Structure
While every personal statement will be different, most will have a recognisable structure. Contained in your 4000 characters will be the answers to the following three questions.
- What qualities do you possess that will make you a safe, ethical and professional doctor? These are you attributes.
- What is it about medicine that attracts you? This is your motivation.
- What have you done to understand the world you’re trying to join? This is your perception of medicine.
Each paragraph of your personal statement should answer one of the three questions above. For any support or help in navigating this process including tuition for UCAT and BMAT exams, interview preparation please do contact us.
Content
The content of your personal statement is, as it’s title suggests, personal. This is a good thing as it gives you a certain degree of flexibility and the opportunity to speak honestly about yourself. While the words you put to paper are your own, you would be foolish not to reference these key personal statement topics.
Why you want to be a doctor. This is generally how students will begin their personal statements and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone will have a different motivation to study medicine and you do not have to have a challenging personal experience to justify you application. If you simply find the combination of biology and human interaction interesting then say that. Equally, if you were inspired by seeing an impressive doctor at some point then it is also ok to say this. As long as you are speaking truthfully it will come across in your personal statement and interview.
Work experience and volunteering. Work experience is an invaluable opportunity to see the reality of working in the NHS and you personal statement should rightfully highlight this. Crucially, your personal statement should not be a trophy room of various impressive shadowing opportunities you have completed. This doesn’t demonstrate why you would make a good doctor and whether you truly understand working in the NHS. Your work experience paragraph should instead focus on what you learnt and gained in your work experience. Was this watch an example of good communication skills? Was this a difficult ethical situation that you have reflected on?
Extracurricular activities. Being captain of you hockey team at school unfortunately does not automatically make you a good doctor. The key with your extracurricular achievements is to relate them back to important skills that doctors must have. For example, being calm under pressure or assessing and utilizing the different skills of a team.
Sometimes the hardest part of writing a personal statement is just getting started. Try writing some paragraphs on the topics listed above in as many words as it takes. Don’t worry about it being too long, it is always easier to cut it down afterwards.
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