Tips for Experience Entries

In the common application, you will be prompted to provide information about your past work and volunteer roles, otherÌýextracurricular activities, awards, honors, and publications.These entries are NOT to be written in the manner of a resume. For detailed guidance on best practices when writing your experience entries, refer to Part 2 of our Pre-Application Workshop.

There are many types of activities and experiences that are considered relevant.Ìý

Think about your experiences with attention to the ways in which they fostered your personal development. For instance, many non-clinical jobs that involve service to others can allow you to develop interpersonal skills that willÌýapply to yourÌýfuture work as a clinician. Examples include work experience as a restaurant server, teacher, tutor, customer service agent, or in anotherÌýretail/service industry position. As you complete your , refer to the list of Core Competencies for Entering Students in the Health ProfessionsÌýto help youÌýthink about the types of skills you have developed from your experiences.Ìý

If you aren't sure which activities to include in your application, we recommend taking the next 15 minutes to complete the following exercise:

  1. Divide a piece of paper in half, lengthwise.
  2. On the left-hand side, list all of the meaningful activities you have participated in since graduating from high school (suggestions: long-term jobs and volunteer roles, clinical experience, research, leadership roles, positions requiringÌýthoughtful approaches toÌýinterpersonal communication, committed involvement in hobbies, etc.) Take some time with this. You may find that you keep coming back to it to add more experiences.
  3. On the right-hand side of the page, put down the skills and personal characteristics these activities reflect or required.ÌýFrom this list, you will gain insight into the characteristics that help define who you are.Ìý
  4. Of all of the activities you listed above, which have been the most meaningful to you either because they have helped you become the person you are today or because they have been instrumental on your path toward wanting to apply to professional school?ÌýThose are the activities you should includeÌýon your application and write about in your personal statement.

How should I write about my experiences?

It is often a challenge to stay within the character limits. Your goals are to:

  • Describe your level of engagement in each activity
  • Reflect upon the way in which the experience has contributed to your personal developmentÌý

Do NOT provide a list of technical skills. It is far more important to provide a big-picture sense of your level of engagement and what the experience meant to you.Ìý

Consolidate where possible.

  • For example, you may be able to group all of your major scholarships into a single entry.
  • If you shadowed several clinicians, you may choose to make a single Shadowing entry, as follows:
    • Ms. ___, physician assistant at Boulder Women’s Clinic, contact information provided above. July 2017, 45 hours total.
    • Dr. ___, nephrologist, [provide email address]. September 2016, 8 hours total.
    • Dr. ___, family practice physician in a community health clinic that cares for patients in urban underserved communities, [provide email address]. May 2017, 16 hours total.
    • By shadowing a variety of healthcare providers, I have learned …Ìý

Review this handout for Detailed Tips for Writing Your Experience Entries.
If applying to PA programs, review this list of Tips for CASPA Experience EntriesÌý¾±²Ô²õ³Ù±ð²¹»å.

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