reader into a moment. Instead of writing, “Medicine is the perfect blend of my passion for science and my love of people,” try, “The ER doors swung open, and the nurse yelled my name.” See the difference? One is generic. The other makes you want to keep reading.
The best movie trailers show just enough to make you curious—they don’t explain the entire plot. Your hook should do the same. Avoid starting with “I have always wanted to be a doctor” or “I first became interested in medicine when…” Instead, hint at something interesting and make the reader lean in.
If your first sentence includes childhood stethoscope games, an inspiring immigrant grandparent, or a quote from Hippocrates, delete it. These are the most overused openings in medical school essays. You think they make you sound deep; they actually make you sound like every other applicant.
Read your first two sentences out loud. If someone else applying to med school could have written them, they’re not good enough. Rewrite them until they sound uniquely you.
A hook should be punchy—one or two sentences max. The longer you take to get to the point, the less interested your reader will be.
Final Thought: Your personal statement is a story, and your hook is the trailer. Make it compelling, make it unique, and—most importantly—make them want to keep reading.
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