Writing experts say that your personal statement can be likened to a marketing strategy. You basically have to convince your readers that you have something good to offer and are definitely worth a try. But compared to copywriting, admission essays cannot be based solely on claims. You have to provide clear evidence of your skills and capabilities that will make you suitable to a medical career.
You can easily present facts and figures regarding your academic standing and accomplishments. But when using this style of evidence, your essay may seem like a mere summary of your TOR (transcript of records) and resume. You need to offer details that are not seen in your other application requirements. In which case, you can always use ethos and mythos as types of evidence in your essay.
What are ethos and mythos as types of evidence in an essay?
Ethos is all about building credibility in your admission essay. Readers should perceive you as competent and as someone who possess good character traits. Likeability is key to persuading the admissions panel that you’re one of the best candidates for med school.
Mythos, on the other hand, is about the beliefs and perceived values of your audience. When used as evidence for persuasive essay writing, you see yourself using metaphor, narratives, and sayings. This is a stylistic approach to stressing important points in your argument or discussion.
Benefits of using ethos and mythos
Why med school? Are you suited for the medical professional? Basically, these are the questions you need to answer in your personal statement medical school. You may have the heart-felt desire to help others or best intentions to become a doctor, but without stylish presentation of facts and arguments, you’ll have trouble getting this message across to your audience.
You can then use ethos and mythos to make your personal statement for med school more compelling and interesting. These types of evidence will best illustrate your suitability for a medical career. Rather than enumerating all your positive qualities, use personal experiences, thoughts, and inspirations to express yourself better.
Through your examples, your readers will know what type of person you are, if you are patient enough to get through med school or passionate about the profession.
How to effectively use ethos and mythos in your essay
Your admission essay should not sound like a term paper. It should feel like you’re directly speaking to your audience. A positive ethos can make you a favorable candidate. Focus on your positive qualities, but still be honest with your self-assessment.
Mythos as evidence is used to make your reader understand you better. You can use methaphors and analogies to best explain yourself and appeal to them. Through this technique, you must exhibit rhetorical control.
