Due to the competitiveness of the application process, you need to make sure that you can make your medical school personal statement as perfect as possible. The structure of your medical school personal statement is the frame in which you can show your personality and motivation to pursue a career in medicine.

Your personal statement can be the ‘make or break’ as to whether you get into medical school, or at least get an interview. A medical school personal statement must be very strong, as often, admissions officers can get an idea of someone within the first few lines. Sifting through many applications with the same things over and over must get boring, so your personal statement needs to stand out.

A solid structure and concise writing will combine to create a powerful medical school personal statement and, when executed well, have a glimmer of something more special than the competition.

You should also pay close attention to spelling and grammar. It is essential throughout, but especially in the introduction. You wouldn’t want a silly error to let you down in the opening paragraph, would you?

Planning is Power

In order to create a perfectly structured medical school personal statement, you must take time to plan it. We have broken down each section of what is required within your personal statement. It is then up to you to showcase your brilliance.

Why Medicine?

First and foremost, the admissions teams will want to know why you want to study medicine. Try to focus on your personal aspirations and less on any environmental or external factors which have brought difficulty throughout your education thus far.

Bringing up personal experiences won’t get you an immediate sympathy vote. On the contrary, it could actually deter readers before they have the opportunity to read the rest of your statement.

Many people say that it is easiest to write your introduction at the end, as you will be able to pick out some key moments and make them dazzle in the opening. It is up to you, of course.

Work Experience & Volunteering

Generally, the benchmark across all medical applicants is to have two or more hospital based work experience placements plus one GP placement and one care home or other voluntary experience.

Whether you have got this level experience, a little more or a little less, the main focus should be on what you experienced throughout your placements. Evaluate how these experiences shaped your thoughts and motivations about a career in medicine.

To find more in-depth information about this section, read our blog on how to effectively write about your work experience in your medicine personal statement.

If you are yet to arrange or complete a work experience placement, make it a priority. If you apply without any work experience, it will show a lack of commitment and almost certainly won’t get you an interview.

Wider Reading and Extra Efforts

In addition to work experience and voluntary work, you may also have attended talks or events with medical professionals or about the profession in general. If you have, this is great and demonstrates a proactive approach to your development; you should mention it.

Research into areas of medicine you are interested in may have helped you decide which kind of career you want to achieve. If you have read academic articles or attended conferences, this can also be great proof of your dedication to medicine. It also gives you some substance to explore in an interview, should you be invited.

Extracurricular Activities and Achievements

Remember that in your medical school personal statement, you are trying to create as rounded a view as possible of the type of person you are. Extracurricular activities can provide you with many skills which are acquired beyond the classroom and essential in professional life, so they may be just as important in your application.

Think about it for a moment. There are bound to be many applicants with the same expected grades and the same amount of work experience. This is your opportunity to show your real personality and real-life capabilities beyond the academic side of things.

It is common for applicants to remove extra curricular activities to save words for other sections, but wherever possible, try to keep as much of this as you can.

Universities and further down the line, hospitals and GP surgeries, need well-rounded individuals who can manage the whole package of being a medical professional.

All skills you have learned, whether it be teamwork from your school sports team or perseverance with musical instruments, give admissions officers a little extra insight to you as a person.

Duke of Edinburgh is valued, as are any other awards or qualifications you have received outside of the classroom. Holding positions as head boy/girl or prefects also show that you have the capabilities to step up when required.

Conclusion

Bring together all the points you have mentioned and recap how your work experiences, personality and academic intellect can combine to tackle the daily challenges faced as a medic.

Do not introduce any new points in the conclusion, simply bring your medical school personal statement to a strong close. Show confidence, but not arrogance.

For more inspiration you can also have a look at our analysis of a successful medicine personal statement which received four offers to study medicine.

Making it Perfect

Once you have drafted up your medical school personal statement, you will need to polish it and cut it down to size. After that, when you think it may be just about ready to go, try to get someone else to check it over for you. Whether it be a peer, a friend or a tutor, having a second opinion can get an objective opinion of it from someone who is a little distanced from it.

Here at Medicine Answered, we can check your medical school personal statement for you. Our personal statement review service includes a review by a professional medical admissions editor and a fully qualified doctor. The doctor checks the facts and medicine-related information whereas the editor will suggest any grammatical or structural changes, making sure it is the best it can be.

If you would like us to review your whole application as well as the personal statement, our 360-degree application review is an alternative option for you.

Feel free to contact us about any questions regarding your application to study medicine.