By Dr Austen Spruce, Medicine Admissions Tutor
The personal statement (PS) is your chance to persuade admissions tutors that we should interview you. The admissions tutor needs to be convinced that you have a genuine interest in becoming a doctor and that you have the motivation and skills to succeed. Here are some things to consider when preparing your personal statement.
1. It's an important part of the selection process
Some Medical Schools score a PS, which makes it essential that you conform to their requirements. We do not assign a score in our selection process but it is still important. We need to have assurance that, if we invite you for interview, you have the experiences and understanding that are fundamental to our interview process.
2. This is your opportunity to make a good impression
Your PS must describe the factors that have and still are motivating you to study medicine and the relevant qualities that you possess. But, please do not simply make a list of statements that are assertions of your desires and characteristics without backing them up with examples.
3. Demonstrate your potential - the importance of evidence
Everything you say about yourself must be based on evidence – the things you have done and are doing that demonstrate you have the aptitude and commitment to succeed in becoming a competent doctor. We need to know:
- What you have done?
- When did you do it?
- Where?
- How long did you spend? In terms of healthcare involvement, we expect that you offer a total of about 2 weeks of experiences.
4. You must have been engaged in relevant activity
You must offer healthcare experience and, more precisely, this should be active involvement. You can gain an understanding of the issues relevant to providing good quality care through voluntary work in a care home, nursing home, hospice or a hospital ward. Alternatively, you could volunteer for a charity that works with adults or children with disabilities. We are less impressed by observation experiences. If you are lucky enough to shadow a doctor, that can be great for you to find out a little of what it is like but this experience says nothing to us about what you are like.
The other aspect of the experiences that you must offer is the evidence that you have the personal qualities to become a doctor. Some of these can be demonstrated through your interactions with vulnerable people in a care home, for example. But you must also provide examples of leadership ability, negotiating skills, decision-making and coping with stress. These qualities are more likely to be on display through, say, your involvement with clubs and societies. Perhaps you are a scout or guide leader or you help coach a sport to children? We value the experiences that take place outside of school.
For those Medical Schools that score a PS, you must also describe what you learned from these experiences – both about yourself and about the practice of medicine.
5. What else?
Your PS must be literate, organised, original and, above all, truthful. You must not exaggerate your experiences. If your PS is not entirely honest then there is the obvious concern that you will be tempted to not be completely open as a doctor. Patients must be able to have complete trust in you. Medical Schools are charged with the task of selecting people who will uphold the values of the NHS.
6. Next
There are lots of helpful resources available to help when writing your PS. We've picked a few out for you here:
7. And finally...
Seek guidance from Medical School websites. We are all different in our selection processes.
Good luck with your application!