Medical Personal Statement

[Morphius]

I was wondering are there any out there currently studying Medicine or have done so recently that would care to give me some advice with my personal statement? I have written most of it but my tutor has said to make it more medical, I thought i'd ask you guys if there's anything you could recommend to put on it?

 

[Bugz]

Try thestudentroom.co.uk

They have a P.S Helper Section based on people who have been accepted into university whom have put together very strong PS's.

But the key to medicine is of course the emphasis on academic ability (you shouldn't be less than AAA(A) going into medicine for the top unis) and medical work experience. The later is ESSENTIAL. People get rejected year in, year out, for being academically very bright but lacking the work experience. The tutors want to see you have developed a passion that you have acted upon in lots of different ways.

You need to have the relevance medical background sorted already; else wise it's too late really. I know some of my friends started last january in work experiance and so on.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Just add words like difficult, or maybe chronic, intense, maybe a couple of dysfunctions and for good measure a penile in there.

Bugz knows :lol:

 

[Morphius]

Well I have no work experience as such but I have done aspects which should contribute?

I went on a 3 day medical course at bath hospital as an all round introduction to life in a hospital. I also went on a volunteer trip to ecuador, it's not medical I know but it's a lot of volunteer work 3 weeks.

This is what i've got so far,

I have wanted to study medicine since my early school days, when an over exuberant pupil Carl Jenkins accidentally pushed me down the stairs, breaking my arm. What particularly interested me was whether there was a better method of testing for a broken arm than making a small child hold weights to see if they screamed! I know now that this is not a universally accepted practice for identifying broken bones. Since then I have been fascinated by the human body. The concept of bone breaking and then repairing itself without sellotape or glue grabbed my attention for life!

This interest has been consolidated when earlier this year I participated in a medical course for sixth form students at Bath Hospital; this involved lectures and practical demonstrations on medical care, and a video-link to an operating theatre where I saw knee-replacement surgery. I found this an incredible experience, witnessing the complexities of a knee and how it was synthetically replaced. This has been strengthened academically by a keen interest in human biology, and all aspects of Chemistry. I currently study a wide variety of subjects which I believe would all compliment a career in medicine. I believe the understanding of other cultures I have gained through my participation in Anthropology is an extremely useful knowledge. When working as a doctor in a multi-cultural country it is necessary to know how to interact with different ethnicities.

My aim is to combine my studies in medicine with a military career. With the army being the likeliest of options the area of medicine which interests me the most is emergency medicine, as occurs in A&E. I perceive myself to be informed in current medical issues, reading health articles on the internet regularly. An article of recent interest was on the banning of vaccinations in a catholic school for the Human Papilloma Virus, the main contributor to cervical cancer.

The development of my sporting activities is an example of my self-motivation. My fitness levels were poor, so I started on a tough training regime. At first I doubted whether this was bringing any rewards, but I continued and now play for the 1st XV Rugby team. From the information I have gained from University Open Days I perceive this to be one of the most important aspects to becoming a Doctor. It’s a necessity to have the motivation to complete work required, but at the same time social activities must not be forgotten.

I have been involved in a number of theatre productions, including Wind in the Willows, a major role in “Our Country's Good”, Fame, and currently Les Miserables. I have helped senior students in their Drama A level exams by acting as technical director, showing how I can work responsibly and efficiently in a pressurised situation. These are other key skills I have gained which will help me once I have become a Doctor. Through speaking with current Junior Doctors it has been made perfectly clear to me the duties and demands placed on them. Through all my extra-curricular activities I feel that I have created a personality and work ethic which could cope with the strains applied through studying medicine.

This summer I was a member of a small party that spent three weeks in Ecuador, doing conservation and community work. We organised a wide range of fund raising activities, including a Race Night and formal dinner, raising over £2000, showing how I can work successfully in a group. We performed conservation work in the cloud forest. This was hard manual labour in an unfamiliar environment. We also worked with children with severe special educational needs. This work was extremely rewarding, involving teaching basic English and Arts and Crafts. This trip helped me develop further my leadership and time management through my roles as day leader and organiser of the return travel arrangements, and has taught me that I can quickly adapt to unfamiliar environments and carry out rewarding work.

I have had a number of part-time jobs involving interaction with the general public, including supervising at a paintball site, and ensuring guest safety. I now work at Center Parcs as a waiter. This is a pressurised job with conflicting demands on my time. I have to prioritise tasks, often at short notice.

I enjoy a range of leisure activities including music and supporting Newcastle United. My reading interests range from factual military accounts to light humour.

 

[Jarahl]

I enjoy a range of leisure activities including music and supporting Newcastle United. My reading interests range from factual military accounts to light humour.

That right there will get you rejected right away mate

 

[Cadelin]

You personal statement is not about your academic ability, they have your grades and your teachers references for that. For medicine you will also have an interview, that is where you will get asked academic questions. Medicine is a vocational course. While a certain level of knowledge is required in order to pass exams that is not what makes you a good doctor.

If you have had some experience with medical work that is certainly worth mentioning but it should not be the only thing you talk about. You need to show the university that you do have some life experiences. You need to be the kind of person that can adapt, work well and solve problems in a whole range of situations.

One thing you might like to consider, what makes you want to do medicine over something like (bio-)chemistry or even physics? With these subjects you can easily move into medical research (which is extremely academic, developing drugs or MRI scans etc) but it doesn't involve dealing directly with the patients. What is it about dealing with patients that interests you?

Edit: I am a slow typer I didn't see you had already posted your statement!

 

[Bugz]

In my opinion, you may be slightly lacking medical-related wise. Where are you applying to exactly?

You do however show a good range of interests; which would suffice for the lower-mid tiers of medicine applications.

To drive it home how competitive it is though; a kid I knew in the year above got 5 A's at A-Level; had both dentistry and medical work experience and still got 5 rejections - currently doing a gap year to further his experience in the medical field.

On a somewhat related note; has your teacher gone through the improvements grammatically and structurally you could make to your application? It all seems a little 'thrown in' and could probably be better organized. Grammatically you could probably open up another couple of sentences.

What you can and should do IMO to improve that statement is to incoropate books and scientific/medical articles into it. Reading stuff off the internet will not mean as much to the application people as having quoted a well-respected book and discussing in a sentence or two what parts of it interested you the most.

If your happy with me taking your work and processing it a tiny bit, I am happy to iron out the structural and grammatical problems but there's not much more I can say on the medical aspect apart from that above. Thestudentroom would really be a better place to discuss it than FH.

Good luck with it none-the-less. I sent my application off last Tuesday, so now I'm in the waiting stages

Btw - that opening is VERY cheesy!

 

[Morphius]

haha cheer Bugz, I'm applying to Peninsula, Manchester, Southampton and Newcastle. I'm doing the Ib and they want 31,34,36,38 points respectively. I'm not sure if you know the IB much but I do 6 subjects 3 at higher level and 3 at standard. Each one can gain 7 points, combining to a total of 42 with 3 bonus points available through 2 additional essays and 1 presentation. 7's are near on impossible to gain. I'm predicted a 36 at current with the possibility of 38.

I'm taking everything you guys have said into account and I'm trying to fiddle things around.

Feel free to meddle with it if you want Bugz, I'm going to see my tutor about it tomorow.

The opening may be cheese but he said it was great!

 

[kirennia]

Sounds good mate I would say however, comments like:

showing how I can work responsibly and efficiently in a pressurised situation.

I'd be more inclined to presume they'd understand what it entails rather then telling them it as a statement. This example specifically, talk more about how you were happy that you coped well under the pressure, even after being nervous to begin with etc etc...

To drive it home how competitive it is though; a kid I knew in the year above got 5 A's at A-Level; had both dentistry and medical work experience and still got 5 rejections - currently doing a gap year to further his experience in the medical field.

I both disagree and agree with this comment. A couple of my friends decided to apply for medicine also a few years back but were rejected even with all A's whereas my sister was quoted as only requiring BBC at A-level in order to get into the same uni (Exeter). The reason? She had a kid at a young age and decided to go and do her a-levels at 22 while balancing a family life; being honest about yourself, even if it means saying things you normally wouldn't want people who decide your future to know earns you a hell of a lot more credit then explaining how good you are at everything. She ended up getting 4 A's anyway but that's sort of besides the point...

As for me, again, being 120 points short of what I needed for a computing degree (Not attending, getting pissed and walking into exams isn't the way to pass...lol), I ended up getting into university anyway without an interview because of honesty, openness and showing that I'd learnt from my mistakes. Others of my friends wrote from the whole "I'm good at everything" stand point and again, didn't get into universities even though they exceeded the requirements.

The moral of the story? Be honest... don't go too overboard either way but really don't be afraid to say some things which have happened in recent years which you have overcome, even if they were your mistakes to begin with. Ask yourself what would you do if someone applied saying that. Remember, as far as jobs are concerned, GCSEs, A-levels, GNVQ's, they mean nothing at the end of the day, all they want to know is at the end of your training, you'll be intelligent enough and willing to learn from your mistakes... which WILL happen in a hospital environment. Just don't lay it on too thick


And just in case anyone says blah blah that isn't cambridge or whatever, university is what you make of it. If you end up being shit hot at what you do, it doesn't matter if you attended at "Dr. Nicks school of Hocuspocus", you'll still end up with the jobs at the end of the day.

edit:She had no medical experience whatsoever and my highest computing qualification was a C grade at GSCE...

 

[Cadelin]

I'll try to give you some advice. Its been a few years since I last had to help with one though!

I have wanted to study medicine since my early school days, when an over exuberant pupil Carl Jenkins accidentally pushed me down the stairs, breaking my arm. What particularly interested me was whether there was a better method of testing for a broken arm than making a small child hold weights to see if they screamed! I know now that this is not a universally accepted practice for identifying broken bones. Since then I have been fascinated by the human body. The concept of bone breaking and then repairing itself without sellotape or glue grabbed my attention for life!

This interest has been consolidated when earlier this year I participated in a medical course for sixth form students at Bath Hospital; this involved lectures and practical demonstrations on medical care, and a video-link to an operating theatre where I saw knee-replacement surgery. I found this an incredible experience, witnessing the complexities of a knee and how it was synthetically replaced. This has been strengthened academically by a keen interest in human biology, and all aspects of Chemistry. I currently study a wide variety of subjects which I believe would all compliment a career in medicine. I believe the understanding of other cultures I have gained through my participation in Anthropology is an extremely useful knowledge. When working as a doctor in a multi-cultural country it is necessary to know how to interact with different ethnicities.

Interesting start! Just remember that you need to be comfortable with the interviewer quoting bits at you. If that's what genuinely got your interest in medicine started and its the kind of thing you would say then fine. You also need to remember that wanting to do something for a long time doesn't count for much, there is nothing wrong with a young person changing their mind about what they want to do.

You also want to say that you choose your A-level subjects because you enjoy and find them interesting and you feel that medicine is a natural continuation of these subjects. You don't want to give the impression you only did something because you need it to do medicine.

My aim is to combine my studies in medicine with a military career. With the army being the likeliest of options the area of medicine which interests me the most is emergency medicine, as occurs in A&E. I perceive myself to be informed in current medical issues, reading health articles on the internet regularly. An article of recent interest was on the banning of vaccinations in a catholic school for the Human Papilloma Virus, the main contributor to cervical cancer.

You can't just drop in a line like that first sentence! This isn't a life plan. Have you spoken to the Military are you applying for a university that also does military training? If you haven't applied directly to the military already then you should just mention it as a possible interest. You are interested in medicine, you find broken bones and how the body reacts to traumatic injuries interesting. You don't mind working in a high pressure environment because you find the challenges rewarding. You might like to work in A&E or a similar field, maybe even for the military.

You perceive yourself as informed? You want to say that you have an interest in something and this has lead you to read about it. There is nothing wrong with the internet but if you can also mention a book or a more reliable journal thats great. Any scientific literature such as the new scientist (or even a physics or chemistry journal) is good.

I think you should make more of a point about ethical issues in medicine. It does sound like that is something that interests you but you don't have a paragraph specifically for it. Is that cervical cancer article of special interest to you? Are you at a school where it is being introduced? If not I wouldn't mention details but its the kind of thing to bring up in an interview if asked about what have you read recently.

The development of my sporting activities is an example of my self-motivation. My fitness levels were poor, so I started on a tough training regime. At first I doubted whether this was bringing any rewards, but I continued and now play for the 1st XV Rugby team. From the information I have gained from University Open Days I perceive this to be one of the most important aspects to becoming a Doctor. It’s a necessity to have the motivation to complete work required, but at the same time social activities must not be forgotten.

You make it sound like getting into the school rugby team is like climbing Everest! You play Rugby because you enjoy it! If you are good at it and train alot mention it but don't go overboard. Has your team won anything? Have you helped the team? What position do you play?

I have been involved in a number of theatre productions, including Wind in the Willows, a major role in “Our Country's Good”, Fame, and currently Les Miserables. I have helped senior students in their Drama A level exams by acting as technical director, showing how I can work responsibly and efficiently in a pressurised situation. These are other key skills I have gained which will help me once I have become a Doctor. Through speaking with current Junior Doctors it has been made perfectly clear to me the duties and demands placed on them. Through all my extra-curricular activities I feel that I have created a personality and work ethic which could cope with the strains applied through studying medicine.

For the love of god do you not enjoy anything?! Tell people you like acting/performing and you have helped in some plays! Tell us what you did! Not everything has to be about how it will make you the worlds best doctor! If you tell them what you did they can figure out that this means you can work in a team under pressure.

This summer I was a member of a small party that spent three weeks in Ecuador, doing conservation and community work. We organised a wide range of fund raising activities, including a Race Night and formal dinner, raising over £2000, showing how I can work successfully in a group. We performed conservation work in the cloud forest. This was hard manual labour in an unfamiliar environment. We also worked with children with severe special educational needs. This work was extremely rewarding, involving teaching basic English and Arts and Crafts. This trip helped me develop further my leadership and time management through my roles as day leader and organiser of the return travel arrangements, and has taught me that I can quickly adapt to unfamiliar environments and carry out rewarding work.

This is good, I would give more details. As well as helping people what did you enjoy? Once again you don't need to go overboard about how it helped you develope as a person.

I have had a number of part-time jobs involving interaction with the general public, including supervising at a paintball site, and ensuring guest safety. I now work at Center Parcs as a waiter. This is a pressurised job with conflicting demands on my time. I have to prioritise tasks, often at short notice.

I enjoy a range of leisure activities including music and supporting Newcastle United. My reading interests range from factual military accounts to light humour.

Its important to mention the other things you do because it lets them know you don't just do academic work however you don't need to justify everything as useful for becoming a doctor. Just briefly explain what you do. Give details where relevant but let them decide how useful it is. What music do you like? (mention if you have gone to any festivals or concerts maybe?)


In general I would say you want to give more specifics about what you have actually done. Highlight the things you think would help you as a doctor but you don't need to spell it out for them. Mentioning outside interests is good. I feel from reading this that I don't actually know much about you, except that you believe everything you do will make you a good doctor. You want people to think you are an interesting person who has done enough with their life to be able to cope with a degree in medicine. Hope this helps.

P.S. I would also start trying to read some medical literature. It doesn't have to be the Lancet or the BMJ, whatever you can get your hands on. Your interviews are still a few months away at the very least, plenty of time to make yourself actually informed!

In my opinion, you may be slightly lacking medical-related wise. Where are you applying to exactly?

You do however show a good range of interests; which would suffice for the lower-mid tiers of medicine applications.

To drive it home how competitive it is though; a kid I knew in the year above got 5 A's at A-Level; had both dentistry and medical work experience and still got 5 rejections - currently doing a gap year to further his experience in the medical field.

This is painfully misguided. The personal statement needs some work but (without knowing predicted grades) there is no reason why he can't apply to any university. Look at the evidence you just presented. An extremely clever person with lots of work experiences is rejected. Maybe the universities are looking for something else?

 

[Bugz]

This is painfully misguided. The personal statement needs some work but (without knowing predicted grades) there is no reason why he can't apply to any university. Look at the evidence you just presented. An extremely clever person with lots of work experiences is rejected. Maybe the universities are looking for something else?

No it is not misguided.

Low to mid tier universities require a good candidate with the right interests and so on - high tier universities require luck and all of the essentials too.

The kid in the year above; who only applied to high-tier unis (and rightly so - as he was a very clever bloke) failed on the luck part.

Please note that I never said it would not suffice for high-tier unis, but that it would suffice for the low to mid tier unis. The fact of the matter is you can never 'suffice' for high-tier unis unless simply you are at a very academically-proven course and are academically amazing - such as maths at Cambridge or perhaps some other minor cases.

Getting into a high-tier uni is nothing to do with your P.S, your grades or your predicted grades, because every other person applying is just as good, if not better than you. They are simply the benchmark for meeting the criteria.

 

[Bugz]

I think all the examples of people getting rejected etc. above show that with medicine it is unfortunately; luck, luck, luck and simply whether or not they like you (assuming you meet the basic criteria).

There's a reason why it is one of the most competitive subjects to study at university (and certainly up there with law; dentistry; economics).

 

[Morphius]

thank you very much Cadelin that was an extremely helpful post, I'm going to be scrubbing away at it tonight, I'm very tempted to start with a blank page and try and start again!

I'll maybe post an ammendment tomorow morning so watch this space

 

[pikeh]

FH-OT is actually the most qualified* medical board on the internet.







*may or may not be true.

 

[Bugz]

The unfortunate braking of my arm, and the subsequent care and attention that I received first fuelled my desire to enter the medical profession. The fascination of the human body; and its ability to repair itself without the use of glue or paste grabbed my attention, and opened my eyes to the raw potential within the human body. Much more existed in medicine than those elusive techniques the Victorians aspired to: (example of a Victorian technique or something).

Participating in a medical course at Bath Hospital strengthened my interest in medicine; a rewarding look at medical care through the use of both lectures and practical demonstrations. The experience of watching knee-replacement surgery; exploring the complexities a knee can have and the ability of medicine to overcome them enthralled me. It seemed to combine well with my natural interest in human biology, and chemistry; of which I currently study at IB-Level (?). Anthropology, another of my studies, explores cultural and ethical understandings, essential in a socially engaging subject as medicine.

Career-wise, I would like to utilise medical studies with that of the military; aspiring to specialise in emergency medicine: as occurs in A&E. Having read (INSERT BOOKS/JOURNALS HERE (AND NAMES OF AUTHORS), I …. (What you learnt, why you liked learning it, how you can relate it to medicine etc.)

I had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Ecuador lately; promoting and engaging in community work. Through fund-raising and effort; we managed to raise over £2000 for the locals; and, I myself, managed to strengthen my ability to work successfully with others. The labour was particularly hard work and somewhat tedious; and the environment was challenging, but the rewards; making a difference to children with severe special needs for example; was worth it. I felt that I had not only developed myself on a social level, but on a personal level; through a greater understanding of the world around me. (perhaps a new paragraph here! Hmmm) I have also maintained a couple of part-time jobs; most notably supervising at a paintball site (where safety and responsibility had to be encouraged, if not enforced) and a waiter. Both jobs, although part time, were very much time-dependant, conflicting with other activities I did. Prioritisation was key.

My desire to work and socialise with others has led me to play for my school rugby team, at a competitive level, and it is something I have found particularly rewarding, and has motivated me to stay active. Having contributed to a number of theatre performances: ‘Les Miserables,’ amongst others, I have enabled myself to take a strong, authoritative role in situations: leadership is just as essential as the teamwork, which stems from it. I have helped others: students taking exams who needed support, and have had the pleasant experience of talking to some Junior Doctors; who, even though emphasised the duties and demands required for the medical profession, only strengthened my desire to work and converse with others in such a rewarding environment.

On a personal level, I enjoy music (give sophisticated examples, in my opinion), football and reading (GIVE ACTUAL EXAMPLES). (Perhaps expand this part by a line or two more if you can)


Something I drew up in 10 minutes - maybe not to your liking but it would be how I would tackle a personal statement.

 

[Bugz]

Oh and yes, I do know I have an excessive use of commas and semi-colons, which would be properly sorted if I could be arsed

 

[Lucius]

I wouldn't say you want to specialise in the military for definite. I think it would be better if you did not mention this or else it will make you sound naive. Just my opinion tho =). I thought you write extremely Morphius by the way, good luck mate.

 

[Jugvayne]

Lol, the days of writing personal statements *shudders* glad that's behind me . Where are all you guys applying and what for?