Preparing for application

As mentioned in the strategic application, many medical schools don’t use the personal statement, however make sure you research if any of your universities do, as they will be very likely to grill you on them.

A personal statement can be no more than 4000 characters, including spaces. This is not a lot to effectively sell yourself in. It should look at your motivations to study medicine, what you have done to explore them, and why you think you are suitable for the course- why will you be a good doctor?

Be honest but accurate in your statement, and use it to show all of your skills and experiences, basically what you will bring to the university that other people won’t. Remember not to directly copy and paste any that you have read/seen anywhere else, as they will be checked on UCAS for similarities and plagiarism, as this may result in instant rejection before your application has even reached the universities.

There are certain “buzzwords” that someone reading the statement may like, some examples are:

• Communication

• Empathy

• Reflect

• Teamwork

• Active listening

• Cooperation

• Working together

• Confidentiality

• Leadership

However, make sure you reflect on these, and explain how you have gained them and why these will make you a good doctor. Try to avoid the common trap of “I want to be a doctor because I want to help people”. This is extremely generalised, lacks detail and tells the person nothing about why they should pick you over another candidate.

This is an example of one that Oxford University provides: https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/applying/anatomy-of-ps

This was my personal statement, it is by no means perfect, but it gives you an idea of what someone with 4 offers may write:

“Propelled by volunteering and work experience, my ambition to study Medicine blossomed from my love of learning, coupled with an inherent desire to ameliorate lives.

A summer school at Hospice X accentuated how compassion builds individual care foundations. Shadowing a clinical nurse specialist magnified barriers to effective communication. A man with MND used a sluggish augmentative device, revealing technology limitations. In lieu, we interacted with gestures. Such adaptability is a key attribute of a doctor who must draw on various communication styles so patients are fully informed and feel listened to. Prior interactivity of primary and tertiary teams ensured a cohesive consultation and continuity of care. I noted the multifaceted teams upmost respect to maintain confidentiality. Meeting a further MND patient, I reflected on how despite same ailments, a doctor's duty is to maximise quality of life by providing personalised care. This transformed my perception of palliative care, and, although emotive, was invaluable to gain perspective to help me become an empathetic doctor.

As a St John Ambulance Cadet for 3 years, I have become proficient in practical First Aid. Working as part of a team to treat a distressed toddler with a graze, I recognised the importance of reassurance and complexity of paediatrics. To nurture my curiosity of the speciality, I attended a paediatric conference. As a psychiatrist expressed concern over effects of long waiting times, I learnt of ethical dilemmas a doctor encounters to balance autonomy with beneficence. His CAHMS seminar had a profound impact on my attitudes towards mental health. From my new understanding of medical education, I have strived to build on my own teaching skills tutoring GCSE students. In addition to developing organisational skills, I have used such partnerships to cogitate on my own learning styles. It was interesting to contrast paediatric care with patients from work experience at a dementia centre. Despite an age gap, I discovered overarching principles integral to holistic care. For example, how their dependence and limited decision-making capacities increased vulnerability, an echo of the honesty a doctor must always uphold. In my EPQ, I united hospice and dementia experience to compose a debate on euthanasia of dementia sufferer's. I consider such lateral thinking to be representative of a doctor's duties. Researching the amyloid-beta hypothesis strengthened my ability to select crucial information, interpreting research papers for the first time. A skill, after completing Observe GP and watching a mock OSCE rotation, I feel essential for doctors. A BrightMed history taking task challenged me to problem solve, using open ended questions was crucial to amass details to diagnose.

It was remarkable to see how leadership of a doctor promotes unified cooperation within an MDT as a volunteer on an emergency floor. Working in an MDT has strengthened my social skills which will help me relate to, and build a rapport with patients. This prompted me to delve into "The language of kindness" to appreciate the value of nursing staff and the extent of their duties. DofE expeditions have allowed me to value individual strengths of peers. Achievement of my Girlguiding leadership qualification has allowed me to collaborate with a wide age range to plan activities. I have reflected on the scale of coordination required to instil patient confidence as my schools Head Student where I liaise between staff and students and showing initiative to fundraise as a charity committee member. I hope to continue community action as it has been a great outlet to destress from my A-levels.

Thanks to my experiences, my desire to commit to the lifelong endeavour in an evolving field of technological and scientific discoveries has been fuelled. I have learnt that the demands of studying medicine should be embraced and I know I can become a versatile, dedicated doctor, ready to face challenges of the future.”

You will also have a UCAS reference, written by your teachers and form tutor. Not all tutors will let you, but it may be worth asking to read it, or even ask them to add in anything that you think is important but you couldn’t fit in your personal statement. This way, the person reading your application will get to see a broader range of experiences and abilities.