Its a bit of a way off yet but...

I was wondering...
my sister has down's syndrome and needs 24 hour care. Would I be able to include this in a personal statement for medicine...when I do it. Cos as far as "working in a caring environment" is concerned...I have to look after her all the time and I have learnt so much from having her around :smile:

Also...I wanted to start medicine cos when I was younger my dad had cancer but doctors made him all better. I want to say that in a none cheesy way :s-smilie:

any ideas?

K xxx

Reply 1

Sianne

You should definitely include the first part - the more experience you've had, the better! As for the second part, you could just say that you know somebody who has personally benefitted from the care given by medical staff and you want to do the same for other people. Personal statements are often made up of cheese, so don't worry.

Reply 2

x.fiore.x

14

I went to a pre-application talk at Newcastle uni with a friend who wanted to do medicine, and the man doing the talk said that you should never write in a personal statement for med that you had a relative that was ill and you saw the medical care they got, and you want to do the same. Oh and he also said that you should never say that you want to follow in your mother/father/brother's footsteps, or that you yourself have been ill and you want to give back, and he also said you shouldn't say you like Holby City lol. I don't know if this is just what the people at Newcastle don't like, but I hope I helped in some way.

Reply 3

Sianne

x_f_x

I went to a pre-application talk at Newcastle uni with a friend who wanted to do medicine, and the man doing the talk said that you should never write in a personal statement for med that you had a relative that was ill and you saw the medical care they got, and you want to do the same. Oh and he also said that you should never say that you want to follow in your mother/father/brother's footsteps, or that you yourself have been ill and you want to give back, and he also said you shouldn't say you like Holby City lol. I don't know if this is just what the people at Newcastle don't like, but I hope I helped in some way.

But what if those are all of the reasons why you want to do Medicine? Just lie?

Reply 4

kellywood_5

17

I don't see why the admissions tutors at Newcastle don't like those things because they all sound like perfectly vaild reasons to me, except that you want to do it because your mum/dad/brother/sister did it, which makes you sound like a sheep who just does what's expected of you rather than what you actually want to do. Personal experience of caring for a sick relative is sort of work experience in a way, which is always good, and seeing a relative get better because of medicine shows that you care and want to help people.

Reply 5

Banana Blossom

my friend was in a similar situation, her bro had cp (though she was applying for a teaching course) and she mentioned it! she didn't make a huge deal of it just added that it was an additional factor to her coming to realise she enjoyed working with children etc and gave her the inspiration to specialise in work with disabled kids. i think it just showed she'd thought about it really seriously!

Reply 6

Minerva

17

x_f_x

I went to a pre-application talk at Newcastle uni with a friend who wanted to do medicine, and the man doing the talk said that you should never write in a personal statement for med that you had a relative that was ill and you saw the medical care they got, and you want to do the same. Oh and he also said that you should never say that you want to follow in your mother/father/brother's footsteps, or that you yourself have been ill and you want to give back, and he also said you shouldn't say you like Holby City lol. I don't know if this is just what the people at Newcastle don't like, but I hope I helped in some way.

Just one admissions tutor at one medical school... not necessarily representative, but I think he may have been trying to say that there's a big difference between the cliches of "wanting to give something back" or "provide the good medical care", and using your personal experience to demonstrate that you have insights into the challenges involved in being a good doctor. In the case of the OP, her experience with her sister has inevitably influenced her choice and developed her understanding of what she might be taking on. It's all a matter of how it's presented.

Its a bit of a way off yet but...

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you