Introduction
Before we start with the introduction, I do want to mention that you do not have to write your personal statement in this order- you can start wherever you find easiest and come back to the intro once you’ve written the main body. If you’re concerned about making your personal statement cohesive, be sure to stick around till the end for some top tips on how to make you writing flow right up to the conclusion. So, the introduction is a paragraph that should grasp the interest of the reader, your passion for medicine should be jumping out of the page at the reader, from the very beginning. You will need to show why you have chosen medicine as your career. Personal anecdotes can make you stand out, however do avoid clichés that may not be entirely appropriate, such as ‘After breaking my arm aged 5, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor’. These can seem unrealistic and do not show a good understanding of a career in medicine. Keep it punchy and exciting. Articles on writing the introduction and your motivation, as well as all the topics we cover in this video, are below.
Body
Moving onto the body of the personal statement. This is where the bulk of your experiences will be. If you would like a list of all the possible topics to discuss in your statement, make sure to stay around till the end where I will be going through a comprehensive list. It is recommended that the body of your statement is split into 3 or so paragraphs, on work experience, academic achievements and extra-curriculars, usually in that order. Again, check out the links below for our guides on how to write these. An important tip when going from one paragraph to another is to make sure they flow! If your statement is jumping from one topic to another with no link, the reader will be confused, therefore simply by adding a connecting word or phrase to show how you’ve moved onto the next topic will make your statement so much easier to read through!
Extra-Curricular
As I’ve mentioned in previous videos, it is so important when talking about work experience or extra-curriculars to show what skills you’ve developed, how it has challenged you and why you’re mentioning this example. Do not just list everything you’ve been up to; reflection is so important!
Conclusion
When writing the conclusion, it should be short and sweet, highlighting again your passion for a career in medicine, and why you are best suited to such a career. Try to draw everything you’ve mentioned into the final few sentences to remind the reader of everything you’ve achieved.
Other Topics
- Why Medicine?
- Why being a doctor specifically?
- Why do you like science / want to learn about the human body?
- Volunteering: care home
- Volunteering: fundraising / charity
- Work experience: GP
- Work experience: A&E
- Work experience: Surgery
- Work Experience: Hospital
- Work Experience: Abroad
- Extracurricular: sports, hobbies, skills
- Extracurricular: societies at school
- Extracurricular: awards (e.g. DofE)
- Academic: books read
- Academic: talks attended
- Academic: research projects
- Academic: passion for school subjects
- Explain your key skills (e.g. communication, leadership)
- Conclusion
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