how to write an amazing medical personal statement?

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also i said working at a care home, and seeing patients die made upset and frustrated me because i wasn't able to do more for them.i did say it taught me the emotional strains of medicine and motivated me more. someone told me i shouldn't say this because it makes it seem i can't handle the emotional pressures of being a doctor. can anyone give me an opinion?

Reply 21

kcampbell893

The main focus for most unis is the UKCAT and grades...only a couple such as Bristol really focus on it. Most will look at it to see that you have a drive and there is nothing untoward in it.

First explain your thought process about why medicine...this could be when you mum was ill, or when you visited gran in hospital or when you first got your hands on an anatomy textbook...how did you personally come to want to be a doctor?
Next explore which work experiences you chose and why, what made you want them? Everyone has work experience but we all choose differently...are you attracted to working with kids so did some time in paediatrics, or maybe you think a GP might be a community ideal...what drove you and what did you discover about yourself and medicine in it. REFLECT...medical schools are massive on reflection through PS right through to interview and qualifying. Include any voluntary work around here as well
What did you learn about the role of a doctor, why is that important to you?
Now what do you like to get up to? What responsibilities do you hold? do you enjoy playing football, have you started working towards becoming a coach and helping out with younger years. Or maybe you have been helping out in learning support, have you learned to appreciate how difficult it is for some people to read, have you had to gain patience and test your skills?
Medicine is about work life balance so what do you do just for fun...do you play an instrument? enjoy skiing? love riding your bike...what drives you as an individual outside of school and work.

It is only short so if you have lots of work experience write them all down and reflect about what you learned and gained in each one and pick the top 2 maximum. You want to reveal more about yourself as a person and anything else can be brought up in interview. Some unis like to hear extras at interview when looking at your personal statement.

My personal statement followed the majority of this structure and I got 4 interviews but most of these are as a result of the academics and UKCAT

Reply 22

Quilverine

Original post by Joanxraquel

someone told me i shouldn't say this because it makes it seem i can't handle the emotional pressures of being a doctor. can anyone give me an opinion?

If you learnt coping mechanisms/resilience then it's a good thing to reflect on surely.
How did you get past sadness?
How did you deal with frustration?
What would you do differently?
Can you still be efficient?
What tools do you think you will have at your disposal for difficult circumstances personally and professionally?

Reply 23

RandomStudent97

Original post by Joanxraquel

i have read lots online, but none have particularly struck me as 'one of a kind'. any tips to have a phenomenal personal statement? words or structure tips? some feedback suggests listing what i have done and what i have learnt from it. others suggest i write about fewer experiences in more detail..? confused.

I agree with what has been said here; they have read everything before so unless you have an unbelievable secret skill, 4 arms or have a pet dinosaur, your personal statement will not be unique. However, it doesn't have to be unique to show that your interest and passion are there.

The structure and flow of it tends to take personal preference but i'd say include the following:
-An 80:20 academic to non academic split --> Includes books read, summer schools, masterclasses, A levels, work experience, voluntary work, etc and then any clubs/societies you're involved in or how you relax/unwind
-If your work experience was self-organised, MENTION THAT!
-Avoid cliches or talking about how being a doctor will change you or how much it means to you
-Everything tends to relate to reflection, honesty and general appreciation: what did you learn from your work experience? have you seen the dull/undesirable side of medicine? what did you think? what useful skills do you have and how have you developed them?
*Amount of work experience isn't completely irrelevant but someone with 2 days of shadowing that appreciated the importance of team work and delegation is more likely to get in than someone that followed a surgeon for 2 weeks and found open heart surgery the best thing since sliced bread
-Even when you aren't talking about medicine, talk about medicine related things i.e. In extra curricular things, if you're a baker, you've been developing the ability to maintain a tidy environment, appreciate cleanliness/sterile environments, develop your ability to multitask, patience, fine motor skills, etc

Try not to stress, you probably won't love your personal statement in the end anyway. Just as long as you include the main things and express your understanding of what it requires, you should be fine!

Hope this helps!

Reply 24

millieprime

I said heaps because I meant you need to big up what you've done, make it sound more than it is.
My predictions were AAA*, I applied to Sheffield Liverpool Nottingham and Kings College. Pre-interview rejection from Sheff, offer from liverpool.

As for UKCAT, just practice, I used medify a lot, that was useful even though you have to pay a bit.

Reply 25

ashleyanatomy

Two most important advices I got on personal statement writing is that your personal statement shouldn't be just a personal statement. It should be a story you tell. And the second one, don't tell about your experiences and achievements as numbers and names. Tell about what you've gained from it, learnt. Personal statements for nursing schools schouldn't be only about books you've read, but what you got from it.

Good luck with your work!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 26

maximo_clark

Hey guys,
I unfortunately didn't get any medical offers last year so I was wondering if that would be worth mentioning in my personal statement this time through, obviously saying how it has made me more resilient etc?

Reply 27

rebeccahickshq

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