As mentioned in my previous post, your personal statement is the most crucial thing in your UCAS medical school application. Writing a good personal statement (PS) is almost an art, you want to be original but not outlandishly weird, you want to seem intelligent and confident but not arrogant and cocky, and there is the character limit. It seems like all the cards are stacked against you, but don't stress! I've come to the rescue! If you are struggling to write your personal statement for your medical school application, you've come to the right place. I've got some very important tips and advice for you.
Now you are probably thinking why you should listen to me, right? Well, I've written quite a few formal personal statements in my time. Two for my medical school applications (as I applied twice), one for studying an integrated bachelor's degree in Neuroscience (one the most competitive courses at my university), another for studying a bachelor's degree in Anatomy (we had to write another second PS for our back up choice), aaaand one for a PhD application.
Was I successful in all of them? Yes.
I got 3/4 medical school interviews (I didn't get an interview from Oxford, but they didn't place very much on PS's for interview selection). I got a place on the Neuroscience BSc degree, which was decided on the personal statement alone, no interviews! I also got an interview for my PhD application, and I know people who were rejected just on paper.
So I hope I have convinced you that my advice is worth reading. Obviously, your personal statement is not the only thing that will determine your success. It is one of the means to get you an interview. For other things, please read my post on Medical School Applications.
So, let's dive in...
1. Start early.
Which personal statement is going to be better: one that was written weeks and weeks ago, rewritten and edited, or one that was typed up on the night before the deadline? The answer is simple. Medical School UCAS applications usually close early/mid-October. You should be starting in early September, and have a first draft by the end of the second week of September at the latest. Starting early means you will have time to edit and rethink, come up with other ideas and get lots of feedback.
2. Don't plagiarise!
This is very serious. You won't get away with it. You will be automatically rejected, and may not be allowed to apply for medicine again. They have very sophisticated softwares that will catch you. DO NOT try it! Don't use websites that write personal statements for you either. That. Is. Just.
Bad.
3. Get feedback.
I know letting someone to read your PS can be quite terrifying, it is a personal statement after all. However, feedback is so valuable. Ask your parents to read it, ask your teachers, ask your friends, ask your parents' friends, ask your neighbours, ask the stranger in the suit who walked past you on the street... Okay, maybe not the last one, but you get my point.
You don't have to listen to them, (although your teachers definitely know what they are talking about, they have read a good few hundred of them) but they might just say something you didn't think about before. If you still disagree, at least they can pick out spelling and grammar mistakes. And if your statement is perfect, you will just have reconfirmation. It is a win-win situation!
4. Strong opening
First impression is everything, and your first sentence sets the tone. It must grab the admission officer's attention. They will be reading hundreds and hundreds of them, so don't put them to sleep! Try opening the first sentence with a quote or a question, or maybe an interesting medical fact. Just beware to not be too gimmicky! The first sentence or two should be attention-grabbing and different, but not the whole statement!
5. Strong ending
The last paragraph is what the reader will remember last. It is the last thing they will read before they decide whether you go in the accept or reject file. So make it epic! Say how determined you are, how hard-working you are, how you are the perfect fit for their course... Be remembered and end in a bang. Again, don't go overboard. You want fireworks, not a nuclear war. How do you know if you've gone overboard? Get feedback, aka point No. 3.
6. Be original
The most important thing that has to be original in the statement is the first sentence and maybe the ending. To be honest, there is a limited degree of originality in medicine applications. Everyone has pretty similar reasons for why they want to study medicine, everyone has work experience, everyone plays an instrument or do sports, and get amazing grades. However, the way you write about them, your own reflections and thoughts can make it your own. You won't be a white dandelion in a sea of red roses, but at least you can appear like a pink geranium. (Are you loving my similes or what?!)
Also, you probably don't want to be the white dandelion either. I know someone who applied for English Lit and wrote her statement in the form of a poem. She was very clever, perfect to study the subject and had the required target grades. However, she got rejected. So you know, don't be that unorthodox...
7. Get to the point.
Your PS is not a creative writing piece, or an English literature essay. While I may have used some pretty fun similes in this post, you don't really want that in your PS. It might just be confusing for the reader. Remember that they read a lot of statements in a day, so you want to be clear and concise in your writing, make it easy to read and digest. Avoid long sentences, 'flowery language' (I was a victim of this at the beginning) and use paragraphs wisely!
8. Concrete content
All of the above is important, but you can't do it without actual substance. Content needs to include the basics: why you want to do medicine, why you think you will be good for it, what will motivate you through all the hard work, your hobbies, extracurricular achievements, medicine related work, work experience, your job if you have one... Okay, so that's a lot of basics, but you get what I mean. In order to have content, you need to have done some stuff to write about. So actually do some extracurricular stuff, sports, or a job... They do like well-rounded people, not just people who are good at studying!
9. Quality over quantity.
So I mentioned that there are a lot of stuff you can write about in the above point. However, don't list them off like a machine gun. Also, there is a pretty tight character limit. If you have three different bits of work experience and you've included them all in your personal statement, chances are, you are not reflecting in enough detail. Write about the impact of the experience, what you've learnt, how you felt. Don't just describe what you observed. That is not good enough. Sorry.
The same applies with extracurricular activities, you might have been head girl, captain of the netball team, grade 8 piano player and more. It's okay to list them, but at least reflect on a couple of things!
10. Proof read again and again.
The worst thing an admission officer can read on a statement is a spelling mistake. It just seems careless and sloppy. Try printing it off and read it on paper as well, sometimes that make a difference.
I know medical school applications can be super stressful, I did it twice! But there are lots of us that made it through, so it can be done. I believe in you.
Feel free to leave me any questions in the comments below!
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