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TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Courses > Medicine > Advice for People Writing their Medicine Personal Statements

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Start writing your personal statement early as many people will get through a huge number of drafts before they are happy with their PS. This is the general format for a PS and some good advice (you don't have to use this format, just make sure you include all the sections):

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Work experience paragraph 3 Voluntary work paragraph 4 Extracurricular paragraph 5 Conclusion 6 Optional extras 7 Writing Style Advice

Introduction

It needs to be original and interesting. Explain what initially attracted you to medicine and why. Write concisely- it must be interesting from the first sentence. Don’t try to lead the reader in- just talk about what you feel is important in your desire to become a doctor. If you say that you find X interesting, try to talk about why this is. Remember- you don’t just “read” medicine- the course is vocational and you are studying it because of the career it leads to. Of course, being original doesn't necessarily mean writing something no one has come up with before if its not true, its the wording thats important. Honesty is also very important (however mentioning money/status/prestige aren’t likely to get you very far!)

Work experience paragraph

Don't mention specific places (I helped out at a hospital, not I helped out at Birmingham hospital). Mentioning that you arranged it yourself (by starting the sentence with I arranged... or something similar) is a good way to show personal organisation. Don't list the procedures you saw or places you went. Instead focus on reflecting on what you learned about the reality of life as a doctor. Discuss the pros and cons and why you want to be a doctor despite the cons. Quality is better than quantity. Don’t just say that there are negative aspects- talk about them, but not in too much detail. Afterall this document is your way of showing you want to be a doctor. Another good thing to include in your work experience would be any skills you realised it was useful for doctors to have, and why these were so important. For example: don't just say 'i realised the importance of teamwork,' talk about why it's important. If you have experience in both hospital and general practice, then think about comparing them.

Voluntary work paragraph

Includes peer mentoring, prefects. Remember to keep your sentences short and snappy. If they're long, people get bored and stop reading. Cut out all unnecessary words. Don't start your sentences with verbs unless absolutely necessary (e.g. “Being a prefect” is too informal). Say what you did/do, then what you learned from it, and sometimes explain why that is useful, but not at the expense of it being interesting. Don't repeat things you learned- you only need to demonstrate characteristics once each throughout the statement. You don’t need 3 examples of how you can handle responsibility! Other characteristics- team work, importance of empathy, communications skills, leadership, confidence… there are probably others but you can think of them. Don’t worry if you don’t include them all. If it is just going to sound fake and boring, it’s probably better not to bother.

Extracurricular paragraph

This paragraph is for telling us what you do in your spare time, and why you enjoy it. We want this paragraph to teach us something about you- it is important. You can mention listening to music, socialising, the gym, as long as you can say how these have helped you. This paragraph is important because medical schools want students to contribute something to their school life- through drama, sports, whatever. You also need to recognise that hobbies are important to relax and unwind away from medicine. People often write about skills they've learnt, that don't really relate to medicine, such as improved hand-eye coordination or the ability to use computers. If you do a hobby just because you enjoy it, fair enough, but don't try to justify it in a way that doesn't correspond to medicine.

Conclusion

It needs to sum up why you want to be a doctor and why you're perfect for the career. It must not assume you're going to get into medical school- don’t be arrogant (e.g. 'I look forward to seeing you at interview.'), but sound confident. Don't suddenly bring in things if you've never mentioned them before, such as "I can cope with the stresses on a doctor" when throughout the statement you've never addressed them. Avoid the phrase 'ideal candidate' as each medical school will have a different idea of what this is. Don't refer to the university directly ('your university') as this comes across as very insincere considering you're applying to 4 or 5 universities.

Optional extras

Some people choose to include something about the A Levels/IB they're doing, explaining how they're relevant to medicine and why they chose them. Some people discuss an area of medicine they particularly like and explain why. Never say you definitely want to be a certain type of doctor though- you don’t want to come across as naïve or closed minded. These points often go in a paragraph before the work experience is mentioned. A lot of teachers/tutors are hot on telling students to write about every subject they study and why- a big paragraph on your A Levels doesn’t tell us much about you so don’t bother.

Instead of talking about what you study, we recommend an 'Academic Paragraph' to include an area of medicine that interests you- it will demonstrate that you've read around the subject and will make you look more original.

If you have read a specific book or journal, then this would go in here. However, there is no point in just saying you've read something as anyone could do that. Instead, talk about what you found particularly interesting (about the book) or an article you found particularly interesting (from a journal) and why you found it interesting.

Don't have ANY sentences that put yourself down- even if you try to turn it round, it's better not to say anything negative to start with.

Writing Style Advice

You are writing formally- “Can’t” should be “cannot”. “Doesn’t” should be “does not” etc. Do not include digit numbers- write them out. "I did two weeks..." not "I did 2 weeks". Do not include brackets- (...), they are too informal. Be careful not to miss out words like "have", "I", and "that", like most people do in spoken language. It is safer not to use exclamation marks at all. Look up 'how to use commas and semi-colons'. Spelling and grammar can make or break a PS.

Some words and phrases are extremely cliché: Passion, fascination, love, aspiration, intrigued by, broadened my knowledge, enhanced my skill, affirmed/confirmed my decision. Use these words with caution. If you're using alternatives, be careful not to sound like a thesaurus.

Using phrases such as "quenched my thirst for" or "sparked up my interest" also don't read anywhere near as well as you think they do.

There's a tendency to use "also" all the time, when it's not needed. Be concise! Unnecessary linking words like "Futhermore" and "As a result" get used too often. A few of them are OK, but only a few. Remember to use commas after these linking words and phrases.

Don't use complex words in extremely long and convoluted sentences. People lose interest (and it makes you look somewhat pompous). Keep it short and make it flow.

Capital letters: NOT needed for subject names, doctor, nurse, hospital, hospice, medicine etc. Be careful where you use them.