What makes a Personal Statement exquisite?
To start a mammoth task like the personal statement is to recognise that the task at hand is actually not as ‘mammoth’ as it may seem. The personal statement is the one essay you will write in your life where you are more of an expert with regards to the the content than any reader out there. Remember to start with a good skeleton and build from there.
The Structure
Motivation and Passion
Work Experience
Voluntary Work
Extra-curricular activities
Conclusion
Common Pitfalls
No-one is a ‘perfect’ student, so avoid pretending that you are! Maintain a humble tone throughout and acknowledge your weaknesses so that you can improve and excel.
Avoid cliches like I have always want to be a doctor since my childhood or phrases like I wanted to be a doctor because my father Is a doctor.
Many students treat the entire application process like a tick-box exercise. This is a big mistake to make, especially when your personal statement sounds like a checklist of medically complex procedures that you have seen or random reflections with no coherent flow.
Poor opening sentences where the motivational factors sound insincere, in-genuine or materialistic. Prepare using the tasks mentioned in our e-Book and you will be able to successfully introspect key aspects.
It is tempting to look at other statements before you start but to ensure your statement sounds authentic, always draft out your original statement yourself. Software such as, ‘copy-catch’ is used to identify students that have plagiarised – you have been warned!
On social media this may help you sound cool amongst your friends but it does no favours for you in your personal statement. Be prepared to be questioned on any aspect of your personal statement depending on where you are invited for interview.
Although it is important to ensure you do not have any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, excessive proof-reading from multiple people can end up making the whole statement sound foreign. Make sure it still sounds like you – it is yours. Keep it personal.
Never undermine other specialities or career choices – ‘I considered reading dentistry but I am not in it for the money!’
Special Tips
It is useful to know how each university is going to use your personal statement, some will just look at your reasons for why medicine, some will be academic achievement heavy and others may not look at it until you are sat on the other side of the interview table.
The earlier you start, the better your final piece will turn out. However, do still remember Parkinson’s Law to ensure that you are still productive with your time!
It can be disheartening seeing all your hard work ripped to shreds by trusted proofreaders but remember it is for the greater good and ultimately it is your approval that matters most!
Save time and mental strength to draft, redraft and proofread. This constant process can be taxing on your wellbeing and can jeopardise your academic progress if you do not leave good amounts of time.
Remember to respect patient confidentiality throughout your PS and at interview. Anonymising patient / clinician information is essential.
Make connections between your observed clinical practice, voluntary work and the skills that you have picked up through your extracurricular projects.
Our advice is to crack on with the less intense areas of the statement and return to the opening paragraph later in the process. Once you get the words flowing, your ideas for an illustrious opening will follow.
Avoid verbal diarrhoea, stay focussed and relevant when discussing the reasons for why you wish to read medicine.