First of all, anyone can write! No experience necessary
Writing can be incredibly intimidating, especially for students who didn’t come to university to do essay courses *ahem* most medsci students. So don’t fret about your writing abilities at all! We believe you all have an interesting story to tell, and we’re here to help you tell it.
So without further ado, here’s our submission guidelines.
Pitching
Pitch ideas to communications team before starting your piece
Finding the direction of your piece makes the message of your piece stronger
It’s good to pitch ideas that are relevant to what’s going on in society
How to pitch?
Find an angle for your piece
Most topics are broad, so it helps to narrow the scope down — think of it like a research paper; researchers don’t just research “mental health”, they research topics like, “how perfectionism harms mental health”
Once you’ve got your angle, think about the progression of your article
For example, going back to “how perfectionism harms mental health”
Maybe it’ll go something like this: Introduce the topic, talk about how perfectionism diminishes self esteem, talk about how it can increase stress, talk about how these two diminish well-being, and conclude with coping strategies
It doesn’t have to go exactly like that, but it’s good to come up with a few points that will be organized by section
Summarize angle + article progression in 3-4 sentences to whoever you’re pitching to
Potential Topics to Write About
Research experience
Volunteer experience
Medsci culture
Personal anecdotes
Mental Health
Wellness
Applying to professional school
Opinions on science/health news
And really, anything that relates to being a medsci student!
Length
500-600 words - not a hard limit
Speak to Vivian if you’d like to submit a longer piece :)
Style
Strike a balance between formal and informal writing
You want to project your voice, but you also don’t want to put slang in every other sentence
Contractions are fine
Can do a narrative style piece or informative styled piece (see examples below, if you wish)
To submit a piece
Submit as word doc, with full name and preferred name of piece in the title
Send email to: bmsawestern@gmail.com
With subject: BMSA Blog Submission - Full Name
*Not all pieces will be published*
All pieces must be approved by Vivian before publishing
Stuck on ideas? Check out these resources!
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/column/on-campus
The NYT has several personal columns that are great for this personalized style of writing! The one linked is especially helpful because its targeted towards university students
Student Newspapers
American
Student Newspapers are a great source for science-related news that relates to students! I would especially recommend UBC and UofT’s paper because they have stellar writing and also have science sections
You can also check out some American ones, but they may not be as relevant: Yale, Harvard, NYU, Cornell (all have stellar writing)
The News
Keep your eyes peeled for any science related news in the media! (CBC, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, NYT, Associated Press, Ipolitics, Council on Foreign Relations)
Other Examples:
Humanizing Research
HIV Crisis in London
Finding Your Identity While Facing the Pressure of Professional School Applications
I’m 19 and on the Cusp of Something
The Flaws in the GPA System