medicine personal statement volunteering

• Medical School Application

Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got 6 Acceptances

Featured Admissions Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

These 30 exemplary medical school personal statement examples come from our students who enrolled in one of our medical school admissions consulting programs. These examples led to multiple acceptance for our student’s dream schools. In this article we'll also provide you a step-by-step guide for composing your own outstanding personal statement from scratch. If you follow this strategy, you're going to have a stellar statement whether you apply to the most competitive or the easiest medical schools to get into .

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Listen to the blog!

Article Contents 31 min read

Stellar medical school personal statement examples that got multiple acceptances, medical school personal statement example #1 – six acceptances.

I made my way to Hillary’s house after hearing about her alcoholic father’s incarceration. Seeing her tearfulness and at a loss for words, I took her hand and held it, hoping to make things more bearable. She squeezed back gently in reply, “thank you.” My silent gesture seemed to confer a soundless message of comfort, encouragement and support.

Through mentoring, I have developed meaningful relationships with individuals of all ages, including seven-year-old Hillary. Many of my mentees come from disadvantaged backgrounds; working with them has challenged me to become more understanding and compassionate. Although Hillary was not able to control her father’s alcoholism and I had no immediate solution to her problems, I felt truly fortunate to be able to comfort her with my presence. Though not always tangible, my small victories, such as the support I offered Hillary, hold great personal meaning. Similarly, medicine encompasses more than an understanding of tangible entities such as the science of disease and treatment—to be an excellent physician requires empathy, dedication, curiosity and love of problem solving. These are skills I have developed through my experiences both teaching and shadowing inspiring physicians.

Medicine encompasses more than hard science. My experience as a teaching assistant nurtured my passion for medicine; I found that helping students required more than knowledge of organic chemistry. Rather, I was only able to address their difficulties when I sought out their underlying fears and feelings. One student, Azra, struggled despite regularly attending office hours. She approached me, asking for help. As we worked together, I noticed that her frustration stemmed from how intimidated she was by problems. I helped her by listening to her as a fellow student and normalizing her struggles. “I remember doing badly on my first organic chem test, despite studying really hard,” I said to Azra while working on a problem. “Really? You’re a TA, shouldn’t you be perfect?” I looked up and explained that I had improved my grades through hard work. I could tell she instantly felt more hopeful, she said, “If you could do it, then I can too!” When she passed, receiving a B+;I felt as if I had passed too. That B+ meant so much: it was a tangible result of Azra’s hard work, but it was also symbol of our dedication to one another and the bond we forged working together.

My passion for teaching others and sharing knowledge emanates from my curiosity and love for learning. My shadowing experiences in particular have stimulated my curiosity and desire to learn more about the world around me. How does platelet rich plasma stimulate tissue growth? How does diabetes affect the proximal convoluted tubule? My questions never stopped. I wanted to know everything and it felt very satisfying to apply my knowledge to clinical problems.

Shadowing physicians further taught me that medicine not only fuels my curiosity; it also challenges my problem solving skills. I enjoy the connections found in medicine, how things learned in one area can aid in coming up with a solution in another. For instance, while shadowing Dr. Steel I was asked, “What causes varicose veins and what are the complications?” I thought to myself, what could it be? I knew that veins have valves and thought back to my shadowing experience with Dr. Smith in the operating room. She had amputated a patient’s foot due to ulcers obstructing the venous circulation. I replied, “veins have valves and valve problems could lead to ulcers.” Dr. Steel smiled, “you’re right, but it doesn’t end there!” Medicine is not disconnected; it is not about interventional cardiology or orthopedic surgery. In fact, medicine is intertwined and collaborative. The ability to gather knowledge from many specialties and put seemingly distinct concepts together to form a coherent picture truly attracts me to medicine.

It is hard to separate science from medicine; in fact, medicine is science. However, medicine is also about people—their feelings, struggles and concerns. Humans are not pre-programmed robots that all face the same problems. Humans deserve sensitive and understanding physicians. Humans deserve doctors who are infinitely curious, constantly questioning new advents in medicine. They deserve someone who loves the challenge of problem solving and coming up with innovative individualized solutions. I want to be that physician. I want to be able to approach each case as a unique entity and incorporate my strengths into providing personalized care for my patients. Until that time, I may be found Friday mornings in the operating room, peering over shoulders, dreaming about the day I get to hold the drill.

Let's take a step back to consider what this medical school personal statement example does, not just what it says. It begins with an engaging hook in the first paragraph and ends with a compelling conclusion. The introduction draws you in, making the essay almost impossible to put down, while the conclusion paints a picture of someone who is both passionate and dedicated to the profession. In between the introduction and conclusion, this student makes excellent use of personal narrative. The anecdotes chosen demonstrate this individual's response to the common question, " Why do you want to be a doctor ?" while simultaneously making them come across as compassionate, curious, and reflective.

This person is clearly a talented writer, but this was the result of several rounds of edits with one of our medical school admissions consulting team members and a lot of hard work.

If your essay is not quite there yet, or if you're just getting started, don't sweat it. A good personal statement will take time and editing. 

I was one of those kids who always wanted to be doctor. I didn’t understand the responsibilities and heartbreaks, the difficult decisions, and the years of study and training that go with the title, but I did understand that the person in the white coat stood for knowledge, professionalism, and compassion. As a child, visits to the pediatrician were important events. I’d attend to my hair and clothes, and travel to the appointment in anticipation. I loved the interaction with my doctor. I loved that whoever I was in the larger world, I could enter the safe space of the doctor’s office, and for a moment my concerns were heard and evaluated. I listened as my mother communicated with the doctor. I’d be asked questions, respectfully examined, treatments and options would be weighed, and we would be on our way. My mother had been supported in her efforts to raise a well child, and I’d had a meaningful interaction with an adult who cared for my body and development. I understood medicine as an act of service, which aligned with my values, and became a dream.

I was hospitalized for several months as a teenager and was inspired by the experience, despite the illness. In the time of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, I met truly sick children. Children who were much more ill than me. Children who wouldn’t recover. We shared a four-bed room, and we shared our medical stories. Because of the old hospital building, there was little privacy in our room, and we couldn’t help but listen-in during rounds, learning the medical details, becoming “experts” in our four distinct cases. I had more mobility than some of the patients, and when the medical team and family members were unavailable, I’d run simple errands for my roommates, liaise informally with staff, and attend to needs. To bring physical relief, a cold compress, a warmed blanket, a message to a nurse, filled me with such an intense joy and sense of purpose that I applied for a volunteer position at the hospital even before my release.

I have since been volunteering in emergency departments, out-patient clinics, and long term care facilities. While the depth of human suffering is at times shocking and the iterations of illness astounding, it is in the long-term care facility that I had the most meaningful experiences by virtue of my responsibilities and the nature of the patients’ illnesses. Charles was 55 when he died. He had early onset Parkinson’s Disease with dementia that revealed itself with a small tremor when he was in his late twenties. Charles had a wife and three daughters who visited regularly, but whom he didn’t often remember. Over four years as a volunteer, my role with the family was to fill in the spaces left by Charles’ periodic inability to project his voice as well as his growing cognitive lapses. I would tell the family of his activities between their visits, and I would remind him of their visits and their news. This was a hard experience for me. I watched as 3 daughters, around my own age, incrementally lost their father. I became angry, and then I grew even more determined.

In the summer of third year of my Health Sciences degree, I was chosen to participate in an undergraduate research fellowship in biomedical research at my university. As part of this experience, I worked alongside graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, medical students, physicians, and faculty in Alzheimer’s research into biomarkers that might predict future disease. We collaborated in teams, and by way of the principal investigator’s careful leadership, I learned wherever one falls in terms of rank, each contribution is vital to the outcome. None of the work is in isolation. For instance, I was closely mentored by Will, a graduate student who had been in my role the previous summer. He, in turn, collaborated with post docs and medical students, turning to faculty when roadblocks were met. While one person’s knowledge and skill may be deeper than another’s, individual efforts make up the whole. Working in this team, aside from developing research skills, I realized that practicing medicine is not an individual pursuit, but a collaborative commitment to excellence in scholarship and leadership, which all begins with mentorship.

Building on this experience with teamwork in the lab, I participated in a global health initiative in Nepal for four months, where I worked alongside nurses, doctors, and translators. I worked in mobile rural health camps that offered tuberculosis care, monitored the health and development of babies and children under 5, and tended to minor injuries. We worked 11-hour days helping hundreds of people in the 3 days we spent in each location. Patients would already be in line before we woke each morning. I spent each day recording basic demographic information, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, weight, height, as well as random blood sugar levels, for each patient, before they lined up to see a doctor. Each day was exhausting and satisfying. We helped so many people. But this satisfaction was quickly displaced by a developing understanding of issues in health equity.

My desire to be doctor as a young person was not misguided, but simply naïve. I’ve since learned the role of empathy and compassion through my experiences as a patient and volunteer. I’ve broadened my contextual understanding of medicine in the lab and in Nepal. My purpose hasn’t changed, but what has developed is my understanding that to be a physician is to help people live healthy, dignified lives by practicing both medicine and social justice.

Want to hear more medical school personal statement examples that got accepted?

28 More Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got Accepted

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t I pursue medicine sooner?\u201d Is the question that now occupies my mind. Leila made me aware of the unprofessional treatment delivered by some doctors. My subsequent activities confirmed my desire to become a doctor who cares deeply for his patients and provides the highest quality care. My passion for research fuels my scientific curiosity. I will continue to advocate for patient equality and fairness. Combining these qualities will allow me to succeed as a physician. ","label":"Med School PS Example #10","title":"Med School PS Example #10"}]" code="tab4" template="BlogArticle">

" It was the middle of the night when I received the call that my friend was trying to jump off the 30th floor of an apartment building. When I got to her, all I could see was anguish and fear in her eyes as she looked back at me from the balcony. I was eventually able to talk her down, but this was only one of many times I came to her aid as she struggled with mental illness."

Medical school personal statement example: #12

" I lost my brother before I had the opportunity to meet him. Technology was not advanced enough in my hometown in India for my mother to know she had lost her child before it laid still in her arms."

Medical school personal statement example: #13

" After six years of being in the closet, I came out to my parents as bisexual in the middle of a family dinner, blurting out the confession as I couldn’t hold it in anymore ... To me, this was just one small piece of me and my identity that was different but for some, it makes all the difference."

Medical school personal statement example: #14

" While shadowing primary care physicians, neurologists and a laryngologist however, I realized just how untrue the idea of doctors failing to feel helpless can be ... Looking back now, I didn’t yet comprehend that doctors were human and didn’t always have all of the answers. This was my first encounter with the limitations of medicine."

Medical school personal statement example: #15

" Having been both a patient and a teacher, I have experienced the importance of paying attention to brief moments that can offer great transformation."

Medical school personal statement example: #16

" “Who are you?” At 20 years old, I stood face to face with my abuela, but I was now a stranger. Our relationship had been erased with those three simple words. My abuela, as I had known her, was gone."

Medical school personal statement example: #17

" As a child growing up, I faced signs in Mandarin and Hindu scriptures with a mixture of curiosity and frustration. Across the street from my childhood home, I saw the effect of misunderstanding played out in reverse at the hospital ... I could not hear the conversations, but I recognized the expression on the receptionist’s face each time she spoke to a Hindi-speaking patient—wrinkled nose and a raised eyebrow with a look of confusion. At a young age, I understood how discouraging even simple communication could be across a language barrier."

Medical school personal statement example: #18

" The high pitched siren broke silence in a frosty winter morning. Stationed on the curbside was an ambulance with flashing red and white lights with my mother inside. Not long ago, our car skidded on ice and hit a tree ... In the next few days, I sat alongside my mother in the hospital, praying that her pain would ease and she would recover soon."

Medical school personal statement example: #19

" Coping with my mother’s visual hallucinations, amnesia, and overall emotional instability was frustrating and exhausting. I was heartbroken watching the strong, independent woman who raised me struggle to be herself. Nevertheless, I witnessed the necessity of having faith and proper support in overcoming hurdles such as these."

Medical school personal statement example: #20

" While it was devastating to learn that there was no treatment for NCL, it highlighted the importance of medical research ... The connection the doctors developed with my family, the way they taught us about NCL, and the hope their research on NCL gave us helped drive my curiosity and love for medicine."

Medical school personal statement example: #21

" We were passing through the blinding lights of New York City when the incident happened. It happened slowly, like in a movie. Shuffling along the crowded sidewalk, holding my mother’s hand, I suddenly felt her fingers slip from my grasp."

Medical school personal statement example: #22

"W hen I was ten years old, I had an uncle I’d never met before come to visit. When my mother introduced him to us, she told us that he was a travelling physician for doctors without borders ... He told us that his job was to provide care for people in need, regardless of race, nationality, class, or creed. 'One day, maybe you can join me,' he said."

Medical school personal statement example: #23

" When I was young, I wanted to be just like my father ... As I got older, the veil of importance I always viewed him with began to lift – the smoke in front of my eyes swept away in a cold gust of wind. On my 16th birthday, he gave me the only advice he would ever give before he died."

Medical school personal statement example: #24

" As I watched smoke curl around my grandfather’s chapped hands, I often wondered if the burning red tip of the cigarette kept him warm in the cold prairie winter ... Cigarettes were bad for you, he'd say, yet he continued the ritual every workday. Adults always told us they were bad for your health. But nobody told Grandpa he shouldn’t smoke."

Medical school personal statement example: #25

" To me, being a psychiatrist is like dropping a few coins in a cup. It doesn’t seem like enough, but little by little, those coins start to add up."

Medical school personal statement example: #26

" I wasn’t supposed to live past the age of 25. Growing up in a neighborhood where drug use was commonplace and crime rates were high, every young person could see what their future held every day on the walk home from school."

Medical school personal statement example: #27

" When we returned home after the mission trip, that sense of pride hung around. I reflected on my trip, and I realized ... while dentistry still didn’t spark my passions, my interest in medicine had been ignited."

Medical school personal statement example: #28

"' People like Annie have problems that won’t go away,' Dr. Dean said, 'but that doesn’t mean we can’t help.'"

Medical school personal statement example: #29

" We were out on patrol one night and heard shouting. We called it in and ran over, fearing the worst. What we found was a small boy – one of the local kids – who had tripped and scraped his knee. Well, didn’t Jeff patch him up with his field kit, showing a great bedside manner for a guy in full tactical gear."

Medical school personal statement example: #30

" I’m not decrying loud music, but ... a series of bad decisions and ignored warnings may have condemned me to a future of obnoxious background noise."

Are you a medical school reapplicant? Check out some medical school reapplicant personal statement examples. ","label":"NOTE","title":"NOTE"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

Tips to Create Your Exemplary Medical School Personal Statement

Your med school personal statement is one of the most important medical school requirements . It tells your story of why you decided to pursue the medical profession. Keep in mind that personal statements are one of the key factors that affect medical school acceptance rates . A well-written personal statement can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection!

“Personal statements are often emphasized in your application to medical school as this singular crucial factor that distinguishes you from every other applicant. Demonstrating the uniqueness of my qualities is precisely how I found myself getting multiple interviews and offers into medical school.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

Personal statements remain one of the most challenging parts of students' journeys to medical school. Here's our student Melissa sharing her experience of working on her personal statement:

"I struggled making my personal statement personal... I couldn't incorporate my feelings, motives and life stories that inspired me to pursue medicine into my personal statement" - Melissa, BeMo Student

Let's approach this step-by-step. Here's a quick run-down of what we'll cover in the article:

#1 Review What Makes a Strong Medical School Personal Statement

Before discussing how to write a strong medical school personal statement, we first need to understand the qualities of a strong essay. Similar to crafting strong medical school secondary essays , writing a strong personal statement is a challenging, yet extremely important, part of your MD or MD-PhD programs applications. Your AMCAS Work and Activities section may show the reader what you have done, but the personal statement explains why.

This is how Dr. Neel Mistry, MD and our admissions expert, prepared for his medical school personal statement writing:

"The personal statement is an opportunity for you to shine and really impress the committee to invite you for an interview. The personal statement is your chance to be reflective and go beyond what is stated on your CV and [activities]. In order to stand out, it is important to answer the main questions [of medical school personal statements] well: a bit about yourself and what led you to medicine, why you would make an ideal medical student and future physician, what attracts you to [medicine], and what sets you apart from the other candidates. The key here is answering the last two questions well. Most candidates simply highlight what they have done, but do not reflect on it or mention how what they have done has prepared them for a future medical career." - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

A personal statement should be deeply personal, giving the admissions committee insight into your passions and your ultimate decision to pursue a career in medicine. A compelling and introspective personal statement can make the difference between getting a medical school interview and facing medical school rejection .

As you contemplate the task in front of you, you may be wondering what composing an essay has to do with entering the field of medicine. Many of our students were surprised to learn that medical school personal statements are so valued by med schools. The two things are more closely related than you think. A compelling personal statement demonstrates your written communication skills and highlights your accomplishments, passions, and aspirations. The ability to communicate a complex idea in a short space is an important skill as a physician. You should demonstrate your communication skills by writing a concise and meaningful statement that illustrates your best attributes. Leaving a lasting impression on your reader is what will lead to interview invitations.

#2 Brainstorm Ideas to Make Your Medical School Personal Statement Stand Out

Personal statements for medical school often start by explaining why medicine is awesome; but the admission committee already knows that. You should explain why you want a career in medicine. What is it about the practice of medicine that resonates with who you are? Here are some additional questions you can consider as you go about brainstorming for your essay:

• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What is something you want them to know about you that isn't in your application?
• Where were you born, how did you grow up, and what type of childhood did you have growing up (perhaps including interesting stories about your siblings, parents, grandparents)?
• What kinds of early exposure to the medical field left an impression on you as a child?
• Did you become familiar with and interested in the field of medicine at an early stage of your life? If so, why?
• What are your key strengths, and how have you developed these?
• What steps did you take to familiarize yourself with the medical profession?
• Did you shadow a physician? Did you volunteer or work in a clinical setting? Did you get involved in medical research?
• What challenges have you faced? Have these made an impact on what you chose to study?
• What are your favorite activities?
• What kinds of extracurriculars for medical school or volunteer work have you done, and how have these shaped who you are, your priorities, and or your perspectives on a career in medicine?
• What was your "Aha!" moment?
• When did your desire to become a doctor solidify?
• How did you make the decision to apply to medical school?

You shouldn't try to answer all of these in your essay. Try a few main points that will carry over into the final draft. Start developing your narrative by prioritizing the most impactful responses to these prompts and the ideas that are most relevant to your own experiences and goals. The perfect personal statement not only shows the admissions committee that you have refined communication skills, but also conveys maturity and professionalism.

Here's how our student Alison, who was a non-traditional applicant with a serious red flag in her application, used her brainstorming sessions with our admissions experts to get a theme going in her medical school personal statement and her overall application package:

"I think it was during my brainstorming session that we really started talking about... what the theme [was] going to be for my application. And I think that was really helpful in and of itself. Just [reflecting] 'Hey, what's your focus going to be like? How are we going to write this? What's the style going to be?' Just to create an element of consistency throughout..." Alison, BeMo Student, current student at Dell Medical School 

After brainstorming, you should be able to clearly see two to four key ideas, skills, qualities, and intersections that you want to write about.

As you begin thinking about what to include in your personal essay, remember that you are writing for a specific audience with specific expectations. The admissions committee will be examining your essay through the lens of their particular school's mission, values, and priorities, as well as the qualities of an ideal physician.

"Make it easy for the reader to be able to work [their] way through [your personal statement]. Because, at the end of the day, I think one thing that helped me a lot was being able to think about who was going to be reading this application and it's going to be these people that are sitting around a desk or sitting at a table and [go] through massive numbers of applications every single day. And the easier and more digestible that you can make it for them, gives you a little bit of a win." - Alison, BeMo student, current student at Dell Medical School

You should think about your experiences with reference to the AAMC Core Competencies and to each school's mission statement so that you're working toward your narrative with the institution and broader discipline in mind. The AAMC Core Competencies are the key characteristics and skills sought by U.S. medical schools.

You are not expected to have mastered all of these competencies at this stage of your education. Display those that are relevant to your experiences will help demonstrate your commitment to the medical profession.

#4 How to Answer the Prompt, Without a Prompt

Your personal statement is, in essence, an essay prompt without a prompt. They give you free rein to write your own prompt to tell your story. This is often difficult for students as they find it hard to get started without having a true direction. However, you can think of this question as essentially having the prompt “why do you want to become a doctor?” . Here are some questions to guide your self-reflection:

• The moment your passion for medicine crystallized
• The events that led you toward this path
• Specific instances in which you experienced opportunities
• Challenges that helped shape your worldview
• Your compassion, resilience, or enthusiastic collaboration
• Demonstrate your commitment to others
• Your dependability
• Your leadership skills
• Your ability to problem-solve or to resolve a conflict

These are personal, impactful experiences that only you have had. Focus on the personal, and connect that to the values of your future profession. Do that and you will avoid writing the same essay as everyone else. Dr. Monica Taneja, MD and our admissions expert, shares her tip that got her accepted to the University of Maryland School of Medicine :

"I focused on my journey to medicine and opportunities that I sought out along the way. Everyone’s path and validation is unique, so walking the reader through your growth to the point of application will naturally be different, but that's what I wanted to share in my personal statement." - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

#5 reflect on your theme.

Admissions committees don't want your medical school resumé in narrative form. All that stuff is already in the activities section of the application. This is where you should discuss interesting or important life events that shaped you and your interest in medicine (a service trip to rural Guatemala, a death in the family, a personal experience as a patient).

“The essay is not about what you have been through; it's about who it made you into.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

One suggestion is to have an overarching theme to your essay to tie everything together, starting with an intriguing personal anecdote. Alternatively, you can use one big metaphor or analogy through the essay.

Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD encourages you to be creative when it comes to the theme of your personal statement:

"It is very easy to make the 'cookie-cutter' personal statement. To a reviewer who is reading tens of these at a time it can become quite boring. What I did was [tell] a story. Like any good novel, the stories' first lines are meant to hook the reader. This can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application. It could be about the time your friend was smashed up against the boards in hockey and you, with your limited first aid experience helped to treat him. It is important that the story be REAL." - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine

Your personal statement must be well-organized, showing a clear, logical progression, as well as connections between ideas. It is generally best to use a chronological progression since this mirrors your progression into a mature adult and gives you the opportunity to illustrate how you learned from early mistakes later on. Carry the theme throughout the statement to achieve continuity and cohesion. Use the theme to links ideas from each paragraph to the next and to unite your piece.

#1 Review Medical School Personal Statement Structure

Writing the first draft of your essay, it is important to keep an outline in mind: The essay should read like a chronological narrative and have good structure and flow. Just like any academic essay, it will need an introduction, body content, and a conclusion. 

Introduction

The introductory sentence of your essay will most certainly make or break your overall statement. Ensure that you have a creative and captivating opening sentence that draws the reader in. The kinds of things that inspire or motivate you can say a lot about who you are as a person.

“ Like any good novel, the stories' first lines are meant to hook the reader. This can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application. It could be about the time your friend was smashed up against the boards in hockey and you, with your limited first aid experience helped to treat him.” – Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD

That is a lot of work for a single paragraph to do. To better help you envision what this looks like in practice, here is a sample introduction that hits these main points.

I was convinced I was going to grow up to be a professional chef. This was not just another far-fetched idealistic childhood dream that many of us had growing up. There was a sense of certainty about this dream that motivated me to devote countless hours to its practice. It was mostly the wonder that it brought to others and the way they were left in awe after they tried a dish that I recall enjoying the most creating as a young chef. But, when I was 13, my grandfather was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and I realized that sometimes cooking is not enough, as I quickly learned about the vital role physicians play in the life of everyday people like my family and myself. Although my grandfather ended up passing away from his illness, the impact that the healthcare team had on him, my family, and I will always serve as the initial starting point of my fascination with the medical profession. Since that time, I have spent years learning more about the human sciences through my undergraduate studies and research, have developed a deeper understanding of the demands and challenges of the medical profession through my various volunteer and extra-curricular experiences, and although it has been difficult along the way, I have continued to forge a more intimate fascination with the medical field that has motivated me to apply to medical school at this juncture of my life. ","label":"Sample Introduction","title":"Sample Introduction"}]" code="tab3" template="BlogArticle">

Check out our video to learn how to create a killer introduction to your medical school personal statement:

In the body of your essay, you essentially want to elaborate on the ideas that you have introduced in your opening paragraph by drawing on your personal experiences to provide evidence.

Depending on the details, a selection of volunteer and extracurricular experiences might be discussed in more detail, in order to emphasize other traits like collaboration, teamwork, perseverance, or a sense of social responsibility – all key characteristics sought by medical schools. Just like an academic essay, you will devote one paragraph to each major point, explaining this in detail, supporting your claims with experiences from your life, and reflecting on the meaning of each plot point in your personal narrative, with reference to why you want to pursue a medical career.

The conclusion is just as important as the introduction. It is your last chance to express your medical aspirations. You want to impress the reader while also leaving them wanting more. In this case, more would mean getting an interview so they can learn more about who you are!

Your final statement should not be a simple summary of the things you have discussed. It should be insightful, captivating, and leave the reader with a lasting impression. Although you want to re-emphasize the major ideas of your essay, you should try to be creative and captivating, much like your opening paragraph. If you can link your opening idea to your last paragraph it will really tie the whole essay together.

#2 Show, Don't Tell

The narrative you construct should display some of your most tightly held values, principles, or ethical positions, along with key accomplishments and activities. If you see yourself as someone who is committed to community service, and you have a track record of such service, your story should feature this and provide insight into why you care about your community and what you learned from your experiences. Saying that you value community service when you've never volunteered a day in your life is pointless. Stating that your family is one where we support each other through challenge and loss (if this is indeed true), is excellent because it lays the groundwork for telling a story while showing that you are orientated towards close relationships. You would then go on to offer a brief anecdote that supports this. You are showing how you live such principles, rather than just telling your reader that you have such principles:

"Remember to use specific personal examples throughout your statement to make it more impactful and memorable for the readers. Often, painting a picture in the reader’s mind in the form of a story helps with this." - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

A lot of students make the mistake of verbalizing their personal attributes with a bunch of adjectives, such as, "This experience taught me to be a self-reliant leader, with excellent communication skills, and empathy for others..." In reality, this does nothing to convey these qualities. It's a mistake to simply list your skills or characteristics without showing the reader an example of a time you used them to solve a problem. The person reading the essay may not believe you, as you've not really given them a way to see such values in your actions. It is better to construct a narrative to show the reader that you possess the traits that medical schools are looking for, rather than explicitly stating that you are an empathetic individual or capable of deep self-reflection.

While it may be tempting to write in a high academic tone, using terminology or jargon that is often complex or discipline-specific, requiring a specialized vocabulary for comprehension. You should actually aim to write for a non-specialist audience. Remember, in the world of medicine, describing a complex, clinical condition to a patient requires using specific but clear words. Use words that you believe most people understand. Read your personal statement back to a 14-year-old, and then again to someone for whom English is not their first language, to see if you're on the right path.

Ultimately, fancy words do not make you a good communicator; listening and ensuring reader comprehension makes you a good communicator. Show them your communication skills through clear, accessible prose, written with non-specialists in mind. A common refrain among writing instructors is: never use a $10 word where a $2 word will suffice.

#4 Display Professionalism

Professionalism may seem like a difficult quality to display when only composing a personal statement. After all, the reader can't see your mannerisms, your personal style, or any of those little qualities that allow someone to appear professional. Professionalism is about respect for the experience of others on your team or in your workplace. It is displayed when you are able to step back from your own individual position and think about what is best for your colleagues and peers, considering their needs alongside your own.

One easy way to destroy a sense of professionalism is to act in a judgmental way towards others, particularly if you perceived and ultimately resolved an error on someone else's part. Sometimes students blame another medical professional for something that went wrong with a patient.

They might say something to the effect of:

"The nurse kept brushing off the patient's concerns, refusing to ask the attending to increase her pain medications. Luckily, being the empathetic individual that I am, I took the time to listen to sit with the patient, eventually bringing her concerns to the attending physician, who thanked me for letting him know."

There are a couple of things wrong with this example. It seems like this person is putting down someone else in an attempt to make themselves look better. They come across as un-empathetic and judgmental of the nurse. Maybe she was having a busy day, or maybe the attending had just seen the patient for this issue and the patient didn't really need re-assessment. Reading this kind of account in a personal statement makes the reader question the maturity of the applicant and their ability to move past blaming others and resolve problems in a meaningful way. Instead of allocating blame, identify what the problem was for the patient and then focus on what you did to resolve it and reflect on what you learned from the whole experience.

One last note on professionalism: Being professional does not mean being overly stoic, hiding your emotions, or cultivating a bland personality. A lot of students are afraid to talk about how a situation made them feel in their personal statement. They worry that discussing feelings is inappropriate and will appear unprofessional. Unfortunately for these students, emotional intelligence is hugely important to the practice of medicine. Good doctors are able to quickly identify their own emotions and understand how their emotional reactions may inform their actions, and the ability to deliver appropriate care, in a given situation. So, when writing your personal statement, think about how each experience made you feel, and what you learned from those feelings and that experience.

Step 3: Write Your First Draft of Your Personal Statement

As you can see, there is a LOT of planning and consideration to be done before actually starting your first draft. Properly brainstorming, outlining, and considering the content and style of your essay prior to beginning the essay will make the writing process much smoother than it would be you to try to jump right to the draft-writing stage.

“I wrote scores of essays at my desk in those few weeks leading up to application submission. I needed it to be perfect. Do not let anyone tell you to settle. There was no moment when I had this shining light from the sky filtering into my room to motivate me. The ultimate trick is to keep writing. It is impossible to get that perfect essay on the first try, and you may not even get it on your fifteenth attempt, but the goal is to keep at it, keep making those edits, and never back down.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

As you're getting started, focus on getting content on the page, filling in your outline and getting your ideas arranged on the page. Your essay will go through multiple drafts and re-writes, so the first step is to free write and start articulating connections between your experiences and the characteristics you're highlighting. You can worry about flow, transitions, and perfect grammar in later drafts. 

#1 Did You Distinguish Yourself From Others?

Is your narrative unique? Our admissions expert Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, shares how she got the attention of the admissions committee with her personal statement:

"I found it helpful to give schools a 'punch-line'. As in I wanted them to remember 1-2 things about me that are my differentiators and I reiterated those throughout [the personal statement]." - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Use your narrative to provide a compelling picture of who you are as a person, as a learner, as an advocate, and as a future medical professional. What can you offer?

Remember, you will be getting a lot out of your med school experience, but the school will be getting a lot out of you, as well. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, so use this opportunity to highlight what you bring to the table, and what you will contribute as a student at their institution. Make them see you as a stand out from the crowd .

#2 Does My Essay Flow and is it Comprehensible?

Personal statements are a blessing and a curse for admission committees. They provide a better glimpse of who you are than MCAT scores or GPAs. But they are long and time-consuming to read. And often, they sound exactly alike.

Frankly, if your personal statement is pleasant to read, it will get read with more attention and appreciation. Flow is easier to craft through narrative, which is why you should root the statement in a story that demonstrates characteristics desirable to medical schools . You want this to be a statement that captures the reader's interest by creating a fluid, comprehensible piece that leads the reader to not only read each paragraph but want to continue to the next sentence.

#3 Did You Check Your Grammar?

It is always important to carefully edit your medical school personal statement . Read your statement out loud to yourself and you will almost certainly find an error (and likely several errors). Use fresh eyes to review the statement several times before you actually submit it, by walking away from it for a day or so and then re-reading it.

This step can make or break your essay. Do not waste all the effort you have put into writing, to only be discarded by the committee for using incorrect grammar and syntax.

#4 Did You Gather Feedback From Other People?

While the tips above are all very useful for writing a strong draft, nothing will benefit you more than getting an outside appraisal of your work. This may sound obvious, but it's still an absolute necessity.

“It was very helpful for two of my mentors to review my statements before submitting my application. Ensure you trust the judgement and skills of the person to whom you would be giving your personal statement for review.” – Dr. Vincent Adeyemi, MD

Avoid having people too close to you read your work. They may refrain from being too critical in an effort to spare your feelings. This is the time to get brutal, honest feedback. If you know someone who is an editor but do not feel that they can be objective, try and find someone else.

Want more examples? Check out our video below:

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Med School Personal Statement

Part of your essay's body can include a discussion of any discrepancies or gaps in your education, or disruptions in your academic performance. If you had to take time off, or if you had a term or course with low grades, or if you had any other extenuating circumstances that impacted your education, you can take time to address these here. You can approach this in your essay similarly to the question “what is your greatest weakness” that may get asked during interviews.

You will also be able to address weaknesses or setbacks in your AMCAS Statement of Disadvantage or your adversity secondary essay , so make sure there is not too much overlap between these and your personal statements.

Use your personal statement to emphasize your ability to persevere through whatever life has thrown your way. Most of all, if you feel like you have to explain yourself, take accountability for the situation. State that it is unfortunate and then redirect it to what you learned and how it will make you a better doctor. Always focus on being positive and do not lament on the negative situation too much.

Mistakes to Avoid in Medical School Personal Statements

Here are some mistakes that may raise a red flag in your personal statement:

Check out this video on the top 5 errors to avoid in your personal statement!

FAQs and Final Notes

This Ultimate Guide has demonstrated all the work that needs to be done to compose a successful, engaging personal statement for your medical school application. While it would be wonderful if there was an easy way to write your personal statement in a day, the reality is that this kind of composition takes a lot of work. As daunting as this may seem, this guide lays out a clear path. In summary, the following 5 steps are the basis of what you should take away from this guide. These 5 steps are your guide and sort of cheat sheet to writing your best personal statement.

5 Main Takeaways For Personal Statement Writing:

• Brainstorming
• Content and Theme
• Multiple Drafts
• Revision With Attention to Grammar

While a strong personal statement alone will not guarantee admission to medical school, it could absolutely squeeze you onto a  medical school waitlist , off the waitlist, and onto the offer list, or give someone on the admissions committee a reason to go to battle for your candidacy. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the incredible skills you've worked and studied to refine, the remarkable life experiences you've had, and the key qualities you possess in your own unique way. Show the admissions committee that you are someone they want to meet. Remember, in this context, wanting to meet you means wanting to bring you in for an interview!

Your personal statement should tell your story and highlight specific experiences or aspects of your journey that have led you to medicine. If your first exposure or interest in the medical field was sparked from your own medical struggles, then you can certainly include this in your statement.

All US medical schools require the completion of a personal statement with your AMCAS, TMDSAS or AACOMAS applications. Medical schools in Canada on the other hand, do not require personal statements but may have essay prompts that are similar in nature.

Think about whether or not that bad grade might reflect on you poorly. If you think it will, then it's best to address the academic misstep head-on instead of having admissions committees dwell on possible areas of concern. 

No! Students arrive to medicine in all sorts of ways, some change career paths later in life, some always knew they wanted to pursue medicine, and others slowly became interested in medicine through their life interactions and experiences. Your personal statement should address your own unique story. 

While your entire statement is important, the opening sentence can often make or break your statement. If your opening sentence is not eye-catching, interesting, and memorable, you risk your statement blending in with the large pile of other statements. 

Having your statement reviewed by family and friends can be a good place to start, but unfortunately they will often not be able to provide unbiased feedback and may not have the expertise necessary to understand nuance in statements.

If you have enough time set aside to write your statement without juggling multiple other commitments, it normally takes at least 6-8 weeks to write your statement. 

The goal is to show as many of them as you can in the WHOLE application: this includes your personal statement, sketch, reference letters, secondary essays, and even your GPA and MCAT (which show critical thinking and reasoning already). So, you don’t need to address them all in your essay.

Yes, you can. However, if you used an experience as a most meaningful entry, pick something else to talk about in your essay. 

The reality is, medical school admission is an extremely competitive process. In order to have the best chance of success, every part of your application must be stellar. 

The ones that honestly made the most impact on you. You'll need to reflect on your whole life and think about which experiences helped you grow and pushed you to pursue medicine. Ideally, experiences that show commitment and progression are better than one-off or short-term activities, as they usually contribute more to growth.

Dr. Lauren Prufer is an admissions expert at BeMo. Dr. Prufer is also a medical resident at McMaster University. Her medical degree is from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. During her time in medical school, she developed a passion for sharing her knowledge with others through medical writing, research, and peer mentoring.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!

Apple Podcasts

Like our blog? Write for us ! >>

Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Jack Weaver

I have been reading posts regarding this topic and this post is one of the most interesting and informative one I have read. Thank you for this!

Hello Jack! Thank you very much for your comment. We glad you find this helpful!

Get Started Now

Talk to one of our admissions experts

Our site uses cookies. By using our website, you agree with our cookie policy .

FREE Training Webinar: How To Make Your Med School Application Stand Out

(and avoid the top 5 reasons that get 90% of applicants rejected).

• (888) 381-9509
• [email protected]
• Book a Meeting
• student login
• Student Login
• Our Services
• Our Story How it started
• Our Team Meet Our Advisors & Tutors
• Our Services How we can help you
• Our Difference Learn why we stand out
• Success Stories & Testimonials Hear the stories
• For Parents Learn why you should trust us
• In the News Read Our Stories
• Frequently Asked Questions Find answers
• MCAT Tutoring One-on-One Personalized Help
• MCAT Go An Audio Learning Experience
• MCAT Practice Exams Boost Your Score
• MCAT Prep App Videos, Flashcards & Q-Bank
• MCAT CARS Mastery Top-Rated CARS Video Course
• Pre-Med Coach Early High School Roadmap Planning
• College Admissions 11th & 12th Grade Pre-Med Consulting
• Direct Med Advising BS/MD Application Support
• Interview Preparation BS/MD Candidates
• Pre-Med Coach Pre-Application Development
• Application Advising Med School Admissions Support
• Personal Statement Editing Refine Your Narrative
• AMCAS Editing Application Editing
• Secondary Editing Secondary Application Editing
• Interview Preparation Realistic Practice
• CASPer Preparation Simulation & Coaching
• Ontario Application Support OMSAS Application
• Residency Advising Complete Match Support
• Residency Interview Preparation
• ERAS Personal Statement Refine Your Story
• USMLE STEP 1 Pass Your First Step
• Shelf Exams Ace your rotations
• USMLE STEP 2 Shine on your boards
• USMLE STEP 3 Conquer your final hurdle
• COMLEX LEVEL 1 and 2 Score higher
• Institutional Partners Enhance your student offering
• Organizational Partners Provide value to your students
• For High School Students Plan Your Future
• For MCAT Preparation Boost Your Score
• For Med School Admissions Secure Your Acceptance
• For Board Exam Prep Sharpen Critical Knowledge
• For Residency Matching Secure Preferred Placement
• Extracurricular Activities Apply now!
• Guidebooks Learn at Your Own Pace

The Medical School Personal Statement: How To Stand Out

Posted in: Applying to Medical School

Impressive GPAs and MCAT scores, research experience, physician shadowing , and meaningful volunteer work are only one part of a successful medical school application . You may meet all other medical school requirements , yet face rejection.

One thing can help you stand above the rest : A compelling personal statement.

The medical school personal statement is important because it highlights your hard work, your pre-medical school accomplishments, and why you’re a better candidate than everyone else. 

In other words: Who are you, what makes you unique, and why do you deserve a spot in our school?

We’ve helped thousands of prospective medical students increase their odds at acceptance with better personal statements. Now, we’ll show you exactly how to do it. 

Working on your personal statement? Speak with a member of our enrollment team who can walk you through the step-by-step med school application process from start to finish.

Table of contents, what’s in a great med school personal statement.

An excellent medical school personal statement should contain:

• Passion for an area of the healthcare field.
• Storytelling that captures the reader’s attention from the first sentence.
• Emotion and personality to show (not tell) admissions committee members who you are.
• A unique answer to the question, “Why do you want to be a doctor?”

A powerful personal statement shows that you are the kind of candidate who will make an exceptional physician and be a valuable asset to the school during your medical education. Additionally, it helps to distinguish your application from the many other students with similar MCAT scores and GPAs.

A weak personal statement would, in turn, have the opposite effect.

Not only does the personal statement weed out unqualified candidates, but it also serves as a foundation for many interview discussions and questions . 

Admission committee members often only have a few minutes to review an application. Personal statements provide them with the right amount of information. Since it’s possible this is the only part of your application they’ll read, it needs to be perfect .

When writing your personal statement, you’ll also want to note the AAMC core competencies that are expected of all medical professionals. Some, if not all, of these competencies should shine through in your application essay .

The AAMC premed competencies include: 

• Professional competencies:  Factors like communication skills, interpersonal skills, commitment to learning and growth, compassion, dependability, and cultural awareness and humility
• Science competencies:  Understanding of human behaviors and living systems, both of which are best demonstrated in data-driven measures like research, MCAT scores, and science GPA (in other words, not things that necessarily need to be displayed in your personal statement)
• Thinking & Reasoning competencies:  Critical thinking, reasoning, scientific inquiry, and written communication

It’s important to show passion for something specific — a group of underserved people, a type of patient, the benefit of a particular area of medicine, etc. Your passion should be evident, non-generic, and authentic. Ask yourself, “What makes a good doctor?”

It’s crucial to avoid cliches in your personal statement, like claiming you want to become a doctor “to help people.”

Dr. Renee Marinelli, Director of Advising at MedSchoolCoach, warns that certain cliches may not truly represent meaningful experiences that influenced your decision to pursue medicine.

You may have decided to become a doctor from experiencing a kind physician as a child, but that personal experience doesn’t convey genuine passion. Your enthusiasm for medicine doesn’t need to originate from a grand experience or sudden revelation.

Your interest in medicine probably developed gradually, perhaps when you fell in love with psychology during college and volunteered at nursing homes. You don’t need a lifelong dream to demonstrate passion and become an outstanding doctor.

2. Storytelling

A memorable personal statement captures the reader’s attention from the first sentence, which you can do with an interesting personal story or anecdote. Including some creativity, ingenuity, humor, and character.

Immersing the admissions committee in your personal statement allows you to show , not just tell , how your experiences have impacted your journey to medicine.

Don’t repeat the data your admissions committee can read on the rest of your application — SHOW the passions and experiences that have led you to this field using a narrative approach.

Consider the following examples of statements about a student’s volunteer experience at a food pantry:

"“Through my work at the local food pantry, I came to understand the daily battles many individuals face, and it allowed me to develop deeper empathy and compassion.” “When I saw Mr. Jones, a regular at the kitchen, struggling to maneuver his grocery cart through the door, I hustled over to assist him. My heart sunk when I saw he was wearing a new cast after having been assaulted the night prior.”

Which do you think performed better in terms of conveying personal characteristics? Your personal statement is a deep dive into one central theme, not about rehashing all of your experiences. 

3. Emotion & Personality

An engaging personal statement allows your unique personality and real emotions to shine through.

As Dr. Davietta Butty, a Northwestern School of Medicine graduate, avid writer, pediatrician, and MedSchoolCoach advisor, puts it,

“I think the best personal statements are the ones that showcase the applicant’s personality. Remember that this is your story and not anyone else’s, and you get to say it how it makes sense to you.” 

This is why storytelling is such an important part of personal statement writing. Your writing process should involve quite a bit of writing and editing to express emotion in a relatable, appropriate way.

A Note On Writing About Tragedy

One way you can show who you are is by expressing an appropriate level of emotion, particularly about challenging or tragic experiences. (But don’t worry — not everyone has a tragic backstory, and that’s perfectly fine!)

If you are discussing a tragedy, don’t go into an extended explanation of how you feel — show emotion and your personality while sticking to the plot.

Personal tragedies, such as the death of a loved one, can powerfully motivate a personal statement. In a field where life and death constantly clash, experiences with death might appear impressive qualifications; however, approach them cautiously.

Focus on the reasons behind your motivation, rather than the details of the tragedy. Explain how the experience impacted your medical career aspirations, including skill development or perspective changes.

How have you applied these new skills or perspectives? How would they contribute to your success as a medical student?

4. Why You Want To Be a Doctor

Becoming a doctor is no small feat. What journey brought you here?

Writing things like “I want to help people” or “I want to make a difference” won’t set you apart from all the other students applying for medical school .

Knowing who you want to serve, why you want to help them (in story form), and where you’d like to end up will show admissions officers that you are serious about your medical career.

After all, this career doesn’t just involve many years of post-graduate education — you need a significant motivation to see this career through. That’s what admissions committees are looking for!

Read Next: Medical School Interviews: What To Do Before, During & After  

How long is a personal statement for medical school?

Your statement is limited to:

• 5,300 characters (including spaces) on the AMCAS application ( MD programs )
• 5,000 characters on the TMDSAS (Texas MD programs)
• 5,300 characters for AACOMAS ( DO programs )

That’s roughly 500-700 words, or 3 double-spaced pages of text.

We typically suggest our students divide their personal statement into about 5 full paragraphs — an intro, 2-3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Pro tip: Do not type directly into the text box — if something goes wrong, you’ll lose all of your work. Write in another program first, then copy and paste the edited copy into the application text box.

Use a text-only word processing tool (TextEdit on Mac devices or Basic Text Editor on Windows), or type the essay into Microsoft Word or a Google Doc. Just remember to save the file as a *.rtf. This will eliminate formatting issues when you copy and paste the essay into the AMCAS box.

Read Next: How to Successfully Reapply to Medical School and Get a “Yes!”

How To Write a Personal Statement For Medical School

Your personal statement is an opportunity to showcase your passion for medicine and your unique experiences. Be genuine, focused, and concise; your personal statement will leave a lasting impression on medical school admissions committees.

Some questions you may want to consider while writing your personal statement are:

• Why have you selected the field of medicine?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What do you want medical schools to know about you that has yet to be disclosed in another application section?

In addition, you may wish to include information such as unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits. Comment on significant academic record fluctuations not explained elsewhere in your application.

With thousands of students, we’ve developed a nine-step process for how to write a personal statement that’s sure to get noticed. Follow these steps in order to uplevel your personal statement writing.

1. Choose a central theme.

Sticking to one central theme for your personal statement may sound tricky, but sticking with a central theme can give your statement more of a rhythm.

Here are a few examples to use when thinking of a central theme:

• What is an experience that challenged or changed your perspective on medicine?
• Is there a relationship with a mentor or another inspiring individual that has significantly influenced you?
• What was a challenging personal experience that you encountered?
• List unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits.
• What is your motivation to seek a career in medicine?

2. Choose 2-4 personal qualities to highlight.

Keep this part brief and highlight the strengths that will make you an exceptional doctor.

What sets you apart from others? What makes you unique? What are you particularly proud of about yourself that may not be explained by a good GPA or MCAT score?

Here are a few examples of quality traits great doctors possess:

• Persistence
• Reliability
• Accountability
• Good judgment under pressure
• Excellent communication skills
• Leadership skills

3. Identify 1-2 significant experiences that demonstrate these qualities.

In this section, you should include that these experiences exemplify the qualities above and outline your path to medicine.

The top experiences college admissions seek are research projects , volunteer activities, and mentorship.

Here are a few ways to narrow down what makes an experience significant:

• Which experiences left you feeling transformed (either immediately, or in retrospect)?
• Which experiences genuinely made you feel like you were making a difference or contributing in a meaningful way?
• Which experiences radically shifted your perspectives or priorities?
• Which experiences have truly made you who you are today?

Pro tip: If you’re still in your third year of pre-med and want to participate in more experiential projects that will support your future medical career, check out Global Medical Brigades . We partner with this student-led movement for better global health, and brigades are a transformative way to begin your medical career.

4. Write a compelling introduction.

Your personal statement introduction is the first thing the admissions committee will read. The first paragraph should be a catchy, attention-grabbing hook or story that grabs the reader’s attention and sets up the main point of your essay .

Check out this webinar for more examples of what makes a great introduction.

5. Use storytelling to write the body paragraphs.

Since the goal is to achieve depth rather than breadth (5,000 characters isn’t a lot!), focus on key experiences instead of discussing everything you’ve accomplished. Remember, you’ll have the Work & Activities section to share other relevant experiences.

Use the following five-step formula to elaborate on important experiences in the body paragraphs of your personal statement:

• Discuss why you pursued the experience.
• Mention how you felt during the experience.
• Describe what you accomplished and learned.
• Discuss how your experience affected you and the world around you.
• Describe how the experience influenced your decision to pursue medicine.

The best personal statements tell a story about who you are. “Show, don’t tell,” what you’ve experienced — immerse the reader in your narrative, and you’ll have a higher chance of being accepted to medical school.

6. Create an engaging conclusion.

Your goal is to make the person reading want to meet you and invite you to their school! Your conclusion should:

• Talk about your future plans.
• Define what medicine means to you.
• Reflect on your growth.
• Reiterate how you’d contribute to your school’s community and vision.

7. Use a spellchecker to proofread for basic errors.

Misusing “your” instead of “you’re” or misspelling a few important words can negatively impact how your personal statement is received. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation should be perfect on your personal statement.

Use Grammarly or a similar spellchecker to check for errors before completing your personal statement. You can also use an AI tool like ChatGPT for proofreading, although it’s more likely to make sweeping changes.

8. Edit your draft.

Editing your personal statement a few times over will benefit you in the long run. Give yourself time to write, edit, reread, and re-edit your personal statement before submitting it with your application.

You can use AI technology like ChatGPT for small edits or to help you add in information where you might feel stuck, but don’t rely too much on it.

9. Ask a few trusted people to read your draft.

Have at least one friend, family member, and at least one person who’s a medical professional review your draft. A  professor in your pre-med program would be a great person to review your draft.

Be willing to receive as much feedback as your trusted people are willing to give. Don’t get caught up in obsessing over one statement you really like if all three of your readers suggest cutting it.

If you’d like a professional eye on your personal statement, consider a personal statement editing service. Our editors are medical professionals, often who have reviewed personal statements and applications submitted to admissions committees.

We’d love to help you craft a personal statement that’s sure to stand out.

30 prompts to inspire your personal statement.

Here are 30 prompts to inspire your personal statement: 

• Describe a defining moment in your life that solidified your desire to pursue a career in medicine.
• Discuss a challenging situation you faced and how it shaped your perspective on healthcare.
• Reflect on a time when you made a meaningful impact on someone’s life through your actions or support.
• Explain your motivation for wanting to become a physician and how it has evolved over time.
• Describe a personal quality or skill that will contribute to your success as a medical professional.
• Discuss the importance of empathy and compassion in the medical profession and share a personal experience demonstrating these qualities.
• Reflect on a specific medical case or patient that inspired you and how it influenced your future goals.
• Share a story about an interaction with a mentor or role model who has inspired your path in medicine.
• Describe a time when you overcame adversity or faced a significant challenge in your journey to medical school.
• Explain how your background, culture, or upbringing has influenced your perspective on healthcare.
• Discuss a medical issue or topic you’re passionate about and why it’s important to you.
• Describe your experience working or volunteering in a healthcare setting and the lessons you’ve learned.
• Reflect on a time when you had to adapt or be resilient in a challenging situation.
• Discuss how your interest in research or innovation will contribute to your career as a physician.
• Share a personal experience that has shaped your understanding of the importance of teamwork in healthcare.
• Describe a leadership role you’ve held and how it has prepared you for a career in medicine.
• Discuss the impact of a specific medical discovery or advancement on your decision to pursue medicine.
• Reflect on your experience with a particular patient population or community and how it has influenced your perspective on healthcare.
• Share your thoughts on the role of social responsibility in the medical profession.
• Explain how your experiences with interdisciplinary collaboration have prepared you for a career in medicine.
• Describe a time when you advocated for a patient or their needs.
• Share your experience with a global health issue or project and how it has impacted your perspective on healthcare.
• Discuss your interest in a specific medical specialty and why it appeals to you.
• Reflect on a time when you encountered an ethical dilemma and how you resolved it.
• Describe an experience that demonstrates your commitment to lifelong learning and personal growth.
• Share a story about a time when you had to think critically and problem-solve in a healthcare setting.
• Discuss how your experiences with diverse populations have informed your approach to patient care.
• Describe an experience that highlights your ability to communicate effectively with others in a medical setting.
• Reflect on a time when you demonstrated your commitment to patient-centered care.
• Share your thoughts on the importance of balance and self-care in the medical profession and how you plan to maintain these practices throughout your career.

Avoid These Common Personal Statement Mistakes

Avoid these 5 common mistakes students make when writing their personal statements: 

• Clichés : “I just want to help people,” “from a young age,” “I’ve always wanted to,” and “for as long as I can remember,” are just some of the overused phrases in personal statements. Other clichés we’ve seen often include saying that you’ve wanted to be a doctor for your whole life, using overly dramatic patient anecdotes, or prideful-sounding stories about how you saved a life as a pre-med student. Eliminate clichés from your writing.
• Typos/grammatical errors: We covered this already, but the grammar in your statement should be flawless . It’s hard to catch your own typos, so use grammar checking tools like Grammarly and ask your readers to look for typographical errors or grammar problems, too.
• Name-dropping: At best, naming a prominent member of the medical community in your statement sounds braggadocious and will probably be brushed off. At worst, an adcom reader may think poorly of the person you mention and dismiss you based on the connection. If you do know a well-known and well-respected person in the medical field and worked closely with them, request a letter of recommendation instead.
• Restating your MCAT score or GPA : Every character in your personal statement counts (literally). Don’t restate information already found on your application. If your application essay is being read, an algorithm has already identified your prerequisite scores as being worthy of reviewing the rest of your application.
• Using extensive quotes from other people: This is your chance to show who you are. Quoting a philosopher or trusted advisor in these few precious characters takes away from the impact you can have. A single short quote might be okay if it’s highly relevant to the story you’re telling, but don’t go beyond that.

Should you use ChatGPT to help you write?

ChatGPT is a great AI tool to help you get your personal statement off the ground. However, since this is your personal statement, ChatGPT won’t be able to effectively write transitions or tie your personal statement together.

Only you can effectively convey what being a doctor means to you. Only you carry the experiences in your mind and heart that have compelled you to pursue this competitive profession. Don’t rely on artificial intelligence to fake those experiences — it will show, and not in a good way.

We’ve found that ChatGPT can help speed the processes of ideation , editing, and grammar-checking. If you’re not using it to emulate human experiences but just treating it as a helpful assistant, go for it! 

When should you start writing your personal statement?

Begin writing your personal statement early enough to have months of reflection and editing time before your application cycle begins. We recommend writing your personal statement as the first step when applying to medical school , starting in December or January before applications open.

As you progress, anticipate revising multiple versions of your draft. Spend time reflecting on your life experiences and aspirations.

Dr. Katzen, MedSchoolCoach Master Advisor and previous admissions committee member at GWU, recommends starting your personal statement in December/January if you plan to apply in May/June (you should!). 

This gives you plenty of time to have others review it or to get professional personal statement editing services. It also gives you time to write multiple drafts and be 100% satisfied with your final essay.

Read Next: A Complete Guide to the Residency Match Process

9 Personal Statement Examples That Led To Med School Acceptance

We’ve included some of our favorite medical school personal statement examples below. Each of these was written by a student who was accepted at one or more programs of their choice.

1. Embracing Diversity: Healing Through Cultural Connections

Student Accepted to Case Western SOM, Washington University SOM, University of Utah SOM, Northwestern University Feinberg SOM

With a flick and a flourish, the tongue depressor vanished, and from behind my ear suddenly appeared a coin. Growing up, my pediatrician often performed magic tricks, making going to the doctors’ feel like literal magic. I believed all healthcare facilities were equally mystifying, especially after experiencing a different type of magic in the organized chaos of the Emergency Department. Although it was no place for a six-year-old, childcare was often a challenge, and while my dad worked extra shifts in nursing school to provide for our family, I would find myself awed by the diligence and warmth of the healthcare providers.

Though I associated the hospital with feelings of comfort and care, it sometimes became a place of fear and uncertainty. One night, my two-year-old brother, Sean, began vomiting and coughing non-stop. My dad was deployed overseas, so my mother and I had no choice but to spend the night at the hospital, watching my brother slowly recover with the help of the healthcare providers. Little did I know, it would not be long before I was in the same place. Months later, I was hospitalized with pneumonia with pleural effusions, and as I struggled to breathe, I was terrified of having fluid sucked out of my chest. But each day physicians comforted me, asking how I was, taking time to reassure me that I was being taken care of, and explaining any questions related to my illness and treatment. Soon, I became excited to speak with the infectious disease doctor and residents, absorbing as much as I could to learn more about different illnesses.

In addition to conventional medical settings, I also came to view the magic of healing through other lenses. Growing up, Native American traditions were an important aspect of my life as my father had been actively involved with native spirituality, connecting back to his Algonquin heritage. We often attended Wi-wanyang-wa-c’i-pi ceremonies or Sun Dances, for healing through prayer and individuals making personal sacrifices for their community. Although I never sun danced myself, I spent hours in inipis, chewing on osha root, finding my own healing through songs. In addition to my father’s heritage, healing came from the curanderismo traditions of Peru, the home of my mother, who came from a long line of healers, which involved herbal remedies and ceremonies in the healing of the mind, body, energy and soul. I can still see my mother preparing mixtures of oils, herbs, and incense while performing healing rituals. The compassion and care she put into healing paralleled the Emergency Department healthcare providers.

Through the influence of these early life experiences, I decided to pursue a career in the health sciences. Shortly after starting college, I entered a difficult time in my life as I struggled with health and personal challenges. I suddenly felt weak and tired most days with aches all over my body. Soon, depression set in. I eventually visited a doctor, and through a series of tests, we discovered I had hypothyroidism. During this time, I also began dealing with an unprocessed childhood trauma. I decided to take time off school, and with thyroid replacement hormones and therapy, I slowly began to recover. But I still had ways to go, and due to financial challenges, I made the difficult decision to continue delaying my education and found work managing a donut shop. Unbeknownst to me, this experience would lead to significant personal growth by working with people from all walks of life and allowing me time for self-reflection. I found myself continuously reflecting on the experiences in the hospital that defined my childhood and the unmatched admiration I had for healthcare workers. With my renewed interest in medicine, I enrolled in classes to get my AEMT license to get more experience in the medical field.

As my health improved, I excelled in my classes, and after craving the connections of working with others, I became a medical assistant. In this position, I met “Marco,” a patient who came from Mexico for treatment. Though I spoke Spanish while growing up, I had little experience as a medical interpreter. However, I took the opportunity to speak with him to learn his story. Afterwards, he became more comfortable, and I helped walk him through the consultation process, interpreting the physician’s words and Marco’s questions. This moment showed me the power of connecting with others in their native language. As a result, I began volunteering at a homeless clinic to continue bridging the language barrier for patients and to help advocate for the Latinx community and those who struggle to find their voice.

My journey to become a doctor has been less direct than planned; however, my personal trials and tribulations have afforded me the opportunity to meet and work with incredible people who have been invaluable to my recovery and personal development. Most importantly, I have seen the value of compassionate and empathetic care. Though I have not recently witnessed any sleight of hand or vanishing acts, what healthcare providers do for patients can only be described as magic. I look forward to bringing my diverse background as a physician and expanding my abilities to help patients in their path to healing.

2. The Calling to Heal From the Battlefield

Student Accepted to Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Harvard Medical School, Yale SOM

I’ll never forget his screams of pain.

It was the first time I had heard a man cry for help, and it shook me to my core. It had been a long night of training in South Korea for me and my fellow Army Rangers. We were reaching the end, heavy with exhaustion, when my friend took the direct impact of an explosive to his leg. The shockwave momentarily rattled my sense of balance. Struggling to see in the dark, I switched on my headlamp. In that instant, all I could focus on was his face. His eyes darted back and forth, sweeping the surroundings for any semblance of help, but all I could do was stand there and watch as our medics treated him.

No amount of training prepared me to see a friend in pain. As I watched the helicopter fly him away, I couldn’t help but think— even though I’d gone through some of the best military training in the world, in that moment, I could do nothing for him. Fortunately, he is okay, but had there been no medic available, the situation could have ended with tragedy. That night, I realized that through a career in medicine, I could be more than just a bystander to suffering— I could be in the position to not only reduce unnecessary pain but to also help those affected by conflict and trauma be restored to the fullness of life.

Upon returning home from this deployment, I shifted my focus to developing my skills in trauma care. I completed various trainings on caring for casualties in a combat environment and preparing non-medic Rangers to provide self-aid or buddy-aid in the absence of a medical provider. In a final scenario-based training lane, I helped lead my team in the treatment and packaging of a trauma patient for evacuation, setting a record time in our company and earning a military medal. This achievement, however, was only the beginning. These trainings and my successes served as a foundation that I built upon to ensure I could provide life-saving care in combat situations.  I continued to hone this skillset over my next two combat deployments as a machine gunner to Afghanistan, where, I was prepared to use these critical abilities to decrease mortality on the battlefield. In medicine, like in the army, the actual practice of one’s craft may be life or death. Therefore, evolving both dependability and proficiency during training is imperative in preparation for that final test, both in war and in medicine.

After leaving the military, confronting injury and trauma continued to be a reality. A year after exiting the service, two Army Ranger leaders whom I knew were critically injured on a mission overseas. One was my former team leader, who was shot in the neck, and the other was caught in an explosion that later resulted in a triple amputation. The relentless efforts of doctors and nurses is the reason why both of these brave men are alive today. Recognizing that without the diligent care of these medical professionals, these men would not have survived, I became ever more dedicated to serving others.

While in college, this dedication pushed me to routinely visit the West Haven VA Hospital to provide a community of support for the older, disabled veterans there. I first began visiting this hospital for my own medical care but witnessing the suffering of the other veterans at the hospital spurred me to return repeatedly not as a patient, but as a friend to my fellow veterans.  As a veteran and student, seeing and hearing about the pain and loss of function experienced by many other veterans reminded me of the importance of advocacy in healthcare: to understand, to care for, and to fight for those who are unable to do so themselves.

I continued to see these effects of conflict while volunteering as a tutor to individuals from the Middle East who were affected by the very war I served in. Alaa lives in Syria and dreams of becoming a surgeon. Together, Alaa and I discussed chemistry, biology, and math. Despite his love of learning and dedication, the instability of his community, which was plagued by violence, often barred him from focusing on his studies and committing to a routine tutoring schedule. Although I’ll never intimately know the reality of growing up in a war-torn country, working with Alaa taught me to keep the bigger picture of healthcare in mind. It reminded me that a career as a physician would provide me with the capability to help those like Alaa who are affected by conflict.

When I reflect on medicine, I draw many parallels to my life in army special operations. The training is intense, the hours are long, and the structure is hierarchical. The mission, above all else, is to provide the best outcome for those around you. On my journey to a career in medicine, I plan to continue to add to what I’ve learned from my experiences so far: humility, empathy, dependability, communication, teamwork, and leading from the front. For over four years I lived by the Ranger Creed, and I plan to imbue the same ethos in serving as a physician— to keep myself mentally alert and morally straight, to shoulder more than my share of whatever task presents itself.  In crossing from the path of a warrior to that of a healer, I hope to continue a life of service to improve the human condition and reduce unnecessary suffering in the world one person at a time.

3. Community-based Health and Empathy: Serving Underserved Communities in Crisis

Student Accepted to Weill Cornell

My path to medicine was first influenced by early adolescent experiences trying to understand my place in society. Though I was not conscious of it at the time, I held a delicate balance between my identity as an Indian-American and an “American-American.”

In a single day, I could be shooting hoops and eating hotdogs at school while spending the evening playing Carrom and enjoying tandoori chicken at a family get-together. When our family moved from New York to California, I had the opportunity to attend a middle school with greater diversity, so I learned Spanish to salve the loss of moving away and assimilate into my new surroundings.

As I partook in related events and cuisine, I built an intermixed friend group and began to understand how culture influences our perception of those around us. While volunteering at senior centers in high school, I noticed a similar pattern to what I sometimes saw at school: seniors socializing in groups of shared ethnicity and culture. Moving from table to table, and therefore language to language, I also observed how each group shared different life experiences and perspectives on what constitutes health and wellness. Many seniors talked about barriers to receiving care or how their care differed from what they had envisioned. Listening to their stories on cultural experiences, healthcare disparities, and care expectations sparked my interest in becoming a physician and providing care for the whole community.

Intrigued by the science behind perception and health, I took electives during my undergraduate years to build a foundation in these domains. In particular, I was amazed by how computational approaches could help model the complexity of the human mind, so I pursued research at Cornell’s Laboratory of Rational Decision-Making. Our team used fMRI analysis to show how the framing of information affects its cognitive processing and perception. Thinking back to my discussions with seniors, I often wondered if more personalized health-related messaging could positively influence their opinions. Through shadowing, I had witnessed physicians engaging in honest and empathetic conversations to deliver medical information and manage patients’ expectations, but how did they navigate delicate conflicts where the patients’ perspectives diverged from their own?

My question was answered when I became a community representative for the Ethics Committee for On Lok PACE, an elderly care program. One memorable case was that of Mr. A.G, a blind 86-year-old man with radiation-induced frontal lobe injury who wanted to return home and cook despite his doctor’s expressed safety concerns. Estranged from family, Mr. A.G. relied on cooking to find fulfillment in his life. Recognizing the conflict between autonomy and beneficence, I joined the physicians in brainstorming and recommending ways he could cook while being supervised. I realized that the role of a physician was to mediate between the medical care plan and the patient’s wishes in order to make a decision that preserves their dignity. As we considered possibilities, the physicians’ genuine concern for the patient’s emotional well-being exemplified the compassion that I want to emulate as a future doctor. Our discussions emphasized the rigor of medicine—the challenge of ambiguity and the importance of working with an individual to serve their needs.

With COVID-19 ravaging our underserved communities, my desire to help others drove me towards community-based health as a contact tracer for my county’s Department of Public Health. My conversations uncovered dozens of heartbreaking stories that revealed how inequities in socioeconomic status and job security left poorer families facing significantly harsher quarantines than their wealthier counterparts. Moreover, many residents expressed fear or mistrust, such as a 7-person family who could not safely isolate in their 1 bedroom/1 bath apartment. I offered to arrange free hotel accommodations but was met with a guarded response from the father: “We’ll be fine. We can maintain the 6 feet.” While initially surprised, I recognized how my government affiliation could lead to a power dynamic that made the family feel uneasy. Thinking how to make myself more approachable, I employed motivational interviewing skills and even simple small talk to build rapport. When we returned to discussing the hotel, he trusted my intentions and accepted the offer. Our bond of mutual trust grew over two weeks of follow-ups, leaving me humbled yet gratified to see his family transition to a safer living situation. As a future physician, I realize I may encounter many first-time or wary patients; and I feel prepared to create a responsive environment that helps them feel comfortable about integrating into our health system.

Through my clinical and non-clinical experiences, I have witnessed the far-reaching impact of physicians, from building lasting connections with patients to being a rock of support during uncertain times. I cannot imagine a career without these dynamics—of improving the health and wellness of patients, families, and society and reducing healthcare disparities. While I know the path ahead is challenging, I am confident that I want to dedicate my life to this profession.

4. Creating a Judgment-Free Zone with The Power of Acceptance in Healthcare

Student Accepted to George Washington SOM and Health Sciences, Drexel University COM

Immigrating into a foreign country without speaking a word of the language is a terrifying task for anyone. My mentee at Computers4kids, Sahil, came to the United States at seventeen and had been struggling to integrate with society due to the language barrier. Although I was born in the United States, I can empathize with the struggle he encounters daily, since both my parents and many members of my family have dealt with the same issues. Often, these barriers exacerbate mundane issues the immigrant population faces as they have difficulty finding people who can understand and care for them. Since I am bilingual in Farsi, when Sahil approached me with his driving instructions manual written in Dari, I thought I could teach him the rules of the road with no issues. I asked him to read the first sentence, but he diverted his gaze and mumbled that he did not know how to read. As I realized he seemed embarrassed by his illiteracy, I placed my hand on his shoulder and assured him that he could learn. I increased my weekly hours at the site to spend an equal amount of time on the rules of the road and on phonetics and reading. Within a few months, he was more comfortable greeting others around the Computers4Kids site and participating in interactive projects. Upon reflection, I appreciate the importance of creating a judgment-free zone that encourages learning and reciprocal care. Once Sahil noticed that I saw him no differently after learning of his illiteracy, he was ready and willing to work on the basics of language and reading, instead of solely memorizing words.

I did not realize how pivotal a judgment-free zone in a medical environment is until I worked at the University of Virginia Emergency Department as a medical scribe. Although I had scribed at a smaller hospital before, I had always strived for a position at a high-volume healthcare center and level one trauma center. Close to the end of a long shift, I walked into the room of a patient with the chief complain of ‘Psychiatric Evaluation’.  A male patient with schizophrenia was hyperventilating and speaking through tears as he described seeing his deceased wife and daughter everywhere he looked. Between short breaths, he mentioned he was going to Florida to attack the person who “murdered his family”. The resident diffused the situation by acknowledging the patient’s feelings and suggesting that he stayed for psychiatric help instead of flying to Florida. Eventually, the patient agreed and was admitted. Seeing the resident create this judgment-free environment was eye opening, as the previously distressed patient was now accepting counseling. The powerful influence of acceptance can lead to valuable insights about patients’ lives, potentially increasing the range of care one can administer.

I decided to transition to primary care in the most recent fall season because I would be able to build a more personal relationship with families in my community. I began working at Union Mill Pediatrics and was finally able to serve the community I grew I up in. I was given the responsibility of acting as the primary contact for a few families with children who have autism. Dr. Maura and I perused the plan of care for one of these children, Ayaan, determined by the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), to ensure that set therapeutic goals were reasonable and generalizable. When I asked Salwa, Ayaan’s mother, about some of the goals set by her BCBA and the school, she mentioned they would repeat exercises he already knew how to complete. I informed Salwa of her right as a patient to bring up her concerns with Ayaan’s teachers. I was overjoyed when she updated me that she instructed Ayaan’s teacher to continue putting his hearing aid in despite Ayaan’s constant cries. Salwa explained that the tantrums would curb after two days, which proved to be true. Similarly to how I encourages Salwa to advocate for her son, I will advocate for my patients and help them develop confidence to speak about their needs. After finding her voice as the patient’s guardian, Salwa gained the confidence to ask about a support group as she faces difficulties raising Ayaan alone. After some research, I found a few active groups to send her. By proving to Salwa I had her best interests in heart, she opened up to me about her mental health issues, which enabled me to extend the appropriate resources her way.

I have witnessed the potential that physicians have at work to forever change a family’s quality of life by being open-minded and remaining judgment-free. As a physician, I will aim to provide for my community through attentive healthcare and community service. I will advocate for my patients with cultural, language or socioeconomic barriers to healthcare. Building a trusting relationship with my future patients can result in a more productive office visit and enhance my ability to administer holistic care. My goal is for patients to leave their visit with not only a reasonable plan of care, but also a greater appreciation of their health and their rights as patients.

5. The Intersection of Medicine and Creativity

Student Accepted to Hackensack Meridian SOM, Nova Southeastern CoOM/KPCOM

Growing up, I inherited a deep admiration for medicine. From my grandfather’s chilling stories as a forensic psychiatrist assessing mental fitness, to my father’s heroic accounts as a pediatric dentist operating on toddlers with severe tooth decay, I was enamored with the honor of healing. These exposures nurtured my natural curiosity and innate aptitude for the sciences. Yet my mother, who had studied dance and theatre, instilled in me a fervent love of the arts and creative practice. Following in her footsteps, I took up multiple musical instruments, attended a high school for the arts, and earned a degree in art history coupled with a dance minor. Still, my dream was to pursue medicine, and though it seems counterintuitive, my love of art has only facilitated my enduring love of science, reinforcing why pursuing a career as a holistic, health-centered physician is my deepest aspiration.

My affinity for the health sciences began in the dance studio, where I devoted many hours of my adolescence. Dance, insidious in its promotion of grotesque health practices, demanded that I limit my calories to 1,200 a day counting everything from ibuprofen to a stick of gum, and to dance through a severe hamstring tear. My conceptions of health were severely warped until college dance came to my rescue. These new progressive teachers uplifted dancers of all physical and cognitive abilities, distributed scientific journals on effective warm-up techniques, and abandoned conventional dance norms. I was disturbed by all the unlearning I had to do, but eager to reacquaint myself with my body and disseminate new knowledge. Thus, I was honored when dance again presented an opportunity in health, as I was hired to teach dance at my childhood summer camp. Here, I could separate my curriculum from unreasonable physical expectations and interpersonal competition. I found a fierce sense of joy and fulfillment from being an advocate for physical and emotional health, and I knew I wanted to continue helping others heal while also deconstructing my own negative health experiences.

These formative experiences in the arts profoundly supported my intellectual development, allowing me to thrive in science-based settings and ultimately prompting me to seek out colleges with robust research programs. At the University of Michigan, I had the privilege of participating in a campus research lab, undoubtedly resulting in my most valuable college experience. The world of scientific inquiry can be intimidating, but after a year of reading dozens of papers and learning novice lab protocols, I began my own independent investigation of zebrafish retinas. My goal was to uncover the mechanisms of retinal regeneration in fish, thus addressing vision loss. The excitement I felt in utilizing challenging lab techniques, working with animals, witnessing the culmination of my efforts through image analysis, and being a part of such life-altering research was unmatched. What once seemed like magic was now tangible; I was an artist helping craft the solutions to science’s unanswered questions. In the context of my multidisciplinary interests, my research reinforced the creative, humanitarian side of science, and that science was where I felt compelled to take action and build a career.

Art continued to deepen my passion for and understanding of medicine. The revolutionary approaches of my dance teachers modeled the importance of critique as it pertains to health. This was not a new concept to me; my high school art teachers had urged us to challenge institutional weaknesses. It was not until college, however, that I realized how this line of thinking intersects with medicine. Studying art history, I repeatedly encountered artists whose work tackled issues in health. Keith Haring confronted the AIDS crisis when society had turned on the gay population, and Marc Quinn confronted the disease of addiction in his self-portrait sculptures, made entirely of his own frozen blood. Art, I learned, is so often a response to disease, be it physical, mental, or sociological. These artists had been champions of health in light of its stigmas and politics; art thus fostered new intentions, instilling within me an ardent goal of social activism through medicine.

Art has contributed to my journey, and while it is not my ultimate goal, I hope to incorporate my artistically based insights into my work in science and medicine as a health and social justice advocate. I am driven to continue exploring these intersections, having compiled an entire portfolio on the connection between dance and science, researched disability in the arts, and pursued my personal interest in LGBTQ+ health advocacy by connecting with and shadowing a variety of gender care physicians. My intention to pursue medicine is personal, fulfilling, and pressing, and I take seriously the responsibility I will have as a physician to be a mogul for change in areas of healthcare that compromise the human experience. Further, my natural inclination towards science and involvement in academic research has instilled in me the confidence and skills necessary to be an effective medical practitioner. With this balanced mindset, I know I will contribute to a more ethical and well-rounded approach to healthcare.

6. Innovation in Medicine and a Quest for Discovery

Student Accepted to Johns Hopkins SOM, Washington University SOM, Hofstra Zucker SOM

As a notoriously picky nine-year-old with a penchant for grilled cheese, I was perplexed when I learned that my younger sister, Rachel, had been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I felt a sting of betrayal knowing my comfort food was the culprit for Rachel’s terrible stomach aches. Yearning to understand how my favorite food was poisoning my favorite person, I developed an insatiable desire to discover the “why” behind Celiac. As Rachel’s doctor explained her disease, I was both fascinated that a simple protein could cause so much damage and inspired by the doctor’s compassion. He described every detail in a way Rachel would understand, addressed her every concern, and held her hand when she was scared. I wanted to be just like Rachel’s doctor so that I too could use science to decipher medical mysteries while also reassuring my patients that I would be their advocate and help them heal.

My interest in medicine drove me to learn more about what it meant to be a doctor. As a freshman in high school, I arranged a shadow day with Dr. M, a cardiologist. He taught me about echoes, showed me a pacemaker implantation, and in the midst of a cardioversion, even beckoned me over to press the button that discharged the defibrillator. I could not contain my excitement recounting how much I had learned during my first day in a clinical setting. From there, my curiosity skyrocketed and I embarked on a relentless pursuit to explore the spectrum of the medical field. I was moved by the supportive atmosphere of the NICU, struck by the precision involved in ophthalmology, absorbed by the puzzle-like reconstruction of Mohs surgery, and awed by the agility of cardiothoracic surgery. Between high school and college, I shadowed over a dozen physicians, cementing my interest and furthering my passion for a future medical career.

My college classes allowed me to immerse myself further in the study of the human body. Following my fascination with cancer, I secured an internship working on a melanoma immunotherapy clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health. I savored the stimulation, grasping new experimental techniques and developing assays; but my work took on even greater meaning when I learned that my grandfather had been enrolled in an early-stage immunotherapy trial himself while battling mucosal melanoma. Although immunotherapy did not heal my grandfather, I was immensely proud to be advancing the science years later. Through long nights and evolving experiments, I gave the trial its final push through an FDA approval checkpoint; ultimately, my contributions will help more grandparents go into remission. The most fulfilling moments came every Monday when I accompanied the leading physician scientists on their rounds. As I met patients, listened to their stories, and celebrated their improvements, the pulsating blister on my thumbpad from endless pipetting became akin to a medal of honor. Reflecting on these encounters, I wanted to continue driving scientific innovation, but I also wanted a more active and personal impact in the patient’s experience.

My desire to connect with patients brought me to Alliance Medical Ministry, a clinic serving uninsured, disadvantaged communities in North Carolina. I stepped up to lead efforts to organize a community COVID-19 vaccination clinic, communicating personally with every eligible patient and arranging vaccine appointments for over a thousand people across the hardest hit areas of Raleigh. The experience became even more rewarding when I trained to administer vaccines, becoming a stable, anchoring presence from the beginning to the end of the process. One memorable patient, “Amy,” had not seen a doctor in years because of the associated financial burden. When she came to the clinic suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis, she was not even aware of her diabetes diagnosis. While I waited with her for transportation to the ER, she expressed her fears about contracting COVID at the hospital. However, she emphatically dismissed my suggestion about receiving a vaccine. I listened intently to all her concerns. Not only was she worried about the vaccine infecting her with the virus, but also her history of being denied healthcare due to her socioeconomic status had instilled fears that she would not be taken care of should she have an adverse reaction. I took her hand in mine and reassured her of the clinic’s mission to provide care regardless of ability to pay. I further explained everything I knew about how the vaccine worked, its safety and efficacy, and how my body reacted when I received my own injection. I could not help but beam behind my N95 when days later, Amy returned, sat in my chair and confidently rolled up her sleeve for me to give her the protective shot.

I have grown by exploring the multifaceted world of medicine through shadowing, pioneering research to advance patient care at the NIH, and cultivating trusting relationships with patients from the vaccine clinic. As a doctor, my desire to be an innovative thinker and problem solver will fuel my unrelenting quest for discovery throughout a lifetime of learning. Most importantly, I aspire to use my medical knowledge to improve lives and establish meaningful patient partnerships, just as Rachel’s doctor did with her.

7. Transforming Pain into Purpose: Inspiring Change in the Field of Medicine

Student Accepted to UCSF SOM, Harvard Medical School

Countless visits to specialists in hope of relief left me with a slew of inconclusive test results and uncertain diagnoses. “We cannot do anything else for you.” After twelve months of waging a war against my burning back, aching neck and tingling limbs, hearing these words at first felt like a death sentence, but I continued to advocate for myself with medical professionals. A year of combatting pain and dismissal led me to a group of compassionate and innovative physicians at the Stanford Pain Management Center (SPMC). Working alongside a diverse team including pain management specialists and my PCP, I began the long, non-linear process of uncovering the girl that had been buried in the devastating rubble of her body’s pain. From struggling with day-to-day activities like washing my hair and sitting in class to thriving as an avid weightlifter and zealous student over the span of a year, I realized I am passionate about preventing, managing and eliminating chronic illnesses through patient-centered incremental care and medical innovation.

A few days after my pain started, I was relieved to hear that I had most likely just strained some muscles, but after an empty bottle of muscle relaxers, the stings and aches had only intensified. I went on to see 15 specialists throughout California, including neurologists, physiatrists, and rheumatologists. Neurological exams. MRIs. Blood tests. All inconclusive. Time and time again, specialists dismissed my experience due to ambiguous test results and limited time. I spent months trying to convince doctors that I was losing my body; they thought I was losing my mind. Despite these letdowns, I did not stop fighting to regain control of my life. Armed with my medical records and a detailed journal of my symptoms, I continued scheduling appointments with the intention of finding a doctor who would dig deeper in the face of the unknown. Between visits, I researched my symptoms and searched for others with similar experiences. One story on Stanford Medicine’s blog, “Young Woman Overcomes Multiple Misdiagnoses and Gets Her Life Back”, particularly stood out to me and was the catalyst that led me to the SPMC. After bouncing from doctor to doctor, I had finally found a team of physicians who would take the profound toll of my pain on my physical and mental well-being seriously.

Throughout my year-long journey with my care team at the SPMC, I showed up for myself even when it felt like I would lose the war against my body. I confronted daily challenges with fortitude. When lifting my arms to tie my hair into a ponytail felt agonizing, YouTube tutorials trained me to become a braiding expert. Instead of lying in bed all day when my medication to relieve nerve pain left me struggling to stay awake, I explored innovative alternative therapies with my physicians; after I was fed up with the frustration of not knowing the source of my symptoms, I became a research subject in a clinical trial aimed at identifying and characterizing pain generators in patients suffering from “mysterious” chronic pain. At times, it felt like my efforts were only resulting in lost time. However, seeing how patient my care team was with me, offering long-term coordinated support and continually steering me towards a pain-free future, motivated me to grow stronger with every step of the process. Success was not  an immediate victory, but rather a long journey of incremental steps that produced steady, life-saving progress over time. My journey brought me relief as well as clarity with regard to  how I will care for my future patients. I will advocate for them even when complex conditions, inconclusive results and stereotypes discourage them from seeking continued care; work with them to continually adapt and improve an individualized plan tailored to their needs and goals, and engage in pioneering research and medical innovations that can directly benefit them.

Reflecting on the support system that enabled me to overcome the challenges of rehabilitation, I was inspired to help others navigate life with chronic pain in a more equitable and accessible way. Not everyone has the means to work indefinitely with a comprehensive care team, but most do have a smartphone. As a result, I partnered with a team of physicians and physical therapists at the University of California San Francisco to develop a free mobile application that guides individuals dealing with chronic pain through recovery. Based on my own journey, I was able to design the app with an understanding of the mental and physical toll that pain, fear, and loss of motivation take on patients struggling with chronic pain. Having features like an exercise bank with a real-time form checker and an AI-based chatbot to motivate users, address their concerns and connect them to specific health care resources, our application helped 65 of the 100 pilot users experience a significant reduction in pain and improvement in mental health in three months.

My journey has fostered my passion for patient-centered incremental medicine and medical innovation. From barely living to thriving, I have become a trailblazing warrior with the perseverance and resilience needed to pursue these passions and help both the patients I engage with and those around the world.

8. Overcoming Bias, Stigma, and Disparities in Medicine

Student Accepted to University of Florida COM

Growing up as a Black woman, my family’s experiences with racial bias in medicine were central to my perception of doctors. From my grandmother’s forced electric shock therapy in the Jim Crow South that resulted in severe brain damage, to my father’s ignored appendicitis that led to a near-death infection after rupturing, every trip to the doctor came with apprehension. Will these strange men with sharp tools heal me or hurt me? This question repeated in my head as I prepared to undergo my first surgery to remove suspiciously inflamed lymph nodes at age 11. I woke up groggy from anesthesia with a negative cancer diagnosis but a blistering third degree burn. The surgeon had successfully removed the malignant masses but had left the cauterizing iron resting on my neck in the process. Today when I look in the mirror and see the scar, I am reminded of the troubling reality that myths such as black people having thicker skin and less sensitive nerve endings are still pervasive in the medical field. By challenging the systemic disparities in medicine that disadvantage minority populations, I vow to my inner child that I will be a different kind of doctor, a doctor who values the patient as much as the procedure.

My experiences with a variety of communities, minority and majority, stem from growing up in a military household that came with frequent relocations. I was exposed to a wide range of communities from an early age—rural Oregon to tropical Hawaii, industrious Japan to politicized D.C, sunny San Diego and finally to radical Berkeley where I  began my pre-medical education. I chose to view medicine from an anthropological lens while at Cal and supplemented my coursework with community service.  As co-coordinator of UC Berkeley’s chapter of Peer Health Exchange, my 9th grade students were, at first,  mistrusting –even with my Angela Davis-esque afro, I was clearly not from Oakland and not quite old enough to be lecturing them. But it was the Good Samaritan Law lecture, during which students learned they would not face police penalty for calling 911 if a friend was in trouble, that I finally gained their trust. One student shared, “I always worried that I wouldn’t be able to call for help because I’m undocumented.”  Later as a health advocate at UCSF, I encountered the same sentiment from families in the pediatric clinic who worried that accessing healthcare for a sick child might put their immigration or legal status at risk. I learned that to get to the root of barriers to access, trust is invaluable. Navigating marginalized spaces with cultural competency is an asset that I pride myself in.

I carried this foundation into my research and clinical work on HIV, a disease that disproportionately affects Black and Brown communities and is often left untreated by the stigmas surrounding medicine for these communities. As an HIV PreP Navigator at the Oasis clinic, I was on rotation when a thirteen-year-old girl was referred to the clinic after testing positive for HIV. We analyzed her T cell count and viral load, and discovered she fit the AIDs criteria.   In the following weeks, we worked on medication adherence, and as the girl’s CD4 count rose, so did her spirits and mine. Medicine is more than just a diagnosis and prescription—it is active compassionate treatment. It is holding steady when the entire ground seems to shake with the magnitude of an illness. It is being able to look a patient in the eye and truly see them despite the myriad of differences.

The disparities and differences in patient circumstances has been emphasized by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing this disproportionate effect of the virus on minority communities, I worked at a COVID-19 testing facility in one of the most underserved and impoverished communities in the Los Angeles’ area. Assuring patients of the safety of Covid testing measures was a big part of the job. “Have you done it?” They would ask. “What about Tuskegee?”  Being Black, I felt the burden of responsibility that came with these questions. How could I have such faith in medicine knowing the traumatic past? My response was simple, “I believe in the science. I can explain PCR testing to you if you like.” By eradicating some of the mystery surrounding these lab techniques, people felt more comfortable.  The opportunity to serve as a trusted community leader by directly interacting with patients and working on a team with doctors, EMTs, and nurses amid an international crisis reaffirmed my journey into medicine.

Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, “mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to ‘jump at de sun.’ We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” As an aspiring physician, these words have served as a motivating mantra. To “get off the ground” for me means to become the first medical doctor in a lineage of sharecroppers and farmers. Medicine has been my “sun” for as long as I can remember; its promise to bring light has kept me jumping at every opportunity. Like my grandmother, my father, and so many others, I have experienced disparity in medicine. The scars that mar our bodies are my constant reminder that there is much work to be done. I see medicine as the ability to directly enact that change, one patient at a time.

9. Navigating Personal Struggles to Become a Compassionate Physician

Student Accepted to Touro CoOM, Nova Southeastern CoOM/KPCOM

I fight the heavy sleepiness that comes over me, but before I know it, I am out like a light. Forty-five minutes later, I wake up with a sore throat, watery eyes, and an intensely cold, painful feeling plaguing my entire right leg. Earlier, my parents and I arrived at the Beckman Laser Institute for another treatment of my port-wine stain birthmark. Despite my pleas to not undergo these procedures, my parents still took me twice a year. As I was rolled into the cold, sterile operating room on a gurney, I felt like I was experiencing everything from outside of myself. Despite my doctor’s and nurses’ best efforts to comfort me, I felt my heart racing. Feelings of apprehension and fear of the unknown flooded my senses at the sight of beeping machines and tubes that seemed to go everywhere. As the anesthesiologist began to administer the “sleepy juice,” I felt sad, realizing that my birthmark was a permanent resident on my leg and that I would have to receive this treatment for the rest of my life.

As an adult, I am grateful my parents continued to take me to the laser institute. Starting treatment so early aided in the lightening of my birthmark, which did wonders to improve my self-confidence. However, I suffered daily, feeling like I constantly had to hide something about myself. I kept my secret from everyone except my parents. Despite there being several medical doctors in my family, I knew that any sign of illness or disease would be held against me socially amongst other Egyptians. My secrecy was made even more difficult by the advice of my doctor to avoid certain physical activities, as they could worsen the underlying pathology of the veins in my legs. On his advice, I only wore long pants and would not run with other children during recess and gym class. This all added to the isolation I felt growing up, not knowing anyone with a similar condition to mine. Even as a child, no amount of explaining or encouragement could make me understand the benefit of those painful laser treatments.

What eventually changed my perspective was the team of compassionate doctors and nurses who have been caring for me since I began this journey. I was particularly touched when one of my doctors shared with me that she had also undergone a procedure that she would be performing on me. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Not only was she a specialist in the field, but her empathy for what I would soon go through became a source of instant comfort and ease for me. I knew that what she said was heartfelt, and not simply an attempt to convince me to undergo a procedure. I realized then that one of the reasons I had felt so afraid was because I had been alone in what I was going through.

A few years later, I attended a conference held by the Vascular Birthmark Foundation, where a variety of specialists convened to discuss port-wine stain birthmarks and other related conditions. Once we arrived at the hotel where the conference would take place, I met a woman who had a facial port-wine stain birthmark. As we began sharing stories about our experiences with our condition, we connected over how difficult it had been to receive treatment. We both knew what it felt like to be told that the birthmark was simply a cosmetic issue, and that any form of treatment we received would have no corrective purpose, if it was even considered treatment in the first place. There was a certain sense of freedom that I felt in finally being able to talk about my illness with someone I could trust to understand. Thinking back to the doctor who connected with me over a procedure she had also experienced as a patient, I felt truly called in that moment to pursue my goal of becoming a vascular physician. My goal would be to become a source of comfort and familiarity for patients who struggle as I have, to give them the same relief that I experienced from finally being understood.

Despite the pains I went through, I now realize that the experiences I have had as a patient can help me better understand what it means to be a physician. By being an excellent listener and openly sharing my experiences with receiving treatment, I can foster an honest and safe physician-patient relationship. I believe this approach will not only comfort my patients, but also help them make informed decisions about their treatment. My commitment to this approach has also led me to choose a DO path for my medical career. Having researched the holistic treatment approach that a DO delivers, I realized that being treated by a DO would have done wonders for my self-confidence and overall health as a young patient. The aspects of my port wine stain that were always left untreated were the emotional and social side effects of my condition. As a DO in the dermatology or interventional radiology specialty, I hope to gain the tools to provide empathetic and comprehensive care to my patients that reassures them that they are not alone in their journey to better health.

Want to read a few more great samples? We also broke down the things that make these 3 personal statements excellent and compelling.

Other Resources For Personal Statement Writing

Do you want to learn even more about personal statements? Dive into these great resources!

FREE MEDICAL SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT WEBINARS

Preparing Your Personal Statement For Medical Programs : Hosted by MedSchoolCoach Director of Writing & College Advising, Jennifer Speegle.

Creating the First Draft of Your Medical School Personal Statement : Hosted by MedSchoolCoach advising and writing advisors, Ziggy Yoediono MD and James Fleming.

Where to Begin When Writing Your Personal Statement : Hosted by MedSchoolCoach Associate Director of Writing and College Advising, Jennifer Speegle, Associate Director of Advising, Ziggy Yoediono MD, and Writing Advisor, Carrie Coaplen Ph. D.

The Medical School Personal Statement – What Makes a Great Intro and Why It’s Important : Hosted by Director of Advising, Dr. Renee Marinelli, MD, Master Advisor, Dr. Ziggy Yoediono, MD, and Founder of MedSchoolCoach, Dr. Sahil Mehta, MD.

THE PROSPECTIVE DOCTOR PODCAST

Episode 2 – The Personal Statement

Episode 42 – Writing Your Personal Statement

Episode 76 – How to Tackle the Medical School Personal Statement

Should you hire a pro to help write your personal statement?

Yes, the best personal statement results will happen when you have a seasoned professional on your side. schedule a meeting with our advisors to get help with writing and editing your personal statement..

See How We Can Help

Search for:, recent posts, medschoolcoach, recent blog posts.

How Can I Help My Kid Get Into Med School?

As a parent, you naturally want the best for your child, and if your child is considering a career in[...]

April 25, 2023

Q&A with Dr. Alice Zheng, MedSchoolCoach Advisor

Dr. Alice Zheng is a entrepreneur, physician, public health activist and MBA! She received her MBA from Harvard University and MD[...]

August 10, 2016

Tips from the AAMC: Top Resources for Getting into Medical School

Webinar Recap: Top AAMC Resources for Getting Into Medical SchoolNavigating the medical school application process can be daunting. To help[...]

May 23, 2024

The Pre-Med Journey: What it Takes to Get into Medical School

Thinking about applying to medical school? Discover what high school students need to know about obtaining a career in medicine.

Successfully Planning for the USMLE Step 1 and 2 CK

Get ready for the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 with this free guide to study planning and resource utilization.

100 MCAT Study Tips

Taking the MCAT? These 100 tips and tricks will help you ace the MCAT.

Call us at (888) 381-9509

Call Us Now

Or, Schedule a Meeting Below

4 Medical School Personal Statement Examples

The personal statement can be one of the most challenging parts of your medical school application process. You want to show admissions committees the qualities that make you stand out while avoiding cliches. After all, a lot is riding on this essay. Don’t panic. We’ve done our homework, talked to insiders, and gathered firsthand personal statements to help you get started.

Getting Started

Before diving into the personal statement examples, here are some tips on framing your experiences to wow admissions officers.

1. Stick to your real-life experiences. While it’s great to express what you want to do in healthcare in the future, that doesn’t really set you apart. All premed students have goals for what they’ll do in the medical profession, but this often changes after time in medical school. Telling a personal story instead gives admission committee members a look at who you already are and if you have the qualities they deem desirable for med school .

Feel free to mention specialties you’re passionate about and touch on your clinical experience, but make sure the experiences you discuss are unique.

2. Build an in-depth narrative. Nobody wants to read a blanket summary of your research experience. This is your chance to get passionate and demonstrate some communication skills. Explain the driving force behind your desire to work in the medical field.

The old writing rule comes into play here: “show, don’t tell.” You will always capture your reader’s attention more by telling a story than by explaining a circumstance. Medical school admissions committees are no different. Showing them your strong work ethic — or dedication, or whatever personal quality you want — without just saying, “I have a strong work ethic” will have a greater impact.

3. Don’t include metrics. Admissions officers already have access to your GPA and MCAT scores. If they want to know how you did in biochemistry, they can find out. Don’t waste space here. If you’re concerned about those numbers, it’s much more important to nail the personal statement and secure a secondary application and eventual medical school interview.

4. Know the character limits — and try to meet them. Both AACOMAS and AMCAS applications have a character limit of 5,300. You do not necessarily need to use all 5,300 characters, but you also don’t want it to be under 3,000. You want to use as many as possible while staying on topic and being relevant. A too-short essay can look careless.

5. Get comfortable with revising . You’ll do it a lot. Expect your first draft to be just that – a first draft. This writing process will take several weeks, if not months. Once you’re confident in your essay, ask for feedback. Avoid asking family members (unless they’re experts in the field of medicine). Instead, have professors, mentors, and peers read it and offer notes.

|| Read more about capturing readers from the first paragraph with our Medical School Personal Statement Storytelling Guide . ||

6. Use coaching to craft the perfect essay. Personal statements like the ones below only come after countless hours of brainstorming and writing drafts. However, with MedSchoolCoach , you’ll work with professional writing advisors step-by-step to develop an impactful medical school personal statement.

|| Check out more Tips for Writing a Personal Statement ||

Personal Statement Example #1

Our second essay contest winner was a medical student who made their submission an AMCAS personal statement . It serves as a great and effective medical school personal statement example . We also thought it was a good read overall!

A four-letter word for “dignitary.” The combinations surge through my mind: emir? agha? tsar? or perhaps the lesser-used variant, czar? I know it’s also too early to rule out specific names – there were plenty of rulers named Omar – although the clue is suspiciously unspecific. Quickly my eyes jump two columns to the intersecting clue, 53-Across, completely ignoring the blur outside the window that indicates my train has left the Times Square station. “Nooks’ counterparts.” I am certain the answer is “crannies.” This means 49-Down must end in r, so I eliminate “agha” in my mind. Slowly, the pieces come together, the wordplay sending my brain into mental gymnastics. At the end of two hours, I find myself staring at a completed crossword puzzle, and as trivial as it is, it is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

As an avid cruciverbalist, I have a knack for problem-solving. I fell in love with another kind of puzzle in college: organic chemistry. While some of my peers struggled with its complexity, the notion of analyzing mass spectroscopy, IR spectrums, and H-NMR to identify a specific molecule invigorated me. The human body was a fantastic mystery to me in my biology classes. Intricacies such as hormonal up- and down-regulation pulled at the riddler in me; I was not satisfied until I understood the enigma of how the body worked. Graduate school at Columbia was an extension of this craving, and I chose a thesis topic to attempt to elucidate the sophisticated workings of neuro-hormonal balance peri-bariatric surgery.

In non-academic settings, I also pursued activities that would sharpen my intellect. The act of teaching is a form of problem-solving; a good teacher finds the most effective way to convey information to students. So I accepted the challenge and taught in both international and domestic settings. I assumed leadership positions in church because it forced me to think critically to resolve conflicts. In the lab, I volunteered to help write a review on the biological mechanisms of weight regain. It was precisely what I loved: isolating a specific human phenomenon and investigating how it worked.

I believe medicine and puzzles are in the same vein. After participating in health fairs, working at a clinic, and observing physicians, I understand that pinpointing a patient’s exact needs is difficult at times. In a way, disease itself can be a puzzle, and doctors sometimes detect it only one piece at a time – a cough here, lanugo there. Signs and symptoms act as clues that whittle down the possibilities until only a few remain. Then all that is left is to fill in the word and complete the puzzle. Voila!

Actually, it is more complicated than that, and inevitably the imperfect comparison falls through.

I distinctly remember a conversation I had with a psychiatric patient at Aftercare. He had just revealed his identity as Batman — but it turns out he was also Jesus. During downtime between tests, he decided to confide in me some of his dreams and aspirations. He swiftly pulled out a sketchpad and said confidently, “When I get better, I’m going back to art school.” Any doubts stemming from his earlier ramblings vanished at the sight of his charcoal-laden sheets filled with lifelike characters. “They’re… really good,” I stammered. I was looking for the right words to say, but there are times when emotions are so overwhelming that words fail. I nodded in approval and motioned that we should get back to testing.

Those next few hours of testing flew by as I ruminated on what I had experienced. After working 3 years at the clinic, I got so caught up in the routine of “figuring out” brain function that I missed the most important aspect of the job: the people. And so, just as the crossword puzzle is a 15×15 symbol of the cold New York streets, a person is the polar opposite. Our patients are breathing, fluid, and multi-dimensional. I’ve come to love both, but there is nothing I want more in the world than to see a broken person restored, a dream reignited, to see Mr. Batman regain sanity and take up art school again. The prospect of healing others brings me joy, surpassing even the most challenging crosswords in the Sunday paper.

This is why I feel called to a life in medicine. It is the one profession that allows me to restore others while thinking critically and appreciating human biology. I am passionate about people, and medicine allows me to participate in their lives in a tangible way, aligned with my interest in biology and problem-solving skill.

The New York Times prints a new puzzle daily, and so does the Washington Post, USA Today, and the list continues. The unlimited supply of puzzles mirrors the abundance of human disease and the physician’s ongoing duty to unravel the mystery, to resolve the pain. A great cruciverbalist begins with the basics of learning “crosswordese,” a nuanced language; I am prepared to do the same with health, starting with my education in medical school. Even so, I am always humbled by what little I know and am prepared to make mistakes and learn along the way. After all, I would never do a crossword puzzle in pen.

||Read Our First Essay Contest Winner: Considerations Before Applying to Medical School ||

||Read The Formula For A Good Personal Statement | |

Personal Statement Example #2

Student Accepted to Case Western SOM, Washington University SOM, University of Utah SOM, Northwestern University Feinberg SOM

With a flick and a flourish, the tongue depressor vanished, and a coin suddenly appeared behind my ear. Growing up, my pediatrician often performed magic tricks, making going to the doctor feel like literal magic. I believed all healthcare facilities were equally mystifying, especially after experiencing a different type of magic in the organized chaos of the Emergency Department. Although it was no place for a six-year-old, childcare was often a challenge, and while my dad worked extra shifts in nursing school to provide for our family, I would find myself awed by the diligence and warmth of the healthcare providers.

Though I associated the hospital with feelings of comfort and care, it sometimes became a place of fear and uncertainty. One night, my two-year-old brother, Sean, began vomiting and coughing non-stop. My dad was deployed overseas, so my mother and I had no choice but to spend the night at the hospital, watching my brother slowly recover with the help of the healthcare providers. Little did I know, it would not be long before I was in the same place. Months later, I became hospitalized with pneumonia with pleural effusions, and as I struggled to breathe, I was terrified of having fluid sucked out of my chest. But each day, physicians comforted me, asking how I was, reassuring me that I was being taken care of, and explaining any questions related to my illness and treatment. Soon, I became excited to speak with the infectious disease doctor and residents, absorbing as much as possible about different conditions.

I also came to view the magic of healing through other lenses. Growing up, Native American traditions were an important aspect of my life as my father was actively involved with native spirituality, connecting back to his Algonquin heritage. We often attended Wi-wanyang-wa-c’i-pi ceremonies or Sun Dances for healing through prayer and individuals making personal sacrifices for their community. Although I never sun danced, I spent hours in inipis chewing on osha root, finding my healing through songs.

In addition to my father’s heritage, healing came from the curanderismo traditions of Peru, my mother’s home. She came from a long line of healers using herbal remedies and ceremonies for healing the mind, body, energy, and soul. I can still see my mother preparing oils, herbs, and incense mixtures while performing healing rituals. Her compassion and care in healing paralleled the Emergency Department healthcare providers. 

Through the influence of these early life experiences, I decided to pursue a career in the health sciences. Shortly after starting college, I entered a difficult time in my life as I struggled with health and personal challenges. I suddenly felt weak and tired most days, with aches all over my body. Soon, depression set in. I eventually visited a doctor, and through a series of tests, we discovered I had hypothyroidism. During this time, I also began dealing with unprocessed childhood trauma. I decided to take time off school, and with thyroid replacement hormones and therapy, I slowly began to recover. But I still had ways to go, and due to financial challenges, I decided to continue delaying my education and found work managing a donut shop. Unbeknownst to me, this experience would lead to significant personal growth by working with people from all walks of life and allowing me time for self-reflection. I continuously reflected on the hospital experiences that defined my childhood and the unmatched admiration I had for healthcare workers. With my renewed interest in medicine, I enrolled in classes to get my AEMT license and gain more medical experience. 

As my health improved, I excelled in my classes, and after craving the connections of working with others, I became a medical assistant. In this position, I met “Marco,” a patient traveling from Mexico for treatment. Though I spoke Spanish while growing up, I had little experience as a medical interpreter. However, I took the opportunity to talk with him to learn his story. Afterward, he became more comfortable, and I walked him through the consultation process, interpreting the physician’s words and Marco’s questions. This moment showed me the power of connecting with others in their native language. As a result, I began volunteering at a homeless clinic to continue bridging the language barrier for patients and to help advocate for the Latinx community and those who struggle to find their voice. 

My journey to becoming a doctor has been less direct than planned; however, my personal trials and tribulations have allowed me to meet and work with incredible people who have been invaluable to my recovery and personal development. Most importantly, I have seen the value of compassionate and empathetic care. Though I have not recently witnessed any sleight of hand or vanishing acts, what healthcare providers do for patients can only be described as magic.

I look forward to bringing my diverse background as a physician and expanding my abilities to help patients in their path to healing.

||Read: But I Don’t Have 15 Activities ! | Apply to Med School After 3rd or 4th Year? ||

Personal Statement Example #3

Student accepted to Weill Cornell

My path to medicine was first influenced by early adolescent experiences trying to understand my place in society. Though I was not conscious of it then, I held a delicate balance between my identity as an Indian-American and an “American-American.” 

In a single day, I could be shooting hoops and eating hotdogs at school while spending the evening playing Carrom and enjoying tandoori chicken at a family get-together. When our family moved from New York to California, I had the opportunity to attend a middle school with greater diversity, so I learned Spanish to salve the loss of moving away and assimilate into my new surroundings.

As I partook in related events and cuisine, I built a mixed friend group and began understanding how culture influences our perception of those around us. While volunteering at senior centers in high school, I noticed a similar pattern to what I sometimes saw: seniors socializing in groups of shared ethnicity and culture. Moving from table to table and language to language, I also observed how each group shared different life experiences and perspectives on what constitutes health and wellness. Many seniors talked about barriers to receiving care or how their care differed from what they had envisioned. Listening to their stories on cultural experiences, healthcare disparities, and care expectations sparked my interest in becoming a physician and providing care for the whole community.

Intrigued by the science behind perception and health, I took electives during my undergraduate years to build a foundation in these domains. In particular, I was amazed by how computational approaches could help model the complexity of the human mind, so I pursued research at Cornell’s Laboratory of Rational Decision-Making. Our team used fMRI analysis to show how the framing of information affects cognitive processing and perception. Thinking back to my discussions with seniors, I often wondered if more personalized health-related messaging could positively influence their opinions. Through shadowing, I witnessed physicians engaging in honest and empathetic conversations to deliver medical information and manage patients’ expectations, but how did they navigate delicate conflicts where the patients’ perspectives diverged from their own?

My question was answered when I became a community representative for the Ethics Committee for On Lok PACE, an elderly care program. One memorable case was that of Mr. A.G, a blind 86-year-old man with radiation-induced frontal lobe injury who wanted to return home and cook despite his doctor’s expressed safety concerns. Estranged from his family, Mr. A.G. relied on cooking to find fulfillment. Recognizing the conflict between autonomy and beneficence, I joined the physicians in brainstorming and recommending ways he could cook while being supervised.

I realized that the role of a physician was to mediate between the medical care plan and the patient’s wishes to make a decision that preserves their dignity. As we considered possibilities, the physicians’ genuine concern for the patient’s emotional well-being exemplified the compassion I want to emulate as a future doctor. Our discussions emphasized the rigor of medicine — the challenge of ambiguity and the importance of working with the individual to serve their needs.

With COVID-19 ravaging our underserved communities, my desire to help others drove me towards community-based health as a contact tracer for my county’s Department of Public Health. My conversations uncovered dozens of heartbreaking stories that revealed how socioeconomic status and job security inequities left poorer families facing significantly harsher quarantines than their wealthier counterparts.

Moreover, many residents expressed fear or mistrust, such as a 7-person family who could not safely isolate in their one-bedroom and one-bath apartment. I offered to arrange free hotel accommodations but was met with a guarded response from the father: “We’ll be fine. We can maintain the 6 feet.” While initially surprised, I recognized how my government affiliation could lead to a power dynamic that made the family feel uneasy. Thinking about how to make myself more approachable, I employed motivational interviewing skills and small talk to build rapport. 

When we returned to discussing the hotel, he trusted my intentions and accepted the offer. Our bond of mutual trust grew over two weeks of follow-ups, leaving me humbled yet gratified to see his family transition to a safer living situation. As a future physician, I realize I may encounter many first-time or wary patients; and I feel prepared to create a responsive environment that helps them feel comfortable about integrating into our health system.

Through my clinical and non-clinical experiences, I have witnessed the far-reaching impact of physicians, from building lasting connections with patients to being a rock of support during uncertain times. I cannot imagine a career without these dynamics—of improving the health and wellness of patients, families, and society and reducing healthcare disparities. While I know the path ahead is challenging, I am confident I want to dedicate my life to this profession.

Personal Statement Example #4

Student Accepted to UCSF SOM, Harvard Medical School

Countless visits to specialists in hope of relief left me with a slew of inconclusive test results and uncertain diagnoses. “We cannot do anything else for you.” After twelve months of waging a war against my burning back, aching neck and tingling limbs, hearing these words at first felt like a death sentence, but I continued to advocate for myself with medical professionals. 

A year of combatting pain and dismissal led me to a group of compassionate and innovative physicians at the Stanford Pain Management Center (SPMC). Working alongside a diverse team including pain management specialists and my PCP, I began the long, non-linear process of uncovering the girl that had been buried in the devastating rubble of her body’s pain. 

From struggling with day-to-day activities like washing my hair and sitting in class to thriving as an avid weightlifter and zealous student over the span of a year, I realized I am passionate about preventing, managing and eliminating chronic illnesses through patient-centered incremental care and medical innovation.

A few days after my pain started, I was relieved to hear that I had most likely just strained some muscles, but after an empty bottle of muscle relaxers, the stings and aches had only intensified. I went on to see 15 specialists throughout California, including neurologists, physiatrists, and rheumatologists. Neurological exams. MRIs. Blood tests. All inconclusive.

Time and time again, specialists dismissed my experience due to ambiguous test results and limited time. I spent months trying to convince doctors that I was losing my body; they thought I was losing my mind. Despite these letdowns, I did not stop fighting to regain control of my life. Armed with my medical records and a detailed journal of my symptoms, I continued scheduling appointments with the intention of finding a doctor who would dig deeper in the face of the unknown.

Between visits, I researched my symptoms and searched for others with similar experiences. One story on Stanford Medicine’s blog, “Young Woman Overcomes Multiple Misdiagnoses and Gets Her Life Back”, particularly stood out to me and was the catalyst that led me to the SPMC. After bouncing from doctor to doctor, I had finally found a team of physicians who would take the profound toll of my pain on my physical and mental well-being seriously.

Throughout my year-long journey with my care team at the SPMC, I showed up for myself even when it felt like I would lose the war against my body. I confronted daily challenges with fortitude. When lifting my arms to tie my hair into a ponytail felt agonizing, YouTube tutorials trained me to become a braiding expert. Instead of lying in bed all day when my medication to relieve nerve pain left me struggling to stay awake, I explored innovative alternative therapies with my physicians; after I was fed up with the frustration of not knowing the source of my symptoms, I became a research subject in a clinical trial aimed at identifying and characterizing pain generators in patients suffering from “mysterious” chronic pain.

At times, it felt like my efforts were only resulting in lost time. However, seeing how patient my care team was with me, offering long-term coordinated support and continually steering me towards a pain-free future, motivated me to grow stronger with every step of the process. Success was not an immediate victory, but rather a long journey of incremental steps that produced steady, life-saving progress over time.

My journey brought me relief as well as clarity with regard to how I will care for my future patients. I will advocate for them even when complex conditions, inconclusive results and stereotypes discourage them from seeking continued care; work with them to continually adapt and improve an individualized plan tailored to their needs and goals, and engage in pioneering research and medical innovations that can directly benefit them.

Reflecting on the support system that enabled me to overcome the challenges of rehabilitation, I was inspired to help others navigate life with chronic pain in a more equitable and accessible way. Not everyone has the means to work indefinitely with a comprehensive care team, but most do have a smartphone. As a result, I partnered with a team of physicians and physical therapists at the University of California San Francisco to develop a free mobile application that guides individuals dealing with chronic pain through recovery. Based on my own journey, I was able to design the app with an understanding of the mental and physical toll that pain, fear, and loss of motivation take on patients struggling with chronic pain. Having features like an exercise bank with a real-time form checker and an AI-based chatbot to motivate users, address their concerns and connect them to specific health care resources, our application helped 65 of the 100 pilot users experience a significant reduction in pain and improvement in mental health in three months.

My journey has fostered my passion for patient-centered incremental medicine and medical innovation. From barely living to thriving, I have become a trailblazing warrior with the perseverance and resilience needed to pursue these passions and help both the patients I engage with and those around the world.

Related posts:

• Why I Picked UC Denver
• Finding the Perfect Research Project
• How to Succeed on Medical School Interview Day
• How to Answer “What is the Biggest Healthcare Problem” During an Interview

Related Articles

2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Pre-Med Students

Acing Your Medical School Interviews

How Perseverance as a Nontraditional Applicant Pays Off

Path to Medical School Part 8: A Glorious Moment

• Medicine Interview Book
• Sponsorship & Advertising

• Medical Personal Statement Review
• Medical School Interview Course
• Medical School Interview Tutoring
• In-House Courses For Schools
• Medical School Interview Guide
• Medicine Interview PDF Book
• Medical School Application Guide
• Medical Blog
• Your basket is currently empty.

Successful UCAS Medicine Personal Statement Example & Analysis

An example of a successful medicine personal statement.

Below is an example of a strong medicine personal statement that the Medicine Answered team improved. This medicine personal statement rewarded the applicant with interviews at all four medical schools, helping them to secure four offers. We have kindly been granted permission to post it. A complete analysis follows, showing paragraph by paragraph precisely what makes this medicine personal statement strong and how the multiple weaknesses initially present were corrected. This will help you to do the same and write a powerful medicine personal statement. Note: this medicine personal statement is of an A-level candidate. It is still very relevant to graduates. However, later in this article, we advise specifically on writing a Graduate Entry Medicine personal statement and the critical differences all graduates must consider.

This medicine personal statement does an excellent job of using the limited characters available to illustrate what skills the candidate gained from their activities; rather than using most of the characters to explain what these activities are. However, this is done skilfully so that the reader still clearly knows enough from these brief descriptions to understand what the activities are. This use of succinct language frees up characters so that they can instead be used to discuss the meaning and insight that the candidate gained from these activities.

Failure to illustrate what a candidate has learned is a classic mistake in many medicine personal statements. This was a particular issue this candidate had in their initial Medicine personal statement. They had many different types of experiences to list and could not describe them succinctly, causing their Medicine personal statement to far exceed the character limit. By using a more succinct writing style and focusing on illustrating activities rather than describing them, this reviewed version corrected this common medicine personal statement weakness.

UCAS UK Medicine personal statement example which received four offers for interview

“I wish to study medicine as I have long held the ambition to pursue a career that would help others and contribute to the community. As a carer for my grandmother, who has severe arthritis, I have seen how much of a difference good healthcare can make to her life. Shadowing a GP and witnessing the reassurance and help given to patients reinforced this and strengthened my ambition to study medicine. A Medlink lecture on psychiatry sparked my interest, so in college, I co-founded and led a mentoring group called ____ mentoring. Using concepts from cognitive behavioural therapy, I mentored students with low self-esteem or who were having problems at college. I taught after-school lessons on topics such as dealing with failure, stress and goal setting. Selecting a team, delegating work and organising meetings strengthened my leadership skills, while working to strict deadlines improved my organisation. We presented our work to an NHS psychologist, who gave us valuable feedback. We are currently filming our programme to make it available online and in other colleges. I undertook a residential stay at a holiday home for disabled people, where I took guests on day trips and helped to feed and toilet them. Many guests were completely reliant on carers and could not communicate verbally. At times, they would become violent. At first, I found this intimidating, but during the two weeks I learnt how to deal with these situations. I also volunteered at a summer playscheme where several children had learning disabilities. Being responsible for groups of children increased my confidence in caring for others: I found dealing with quieter children and including them in group activities to be rewarding. To develop my understanding of the children I read several books about how learning disabilities affect peoples’ lives. Teamwork is vital in all aspects of medicine, which I find very appealing. I witnessed a live scoliosis surgery, during which I saw how the outcome depended on the skill and dedication not only of the surgeon but also of every other member of the team. At the GP, I learnt how the clerical staff and nurses were vital in the running of the practice. Medicine is a dynamic profession that will continue to undergo major advances in the next few decades. These developments will require a commitment to lifelong learning, and I find the prospect of this exciting. I have attended lectures on topics such as premature birth and pharmacogenetics. During a lecture on RNA Interference (RNAi), the lecturer stated RNAi could be the most important development in medicine since antibiotics. Intrigued by this claim, I completed a 2500-word essay on RNAi and its impact on medicine. It was a challenging topic, but I found that I enjoyed using post-A-level books and medical journals, which improved my research skills. Next year, I will be travelling through Asia and Europe. I have secured work at a Romanian orphanage and will start a placement at ______________ hospital this October. I have also applied for a 10-week development and teaching project in Africa. I am currently learning Thai Boxing and sign language and taking courses in self-development and memory improvement. I participate in basketball tournaments and play tennis. I play the violin to grade 3 and find music helps me to relax. I gained a 200-hour Millennium Volunteers award, a v50 award and I am currently completing a Gold DofE award. I am part of a focus group for a national volunteering organisation. We organise events and promote the benefits of voluntary work to individuals and organisations. My experiences have made me absolutely committed to becoming a doctor, and I believe that they have also prepared me to cope with the demands of studying medicine. I realise that the long hours and often stressful situations which doctors work in are daunting, but it is a challenge I am willing to meet because of the satisfaction that I find in making a difference to peoples’ lives.”

Analysis of this Medicine personal statement

The overall structure of this medicine personal statement..

The initial medical school personal statement lacked a smooth flow as it skipped from point to point without any clear connection between the points. This also made it very easy for the reader to miss certain points or to forget them after they finished reading the Medicine personal statement. Therefore in this reviewed version, we took different scattered points throughout the document and grouped them into themed paragraphs giving the medicine personal statement structure and flow, making it easier to follow and read more like a story.

Paragraph 1 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

Notice that this Medicine personal statement opening paragraph has one central theme: doctors can help people -> the author has seen this for himself -> this fuels his desire to study Medicine -> he has confirmed this through work experience.

What is done well in this edited opening paragraph, is an event is described, and this is followed up by explaining the reason why this makes the author want to study Medicine. The candidate says how he was a carer for his disabled grandmother, and he shadowed a GP. In the unedited version, this was all he wrote. These are just statements and don’t say why that would want to make him study Medicine. Plenty of people look after a disabled relative but do not want to be a doctor so why does the author? However, in the edited medicine personal statement, we added the reason why his grandmother and the GP work experience caused him to want to study Medicine. Of course, the space is so limited in a medicine personal statement that you cannot expand on points very much. A deliberate choice has to be made about which points should be developed and which should not.

Note that the reasons for studying Medicine and examples used in this opening paragraph are not original. There is no unique Medicine personal statement opening line. This is a relatively typical Medicine personal statement opening paragraph. However, that is completely fine. These are solid reasons for studying Medicine and are true for the candidate.

Paragraph 2 Of This Medical Personal Statement

The edited version of paragraph 2 does an excellent job of succinctly explaining an unknown project to the reader without becoming verbose or complicated. It demonstrates what skills the candidate has learned, and they are perfect for studying Medicine, so this is a great example to use. Very few characters are wasted on describing the contents of the lecture or attending Medlink as the other content in this paragraph is far more impressive and important to write. For this reason, it was edited in this way as the unedited version was verbose and wasted many characters on explaining things such as “I attended the Medlink residential course which had various lectures including ….etc.” These do not add anything to enhance the author’s accomplishments and are not needed for narrative purposes either. The assessor already knows what Medlink is.

Many candidates try to state in their Medicine personal statement that they possess the ability to deal with pressure and have good stress/time management skills etc. The edited personal statement makes it more obvious to the reader that the candidate has taught these skills to others. This implies to the reader that the candidate understands these concepts well enough to be able to teach them to others. This is far more effective than if the candidate merely claimed to have these skills. The original wording in the candidate’s initial medicine personal statement was sloppy, so the teaching element was less clear. This is corrected in the reviewed medical school personal statement.

Paragraph 3 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

These are two good examples of caring role work experience, and in the unedited version, the candidate gave some insightful thoughts on things he learned. However, it was mixed in with lots of unnecessary content which diluted the strength of the good points. In this edited version, this is a powerful paragraph because the writer omits the extra material. This causes the remaining text to be more powerful, and it now shows that the candidate has keen self-awareness and insight. He can extract solid learning points from his experiences.

Essentially the candidate is saying he was acutely aware of how he felt during the experiences. He knew that it was challenging to deal with people who had limited communication skills, who could become violent (he even used the word intimidating) and when he was responsible for groups of children. Despite this, he persisted with these experiences and learnt from them. This demonstrates that he is a self-reflective learner. The statement about doing further reading shows how he is an independent learner. He can identify his own learning needs and knows how to pursue them. Being a self-reflective and independent learner is essential for studying Medicine particularly in PBL courses. The candidate is showing he has these skills as well as a lot of maturity and self-awareness in this paragraph of his medicine personal statement.

Paragraph 4 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

You will notice that the things mentioned in this paragraph are very routine things to put into a Medical personal statement and are very passive in nature (i.e. the candidate is not actively doing anything, he is just watching a procedure, he is watching the GP staff). In the unedited version, it very much read like this, i.e. the candidate was a passive observer. In the edited paragraph, however, it becomes more active and unique. Look how once again the author describes an event and then explains a learning point or gives a reflection. Notice how only a few of the words in this paragraph describe what the candidate did. Most of the words describe what the candidate learned and his reflections on the experiences. This is far more powerful than just listing the steps of the operation or describing the activities of the admin staff.

Paragraph 5 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

This paragraph is themed around the author’s keen scientific curiosity and passion for learning. He describes attending lectures and doing activities which are clearly outside of his A-level curriculum. This paragraph is cleverly constructed to make use of the limited character count by not wasting words on how or where he attended these lectures or stating that they are in addition to his A-levels. It is self-evident that they are extracurricular and he does not need to waste words to spell this out. The topics discussed are things that the author needs to understand well as they can be brought up in the Medicine interview. We highlighted to the candidate suggested areas which may be raised at interview, which indeed did arise.

He once again demonstrates that he is a self-reflective and independent learner by talking about various lectures he attends, and how he explored one lecture further by writing an essay on the topic. Note that the author in paragraph two also states how a Medlink talk sparked his interest and he developed things further. This is an individual with curiosity and a desire to understand things further. He once again shows self-reflection when he says that it was challenging to use post-A-level books and medical journals, but he enjoyed the challenge and looks forward to the academic challenges of the ever-evolving field of Medicine.

Paragraph 6 + 7 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

Note that with the correct reflective style it is possible to show the benefits of almost any hobby . For example, if we look at another medicine personal statement we reviewed, the candidate initially stated that playing doubles badminton enhanced their teamwork skills and gave a few basic reflections. This is not bad, but more could be extracted from this hobby. In the reviewed version this was discussed in greater depth and placed as part of an entire paragraph where the theme was teamwork – both in medicine and how the candidate also works to enhance their teamwork skills. See how it was possible to extract much more from this hobby: First we discussed teamwork in medicine and how then how the candidate also seeks to improve their teamwork skills followed by “working as a pair necessitates an awareness of each other’s strengths & weaknesses. We must then work to merge these in a way that potentiates our combined strengths & mitigates our weaknesses. We must consider how our opponents’ factor into this. The fast-pace of badminton requires the ability to make rapid decisions under pressure while still working towards an overall game plan.” This is far better than what the candidate originally said in their medical school personal statement about badminton being good for teamwork and thinking fast.

Making the most of the candidates work experience

How can Medicine Answered help you with your medicine personal statement?

Our Premium Medicine Personal Statement Review Service

This is a highly specialised service. Your medicine personal statement will be reviewed by both a professional editor with specific expertise in medical admissions to ensure the writing style is flawless; and also a qualified doctor who received all four offers to study Medicine to ensure all the content is excellent. This is our minimum standard. We do not use medical students or non-professional editors.

360 Application Review

This includes a full Medicine personal statement review as detailed. Additionally, a doctor will look at your academic grades, UKCAT scores (comparing them with the current 2018 results for this cycle) and work experience. In the context of your whole application , they will also suggest topics which may be discussed at your interview. They will provide a plan for what to do next to move forward and prepare for the rest of your Medicine application. They will give tailored feedback on these elements and based on this provide further suggestions on making strategically sound medical school choices in a way that maximises your individual strengths and minimises your weaknesses.

For more information about both services, visit the Medical Personal Statement Review page, or contact a member of our team.

Our free guides to helping you write an excellent medicine personal statement

Medicine Answered offer the following entirely free guides which will help you to write a superb Medicine personal statement:

How to write a medical school personal statement in 10 steps – this will help to take you from step 1, with no ideas and nothing written down; to step 10, a completed medical school personal statement.

How to write a Graduate Entry Medical School Personal Statement – this discusses how graduates should write their medicine personal statement whether they are applying to Standard Entry Medicine or Graduate Entry Medicine courses.

Further Related Questions 2023

What are the Manchester Medical School “non-academic information form” or the Keele Medical School “roles and responsibilities form”?

Manchester Medical School asks all candidates to also complete a non-academic information form after submitting their UCAS application. The other medical schools do not see this form as it is sent directly to Manchester. This form is very similar to a medical school personal statement but is under a format that the medical school controls. It contains headings which are the same types of topic that you would discuss in a medicine personal statement. The headings are “Experience in a caring role” “Hobbies and interests” “Teamwork” and “Motivation for Medicine”. Keele Medical School has a similar form called the roles and responsibilities form. Again it is sent directly to Keele Medical School. Both these forms should be treated as a separate piece of work from the medicine personal statement even though there is large overlap.

What is the UCAS word limit for medical school personal statements?

A medicine personal statement must meet the following two criteria:

1. Be less than 4000 characters (the counter UCAS use to determine the character count is slightly different from the word counter on most word processors, e.g. Microsoft Word. This is because the UCAS system counts punctuation, spaces, tabs and paragraph lines).

2. Be no longer than 47 lines on the UCAS system (again this is different to what 47 lines on a word processor would look like).

Medicine Personal Statement

Your medicine personal statement is one of the most important elements of your medical school application. Competition for medical school is always fierce, and you can expect more of the same if you are submitting an application in 2024. Therefore, your personal statement will be essential to distinguish yourself from other applicants.

Universities will factor it into their decision-making process by comparing candidates before or after an interview , along with the result from your admission exam (if applicable) and your predicted grades. You should see your personal statement as an opportunity to show universities more about you, your experiences and your motivation for applying.

Is the personal statement changing in 2024?

If you're applying in 2024 for 2025 entry, you may have heard that changes were expected for your personal statement. However, UCAS has confirmed that this won't be happening in 2024. Instead, changes are expected for those applying in 2025 for 2026 entry. This isn’t going to be a complete overhaul. Instead, the personal statement is being reformed to include a series of questions, providing more structure to those writing it.

As it stands, UCAS has confirmed personal statements will be written around the following questions:

• Motivation for the course: Why do you want to study these courses? You should research medicine courses at different universities and look at which modules you’d like to study, ensuring they provide what you’re looking for. The question itself is an opportunity to express which parts of medicine you’re most interested in, the area of speciality training you’d like to commit to after university, and your future career ambitions ‍
• Preparation for the course: How has your learning so far helped you to be ready to succeed on these courses? This question will require you to highlight the knowledge and skills you have gained from school, college or any other formal learning opportunities. Of course, your answers will be personal to you. However, you should demonstrate an understanding of what will help you succeed in your medicine course. ‍
• Preparedness through other experiences: What else have you done to help you prepare, and why are these experiences useful? Shadowing a doctor or volunteering at a hospital are great opportunities and provide you with valuable insight into what it’s like to be a doctor. However, securing clinical experience while you’re still in school is difficult. Finding a role that allows you to care for and support ill, disabled, disadvantaged, or vulnerable people is just as valuable at this stage, though. You should explain what you’ve learned from these experiences, the skills you’ve developed, and why they’ll help you in your medicine course.

The good news is that you would be writing about these subjects anyway. If anything, the questions might make the writing process easier, as it ensures that you only include relevant material. Remember, this is expected to come into effect in 2025, so if you’re applying this year, you don’t need to follow this structure.

How to write a personal statement for medicine

Your personal statement is a key opportunity to show your chosen universities the skills and experiences that make you a suitable candidate, as well as your ambitions for a career in medicine. You’ll find some guidance on what you should aim to include in your personal statement in the next section, but it’ll also be useful to consider the following when preparing to write your personal statement:

1. The UCAS character limit

One of the biggest challenges when looking at areas that you need to cover is trying to include everything within the tight UCAS character limit. Remember, you only have 4,000 characters, which is roughly 550–1000 words or two sides of A4. Consider which elements are most important to you and which qualities and experiences you want to demonstrate, as there may be things you have to sacrifice to avoid exceeding the character limit.

2. Your writing style

The quality of your writing is important within your personal statement, so consider your choice of language carefully and remember your audience and what you’re trying to convey. Equally, ensure that your writing is cohesive and flows well; so while you'll undoubtedly have a list of skills, experiences and information you want to include, you want to avoid it reading like a list.

3. Making your experiences relevant

Whether you’re discussing work experience you’ve undertaken or hobbies or clubs that you partake in, you should always focus on making them relevant to your future studies. Universities aren’t looking for a narrative of work experience that you’ve carried out; they’re interested in what you learned as a result of the experience. Your personal statement should reflect on any work experience and demonstrate what skills and/or qualities you’ve developed which are required within the medical profession. Similarly, with your hobbies or clubs, you should reflect on relevant skills and qualities that you have developed as a result of these.

4. How you will demonstrate your knowledge of working within the medical profession

As well as demonstrating your motivation for working within the medical profession, it’s also important to show that you have a realistic understanding of what this entails, which can be achieved by acknowledging the less attractive side of medicine. However, ensure that you put a positive spin on any negatives you present and allow your passion for medicine to come through. Linking to your work experience is a great way of doing this. For example, you could highlight challenges that you observed within medical practice but focus on the positives that came from this: was it multidisciplinary teamwork, effective communication, or challenging individuals to continue to develop their skills and knowledge?

Medicine Personal Statement Structure

There isn’t a set personal statement template which you need to follow, however, there are some essential things which you should try to include. The UCAS website previously advised that university admissions tutors are looking for evidence of the following:

1. Your understanding of the subject area and the demands of the medical profession, as well as your motivation to study and fulfil the requirements of your future role.

This can be demonstrated in a number of ways:

• Relevant work experience and shadowing - remember to focus on what you learnt and the skills and qualities you developed as a result of the work experience, and only include concise descriptions of what tasks you did, and only when relevant.
• Reference to additional reading around key issues, topics and the latest research - only include things you will be confident discussing at your interview, should it be referred to.
• Membership of relevant societies / clubs - don’t simply list these, make meaningful links between the knowledge, skills and qualities you have developed through your participation in these.

2. Your interests outside of your academic study.

For example, sports, music, volunteering. Again, remember to use these to demonstrate your skills and qualities that will make you a suitable candidate for medical school.

3. Your ability to work individually and as a member of a team.

Give examples of occasions when you’ve demonstrated that you can work effectively within a team and as an individual. You may also want to include examples of situations where you’ve led a group, if you have experience of this.

4. Your personal qualities which make you suitable for a career in medicine.

Try to provide examples which demonstrate your personal qualities which make you a suitable candidate for medical school, for example your empathy, your resilience, your drive, etc., by linking to your work experience, your hobbies and even your academic studies.

5. Your analytical and critical thinking skills demonstrated through a well written personal statement.

The most effective way to demonstrate your skills is by providing examples, using your experiences to show that you process the required analytical and critical thinking skills to make you a suitable candidate.

Excellent Medicine Personal Statement Tips

Writing your personal statement can seem daunting; keep it simple with the following useful tips:

1. Plan what you want to include

Using the information above to help you, create a plan of what you want to include, whether that’s using a mind map, lists, or any other method that works for you. This will ensure you know which experiences, skills, and qualities you want to share before starting your personal statement.

2. Draft, draft and draft again

Don’t worry about making your personal statement perfect the first time around (or keeping within the character limit for that matter). Once you’ve written everything you want to include you can begin rewording sentences, moving sections around, and editing parts that are less significant so you can get within the character limit.

3. Give yourself lots of time

It's simple but so important. All those drafts take time, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to write. You don’t want your personal statement to appear rushed or to miss important information that will help your application.

4. Draw on trusted family members, friends or teachers to check over your statement

Getting a second opinion is useful for picking up errors you might have missed or showing you where you can sell yourself more. Just be careful to avoid taking on board too many opinions, as you want you to make sure it’s your voice which comes through.

5. Read it aloud

It’s so basic but it makes spotting punctuation and grammatical errors easier. It’ll also help ensure that it flows and reads well, which admissions tutors will be looking for.

How to Start a Medicine Personal Statement

Often the most difficult part with any written piece is getting started; there is generally a focus on ensuring that your first paragraph captivates your reader and makes them want to read more, which can create a stumbling block when you begin writing. A useful tactic to help you to avoid staring at a blank page for hours, is to ignore your opening altogether, and to begin as if you’re picking it up after an introductory sentence or two. Once you’ve written your first draft, you’ll find it easier to draw out interesting points and to rework them to create an opening statement.

It’s important within your opening paragraph to show your passion and your reasons for wanting to study medicine; the difficulty is trying to avoid cliches, when it’s highly likely that your reasons for wanting to study medicine are similar to many students who have come before you. Sharing your interests which are related to medicine, or your personal experiences (your work experience, volunteering, etc.), which have developed your passion, is an effective way to achieve this in an individual way. Don’t get fixated on trying to stand out; focus on giving an honest account of why you want to study medicine and your interests and experiences that have helped you to decide this, and avoid using unrealistic or exaggerated reasons or experiences.

Remember, while your opening section is important, it is also just one part of your overall statement; make sure that it adds to your personal statement (remember that tight character limit) and isn’t just there to grab attention.

Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement

If you’re applying for the graduate entry route, not only will the UCAS rules be the same for your personal statement (for example, the character limit, deadline, etc.), but what you should aim to include will also remain the same. However, university admission tutors will have higher expectations for graduate entry applicants’ skills, competencies and experiences, given that you have undertaken a degree previously and likely have more experience.Therefore, sharing relevant work experience, as well as any academic achievements or other accomplishments which are relevant, will allow you to demonstrate that you meet these expectations.

Even if your current or previous employment is not health-related, it may still be relevant to your application, if you're able to demonstrate the transferable skills which will be useful for a career in medicine. Where possible, provide examples of additional work experience within medical or care settings, if your employment isn’t health-related, to demonstrate your commitment to studying medicine and your development of skills to support this. Remember to limit your descriptions of your work experience, to include only what is necessary, and focus on reflecting on your experiences and the skills and qualities you have developed as a result of them.

Writing a Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement

As with other routes into medicine, you’ll be expected to demonstrate why you want to study and your passion for a future career in medicine. Admission tutors will also assess whether you have the required attributes for a career in medicine and a realistic view of what it entails. Again, reflecting on your previous work experiences, either voluntary or paid, as well as your previous degree, if it’s relevant, will allow you to demonstrate that you meet these requirements.

You can find more guidance on entry requirements, funding and admissions exams in our Graduate Entry Medicine blog .

A Good Medicine Personal Statement

Finally, remember that a good medical personal statement will look completely different depending on the candidate. Focus on sharing your unique experiences, skills, and qualities, as well as your personal ambitions and passion for a career in medicine. Admission tutors want to see that, and it will make you stand out as an individual.

For more personal statement tips visit the UCAS ‘How to write your undergraduate personal statement’. Our dedicated ‘Applying to medical school' section can also help you with all aspects of your medical school application and interview.

Applying to Medical School?

Gain access to a recording of our free webinar , hosted by current medical students and a junior doctor, telling you everything you need to know about medical school and the UCAT.

"I would like to thank you for providing a useful and detailed webinar giving me a better understanding and an insight into what medicine has to offer."

We’ll keep you updated

Win $20,000 for med school tuition from Blueprint MCAT!

Q:  What kinds of volunteering opportunities can you participate in that are not health care-based?

A:   Clinical experience and volunteering are both important. Have other volunteering types of experiences such as showing that you are able to put others first and give back to your community. In volunteering, don’t just do it for the sole purpose of putting it on your application; instead, it should be something you enjoy and connect with. There are so many things you can do such as volunteering at a senior center, with the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and schools that have volunteering opportunities for tutoring, or volunteering abroad. Check out Episode 68 for additional information about shadowing opportunities vs. patient exposure.

Q:  How do you find a premed advisor or mentor?

A:  First, you can go back to your pre-health office. Then there are tons of information on the internet. You may also seek help from medical schools or consult with paid premed advisors (can be really pricey). The Academy is a paid premed services site with a small monthly fee but you get monthly office hours and the community aspect including webinars and more. Just go to jointheacademy.net.

Q:  What school to pursue – Quinnipiac or UConn?

A:   The name on your diploma doesn’t matter that much. It’s what you’re putting into the effort at the school that’s going to matter. The cost plays a huge role. You don’t want to go to medical school and have a huge burden of undergrad debt afterwards. You can find plenty of research opportunities at a small regional campus as well as plenty of shadowing experiences. Don’t worry about the name of the school because your grades will speak for themselves and all the other things you’ve done.

Q: What is an autobiographical sketch and how do you write one?

A:   An autobiographical sketch is a snapshot of your life and the major, meaningful things and life experiences that make you who are you are. This is is basically the same as a personal statement.

Here are some general tips when writing your personal statement:

• Don’t make it a timeline.
• Try to hook them, an opening statement that gets the reader super interested. Make it “salty.”
• The goal is for the admissions committee to read it and want to find out more about you.
• Write drunk and edit sober. No editing, just write.
• If it’s hard to write, talk it out and record it on your phone.
• Start talking about your key experiences where you interacted with a patient that solidified why you wanted to become a physician.
• Show, don’t tell. Talk about your experiences instead of saying “I am…”
• You don’t have to write from start to finish.
• Always edit for grammar and typos.

Q:  What questions can you ask during an interview or while on admissions tours to find out more about the school?

A:  You can’t be faulted for asking questions. Avoid boring questions. Ask an insightful question that will stimulate discussion. Don’t be afraid of asking hard, opinion-based questions.Check out Session 19 where Dr. Wagner talks about questions to ask.

For tours, ask the medical student what they don’t like or they find challenging being a medical student in that school. Students are the best people to ask questions to.

If you have questions, go to medicalschoolhq.net/questions . Leave us an audio feedback or shoot us an email from there.

Links and Other Resources:

MSHQ 019: Interview with a Medical School Interview and Admissions Expert

MSHQ 023 : Interview with Dr. Polites of MedPrep at Wash. U.

MSHQ 035 : How to Fix an App After Starting Premed Poorly

MSHQ 047 : Avoid Burnout as a Premed, Med Student and Beyond

MSHQ 068: The Changing Landscape of Medical School Admissions

Check out our partner magazine, www.premedlife.com to learn more about awesome premed information.

Are you a nontraditional student? Go check out oldpremeds.org .

For more great content, check out www.mededmedia.com for more of the shows produced by the Medical School Headquarters including the OldPremeds Podcast and watch out for more shows in the future!

Free MCAT Gift : Free 30+ page guide with tips to help you maximize your MCAT score and which includes discount codes for MCAT prep as well.

Hang out with us over at medicalschoolhq.net/group . Click join and we’ll add you up to our private Facebook group. Share your successes and miseries with the rest of us.

Blueprint MCAT (formerly Next Step Test Prep) : Get one-on-one tutoring for the MCAT and maximize your score. Get $50 off their tutoring program when you mention that you heard about this on the podcast or through the MSHQ website.

Listen to our podcast for free at iTunes:  medicalschoolhq.net/itunes and leave us a review there!

Email Ryan at [email protected] or connect with him on Twitter  @medicalschoolhq

Dr. Ryan Gray: The Premed Years, session number 86.

Intro: Hey, this is Z-Dog MD; rapper, physician, legendary turntable health revolutionary, and part-time gardener. And you’re listening to the Medical School HQ Podcast, hosted by the irredeemably awesome, Ryan Gray.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Welcome back. I’m your host, Dr. Ryan Gray, and I believe that competition amongst your premed and medical student peers is detrimental to becoming a great physician. In this podcast we show you how collaboration, hard work and honesty are critical to becoming a superior physician in today’s healthcare environment.

How are you doing today? I am joined again by my lovely cohost.

Dr. Allison Gray: Hello everybody.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Dr. Allison Gray.

Dr. Allison Gray: Hello again.

Dr. Ryan Gray: This is two weeks in a row.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yup.

Dr. Ryan Gray: I don’t know why I decided to bring you back. We got all those complaints about you.

Dr. Allison Gray: Thanks a lot.

Dr. Ryan Gray: No we didn’t, just kidding. How are you doing?

Dr. Allison Gray: I’m doing well, how are you?

Dr. Ryan Gray: I’m doing excellent. What are we talking about today?

Dr. Allison Gray: We are doing a question and answer podcast today. We get so many emails form all of you wonderful people out there, and we thought that we would answer some questions today.

Questions and Answers

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yes. Yeah, we do get a ton of emails, and I love getting all the emails and I love answering them. But it’s more a one-on-one question and answer; I’m not able to share those answers with everybody, which is why I prefer- I prefer if listeners, if you had a question leave an audio question and that way we can play it here on the podcast. We can give our answer, and then everybody can benefit from it instead of just me emailing you. And I’m okay if you don’t like your voice, or your recorded voice like I didn’t when we started this, that’s fine you can email us and we’re happy to email as much as we can. Sometimes we’re a little behind but we do the best we can to get back to you. So if you want to ask us a question, and you want to leave some audio questions that we can play here on the podcast, just to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/question and you can ask a question there. There’s a little button and you can ask away. But we- Allison and I went through and selected a bunch of emails that some listeners have sent us, and so we’ll go through those, answer them. I think most of them we’ve already answered, and maybe there’s one or two that we haven’t answered yet, and they’ll get their answer here.

Dr. Allison Gray: Sounds good.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright, so to start let’s go with- and I’ll probably butcher this name because it’s spelled Late. I don’t know if it’s ‘Late’ or ‘Latte’ or ‘Latey’ I’m so sorry. But he’s asking- or she’s asking- I don’t even know, is that a guy’s name or a girl’s name? I don’t know. Anyway, it’s so hard. This is why I prefer audio, because then I know.

Dr. Allison Gray: I know.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Right? Alright, anyway-

Dr. Allison Gray: Well we just have a disclaimer for everyone out there, we are so sorry. We’ve- each of us- has had- well I don’t know if you have. I’ve had my name butchered on many, many occasions.

Dr. Ryan Gray: How do you butcher Allison?

Dr. Allison Gray: Well it’s more of the last name, but-

Dr. Ryan Gray: How do you butcher Gray?

Dr. Allison Gray: Well someone called me Dr. Grant, I don’t know how that’s possible but when I was Cohen- my maiden name is Cohen, Allison Cohen, and it would get butchered all the time. ‘Paging Dr. Cone,’ I mean it goes back to my days- well I won’t tell you what people used to make fun of me, you know with the nicknames, the horrible middle school nicknames. But anyway, the point is that we’ve all suffered from name butchering, so forgive us if we’re doing that back to you, we just don’t know how.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So here’s actually a piece of advice that you can use in your medical career, is when I walk into a patient room, and I know that I am totally going to butcher a name, I won’t even try to pronounce it. I’ll ask, be like, “Can you pronounce your name for me?”

Dr. Allison Gray: So- but you have the advantage Ryan, of going into a room to see a patient after that patient has already been brought into a room, because I’ve seen you do this at work by your medical assistant. And so for me, I go pick up my patients in the waiting room, so the question become how do you handle that properly?

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, it’s called get an assistant.

Dr. Allison Gray: Well we have assistants, but- and actually some of the physicians at my practice have their patients brought back, but I just like as a practice to just bring mine. Anyway.

Dr. Ryan Gray: You ask the front desk to screen those hard names, and write it phonetically for you.

Dr. Allison Gray: That’s a good idea, but- well yeah, you know what, so when I look at my schedule at the beginning of the day or the day before, I should see that and make a note of it and ask them. That’s a very good idea.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, and make them write it phonetically.

Dr. Allison Gray: Because you know what I do, is I either wing it and I say the name and then I ask them as I’m walking down the hall, “So did I-”

Dr. Ryan Gray: You turn bright red.

Dr. Allison Gray: Well, maybe but “So did I pronounce your name correctly?” Or “How do you pronounce your name?” Or I just call them by their first name which some people don’t like. Or I just say-

Dr. Ryan Gray: But you can butcher first names too.

Dr. Allison Gray: I know, yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Anyway.

Dr. Allison Gray: Anyway, major tangent, but yeah sorry if we are butchering your name.

Prerequisites at Community College

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. So he or she is asking about taking medical school classes- pre-req’s at community colleges. That’s the subject of his question, he goes into a big discussion about why he had to do it, he’s actually English as a second language, he’s an immigrant from Africa. But here’s in Boston, he’s in our hometown, he actually goes to school right here on the corner from us at Brandeis which is awesome. So he’s obviously flourishing with English as a second language on his way to hopefully get into medical school. And I’m going to say ‘he’ just- I’m sorry if you’re a she but I’ll keep saying ‘he.’ But he needed to take some classes at community college to be able to start the higher education process. So the question is, is that going to hurt him getting into medical school and what should he do next? Should he re-take his pre-req’s at a four year school at Brandeis which he’s at now, or should he look on continuing to build on those pre-req’s and take the higher level courses in those sciences? And it’s a very common question, we get this question a lot about community college, and what are your thoughts on this Allison?

Dr. Allison Gray: So I think that certainly if you have the option of taking these classes at an accredited four year school, that’s better in a sense. I mean that’s optimal I would say. But there are many of you out there who either nontraditional students who are working and don’t have the finances to also be in school at a big private university-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Or night classes.

Dr. Allison Gray: Right, you’re taking night classes, you’re in a place out in the middle of nowhere, I mean there are all sorts of circumstances that could lead you to have to take classes at a community college. And the major reason why we say it’s optimal if you can be at a four year school is that you’re- part of what you’re doing with your pre-req courses is you’re showing the admissions officers, the committee, that you can handle hard sciences and at a level of rigor that is going to allow you to then be able to handle medical school classes. So if they see that a lot of your classes were at a community college and you got all A’s, they may say, “Well that’s great, but that doesn’t tell me that this person can be successful in those subjects or even harder science subjects at medical school.” So what we often will recommend is that if you know that you’re going to be- you’re already in community service- sorry, community service. You’re already in- that’s our next questions. You’re already in community college classes, or you’re planning on it and you really have no other way around it, email or contact- call or email the actual medical schools that you’re interested in applying to and ask them directly. Say, “Look, you know these are my circumstances, how do you feel about me taking these classes at a community college? Is that something that will be acceptable or not looked well upon?” and see what they have to say.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. And if you haven’t listened to some of our older podcasts, Carrie back in session 74 actually talked about this. She talked about how she had to do some pre-req’s at community college and how she reached out to the few colleges- or medical schools that she wanted to go to because she was limited geographically, and explained her situation. Said, “Here’s what’s going on, this is what I’m thinking about doing, and what do you think?” And she got sign off from admissions people at these medical schools and she stayed in contact with them, and that’s always I think is the number one answer for anybody asking that question. Is go reach out to the medical school. They’re very open, unless you are an applicant that year, then there’s some restrictions on the communications that they can have with you, but they’re very open when talking to you.

Dr. Allison Gray: I think people get very nervous about that. That you feel like until you’re in medical school, you have your foot in the actual door and you’re still premed just depends what part of the premed process you’re in. But I think people get very skittish about actually contacting the medical schools directly. So our comment to you is don’t be shy until you actually are an applicant. Then as Ryan said, there are some restrictions on what information can be asked and given and all that. So- well not asked, you can always ask.

Dr. Ryan Gray: You can always ask.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah but you know, certainly before you actually submit your applications, be open, call them. Just you know, make sure you know what you want to say before you call so you don’t sound like a crazy person and you hang up the phone because you’re too nervous or something.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. There was also- speaking with Dr. Polites from Wash U who’s a premed advisor there as well as somebody that’s involved with admissions at the medical school. I interviewed him back in session 23 and session 35, and I believe in both or one of those we talked about community colleges as well. So that’s where you can get some more information about community colleges. So the next question is about volunteering options. Allison, you want to talk about that one?

Volunteering Experiences

Dr. Allison Gray: Sounds good. So this person, Bethany, talks about her experiences with volunteering and she’s asking where- what kinds of things can she do in a volunteering way? What kinds of volunteer opportunities could she participate in that are not really healthcare based? And it’s interesting, she talked about how she’s a nontrad and she’s been working as an EMT- or I’m sorry, not as an EMT but as a volunteer on an ambulance, and for quite a long time, for seven years. But she’s now looking for what other volunteering opportunities are out there. This is a great question, and I think you can hear more about this on episode 68 with the University of Utah Assistant Dean of Admissions. And he and Ryan talk about the difference between shadowing opportunities that you can have with a physician and patient exposure. Because there really is a difference there. And shadowing is sort of more of a passive activity, interacting with patients, patient experience, that’s really more getting your hands dirty. So they’re making a distinction there, and I definitely recommend you all go back and listen to that episode if you haven’t. But it’s important when you think about opportunities- the experiences really is the word I’m looking for, that you’ve had. You want both clinical experiences and also some volunteering. And the clinical experience part is a given, because you’re trying to show medical schools- you really have to in this day in age, that you have taken the time to spend time with a physician to really try and understand what they go through on a daily basis. What life is like as a practicing physician. And you have to be really- as we always say, close enough to smell the patient because you have to be- you have to have that interaction with patients alongside that physician to really get a sense of the totality of it all, about what is it all about. But I think- and medical school admissions committees would agree, it’s really important to have other volunteering types of experiences. Part of that is showing that you have the ability to put others first, to give of yourself to other people, to give back to your community, because these are things that as physicians we- that’s part of what we do, that’s part of what we should be doing is to give back. And-

Dr. Ryan Gray: We talked a lot about that with our session on burnout back in session 47, we talked a lot about why we burn out and it’s because we’re putting others before ourselves.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, so there’s a balance there, absolutely. But I think it’s really important if you’ve gone through your whole life and you’ve never really had the opportunity to give back to another person, a community, a group of people, in a way that’s not about just forwarding your own life and your own ambitions. You’re really missing out, it’s a really important thing in this life, in my opinion, to give back to other people, and not just because it’s a resume booster, because you’re trying to put it on your application for this, that or the other. And-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Before you get into some of these finer details, you mentioned earlier that you’re trying to show to admissions committees that you-

Dr. Allison Gray: So that’s true.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That you’re showing them that you like medicine, you’re aware of all of the heartaches, and blah, blah, blah. But it’s also showing yourself what you’re getting into-

Dr. Allison Gray: Oh 100%.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And making sure that you actually like being around patients.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yes, and I think that’s the other side of it. They’re- both of those are equally important. And so I think with volunteering, someone once told me don’t do something that you’re going to do just for the sole purpose of putting it on your application. You want whatever you’re going to volunteer in, whatever you want to participate in to really be something that you take hold of, that you enjoy, that you- that you devote yourself to. Because it’s going to be very obvious to people when you are asked about it. You know, “So tell me about that experience you had when you went to Honduras and you built homes for this community of people,” and you’re totally not interested and talk about how you went to the beach the whole time or something. It’s- not that many of you I’m sure would do that, but it’s important to find something that you connect with and ideally maybe you’ve been doing this anyway, but if you see that you’re going to apply for something and you need some volunteer experience, try to look for something that you can really connect with. And so to answer your question Bethany, what suggestions for people who want to branch outside of healthcare for meaningful and qualifying, as you put it, volunteer experience. So there are so many different things that you can do. You can volunteer at a senior center and read to elderly people, play cards with them, spend time with them. You can volunteer with the Boys and Girls club, you can volunteer with Big Brother / Big Sister, which is a wonderful program where you interact with kids who have had difficult time for one reason or another and they’re looking for a mentor. You can also volunteer- a lot of colleges and high schools have volunteering opportunities for tutoring, which don’t- you don’t get paid for anything but just an opportunity to help the other individual with whatever subject that they’re having trouble with. You can volunteer in terms of- also in a lot of schools they have enormous numbers of volunteer opportunities where you can go abroad to different locations. My friend in college participated in a program called Three Amigos where she went to different countries in Central America and absolutely loved it.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Wouldn’t it be Tres Amigos?

Dr. Allison Gray: It might actually be called that and I apologize. But- and she just actually went for her reunion recently and Habitat for Humanity is another wonderful one. So there are just tons and tons and tons of great volunteering opportunities out there. And I don’t think that this has to have as much sort of strict criteria around it as the clinical experience does. When we think about clinical experience you have to be close enough to smell the patient, working alongside a physician; those are equally important. And for enough period of time where it’s not just like once or twice. For volunteering, I think you still want to be doing something where you’re doing it for at least a significant period of time. Again, not just once or twice. But there are far fewer restrictions on it I would say, wouldn’t you, Ryan? I mean really the sky is the limit. As long as you’re giving of yourself to another person or people, you’re not getting paid, and you’re doing it more than once or twice.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. And it’s something that’s meaningful.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: You just mentioned not more than once or twice; this is something where you want to show consistently, just like with- shadowing you can kind of get away with a little bit, but the clinical experience you’re going to have to- and there are some differences there as well.

Dr. Allison Gray: We can give our own examples. I mean tell- share with us what you did when-

Dr. Ryan Gray: I did Habitat.

Dr. Allison Gray: Okay.

Dr. Ryan Gray: I loved doing Habitat.

Dr. Allison Gray: I didn’t know you did Habitat.

Dr. Ryan Gray: I did Big Brothers / Big Sisters, too.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, I did Big Brother / Big Sister, I also volunteered at an epilepsy ward at the Montreal Neurological Institute when I was in college where we would just go around and hang out with the epilepsy patients who were there for monitoring and play cards with them, or talk with them, read with them.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, there’s a ton of opportunities, you just got to get out there and look. But Habitat is most definitely my favorite and it’s funny because Bethany said, “Something other than Habitat.”

Dr. Allison Gray: Maybe she doesn’t like to- well with Habitat you build houses, right?

Finding Advisors or Mentors

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, you do. Alright moving on. So Brianna asked a question about finding an advisor or mentor. She graduated from a college in 2012, and she’s in touch with her advisor, but she’s finding it difficult finding answers to premed questions. And she’s looking for where she can find this advisor relationship. So my first thought was since she graduated from a university to go back to their prehealth offices and say, “I’m a graduate of your institution, I’m an alumni here, and I would like some help.” A lot of these health professions advising offices will continue to advise graduates. So if you still have questions, go back to them first.

Dr. Allison Gray: And she actually even said that, but I guess the struggle is she’s no longer on campus, and that can be challenging.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah.

Dr. Allison Gray: Because it’s that face-to-face time, right?

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, yeah. So there are other places. Obviously the Internet is there, there’s all of the resources that we talked about actually a couple podcasts ago about ten premed resources. You can go to Reddit, you can go to Twitter, you can go to Student Doctor Network.

Dr. Allison Gray: I like how you coughed through that one, I was wondering if you were going to mention it. Yeah if you’re looking for advice, and honest and up-to-date information I probably wouldn’t go there.

Dr. Ryan Gray: We won’t knock it too much.

Dr. Allison Gray: No, no, no it’s okay.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So those are places you can go to. And then you can look at medical schools. Don’t think that for premed advising that- you can go to the medical schools just as we were talking about. They’ll answer questions. Just say, “Hey, I’ve graduated, I’m kind of in limbo here, I really want to go to your school, what do you recommend?” Or go to them with your thoughts on what you are doing, don’t just go with a blank slate. Go with what you have planned out and ask what their advice is, then you’re getting it straight from them.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, and some of you may be thinking, ‘Well gosh you guys can ask them, you’re already out and you’re practicing.’ But we really mean it. We have talked to so many advisors and- on admissions- sorry, not so many advisors. Well, them too. But so many admissions officers at this point, and I remember at a conference we were at last year, they kept saying, “Please ask us. We are- don’t be afraid, come tell us what’s going on with you. What are-” and by ‘you’ they’re talking about the premed student. “Let us know what your concerns are, and we’re happy to talk with you.” They said that so many times.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. So don’t forget about them. And then there are paid premed advisors. And it’s typically very expensive. There are a couple out there that’s $300 – $400 an hour to talk to people, there’s package that are $3,000 – $4,000. And that’s a stretch.

Dr. Allison Gray: That’s an option.

Dr. Ryan Gray: But it’s an option, and obviously these companies are there and they’re out there doing their thing, so people are paying for it. And one of the things that Allison and I thought about when we started the Academy was how crazy these prices were, and how most premeds can’t afford it. But kind of along the same lines as doing a question and answer podcast like this, is we get so many questions and how great would it be if we could kind of aggregate all that information in one community, and that’s why we started the Academy. So it is a paid premed advising site, but it’s very different. It’s a small monthly fee, but you get monthly office hours with us, you get the community aspect, you get webinars and a bunch of other stuff. So that’s- we are premed advisors in the Academy. It’s a paid option which not everybody can afford, but pretty cheap. Go to www.JoinTheAcademy.net and you can find out more.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah if you buy a couple pizzas a month you can afford it.

Dr. Ryan Gray: A couple pizzas? Like four coffees from Starbucks.

Dr. Allison Gray: There you go, yeah. Four mocha lattes and you’re set.

Dr. Allison Gray: But we really- we love interacting with the community and providing as much information and advice as we can give. And we interact one-on-one and the community is made up of a whole- you know a ton of premeds and other- and experts as you will, just sharing information and in a collaborative way. So we’re delighted to help folks who want to participate.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, www.JoinTheAcademy.net. So the next question from Camille, who asks- he’s a senior in high school which is awesome. Isn’t that cool we have high school students listening?

Comparing Medical Schools on Cost

Dr. Allison Gray: Oh I love it, absolutely.

Dr. Ryan Gray: High school senior, he wanted to get into Harvard or Yale but that’s okay that you didn’t get in there because that’s okay. There’s a big study about getting into those top notch schools and your perception of happiness just drops.

Dr. Allison Gray: Is that true?

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s- yeah, yeah.

Dr. Allison Gray: I wonder why.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Because you’re being compared now on a level with other people that are just way above what you’re used to, and you’re there and it’s a stretch, and you’re working probably harder than you thought you might be. And so your happiness just drops.

Dr. Allison Gray: Interesting.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Where- and your grades might not be as good, and you’re- it’s just- there’s a- I think it was in the book ‘Decisive.’ Didn’t we- we read that together?

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, and I-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Or listened to it together.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yes. And I would say that many of the smartest people out there are Harvard rejects. It’s true.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yes. Are you one of them?

Dr. Allison Gray: Of course. Well, sort of. I was up until residency and then I- and now I’m Harvard trained, but yeah. Oh I was a Harvard reject, I was rejected from Harvard undergrad and Harvard med. I’ll be honest, we’re all about authenticity here.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So Camille is asking- his two top choices are Quinnipiac and UConn. And his- really his question is around finances. Quinnipiac is $17,000 a year versus UConn is $6,000 a year which is awesome. I’d always advocate for the cheaper price. The name on your diploma doesn’t really matter that much. It’s what you’re putting into the effort at the school that’s what’s going to matter.

Dr. Allison Gray: It’s so true. You know even at the Harvard of Canada where I went to school at McGill, they- I will never forget the head of the entire science school- science faculty got up at the front of the room in front of all these hundreds and hundreds of freshman, of new students who were all going to be in different areas of science; Physiology, Bio, you name it. And he took out a big top hat and he had his hand out, and he said, “Okay I’m going to put my hand in here, and who thinks that I’m going to get a rabbit out?” And he had this like magician’s outfit on so of course everybody raised their hand and they thought, ‘Yeah, you know he’s going to pull out a rabbit.’ So he reached his hand in, and he pulled out nothing. And he said, “So answer me smart people, I put my hand in and I didn’t get anything out of it, why is that?” And someone raised their hand and he said, “Yes?” And they said, “Because you didn’t put anything in.” So his whole point to this was you will only get out of it what you put in, and that stuck with me forever.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s awesome, I like it. So you’re saying all magic tricks are fake?

Dr. Allison Gray: Yes, that’s my whole point.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. So Camille, he’s saying, “Okay $17,000 versus $6,000.” Obviously that’s one choice. But then he goes on to differentiate that he’s getting into the regional campus of UConn which is maybe a little bit different, a little bit smaller, less chances of research, and should that change his decision any more? And I responded back to him already and I obviously mentioned the first thing, that the cost should definitely play a huge role. You don’t want to be in medical school and have this huge burden of undergrad debt, even though you don’t have to start paying it yet because you’re still in school, you’re still in your educational journey. But the other piece of that was again, you get out of it what you put into it. So there are plenty- you will be able to find plenty of research opportunities at a small regional campus. You’ll be able to find plenty of shadowing experiences. There are doctors everywhere. So you can find some shadowing experiences, you can find maybe some clinical research experience, maybe not bench research, maybe they don’t have a lot of labs doing research. But there’s plenty of opportunity there. So if you can go to a regional campus for a little bit, might be a little bit cheaper too going to regional, I don’t know. And then transferring to the larger campus after a couple years or staying at the regional campus, it’s not that big of a deal in my opinion.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, I think people- I agree, I think people worry a lot about the name and I think- again your grades will speak for themselves, and the other things that you’ve done, your MCAT scores, all these different things. The name is less important.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright. Next question.

Autobiographical Sketches / Personal Statements

Dr. Allison Gray: Alright, so this next question is from Tara, and he is asking about- actually I think I apologize, ‘she’ is asking about autobiographical sketches. She says that she’s actually a Canadian student, yay Canada, and she’s looking at the different applications and some are asking for a personal statement, but in some of the Canadian schools they’re asking for an autobiographical sketch. So her question is what is an autobiographical sketch and how do you write one? So I think to answer first, and we did a little background on this just to verify. But an autobiographical sketch for the most part when people are asking for that, is another way of saying personal statement. It’s basically- it’s not asking for your autobiography which would be your entire life’s story, but it’s asking for basically a snapshot of you, a snapshot of your life. And what are the major meaningful things or experiences in your life that make you who you are?

Dr. Ryan Gray: It’s a personal statement.

Dr. Allison Gray: It is, and it’s just another way of sort of saying that. So the thing not to do, I would say, is ‘My name is so-and-so, I was born in so-and-so, and you know-‘ and kind of go from there.

Dr. Ryan Gray: ‘I was here, I worked here.’

Dr. Allison Gray: Right don’t make it a timeline, right? So number one, don’t make it a timeline. I think- well even before that number one, is try to- so these are just some general tips then because she asks you know, how do you write one? So these are- we’ll just provide quickly some tips on how to write a good personal statement. We talk a lot about this in the Academy where we actually review- help review people’s personal statements for them. But number one would be try to hook them. So you want the hook as they call it. It’s an opening statement that is going to get me, the reader, super interested in what you’re going to tell me. And the reason is you have to remember, these admissions committees are looking through hundreds and hundreds, sometimes thousands of applications and personal statements. So if you start out by saying, ‘My name is Allison Gray, and I was born in Dayton, Ohio,’ okay that’s nice, next one? Because that’s just boring, right? Versus, ‘I rushed down the hall-‘ and I mean I can’t come up with something super interesting on the spot because I’m not the best creative writer. But the point is, you know something which is, ‘Oh, what are they talking about? That’s interesting, I want to read more.’ So hook-

Dr. Ryan Gray: There’s a term that I heard today which I need to find- I need to dig around some more and expand on it. It’s ‘make it salty.’

Dr. Allison Gray: Ooh.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Make is salty.

Dr. Allison Gray: Because then you want more, yes, you want-

Dr. Ryan Gray: It’s you need to quench your thirst.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Keep getting more.

Dr. Allison Gray: I like that, I like that a lot. So yeah, so make it salty. So really try to hook the reader because again, you have these 5,000 characters or so to really hook people, get them to get who you are, and you’re done.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah the goal is for an admissions committee member to read it or glance over it as they will probably do, and want to find out more about you.

Dr. Allison Gray: And i.e. interview you, right? So don’t make or break yourself. I mean don’t break yourself based on this. Try to just get them interested in who you are. So try to provide a catching first line. Definitely one thing Ryan and I always talk about, this concept of write drunk and edit sober. So that doesn’t mean that the folks at Medical School Headquarters are telling you to go out and get drunk, we’re just saying try to write as if there are- you’re just writing from the heart. There’s no red tape, no editing, just write.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And a famous person said that, we don’t say that.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yes, that’s true, that’s true, exactly. So the reason is that you don’t want to be preventing yourself from getting all of your great ideas out there. The time to edit is afterwards, once you have a whole mess of words on the paper, and ideas. I think the best place to start from, because a lot of times people write in and they say, “Well what am I going to write about? I have no idea what to talk about. How do I start?” The best way to start is just sit down and- if it’s hard to write just talk it out, and I know-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Record it on your phone or anything.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, exactly, or just pull your significant other or your best friend aside, your dog even, whatever, and just start talking about what are the key experiences, clinical experiences you’ve had where you interacted with a patient that really propelled you or solidified for you in your mind, ‘This is why I want to become a physician.’ I’m sure for all of you out there who’ve had clinical experience, you hopefully have had at least one or two of these experiences that were just so meaningful to you in one way or another. Either because they were tragic, or because they were so exciting or just whatever it was, you’ll carry those stories with you, those experiences forever and you can draw from those when you’re writing your personal statement. Another reason that we always say if you can, keep a journal with you. So those are some just basic points about how to write a good- or at least a starting place to- and if you’re interested in learning more, you know certainly in the Academy we talk a lot about it. But I’m sure at some point Ryan and I will do another podcast about personal statements.

Dr. Ryan Gray: We did one, it was a little bit more towards residency personal statements. But we did another one with Vinny, Dr. Vinny Arora.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yes.

Dr. Ryan Gray: But two other tips on that. So the write drunk, edit sober. And then show, don’t tell.

Dr. Allison Gray: Oh that’s my other big one, yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, it’s another big one that we heard somewhere else that we kind of stole. But it’s just generally good advice.

Dr. Allison Gray: We didn’t steal, we borrowed.

Dr. Ryan Gray: We borrowed, we always borrow. And it’s- if you’re reading your personal statement, and it’s something I look for. If it’s ‘I,’ ‘I,’ ‘I did,’ ‘I saw,’ ‘I- I- I,’ then you’re telling. We’re looking for showing. So if you say, ‘I’m empathic,’ or ‘I enjoy working with the impoverished,’ or ‘I enjoy the operating room,’ or whatever. Show us how you enjoy that by talking about your experience in the operating room. Show us a moment in your life where you were empathic; that’s what we’re looking for, that’s what admissions committees are looking for.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, I always feel like, ‘Oh,’ when I read when somebody writes that. Like, ‘I’m an empathic person.’ Like oh gee, just show me that, don’t tell me because it’s just- it’s so different.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And then the other piece of advice, just writing advice, is you don’t have to write from start to finish.

Dr. Allison Gray: Oh yeah, not at all.

Dr. Ryan Gray: You can just start writing about a story, and then jump around, and just keep writing and worry about everything at the very end.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, organize later.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And a lot of people say don’t write the beginning until the end once you understand what the whole picture looks like, then you’ll write a better beginning.

Dr. Allison Gray: Definitely. You know write it all out, organize it, and then the final thing is don’t forget to edit for grammar and typos, because the last thing you want to do is have this beautiful personal statement and then they find all these spelling errors because you were just worried so much about the content that you forgot about the silly stuff. But it will stick out like a sore thumb if you have some typos in there and spelling errors. So just check those over before you submit.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yes.

Dr. Allison Gray: Seems like a no brainer.

Dr. Ryan Gray: You would think.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And I’ve talked to admissions committee members that say they’ll toss an application for spelling stuff.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah because again it’s sort of- it may come across as being lazy or not caring enough, and that’s the last thing you want to say, right?

Appropriate Questions to Ask

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. So last question here from Meredith who’s a high school Spanish teacher which is awesome. She’s definitely nontraditional. And she’s asking about questions to ask while on admissions tours or questions to ask maybe during the interview, questions to ask in general to find out some more about a school. What are your thoughts on that?

Dr. Allison Gray: I think that I would just- in terms of like the do’s and don’ts. So I think you can’t really be faulted for asking any question, even if there’s something that you read off the website and you feel like you want to ask something related to that; you’re not going to get faulted for that. I mean you’re showing interest, you showed up number one with a question. The last thing you want is to not have any questions, that’s not good. So if you’re in an interview and they say, “What questions do you have for me?” At least if you ask a question that’s pretty easily searchable from the website, okay fine. But ideally try to have something which is not so boring, you know what I mean? Because-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Something you can find black and white.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, because you want to- the idea- okay so let’s say you ask this question and they give you the answer. Okay then what, right?

Dr. Ryan Gray: No follow-up, no discussion.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah you want something if you can that’s going to show that you’re trying to stimulate discussion. So recently just to give an example, we were talking with one of our members about- he’s applying now to medical school and one of the schools that he’s applying to, their school is actually on probation right now.

Dr. Ryan Gray: We were doing a mock interview with him.

Dr. Allison Gray: We were.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And this was a question that he came prepared with.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yes. And it’s interesting because someone might say, “Well gosh, you’re going to ask?” So he was going to ask why- not just “Why are you on probation?” Because I think that was easily searchable.

Dr. Ryan Gray: “How will this affect me?”

Dr. Allison Gray: Right. “How will this affect me as a student?” And that, you might say, “Well jeez that’s kind of a touchy subject,” but really that’s great because it’s showing that number one you’ve done your research, you know what’s going on with the school, you’ve tried- or at least you’ve tried to find out what you can about what’s going on with the school, and you’re asking a really insightful question. “How is that going to affect my education?” And it’s going to simulate- I keep saying simulate, what I mean is stimulate discussion with that other person. So don’t be afraid about asking hard questions. I think- you know I wouldn’t necessarily say, “Well what do you not like about being an educator here?” or something that’s kind of just negative. But I don’t think you need to be afraid about asking more tough questions that can really, really stimulate a lot of that good discussion at an interview.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, opinion-based questions are okay, and that’s something that we had talked a lot about with Dr. Wagner back in session 19- which all these session numbers that we’re talking about you can get at www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/ and then whatever number of the episode or session. Or you can go to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/podcastlist and that will give you everything.

Dr. Allison Gray: Absolutely.

Dr. Ryan Gray: But with Dr. Wagner, she’s been the Dean of Admissions at three different medical schools; at Rush, Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and University of Colorado. So she knows her stuff.

Dr. Allison Gray: Oh yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: This has been her life. And we talked about questions to ask, and so go back and listen to that one. But she definitely said opinion-based questions are okay. And actually a different mock interview we were doing with one of our applicants, the Academy applicants, was he had asked, “Would you want your daughter to go to medical school here? Or your son?” Or whatever. I thought that was a really good question.

Dr. Allison Gray: Yeah, it was a very interesting question.

Dr. Allison Gray: The other thing too I would add, Meredith also asked about what you can ask on tours. So tours are often different because they’re given by a student, a current medical student. And in that situation I do think it’s totally acceptable, and actually a really good idea to ask that student, “What do you not like about being here?” Or maybe phrase it differently, “What have you found most challenging about being a medical student here?” I think that’s probably the best way to ask that question. And the reason is this is your time, I mean this is the key time to find out that information. Now they may- I really don’t think- I mean some schools some students, they might sugarcoat it, but really they don’t need to. There’s no reason for them to sugarcoat it. Everybody wants to get into medical school, so it’s not like it’s some job and they’re trying to make sure they only show you the good side of it. No, I mean they’re probably going to be honest with you about what the challenges are. I can tell you if I had given a tour in my medical school, I would have been very blunt about what was great, what was challenging. So don’t be afraid to ask that information because it may be your only opportunity to really find out.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And if you don’t go on a tour beforehand, during your interview day is a good time to go find some students and typically you’re available to go ask students. The students are the best people to ask questions to.

Dr. Allison Gray: They really are. They’re on the frontlines, they’re doing this, and they’re a hop, skip and a jump right from where you want to be so ask them those questions. Lunch is a great time often, where medical students will sit with you and can answer your questions. I would just say be cautious too because you are always being observed, so if you say something because you think it’s sort of a casual encounter with a medical student and you don’t think that they’re really- I mean remember, they’re working closely with the admissions committees. So you don’t want to-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah they’ll go back and give feedback.

Dr. Allison Gray: Right, there will always be feedback. But don’t be afraid about asking challenging questions. Just- oh one final piece of advice, don’t ever argue with them about the price of parking. Because I kid you not, I think I’ve told this story one other time on the podcast. There was someone- the residency program, not in the program but an applicant who actually got into an argument about the cost of parking.

Dr. Ryan Gray: For that day? Or for like if he was a resident there, or she.

Dr. Allison Gray: No if he or she was a resident there.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Wow.

Dr. Allison Gray: And I’ll tell you- I mean it wasn’t super cheap, but it wasn’t super expensive, it doesn’t matter though. I mean this was a very accomplished person from the story that I’ve heard, and the application was tossed in the garbage, so sad, so sad.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s awesome. But if they’re going to- yeah I don’t even want to.

Dr. Allison Gray: Anyway, but yeah. So- but great question Meredith.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Okay. Any other final thoughts Allison?

Final Thoughts

Dr. Allison Gray: I think just keep sending us these and like Ryan said, we love any form of question, audio is the best because it allows us to hear directly from you in your lovely voice, we won’t butcher your name then and we get to really even more clearly get to interact with you. But keep sending us your questions. If you don’t feel like speaking directly, or you have a little bit of public speaking anxiety then feel free to email us and we will try as best we can to get back to you as quickly as possible, and we just love it, yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. So we talked about it a lot today, and it was kind of- not intended to but we talked about the Academy a lot.

Dr. Allison Gray: I think it’s just because we really enjoy it. We’re having a blast with it.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, and what we were talking about was- and involved with that as well. So if you have no idea what this Academy thing is that we keep talking about, go to www.JoinTheAcademy.net. It’s an extension of what we do with the podcast, it’s group premed advising, we have a community of seventy plus premed students, we have other physicians there, we have medical students in there, all offering advice. We do monthly question and answer kind of office hours, we do monthly webinars. This month we kind of pushed aside the webinar just because we did three straight weeks of mock interviews for the students that are applying this year, helping them with their applications, personal statement reviews, all that kind of stuff. So it’s awesome. www.JoinTheAcademy.net.

Also we want to remind you, go check out www.PremedLife.com, our partner magazine, the Premed Life Magazine, awesome content they have over there.

And one last thing I want to talk about today are the two five star ratings and reviews that came in from you, from listeners. We have AmbieSJ that says, “Love it. This podcast has helped me realize that my dream of becoming a physician is attainable.” Attainable. And that- I think I’ve mentioned it a couple times, that if I can get one person that leaves Student Doctor Network and thinks that they can’t become a physician, and they listen to our podcast and they realize that they can, then I’ve won. That I’ve done my job. And so that AmbieSJ just proved that we’re doing our job.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And so we’re shutting down.

Dr. Allison Gray: Just kidding! JK!

Dr. Ryan Gray: JK, really? Anyway. You know we’re not going anywhere yet. So AmbieSJ, thank you for that. And then we have Xavier OrozcoPR who says, “#bestpremedpodcast.” I don’t know if that’s the place for hashtags, but I love it.

Dr. Allison Gray: I love it.

Dr. Ryan Gray: “This podcast is just great, third year computer engineer- comp engineer major. Switched to biotechnology,” and he says keep going because he recommends the podcast to all his friends.

Dr. Allison Gray: That’s awesome, thank you guys so much.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, thank you. If you found this podcast helpful, if you want to help us be exposed to more students that are looking for this type of content, go to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/iTunes where you can leave an honest rating and review. Five stars would be awesome, but we realize not all of you think that. So whatever honest feedback you have for us, that’d be great.

We’re up to 180 five star ratings.

Dr. Allison Gray: Wow.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s awesome.

Dr. Allison Gray: That’s so great, it’s just awesome, thank you guys.

Dr. Ryan Gray: 176 in the United States.

Dr. Ryan Gray: We have four from outside the US, that’s awesome. Alright so I think that’s it for today.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Thank you for taking the time again as always to listen to us, we greatly appreciate each week you coming and putting us in your ears and running with us, or driving with us, and learning from us. So if you have questions go to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/questions, you can leave some audio feedback there, you can shoot us an email from there as well. So as always again I hope you learned a lot from today’s podcast. And I hope you join us next time here at the Medical School Headquarters.

Hey if you liked listening to this type of content, questions and answers, we’re thinking about starting a whole new podcast. A question and answer podcast where we’ll take one question from a listener that calls in and leaves a question, and we’ll answer that, and we’ll do that on a weekly basis or maybe even more than a weekly basis depending on how many questions we get in. So even if you may know an answer to something, but you think it’s a great question that people should know, then leave us a question. Go to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/question, leave us an audio feedback question, and we’re going to try to start a whole new podcast.

SEARCH SITE

LISTEN FOR FREE

RECENT POSTS

How Resilience Turned a Professor into a Medical Student

Navigating Challenges in the Premed Life on the Way to Hopkins

Inside the Canadian Medical School Admissions Journey

© Medical School Headquarters - All Rights Reserved. | Affiliate Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Website by MAP

Personal Statement for Medicine

Composing a personal statement for any degree is a challenge but for medicine, this is your chance to illustrate your academic prowess and work experience alongside a genuine passion and fascination for the medical subjects you love. a personal statement can support your application if your exam results are slightly below your expectations or can enhance a strong set of grades for the best chance of acceptance., make the most of your words.

UCAS , the admissions service for universities in the UK, describes a personal statement as “your opportunity to sell yourself to your prospective school, college or training provider.” Students are given a 47 line, 4,000 character limit (which roughly equates to 500 words) in which to show off their appeal to the institutions of their choosing. 

Here, it’s important to get into the mind of the member of admissions staff that will be reading your statement – what do they want to see? 500 words may seem like plenty, but you’ll likely find that space is at a premium when you’re trying to find the perfect formula to impress your chosen university.

Research a career in medicine before you apply

The key things that medical schools will be looking for are evidence of motivation, explorative work experience and suitability for fitting into their learning environment.

Your personal statement is not only an opportunity to demonstrate your motivations for studying medicine, but also to convey a sense of insight into medicine as a career. It is a chance to reflect on your experiences thus far and outline your personal qualities which will enable you to excel as both a medical student and future doctor.

Developing an understanding about the roles and responsibilities of a doctor will help you prepare your personal statement with ease. Volunteering in your local community and undertaking work experience placements are examples of activities which may allow you to gain a deeper insight into medicine. However, reading official resources such as those produced by the General Medical Council (GMC) before you even begin to think about the content of your personal statement, can help to give your writing a clear focus and direction.

Check how universities will use your personal statement 

Your personal statement may be used in the selection process for interviews to a varying degree by each medical school. Having said this, on the whole, personal statements do not feature heavily in the selection process for interview. Whilst this is the case for most medical schools in the UK, a few medical schools will utilise a scoring system to assess the personal statement at some point in their selection process; either before interview (for interview selection) or at the interview itself.

If this is the case for one or more of the universities you intend to apply to, pay careful attention to any details on their website which discuss exactly what the admissions team are looking for in a personal statement. For example, the University of Oxford place a larger emphasis on showing an interest in medical science and academia.

Where to find this information

It is important to check exactly how the medical schools you intend to apply to will use your personal statement both before and during the interview. To access the most relevant and up-to-date information you should check the websites for each of the medical schools you may apply to. If you have any queries about how your personal statement will be used, or if anything you find on their websites is unclear, email the admissions team directly.

Key things to remember about your personal statement 

Writing a personal statement can be daunting, but we are here to help make the process less stressful. To break it down, we have listed some essential factors you should remember to focus on when writing your own personal statement:

• Structure and flow: Creating a clear and organised structure allows the reader to follow your thought process and enables you, the writer, to include the most relevant information about yourself, given the restricted word count.
• Authenticity: The clue is in the title; your personal statement should be personal! Be genuine and honest about your experiences and skills and let your personality shine through your writing. 
• Relevance: With the limited word count, you need to include only the most relevant experiences and skills you have that are directly relevant to medicine. 
• Specificity: Provide details about your experiences and give examples. Avoid any vague and general statements. 

Goals and aspirations: You should mention your goals and aspirations and what you want to get out of a degree in medicine. What are your short-term and long-term goals?

The aim of this section is for you to establish a structure that works for you, by deciding what the main components of your personal statement will be about.

Before diving into finding the best structure for your personal statement, it is important to remember there is no set format or st ructure. Reading a few example statements may help to give you an idea of where you start ; however it is all about finding the right balance that is appropriate for you. This balance will be based on your personal experiences and what has been important in shaping your journey towards Medicine.

You should start your personal statement with a clear introduction and end with a conclusion .

DEVELOPING A STRUCTURE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Here, we will focus on developing a structure for the main body of your personal statement. The importance of having a well-thought-out structure is that it will make your thoughts and experiences easier to follow. A good structure will help reinforce the key content of your statement, further giving admissions tutors the impression that you have a focused understanding of medicine and yourself. 

T here is no one way to structure the main body ; in fact , there are many ways! The components you discuss will differ according to your experiences, and the weighting given to these components will largely be based on what medical schools you apply to.

EXAMPLES OF PERSONAL STATEMENT STRUCTURE 

Here is an example of how to divide the main body of your personal statement:

• Interest in academia and wider reading
• Work experience and voluntary commitments
• Extra-curricular Activities

Remember, this is only one example. Alternatively, you could base your paragraphs on the qualities you want to demonstrate, such as:

• Interest in medicine, science, and academia
• Compassion, communication skills and empathy
• Leadership, teamwork and problem-solving

These ideas are here to prompt you, so work around them based on your experiences. If there is a particularly valuable quality, such as resilience, that you are passionate about and have relevant experiences in, of course , this should be included!

The idea of convincing an admissions tutor, in around 500 words, that you are an ideal prospective medical student can be overwhelming. This, as well as the fact that they will be reading through hundreds of personal statements of people applying for the same course, might make you feel pressured to have an introduction that will grab their attention and set you aside from the majority.

DON’T FOCUS TOO MUCH ON YOUR INTRODUCTION

A powerful introduction will state an intrinsic motivation to study medicine, whilst also outlining your understanding of the career. However, your reasons for wanting to pursue medicine do not have to be entirely crammed into your introduction. 

W hile there is no set length for an introduction, you should make sure it is not too short that it seems rushed and neglected, but not so long that it is the same size as the paragraphs of your main body. A few sentences should be sufficient for an introduction.

TRY STARTING WITH THE MAIN BODY FIRST

It might seem logical and necessary to begin by writing the introduction, but this is not the case! It is perfectly reasonable to work on other parts of your personal statement and return to write the introduction at a later point in time. Some people even find that once they have written the majority of their personal statement, they are able to pick out points they think will work well for their introduction.

• Be original: It is a personal statement , so keep it personal. It should accurately depict why you want to study medicine .
• Give examples: Stories can add to the personal element of motivation to study medicine but ensure that this comes across as genuine. Do not try and pin your motivation down to a single event as this can appear naïve . I nstead , state how this scenario was one of the elements that led you to pursue medicine.
• Use your time wisely: Do not spend all your time trying to think of a catchy opening. Remember that you can always come back to the introduction.
• Remember you have a word limit: Keep your statements succinct and to the point.
• Use a professional tone: Stay away from using humour as the person reading your personal statement may not receive it as well as you would hope. The aim is to be professional and put across your interest in medicine.

Keep in mind that depending on the interview style of the medical schools you are applying to; your personal statement can be used as part of your interview. They may pick out parts of your introduction and ask you to elaborate on them. 

C heck this beforehand and if applicable, remember this when stating your motivations to study medicine. If you would not be happy to talk about it in your interview, then avoid including it!

• Using cliché words and phrases such as ‘passionate’, ‘fascinated’ and ‘from a young age I have always wanted to’
• Using a quote without reflecting on how it adds to what you are trying to convey. If possible, avoid quotes and use your own words. After all, they are interested in what you have to say, not a scientist or author
• Making blank statements that do not add to what you are saying.
• Describing how TV shows attracted you to medicine, even if other reasons are raised, as this will reduce the power of your introduction.

Reflecting on your work experiences, wider reading and other relevant activities will form the bulk of the main body of your personal statement. Reflection is imperative to a successful application. A well-reflected personal statement shows that you have given serious thought to healthcare as a life-long career , and it goes down extremely well with the admission officers. The General Medical Council (GMC) has created a guide for medical students about reflection – most of the information is transferrable to medical applicants.

It is crucial to understand that the lessons and skills that you take away from an experience are far more superior to the number of activities you have undertaken or descriptions of consultations you may have seen. Therefore, this section will delve deeper into how you should reflect on an experience whilst undertaking it, as well as how this reflection can be incorporated concisely into your personal statement.

HOW TO REFLECT ON AN EXPERIENCE

Below are some general questions to think about when reflecting on any type of experience you have partaken in . R anging from clinical work experience placements to leadership roles, voluntary commitments, and par t-ti me jobs , you should ask yourself these questions when reflecting on your experiences.

• Description of the experience: W hat was your role? If you are telling a story, what happened , or what was the task at hand?
• Feelings and thoughts about the experience: What resonated with you or affected you the most?
• Analysis and evaluation of the experience: W hat went well and what didn’t? Which parts stood out to you? Did you have any challenging experiences? How did you deal with them?
• Conclusion and action plan: S ummary of what you learned and what you could have done differently . H ow could you relate this to your development as a doctor ?

HOW TO REFLECT ON YOUR LEARNING

The following questions will help you reflect and think critically about learning experiences. This includes anything you have read, listened to, or watched to gain a deeper insight into the life of a medical student and/or doctor.

• Description: What is the idea or concept you have been exposed to?
• Feelings and thoughts about what you have learned: What resonated with you or affected you the most?
• Analysis: Is there anything that drew your attention or anything you found challenging? Does this build upon what you had previously known or read about? Has it changed the way you think, opened your eyes to something new, or made you more confident and assured in a belief you already had?
• Conclusion and action plan: What other avenues of this concept would you like to explore? How can you implement what you’ve learned in your clinical practice?

HOW TO INCLUDE REFLECTION IN YOUR MEDICINE PERSONAL STATEMENT

Before you sit down and start typing away at your statement, we highly suggest that you first read through all of the reflective notes you wrote when undertaking any experience or activity that gave you an insight into medicine. This will allow you to look back at all of the wonderful experiences you have had and focus on the key points you can take away from them.

REFLECTION METHODS TO TRY

There are so many different approaches you can take to reflective writing in your personal statement , and different people prefer different methods. For example, you can structure your reflection according to Gibb’s reflective cycle . Another approach is the ‘STARR’ framework , which stands for ‘Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection’ . This is often a favourite among applicants for medicine interviews but can also be used in the personal statement to write structured reflections.

• S ituation: What is the setting in which you have undertaken your experience?
• T ask: What was the position or role you held?
• A ction: What actions did you specifically carry out on a regular basis?
• R esults: What was the most relevant and significant outcome of your activities?
• R eflection: What skills and knowledge have you acquired as a result of this activity? How and why had this experience influence d you?

Work experience can be loosely defined as any activity that is designed to sufficiently broaden your understanding of a particular career path. The aim of this section is to provide you with examples of the different types of work experiences you can undertake and how you should go about reflecting on them in your personal statement.

WHY IS MEDICAL WORK EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT?

Most students will feel that work experience gives the most realistic perspective of medicine as a career. Through shadowing in consultations, watching surgeries, and perhaps even just being in a clinical environment, you will start to build your understanding of the role of a doctor. 

A pplying to medical school is a huge commitment, so exploring the working life of a physician is definitely a wise thing to do. Work experience allows you to gain valuable skills that may be useful throughout your university life and your career as well.

WHAT IS THE AIM OF WORK EXPERIENCE?

W ork experience is evidence to show that you have taken the time to find out more about the realities of a career in medicine. Therefore, it is a vital aspect of not only the personal statement but your medical school application as a whole. The purpose and overall aim of your work experience will broadly fall into one or more of the following categories:

• To understand the realities of life as a doctor and medical student
• To develop the skills and qualities needed for a career in medicine
• To acquire more knowledge about your particular interests

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE WORK EXPERIENCE

Firstly, we will consider traditional in-person work experience activities, which are usually undertaken in a healthcare environment. This can include hospital, general practi c e, or pharmacy shadowing placements, as well as voluntary roles in a care home or hospice. To make the most out of these types of experiences, we would recommend the following:

• Listen to the types of questions that healthcare professionals use when taking a history or interacting with patients. What did you think about their interactions with patients? How do they adapt their communication style?
• Ask questions. This is an opportunity to ask all those burning questions ; don’t be shy! If possible, ask questions to a wide range of health care professionals about each of their individual roles as well as their experiences working in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Research one of the common conditions that you have seen during your placement and are interested in finding out more about it.

The above points will form the basis of your reflection, so it is important to start thinking about them as you go along with your work experience. Keep a reflective diary to jot down these thoughts and experiences. This diary will become especially useful when sitting down to write your personal statement.

TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT MEDICAL WORK EXPERIENCE

• Mention the transferrable skills and attributes you will have developed. Skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving and resilience in the face of adversity are vital to a career in medicine.
• State clearly the insights you have gained. For example, as the GP demonstrates active listening and shows empathy, you will see that the patient immediately opens up and gives more information , which will be helpful in establishing a diagnosis. If this resonates with you, include this in your personal statement.
• It is important to show that you understand the challenges a doctor will face. Be sure to reflect on any negative experiences which made you more aware of the demanding nature of the profession. What could have been done differently in the scenario you witnessed?
• Be as concise as possible . D escriptions should be kept to a minimum. It is more important to highlight your thoughts, understanding and values before and after an experience, rather than details about the experience itself.
• Viewing medical work experience as merely a tick box exercise. Try not to view work experience as a requirement for university statements or interviews. Instead, you should view this as a learning opportunity for yourself so that you can develop both academically and personally. If you have this mindset, you will be able to truly discover a lot more about the subject and about yourself too!
• Concerning yourself too much with the medical jargon and knowledge you come across during your work experience, whether in-person or virtual. Focus on the attitudes and transferrable skills, and definitely do try to explore the science , but ultimately , medical school will teach you the required knowledge for your career
• Breaching confidentiality when writing about your work experience, whether it be in your personal statement or reflective diary. This means that you do not include any identifiable information in your personal statement, such as, ‘I witnessed Mr Smith undergoing an ECG’.

Volunteering is the idea of offering your time or skills to benefit an unrelated person or organisation with no formal payment in return.

Relevant volunteering can be considered a form of work experience and can significantly enhance your personal statement. Whilst grades are important, medical schools are also highly interested in students who exhibit genuine care and compassion. 

Doing voluntary work can highlight this side of you and give some insight into the life of a doctor, which is very much a caring profession. Volunteering can assist you in developing the necessary skills and qualities relevant to medicine.

EXAMPLES OF VOLUNTEERING ROLES

The types of volunteering roles and commitments you can include in your personal statement, can vary extensively. Moreover, the volunteering you have undertaken does not need to be within a healthcare setting. It is more important that you can reflect on your experiences and appreciate how the skills you have developed are relevant to career in medicine. Below are just some examples of voluntary roles you may include in your personal statement:

• Carehome/hospice volunteer
• Hospital volunteer
• School mentor
• Charity shop assistant
• Youth group coordinator
• Foodbank volunteer

TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT VOLUNTARY ROLES

• Emphasise any long-term or frequent volunteering commitments. This shows commitment to medicine and determination. Whilst long-term volunteering is favoured, do not worry if you were unable to complete any due to the pandemic!
• Use buzzwords alluding to the relevant skills and qualities learnt. Examples of buzzwords can include “contributed”, “enhanced” and “implemented”. 
• Discuss briefly how you found any volunteering opportunities , especially if you organised it yourself. This shows initiative! If an opportunity is extremely rare or competitive, make sure to highlight this.
• Group together experiences where you gained similar skills and insights, rather than discussing multiple experiences individually. This can get messy and take up a lot of your time
• Speak about your feelings and emotions during your volunteering! This shows you are human and comes across much more genuine and sincere.
• Clearly state your contribution and actions , not someone else’s!
• Discuss any sacrifices, mistakes, or challenges you faced during your volunteering. Also , make sure you are prepared to describe what you did/would do differently to overcome these challenges!
• Rambling on about experiences . U se the STARR structure to organise thoughts. Keep it concise!
• Writing a long list of all the voluntary roles you have ever held. Focus on one or two that you benefitted from greatly and reflect on them.
• Repeating experiences, certain insights, or qualities. Demonstrate variety in what you have learned.
• Lie or exaggerate any details!
• Superficially state what happened. If you are able to, delve further into your thoughts before, during and after volunteering.

When it comes to extra-curriculars, it ’s easy to get confused on what you should include and how to include it in your personal statement. As an aspiring medic, you might have done many different activities at school (and outside) that may be related or seemingly have nothing to do with each other. This could range from part-time jobs to being a prefect in your school, societies, clubs , or even your personal hobbies or sporting interests.

HOW TO WRITE ABOUT EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

In your personal statement, a great way to tie it all together is to use your activities to reflect on how they made you the person you are today. Instead of simply listing all of your positions or engagements, think about what qualities you were able to gain from them that would make you a better doctor. 

A mong others, qualities like compassion, empathy, time management, organisation, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership are essential in medicine, but they’re not necessarily born in a hospital or through direct engagement in clinical experiences. You have probably been doing some of these activities for a really long time, now let’s frame it in a different context for your application.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

In a large pool of applicants, it is easy to think , ‘ H ave I done enough?’. Sometimes, this can be the wrong question to ask, as most medical schools do not look at the ‘number’ of things you have done but rather how the things you’ve done can help you as a doctor. 

D o not worry if you have not done a lot of activities in your time at school. The number of things you’ve done doesn’t matter as much as:

• What you’ve learned from them
• How you’ve reflected on them
• What moments and experiences you can improve on
• How you’ve later developed as a person and an aspiring medic based on those experiences

WHAT GOES WHERE?

With a limited number of characters, every word counts. You want to make sure you make the most of everything you have done, but at the same time , frame it in the most effective way for your application. This is why you might want to focus on some activities over others or group some activities together to give yourself space to write about and reflect on your experiences in a more elaborate way and relate them to your future career. There are many ways you can group your activities, mainly either by the type of activity ( e.g., academic, sports, or volunteering ) or based on what qualities or skills you’ve developed as a result of partaking in this activity.

SHOULD I INCLUDE MY HOBBIES?

The short answer is yes if you want to, but – make sure you’re not just taking up space by listing them. You don’t need to elaborate on them too much if you don’t want to, but try to strike the balance so as to show the admissions committee you value your time spent doing these hobbies, but at the same time you’re not taking away from all the other elements of your personal statement. You could also relate them to having a work-life balance – an essential trait in medicine.

TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

• Use your experiences to highlight your strengths and your skills. How did your activity help you develop a unique skill?
• Focus on the activities that have benefited you the most.
• Elaborate with insight and introspection on the activities you’ve chosen to focus on.
• Group other activities together to help you use your limited characters where they matter most.
• Listing things you have done without further elaborating on them.
• Elaborating on every single activity or being repetitive – if they sound similar, group them, or take some out if you don’t think they’re important.
• Faking interest or passion in something you do not actually like or mention ing an activity you did not really do. It takes away from the space you have to talk about things you are passionate about, which is a lot more valuable and impactful.

This is your final chance to make an impression on the admissions tutor, so make it count! The aim of your conclusion should be to tie together the key points that you included in the main body of your personal statement. Along with the introduction, this is one of the most difficult parts to write, so writing both at the end, after you have a coherent idea of the flow of your piece is advisable.

Ideally, it should only be a few sentences long. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to revisit your conclusion multiple times before submitting. It is important to end on a confident note by expressing a real passion for medicine.

TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR CONCLUSION 

• Summarise and reiterate your key points: Include s kills, experiences, and interests and how these make you suitable for studying medicine. For example, if your experiences have taught you the importance of resilience, how will this skill help you to progress in your future career?
• Mention the takeaway points: What do you want the admission tutor to remember about you ?
• Revisit your conclusion and read it aloud to yourself: Reading it out to yourself and others helps to determine if you’re being concise and getting straight to the point without waffling.
• Write a couple of drafts: By writing different versions of your conclusion, you might find various ways of conveying the same idea, some that you like more than others. This will help you write the best conclusion to suit you.
• Acknowledge the difficulties and demanding nature of studying medicine: Studying medicine can be difficult, but you are equipped with the skills to handle this! You should showcase how the skills you’ve developed will assist you in overcoming difficulties .This will show you are the ideal candidate for studying medicine.
• Writing a conclusion that is too long. You will probably find that the 4000 – character limit of the personal statement will restrict the length of your conclusion. So ideally, one or two succinct sentences should be more than enough to summarise.
• Introducing completely new points – you do not want to leave the admissions tutor confused by bringing in new ideas that you cannot elaborate on further.
• As with the introduction, avoid clichés and quotes.
• Avoid repeating sentences from the main body of the personal statement.
• Avoid making your conclusion too specific to one university. For example, don’t mention a particular teaching style if it is not offered by all the universities that you are applying for.

Now that you have written your personal statement, the hard part is over, right? Well, in all honesty , you might find yourself spending more time editing your personal statement than writing it! It is important to give yourself enough time to perfect your personal statement before the deadline. 

O ur advice at this point is – before you start editing, put your personal statement away. By the time you have finished writing, you will have read and re-read it countless times in the process. You need to take the time away from it to get a fresh look. This will be invaluable when you start editing.

SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, AND GRAMMAR

First things first, triple-check that your word processor has spell-check on with UK English, so that you can correct any spelling mistakes. It may sound obvious; however, technology can often malfunction!

You are a school-age pupil, so the piece should sound like you wrote it. It does not have to sound like you have taken letter-writing classes and have used a thesaurus on every other word. However, you also need to come across as professional. It is best not to use contractions such as don’t (do not), as it is too informal. Make sure you have used a combination of long and short sentences so that it has structure, as well as making sure every sentence doesn’t start with ‘I’.

READ YOUR STATEMENT OUT ALOUD

There are many ways of making sure your personal statement reads well. One method, which is particularly helpful is to read your personal statement aloud to someone else. It becomes very obvious when a sentence is too long and does not flow or make sense when you say it aloud. The person listening will be able to tell you which parts do not sound right. 

W hen we write, we often overestimate how well the writing sounds because you will , of course , know what you meant to say. However, to another person and the admissions team reading it – you want them to know exactly what you mean, rather than having to decode paragraphs that are not crystal clear .

You could try asking an English teacher at your school, or a friend who is studying English to read through it. The spelling, grammar and syntax are independent of the content , so this could be really useful in ensuring it flows well.

SEEKING ANOTHER OPINION

Whilst it may seem tempting to gain as many opinions as possible on your personal statement, it is better to seek the advice of a few trusted individuals. The medicine personal statement is , by nature , a subjective piece of writing. Having too many people read your personal statement and suggest changes, can become quite confusing and stressful very quickly! Here’s how you can avoid this situation: 

• Make sure you are close to your final draft before giving your personal statement to someone else to read. However, still ensure you have enough time to make changes.
• If your school has a careers advisor or team of teachers familiar with reading personal statements, it is worth having your personal statement read and critiqued by them.
• When listening to feedback from others, consider all you can get, but don’t be afraid to not include all the feedback you receive since your personal statement should be truly reflective of only you.
• If you would really like a raw opinion, find a way to have a teacher read it anonymously ! The admissions tutor will be reading your personal statement with no knowledge of who you are. If you want someone to read your personal statement with no knowledge of your background, print off a copy with your details omitted.

TIPS TO SHORTEN YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT

• Do not waste characters writing about things that are elsewhere on your UCAS form. For example, your A-level (or equivalent) choices can all be entered in the qualifications section.
• Remove unnecessary adverbs such as somewhat, rather, sometimes, fairly, pretty really, quite, basically, hopefully, luckily.
• Use the verb form of a word over the noun form – this should reduce words. For example, ‘I created a MedSoc’ vs ‘A MedSoc was created by me’
• Print off your personal statement to edit and cut words. Print it off in a different font to the one you typed it in. This will provide an experience of looking at your personal statement with ‘fresh eyes’.
• Use the ‘Build, Blur, Corrode’ method to identify the weakest parts of your personal statement.
• If you cannot bear to cut sentences, copy and paste them into a document called ‘Scrap’ , that way you know exactly where to find them if you were to want to add them again.
• When focusing on a specific paragraph, copy it into a new blank document and separate each sentence with a line between them. Use this technique to perfect each individual sentence and identify those that are too long.
• When retelling encounters from your work experience, details of what exactly happened are not always necessary!

YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT IS READY TO GO

Once you’ve followed the steps and tips we have outlined, your personal statement is all ready to be submitted. You’ve finished another step in your application to med school! You’re essentially mid-way through the application process ; you should be proud of yourself that you have made it this far. 

Next, you should think about references from your teachers and prepare yourself for a medical school interview. Interviews can be intimidating, but don’t worry! We have created a guide to help you understand the process and how to complete the interviews to the best of your ability. 

HOW PREMED CAN HELP YOU

If you need some work experience to help enhance your med school application, we are here to help! At Premed, we offer in-person and online work experience to ensure you get a taste of life in the medical field. Boost your chances of getting into medical school by applying to one of our work experience courses today.

What should a medicine personal statement include?

When writing a personal statement for medicine, you should focus on including relevant work experience and any volunteer work. The majority of your writing should focus on these aspects as it is important to reflect on your experiences and how this makes the ideal candidate to study medicine. You may also want to include a few short sentences about some extra-curricular activities you partake in as well. 

What should you not say in a medical personal statement?

Don’t be generic about why you want to study medicine. You should demonstrate you have a passion for helping people by providing examples through any work experience or volunteering. Remember, an admissions tutor will read hundreds of personal statements so your application needs to be personal to you. 

Additionally, don’t provide general statements about your skills and experiences or simply list them. You should reflect on your experience and skills by supplying concrete examples to support your statements. This will show you can demonstrate these skills, enhancing your application. 

What do medical schools want in a personal statement?

What your personal statement should contain may differ from university to university but there are some common trends. For example, you should focus on writing about your skills and work experience and reflect on what you have learned from them. It is also ideal to state you understand what a career in medicine entails and how you are prepared to manage the challenges that come with a career in medicine. 

How should I structure my personal statement?

There are several ways you can structure a personal statement, there is no set structure! The way you write your personal statement should be personal to you based on your own experiences. An example of how you can structure your personal statement is:

Another example of a personal statement structure is: 

• Interest in academia and medicine
• Group of skills related to each other (e.g., compassion, empathy and communication)
• Another group of skills related to each other (e.g., leadership, teamwork and problem-solving)

Remember, you also need to include an introduction and conclusion! 

How long should a personal statement be?

You have a limit of 4,000 characters for your personal statement based on UCAS guidelines . This is equivalent to approximately 550-1,000 words. This shows you need to be precise with what you include in your personal statement as you are limited by the words you have. 

• In-Person Courses
• Online Courses
• Free Guides
• Prices & Dates
• Course Benefits

Booking form

Course: personal statement for medicine.

Student Name*

Preferred Name

Contact Number*

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

Placement Type*

Date of Birth*

T-Shirt Size*

Nationality*

Guardian / Emergency Contact Information*

Additional Information

I understand today I am paying the registration fee of £395 for a Premed Project. The remaining total placement fee for the project will be due before the placement begins. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

Insurance Form

Pre Existing Medical Conditions

Email Address *

Submit arrival and departure details

Further information.

Dietary Requirements * Please let us know of any dietary requirements you may have

Medical Conditions Let us know if you think we should know about any pre-existing medical conditions. All of our staff will be made aware of them and include any allergies or medication you may be taking.

Emergency Contact Details * Please provide the name, contact numbers, email address and postal address of someone who you would like us to contact in case of an emergency

Anything Else? Is there anything else you think we should be aware of/you would like us to know before your placement?

Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

• Accessibility
• Pre-clinical
• Medicine: How to Apply

Medicine: Writing your Personal Statement

Download this page as a pdf document

Your personal statement is an important part of your application to Oxford. It allows you to tell us about your interests, achievements and ambitions in your own words. Although we do not formally score your statement we read it carefully. If you are invited for interview, the statement is likely to provide a focus for the questions that you are asked. It is therefore essential that your statement is an accurate, unembellished account of your activities. We may check the claims that you make on your statement: discovery of fabricated or exaggerated material – during the admissions exercise, or even later on during your time as a student – may bring into question your suitability to practise Medicine. 

Present yourself in the best light:  the same basic facts about yourself (in terms of education, interests, experience), when presented differently, can quite dramatically convey positive or negative messages about you to tutors.

For A100 Medicine at Oxford, UCAT and (if taken) GCSEs are predominantly used initially to determine whether or not you are short-listed for interview. The information that you provide in your personal statement becomes increasingly important if you are not short-listed on the basis of UCAT score and (if taken) your GCSEs. Of course, every detail becomes important once you have reached the interviews and are being considered for a place.

1. Please do not be shy in declaring any mitigating circumstances

These may help us to put your achievements or personality within a finer context. We actively look for reasons why you may have under-performed in examinations, or performed well against the odds. These may be factors associated with your schooling, health or domestic circumstances. If you are returning to study after a break, or switching vocation, it is even more important to highlight your reasons for choosing to study Medicine, and for you to demonstrate your determination, resilience, ability and commitment. 

2. Do not simply recount everything you have ever undertaken

We’re looking for quality, not quantity! Remember that large numbers of applicants apply for our courses. Tell us in what ways you will stand out from the crowd. In choosing to talk about an activity, describe what you have drawn from the experience: has it changed you as a person? Did it surprise you?

3. We want to learn about you as a person, not just about your academic qualifications

If you have undertaken extra-curricular activities, or hold positions of responsibility at school, tell us why you sought these, and why they are important to you. You will not impress us by simply recounting that you took up a placement in Thailand, but we might be more appreciative if you tell us what you personally learnt from the experience, about your interaction with local people, and about shadowing the medical team working within your village. 

Example: I have become involved with a city music and drama group, and work especially with the younger members. I find this exciting and more than occasionally challenging. Coaching for the group has given me experience in organising others, as well as teaching them. Watching group members learn and progress is thrilling, especially in the case of one of them who has ADHD. At first he was incapable of remaining still, silent or attentive for even a few minutes, but eventually became far more focused and calmer, making excellent progress in many areas.

4. Directly address our selection criteria in your statement

Here are our selection criteria and some examples:

Personal characteristics: suitability for medicine

• Empathy: ability and willingness to imagine the feelings of others and understand the reasons for the views of others

Example: My volunteering in the local community and my studies in Religion and Classical Civilization have also increased my ability to understand varying cultural, ethical and social perspectives, and allowed me to look at issues in a wider context.

• Motivation: a reasonably well-informed and strong desire to practise medicine

Example: My interest in the human body burgeoned while I was taking the Essentials of First Aid class organised by St John Ambulance. The two consecutive years of volunteer service in X Hospital that followed reinforced my passion for the subject.

• Communication: ability to make knowledge and ideas clear using language appropriate to the audience
• Honesty and Integrity
• Ethical awareness
• Ability to work with others

Example: I have had a weekend job at X since 2016, which has further allowed me to develop teamwork skills, taught me how to work towards personal targets when under pressure, and allowed me to interact with many different members of the public.

Example: Dancing has taught me valuable people skills; you learn to work intimately with fellow dancers and trust them completely.

• Capacity for sustained and intense work

Academic Potential

• Problem-solving: critical thinking, analytical approach
• Intellectual curiosity: keenness to understand the reason for observations; depth; tendency to look for meaning; enthusiasm and curiosity in science
• Communication skills: willingness and ability to express clearly and effectively; ability to listen; compatibility with tutorial format

Example: Studying History at A-level has helped develop my writing and critical analysis skills.

Example: At school I have taken part in a French exchange programme which greatly improved my language skills, independence and confidence.

5. You will not be alone in trying to open your statement with an attention grabbing intro

If you try this, make sure it helps tutors to learn something about what motivates and enthuses you.

Example: My vast collection of books and videos on "How the Body Works" when I was 7 years old first triggered my interest in the functions of the body. Watching the little personified, cartoon blobs that represented red blood cells run around an animated yet functioning body fascinated me and I longed to find out more. As a result, when a friend received a letter explaining their little girl had just been diagnosed with X at just 14 months old, I was intrigued to find out what this was.

6. The statement is called a personal statement for a reason

It should be written by you, not by your parents, siblings, or teachers. Do not plagiarise material that you find on the web as there is a great chance that such deception will be discovered.

7. Do not feel that there is a precise template to follow that will score you points!

We look for bright and independent thinkers, so try to be original!

• Course Structure
• Academic Entry & Age Requirements
• Selection Criteria
• Health & Fitness to Practise
• Application Checklist
• Application Process
• Introductory Reading
• Writing your Personal Statement
• Anatomy of a Personal Statement
• Graduate Applicants
• Mature Applicants
• International Applicants
• Mitigating circumstances
• Shortlisting Process and Admissions Statistics
• Fees and Funding

The Aspiring Medics

Medicine Personal Statement

📋 47 lines., 📝4,000 characters., 🏆 an opportunity to sell yourself..

Experience Bank

Self-Review

Introduction

Work Experience

Supercurricular

Extracurricular

Medicine Personal Statement Review for 2023 Entry

Reviewed by experts get feedback from those who know what medical schools want to see, quantitative mark scheme used our experts use a mark scheme to ensure your personal statement is perfect, get feedback within 48 hours fast feedback to give you plenty of time to improve , personal statement importance,  “no one can determine your destiny but you. will it be easy of course not. can you do it of course you can. but it requires patience and persistence. seize this moment of crisis as your opportunity to start fresh, and live your dreams.” – les brown.

🏆An opportunity to sell yourself

The Medicine personal statement is the first time admissions tutors will assess you as an individual and not a set of grades and results, so it is important for you make a good impression.  You will have 4,000 characters (around 500 words) over 47 lines to show how you possess the qualities needed to become a doctor. You should demonstrate your suitability to study medicine, for example, by showing your commitment , team-working skills and excellent communication skills to the admissions panel. Most importantly you should explain your motivation behind studying medicine and use your relevant volunteering and online work experience to show how you have explored the career path.   

🏛️ Different universities will use it at different stages in their application process and with different weightings

Some universities do not use it at all, such as Brighton and Sussex*   and St Georges* , whilst other universities, such as Manchester* , require an alternative form similar to the personal statement but not your personal statement itself. Universities including Leicester*  use it as part of a scoring system alongside other academic components to select applicants for interview. Other universities, such as Liverpool* , use your personal statement in one of their MMI stations at interview. Your personal statement, at universities such as Hull York* , may also be used for shortlisting at any point in the application process. Similarly, at Bristol* , the personal statement may be used to differentiate between applicants with identical interview scores. It is useful to be aware of how the medical schools that you are applying to will use your personal statement.

(*More information will usually be made clear in each of the universities online admissions procedures guidance. Always check the university website for up-to-date information!)

👇 We have provided a table below to give you guidance👇

(The information on the table was accurate at time of writing)

We at The Aspiring Medics do our best to ensure our information is up to date; always check the university website for up-to-date information

🔗Useful Links:

The Experience Bank

🏗️Build your experience bank

An experience bank is essential in order to give you the framework to base your personal statement reflections around. It will help to ensure that your personal statement is as concise as possible. Without a clear strategy or intention, it can be very easy to write waffly answers that just waste the character count as opposed to showing your realistic insight or skills that you have developed. 

💱Learning to reflect is a skill 

Learning to reflect is an essential skill as a doctor. The greater you are able to build up the habit of using the STARR technique, the better your insights will be. This will not only help you when writing your personal statement, it will also be effective for interviews at your chosen medical schools. 

⬇️Download your FREE Experience Bank

Our FREE Experience Bank gives you a framework to help you reflect upon your answers; it is based on the Medical School's COuncil Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine. Check it out! 

Personal Statement Tips

💯Quality not quantity 

One of the most common questions we get from A-Level students thinking of applying for medicine is: ‘What work experience should I do?’ While work experience is very important the reassuring caveat is that you don’t necessarily need month long experience in hospital wards or surgical theatres to get into the med school of your dreams. The way you reflect and present it in your personal statement or talk about it in an interview makes all the difference!  

🏛️ Reflect using the STARR technique

Try and consider at least all of these things:

What did you learn?

About yourself?

About medicine as a career?

About your motivations to be a doctor?)

What skills were you able to develop?

What did you observe in others that impacted you?

The way you saw people operate in the real world may have surprised you or motivated you or even just shown you an aspect of the caring professions that you hadn’t thought of before.

How did it impact your view of the medical/care based/customer focused profession?

What downsides did you observe? What are the challenges faced by the people you saw?

Med schools want students who are aware of the realities of medicine before they sign up to a long degree. After all, the students are an investment and they don’t want students who will drop out when they realise a doctor isn’t like the TV shows. Having everything written down in front of you then allows you to really pick out what stood out and what you want to talk about . Allowing you to be concise in your personal statement and clear in interviews .

What universities want to know is what you’ve learned from your work experience. Our second top tip is to sit down with a blank piece of paper and reflect on the experiences you’ve had even before you consider putting it in your personal statement. ​

💉 Relating it to Medicine

Here is where you really stand out when talking about work experience. A strong and personal link from the work experience to how it influenced your desire to be a doctor is where you really show off. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got experience in a hospital, a care home, a primary school or even a morgue - the way you relate it to medicine is what matters.

Our top tip here is don’t get bogged down in exactly what you did , procedures you saw or niche operations you shadowed - hopefully med school will teach you all of that anyway! Instead, really focus on showing or telling them what you learnt or observed and how that relates to your ambitions in a clear but concise way. If you can convince them that you can gain valuable skills and insight from work experience then your much more likely to convince them that you’re suited to their course where they hope to train you to be a doctor from time spent on a ward.

💬 Avoid Cliches

This is a tough one and hard to judge but definitely worth thinking about. It’s a fine line that you have to walk between making sure you get across the points they want to hear but also ensuring that you stand out . In an interview, it is especially important that you don’t sound too rehearsed when discussing work experience but still give off the impression that you have reflected upon it.

👼 Tell the Truth; Do NOT lie

Make sure that what you’re saying is really true! You will always sound more genuine and be more comfortable discussing your experience if the things you say you noticed and learned are real. Don’t feel that this is a box ticking exercise where you have to be able to give examples of a doctor responding well to a mistake, or carers showing kindness and compassion , or the team working well together. Instead, talk about what genuinely stood out to you .

🗣️ Crystallise your thoughts by talking to others 

Talk to others ; not only is it a great way of great way to crystallise your thoughts to help you write your personal statement, it will also serve as good practice for practice for interviews. Whether that be friends , who may also be applying for medicine, or family or teachers, anyone that is interested will do! Just the act of talking over and being comfortable discussing your work experience will help you realise what stood out to you as well as how best to present it to others.

❌ Write a bad first draft

At first, don't worry about how good your first draft. Bullet point your ideas, put everything down and then that will then remind you of other experiences as well as help you to think about what you have learned. 

✅Use the selection criteria of medical schools and NHS values to guide you 

The medical schools literally tell you what they are looking for; it's essentially a mark scheme. Know their selection criteria inside out and ensure that you are demonstrating each quality and are fully explaining them. Useful links can be found below

🦅 Show NOT tell

Do not just list off your experiences or just mention buzz words; ensure that you are really demonstrating how you developed personally and what new insights you have now gained as a result of the experience. It is NOT a CV!

💡 Conclusion

Overall, work experience is something that most med school applicants will have and it is likely to feature in your personal statements and any interviews you are invited to attend. What is going to make you stand out is presenting it in an impactful way that highlights the things you learned from it and how it affirmed your decision to be a doctor.

Personal Statement Structure

💬 Importance of the Introduction and Conclusion 

Writing a good introduction and conclusion is vital in achieving personal statement success. They are arguably the most important paragraphs in your Medical school application. Your introduction is your chance to make a good first impression on the admissions panel. Until now, they have only received your grades/UCAT/BMAT score, so it is a chance for them to get to know you on a personal level and demonstrate to them why you want to be a doctor and believe that you have the necessary skills and qualities to achieve this.

Your introduction should make the panel want to read on further and not simply discard your application. Your conclusion is the last impression that the panel will have of you, so you want to make it a good one! Ultimately it is after this closing paragraph when the panel will score your personal statement against their criteria and, depending on how the Medical school you have applied to uses the personal statement, their decision to interview you or not will be made. 

✍️ Writing your Introduction 

The opening paragraph of your personal statement should explain to the admissions panel what motivates you to want to study medicine. You should make it personal to yourself, rather than generic.

Instead of writing what every applicant would say (i.e. that you want to make a difference to other people's lives), make it specific to you. It could be that a particular life event sparked your interest or reading a specific book or studying a specific topic at school , for example. One of the qualities of a doctor is to act openly and honestly , so the admissions panel would rather an authentic explanation of your motivations specific to you . 

While the introduction is there to set the scene for your personal statement, it does not stand alone. The rest of your personal statement needs to match the high quality of your introduction. Similarly, if the rest of your personal statement is of a high quality, then do not stress, your introduction is bound to be of that standard too.

🔚 Writing your Conclusion

The conclusion paragraph of your personal statement should not bring any information that you have not already previously mentioned. It should highlight the important points that you have mentioned and provide an overview. We suggest that this paragraph should be short, perhaps three sentences.

As a guide you could highlight the following points:

Your positive qualities and that you believe that these would make you a suitable candidate

The perspectives and insight that you have gained about being a doctor from your volunteering and work experience 

Most importantly your passion and commitment for studying medicine

Reflecting on your Own Drafts

Writing a personal statement is a difficult but necessary part of the medical school application process, which is often partly used to select candidates for an interview. It is therefore the first chance that applicants get to become more than just a statistic to the panel, and ultimately demonstrate to them why 5 / 6 years of time and money should be invested in you .

It is a chance for applicants to show the insight into the role of the doctor that you have acquired from various work experience and volunteering placements and, crucially, that they uphold the necessary values and have the work ethic to succeed in a career of lifelong learning. 

Being the only part of the medical school application process where there is unlimited time and resources available , it is understandable that applicants put a lot of pressure on themselves to make their personal statement as perfect as possible. This article hopes to address and give advice on some common barriers that applicants might face when reviewing their own personal statement.

📇 Keeping within the Word Count 

The word count for the personal statement is 4,000 characters and 47 lines . At first this might seem a generous amount, but can quickly become a challenge. With a lot of relevant experience and skills demonstrating your capabilities and knowledge of the role of a doctor, it can be difficult to decide which to include.

A good starting point is removing any duplicated information. For example, if you have already spoken about the importance of having good teamworking skills earlier in your personal statement, you do not need to reiterate this again. Secondly, make sure that you are reflecting at every opportunity. 

The admissions panel will gain no information about an applicant from them simply listing what they did on work experience. Instead, by describing what they learnt from their work experience placement, such as “the importance of team working skills between different members of the multidisciplinary team”, the applicant has shown that they have insight into the role of a doctor.

Similarly if candidates are talking about their hobbies/extra-curricular activities they should not just state everything that they do, but should relate that to the role of a doctor. For example, saying that in their free time they “run for their county and play the piano”, although impressive is using valuable characters by not adding much to the application. Saying that they “understand that medicine can be a demanding career and am planning to continue playing the piano as a stress relief” would be a much better use of the word count.  

📇 Receiving Conflicting Advice

 It can be difficult to know which advice to take when preparing your final draft for submission. The biggest advice we can give is that it is YOUR personal statement. Ultimately it is the applicants decision what is going to represent them and be submitted to their chosen universities.

Applicants should consider the source of the advice and whether it is someone's opinion that they value and trust before changing their work. Conflicting advice can be seen in a positive way by making the applicant think more deeply about the direction that they want to take their work. 

⚠️ Taking Constructive Criticism

It can be difficult to take criticism on something that you have worked so long and hard on such as your personal statement. However it is easy to be blindsided by your own work and is important to get feedback to help you to improve. Obviously this feedback does not have to be incorporated into your work, but it is important to acknowledge the points that have been made . It is good to remember that as a doctor and medical student you will constantly be receiving feedback from colleagues , mentors and patients to help better your own practice. 

Medical Schools Council - Values

The Medical Schools Council has outlined a list of core values and attributes they expect from medical students. This is not an exhaustive list and individual schools may have some extra qualities that they're looking for. It is important for you to show that you have spent considerable time developing these skills through your Personal Statement and your Interview. It is also important for you to reflect on experiences that helped you develop these skills. These experiences can include: work experience placements, experience of paid employment, volunteer work, participation in social activities and educational experiences. 

These values have been categorized into the following:

Personal Statement Examples

How to Write a Medicine Personal Statement

10 Tips for Writing a Teacher's Reference

Imperial Medicine Personal Statement (Teesta)

The Positive Aspects of Medicine

Oxford Medicine Personal Statement (Tolu)

Cambridge Medicine Personal Statement (Zute)

The opportunity for lifelong learning in an evolving field, the chance for patient contact and a desire to deepen my understanding of the human body is what initially drew me to a career in medicine. My work experience and volunteering convinced me that medicine is a challenging yet ultimately rewarding vocation positively impacting the lives of people everyday.

Oxford Medical Student

By volunteering at a dementia care home for the past year, I have realised how important a holistic approach can be in improving the welfare of the residents. I felt truly rewarded while reading a book to one of the residents and to see her spirits rise for the duration of that afternoon. The experience brought home the importance of considering the emotional wellbeing of a person and how it can be just as important as their physical wellbeing. I will never forget that moment, as it filled me with such pride to have improved this lady's day which further set in stone my aspiration to do the same for other patients as a doctor.

Bristol Medical Student

Completing my Silver CREST and Industrial Cadet awards I have learned how to develop my independent research skills, as well as structure projects and meet deadlines. Seeking advice and scouring websites as part of my EPQ on pain receptors, I sought to compare sources and comprehend the etymology of medical terms. Doctors continually face ethically and emotionally challenging situations which I explored first hand, writing an article for Medic Mentor on whether death should be normalised for doctors. Considering contrasting viewpoints broadened my understanding of end of life care and the duties of a doctor.

Further to my studies, I enjoy playing several sports and pushing myself physically. I’ve completed a double marathon, Gold DofE and an ascent of Mt. Toubkal in Morocco. Most moving to me however, were my experiences volunteering in Namibia which inspired me through the impact a small group of us could have on a community. I have gained a distinction in Grade 8 piano and am proud to be a Senior Prefect, organising weekly guest lecture series alongside my leadership role. I am also the chairman at my Explorer unit; responsible for the schedule and camps throughout the year.

For pursuing a medical degree, the UK is my primary choice owing to its tailored courses that provide students with maximum practical exposure. The link with the NHS makes the program more research-oriented. Upon becoming a doctor, my dream is to set up a research facility for cancer.

King's College London Medical Student

• Student Portal
• Teacher Portal

Medic Mentor is Part of Mentorverse ltd

Co. No: 15364722 VAT Reg: 456648553

01530 417 299

MENTOR HELPLINE

General Enquiries

Medic Mentor's CompleTE Guide To The

Medicine personal statements (ps).

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on crafting outstanding medicine personal statements for UK medical school applications. In this increasingly competitive landscape, a well-crafted personal statement is your passport to standing out from the crowd and securing a place in your dream medical school.

A medicine personal statement holds immense significance in the UK medical school application process. It is a unique opportunity for aspiring medical students like you to showcase your passion, motivation, and suitability for a career in medicine. Admissions committees carefully review personal statements to gain insight into your character, experiences, and commitment to the field. It allows them to assess your communication skills, critical thinking abilities, and overall potential as a future healthcare professional.

Quick Links To PS Sections on this Page...

Click the topic heading below to go straight to that section!

• What is a medical personal statement?
• How do medical schools assess personal statements?
• Step-by-step guide to writing your personal statement
• Reflective Writing Techniques
• Common pitfalls when writing your personal statement
• Additional tools and support to help you write the best personal statement that you can!

Unlimited On-demand Mentoring For Your Entire Med School Application

What is a ps, med schools & the ps, writing guide, reflective writing, things to avoid, extra support, what is a medical personal statement.

A medicine personal statement is a written document that allows aspiring medical students to express their motivations, experiences, and suitability for pursuing a career in medicine.

The purpose of a medicine personal statement is to provide admissions committees with insight into your character, aspirations, and commitment to the field of medicine. It serves as a platform for you to showcase your unique qualities and convince medical schools that you possess the skills and attributes necessary to thrive as a future healthcare professional.

Complete Medical School All-in-one Solution!

UK medical schools consider personal statements as an essential component of the application process. Admissions committees carefully review personal statements to evaluate candidates beyond their academic achievements and test scores.

Personal statements offer a holistic perspective of applicants, allowing medical schools to assess their communication skills, critical thinking abilities, and suitability for a career in medicine. These statements provide valuable context to understand your motivations, experiences, and personal qualities that are not captured through other application materials.

Personal statements for both the current and upcoming application cycles will continue to follow the traditional essay format. While there have been proposed changes by UCAS to transition to a short answer format with specific questions, these changes will not be implemented until at least 2025 for students applying to enter universities in 2026. Therefore, we will focus on the essay format that has been utilised for the past 20-30 years.

A well-structured medicine personal statement essay consists of three main components: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  We call this the personal statement’s ‘superstructure’.

1. Introduction:

The introduction serves as the starting point of your personal statement and should engage the reader from the beginning. It provides a brief overview of your motivations and sets the tone for the rest of the essay. Consider using attention-grabbing anecdotes, thought-provoking statements, or personal reflections to make your introduction captivating.

2. Body Paragraphs:

The body paragraphs form the core of your personal statement and provide an opportunity to showcase your experiences, skills, and personal qualities. Within these paragraphs, it is important to consider the structure of each individual paragraph, known as ‘paragraph structure’.

3. Conclusion:

The conclusion is the closing section of your personal statement and should leave a lasting impression on the reader. It is an opportunity to summarise your key points and reiterate your passion for medicine. Reflect on your journey, express your enthusiasm for future learning and growth, and emphasise your commitment to becoming a compassionate and skilled healthcare professional.

In addition to a personal statement’s ‘superstructure’ you also need to be familiar with ‘paragraph structure’.

Paragraph structure refers to the way you organise and structure the content within each paragraph. It is important to adopt a reflective approach when structuring your paragraphs. Here are some tips to guide you:

• Begin each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main point or idea.
• Provide supporting evidence, examples, or experiences to substantiate your claims or statements.
• Reflect on the significance or impact of these experiences, demonstrating personal growth and development.
• Use transition words and phrases to create a smooth flow between paragraphs and ideas.

The UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) sets a maximum limit for personal statements, which is currently 4,000 characters or 47 lines of text (including spaces and blank lines). This limit applies to all undergraduate courses, including medicine, in the UK.

It is important to note that the character and line limits include all the text within the personal statement, including the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. This means that you need to be concise and thoughtful in your writing to effectively convey your experiences, motivations, and suitability for becoming a doctor.

While there is no specific requirement for the minimum length of a personal statement, it is generally recommended to aim for at least 3,500 character to provide a comprehensive overview of your qualifications and aspirations for medicine. However, keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity, so focus on providing meaningful and well-developed content within the given limit.

Before submitting your personal statement, ensure that you carefully review and edit your writing to eliminate any unnecessary or redundant information, while maintaining a clear and coherent narrative that effectively highlights your strengths and passion for the chosen course.

Many students often worry about what to include in their personal statement. However, the most important aspect is that it genuinely reflects you as an individual and serves as an honest representation of your thoughts, skills, and interests.

A well-crafted personal statement enables you to highlight your unique experiences, such as work/volunteer experiences, research involvement, and extracurricular activities that have shaped your understanding of the medical profession.

Your personal statement plays a crucial role in demonstrating your suitability for a medical career. It allows you to showcase essential skills, such as empathy, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities. By presenting your experiences and reflections, you can effectively convey your commitment to patient care, ethical considerations, and your alignment with the values of the medical profession.

Additionally, it is essential to tailor your personal statement to each medical school you apply to, as different schools may have specific criteria or expectations. Take the time to research each institution and review their guidance on personal statements. Many medical schools provide valuable advice and insights into what they look for in personal statements.

Medical schools What to See?

It is important to recognise that medical schools employ various methods when considering personal statements. While some schools may not initially assess personal statements, instead relying on predicted grades, admissions tests, and academic references, others integrate personal statements into their evaluation process. Some medical schools may screen personal statements for widening participation flags, while others may utilise them during the interview stage. Regardless of the different methods used by medical schools, there is no doubt that the personal statement plays a significant role in the selection process.

Include the Key Attributes of a Doctor

• Motivation to study medicine
• Insight into self and medicine
• Organisation, time-management and prioritisation
• Problem-solving under pressure
• Verbal and written communication skills
• Leadership and Teamwork
• Research, teaching and mentoring skills
• Honesty, integrity and treating others with respect.

Take the Stress Out Of Applying to Medical School

Medical schools are interested in seeing your experiences, skills, and attributes that are relevant to the field of medicine. Consider the following guidelines when crafting your personal statement:

• Reflect on the meaning of medicine to you and express it in your own words.
• Focus on the lessons and insights you have gained from your work or voluntary experience in the healthcare profession.
• Emphasise the knowledge you have acquired about the life of a doctor and the challenges and rewards it entails.
• When discussing your skills, explain their significance and relevance to the medical profession.
• Share any experiences with outreach programmes that have enhanced your understanding of studying medicine or practicing as a doctor, such as Medic Mentor events, extra-curricular activities and summer schools.
• Include information about specific areas of medicine that interest you, showcasing your passion and curiosity.
• Mention your extracurricular activities and hobbies, highlighting how they have contributed to your personal development.

Lastly, ensure that your personal statement is free of punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors. Avoid using clichés and quotes, as they can weaken the impact of your statement and make them less personal.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Personal Statement

Crafting a compelling medicine personal statement is a crucial step in securing a place in your desired medical school. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide you with a step-by-step approach to writing an effective personal statement that will capture the attention of admissions committees and showcase your suitability for a career in medicine.

Comprehensive Med School Application Support and Success!

Before putting pen to paper, take the time to engage in self-reflection. Ask yourself why you want to pursue a career in medicine. Consider your personal experiences, encounters with healthcare professionals, and any defining moments that have influenced your decision. Identify the key motivations that drive your passion for medicine, as this will serve as the foundation for your personal statement.  Then create a structure plan before you start writing in full sentences.  Try to link your experiences with a couple of skills/attributes and reflect on why this is important in medicine.

To create a well-organised personal statement, structure it with an attention-grabbing introduction, informative body paragraphs, and a memorable conclusion.

• Introduction : Begin with a captivating opening that hooks the reader and conveys your enthusiasm for medicine.
• Body Paragraphs : Develop your personal statement by showcasing relevant experiences, such as work/volunteer experiences and research involvement. Demonstrate key qualities and skills desired by medical schools, including empathy, teamwork, and communication. Incorporate personal anecdotes and stories to make your statement more engaging and relatable. Highlight ethical considerations and values that align with the medical profession.
• Conclusion : End with a memorable conclusion that summarises your key points, reinforces your passion for medicine, and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Throughout your personal statement, focus on showcasing your experiences and skills that are relevant to medicine . This can include:

• Work/volunteer experiences: Discuss how these experiences have shaped your understanding of healthcare, reinforced your passion for medicine, and provided valuable insights into patient care.  If you are struggling to get work experience, we can help!  Join our free virtual work experience programme!
• Research involvement: Highlight any research projects you have participated in and emphasise the skills and knowledge you have gained through these experiences.  You can demonstrate this with Medic Mentor’s help by researching and publishing an article in the Mentor Magazine!
• Key qualities and skills: Demonstrate your empathy, leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities. Use specific examples to illustrate how you have developed and utilised these skills in real-life situations.  For example, you can demonstrate these through our leadership programmes!

To make your personal statement stand out, incorporate personal anecdotes and stories that showcase your unique journey and experiences. Engage the reader by providing vivid details and describing how these experiences have shaped your perspectives and aspirations.  This is an important component of ‘reflective writing’.

Medical schools value applicants who demonstrate a strong ethical foundation and an understanding of the moral responsibilities associated with practicing medicine. Reflect on ethical dilemmas you have encountered and discuss how you navigate and prioritise ethical considerations in patient care.

Using Reflective Writing Techniques

In your medicine personal statement, it is not only the activities and experiences you discuss that hold importance but also the quality of reflection that you demonstrate. Reflective writing techniques play a vital role in conveying the depth of your understanding and the impact of your experiences. In this section, we will explore the importance of using reflective writing techniques to enhance the quality of your medicine personal statement.

A more reassuring Way to Start Your Medical Career...

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is a widely used framework in the medical field for structuring written reflections. It helps individuals critically analyse their experiences, identify areas for improvement, and enhance their professional growth. In this section, we will explore how you can utilise Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle to structure paragraphs effectively within your medical personal statement. It is worth noting that this reflective framework remains relevant throughout medical school and as junior doctors progress through their training, with written reflections being an integral part of NHS E-portfolios and appraisal processes.  Therefore, using Gibbs’ reflective cycle when writing your personal statement, will truly demonstrate great insight and make you stand out from other applicants!

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle consists of six key stages that guide the reflective process which you can use for your ‘paragraph sructure’:

Description : Begin by providing a detailed description of the experience or situation you are reflecting upon. Set the context, explain the events, and provide relevant background information.

Feelings : Reflect on your emotions, thoughts, and reactions during the experience. Consider both positive and negative feelings, as they contribute to your overall learning and growth.

Evaluation : Analyse the experience and critically evaluate its impact on your personal and professional development. Identify what went well, what could have been improved, and any challenges faced.

Analysis : Dig deeper into the experience and identify the factors that influenced the outcomes. Explore the underlying reasons, theories, or frameworks that can help explain the situation.

Conclusion : Summarise your overall understanding and learning from the experience. Highlight the key insights, lessons, or changes in perspective that have resulted from your analysis.

Action Plan : Outline specific actions or steps you will take to apply your learning and improve future practice. Consider how you will address any challenges or enhance your skills based on the insights gained.

When utilising Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in your medical personal statement, you can structure your paragraphs to effectively convey your reflective process:

Introduction : Provide a brief overview of the experience you will be reflecting upon, setting the context for the subsequent paragraphs.

Description : Start the paragraph by describing the experience in detail. Provide relevant information, such as the setting, the individuals involved, and the circumstances surrounding the experience.

Feelings : Reflect upon the emotions, thoughts, and reactions you experienced during the situation. Be honest and introspective, sharing both positive and negative feelings.

Evaluation and Analysis : Merge these two stages together within a single paragraph. Critically evaluate the experience, highlighting what went well, what could have been improved, and any challenges faced. Analyse the factors that influenced the outcomes, drawing upon relevant theories or frameworks.

Conclusion : Summarise your overall understanding and learning from the experience. Highlight the key insights, lessons, or changes in perspective that have resulted from your reflective analysis.

Action Plan : Conclude the paragraph by outlining specific actions or steps you plan to take based on your learning. Discuss how you will apply your insights to enhance your future medical practice or personal growth.

We fully understand the immense pressure that students face when tasked with writing a personal statement, and we are here to provide guidance and support throughout this crucial process. But students can make significant mistakes in the writing process that you must take care to avoid.  These usually happen because students feel under pressure, or they run out of time, or they are misinformed and end up using resources that could get themselves into trouble.  By highlighting these common pitfalls, we want to ensure that you don’t find yourself making any unnecessary mistakes, or burn out during the writing process.

Crafting a personal statement may feel overwhelming, but remember that you have unique experiences and qualities to share that will make your application shine. With our expert advice and step-by-step guidance, you can confidently navigate the personal statement writing journey and present your best self to admissions committees.

Writing a personal statement can be a daunting task, especially considering the immense pressure students face during the application process. However, it’s important to remember that you possess a wealth of experiences, skills, and aspirations that make you a strong candidate.

Don't Get Sucked Into...

Some of these might be tempting but they will actually work against you or even get your flagged for plagiarism…

• Using artificial intelligence to write your personal statement
• Using review services where you send in your personal statement for 'checking', 'marking' or 'editing'. You don't know who is on the other end and who else has seen your personal statement.
• Reading 'perfect' examples of personal statements, before writing your own
• Skipping the planning stage
• Not reflecting deeply enough
• Making up experiences or achievements to sound impressive
• Misusing medical terminology
• Prioritising the wrong examples to write about
• Not getting help from your teachers, parents and trusted mentors
• Leaving it to the last minute
• Panicking and not knowing when it is finished!

How can Medic Mentor Help You With Your Personal Statement?

We want to assure you that we will never ask you to submit your personal statement for a review or provide you with multiple “perfect” examples. These practices are not reputable and can potentially harm your personal statement. Instead, our approach is focused on teaching and mentoring you through various modules to help you craft an outstanding personal statement that truly showcases your unique qualities.

We offer a range of options for you to choose from, including free webinars, informative talks, comprehensive e-learning resources, and even an enhanced 1-2-1 tutoring program. With our trusted mentors, you will receive guidance and support as you write your own amazing statement. This has worked for thousands of students over the past decade! We believe in an honest and genuine approach to writing excellent personal statements, empowering you to make informed decisions about the best approach that suits your needs. The power is in your hands to shine in the application process, and we are here to provide the tools and support you need, every step of the way.

How to be the most prepared Student Applying to Medical School

Meet our successful students: great personal statements and med school offers.

We teach 50,000 students every year and our authenticity policy mandates us to abide by the GMC’s professional code of conduct: honesty, integrity, respect and politeness.   All photos and stories are of real people.   We will never engage with false or paid for reviews on third-party review platforms.  To learn more about our  authenticity policy click here.

Krishan Patel

University of birmingham 1st year.

Ellie Martin

Queen's university belfast 1st year.

Namrata Juneja

St george's university 3rd year.

Fathimah Saqib

University of birmingham 2nd year, be inspired by more successful students, let's get that, medical school application sorted.

Medic Mentor is an all-in-one solution to your medical school application.  We bring only the best resources for tackling every single component of your medical school application to one place.  We are here to help you work efficiently, by balancing the UCAS application process alongside your school work and extracurricular activities.  One of the best ways to save you time is to direct you to the best advice and resources so that you do not have to waste time searching for them yourselves.

We know what you are going through, as doctors and medical students who were in your position!  By combining application knowledge, extracurricular opportunities, platforms to up-skill and boost confidence, it is not a surprise that Medic Mentor students are successful.  Will it be difficult? Yes, applying to medical school is not easy.  But through Medic Mentor it will be less stressful, and even fun.  Let’s get started!

Quick Application Guide to Medical School

Click on the links below to take you straight to the resources that you need help with.

• Entry Requirements (Grades)
• Work Experience
• Volunteering
• Extracurricular Opportunities
• Medicine Personal Statement
• Strategically Choosing 4 Medical Schools
• Medical School Interviews
• Scholarships to Study Medicine
• Reapplication: What to do if you don't get in

Get Expert Advice at the Get into Medicine Conference

Our partners.

Making a huge impact on the medical profession...

• Privacy Policy
• Website T & C's
• Web Design by SO

• UCAS Guide >
• Personal Statement >

Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Writing a medicine personal statement has been a part of the lives of medical applicants for many years and is a fundamental part of the selection criteria. The way in which the UCAS personal statement is structured and written is changing for 2026 with the process shifting to a short answer format. However, for all 2025 entry students, the UCAS personal statement will remain the same. 

Table of Contents

In this article, we will explore a range of different personal statement examples with explanations of their ranking to help you in the process of writing your own medicine personal statement. 

What Makes a Good Medicine Personal Statement?

• Unique and personal 
• Reflection on experience, weakness, and strengths
• Showing realistic insight into the medical profession with a coherent narrative based on genuine experience and reflection
• Discussion of extra-curricular activities with an emphasis on the characteristics, skills, and personal traits that will serve you well in a career in medicine 

Medicine Personal Statement Example 1:

My decision to pursue a career in medicine stems from a longstanding interest in the human body and the science of healthcare. Over the years, I have engaged in various activities and studies that have prepared me for this path, and I am eager to contribute to the medical field.

My first significant exposure to healthcare was during my time volunteering at a local care home. This role involved assisting elderly residents with their daily activities and supporting the nursing staff. This experience provided me with a clear understanding of the practical aspects of patient care, particularly in managing chronic illnesses and providing support to those in need. My time at the care home taught me the value of being detail-oriented and the importance of providing consistent care to maintain the well-being of patients.

In addition to volunteering, I completed a placement at a local hospital where I had the opportunity to observe various medical professionals in action. I shadowed doctors in different departments, including general medicine and surgery, which allowed me to gain insights into the workings of a hospital. I observed doctors carrying out surgeries which ranged from a simple appendectomy to a complex bypass surgery, this was fascinating. I also enjoyed watching doctors talk with patients.  One notable experience was observing a complex surgical procedure, which highlighted the technical skills required in the medical field and the importance of maintaining composure in high-pressure situations.

Academically, I have focused on subjects that provide a strong foundation for a career in medicine. My studies in Biology and Chemistry have given me a solid understanding of the scientific principles essential to medical practice. Through coursework, I have developed strong analytical skills which would be useful in medicine. I have also participated in various group projects that required collaboration and communication which would be useful in medicine.

Outside of my formal studies and medical-related experiences, I have also been involved in extracurricular activities that have developed my leadership and organisational abilities. For example, I have been a member of the student council, where I played a role in organising events and representing my peers. 

My work experience has also included a part-time job in a pharmacy, where I gained further insight into the healthcare system from a different perspective. Working in a pharmacy involved interacting with patients and working on the till and answering patients’ questions. This experience reinforced my interest in the pharmacological aspects of medicine and the critical role that pharmacists play in patient care.

I am committed to pursuing a career in medicine because it combines my interest in science with the opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. The experiences I have gained thus far have equipped me with a strong foundation in patient care, a solid understanding of the healthcare environment, and the necessary academic background. I am eager to continue my education in medicine and look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in this rewarding profession.

What could this medicine personal statement do better?

• This statement is slightly too descriptive in nature with a focus on recounting the details of placements and is a statement of fact. This statement would be improved by making it more reflective in nature and through linking it to future clinical practice. 
• This statement does not have a strong conclusion and is too focused on the activities that were done as opposed to the skills or insight gained throughout the process
• This statement could go further to reflect on work experience and reference future aspirations and self-development which could follow this placement. It is always a fantastic idea to discuss how you would take this learning forward in your future development as a medical student and a future doctor.

What does this medicine personal statement do well?

• This statement has a strong conclusion which summarises the reflective elements of the statement. It brings together the core themes and relates them to a future clinical practice and uses this to indicate a readiness for a future career in medicine. 

Medicine Personal Statement Example 2: 

Graduate medicine applicant .

In studying a degree in politics, I have developed, flourished and remain undeterred in my desire to pursue a career in medicine. My scientific fascination with the body and its functions has remained secure throughout and I am drawn to follow the vocation that is the complex and nuanced role of a doctor. 

Shadowing a GP, I learnt about best practices and the importance of consistent process in improving the quality of modern GP consultations. Participating in a role play and ethical decision-making seminar with two junior doctors helped me realise that learning, personal development and complex ethical questions remain key components of a doctor’s life. Sitting in on practice meetings highlighted the intricacies of medicine as a business and the ultra-medical roles of doctors. Through volunteering at —— Children’s Hospital, the experience of assisting nurses, comforting parents and distracting children has taught me that small acts of kindness can improve hospital environments for parents and children simply by reassuring and understanding their difficulties. Observing the relationship between doctors and nurses also taught me about the importance of multi-disciplinary teams and strong communication in the functioning of an effective medical service. Recognising a gap in my knowledge of social services, I volunteered for a homeless outreach organisation. I worked with clients to provide services like showers, food and access to housing schemes. I also spent time with the outreach nurse. This taught me about the essential services provided and the necessity for judgement-free consulting, reinforcing to me the fundamental connection between poverty, illness and the wide variety of social circumstances surrounding homelessness. It has developed my understanding of the complex and nuanced role of a medical professional and the importance of strong coordination between medical and social services to provide the best patient care possible. 

On my gap year, I travelled the US. Whilst the experience developed my ability to manage stress, organise time and maintain relationships, I was most heavily impacted by my first-hand knowledge of the North American Opioid Crisis, driving my scientific curiosity throughout my university life and strongly influencing my dissertation. I explored the role of the over prescription of opioid medications in the North American Opioid Crisis and its political influences. During my research, I have formulated clear links between politics and medicine by breaking down complex questions into component sections, independently researching pharmaceutical knowledge and studying the importance of socio-political factors in medicine. This scientific curiosity builds on my EPQ in which I explored the possibility of using stem cells to repair damaged cardiac muscle following myocardial infarction. I have developed a wide array of life skills through my participation in team sports, music, part-time work and Camp America. At University, I am the 1st Team Football Captain, and this involves managing and maintaining the morale of my players, ensuring the health and safety of my team, and assisting with their time management. Through understanding the different needs of individuals, I have adapted my approach and techniques and developed the ability to accept my failures and learn from them. Through my music and part-time work, I have learnt to prioritise, work long hours and engage in skills workshops in order to progress. Through Camp America, I further developed my ability to support sick children, manage my positivity and to recharge my energy in a healthy and constructive way. 

I recognise the complex difficulties of the medical profession, and I do not underestimate the necessary commitment. I believe that I have been developing the skills and personal traits required in a successful doctor and I remain dedicated to working to the best of my ability throughout a medical career .

• This statement addresses the background of the applicant well and explores how the motivation for medicine remained consistent throughout the process of the first degree. As applicants pursuing Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) this is important as it allows you to build upon your additional experience from the undergraduate but also allows you to demonstrate a long term and thoughtful process of reflection that leads to a career in medicine. 
• This statement cleverly draws the link between the previous degree and a career in medicine and does not depart from the previous study but instead illustrates how this study was formative and key to their development. 
• This statement has a strong reflective element when discussing work experience and uses this in a future forward manner whereby they are demonstrating how their experience has shaped them and how they will use this in a future career in medicine

What could this medicine personal statement improve?

• This statement could have a stronger introduction with a clearer direction for the statement established in that first line

Medicine Personal Statement Example 3: Poor Personal Statement

Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to be a doctor because it seems like a good job where you get to help people. I think medicine is really interesting, especially when people are sick and doctors make them better. My uncle is a doctor, and he says it’s a great job with lots of rewards, so I thought it would be a good idea to do the same.

I haven’t done much in terms of work experience, but I once visited a hospital when my friend broke his leg. It was amazing to see how the doctors worked and how they fixed his leg. The nurses were also very nice, which made me think that hospitals are positive places to work. I also visited a few doctors’ offices as a patient, which gave me an idea of what it’s like to be a doctor.

In school, I have done well in most subjects, although I find some of them quite boring. I think science subjects are the most useful for becoming a doctor, so I have tried to focus on those. I got good grades in Biology and Chemistry, but I am not really interested in Physics because it’s too hard and not very relevant to medicine. However, I am confident that I will do well enough in my exams to get into medical school.

Outside of school, I haven’t really done much that relates to medicine, but I do like watching medical TV shows. They show a lot of what it’s like to be a doctor, and I find that really inspiring. I am also part of the school chess club, which has nothing to do with medicine, but I think it shows that I am good at strategy and thinking ahead, which could be useful in medicine.

I think I would be a good doctor because I care about people and want to make a lot of money while doing something important. I think doctors are respected and have good lives, and that is something I want for myself. I also like the idea of being in charge and making decisions that affect other people, which seems like something doctors do a lot.

In conclusion, I think medicine is a good career choice for me because it seems like a stable and rewarding job. I haven’t had a lot of direct experience, but I am sure that I will learn everything I need to know in medical school. I am excited about the idea of becoming a doctor and hope to get into a good medical school that will set me on the path to success.

Key Issues with this Medicine Personal Statement:

• Vague Motivation : The motivation for wanting to become a doctor is not well articulated. The statement begins with a generic and unconvincing reason (“it seems like a good job where you get to help people”).
• Lack of Relevant Experience : There is little to no relevant work experience mentioned. The writer relies on a brief visit to a hospital as a visitor, which does not demonstrate a real understanding or commitment to the field of medicine.
• Irrelevant Information : The mention of watching medical TV shows and being part of a chess club are irrelevant to the application. These points do not contribute to the applicant’s suitability for a medical career.
• Poor Academic Focus : The statement mentions a dislike for Physics and a general lack of interest in certain subjects, which could raise concerns about the applicant’s commitment and academic readiness for the challenges of medical school.
• Misguided Motivation : The desire to make a lot of money and be in charge are not appropriate primary motivations for entering the medical field. These motivations may reflect poorly on the applicant’s understanding of the profession.
• Lack of Structure and Coherence : The statement is disjointed and lacks a clear structure. It jumps from one topic to another without a coherent flow, making it difficult to follow.
• Overconfidence : The applicant expresses unwarranted confidence in their ability to succeed in medical school without demonstrating the necessary preparation or understanding of what the course entails.
• Lack of Personal Insight : The statement lacks personal reflection and does not convey the applicant’s genuine interest or dedication to the field of medicine.

This example illustrates how a poorly constructed personal statement can fail to make a compelling case for admission to medical school. It’s important to be reflective, specific, and focused when writing a personal statement to ensure it effectively communicates your suitability for the field.

In summary, writing a personal statement is exactly that, the process is an inherently personal process and therefore should be honest and deliberate in its approach. Our medicine personal statement guides and blog posts are there to provide inspiration and common pitfalls to avoid but in the end the medicine personal statement should be a true reflection of you and your motivation for medicine. If you would like to explore your statement further with a medicine personal statement tutor , then our personal statement service may be the perfect fit for you.  

Cancel reply

Related links.

• FREE Applying for Medical School Course
• FREE Applying to Dentistry Course
• FREE Applying to Vet School Course
• FREE UCAT Past Papers

With UCAS guidance and application advice, personal statement feedback, UCAT/BMAT support, interview coaching, and more!

A unique opportunity to explore the world of healthcare through interactive simulations and real-life case studies. Run by senior physicians

5-day programme with insights into the medical profession. Includes accommodation and ALL meals!

5-day programme with insights into the dental profession. Includes accommodation and ALL meals!

Please provide the mobile number of a guardian/parent

If you're ready and keen to get started click the button below to book your first 2 hour 1-1 tutoring lesson with us. Connect with a tutor from a university of your choice in minutes. (Use FAST5 to get 5% Off!)

• Search Menu

Sign in through your institution

• Advance articles
• JALM Talk Podcasts
• Special Issues & Special Collections
• ADLM Guidance Documents
• Author Guidelines
• Submission Site
• Call for Papers
• Self-Archiving Policy
• Why Publish?
• Open Access
• About The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine
• Editorial Board
• Advertising & Corporate Services
• Journals on Oxford Academic
• Books on Oxford Academic

• < Previous

A Trainee’s Guide: Crafting a Personal Statement for Laboratory Medicine Fellowship Applications

• Article contents
• Figures & tables
• Supplementary Data

Ria C Fyffe-Freil, Joesph R Wiencek, A Trainee’s Guide: Crafting a Personal Statement for Laboratory Medicine Fellowship Applications, The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine , Volume 9, Issue 5, September 2024, Pages 1091–1094, https://doi.org/10.1093/jalm/jfae067

• Permissions Icon Permissions

There are many unique paths that can lead an individual to the field of laboratory medicine. For some, the profession may be a natural sequence from their current work or research, and for others, the trail might be much more challenging at first to locate. Common paths to the field usually fall into 2 categories: medical doctors (MD, DO, MBBS) and doctorate-degree holders (PhD, DCLS, etc.). For medical doctors, a pathology residency is completed; then subspecialization can be pursued. Doctoral trainees, on the other hand, may be required to use an online tool such as myIDP to explore scientific career options based on aptitude and values ( 1) or may uncover the field by word-of-mouth. Regardless of route, once a prospective trainee commits to a vocation in lab medicine, there is ultimately no reversing course. Fortunately, to help navigate prospective trainees through the process, there are countless individuals in academic, private, and industry job settings who are ready to inspire the next generation by paying it forward. In this laboratory reflection, the goal is to provide some practical advice for one of the most critical aspects of the process—the laboratory medicine fellowship application stage, specifically the personal statement (or letter of intent). And while this piece focuses on clinical chemistry fellowships (as this is what both authors completed), the personal statement “do’s and do not’s” apply more broadly to any clinical laboratory medicine fellowship. Of note, aside from clinical chemistry, there are clinical fellowship opportunities in microbiology, biochemical genetics, laboratory genetics and genomics, as well as clinical immunology/human leukocyte antigen specialties.

AACC members

Personal account.

• Sign in with email/username & password
• Get email alerts
• Save searches
• Purchase content
• Activate your purchase/trial code
• Add your ORCID iD

Institutional access

Sign in with a library card.

• Sign in with username/password
• Recommend to your librarian
• Institutional account management
• Get help with access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

• Click Sign in through your institution.
• Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
• When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
• Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

• Click Sign in through society site.
• When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

• View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
• View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

Short-term Access

To purchase short-term access, please sign in to your personal account above.

Don't already have a personal account? Register

Email alerts

Citing articles via.

• Recommend to Your Librarian
• Advertising and Corporate Services
• Journals Career Network

Affiliations

• Online ISSN 2475-7241
• Copyright © 2024 Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine
• About Oxford Academic
• Publish journals with us
• University press partners
• What we publish
• New features  
• Open access
• Rights and permissions
• Accessibility
• Advertising
• Media enquiries
• Oxford University Press
• Oxford Languages
• University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

• Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
• Cookie settings
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

• Applying to Uni
• Apprenticeships
• Health & Relationships
• Money & Finance

Personal Statements

• Postgraduate
• U.S Universities

University Interviews

• Vocational Qualifications
• Accommodation
• ​​​​​​​Budgeting, Money & Finance
• ​​​​​​​Health & Relationships
• ​​​​​​​Jobs & Careers
• ​​​​​​​Socialising

Studying Abroad

• ​​​​​​​Studying & Revision
• ​​​​​​​Technology
• ​​​​​​​University & College Admissions

Guide to GCSE Results Day

Finding a job after school or college

Retaking GCSEs

In this section

Choosing GCSE Subjects

Post-GCSE Options

GCSE Work Experience

GCSE Revision Tips

Why take an Apprenticeship?

Applying for an Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships Interviews

Apprenticeship Wage

Engineering Apprenticeships

What is an Apprenticeship?

Choosing an Apprenticeship

Real Life Apprentices

Degree Apprenticeships

Higher Apprenticeships

A Level Results Day 2024

AS Levels 2024

Clearing Guide 2024

Applying to University

SQA Results Day Guide 2024

BTEC Results Day Guide

Vocational Qualifications Guide

Sixth Form or College

International Baccalaureate

Post 18 options

Finding a Job

Should I take a Gap Year?

Travel Planning

Volunteering

Gap Year Blogs

Applying to Oxbridge

Applying to US Universities

Choosing a Degree

Choosing a University or College

Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Clearing Guide

Guide to Freshers' Week

Student Guides

Student Cooking

Student Blogs

• Top Rated Personal Statements

Personal Statement Examples

Writing Your Personal Statement

• Postgraduate Personal Statements
• International Student Personal Statements
• Gap Year Personal Statements

Personal Statement Length Checker

Personal Statement Examples By University

• Personal Statement Changes 2025
• Personal Statement Template

Job Interviews

Types of Postgraduate Course

Writing a Postgraduate Personal Statement

Postgraduate Funding

Postgraduate Study

Internships

Choosing A College

Ivy League Universities

Common App Essay Examples

Universal College Application Guide

How To Write A College Admissions Essay

College Rankings

Admissions Tests

Fees & Funding

Scholarships

Budgeting For College

Online Degree

Platinum Express Editing and Review Service

Gold Editing and Review Service

Silver Express Editing and Review Service

UCAS Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Oxbridge Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Postgraduate Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

You are here

• Mature Student Personal Statements
• Personal Statements By University
• Accountancy and Finance Personal Statements
• Actuarial Science Personal Statements
• American Studies Personal Statements
• Anthropology Personal Statements
• Archaeology Personal Statements
• Architecture Personal Statements
• Art and Design Personal Statements
• Biochemistry Personal Statements
• Bioengineering Personal Statements
• Biology Personal Statements
• Biomedical Science Personal Statements
• Biotechnology Personal Statements
• Business Management Personal Statement Examples
• Business Personal Statements
• Catering and Food Personal Statements
• Chemistry Personal Statements
• Classics Personal Statements
• Computer Science Personal Statements
• Computing and IT Personal Statements
• Criminology Personal Statements
• Dance Personal Statements
• Dentistry Personal Statements
• Design Personal Statements
• Dietetics Personal Statements
• Drama Personal Statements
• Economics Personal Statement Examples
• Education Personal Statements
• Engineering Personal Statement Examples
• English Personal Statements
• Environment Personal Statements
• Environmental Science Personal Statements
• Event Management Personal Statements
• Fashion Personal Statements
• Film Personal Statements
• Finance Personal Statements
• Forensic Science Personal Statements
• Geography Personal Statements
• Geology Personal Statements
• Health Sciences Personal Statements
• History Personal Statements
• History of Art Personal Statements
• Hotel Management Personal Statements
• International Relations Personal Statements
• International Studies Personal Statements
• Islamic Studies Personal Statements
• Japanese Studies Personal Statements
• Journalism Personal Statements
• Land Economy Personal Statements
• Languages Personal Statements
• Law Personal Statement Examples
• Linguistics Personal Statements
• Management Personal Statements
• Marketing Personal Statements
• Mathematics Personal Statements
• Media Personal Statements

Medicine Personal Statement Examples

• Midwifery Personal Statements
• Music Personal Statements
• Music Technology Personal Statements
• Natural Sciences Personal Statements
• Neuroscience Personal Statements
• Nursing Personal Statements
• Occupational Therapy Personal Statements
• Osteopathy Personal Statements
• Oxbridge Personal Statements
• Pharmacy Personal Statements
• Philosophy Personal Statements
• Photography Personal Statements
• Physics Personal Statements
• Physiology Personal Statements
• Physiotherapy Personal Statements
• Politics Personal Statements
• Psychology Personal Statement Examples
• Radiography Personal Statements
• Religious Studies Personal Statements
• Social Work Personal Statements
• Sociology Personal Statements
• Sports & Leisure Personal Statements
• Sports Science Personal Statements
• Surveying Personal Statements
• Teacher Training Personal Statements
• Theology Personal Statements
• Travel and Tourism Personal Statements
• Urban Planning Personal Statements
• Veterinary Science Personal Statements
• Zoology Personal Statements
• Personal Statement Editing Service
• Personal Statement Writing Guide
• Submit Your Personal Statement
• Personal Statement Questions 2025

What else can you find in this article?

What is a medicine personal statement, how do i write a medicine personal statement, what should i include in my medicine personal statement, how do i structure my medicine personal statement, how do i write an introduction for my medicine personal statement, how do i write a conclusion for my medicine personal statement, how do i write an effective medicine personal statement.

• What can I do with a medicine degree?

Your medicine personal statement should tell the university all about your strengths, skills, experience and ambitions, as well as your personal traits that will help you become a great doctor.

It should also convey your enthusiasm for medicine and what aspects of the subject you enjoy and why.  

Your medicine personal statement will be used by universities to decide whether you are a good candidate to study medicine, and whether they want to offer you a place.

One way is to start your statement with why you want to study medicine at university. Try to pick one or two specific aspects that you like in particular and why they appeal to you.

Make sure you back up everything with examples (always show, don’t tell). You need to convince the admissions tutors that you they should offer you a place on their medicine course over anyone else.

A successful medicine personal statement should be written clearly and concisely, with a good introduction, middle, and conclusion. Remember, medicine is a highly competitive subject, so your personal statement needs to be as polished as possible.

Our personal statement template can help guide you through writing your first draft.

For inspiration on how to write your own unique statement, take a look at some of our medicine personal statement examples above.

It’s important to include skills and experience from all areas of your life and try to relate them to hobbies or extracurricular activities if they helped you to build on certain strengths.

Think about how any work experience has benefitted you, and how it might be useful in your degree.

University admissions tutors want to know what you can bring to their department and what value you can add.

Think about how and why you might treat patients the way you do, and what skills such as empathy, compassion and communication, are important for becoming a doctor. How might you demonstrate this?

Mention your personal traits and how they make you suited to a career in medicine.

You need to be a well-rounded individual in terms of academic talent, people skills and practical experience in order to have a chance of being successful with your medicine UCAS application.

For more help and advice on what to write in your medicine personal statement, please see:

• Personal Statement Editing Services
• Personal Statement Tips From A Teacher
• Analysis Of A Personal Statement
• The 15th January UCAS Deadline: 4 Ways To Avoid Missing It
• Personal Statement FAQs
• Personal Statement Timeline
• 10 Top Personal Statement Writing Tips
• What To Do If You Miss The 15th January UCAS Deadline.

A good medicine personal statement should start off with an engaging introduction that tells an anecdote or picks out a specific aspect of the subject that explains why you are passionate about medicine, and why you wish to study it further.

For the middle sections, focus on your work experience and any extracurricular activities, hobbies or clubs you take part in outside of school/college, and how these have helped you develop skills that are important for medicine. For example, you might talk about how shadowing a doctor on a ward taught you about how to relate to patients and their problems, and how to empthasis with their situation.

Your conclusion should round off your statement in a memorable way that will confirm to the admissions tutors that you are a student that they want on their course, and make them offer you a place.

This might include reiterating your enthusiasm for the subject and why you think you would make a good student, or mentioning your future plans and ambitions, and how you hope your medical degree will help you achieve these.

To craft a memorable introduction to your statement, you should focus on:

• Grabbing the reader’s attention with an interesting and relevant anecdote.
• Avoiding cliches, such as "I've always wanted to study medicine from a young age..." or "Since primary school I've always been interested in the human body..."
• Conveying personal qualities that show you willl be able to cope with the demands of medical school and a career as a medical doctor.
• Not repeating information that is already in another part of the application form, such as academic achievements.
• Keeping it to an appropriate length (usually no more than 4-6 lines in total). Remeber, you have the main body and conclusion to write as well.
• Demonstrating their enthusiasm and passion for certain subjects relevant to medicine, such as biology and chemistry.
• Showing personal traits that are important for a career in medicine such as empathy, communication and respectfulness.
• Relating relevant experiences, what you learned from them and how they demonstrate you are suitable for a career in medicine.
• Crafting a succinct summary of why you're keen to study medicine at university.

As much as the first impression is crucial, the last impression is very important as well. You need to make sure the admission officers that will read your personal statement are left feeling like you are the right candidate. And that’s why you need to sum up or all the facts that make you a great doctor!

The best way to conclude your personal statement is to loop back to what you were writing about in the introduction. Do not just rewrite it, but reinforce why you think you are a good candidate based on your qualities and your deep interest in Medicine.

Think about what personally motivates you, and why you want to be a doctor. You may have already expressed this in your personal statement, but now is the time to make sure the examiner know this.

You should also consider what has sparked your interest and what you have already spoken about in your personal statement. You may also want to think about some of the challenges that the NHS is facing.

The conclusion should include the following:

•     A list of your attributes and qualities that will help you in your medical career
•     Your views on medicine and motivation based on your past experiences
•     What you hope to achieive once you've completed your medical degree.

Try and keep the conclusion to 3 or 4 lines, you shouldn’t be introducing too much new information at this point. Remember – use the conclusion as an opportunity to remind the admissions tutors why everything you’ve written about makes you so fantastic and worthy of a place at their Medical School!

To write a medicine personal statement that stands out, we recommend you follow these top tips:

• Structure is essential - this is because it can make or break your personal statement. We recommend dedicating one or two paragraphs to each part of your personal statement.
• Plan ahead - we suggest getting down some notes during the summer holidays and putting together a first draft before you go back to school/college for your final year
• Be original - this means picking an aspect of the course you enjoy and explaining why in a way that doesn't include cliches, or any over-used words or phrases
• Explain why you're right for the course, including any relevant skills, work experience and hobbies/extracurricular activities
• Think about what you want to gain from your course and how this will help you with your future career plans
• Include a balance of academic and extracurricular content - admissions tutors want to see that you are a well-rounded individual
• Be positive and enthusiastic about the subject
• Revise and edit thoroughly by asking friends, family and teachers for feedback and incorporating their suggestions to try and improve it
• Proofread carefully (don't just rely on a Spellchecker!)

Further resources

For more information about applying for a medicine degree and careers in medicine, please see the following:

• Medicine Courses & Undergraduate Degrees - The Uni Guide
• Becoming a doctor in the UK - GMC
• What can I do with a medical degree?
• Medical School Finance - BMA
• Careers in Medicine - RSM
• Healthcare Careers

Related resources

Dentistry or medicine.

Find out more

Engineering Vs Medicine

Medicine Interview Questions

Careers In Medicine

Writing A Medicine Personal Statement

Medical Schools Council Advice

UCAS Medicine Subject Guide

NHS Medicine Opportunities

Username or email  *

Password  *

Forgotten password?

info@themedicportal.com

Medicine Personal Statement Example 2

Check out this successful Medicine Personal Statement example. The applicant received offers from Bristol and Plymouth - and also got an interview at Cambridge.

• Deciding on Medicine
• Work Experience
• Choosing a Medical School
• Medicine Personal Statement Examples
• How Medical Schools Use Your Personal Statement
• How to Structure a Personal Statement
• How to Write a Personal Statement
• Personal Statement Review Service
• Interview Guide
• Interview Questions
• NHS Hot Topics
• Medical Ethics
• Graduate Entry
• Studying Abroad
• Study Medicine Abroad In Europe
• Studying Abroad in the USA
• Study Abroad in Ireland
• Study Medicine In The Caribbean
• Study Medicine in Australia
• Study Abroad in Hong Kong
• How To Survive Your First Year Of Med School
• Science Hot Topics
• Veterinary Medicine
• Allied Health
• Physician Associate
• The NHS Guide
• Parents’ Guide

Check out this successful Medicine Personal Statement example for inspiration to help you plan and structure your Personal Statement .

Shadowing surgeons racing against the clock to save a kidney was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. With only twenty-five minutes to resect an extensive tumour before the entire kidney was lost, I was moved by the surgeons’ determination and synergy. However, the limitations of medicine were demonstrated when I was told the patient had an additional unresectable tumour. This experience illustrated the responsibility entrusted to medical professionals; not always to save a life but to treat patients with a biopsychosocial approach. Reflecting on this, I knew I wanted to learn more about medicine. However, it was after observing the communication skills and empathy of a physician allaying a pre-operative patient’s fears that my decision to become a doctor was confirmed.

In my local hospice I was inspired by a doctor comforting an anxious, elderly patient; adapting his terminology to ensure effective communication. In my eight months there I developed the clarity of my conversation with patients, in a way that benefitted their needs. I used this skill at a GP surgery with an elderly patient who was distressed about waiting times. Using a calm demeanour, I deescalated the situation and sought help from a receptionist, who had previously established a rapport with the patient. My leadership skills were enhanced through the realisation that being a good leader involves asking for guidance. My aim is to further these skills in my future medical career.

Make Sure You Stand Out

Get The Best Personal Statement Advice

Exposure to multiple GP surgeries highlighted how a large elderly population correlates with the need for more home visits; thereby illustrating the effect of demographic transition in healthcare. The importance of teamwork was demonstrated in the multidisciplinary team meetings I have observed on various placements. The healthcare professionals deliberated in order to ensure the best quality of life for the patient.

One of my responsibilities as head of boarding is to comfort younger students who are missing home and this helped me realise that collaboration within the boarding house helps to improve their well-being. Understanding and empathy comes from staff and students alike and my teamwork has improved. Responsibility and advocating for patients in a team is something I look forward to in my future career.

At the hospice it was moving to witness the composure of a doctor who was delivering news of a patient’s rapid deterioration. This exemplified how emotionally demanding medicine is. However, when facing academic challenges I have developed a positive work-life balance. Running and playing the violin provide stress outlets and I look forward to representing my university’s orchestra. There are many new challenges as a medical student and doctor, however, I know that I have the emotional maturity to thrive in a high-pressure environment.

The Ultimate UCAS Support

Make Your Application Amazing

Research is a vital element of medicine as it advances patient care. At Nuffield Health an umbrella sticker on a patient’s door is the universal symbol for dementia. This inspired me as it is an innovative way to maintain confidentiality whilst adapting to patients’ needs and I wrote about this in an article I published in Mentor Magazine. After reading ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ by Wendy Mitchell, which details her experience with dementia, I researched dementia treatment. This topic was further explored within my EPQ where I investigated socially assistive robots that improve behavioural and psychological dementia symptoms, through social exchange. This experience helped me to appreciate the importance of research in evidence-based medicine. I look forward to improving my research skills at medical school.

The empathy and compassion I have seen in healthcare professionals has helped me confirm my commitment to holistic, patient-centred care. I appreciate the academic, emotional and practical challenges of a career in medicine and feel well prepared to meet these as I enter medical school next year.

See more Medicine Personal Statement examples.

UCAS Application Packages

Boost your Medicine application with specialist support for navigating UCAS - and save 15% when you book a package!

Personal Statement Review

Get your Personal Statement reviewed by a Medical School Admissions Tutor or high-flying medic. You'll receive detailed feedback in just a few days - with clear action points on how to improve.

Personal Statement Tutoring

Impress Admissions Tutors at top Medical Schools, avoid common mistakes and make your Personal Statement shine with tutoring.

Join Our Newsletter

Join our mailing list for weekly updates and tips on how to get into Medicine.

Medicine Personal Statement Example 1

Medicine personal statement example 3.

Loading More Content