personal statement medicine graduate entry

Crafting an Outstanding Personal Statement as a Graduate Entry Medicine Applicant

Pursuing a career in medicine requires dedication under any circumstances. As a non-traditional applicant, you’ve taken a longer path but bring maturity and perspective that will aid you enormously. Your life experience is an asset, but applying also poses unique challenges.

This in-depth guide shares specialised insights to help graduate applicants create an outstanding personal statement. We’ll cover:

• Articulating your motivations
• Leveraging your advantages as a mature applicant
• Demonstrating up-to-date medical understanding
• Highlighting care experience with patients
• Structuring your statement strategically
• Reflecting appropriately on your background
• Balancing enthusiasm with realistic expectations
• Constructing a cohesive narrative

Follow this advice to convince admissions committees that medicine is the ideal next step in your journey.

Articulating Your Motivations Convincingly

A major question for graduate applicants is: Why pursue medicine now after another degree or career? Your motivations must be conveyed logically and sincerely.

For Anita, a former engineer, it was volunteer trips that sparked her passion for healthcare:

“Visiting clinics during Engineers Without Borders trips, I discovered my calling was not solving logistical problems but helping people through medicine. The boundless gratitude of patients as I assisted with basic care cemented my desire to become a doctor.”

Common Motivations for Graduate Applicants

“After years in a corporate law role, I found helping companies maximise profits unfulfilling. I missed making a difference in people’s lives. Shadowing doctors, I realised medicine better matches my values.”  (Jeremy, ex-lawyer)

"My engineering career exposed me to healthcare technologies, but volunteering at clinics taught me I find direct patient care profoundly meaningful."  (Leila, former engineer)

"While researching pharmaceuticals was rewarding intellectually, I missed the human side of healthcare – listening to patients’ fears and providing comfort."  (Neil, former pharma researcher)

Reflect Deeply on Your Influences

Take time for deep self-reflection on your experiences and thought processes. Be brutally honest with yourself about the frustrations, realisations and passions that sparked your interest in medicine. Convey your thought process and the full evolution of your influences logically. Demonstrate careful consideration of your motivations. Admissions committees want to see an authentic, well-contemplated decision, not a rash change of heart.

Balance Enthusiasm With Realism

Balance your enthusiasm with realistic expectations. Convey eagerness for a challenging new path, but acknowledge you appreciate the demands ahead, given your maturity. Share how past experiences equipped persistence to take on challenges. Mature applicants appreciate the privilege and rigours of medical training. This balanced outlook will strengthen your candidacy.

Leveraging Your Advantages as a Mature Applicant

Your non-traditional background is an asset, not a limitation. Your maturity and experience prepare you well for medicine in key ways:

Broader perspective  

Your understanding of healthcare delivery is informed by varied angles like research, corporate, clinical based on your background. This big picture insight will aid you enormously in medical practice.

“My engineering background exposed me to medical technology development. This taught me how clinical needs drive innovation.” (John, engineer)

Strong life skills  

You have proven yourself adept at time management, independence, work-life balance. These self-direction skills are absolutely essential for coping with medical school's intense demands.

Leadership abilities  

You likely held positions of responsibility in past roles. This demonstrates you can handle the leadership doctors must exhibit.

"Managing a 20-person team expanded my conflict resolution and mentoring abilities critical for leading as a physician." (Priya, former manager)

Enhanced resilience  

By changing paths, you have shown determination. This grit will help you handle the pressures of medical training.

"Adapting to a new country and career as an immigrant took perseverance. This taught me I can persevere through medical school's challenges." (Jiao, former accountant)

Use vivid examples to illustrate these assets gained from your maturity and experience. This convinces admissions committees your background prepares you well.

Demonstrating Up-To-Date Medical Understanding

Given time since your past studies, demonstrating current medical knowledge is crucial. Underscore this through:

• Recent coursework in sciences like anatomy, biochemistry, physiology. Mention concepts you found most relevant.
• Conferences, online learning, subscriptions to medical journals/publications. Reference a key insight that intrigues you.
• Work experience observing healthcare professionals. Note an aspect of modern practice that fascinates you.

This reassures admissions committees you are committed to refreshing scientific knowledge:

"Attending the American Geriatrics Society’s annual conference introduced me to new models of care coordination that better serve aging populations." (Leela, former actuary) "Auditing an undergraduate anatomy course ignited my fascination with the heart’s ingenious structures enabling circulation." (John, former teacher)

Approach this as an eager learner, not as someone claiming expertise. Convey intellectual curiosity and passion for lifelong medical learning.

Highlighting Care Experience with Patients

Given your background, sharing experiences that fulfilled your motivation to help people is crucial. These could be roles like:

• Volunteer assisting caregivers at clinics, hospitals, nursing homes
• Caregiver providing elderly or disabled people daily living assistance
• Health educator teaching community members wellness skills

Emphasize interactions that reaffirmed your people-centered values:

"Volunteering at an assisted living facility, I noticed an elderly lady became distressed each afternoon. I comforted her by listening to childhood stories, which eased her agitation. Her family thanked me for the companionship I provided." (Neil, former programmer)

Such examples prove you sincerely want to connect with and help people through medicine.

Structuring Your Statement Strategically

A graduate entry statement demands thoughtful structure. Avoid simply listing accomplishments or experiences. Instead, organise details to tell a meaningful story arc:

• The beginning Convey your original educational and career path. What drew you to this initially?
• The catalyst - Detail the pivotal experiences that prompted your reevaluation. What made you realise medicine was your true calling? How did this passion evolve?
• The journey - Describe how you explored this interest through substantive experiences like volunteering, shadowing, coursework. How did this definitively confirm medicine as the right decision? What key insights did you gain?
• Your future - Conclude by looking ahead. Express how medicine aligns with your values, strengths, and goals in light of your reflections. Convey your well-informed enthusiasm for the path ahead.

This narrative format allows you to form connections between disjointed experiences to demonstrate the logical evolution in your motivations and preparedness over time.

Admissions committees want to understand your thought process in choosing medicine. A cohesive narrative provides this context.

Reflecting Appropriately on Your Background

Given time since college, avoid simply listing qualifications or experiences from your background. Admissions expect deep reflection on how these have prepared you for medicine.

For academics, connect concepts you studied to current medical practice. Demonstrate how your perspective has evolved.

For jobs, explain how each built skills directly relevant to healthcare. Reflect on the lessons you gained:

"My technology consulting work involved distilling complex concepts into digestible information for clients. This taught me how to explain medical details clearly to patients at various levels of health literacy." (Priya, former consultant)

For extracurricular activities, describe how they developed employable skills like teamwork, communication, collaboration.

Such vivid reflections demonstrate the maturity to apply your background to a medical career.

Balancing Enthusiasm with Realistic Expectations

Convey genuine excitement for reentering academia and this next step in your journey. But given your maturity, also demonstrate realistic expectations by acknowledging the demands ahead:

"I am eager to embrace the rigours of this transformative path. My experience overcoming past academic and professional challenges has equipped me with the perseverance needed to succeed."

Mature applicants have the perspective to appreciate both the privilege and demands of medical school. Conveying this will strengthen your candidacy.

Key Takeaways

The medical school application process poses unique considerations for non-traditional applicants. By tailoring your personal statement using the guidance in this guide, you can convinces admissions committees that medicine is the ideal next step.

• Logically explaining your motivations and career change
• Illustrating advantages maturity brings
• Demonstrating up-to-date medical knowledge
• Highlighting care experience reaffirming your passion
• Constructing your statement as a career evolution narrative
• Appropriately reflecting on your background's relevance

Are you ready to submit a compelling medicine personal statement that showcases your unique experiences, skills, and motivations? Our Medicine  Personal Statement Review  service is here to help you create a statement that stands out!

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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.  

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7 Steps to a Successful Personal Statement for Graduate Entry Medicine

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Back when I was applying to med school, I wrote a personal statement that got me into Graduate Entry Medicine – I also got invites to interviews at all 3 places I applied to for GEM. Perhaps you, like me back then, are facing writing a personal statement with little to no support.

One thing we have as graduates is previous experience writing at least one successful personal statement! However, Medicine, and especially Graduate Entry Medicine, is extremely competitive and so understandably you are looking for some specific help.

In this blog post I share the 7 steps I went through to write my personal statement. If you’d like to read my successful personal statement, just click here !

First things first – make sure to write and save your personal statement in Microsoft Word or an equivalent programme. You’ll copy it across to the UCAS form only once it’s near 100% polished in step 7.

Once you have a clear structure in mind for your personal statement, the rest will feel easier. Now, you don’t need to structure it exactly like I did. But the below will give you an idea of what you could do – I wrote 6 paragraphs and used the following structure (each box represents a paragraph):

2. Brainstorm

If you want to write a killer personal statement, it all starts here. Invest a sizeable amount of time into this brainstorming stage.

Jot down some ideas about what you could mention in your PS. Use the following as prompts:

• Academic work or achievements that will demonstrate an enthusiasm for science and learning. Also, that you possess intellectual curiosity e.g. a dissertation, essay, group project
• Medicine-related books you’ve read that are thought provoking or inspiring e.g. This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
• Medicine-related talks you’ve attended or watched online that you have found thought provoking or inspiring e.g. TED Talks
• Moments during work experiences & volunteering that have shown you the qualities doctors need and the realities of working in healthcare. Recall the details of any moments that have particularly inspired you to pursue this career or helped you to realise you are a good fit for it. Look at your work experience / volunteering journal for inspiration, if you kept one.
• Extra-curricular activities or positions of responsibility that demonstrate you possess qualities doctors need (such as teamwork, empathy and time management) e.g. captain of a sports team, member of a sports team, being in an orchestra or choir, being on the committee of a society, leading a campaign, fundraising, part-time jobs, other hobbies and interests

Struggling to find work experience? Check out my blog post How to Get Medical Work Experience in the COVID-19 Pandemic .

3. First draft

Allow your very first draft to be messy, imperfect and (feel) downright rubbish. Even professional writers write rubbish first drafts so don’t worry about it. The important thing is to get the first draft DONE.

UCAS gives you a maximum of 4,000 characters including spaces or 47 lines. When you first write your PS, it’ll likely shoot way over this. But don’t fret. You’ll remedy this in steps 4-6.

You also want to make sure you’re writing your PS in the right style…

Writing style tips:

• Write in the first person (“I”).
• Clear, straightforward language.
• Avoid colloquial language.
• Concise phrasing; avoid super long sentences.
• Use active wording e.g. “I organised”, “I completed”.
• Give specific examples with some detail and say how they have impacted you e.g. instead of “I organised work experience at my local hospital and it was very insightful because I learnt that doctors must be patient and kind” say something more like “I organised work experience at my local hospital and sat in on the consultations of an ophthalmologist. I observed the doctor was patient and warm with all their patients despite the time pressures they were under and this impressed upon me the empathy and patience required to be a doctor.”

At this point you may want to go grab a cup of tea, watch a movie or just sleep on it. Well done on getting this far!

Now, to turn your rubbishy first draft into a golden personal statement the next 4 steps will be absolutely key.

“The writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” ― Dr. Seuss

The ultimate goal with editing is to create a personal statement that is both concise and flows well when being read. Read back through your personal statement and rephrase sentences, delete sections that are unnecessary, add in bits you feel could add more to your statement and double check spelling and grammar (ensure it’s set to British English if you’re a UK applicant!)

Something I always do when editing any piece of writing is to READ IT OUT LOUD. I find I can miss subtle mistakes if I don’t do this plus it’s great for checking the flow of your writing.

Some say it’s helpful to print your statement before proofreading it also.

Remember, don’t just list what you’ve done . It’s crucial that you give specific examples, provide some detail and describe what you have learnt from your experiences & achievements.

5. Get feedback

Some websites encourage you to ask your friends and family to give you feedback on your personal statement. I don’t believe this is unhelpful . But I do believe it’s more helpful to ask those who have experience writing, or helping people to write, successful Medicine personal statements – there isn’t always an overlap.

If your old school has a track record of getting their pupils into Medicine, you could ask them for feedback. Some schools will be willing to help you even if you left quite a while ago!

You could also ask a member of staff at the university you are currently at or recently left who has experience helping students get into Medicine.

Perhaps you have some friends who are medical students or doctors – ask them too.

I asked a medical student who I had met coincidentally in my career before studying Medicine. Also, a member of university staff where I was doing my MSc at the time; they were super keen to get more students into Medicine from their department. This member of staff then put me in touch with a graduate who had recently got into Medicine from the same uni. This grad medical student kindly became my third pair of eyes!

Some of you may feel like there’s no one you can ask for quality feedback. Thankfully, there are people out there who are happy to critique your personal statement for FREE. Read my blog post Master List of FREE Medicine Personal Statement Reviewers .

This stage isn’t easy and may involve a lot of head scratching. You may go through several further drafts and that’s okay. You could even start all over again and write a whole new PS.

Either way, your goal is to refine your personal statement and produce its final form.

Consider the feedback given to you by the people you asked to review your PS. If you got feedback from multiple people, prioritise the feedback from those who have success writing, or helping people to write, successful Medicine personal statements.

You don’t have to create the best personal statement that ever existed. But to help ensure success, give it a good go!

Check out my Ultimate Medicine Personal Statement Checklist  (free download) to help you ensure you’ve done all you can to make your PS excellent.

7. Finalise (check formatting, spelling & grammar)

Is your PS 4,000 characters or 47 lines or less?

Does your PS make sense and flow well for a reader despite the inevitable deletions and multiple rephrasings you’ve done during editing?

Have you done steps 1-6 of this blog post?

You may be ready to submit!

Time to run a final spelling and grammar check using Microsoft Word or equivalent. The UCAS form doesn’t allow you to do this so make sure to do it before copying it into UCAS.

Alrighty. Copy and paste it into the UCAS form. I personally found I had to make further edits to make it work in UCAS. Maybe you’ll be luckier. Either way, once you’re satisfied, submit it to UCAS and you’re done!

Further reading you may find helpful:

• Personal Statements ebook by We Are Medics
• Write the Perfect Personal Statement published by ISC Medical

Voila!  Sign up to my mailing list  to get more tips in your email inbox.

Have some feedback on this article? Did I make an error?  Please contact me via the  contact  page or leave a comment below.

You might also be interested in my article 6 Books to Read Before Your Medical School Interview .

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How to write a personal statement as a graduate-entry medicine student, some of my tips for writing a personal statement as a graduate-entry medicine student and how to incorporate your undergraduate degree..

In this article, I explore some of the main points that I found helpful when writing my personal statement to study Medicine as a graduate-entry student. I have gone back to review my own personal statement, recalled some of the advice that was given to me by my careers advisors and asked for some insight from my graduate medic peers so that I can hopefully provide you with some useful tips.

How to write a personal statement for Medicine as a graduate-entry student?

I think it is useful to remember that writing a personal statement for Medicine as a graduate-entry student shows many similarities to writing a personal statement for Medicine as an undergraduate student. Highlighting personal motivations behind your desire to study Medicine, indicating the relevant scientific, or other, content that stimulates your interest in a medical career, reflecting on what you have learned from your work experience and discussing your skills using examples and extra-curricular activities, for example, all remain useful to show that you are an educated, suitable and well-rounded student to study Medicine (do check out our blog post ‘ How Do You Write a Personal Statement For Medicine? ’!).

Graduate students applying to Medicine will, by definition, be completing (or already have completed) an undergraduate degree during their application process. Studying a degree is a significant life event and often one during which skills are developed and knowledge is acquired, both of which will often be relevant to a career in Medicine. The universities receiving your personal statement may be hoping to see how you have developed over the past three or four years of your degree, and how this development shows further your commitment and suitability to study Medicine.

The undergraduate degree may also be the most recent, or at least relatively recent, life event in terms of education for many graduate applicants. Like how undergraduate students discuss aspects of their most recent and important life event in terms of education ie. higher school education (such as A-Levels in England and Scottish Highers in Scotland etc.), graduate-entry students will discuss aspects of their undergraduate degree (their most recent education). Furthermore, for a portion of graduate students, the undergraduate degree is the time during which students may become certain that a career in Medicine is the route that they would like to pursue (like it was for myself).

So, it makes sense and will be appropriate to discuss selected and important aspects of your undergraduate degree in your personal statement when applying to Medicine as a graduate applicant.

How to incorporate your undergraduate degree in your personal statement?

The type of undergraduate degree will help to determine what you will write about. For example – Which degree did you study? Was it a science or a non-science degree? Which modules did you take? Did you have a placement year? Did you study an integrated masters? And so on. Regardless of the degree or type of degree you studied, there will likely be aspects that you would like to discuss which have contributed to your choice and suitability to study Medicine.

Graduate students will have a huge range of modules, experiences and skills from their undergraduate degree that they may want to write about. After brainstorming the options you could write about, it is likely that you will be overwhelmed with how many there actually are! Therefore, I would say it is advisable to focus on the most important examples you can provide which highlight yourself as an individual and your dedication and suitability to study Medicine, rather than listing every single example and not reflecting on them properly. Make sure you choose your examples carefully – ask yourself which genuinely helped to stimulate your interest in and educate your desire to study and practice Medicine and reflect on why this was.

It helped me to focus on highlighting WHAT about and HOW specifically aspects of the undergraduate degree I chose to discuss are important to show reasons for my choice and dedication to study Medicine. Try to use these examples, alongside discussion about other personal statement content, such as work experience, to demonstrate you understand what a career in Medicine entails and the skills required.

You could write about, for example, relevant studying content of the undergraduate degree, wider reading from lectures, your final year project, skills and attributes that you have developed over the past three or four years that may be transferred to studying and practising Medicine (such as organisation, time management, managing stress, remaining calm under pressure [university exam revision relevance] OR teamwork [coursework group project relevance] and so on), work experience and/or placements that you have undergone as part of your degree, extra-curricular activities you have participated in during this time… really, anything that you feel has helped to strengthen your capabilities to pursue a career in Medicine.

Just a note to say remember to make the personal statement personal to YOU . No one has undergone the same combination of experiences and has the same range and extent of abilities as you do. The experiences you had during your undergraduate degree have likely contributed significantly to your decision and capabilities to study Medicine and have shaped you into the candidate you are right now.

Summary of the tips that helped me when approaching how to discuss my undergraduate degree in my personal statement:

• ‍ Brainstorming – I began by jotting down all of the relevant ideas that I could discuss ie. the examples and experiences during my undergraduate degree that motivated further my desire to study Medicine and helped to describe the development of relevant skills.
• ‍ Considering which experiences were most valuable - I made sure to select the most important, the most relevant and the most unique examples personal to me (sadly, there are not enough characters to write about them all, so it is useful to be selective!).
• ‍ Finding links between examples – I noticed I was able to make links between examples from my undergraduate degree and other important examples , such as discussing degree content or skills I had developed during my degree, alongside relevant work experience (see examples below).
• ‍ Don’t just think about your undergraduate degree - remember that whilst your undergraduate degree is an important event and one from which you will likely want to discuss details, there will likely be other important events, not necessarily related to the undergraduate degree, that you may like to discuss. For example, events during your higher school education or earlier (although more recent examples are often preferred), work experience, volunteering, extra-curricular activities etc. So, whilst the undergraduate degree will likely feature in your personal statement, make sure to allow for enough characters to also discuss these other important aspects, all of which make you the unique candidate that you are.

Examples from my own personal statement:

I discussed my motivations to study Medicine alongside aspects of my undergraduate degree that encouraged and expanded these motivations. For example, I studied Biomedical Sciences and specialised in Reproductive Biology, which had a considerable clinical component that I thoroughly enjoyed. I tied this into discussing related work experience , at a fertility clinic, and how this experience helped to further stimulate my interest in Medicine. I also discussed undergraduate degree content, for example, from the pharmacology modules I had studied. I expressed how I found this content incredibly interesting and saw application of this information I had learned during work experience at a GP surgery.

Final Remarks

Overall, I would suggest focusing on selected examples and events that have genuinely impacted YOUR decision and commitment to study Medicine. It is always useful to do your research, seek advice from a range of individuals and reliable resources and ask people around you to read through your personal statement and provide any feedback they may have. Take your time with it, believe in yourself and best of luck!

Here are some links you may find useful when writing a personal statement as a graduate-entry Medicine applicant:

https://www.medistudents.com/medical-school-applications/medicine-personal-statement

https://6med.co.uk/guides/personal-statements/inspiration/graduate-entry-medicine-personal-statement-samah-cambridge-university/

https://www.medicineanswered.com/how-to-write-a-graduate-medicine-personal-statement

Author: Carolina Williams

Editor: Allegra Wisking

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How To Write A Graduate Medicine Personal Statement

This guide will help you write an excellent graduate Medicine personal statement . We start by highlighting the fundamental differences in approach required to write a graduate entry Medicine personal statement compared to a non-graduate Medicine personal statement.

We then include a Graduate entry Medicine personal statement checklist of things your statement must include. Finally, we cover how to write your graduate Medicine personal statement in 10 easy to follow steps. These steps will take you from step 1; the ideas stage with nothing written down and no plan or structure in mind, all the way to step 10; a completed, high-quality graduate entry medical school personal statement which is ready for submission.

How should a graduate entry medical school personal statement differ to a non-graduate Medicine personal statement?

A graduate entry Medicine personal statement will not be obviously different to a non-graduate entry personal statement. It must follow the same rules regarding the character count , submission deadlines and so on. However, there are critical points and differences in approach that you must consider as a graduate applicant. These will apply to your interview also:

Admissions tutors will expect that graduates applying to medical school will have had more time to mature and acquire skills, accomplishments and life experiences compared to high school leavers. They will typically assess you in comparison to the calibre of other graduates, even if you are applying for a standard entry Medicine course.

Motivation to study Medicine as a graduate

Why do you want to study Medicine now? If applicable, why do you want to change career? Graduates with a health or science background will typically find it easier to explain their path to wanting to study Medicine as a graduate than candidates with an arts degree. Graduates with seemingly unrelated degrees (e.g. English literature, journalism, etc.) can still be as successful as those with science degrees. Remember, several medical schools accept degrees from any discipline. These graduates simply require a little more effort in showing that they have good reasons to switch to Medicine and that their degree or career brings transferrable skills.

In some non-Medicine degrees, admissions tutors are primarily checking that an applicant has the necessary grades and some interest in the degree. This is certainly not the case in applying to medical school and especially for graduate applicants. This is because Medicine is a significant commitment. It is a long degree and a challenging career. Highly motivated candidates with a real passion for Medicine have a much higher chance of completing the degree and succeeding in their careers than candidates with a weak motivation or interest in Medicine. Additionally, Medicine necessitates a career-long commitment to keeping your skills and knowledge up to date and learning new ones as Medicine is continuously progressing.

This is why medical school admissions tutors will scrutinise a candidate’s motivation to study Medicine and their understanding of what a medical career entails. They want to see if an applicant’s motivation is genuine and built over a sustained period, not merely a phase which may pass. They need evidence that an applicant’s understanding of a medical career is realistic and based on experience and research, not merely a burning desire to study Medicine. You will show these things by explaining your reasons for studying Medicine and how you have explored these reasons and confirmed them (e.g. work experience). The key is to show not tell. You must link your reasons with evidence instead of just stating reasons.

We show examples of this in action in the following two excerpts from a personal statement which the Medicine Answered team worked on. The candidate received four offers for an interview (and then four offers for a place). We have kindly been permitted to post it here.

Here the candidate states that the ever-advancing nature of Medicine and life-long learning appeals to him. This is “telling” i.e. merely a claim. Crucially he also backs this up by “showing” this with evidence . He shows this is true by saying he has attended several extracurricular lectures. He explores the claims of one lecture further by writing an essay, showing that he has intellectual curiosity and is a self-directed learner. He shows insight and perseverance by stating that using post-A-level books was challenging but something he enjoyed and learnt from. The things he mentioned made for good talking points at his interview.

The candidate is not merely stating that he looked after his grandmother, so he wants to be a doctor. Many people look after elderly or unwell relatives and do not want to be a doctor as a result. Similarly, being helped by a lawyer does not make most people want to become a lawyer. He explains that he wants a career that helps others and contributes to the community. He links this to caring for his grandmother and then says how his work experience has reinforced his wishes and made him realise that Medicine will allow him to fulfil this ambition.

You can view the rest of this successful Medicine personal statement and our analysis in our free blog.

Academic history and current academic ability

It is a well-established phenomenon that some candidates mature academically later in life. This may mean older GCSE and A-level results are not a true reflection of current academic ability. Individual medical schools assess these pre-degree results differently. Some still have strict requirements for older qualifications while others have very few and focus more on degree results. Either way, at the time of your medical school application as a graduate, you must demonstrate excellent academic ability as well as organisation and self-awareness . Of course, non-graduates must also show this, but this is even more important if you are applying to an accelerated four-year graduate Medicine programme. How do you have the required abilities to complete a medical degree an entire year faster than most students?

Academic awards and achievements

Due to their degrees and/or careers, graduate applicants are more likely than non-graduate applicants to have publications, academic awards, poster presentations and so on. Adding these to your graduate medicine personal statement or reference can strengthen your application. Do not worry if you do not have these; you can show your qualities in other ways.

Real work experience

As a graduate applicant to Medicine, it is more likely that you have had fulltime jobs compared to non-graduate applicants. If you are applying later in life, you may have had a distinct career. As a graduate applicant to medical school, you will need to demonstrate what skills your previous degree and if applicable career gave you . Your degree and background will have transferable skills even if it is non-health or science related and it is up to you to be able to demonstrate this. Additionally, gaining medical work experience should be easier for graduates as they are over 18.

A checklist of other essential elements a graduate entry Medicine personal statement must include which are common to all strong medical school personal statements

The points we have listed in the above section highlight specific differences in approach that must be considered in a graduate medicine personal statement versus a non-graduate entry personal statement. Make sure your personal statement addresses these things. However, don’t forget that your graduate Medicine personal statement still needs to include things which are common to all medical school personal statements. Here is a checklist of these things:

An excellent writing style. Excellent grammar, spelling and punctuation

These are essential requirements. Anything less is not acceptable in a graduate or any type of medical school personal statement. We have several free blogs to help you do this, and our personal statement review service uses professional proof-readers.

A consistent and logical structure for your graduate Medicine personal statement

Your graduate entry Medicine personal statement’s structure must be logical and consistent . Avoid the common mistake of scattering sentences which are making a similar point or showing similar attributes all over your personal statement. Instead, sentences making a similar point or sharing a similar theme (e.g. importance of teamwork, extracurricular activities, examples highlighting your intellectual curiosity and academic abilities, etc.) should be grouped together in paragraphs or part paragraphs. If similar points are put together, then each point reinforces the last one and makes the overall message you are trying to convey more obvious to the reader and easier to notice and remember. It will also give your graduate Medicine personal statement structure and a better flow.

Solid examples of work experience in caring or service roles with reflections

Admissions tutors need to see this as evidence of an applicant’s commitment and interest in becoming a doctor. Candidates with work experience are more likely to have a more realistic view of being a doctor than candidates without work experience. Work experience also provides a medium for applicants to demonstrate they have attributes essential to studying Medicine. For example, personal organisation, reliability, self-awareness, the ability to reflect, empathy and so on.

Medical schools value medical work experience and also non-medical experience in caring and service roles, particularly if they are working with disadvantaged groups. They appreciate that it can be difficult for applicants to partake in medical work experience so most will not penalise candidates for not having direct medical work experience. Many medical schools state that they value work experience in caring and service roles equally to medical work experience. Others suggest you should at least speak to doctors. However, the main barrier for non-graduate applicants gaining work experience is being under 18, and this will not apply to graduate applicants. As a graduate applicant, you must show that you have a detailed understanding of the working lives of doctors, particularly if you are changing career.

Reflecting on your experiences instead of just listing them

Admissions tutors will not be impressed by long lists of work experience, extracurricular activities or achievements. Nor do they want to see diary accounts of all the steps in an operation or procedure you observed. How these experiences relate back to you and the meaning and insights that you derived from them is more important than what you did.

For example, you could explain how attending multidisciplinary meetings at your work experience highlighted the importance of effective teamwork and communication. This is far better than just stating that you attended a multidisciplinary meeting.

For the reader to understand what you are referring to, it is necessary to describe or list things to some degree. However, this is just the first step. An excellent personal statement will describe events in a concise manner and use most of the personal statement character count on the next step, which is reflecting on these experiences. This may include describing how these things developed certain skills or demonstrate that you possess these skills. Or perhaps how these things appeal to you and reinforce your desire to study Medicine. What motivated you to do these things; did you overcome any challenges or barriers; what have these experiences taught you about yourself, other people or Medicine?

Does your graduate entry Medical school personal statement provide evidence that you possess the attributes and core values required to study Medicine?

The Medical schools council have described core attributes and traits which are needed to study Medicine . We have discussed them in detail and importantly explained why they are actually required and how to show them in this blog. We cover them in detail to give you a sound understanding of them, so you are not simply attempting to tick boxes.

The crucial approach for your personal statement is to show that you have these attributes and not merely claim you have them . For example, you can talk about how working twice a week at a hospice for 6 months while studying demonstrates your organisation, personal responsibility, commitment and ability to work with others. This is more credible and impressive than simply claiming you have these traits.

Excellent examples of outside interests and extracurricular activities

In personal statements for other courses these are sometimes just mentioned in passing. However, these are essential in medical school personal statements and frequently come up at interview. Doctors work in teams and interact with the public so being well rounded is a desirable trait. Additionally, these interests can be important for what can be at times an emotionally demanding and stressful career. Finally, extracurricular activities and hobbies provide another medium besides work experience for you to demonstrate that you possess the attributes required to be a doctor. Depending on what you do, your outside interests and extracurricular activities may demonstrate leadership, teamwork, persistence, excellence, problem solving, creativity and more.

Graduate Entry Medicine personal statement checklist

To summarise what we have covered so far, here is a graduate entry Medicine personal statement checklist of things which every graduate entry Medicine personal statement must include:

1) An excellent writing style. Excellent grammar, spelling and punctuation 2) A consistent and logical structure 3) Instead of writing long lists, include reflections on the meaning and insight that you have derived from your experiences, achievements, extracurricular activities and so on 4) Robust and clear reasons why you want to study Medicine – if applicable why you are changing your subject or career 5) The transferable skills that your previous degree or career have given you 6) Strong examples of work experience with reflections 7) Examples of outside interests and extracurricular activities which enhance your application by showing positive skills and attributes

Additionally, as a graduate, your personal statement should reflect:

1) You have had more time than a school leaver to acquire skills, accomplishments and life experiences. 2) Strong academic abilities – necessary for all applicants but particularly graduates applying to accelerated graduate courses.

Writing your Graduate Medicine personal statement

Now you are ready to start the process of writing your graduate entry Medicine personal statement. We cover this in our entirely free guide on how to write a Medicine personal statement in 10 easy steps. This takes you from step 1; with nothing written down, no structure or plan all the way to step 10; a completed excellent Graduate entry Medicine personal statement ready for submission.

How can Medicine Answered help you with your graduate medical school personal statement?

Medicine Answered offer one of the highest quality Medicine personal statement review services available. A professional editor and a fully qualified doctor , who themselves received all four UCAS offers to study Medicine, will both check and correct your personal statement . This unique level of expertise puts us a step ahead of other providers, some of whom use untrained students or people with no medical or admissions background and who do not have professional proof-reading skills.

We go beyond the typical reviews of just grammar and structure like other services. After making enhancements to your statement, we comment on the strength of your application , we can consider your UKCAT, academic grades, work experience and extracurricular activities and suggest ways to enhance your application further as part of our full Application Review Service. We suggest things which may come up at interview specifically as a result of your personal statement.

We also have a myriad of free articles about medical school applications (personal statements, interviews, UKCAT, picking a medical school etc.), life as a student and doctor and more. They are entirely free and do not require you to sign up for anything or give your email address or anything else. This is because we believe that becoming a doctor should be possible for anyone based on their motivation and abilities and not on their background or financial ability. You can find out more about these under our resources section. We also offer interview preparation courses, personal statement services, and one to one tutoring to help you in your medical school application.

You can learn more about these under our services section or feel free to contact us.

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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

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

Great Medical School Personal Statement Examples (2024-2025) Insider’s Guide

A physician and former medical school admissions officer teaches you how to write your medical school personal statement, step by step. Read several full-length medical school personal statement examples for inspiration.

In this article, a former medical school admissions officer explains exactly how to write a stand-out  medical school personal statement!

Our goal is to empower you to write a medical school personal statement that reflects your individuality, truest aspirations and genuine motivations.

This guide also includes:

• Real life medical school personal statement examples
• Medical school personal statement inventory template and outline exercise
• AMCAS ,  TMDSAS , and  AACOMAS  personal statement prompts
• Advanced strategies to ensure you address everything admissions committees want to know
• The secret to writing a great medical school personal statement

So, if you want your medical school personal statement to earn more more medical school interviews, you will love this informative guide.

Let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents

Medical School Personal Statement Fundamentals

If you are getting ready to write your medical school personal statement for the 2024-2025 application year, you may already know that almost 60% of medical school applicants are not accepted every year . You have most likely also completed all of your medical school requirements and have scoured the internet for worthy medical school personal statement examples and guidance.

You know the medical school personal statement offers a crucial opportunity to show medical schools who you are beyond your GPA and MCAT score .

It provides an opportunity to express who you are as an individual, the major influences and background that have shaped your interests and values, what inspired you to pursue medicine, and what kind of a physician you envision yourself becoming.

However, with so much information online, you are not sure who to trust. We are happy you have found us!

Insider Knowledge and Expertise

Because the vast majority of people offering guidance are not former admissions officers or doctors , you must be careful when searching online.

We are real medical school admissions insiders and know what goes on behind closed doors and how to ensure your medical school personal statement has broad appeal while highlighting your most crucial accomplishments, perspectives, and insights.

With tight limits on space, it can be tough trying to decide what to include in your medical school personal statement to make sure you stand out. You must think strategically about how you want to present your personal “big picture” while showing you possess the  preprofessional competencies  med schools are seeking.

When a medical school admissions reviewer finishes reading your medical school personal statement, ask yourself:

• What are the most important things you want that person to remember about you?
• Does your medical school personal statement sum up your personality, interests, and talents?
• Does your medical school personal statement sound as if it’s written from the heart? Is it authentic?

It’s pretty obvious to most admissions reviewers when applicants are trying too hard to impress them. Being authentic and upfront about who you are is the best way to be a memorable applicant.

“After sitting on a medical school admissions committee for many years, I can tell you, think strategically about how you want to present your personal “big picture.” We want to know who you are as a human being.”

The Biggest Medical School Personal Statement Mistakes

The most common medical school personal statement mistake we see students make is that they write about:

• What they have accomplished
• How they have accomplished it

By including details on what you have accomplished and how, you will make yourself sound like every other medical school applicant. 

Most medical school applicants are involved in similar activities: research, clinical work, service, and social justice work. 

To stand out, you must write from the heart making it clear you haven’t marched through your premedical years and checking boxes.

We also strongly discourage applicants from using ChatGPT or any AI bot to write their medical school personal statement. Writing in your own voice is essential and using anything automated will undermine success.

The Medical School Personal Statement Secret

MedEdits students stand out in the medical school personal statement because in their personal statements they address:

WHY they have accomplished what they have.

In other words, they write in more detail about their passions, interests, and what is genuinely important to them. 

It sounds simple, we know, but by writing in a natural way, really zeroing in on WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO, you will appeal to a wide variety of people in a humanistic way. 

Why? How is that possible? They all have a few things in common:

• They write a narrative that is authentic and distinctive to them.
• They write a medical school personal statement with broad appeal (many different types of people will be evaluating your application; most are not physicians).
• They don’t try too hard to impress; instead they write about the most impactful experiences they have had on their path to medical school.
• They demonstrate they are humble, intellectual, compassionate, and committed to a career in medicine all at the same time.

Keep reading for a step by step approach to write your medical school personal statement.

Learn the 2024-2025 Medical School Personal Statement Prompts ( AMCAS , TMDSAS , AACOMAS )

The personal statement is the major essay portion of your primary application process. In it, you should describe yourself and your background, as well as any important early exposures to medicine, how and why medicine first piqued your interest, what you have done as a pre med, your personal experiences, and how you became increasingly fascinated with it. It’s also key to explain why medicine is the right career for you, in terms of both personal and intellectual fulfillment, and to show your commitment has continued to deepen as you learned more about the field.

The personal statement also offers you the opportunity to express who you are outside of medicine. What are your other interests? Where did you grow up? What did you enjoy about college? Figuring out what aspects of your background to highlight is important since this is one of your only chances to express to the med school admissions committee before your interview what is important to you and why.

However, it is important to consider the actual personal statement prompt for each system through which you will apply, AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS, since each is slightly different.

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2024 AMCAS Personal Statement Prompt

The AMCAS personal statement instructions are as follows:

Use the Personal Comments Essay as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Consider and write your Personal Comments Essay carefully; many admissions committees place significant weight on the essay. Here are some questions that you may want to consider while writing the essay:

• 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 hasn’t been disclosed in other sections of the application?

In addition, you may wish to include information such as:

• Unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits
• Comments on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application

As you can see, these prompts are not vague; there are fundamental questions that admissions committees want you to answer when writing your personal statement. While the content of your statement should be focused on medicine, answering the open ended third question is a bit trickier.

The  AMCAS  personal statement length is 5,300 characters with spaces maximum.

2024 TMDSAS Personal Statement Prompt

The  TMDSAS  personal statement is one of the most important pieces of your medical school application.

The TMDSAS personal statement prompt is as follows:

Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

This TMDSAS prompt is very similar to the AMCAS personal statement prompt. The TMDSAS personal statement length is 5,000 characters with spaces whereas the AMCAS personal statement length is 5,300 characters with spaces. Most students use the same essay (with very minor modifications, if necessary) for both application systems.

2024 AACOMAS Personal Statement Prompt

The  AACOMAS  personal statement is for osteopathic medical schools specifically. As with the AMCAS statement, you need to lay out your journey to medicine as chronologically as possible in 5,300 characters with spaces or less. So you essentially have the same story map as for an AMCAS statement. Most important, you must show you are interested in osteopathy specifically. Therefore, when trying to decide what to include or leave out, prioritize any osteopathy experiences you have had, or those that are in line with the osteopathic philosophy of the mind-body connection, the body as self-healing, and other tenets.

Medical School Application Timeline  and When to Write your Personal Statement

Most medical school personal statements can be used for AMCAS and AACOMAS.

Know the Required Medical School Personal Statement Length

Below are the medical schools personal statement length limits for each application system. As you can see, they are all very similar. When you start brainstorming and writing your personal statement, keep these limits in mind.

AMCAS Personal Statement Length : 5,300 characters with spaces.

As per the AAMC website :  “The available space for this essay is 5,300 characters (spaces are counted as characters), or approximately one page. You will receive an error message if you exceed the available space.”

AACOMAS Personal Statement Length : 5,300 characters with spaces

TMDSAS Personal Statement Length : 5,000 characters with spaces

As per the TMDSAS Website (Page 36): “The personal essay asks you to explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. You are asked to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician. The essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.”

• Service Orientation
• Social Skills
• Cultural Competence
• Oral Communication
• Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others
• Reliability and Dependability
• Resilience and Adaptability
• Capacity for Improvement
• Critical Thinking
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Written Communication
• Scientific Inquiry

2. Why do you want to be a doctor?

This may seem pretty basic – and it is – but admissions officers need to know WHY you want to practice medicine. Many applicants make the mistake of simply listing what they have done without offering insights about those experiences that answer the question, “Why medicine?” Your reasons for wanting to be a doctor may overlap with those of other applicants. This is okay because the experiences in which you participated, the stories you can tell about those experiences, and the wisdom you gained are completely distinct—because they are only yours. 

“In admissions committee meetings we were always interested in WHY you wanted to earn a medical degree and how you would contribute to the medical school community.”

Medical school admissions committees want to know that you have explored your interest deeply and that you can reflect on the significance of these clinical experiences and volunteer work. But writing only that you “want to help people” does not support a sincere desire to become a physician; you must indicate why the medical profession in particular—rather than social work, teaching, or another “helping” profession—is your goal.

3. How have your experiences influenced you?

It is important to show how your experiences are linked and how they have influenced you. What motivated you from your experiences? In what ways did they influence your other activities? How were your future goals shaped by these experiences? Medical school admissions committees like to see a sensible progression of involvements. While not every activity needs to be logically “connected” with another, the evolution of your interests and how your experiences have nurtured your future goals and ambitions show that you are motivated and committed.

4. Who are you as a person? What are your values and ideals?

Medical school admissions committees want to know about you as an individual beyond your interests in medicine, too. This is where answering that third open ended question in the prompt becomes so important. What was interesting about your background, youth, and home life? What did you enjoy most about college? Do you have any distinctive passions or interests? They want to be convinced that you are a good person beyond your experiences. Write about those topics that are unlikely to appear elsewhere in your statement that will offer depth and interest to your work and illustrate the qualities and characteristics you possess.

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• How To Get Into Columbia Medical School
• How To Get Into UT Southwestern Medical School
• How To Get Into Harvard Medical School

Complete Your Personal Inventory and Outline (Example Below)

Highlighting valuable experiences, experience-based personal inventory exercise, creating your personal inventory.

• List Important Experiences: Write down a list of the most important experiences in your life and your development. The list should be all-inclusive and comprise those experiences that had the most impact on you. Put the list, which should consist of personal, extracurricular, and academic events, in chronological order.
• Identify Key Experiences: From this list, determine which experiences you consider the most important in helping you decide to pursue a career in medicine. This “experience-oriented” approach will allow you to determine which experiences best illustrate the personal competencies admissions committees look for in your written documents. Remember that you must provide evidence for your interest in medicine and for most of the personal qualities and characteristics that medical school admissions committees want to see.
• Reflect on Influences: After making your list, think about why each “most important” experience was influential and write that down. What did you observe? What did you learn? What insights did you gain? How did the experience influence your path and choices?
• Create Illustrations: Then think of a story or illustration for why each experience was important.
• Evaluate for Significance: After doing this exercise, evaluate each experience for its significance and influence and for its “story” value. Choose to write about those experiences that not only were influential but that also will provide interesting reading, keeping in mind that your goal is to weave the pertinent experiences together into a compelling story. In making your choices, think about how you will link each experience and transition from one topic to the next.
• Plan Your Outline: Decide which of your listed experiences you will use for your introduction first (see below for more about your introduction). Then decide which experiences you will include in the body of your personal statement, create a general outline, and get writing!

Crafting Your Narrative

Craft a compelling personal statement introduction and body.

You hear conflicting advice about application essays. Some tell you not to open with a story. Others tell you to always begin with a story. Regardless of the advice you receive, be sure to do three things:

• Be true to yourself. Everyone will have an opinion regarding what you should and should not write. Follow your own instincts. Your  personal statement  should be a reflection of you, and only you.
• Start your personal statement with something catchy.  Think about the list of potential topics above.
• Don’t rush your work. Composing thoughtful documents takes time and you don’t want your writing and ideas to be sloppy and underdeveloped.

Most important is to begin with something that engages your reader. A narrative, a “story,” an anecdote written in the first or third person, is ideal. Whatever your approach, your first paragraph must grab your reader’s attention and motivate him to want to continue reading. I encourage applicants to start their personal statement by describing an experience that was especially influential in setting them on their path to medical school. This can be a personal or scholarly experience or an extracurricular one. Remember to avoid clichés and quotes and to be honest and authentic in your writing. Don’t try to be someone who you are not by trying to imitate personal statement examples you have read online or “tell them what you think they want to hear”; consistency is key and your interviewer is going to make sure that you are who you say you are!

When deciding what experiences to include in the body of your personal statement, go back to your personal inventory and identify those experiences that have been the most influential in your personal path and your path to medical school. Keep in mind that the reader wants to have an idea of who you are as a human being so don’t write your personal statement as a glorified resume. Include some information about your background and personal experiences that can give a picture of who you are as a person outside of the classroom or laboratory.

Ideally, you should choose two or three experiences to highlight in the body of your personal statement. You don’t want to write about all of your accomplishments; that is what your application entries are for!

Write Your Personal Statement Conclusion

In your conclusion, it is customary to “go full circle” by coming back to the topic—or anecdote—you introduced in the introduction, but this is not a must. Summarize why you want to be a doctor and address what you hope to achieve and your goals for medical school. Write a conclusion that is compelling and will leave the reader wanting to meet you.

Complete Personal Statement Checklist

When reading your medical school personal statement be sure it:

Shows insight and introspection

The best medical school personal statements tell a great deal about what you have learned through your experiences and the insights you have gained.

You want to tell your story by highlighting those experiences that have been the most influential on your path to medical school and to give a clear sense of chronology. You want your statement always to be logical and never to confuse your reader.

Is interesting and engaging

The best personal statements engage the reader. This doesn’t mean you must use big words or be a literary prize winner. Write in your own language and voice, but really think about your journey to medical school and the most intriguing experiences you have had.

Gives the reader a mental image of who you are

You want the reader to be able to envision you as a caregiver and a medical professional. You want to convey that you would be a compassionate provider at the bedside – someone who could cope well with crisis and adversity.

Not true. The vast majority of  personal statements  do not have themes. In fact, most are somewhat autobiographical and are just as interesting as those statements that are woven around a “theme.” It is only the very talented writer who can creatively write a personal statement around a theme, and this approach often backfires since the applicant fails to answer the three questions above.

Medical School Personal Statement Examples and Analysis for Inspiration

AMCAS Medical School Personal Statement Example and Analysis #1 with Personal Inventory

We will use Amy to illustrate the general process of writing an application to medical school, along with providing the resulting documents. Amy will first list those experiences, personal, extracurricular, and scholarly, that have been most influential in two areas: her life in general and her path to medical school. She will put this personal inventory in chronologic order for use in composing her personal statement.

She will then select those experiences that were the most significant to her and will reflect and think about why they were important. For her application entries, Amy will write about each experience, including those that she considers influential in her life but not in her choice of medicine, in her application entries. Experiences that Amy will not write about in her activity entries or her personal statement are those that she does not consider most influential in either her life or in her choice of medicine.

• Going with my mom to work. She is a surgeon — I was very curious about what she did. I was intrigued by the relationships she had with patients and how much they valued her efforts. I also loved seeing her as “a doctor” since, to me, she was just “mom.”
• I loved biology in high school. I started to think seriously about medicine then. It was during high school that I became fascinated with biology and how the human body worked. I would say that was when I thought, “Hmm, maybe I should be a doctor.”
• Grandmother’s death, senior year of high school. My grandmother’s death was tragic. It was the first time I had ever seen someone close to me suffer. It was one of the most devastating experiences in my life.
• Global Health Trip to Guatemala my freshman year of college. I realized after going to Guatemala that I had always taken my access to health care for granted. Here I saw children who didn’t have basic health care. This made me want to become a physician so I could give more to people like those I met in Guatemala.
• Sorority involvement. Even though sorority life might seem trivial, I loved it. I learned to work with different types of people and gained some really valuable leadership experience.
• Poor grades in college science classes. I still regret that I did badly in my science classes. I think I was immature and was also too involved in other activities and didn’t have the focus I needed to do well. I had a 3.4 undergraduate GPA.
• Teaching and tutoring Jose, a child from Honduras. In a way, meeting Jose in a college tutoring program brought my Guatemala experience to my home. Jose struggled academically, and his parents were immigrants and spoke only Spanish, so they had their own challenges. I tried to help Jose as much as I could. I saw that because he lacked resources, he was at a tremendous disadvantage.
• Volunteering at Excellent Medical Center. Shadowing physicians at the medical center gave me a really broad view of medicine. I learned about different specialties, met many different patients, and saw both great and not-so-great physician role models. Counselor at Ronald McDonald House. Working with sick kids made me appreciate my health. I tried to make them happy and was so impressed with their resilience. It made me realize that good health is everything.
• Oncology research. Understanding what happens behind the scenes in research was fascinating. Not only did I gain some valuable research experience, but I learned how research is done.
• Peer health counselor. Communicating with my peers about really important medical tests gave me an idea of the tremendous responsibility that doctors have. I also learned that it is important to be sensitive, to listen, and to be open-minded when working with others.
• Clinical Summer Program. This gave me an entirely new view of medicine. I worked with the forensics department, and visiting scenes of deaths was entirely new to me. This experience added a completely new dimension to my understanding of medicine and how illness and death affect loved ones.
• Emergency department internship. Here I learned so much about how things worked in the hospital. I realized how important it was that people who worked in the clinical department were involved in creating hospital policies. This made me understand, in practical terms, how an MPH would give me the foundation to make even more change in the future.
• Master’s in public health. I decided to get an MPH for two reasons. First of all, I knew my undergraduate science GPA was an issue so I figured that graduate level courses in which I performed well would boost my record. I don’t think I will write this on my application, but I also thought the degree would give me other skills if I didn’t get into medical school, and I knew it would also give me something on which I could build during medical school and in my career since I was interested in policy work.

As you can see from Amy’s personal inventory list, she has many accomplishments that are important to her and influenced her path. The most influential personal experience that motivated her to practice medicine was her mother’s career as a practicing physician, but Amy was also motivated by watching her mother’s career evolve. Even though the death of her grandmother was devastating for Amy, she did not consider this experience especially influential in her choice to attend medical school so she didn’t write about it in her personal statement.

Amy wrote an experience-based personal statement, rich with anecdotes and detailed descriptions, to illustrate the evolution of her interest in medicine and how this motivated her to also earn a master’s in public health.

Amy’s  Medical School Personal Statement  Example:

She was sprawled across the floor of her apartment. Scattered trash, decaying food, alcohol bottles, medication vials, and cigarette butts covered the floor. I had just graduated from college, and this was my first day on rotation with the forensic pathology department as a Summer Scholar, one of my most valuable activities on the path to medical school. As the coroner deputy scanned the scene for clues to what caused this woman’s death, I saw her distraught husband. I did not know what to say other than “I am so sorry.” I listened intently as he repeated the same stories about his wife and his dismay that he never got to say goodbye. The next day, alongside the coroner as he performed the autopsy, I could not stop thinking about the grieving man.

Discerning a cause of death was not something I had previously associated with the practice of medicine. As a child, I often spent Saturday mornings with my mother, a surgeon, as she rounded on patients. I witnessed the results of her actions, as she provided her patients a renewed chance at life. I grew to honor and respect my mother’s profession. Witnessing the immense gratitude of her patients and their families, I quickly came to admire the impact she was able to make in the lives of her patients and their loved ones.

I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine as my mother had, and throughout high school and college I sought out clinical, research, and volunteer opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of medicine. After volunteering with cancer survivors at Camp Ronald McDonald, I was inspired to further understand this disease. Through my oncology research, I learned about therapeutic processes for treatment development. Further, following my experience administering HIV tests, I completed research on point-of-care HIV testing, to be instituted throughout 26 hospitals and clinics. I realized that research often served as a basis for change in policy and medical practice and sought out opportunities to learn more about both.

All of my medically related experiences demonstrated that people who were ‘behind the scenes’ and had limited or no clinical background made many of the decisions in health care. Witnessing the evolution of my mother’s career further underscored the impact of policy change on the practice of medicine. In particular, the limits legislation imposed on the care she could provide influenced my perspective and future goals. Patients whom my mother had successfully treated for more than a decade, and with whom she had long-standing, trusting relationships, were no longer able to see her, because of policy coverage changes. Some patients, frustrated by these limitations, simply stopped seeking the care they needed. As a senior in college, I wanted to understand how policy transformations came about and gain the tools I would need to help effect administrative and policy changes in the future as a physician. It was with this goal in mind that I decided to complete a master’s in public health program before applying to medical school.

As an MPH candidate, I am gaining insight into the theories and practices behind the complex interconnections of the healthcare system; I am learning about economics, operations, management, ethics, policy, finance, and technology and how these entities converge to impact delivery of care. A holistic understanding of this diverse, highly competitive, market-driven system will allow me, as a clinician, to find solutions to policy, public health, and administration issues. I believe that change can be more effective if those who actually practice medicine also decide where improvements need to be made.

For example, as the sole intern for the emergency department at County Medical Center, I worked to increase efficiency in the ED by evaluating and mapping patient flow. I tracked patients from point of entry to point of discharge and found that the discharge process took up nearly 35% of patients’ time. By analyzing the reasons for this situation, in collaboration with nurses and physicians who worked in the ED and had an intimate understanding of what took place in the clinical area, I was able to make practical recommendations to decrease throughput time. The medical center has already implemented these suggestions, resulting in decreased length of stays. This example illustrates the benefit of having clinicians who work ‘behind the scenes’ establish policies and procedures, impacting operational change and improving patient care. I will also apply what I have learned through this project as the business development intern at Another Local Medical Center this summer, where I will assist in strategic planning, financial analysis, and program reviews for various clinical departments.

Through my mother’s career and my own medical experiences, I have become aware of the need for clinician administrators and policymakers. My primary goal as a physician will be to care for patients, but with the knowledge and experience I have gained through my MPH, I also hope to effect positive public policy and administrative changes.

Paragraphs 1 and 2: Amy started her personal statement by illustrating a powerful experience she had when she realized that medical caregivers often feel impotent, and how this contrasted with her understanding of medicine as a little girl going with her mother to work. Recognition of this intense contrast also highlights her maturity.

P-3: She then “lists” a few experiences that were important to her.

Paragraph 4: Amy describes the commonality in some of her experiences and how her observations were substantiated by watching the evolution of her mother’s practice. She then explains how this motivated her to earn an MPH so she could create change more effectively as a physician than as a layman.

P-5: Next, she explains how her graduate degree is helping her to better understand the “issues in medicine” that she observed.

Paragraph 6: Then, an exceptional accomplishment is described, highlighting what she has learned and how she has applied it.

P-7: Finally, she effectively concludes her personal statement and summarizes the major topics addressed in her essay.

As you can see, her statement has excellent flow, is captivating and unusual, and illustrates her understanding of, and commitment to, medicine. Throughout her application entries and statement, she exhibits the personal competencies, characteristics, and qualities that medical school admissions officers are seeking. Her application also has broad appeal; reviewers who are focused on research, cultural awareness, working with the underserved, health administration and policy, teaching, or clinical medicine would all find it of interest.

Osteopathic Medical School Personal Statement

Example and Analysis #2

Medical School Personal Statement Example Background:  This is a nontraditional applicant who applied to osteopathic medical schools. With a 500 and a 504 on the  MCAT , he needed to showcase how his former career and what he learned through his work made him an asset. He also needed to convey why osteopathic medicine was an ideal fit for him. The student does an excellent job illustrating his commitment to medicine and explaining why and how he made the well-informed decision to leave his former career to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine.

What’s Good About It:  A nontraditional student with a former career, this applicant does a great job outlining how and why he decided to pursue a career in medicine. Clearly dedicated to service, he also does a great job making it clear he is a good fit for osteopathic medical school and understands this distinctions of osteopathic practice.. 

Working as a police officer, one comes to expect the unexpected, but sometimes, when the unexpected happens, one can’t help but be surprised. In November 20XX, I had been a police officer for two years when my partner and I happened to be nearby when a man had a cardiac emergency in Einstein Bagels. Entering the restaurant, I was caught off guard by the lifeless figure on the floor, surrounded by spilled food. Time paused as my partner and I began performing CPR, and my heart raced as I watched color return to the man’s pale face.

Luckily, paramedics arrived within minutes to transport him to a local hospital. Later, I watched as the family thanked the doctors who gave their loved one a renewed chance at life. That day, in the “unexpected,” I confirmed that I wanted to become a physician, something that had attracted me since childhood.

I have always been enthralled by the science of medicine and eager to help those in need but, due to life events, my path to achieving this dream has been long. My journey began following high school when I joined the U.S. Army. I was immature and needed structure, and I knew the military was an opportunity to pursue my medical ambitions. I trained as a combat medic and requested work in an emergency room of an army hospital. At the hospital, I started IVs, ran EKGs, collected vital signs, and assisted with codes. I loved every minute as I was directly involved in patient care and observed physicians methodically investigating their patients’ signs and symptoms until they reached a diagnosis. Even when dealing with difficult patients, the physicians I worked with maintained composure, showing patience and understanding while educating patients about their diseases. I observed physicians not only as clinicians but also as teachers. As a medic, I learned that I loved working with patients and being part of the healthcare team, and I gained an understanding of acute care and hospital operations.

Following my discharge in 20XX, I transferred to an army reserve hospital and continued as a combat medic until 20XX. Working as a medic at several hospitals and clinics in the area, I was exposed to osteopathic medicine and the whole body approach to patient care. I was influenced by the D.O.s’ hands-on treatment and their use of manipulative medicine as a form of therapy. I learned that the body cannot function properly if there is dysfunction in the musculoskeletal system.

In 20XX, I became a police officer to support myself as I finished my undergraduate degree and premed courses. While working the streets, I continued my patient care experiences by being the first to care for victims of gunshot wounds, stab wounds, car accidents, and other medical emergencies. In addition, I investigated many unknown causes of death with the medical examiner’s office. I often found signs of drug and alcohol abuse and learned the dangers and power of addiction. In 20XX, I finished my undergraduate degree in education and in 20XX, I completed my premed courses.

Wanting to learn more about primary care medicine, in 20XX I volunteered at a community health clinic that treats underserved populations. Shadowing a family physician, I learned about the physical exam as I looked into ears and listened to the hearts and lungs of patients with her guidance. I paid close attention as she expressed the need for more PCPs and the important roles they play in preventing disease and reducing ER visits by treating and educating patients early in the disease process. This was evident as numerous patients were treated for high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and diabetes, all conditions that can be resolved or improved by lifestyle changes. I learned that these changes are not always easy for many in underserved populations as healthier food is often more expensive and sometimes money for prescriptions is not available. This experience opened my eyes to the challenges of being a physician in an underserved area.

The idea of disease prevention stayed with me as I thought about the man who needed CPR. Could early detection and education about heart disease have prevented his “unexpected” cardiac event? My experiences in health care and law enforcement have confirmed my desire to be an osteopathic physician and to treat the patients of the local area. I want to eliminate as many medical surprises as I can.

Texas Medical School Personal Statement Example and Analysis #3

Medical School Personal Statement Example Background:  This applicant, who grew up with modest means, should be an inspiration to us all. Rather than allowing limited resources to stand in his way, he took advantage of everything that was available to him. He commuted to college from home and had a part-time job so he was stretched thin, and his initial college performance suffered. However, he worked hard and his grades improved. Most medical school admissions committees seek out applicants like this because, by overcoming adversity and succeeding with limited resources, they demonstrate exceptional perseverance, maturity, and dedication. His accomplishments are, by themselves, impressive and he does an outstanding job of detailing his path, challenges, and commitment to medicine. He received multiple acceptances to top medical schools and was offered scholarships.

What’s Good About It:  This student does a great job opening his personal statement with a beautifully written introduction that immediately takes the reader to Central America. He then explains his path, why he did poorly early in college, and goes on to discuss his academic interests and pursuits. He is also clearly invested in research and articulates that he is intellectually curious, motivated, hard working, compassionate and committed to a career in medicine by explaining his experiences using interesting language and details. This is an intriguing statement that makes clear the applicant is worthy of an interview invitation. Finally, the student expresses his interest in attending medical school in Texas.

They were learning the basics of carpentry and agriculture. The air was muggy and hot, but these young boys seemed unaffected, though I and my fellow college students sweated and often complained. As time passed, I started to have a greater appreciation for the challenges these boys faced. These orphans, whom I met and trained in rural Central America as a member of The Project, had little. They dreamed of using these basic skills to earn a living wage. Abandoned by their families, they knew this was their only opportunity to re-enter society as self- sufficient individuals. I stood by them in the fields and tutored them after class. And while I tried my best to instill in them a strong work ethic, it was the boys who instilled in me a desire to help those in need. They gave me a new perspective on my decision to become a doctor.

I don’t know exactly when I decided to become a physician; I have had this goal for a long time. I grew up in the inner city of A City, in Texas and attended magnet schools. My family knew little about higher education, and I learned to seek out my own opportunities and advice. I attended The University with the goal of gaining admission to medical school. When I started college, I lacked the maturity to focus on academics and performed poorly. Then I traveled to Central America. Since I was one of the few students who spoke Spanish, many of the boys felt comfortable talking with me. They saw me as a role model.

The boys worked hard so that they could learn trades that would help them to be productive members of society. It was then I realized that my grandparents, who immigrated to the US so I would have access to greater opportunities, had done the same. I felt like I was wasting what they had sacrificed for me. When I returned to University in the fall, I made academics my priority and committed myself to learn more about medicine.

Through my major in neuroscience, I strengthened my understanding of how we perceive and experience life. In systems neurobiology, I learned the physiology of the nervous system. Teaching everything from basic neural circuits to complex sensory pathways, Professor X provided me with the knowledge necessary to conduct research in Parkinson’s disease. My research focused on the ability of antioxidants to prevent the onset of Parkinson’s, and while my project was only a pilot study at the time, Professor X encouraged me to present it at the National Research Conference. During my senior year, I developed the study into a formal research project, recruiting the help of professors of statistics and biochemistry.

Working at the School of Medicine reinforced my analytical skills. I spent my summer in the department of emergency medicine, working with the department chair, Dr. Excellent. Through Dr. Excellent’s mentorship, I participated in a retrospective study analyzing patient charts to determine the efficacy of D-dimer assays in predicting blood clots. The direct clinical relevance of my research strengthened my commitment and motivated my decision to seek out more clinical research opportunities.

A growing awareness of the role of human compassion in healing has also influenced my choice to pursue a career in medicine. It is something no animal model or cell culture can ever duplicate or rival. Working in clinical research has allowed me to see the selflessness of many physicians and patients and their mutual desire to help others. As a research study assistant in the department of surgery, I educate and enroll patients in clinical trials. One such study examines the role of pre-operative substance administration in tumor progression. Patients enrolled in this study underwent six weeks of therapy before having the affected organ surgically excised. Observing how patients were willing to participate in this research to benefit others helped me understand the resiliency of the human spirit.

Working in clinical trials has enabled me to further explore my passion for science, while helping others. Through my undergraduate coursework and participation in volunteer groups I have had many opportunities to solidify my goal to become a physician. As I am working, I sometimes think about my second summer in Central America. I recall how one day, after I had turned countless rows of soil in scorching heat, one of the boys told me that I was a trabajador verdadero—a true worker. I paused as I realized the significance of this comment. While the boy may not have been able to articulate it, he knew I could identify with him. What the boy didn’t know, however, was that had my grandparents not decided to immigrate to the US, I would not have the great privilege of seizing opportunities in this country and writing this essay today. I look forward to the next step of my education and hope to return home to Texas where I look forward to serving the communities I call home.

Final Thoughts

Medical school personal statement help & consulting.

If all this information has you staring at your screen like a deer in the headlights, you’re not alone. Writing a superb medical school personal statement can be a daunting task, and many applicants find it difficult to get started writing, or to express everything they want to say succinctly. That’s where MedEdits can help. You don’t have to have the best writing skills to compose a stand-out statement. From personal-statement editing alone to comprehensive packages for all your medical school application needs, we offer extensive support and expertise developed from working with thousands of successful medical school applicants. We can’t promise applying to medical school will be stress-free, but most clients tell us it’s a huge relief not to have to go it alone.

MedEdits offers personal statement consulting and editing. Our goal when working with students is to draw out what makes each student distinctive. How do we do this? We will explore your background and upbringing, interests and ideals as well as your accomplishments and activities. By helping you identify the most distinguishing aspects of who you are, you will then be able to compose an authentic and genuine personal statement in your own voice to capture the admissions committee’s attention so you are invited for a medical school interview. Our unique brainstorming methodology has helped hundreds of aspiring premeds gain acceptance to medical school.

JESSICA FREEDMAN, M.D., is a former faculty member and admissions committee member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is the founder and chair of MedEdits Medical Admissions and author of the MedEdits Guide to Medical Admissions and The Medical School Interview which you can find on  Amazon . Follow Dr. Freedman and MedEdits on Facebook and  YouTube.

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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.

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Example Personal Statements - Graduate Entry Medical School

We have collected a few Graduate entry personal statements for you as many of you have asked. The personal statements are from students who all received offers at medical schools for the graduate entry course. We have presented them under the undergraduate degree the student studied before Medicine. These degrees are not an exhaustive list.

Remember, these personal statements are not 'perfect' - none ever will be! Each medical school is looking for something different. Be careful not to plagiarise personal statements you read online - UCAS will detect this.

Biomedical Sciences

I view medicine as a career with a diverse range of roles that all ultimately care for and improve people’s health. This diversity is why I want to be a doctor because I will care for patients, whilst learning, educating and problem solving. As a doctor I would work in a team to provide effective healthcare, where everyone counts and are treated with respect, dignity and compassion. I believe I have what it takes to work to these values as a practitioner, scientist, scholar and professional.

Alongside my degree in Medical Science, I have shadowed in clinic and ward environments to contextualise my understanding. I manage my time effectively with working in retail, volunteering at St Stephens day care centre during term and St Giles Hospice during vacations both on the ward and by teaching young adults about end of life care. From these, I have developed a strong skill set for working in healthcare. Over the past 16 months I shadowed an obstetrician and gynaecologist once a month. I saw patients more than once and appreciated the importance of developing strong doctor-patient relations, and how treatment is a balance between treating the pathology and quality of life. After observing the doctor, I developed the ability to tailor my approach to individuals whilst maintaining dignity and respect.

During a week in ENT and CDU at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, I noticed how oral and written communication within the NHS multi-disciplinary team is vital for delivering the best patient-centred care. I gained an insight into the demands of a junior doctor’s routine and I was inspired by the teamwork between all staff levels that makes a doctor’s job possible. I saw the importance of being honest, compassionate and clear when talking to patients. I admired one doctor’s humanity and reassurance during a conversation with a COPD patient regarding resuscitation, as he ensured the patient would continue to receive the best care. It highlighted that whatever a person’s situation – everyone counts.

I experienced the emotional challenges of birth and death when I was awarded a bursary to work in a Tanzanian hospital for two weeks in 2015. The experience developed my resilience and ability to maintain focus in stressful environments and showed me medicine is not glamorous, but is rewarding. I realise the challenges of healthcare, but I was inspired by being part of making patients’ lives more positive.

I was awarded a competitive 8 week studentship by the Lister Institute where

I worked on patient fibroblasts with mutant DNA repair protein Treslin; where my work will contribute towards a publication. I prioritised and organised myself to carry out experiments, became resilient when faced with problems and became able to effectively analyse data to draw conclusions. I can translate these skills to treating patients as I witnessed doctors using them to provide good care. Evidence based medicine is important for improving patient care, and I have the skills to help me continue researching as a medical student and an academic doctor, as well as giving me an awareness of how research changes practise.

Experience being a retail team leader for 4 years and student ambassador for my undergraduate programme has given me the communication and teamwork skills to confidently communicate with a range of people and work under pressure. I have responsibility of leading a team by being president of the university Blood Donation Society, to increase the number of student donors and fundraise. I spend my free time riding horses and weightlifting; both allow me to focus on something I find relaxing and enjoyable, but require dedication, resilience and determination.

 Although it will be challenging, I have demonstrated that I can make a positive contribution to an academic programme and I would continue this enthusiasm in my medical degree. I would take my studies seriously, demonstrating dedication and an attitude that reflects the values of the NHS Constitution.

My desire to study medicine cannot be attributed to a single phenomenon or traced back to a precise ‘lightbulb-flashing’ moment. Instead, it is steadfast and evolving, honed by years of commitment and curiosity - which resonates in the valuable NHS experiences I have seized. I enjoyed studying the complex elements driving health and disease states throughout my Biomedical Science degree, which I earned First Class Honours in; but I knew that my interests lay beyond the confines of the lab. Each module fascinated me but learning through pro-sections in Human Anatomy was a particular highlight, which led me to return this year as a practical demonstrator.

Working alongside my studies was a challenge I overcame with meticulous time management. My role as anti-coagulation assistant, since June 2015, gives me a realistic grasp of what working in the NHS means. Daily, I overcome the challenges of working in an understaffed department with efficiency and patience. An example is when I noted the detrimental effects of an outdated clinic diary system; I took the initiative to create and apply a new template, which has since improved patient waiting times considerably. Effective communication is essential, as I liaise with members of the multi-disciplinary team to manage patients. I work carefully to safeguard patient confidentiality, as I independently prioritise and process referrals to create clinics. This requires plenty of responsibility, as does conducting INR testing in clinics, where I also support my team of nurse specialists in counselling patients. This patient exposure is deeply rewarding; it is heart-warming to see the 82-year-old lady who gets up at 6am to look her best for us, or the waving gentleman with failing eyesight who still spots me from afar. Besides humbling me, these moments serve as the strongest incentive to keep going in the face of drawbacks.

My work experiences were also insightful and consolidated my career choice. Assisting in consultant-led haematology clinics, I noted that by showing interest in the patient and maintaining eye contact, the clinician built a relationship of mutual understanding. Furthermore, techniques such as summarising and signposting gathered information quickly and effectively to guide treatment. Contrarily, whilst shadowing my local GP I was reacquainted with the unpredictability of disease during a consultation with a young girl, whose brain tumour had diminished her quality of life. Putting my sadness aside, I observed the GP’s professional detachment and reflected on the importance of being resilient in this career. I also faced challenges whilst volunteering as a dining companion on the wards, when certain patients would refuse food despite their malnourished state. I tried my best to feed patients/promote eating, but sometimes I had to walk away and respect the patient’s autonomy, even though it went against my instincts.

I consider myself to be a compassionate person. This is reflected in my role as a part time carer for my grandfather, to whom I provide everyday support in hygiene and administering medication. I also make time for charities such as Humanity First, Breast Cancer care and Team Up. My participation ranges from marshalling at walks, to working behind the scenes in logistics. Recently, I had the privilege of being appointed Youth Group leader for young girls in my local community. I mentor the girls weekly in workshops, tackling issues such as bullying, teaching Urdu, baking, and arts and crafts.

My hobbies include swimming and horse-riding, as they are fun ways to stay fit. I also enjoy reading stimulating literature – recently I read “The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks”, which enlightened me on the evolution of medical ethics and the importance of informed consent. I am confident a medical career is right for me. I recognise there will be challenges, but I believe that my realistic expectations, maturity, and resolve, allow me the capability to overcome these. I hope you will allow me the opportunity to prove so.

Biomedical Sciences with a PhD

One image that has stuck with me is of a gentleman gripping the table as he learned of his cancer diagnosis. The experience highlighted how a doctors job is as much breaking bad news as it is treating people. It took place when shadowing a Urology firm, where I was able to attend surgery, outpatients’ clinics and ward rounds. Spending time with varied levels of doctors taught me how the role changes with experience and training, but that the basics of care remain the same. It confirmed how much I want to be a doctor, as every day and patient is different; it was not so much the illness but the individual that mattered most. Witnessing bad news being broken was difficult, but revealed I have the empathy and fortitude to be with those patients in difficult times. Shadowing a physiotherapist in a private clinic emphasised seeing the patient in a holistic way, as a simple foot injury may be the sign of an underlying hip condition.

When undertaking a PhD in cancer biology, I enjoyed investigating the reasons behind cellular behaviours. It taught me to have an inquisitive mind, ask questions and look for solutions, but it made me realise that what I want to do is use these skills to treat the patients whose cells were in front of me. It developed my ability to be an independent thinker, be self-motivated and in charge of my own learning; I believe these qualities will aid me during medical school and my future career.

I have been a trained first aider with St. John Ambulance for a year. Although the skills learnt and practised are undoubtedly useful, the most valuable experience has been dealing with distressed members of the public, especially children. When a performer fell off stage whilst I was on duty at an event, I used my training to take observations and ensure he kept his head still until paramedics arrived. I wanted to have the knowledge and skills to help him further. Learning some basic first aid has made me even more passionate to know the why behind the treatments and to be able to diagnose injuries and diseases.

Witnessing how unglamorous the job can be, I was covered in a violent patient’s blood after he removed a cannula. One evening a week, I volunteer in the ED of a large teaching hospital, helping care for patients by speaking to them, transporting and giving food and drink. Never knowing what I will encounter, I have realised the uncertainty that comes with being a doctor, and how exciting yet daunting this can be. I have seen how communication is key when treating patients, as many people do not mind waiting if kept informed. A lady had been on a trolley for 3 hours and was becoming distressed. When I explained we were waiting for a bed, the calming effect was clear.

Communication is vital in all areas of the hospital. I have worked in an NHS hospital for almost two years. Firstly, in the finance department of a DGH, which helped me understand the economic complexities and strains the health service is under. Currently, I work within the Pharmacy quality department. It has given me an awareness of how therapies work and how important timely discharge is to patients and staff. Several incidents could have been avoided with effective communication between staff members.

I gained insight into the world of a medical student when employed as a simulated patient. Many students in their first week did not explain procedures or introduce themselves. By the end of the year, the communication skills had greatly improved, and a simple introduction made me feel much more at ease. I have taken part in events to encourage more children into science, including ‘I’m a scientist, get me out of here!’ and the Bodyworlds exhibition. I taught undergraduates during my PhD and, as teaching is a part of Medicine, it would be enjoyable building on these skills.

I enjoy running, reading crime novels and learning French. I play the flute, previously as part of an orchestra that toured Belgium, playing in Ghent Cathedral.

Master of Pharmacy

As a hospital pre-registration pharmacist, I have had the opportunity to witness doctors’ application of clinical knowledge during decision making and their devotion and empathy towards patients. This has deepened my admiration for clinical practice and reinforced my aspiration to become a doctor. Working alongside clinicians has strengthened my desire to gain a deeper understanding of the human body and my desire to play an integral role in differential diagnosis to assist patients.

Pharmacy has helped me to develop a broad range of skills necessary to study medicine. At Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT), I liaise within an MDT to provide patient-centred care and deliver an efficient and seamless service, especially when undertaking ward based medicine management. I take accurate drug histories from patients through the use of pertinent questions and observation skills. Using my professional judgement in the interest of patient safety allows me to readily detect and reduce the occurrence of medication errors. Furthermore, I have also gained a comprehensive understanding of the diverse range of patients in primary and secondary care, which has taught me how to adapt the way I communicate to meet my patients’ unique needs. I understand the importance of patient confidentiality and safeguarding vulnerable adults and children as well. These attributes that I have developed will help me to become a safer, efficient and confident clinician in the future.

Due to my clinical rotations at HEFT I have developed a particular interest in genetic disorders. I recently met a patient who had been diagnosed with Shapiro Syndrome. I took this opportunity to converse with the patient which helped me gain an understanding of the disorder and the pharmacological treatment involved. My rotation within cancer services, including a placement at Marie Curie Hospice, has shown me how the Liverpool Care Pathway is implemented and helped me understand the importance of empathy. I shadowed consultant haematologists in various roles at Heartlands hospital including haematology clinics and ward rounds. I observed a doctor administer chemotherapy via the intrathecal route and witnessed a patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia receive a bone marrow transplant. In addition, I saw the importance of clinical trials in the treatment of cancer and conversed with patients at different stages of their treatment. These experiences have made me appreciate the physical and emotional demands of a career in medicine. Next summer I will be undergoing a placement at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Pakistan, which will offer me an insight into current healthcare issues where resources are limited. Moreover, I remain up-to-date with treatment changes by reading the PJ, BMJ and NICE Guidance and to reflect on my learning I regularly complete CPDs. My technical knowledge is compounded by my First-Class Honours in my Master of Pharmacy degree which provides me with an excellent base of biological and pharmacological knowledge.

Besides my interest in medicine, I also enjoy playing sport; I was part of the University football team and I swim regularly. Furthermore, I play an active part within the local community, having previously volunteered for a local care home, Barnardo's Charity shop and the Anthony Nolan Trust. Currently, I am a volunteer for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. During my pharmacy degree, I was the Aston University Student Champion for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Through this role, I learnt leadership, organisational and interpersonal skills, which have helped both my personal and academic development.

In conclusion, my role in pharmacy and the NHS has provided me with first-hand experience and essential qualities that have bettered me as a person and applicant. Being a hardworking and driven individual, I believe I have the ability to be an excellent medical school student and thereafter a successful doctor within the NHS.

Science has interested me from a young age, but it was through studying pharmacy that I found myself drawn to the more patient centred aspects of healthcare. Realising my limitations as a pharmacist and wanting to be at the forefront of clinical decision making, this well considered choice to pursue medicine was made.

Placements in primary and secondary care as well as my current position as a pre-registration pharmacist at Southampton General Hospital have offered me much insight into medicine as a career. Having visited a range of medical and surgical wards as well as attended various clinics, I have found the scope of medical specialities to be enlightening. The rise of technology and its support in diagnosis has made me appreciate how much this career sits at the forefront of scientific advancement. I have also admired the trusting relationship between patients and their doctors. It has emphasised the importance of being warm, approachable and able to communicate with individuals at their level of understanding. These skills have been demonstrated through my current position and previous job as a healthcare assistant. Earlier this year, I was a first responder to a cardiac emergency just outside of my pharmacy school. Despite my efforts and the timely arrival of the paramedics, the casualty passed away. The nature of this event highlighted to me the challenging sides of medicine. Facing end of life situations isn't easy however, being there to offer the casualty both emotional and physical support was humbling.

Now working within a multi-disciplinary team, I carry out medicines reconciliations, review patient drug charts, and prepare discharge summaries. This has developed my teamwork and communication skills which are both invaluable in medicine. Outside of work, I have been collaborating with nurses, GPs and specialists in Hampshire to deliver health awareness workshops to hard to reach ethnic minority groups at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Supported by Wessex Heartbeat, I have been involved in measuring BP, BM and cholesterol levels as well as providing personalised lifestyle advice.

I am hardworking and self-motivated, as demonstrated by my 1st class honours degree. Pharmacy has equipped me with knowledge of the therapeutic uses of medicines, their side effects and interactions. I have also learnt about the human body systems and many diseases. This provides me with a good foundation going into medicine. Having completed a 4th year research project which was recently presented as a poster at the 2018 International Pharmaceutical Federation congress, I have also developed skills that will prove useful in medical research. These include; literature searching, data analysis and critical writing. Alongside my degree, I was part of the student support service at Cardiff University (CU). Being a mentor then mentor consultant, I developed coaching and leadership skills. This has also demonstrated good time management and organisation which are key to meeting the demands of a medical degree. I am constantly taking on leadership roles and this has been recognised through two consecutive nominations for the Welsh Pharmacy Student Leadership Award. Recently, I was commended for my push to increase first aid training and accessibility within CU following the cardiac incident I was involved with. Initiative drives innovation and improvement which I believe is important in medicine.

Beyond academics, I have a black belt in taekwondo, a sport that has taught me self-discipline and perseverance. I also play the piano and engage in charity work within my community. These activities provide me with a good work-life balance.

I aspire to become a medic who will progress and ultimately give back to society. I have the passion, skills and experience that will allow me to embrace every opportunity and overcome any challenge. Therefore, I believe I am a suitable candidate for graduate entry medicine.

Pharmacology

My interest in medicine was sparked after losing a close friend to cancer. I was grateful and inspired by the medical professionals involved in her care and knew I wanted to follow a medical career making a difference to people’s lives. As a third-year pharmacology student I am fascinated by the mechanisms, interactions and treatments of disease leading me to a part time job in a research lab. I gained an appreciation of how treatments go from bench to bedside, improved my aseptic technique and aided the latest research in C. elegans cancer biomarkers.

Whilst shadowing an anaesthetist, ENT surgeon and nurse throughout surgery I was impressed at how they explained procedures clearly and reassuringly to patients. When complications occurred, I learnt how vital teamwork was when everyone communicated well under pressure to achieve the best outcome. Palliative procedures helped me appreciate the aim isn’t always to cure but improve the patient’s end of life experience. In Falls and Syncope, I was excited to shadow a physiotherapist, ward sister and consultant. I was fascinated by the individualisation of treatments designed by the professionals whilst considering the NICE guidance and the NHS budget. The patient’s opinion was included throughout and their confidentiality maintained. It was valuable to see doctors accept their limits and refer patients for other professional opinions. In neurodegenerative disorder clinics I was impressed by consultant geriatricians communicating devastating news in an empathetic and compassionate way, ensuring adequate support following this. I also built on my knowledge of polypharmacy, ensuring drugs didn’t interact or exacerbate symptoms and learnt a diagnosis is rarely straight forward. It’s common for a mental health condition to accompany the initial illness.

A main aspect drawing me to medicine is a passion of working with people which has grown over 8 years of voluntary and paid work. When volunteering for Nightline, a 12 hours listening service for students, I found it challenging not being allowed to give advice. I improved my communication skills by listening for long periods of time and maintaining appropriate tone of voice, key skills required in medicine. Some calls were emotionally challenging teaching me to control my emotions to help the caller. Volunteering with Sexpression teaching sex and relationship education in schools was an enjoyable experience teaching me how to sensitively engage adolescent audiences. Throughout my degree I expanded my level of knowledge taking extra or relevant modules including Healthcare Organisation and Practise to improve my awareness of the NHS. This thirst for knowledge lead to being the only student selected from my university to represent the British Pharmacological Society in parliament where I discussed medical issues like Ebola, anti-vaccination groups and encouraging young people into science. Being a member of my university cheer team allowed me to compete nationally in front of thousands, greatly improving my confidence of entering unfamiliar situations. Teamwork and communication were essential to prevent injury during stunts. If a stunt didn’t work we’d create new ideas together to replace it. This improved my problem solving and creativity skills something used every day in medicine.

I’m exceptionally hard working and committed and have the communication skills, work ethic and motivation to excel in a career as a doctor. From placements within the NHS I feel I’ve grasped a realistic idea of working in a healthcare organisation. I have always enjoyed caring for others and even though medicine is a challenging degree I feel I am emotionally, mentally and physically strong enough to cope with its demands. I have thoroughly enjoyed my Pharmacology degree and wish to build on my knowledge to achieve my goal of becoming a doctor.

Physiotherapy

Following a serious sporting injury aged 14, I wanted to be a physiotherapist (PT). I was fortunate enough to study and qualify at King’s College London (KCL). As PT students, we’re taught to view the body and mind holistically, whilst developing an exceptional understanding of anatomical functioning and a sound knowledge of physiological processes. However, I knew I had only begun to scratch the surface of what makes us human. My application is borne out of a fascination at the complex equilibrium between different bodily systems and an admiration for human resilience to life-changing circumstances; which drives the pursuit of further knowledge and skills.

Medicine is about seeing patients as individuals and providing them with the foundations to maximise their functioning and quality of life through advice, pharmacological, therapeutic, and if necessary, surgical interventions. For this to be achieved, doctors require a grasp of fundamental skills, such as verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening and empathy, skills on which I pride myself and believe will be directly transferable into practice of medicine. Furthermore, skills such as clinical reasoning, critical analysis and a flexible approach to patient management have provided me the foundation for evidence-based practice that will benefit me as a medical practioner.

I have been fortunate enough to gain experience in a variety of clinical settings, most of which have been ward-based, including: Intensive care (ITU); hyper-acute stroke; oncology and orthopaedics. These acute placements were complimented by long-term rehabilitation placements including The Children’s Trust & Psychiatry. Throughout these rotations, I gained invaluable experience treating and managing a variety of complex conditions, and have always challenged myself to learn new skills and techniques. I achieved this through shadowing various healthcare professionals, including: nurses; midwives; radiographers and most relevantly; doctors. I witnessed first-hand the exceptional depth of knowledge and expertise shown by all the doctors I shadowed, all the while juggling the difficult balance between the medical model and patient-centred care. This was exemplified through contemporary discussions around the moral implications of do not attempt resuscitation orders. Intuitively we should do everything we can to preserve life, yet informed consent is the bedrock of patient-doctor trust and must be respected above all else.

My desire to pursue a career as a doctor was reinforced during my final year of study. I took part in an optional module focussing on inter-professional working, choosing to focus on the role of doctors. I found that the experience helped me further enhance my reflective practice skills, which are vital in both personal and professional growth. I have always considered myself a reflective person, and this module consolidated previous teaching, guiding reflection; learning from all experiences and leading to the development of one of my strongest traits. Furthermore, I chose my dissertation subject on mental health, rather than a topic exclusively PT, displaying my sway towards medical management.

I was fortunate enough to be awarded the KCL Jelf Medal, awarded to one student per year, for academic, societal and sporting excellence. It is the highest honour the college can bestow, and reflected my involvement in football, swimming and water polo teams; charity and grassroots development programs and being the elected student representative to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. I believe this demonstrates my ability to be a well-rounded candidate, capable of working individually or as a team, succeeding and promoting progression not only for myself, but for my peers, in a variety of settings.

My time at KCL provided me with an insight into the medical world, and while I enjoyed the PT aspect, I’m eagerly anticipating the new challenges a medical career will bring.

Work is very important to me and I enjoy being busy. Throughout my academic life and professional career to date, I have demonstrated an excellent work ethic, receiving top appraisals, early promotion and progression, and special access to fast path training and mentoring as a result. After graduating I chose a career in IT as it required continuous self-improvement and learning to stay abreast of constantly evolving industry advances. My career at IBM has allowed me to gain detailed knowledge of the IBM Cloud, working as part of a team to apply those advances and deliver successful solutions for clients’ real life situations. My IBM work has been, and continues to be very interesting and challenging, but I have come to realise from helping people directly through volunteer work, that I now seek a more fulfilling professional life to complement my deep interest in people and the human condition, a desire that had already led me to read psychology at university.

I thoroughly enjoy volunteer work contributing 100+ hours this year so far. During university I spent a semester in Canada where I worked in a homeless shelter for Project Serve. This first raised my awareness to the challenges faced by vulnerable members of our society. Since then I have undertaken a number of volunteer roles and work-shadowing placements, enabling me to experience first-hand the critical role healthcare has to play. I volunteer at a local care home as a care assistant, working as part of a team providing a quality of life to elderly and mentally ill residents. The home strives to maintain residents’ dignity and self-respect despite the challenges of dementia, incontinence and removal from previous family life. As part of the team I’ve learnt a balance of compassion, but without undue attachment, to gain the residents’ trust and cooperation.

Most recently I have volunteered at a local homeless shelter, serving hot food, giving out clothing and being a friendly face for people suffering from extreme poverty, substance and alcohol abuse. Despite language barriers and sometimes aggressive behaviour I have found this experience a rewarding one. I have also had the privilege of shadowing various medical professionals most notably a paediatric surgical consultant. I’ve experienced ward rounds, witnessing team leadership skills resulting in efficient, detailed assessment of patient status and determination of clinical care plans. I have also observed surgery and seen the professional control in execution that’s required. I have found the absolute commitment of the medical team to provide quality care in often challenging circumstances, including recent strike action, an inspiration.

In my spare time I enjoy participating in a variety of activities including climbing, skiing and yoga. Maintaining an active and varied social lifestyle outside of work helps me create a healthy balance to a busy professional life, and as a result has made me a better “people person” having met many people from different walks of life. Whenever possible, I’ve strived to couple my participation with responsibility through being a student ambassador, team captain, or coaching all ages in both climbing and football.

I strongly believe that my journey to this point, taking into account my academic and professional achievements and volunteering experiences, has provided me with a broader perspective and furnished me with more of the attributes required to undertake a medical career. I have become more focussed on my goals in life and know I can contribute more by dedicating my time to a career in medicine. I am determined, capable and highly motivated to transfer this success to a life in medicine and to achieve my ambition to become a doctor – I believe my true vocation in life.

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Medicine Personal Statement

Get advice on your Medicine Personal Statement, including what to include, how to structure it, and how you can get help with this vital part of your application.

• Learn what a Medicine Personal Statement is
• Understand how long it needs to be
• Find out what it should include
• Discover how to structure your Personal Statement
• Explore how to get help with it

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Your Personal Statement for Medicine is your chance to tell Medical Schools why you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor. With a successful Medicine Personal Statement, you’ll really stand out from the pool of other applicants.

What is a Medicine Personal Statement?

Your Personal Statement supports your UCAS Application. It’s designed to help Medical Schools choose the best candidates.

It gives you the chance to tell Admissions Tutors about the skills or qualities you have that are relevant to studying Medicine and being a Doctor – and write about your motivation to study Medicine .

Have a look at our Medicine Personal Statement examples from current Medical School students to get an understanding of the content and structure.

How Important Is It?

Medical Schools use Personal Statements in different ways.

You’ll find that some Medical Schools won’t pay much attention to it, while some will use it to shortlist candidates for interview . Some will also use it to form the basis of interview questions , so make sure your PS is interview-proof and doesn’t include anything you can’t justify or elaborate on.

If a Medical School is struggling to decide between two candidates, they may use the Personal Statement as a deciding factor.

You can learn more in our guide to how Medical Schools use your Personal Statement .

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How Long Should My Personal Statement Be?

Your Medicine Personal Statement needs to be 4,000 characters – which is around 500 words – over 47 lines.

What Should My Personal Statement Include?

Medicine Personal Statements should cover the following elements, so that Medical Schools can get to know you.

• Motivation — Why do you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor?
• Exploration — What have you done to learn about Medicine? For example: work experience , volunteering , wider reading or research
• Suitability — Why are you a good fit for Medicine?

Reflection should be a big part of your PS. When you’re writing it, don’t just list your work experience placements, academic achievements and extracurricular activities — reflect on key learning points and link everything back to qualities that are important for Medicine.

For more specific advice about what to include when you’re applying for Graduate Entry Medicine, check out this blog .

What Should My Personal Statement NOT Include?

When you’re writing your Personal Statement, try to keep it concise and avoid unnecessary information. After all, you only have a limited number of words!

Some common PS mistakes include:

• Giving a generic or clich éd reason for wanting to become a Doctor
• Writing about what you did for work experience, without offering any reflections on what you actually learned from the experience
• Claiming that you have a certain quality (e.g. empathy ) without backing it up
• Listing all of the extracurricular activities you do, without mentioning the skills they helped you to develop which are relevant to Medicine

Of course, it’s also important to check your PS for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Get it checked by someone else for a second opinion too.

When Should I Start Writing My Personal Statement?

Personal Statements need to be submitted before the UCAS deadline, which is typically a date in October for Medicine.

Don’t leave it until the last minute! It’s a good idea to start working on it during the summer break – perhaps after you’ve got your UCAT out of the way. If you leave it all until September or October, remember that you’ll be writing it alongside A-Level work and BMAT revision if you’re planning to sit the BMAT.

Start by reading some Medicine Personal Statement examples for inspiration. Then note down everything you can think of to cover your Motivation, Exploration and Suitability for Medicine. Perhaps check this content plan with someone like a parent to see if you’ve missed out anything important. After you have a clear plan, you can start writing your first draft.

How Should I Structure My Personal Statement?

The structure of your Personal Statement is a matter of personal preference, but we advise you to follow a format that covers the following points:

• Why you want to study Medicine and become a Doctor (Motivation)
• Work experience and/or volunteering – and what you learned from it (Exploration)
• Wider reading and study beyond your school curriculum (Exploration)
• Skills from extracurricular activities which are relevant to a Doctor’s skill set, e.g. leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork, etc (Suitability)
• Conclusion (Motivation)

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What Is Changing In The Future?

UCAS has announced that Personal Statements will be changing in the future. To make the writing process more structured, there are plans to provide applicants with a series of questions to answer.

These questions have not been confirmed yet, but UCAS says they are likely to cover areas such as:

• Motivation for the course
• Preparation for the course through learning and through other experiences
• Preparedness for student life
• Preferred learning styles
• Extenuating circumstances

According to UCAS, the changes will be introduced no earlier than 2024, for candidates applying for 2025 entry. Find out more here.

How Can I Get Help?

Getting feedback on your Personal Statement for Medical School is incredibly important.

You could ask a relative to read it, give you feedback on how it reads, and let you know if you’ve forgotten any big accomplishments that they can remember. Another option is to ask a friend or a teacher to have a read and tell you if it makes sense and gives a good impression.

You might also like to get professional help with your medical Personal Statement, since it’s such an important piece of writing.

Of course it’s important that you write it yourself, but getting advice and getting it reviewed can be incredibly beneficial. Some of the best options include:

• Get a Personal Statement Review by an Admissions Tutor
• Join a Personal Statement Workshop to get help crafting an excellent statement
• Focus on one-to-one help with Personal Statement Tutoring for your Medical School application

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5 Key Tips For a Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement

Advice & Insight From Personal Statement Specialists

Clearly detail your motivation for wanting to study Graduate Medicine

This is always a crucial element of any personal statement, regardless of whether candidates are applying for undergraduate or graduate Medicine. However, it is particularly important in a personal statement for graduate Medicine.   Many graduate applicants apply for medicine at a late stage. Some may apply straight after their undergraduate degree, whilst some may apply after years of working in a different industry. Detailing your motivation may be simpler if you have just completed a bioscience-related undergraduate degree but applying after completing a non-related degree or working in a non-related industry may provide a unique and interesting viewpoint for your reasons for studying at a graduate level. For this reason, many graduate programmes accept candidates from a range of backgrounds, although it is always worth checking this first to ensure no applications are wasted!   In addition, motivation may be displayed by detailing examples of your extensive work experience, what you may have learned from these encounters, and how they have influenced your motivation going forward to study graduate Medicine.   Due to the increased competition for graduate places compared to undergraduate places, candidates’ motivations for studying Medicine will be scrutinised even more extensively. Selectors must be certain that candidates are willing to undertake the career-long commitment of continuous skill development and hard work.  

Make use of your previous degree/ job to give examples of transferable skills

Examples of these transferable skills may include the ability to work well under pressure from experience of exams or coursework in your undergraduate degree. In addition, you may have worked as a part of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team whilst working as a care assistant, and it is crucial to explain what skills you may have developed from this experience and how they relate to your Medicine application.   Experience of clinical environments will help with this section of your personal statement, as you will be able to put across a realistic view of what being a doctor entails, and which transferable skills from your previous experience may be most crucial. 

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​Be sure to detail any academic interests

As a Graduate Medicine application is centred around the result of your last degree, some medical schools are less interested in your high school results. This may be helpful for some applicants; however, it is important to remember that Graduate medical schools are looking for an extremely high current academic standard. This standard, along with excellent organisational skills, is necessary in order for students to cope with a four-year degree.   As a result of this essential high standard, emphasis should be placed on any particular academic achievements you may have had in your last degree. These may include any publications, academic awards, conferences attended or poster presentations. In addition, if you have any particular areas of research interest from your previous degree, be sure to emphasise these. They will help you stand out against other applications!

​Emphasise your maturity

Graduate Medicine programmes will expect an extra level of maturity in successful candidates. After all, graduate applicants are at least three years older than school leaver applicants. Your maturity can be put across in a variety of ways. For example, be sure to emphasise life skills, experiences and accomplishments from the last couple of years. These may have been gained in a variety of ways, whether from working or whilst studying your last degree. Regardless, they reflect a key difference in graduate Medicine personal statements compared to undergraduate Medicine personal statements. 

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Ensure your writing style is coherent and your statement has a logical structure

These are crucial elements for all personal statements. However, at a graduate level there really is no room for error. Years of studying an undergraduate degree should also have improved your grammar and punctuation. However, if you still feel uncomfortable with this aspect of your personal statement, ask a friend or parent to proof-read your document, or make use of online spellchecker software. Your structure should flow well, and your paragraphs should be themed (for example, sections on work experience, academic achievements, motivation). An enhanced level of maturity should be displayed throughout.   Good luck!   Elliot Noble, 3rd year medical student, Newcastle University

Further Reading....

5 Graduate Entry Medicine Application Tip Barts Graduate Medicine Interview Tips The University of Warwick Medicine Interview Questions

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Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement – Samah (Cambridge)

Home » Application Guide » Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement – Samah (Cambridge)

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This is part of a series where we share successful Medicine Personal Statements. Here’s Samah’s Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement as referenced in the guide and Q&A video with Ali Abdaal below. Enjoy!

Please be aware that these examples are meant purely for the sake of inspiration, and should absolutely NOT be used as a model around which to base your own personal statement. UCAS have a rather strict system that detects plagiarism .

Graduate Entry Medicine guide and Q&A with Ali Abdaal

Samah is a 3rd year Graduate Entry Medic at Cambridge University – you’ll hopefully find her advice very helpful.

Personal Statement Inspiration & Examples Articles

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Emmy)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Saif)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff (Eera)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – Barts (Malikha)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Nottingham (Aymen)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Example – Barts Medical School

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Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement Analysis

My determination to become a doctor comes from a strong interest in cardiovascular physiology, having lost all my grandparents to heart disease. Focussing on physiological systems and pharmacology in my degree, I have learnt to appreciate the depth of knowledge required to treat patients. Volunteering has fuelled my enthusiasm for caring for others whilst shadowing placements have given me a grasp of a doctor’s life and reinforced my commitment to medicine.

I witnessed the challenges doctors face delivering difficult news, such as when a couple struggling to conceive received the diagnosis of polycystic ovaries. The GP’s approach in dealing with the patient’s concerns showed me the importance of empathy and patient autonomy as he outlined treatment options. Observing orthopaedic surgeries exemplified the need for communication and teamwork in a multi-disciplinary team. I was inspired by the surgeon’s ability to make important decisions during surgery, a high-pressure environment, to reduce post-operative complications. Attending teaching sessions for junior doctors and the monthly Morbidity and Mortality review helped me understand how essential continuous learning is for doctors to stay abreast of medical advances and to minimise errors in patient care. By conversing with junior doctors, I learnt about the stresses of working long hours and rewarding aspects like discharging successfully treated patients. The varied nature of medical cases encountered and the range of roles a doctor’s job includes particularly attracted me.

Due to my interest in the complex pathogenesis of cardiac failure, I explored the academic basis for medical research through an optional dissertation on endogenous cardiotonic steroids by critically evaluating evidence for two conflicting views on their mechanism of action. I also organised a laboratory internship across two summers to research their role in uraemic cardiomyopathy to gain a deeper understanding. My research gave me insight into potential new therapies to treat the condition, highlighting how current research can translate into medical advances. This has excited and motivated me to pursue an academic career in medicine. It demonstrated the need for both constant improvement of existing therapies and innovation of new treatments to better practice patient beneficence.

As Team Leader for the Bedside Play Volunteers scheme in a children’s hospital, I have built my leadership skills, coordinating volunteer shifts and dealing with issues like low resources by improvising with new activities. For many years I have volunteered at the Alzheimer’s Society’s annual Memory Walk in memory of my grandmother. Supporting my local community of Alzheimer’s patients at monthly cafés has been rewarding as I can really connect with them. This has helped me develop patience and an empathetic manner. I have enjoyed mentoring students as a King’s Widening Participation Student Ambassador and e-mentor. Helping others to maximise their potential has improved my communication skills and I have taken this further in my role as Peer Support Coordinator for the Biomedical Sciences Society.

My enthusiasm for keeping fit motivated me to restart KCL FITE Club to address the lack of female-only exercise classes at university. It has given me great satisfaction as President to motivate a large committee, supporting them in their new roles. I find baking therapeutic and bake for charity events, including organising the annual Charity Week Bakeoff. Passing the King’s Leadership Award has allowed me to develop my leadership, teamwork and communication skills. I have learnt to use efficient time management skills to balance these activities with my degree.

My work experience and volunteering have strengthened my commitment to this intellectually challenging, yet highly rewarding career. I believe I have the academic aptitude, enthusiasm and motivation to become a doctor whilst contributing to medical research.

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PrepScholar GRE Prep

Gre prep online guides and tips, 3 successful graduate school personal statement examples.

Looking for grad school personal statement examples? Look no further! In this total guide to graduate school personal statement examples, we’ll discuss why you need a personal statement for grad school and what makes a good one. Then we’ll provide three graduate school personal statement samples from our grad school experts. After that, we’ll do a deep dive on one of our personal statement for graduate school examples. Finally, we’ll wrap up with a list of other grad school personal statements you can find online.

Why Do You Need a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a chance for admissions committees to get to know you: your goals and passions, what you’ll bring to the program, and what you’re hoping to get out of the program.  You need to sell the admissions committee on what makes you a worthwhile applicant. The personal statement is a good chance to highlight significant things about you that don’t appear elsewhere on your application.

A personal statement is slightly different from a statement of purpose (also known as a letter of intent). A statement of purpose/letter of intent tends to be more tightly focused on your academic or professional credentials and your future research and/or professional interests.

While a personal statement also addresses your academic experiences and goals, you have more leeway to be a little more, well, personal. In a personal statement, it’s often appropriate to include information on significant life experiences or challenges that aren’t necessarily directly relevant to your field of interest.

Some programs ask for both a personal statement and a statement of purpose/letter of intent. In this case, the personal statement is likely to be much more tightly focused on your life experience and personality assets while the statement of purpose will focus in much more on your academic/research experiences and goals.

However, there’s not always a hard-and-fast demarcation between a personal statement and a statement of purpose. The two statement types should address a lot of the same themes, especially as relates to your future goals and the valuable assets you bring to the program. Some programs will ask for a personal statement but the prompt will be focused primarily on your research and professional experiences and interests. Some will ask for a statement of purpose but the prompt will be more focused on your general life experiences.

When in doubt, give the program what they are asking for in the prompt and don’t get too hung up on whether they call it a personal statement or statement of purpose. You can always call the admissions office to get more clarification on what they want you to address in your admissions essay.

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What Makes a Good Grad School Personal Statement?

A great graduate school personal statement can come in many forms and styles. However, strong grad school personal statement examples all share the same following elements:

A Clear Narrative

Above all, a good personal statement communicates clear messages about what makes you a strong applicant who is likely to have success in graduate school. So to that extent, think about a couple of key points that you want to communicate about yourself and then drill down on how you can best communicate those points. (Your key points should of course be related to what you can bring to the field and to the program specifically).

You can also decide whether to address things like setbacks or gaps in your application as part of your narrative. Have a low GPA for a couple semesters due to a health issue? Been out of a job for a while taking care of a family member? If you do decide to explain an issue like this, make sure that the overall arc is more about demonstrating positive qualities like resilience and diligence than about providing excuses.

Specific Examples

A great statement of purpose uses specific examples to illustrate its key messages. This can include anecdotes that demonstrate particular traits or even references to scholars and works that have influenced your academic trajectory to show that you are familiar and insightful about the relevant literature in your field.

Just saying “I love plants,” is pretty vague. Describing how you worked in a plant lab during undergrad and then went home and carefully cultivated your own greenhouse where you cross-bred new flower colors by hand is much more specific and vivid, which makes for better evidence.

A strong personal statement will describe why you are a good fit for the program, and why the program is a good fit for you. It’s important to identify specific things about the program that appeal to you, and how you’ll take advantage of those opportunities. It’s also a good idea to talk about specific professors you might be interested in working with. This shows that you are informed about and genuinely invested in the program.

Strong Writing

Even quantitative and science disciplines typically require some writing, so it’s important that your personal statement shows strong writing skills. Make sure that you are communicating clearly and that you don’t have any grammar and spelling errors. It’s helpful to get other people to read your statement and provide feedback. Plan on going through multiple drafts.

Another important thing here is to avoid cliches and gimmicks. Don’t deploy overused phrases and openings like “ever since I was a child.” Don’t structure your statement in a gimmicky way (i.e., writing a faux legal brief about yourself for a law school statement of purpose). The first will make your writing banal; the second is likely to make you stand out in a bad way.

Appropriate Boundaries

While you can be more personal in a personal statement than in a statement of purpose, it’s important to maintain appropriate boundaries in your writing. Don’t overshare anything too personal about relationships, bodily functions, or illegal activities. Similarly, don’t share anything that makes it seem like you may be out of control, unstable, or an otherwise risky investment. The personal statement is not a confessional booth. If you share inappropriately, you may seem like you have bad judgment, which is a huge red flag to admissions committees.

You should also be careful with how you deploy humor and jokes. Your statement doesn’t have to be totally joyless and serious, but bear in mind that the person reading the statement may not have the same sense of humor as you do. When in doubt, err towards the side of being as inoffensive as possible.

Just as being too intimate in your statement can hurt you, it’s also important not to be overly formal or staid. You should be professional, but conversational.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Our graduate school experts have been kind enough to provide some successful grad school personal statement examples. We’ll provide three examples here, along with brief analysis of what makes each one successful.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 1

PDF of Sample Personal Statement 1 – Japanese Studies

For this Japanese Studies master’s degree, the applicant had to provide a statement of purpose outlining her academic goals and experience with Japanese and a separate personal statement describing her personal relationship with Japanese Studies and what led her to pursue a master’s degree.

Here’s what’s successful about this personal statement:

• An attention-grabbing beginning: The applicant begins with the statement that Japanese has never come easily to her and that it’s a brutal language to learn. Seeing as how this is an application for a Japanese Studies program, this is an intriguing beginning that makes the reader want to keep going.
• A compelling narrative: From this attention-grabbing beginning, the applicant builds a well-structured and dramatic narrative tracking her engagement with the Japanese language over time. The clear turning point is her experience studying abroad, leading to a resolution in which she has clarity about her plans. Seeing as how the applicant wants to be a translator of Japanese literature, the tight narrative structure here is a great way to show her writing skills.
• Specific examples that show important traits: The applicant clearly communicates both a deep passion for Japanese through examples of her continued engagement with Japanese and her determination and work ethic by highlighting the challenges she’s faced (and overcome) in her study of the language. This gives the impression that she is an engaged and dedicated student.

Overall, this is a very strong statement both in terms of style and content. It flows well, is memorable, and communicates that the applicant would make the most of the graduate school experience.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 2

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 2 – Musical Composition

This personal statement for a Music Composition master’s degree discusses the factors that motivate the applicant to pursue graduate study.

Here’s what works well in this statement:

• The applicant provides two clear reasons motivating the student to pursue graduate study: her experiences with music growing up, and her family’s musical history. She then supports those two reasons with examples and analysis.
• The description of her ancestors’ engagement with music is very compelling and memorable. The applicant paints her own involvement with music as almost inevitable based on her family’s long history with musical pursuits.
• The applicant gives thoughtful analysis of the advantages she has been afforded that have allowed her to study music so extensively. We get the sense that she is insightful and empathetic—qualities that would add greatly to any academic community.

This is a strong, serviceable personal statement. And in truth, given that this for a masters in music composition, other elements of the application (like work samples) are probably the most important.  However, here are two small changes I would make to improve it:

• I would probably to split the massive second paragraph into 2-3 separate paragraphs. I might use one paragraph to orient the reader to the family’s musical history, one paragraph to discuss Giacomo and Antonio, and one paragraph to discuss how the family has influenced the applicant. As it stands, it’s a little unwieldy and the second paragraph doesn’t have a super-clear focus even though it’s all loosely related to the applicant’s family history with music.
• I would also slightly shorten the anecdote about the applicant’s ancestors and expand more on how this family history has motivated the applicant’s interest in music. In what specific ways has her ancestors’ perseverance inspired her? Did she think about them during hard practice sessions? Is she interested in composing music in a style they might have played? More specific examples here would lend greater depth and clarity to the statement.

Sample Personal Statement for Graduate School 3

PDF of Sample Graduate School Personal Statement 3 – Public Health

This is my successful personal statement for Columbia’s Master’s program in Public Health. We’ll do a deep dive on this statement paragraph-by-paragraph in the next section, but I’ll highlight a couple of things that work in this statement here:

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• This statement is clearly organized. Almost every paragraph has a distinct focus and message, and when I move on to a new idea, I move on to a new paragraph with a logical transitions.
• This statement covers a lot of ground in a pretty short space. I discuss my family history, my goals, my educational background, and my professional background. But because the paragraphs are organized and I use specific examples, it doesn’t feel too vague or scattered.
• In addition to including information about my personal motivations, like my family, I also include some analysis about tailoring health interventions with my example of the Zande. This is a good way to show off what kinds of insights I might bring to the program based on my academic background.

Grad School Personal Statement Example: Deep Dive

Now let’s do a deep dive, paragraph-by-paragraph, on one of these sample graduate school personal statements. We’ll use my personal statement that I used when I applied to Columbia’s public health program.

Paragraph One: For twenty-three years, my grandmother (a Veterinarian and an Epidemiologist) ran the Communicable Disease Department of a mid-sized urban public health department. The stories of Grandma Betty doggedly tracking down the named sexual partners of the infected are part of our family lore. Grandma Betty would persuade people to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases, encourage safer sexual practices, document the spread of infection and strive to contain and prevent it. Indeed, due to the large gay population in the city where she worked, Grandma Betty was at the forefront of the AIDS crises, and her analysis contributed greatly towards understanding how the disease was contracted and spread. My grandmother has always been a huge inspiration to me, and the reason why a career in public health was always on my radar.

This is an attention-grabbing opening anecdote that avoids most of the usual cliches about childhood dreams and proclivities. This story also subtly shows that I have a sense of public health history, given the significance of the AIDs crisis for public health as a field.

It’s good that I connect this family history to my own interests. However, if I were to revise this paragraph again, I might cut down on some of the detail because when it comes down to it, this story isn’t really about me. It’s important that even (sparingly used) anecdotes about other people ultimately reveal something about you in a personal statement.

Paragraph Two: Recent years have cemented that interest. In January 2012, my parents adopted my little brother Fred from China. Doctors in America subsequently diagnosed Fred with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). My parents were told that if Fred’s condition had been discovered in China, the (very poor) orphanage in which he spent the first 8+ years of his life would have recognized his DMD as a death sentence and denied him sustenance to hasten his demise.

Here’s another compelling anecdote to help explain my interest in public health. This is an appropriately personal detail for a personal statement—it’s a serious thing about my immediate family, but it doesn’t disclose anything that the admissions committee might find concerning or inappropriate.

If I were to take another pass through this paragraph, the main thing I would change is the last phrase. “Denied him sustenance to hasten his demise” is a little flowery. “Denied him food to hasten his death” is actually more powerful because it’s clearer and more direct.

Paragraph Three: It is not right that some people have access to the best doctors and treatment while others have no medical care. I want to pursue an MPH in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia because studying social factors in health, with a particular focus on socio-health inequities, will prepare me to address these inequities. The interdisciplinary approach of the program appeals to me greatly as I believe interdisciplinary approaches are the most effective way to develop meaningful solutions to complex problems.

In this paragraph I make a neat and clear transition from discussing what sparked my interest in public health and health equity to what I am interested in about Columbia specifically: the interdisciplinary focus of the program, and how that focus will prepare me to solve complex health problems. This paragraph also serves as a good pivot point to start discussing my academic and professional background.

Paragraph Four: My undergraduate education has prepared me well for my chosen career. Understanding the underlying structure of a group’s culture is essential to successfully communicating with the group. In studying folklore and mythology, I’ve learned how to parse the unspoken structures of folk groups, and how those structures can be used to build bridges of understanding. For example, in a culture where most illnesses are believed to be caused by witchcraft, as is the case for the Zande people of central Africa, any successful health intervention or education program would of necessity take into account their very real belief in witchcraft.

In this paragraph, I link my undergraduate education and the skills I learned there to public health. The (very brief) analysis of tailoring health interventions to the Zande is a good way to show insight and show off the competencies I would bring to the program.

Paragraph Five: I now work in the healthcare industry for one of the largest providers of health benefits in the world. In addition to reigniting my passion for data and quantitative analytics, working for this company has immersed me in the business side of healthcare, a critical component of public health.

This brief paragraph highlights my relevant work experience in the healthcare industry. It also allows me to mention my work with data and quantitative analytics, which isn’t necessarily obvious from my academic background, which was primarily based in the social sciences.

Paragraph Six: I intend to pursue a PhD in order to become an expert in how social factors affect health, particularly as related to gender and sexuality. I intend to pursue a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Reproduction. Working together with other experts to create effective interventions across cultures and societies, I want to help transform health landscapes both in America and abroad.

This final paragraph is about my future plans and intentions. Unfortunately, it’s a little disjointed, primarily because I discuss goals of pursuing a PhD before I talk about what certificate I want to pursue within the MPH program! Switching those two sentences and discussing my certificate goals within the MPH and then mentioning my PhD plans would make a lot more sense.

I also start two sentences in a row with “I intend,” which is repetitive.

The final sentence is a little bit generic; I might tailor it to specifically discuss a gender and sexual health issue, since that is the primary area of interest I’ve identified.

This was a successful personal statement; I got into (and attended!) the program. It has strong examples, clear organization, and outlines what interests me about the program (its interdisciplinary focus) and what competencies I would bring (a background in cultural analysis and experience with the business side of healthcare). However, a few slight tweaks would elevate this statement to the next level.

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples You Can Find Online

So you need more samples for your personal statement for graduate school? Examples are everywhere on the internet, but they aren’t all of equal quality.

Most of examples are posted as part of writing guides published online by educational institutions. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones here if you are looking for more personal statement examples for graduate school.

Penn State Personal Statement Examples for Graduate School

This selection of ten short personal statements for graduate school and fellowship programs offers an interesting mix of approaches. Some focus more on personal adversity while others focus more closely on professional work within the field.

The writing in some of these statements is a little dry, and most deploy at least a few cliches. However, these are generally strong, serviceable statements that communicate clearly why the student is interested in the field, their skills and competencies, and what about the specific program appeals to them.

Cal State Sample Graduate School Personal Statements

These are good examples of personal statements for graduate school where students deploy lots of very vivid imagery and illustrative anecdotes of life experiences. There are also helpful comments about what works in each of these essays.

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However, all of these statements are definitely pushing the boundaries of acceptable length, as all are above 1000 and one is almost 1500 words! Many programs limit you to 500 words; if you don’t have a limit, you should try to keep it to two single-spaced pages at most (which is about 1000 words).

University of Chicago Personal Statement for Graduate School Examples

These examples of successful essays to the University of Chicago law school cover a wide range of life experiences and topics. The writing in all is very vivid, and all communicate clear messages about the students’ strengths and competencies.

Note, however, that these are all essays that specifically worked for University of Chicago law school. That does not mean that they would work everywhere. In fact, one major thing to note is that many of these responses, while well-written and vivid, barely address the students’ interest in law school at all! This is something that might not work well for most graduate programs.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 10

This successful essay for law school from a Wheaton College undergraduate does a great job tracking the student’s interest in the law in a compelling and personal way. Wheaton offers other graduate school personal statement examples, but this one offers the most persuasive case for the students’ competencies. The student accomplishes this by using clear, well-elaborated examples, showing strong and vivid writing, and highlighting positive qualities like an interest in justice and empathy without seeming grandiose or out of touch.

Wheaton College Personal Statement for Graduate School Sample 1

Based on the background information provided at the bottom of the essay, this essay was apparently successful for this applicant. However, I’ve actually included this essay because it demonstrates an extremely risky approach. While this personal statement is strikingly written and the story is very memorable, it could definitely communicate the wrong message to some admissions committees. The student’s decision not to report the drill sergeant may read incredibly poorly to some admissions committees. They may wonder if the student’s failure to report the sergeant’s violence will ultimately expose more soldiers-in-training to the same kinds of abuses. This incident perhaps reads especially poorly in light of the fact that the military has such a notable problem with violence against women being covered up and otherwise mishandled

It’s actually hard to get a complete picture of the student’s true motivations from this essay, and what we have might raise real questions about the student’s character to some admissions committees. This student took a risk and it paid off, but it could have just as easily backfired spectacularly.

Key Takeaways: Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

In this guide, we discussed why you need a personal statement and how it differs from a statement of purpose. (It’s more personal!)

We also discussed what you’ll find in a strong sample personal statement for graduate school:

• A clear narrative about the applicant and why they are qualified for graduate study.
• Specific examples to support that narrative.
• Compelling reasons why the applicant and the program are a good fit for each other.
• Strong writing, including clear organization and error-free, cliche-free language.
• Appropriate boundaries—sharing without over-sharing.

Then, we provided three strong graduate school personal statement examples for different fields, along with analysis. We did a deep-dive on the third statement.

Finally, we provided a list of other sample grad school personal statements online.

What’s Next?

Want more advice on writing a personal statement ? See our guide.

Writing a graduate school statement of purpose? See our statement of purpose samples  and a nine-step process for writing the best statement of purpose possible .

If you’re writing a graduate school CV or resume, see our how-to guide to writing a CV , a how-to guide to writing a resume , our list of sample resumes and CVs , resume and CV templates , and a special guide for writing resume objectives .

Need stellar graduate school recommendation letters ? See our guide.

See our 29 tips for successfully applying to graduate school .

Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?

Author: Ellen McCammon

Ellen is a public health graduate student and education expert. She has extensive experience mentoring students of all ages to reach their goals and in-depth knowledge on a variety of health topics. View all posts by Ellen McCammon

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UCAS personal statement for Graduate Entry to medicine

UCAS personal statements are used differently by each medical school. Some medical schools use personal statements after looking at pre-entry test results, others include them in their initial short-listing, either way, it is an important part of your application.

Key elements to include:

• Motivation for medicine – what makes medicine right for you?
• Approach to academic learning – what has helped you be successful during your first/previous degree/s?
• Relevant skills – how have you developed these, what do they say about you as a potential clinician? The skills can come from any aspect of your experience – they don’t have to be based on clinically-related experience
• Career aspirations – how does medicine fit with how you see your future?

How to write your personal statement

• Ensure you spend time reflecting on your skills and experiences. Learning from what has gone before and how you have done things is central to both learning on a medicine degree and continuing professional development as a clinician. You may want to ask other people what they feel are your strengths and when they have seen you using these strengths. Feedback from others can be useful to capture things we don’t yet know about ourselves.
• Always use examples from your own experience. If you are saying that you wish to study medicine to provide a service to humankind – explain where this motivation has come from, what other experiences have you had of ‘service’, how did you decide that medicine would be the right sort of ‘service’?
• Check your writing. If a sentence does not include something about your own experience, consider if it is really needed (or whether you can rewrite it to include experience).
• Check your writing for typing errors, spelling, and making sense. Get someone else to proof-read your personal statement for you (the Careers Service does not offer this service, ask a friend or relative who writes well).

The Medical Schools Council has devised skills and attributes of an ideal medical school candidate . You could use this list as a starting point to reflect on what examples highlight these skills for you.

Top tips: Medicmind personal statement

Examples of successful statements:

• University Compare: Example Medicine personal statements
• University of Oxford - Medicine: Anatomy of a personal statement
• 6Med: Medicine personal statement inspiration
• Aspiring Medics: Medicine personal statement
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Postgraduate medicine personal statement example.

My conviction for medicine has aptly followed a certain period of introspection. A recent family visit to South Africa encouraged thoughtful consideration of my reasons for applying to medical school, and also granted the opportunity to explore healthcare practice in my home country.

Whilst volunteering as a phlebotomist for a rural HIV clinic, the urgency with which the local community relied on medical staff for guidance, moral support, and treatment was poignantly placed at the fore.

It was awe-inspiring to witness the active role played by doctors as teachers, leaders and clinicians, more so amidst the dire supply of front-line staff at the time. Needless to say, this experience has only sought to reaffirm my passion for this gratifying and multifaceted profession, and has thus nurtured my understanding of, and suitability for a career in medicine.

At the crux of my degree in Biomedical Science was great emphasis on the importance of evidence-based learning and the need for reflective practice and professional development. Of particular interest was a module on Stem cells & Regenerative Medicine as it accurately highlighted the relationship between scientific theory and the ethical implications surrounding its application in society.

Eager to delve into the managerial side of clinical care, I also volunteered for a health service improvement program at St George's Hospital, which aimed to address the issues concerning patient flow on the wards.

Upon reflection, I feel that my contribution to this audit has instilled a more comprehensive view of the NHS; it is apparent that true patient care encompasses both medical treatment and the management of resources and protocols in equal measure, thereby ensuring that patients receive the finest care afforded to them.

Throughout my employment as a Healthcare Assistant at the Royal Marsden Hospital, it became progressively clear that medicine is a multidisciplinary field inherently reliant on teamwork and effective communication.

Working alongside Nurses and Physiotherapists, among other disciplines, proved insightful as it taught me much about the professional diversity required for personalised and holistic patient care. Central to my role in CCU was also the ability to comfort distressed relatives and empathise with palliative care patients, whilst upholding confidentiality and preserving patient autonomy at all times.

During this period, I also fostered an interest in Neurophysiology and subsequently published an article on Synaesthesia & Phantom limb pain for 'The Lumen' Medical Journal. This feat was promptly ensued by a clinical placement in Neurology, during which, the consultants were keen to prepare me for a life of emotional turbulence; stressing public expectations and the merits of a healthy work-life ethic.

Closely allied to the clinician's capacity to diagnose and treat patients, is the ability to contribute towards public education and to oversee the development of junior colleagues. I feel I have mirrored this obligation through my role as an Anatomy demonstrator and an A Level Science & Maths tutor.

As testament to my passion for anatomy and physiology, I was also awarded the opportunity to complete the topographical dissection of an embalmed cadaver during the summer of 2013. Aside academia, my position as Student ambassador and UNICEF Year Representative has been no sinecure; I have learnt as much about leadership and self-confidence as I have about the limits of my own competence.

Now currently working as a Biological Specimen Co-ordinator at the Institute of Cancer Research, I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to play an active role in the 100,000 Genomes Project over the upcoming year. This experience should undoubtedly hold me in good stead as I embark upon this sublime vocation of lifelong learning and personal fulfilment, wholly cognisant of the rewards and sacrifices that lie ahead.

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There is no profile associated with this personal statement, as the writer has requested to remain anonymous.

Author's Comments

This is the personal statement I used to successfully apply for Graduate Entry Medicine (2016 intake). Unfortunately, I've never really been good at entrance exams (UKCAT or GAMSAT), so I pretty much always devoted a lot more time into my personal statement. Like many, I was heavily reliant on the use of examples to help me write my personal statement so I'm hoping that this example can be of help to other people!

Lol, the struggle is eventually worth it.

Good luck! :D

This personal statement is unrated

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Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Last updated: 29/6/2023

• Is Medicine Right for Me?
• What do Doctors do?
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The personal statement is changing to a series of free text questions for 2026 entry onwards, however it remains unchanged for 2025 entry. Keep an eye on our live updates page for guidance on these changes.

Your UCAS personal statement is a chance to showcase the skills, attributes, and experiences which make you suited to studying medicine. This can be quite a daunting prospect, especially when you have to boil all that down to just 4,000 characters, or 47 lines. 

In this article, we will:

• Examine examples of strong and weak medicine personal statements (interested in dentistry? Check out dentistry personal statement examples )
• Help you learn what you should and shouldn't include in your medicine personal statement

Want to explore more examples? Our Personal Statement Course has over 100 personal statement examples to help you find your voice.

What you'll find in this article:

Personal statement example 1 – introduction

Personal statement example 2 – introduction, personal statement example 1 – main body, personal statement example 2 – main body, personal statement example 1 – conclusion, personal statement example 2 – conclusion, strong personal statement example, weak personal statement example, what should your personal statement include.

To get into medical school , your personal statement should:

• Demonstrate meaningful insight into the profession, in the form of work experience or independent research. This could be partly based on medical books or podcasts when medical work experience is not possible
• Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and experiences
• Mention your extracurricular activities
• Discuss your academic interests and achievements

'At the moment I am working towards A-Level Chemistry, Biology and Maths. I achieved my AS-Level in Spanish but decided to drop it to focus on my more medically relevant subjects. I’ve been dreaming of studying medicine since I was a young child, and this was only reinforced when I contracted measles during my primary school exams. This affected my performance, but I found that this motivated me rather than discouraged me. A particularly inspiring doctor was heavily involved in helping me deal with the pressure. I was inspired by her to become a doctor myself and help others in a similar way. I am particularly interested in science and as such the practical side of medicine interested me. I’ve always enjoyed chemistry and biology the most, and have best learned when trying to link the pure science I learn in school back to it's practical and useful real-world applications. This is what is particularly interesting about medicine to me - you can apply pure, evidence-based science in a clinical and practical setting to have an obvious positive effect. Inspired by this interest, I invested in a subscription to the New Scientist magazine. I’ve read about a huge number of fascinating discoveries and how they’ve been applied in medical settings.'

This introductory section has some promising features, but there are areas the author could improve:

• The introductory sentence doesn’t catch the reader’s attention or hold much relevance for a medical personal statement. This sentence would be better suited to a subsequent section on the author’s academic achievements, and it would need to be supplemented with a suitable explanation as to why the chosen subjects are relevant for medicine. 
• The author uses an anecdote to illustrate why they first developed an interest in medicine. This is a good idea, but the anecdote they've chosen is not the most suitable. It references ‘primary school exams’, which uses the cliché of wanting to do medicine from a young age. This is not only overused, but is also underdeveloped. 
• The applicant mentions feeling under pressure for these primary school exams. This won’t fill the reader with confidence that the author will be able to cope with the demands of medical school and a career as a doctor. 
• The introduction should open with the anecdote rather than academic achievements. A strong and memorable opening line will catch the admission tutor’s attention, and gives the student an opportunity to summarise why they want to study medicine.
• It is far too long. A good introduction should be around 4-6 lines.

There are some parts of the introduction that are more effective:

• The part discussing why they enjoy chemistry and biology is useful – it links their love for pure science back to the passion they mentioned earlier for helping people. This demonstrates the blend of empathy and interest in science that medical schools will be looking for. 
• The same part also introduces the candidate’s reading of medical literature, which they could choose to discuss in more depth later in the statement, or which might be something that interviewers could choose to examine in more detail.

'From a young age, my real fascination in life has been science - in particular, the incredible intricacy of the human body. My passion to discover more about its inner workings fuelled my motivation to study medicine, and the challenging yet rewarding nature of the job leaves me certain that I want to pursue it as a career. I think that my chosen A-Levels have only made me more determined to become a doctor, while simultaneously allowing me to develop and improve my skills. I have become a better problem-solver by studying physics and maths, while also learning the importance of accuracy and attention to detail. I’ve particularly enjoyed chemistry, which has again helped me improve my problem solving skills and my ability to think rationally and logically. Throughout my chemistry and biology A-Levels, I’ve been required to engage in practical work which has taught me how to design and construct an experiment. I’ve also become better at communicating with other members of my team, something I witnessed the importance of during my work experience in A&E. During recent months, I’ve started reading more medical publications such as the Lancet and the British Medical Journal. I’ve been particularly interested in how this evidence-based science can be applied to clinical practice to really make an impact on patients.'

This introduction contains some useful reflection and demonstrates some insight, but is quite jumbled. The main areas of weakness are as follows:

• The content is good but much of it would be better suited to a later section and should be explored in more detail while being linked back to medicine (for example, the whole second half could be included in a longer segment on academia). 
• The applicant mentions that they improved their problem-solving skills. How did they do this? Why is this important in medicine? 
• They say that medicine is demanding but that this attracts them to the job. What experiences have they had to show the demanding nature of it? Why does this attract them to it? 
• The author also briefly mentions a stint of work experience in A&E, but the rushed nature of the introduction means that they can’t go into detail about the experience or reflect on what exactly they learned from it. 
• Similar to example 1, this introduction includes some clichés which detract from the author’s overall message. For example, that they have wanted to do medicine from a young age or that they love science (with no further explanation as to why). 
• It is far too long. Again, an introduction should be a succinct summary of why you're interested in medicine, and not a brief account of all of your experiences.

The stronger parts of this introduction include the following:

• The author does demonstrate that they can reflect on the skills they’ve improved through experience. For example, the analytical and problem-solving skills they gained from chemistry.
• The candidate shows an understanding of the link between evidence-based science and clinical application when discussing how they did further research around their physics course. This shows a good level of curiosity and insight.

'I first became interested in studying medicine when I carried out a work experience placement with my father an elderly care specialist. I really enjoyed the experience and it gave me a deeper insight into the challenges doctors face. I now believe that I better understand the resilience - both mental and physical - that doctors need to cope with the heavy workload and emotional challenges. A few months ago I was given the opportunity to attend work experience in St Mary’s hospital in Manchester where I visited and observed many different specialties and areas of the hospital like A&E and the labs and witnessed how doctors carried out their jobs. For the past year I’ve been doing some other volunteering work too, such as, taking meals around to patients on the ward, asking them about their experience in the hospital and just chatting with them about how they’re feeling. They’re often delighted to have someone to talk to especially during Covid when they weren’t allowed to receive visitors. I saw how my communication and empathy made a real impact on the mood of the lonelier patients. I spent a few days working in the same hospital, shadowing doctors and Allied Health professionals in the stroke ward. I became much more familiar with the process doctors used for treating stroke patients, and developed an understanding of the role that physiotherapists and occupational therapists have in their rehabilitation. On top of that I organised a placement with the emergency medicine doctors and spent time in the haemapheresis unit at St Mary’s.'

This example does contain some of the features we look for in a complete main body section but could definitely be improved: 

• The main issue with this is the list-like presentation, which goes hand-in-hand with a general lack of reflection or insight. Although it is good to discuss your work experience in your personal statement, it would be far better if the candidate focused on just one or two of the experiences mentioned, but went into far more detail about what they learned and the insight they gained. For example, after mentioning the role of Allied Health Professionals in the rehabilitation of stroke patients, they could go on to discuss how they came to appreciate the importance of these healthcare workers, and how the contribution of all these individuals within the multidisciplinary team is so important to achieving good outcomes.
• Statements like ‘I [...] witnessed how doctors carry out their jobs’ make it seem as if the candidate really wasn’t paying attention. They need to explain what they mean by this. Were they impressed by the doctors’ effective teamwork and communication skills, or perhaps by their positive attitude and morale? Did they seem well-trained and effective? What did they learn from this that might help them in the future?  ‍
• Similarly, the student simply states that they saw the effect of empathy on patients: ‘I saw how my communication and empathy made a real impact on the mood of the lonelier patients.’ This adopts a ‘telling’ approach, when the student needs to adopt a ‘showing’ approach. Simply telling us that they saw something does not adequately demonstrate an understanding of why those qualities are important, or what they actually mean. What does it mean to have empathy? What does that look like in real terms? How did they use it? What was the effect? Showing the tutor that you are empathetic is important, but simply saying it is disingenuous and shows a lack of understanding.
• The candidate spends a number of characters name-dropping the exact hospital they visited and its location, which isn’t the best use of valuable space, as it has no real impact on the message they’re trying to convey.
• Generally, it isn’t a good idea to talk about work experience with family members. Of course, this might be the reality, but try to have some other placements that you’ve organised yourself so that it doesn’t appear as if your family are doing all the hard work for you. At the very least, you could simply leave this information out.
• There are a few grammatical errors here, especially regarding the use of commas. It’s important to use a spell checker or to ask an English teacher to check your work for you before submitting your statement.

The better features of this example are:

• The candidate does show some insight into the role of a doctor when they talk about the resilience required by doctors to cope with the hard hours and challenging conditions. They just need to reflect in this way in other parts of the section, too.
• The author has clearly done a lot of work experience and is right to discuss this in their personal statement. Just remember that you don’t need to squeeze in every single little placement.

'I was pleased to be appointed as head boy in my last year of school, and as part of this role I headed up the school safety office. I carried out inspections of the dormitories, roll calls and helped in the running of school festivals and activity days. The office I was in charge of needed to ensure the safety of every student in the school and I helped plan and lead drills to prepare the students for storms, floods and fires. This role has made me a far better leader, and I also believe that I am now far more calm and logical when working under pressure or in uncertain situations. I’ve been an editor on the online school blog for over 2 years now and the experience has taught me how to work effectively in a team when under time pressure. In order to meet my deadlines I needed to remain motivated even when working independently, and I think that the diligence and work ethic I’ve developed as a result will be incredibly useful to me as a medical student. I took on the role of financial director for both the table tennis club and Model United Nations at my school. At first I struggled with the weight of responsibility as I was in charge of all of the clubs’ money and expenditures. However, I am now a far more organised individual as I came to appreciate the value of concise paperwork and of keeping a record of my actions. I not only manage the funds of the table tennis club but am also a regular member of it. I often play independently, and the lack of a specific coach means that I have to identify my own strengths and weaknesses. I am now far better at being honest about my weaknesses and then devising strategies for working on them. The sport has also allowed me to demonstrate my ability to work well in a team, but also to get my head down and work independently when necessary.'

This example is generally well written and showcases some of the features of a good main body section. However, there are some areas that can be improved:

• This section would benefit from the ‘show, don’t tell’ approach. Instead of explaining specific situations or events through which the candidate demonstrated certain attributes, they simply state them and then link them vaguely to a more general role or activity.
• The bigger problem, however, is that the author mentions a wide range of skills but falls short in linking these back to medicine.  ‍ For example, after reflecting on their role in the school safety office and the leadership skills they developed as a result, the author could talk about the senior role that doctors have within the multidisciplinary team and the importance of good leadership in a medical setting.  Similarly, the author mentions their ability to work independently but should really round this off by describing how this would benefit them in medical school, as the ability to progress your learning independently is crucial to success there. The student mentions an understanding of and proficiency with paperwork and recording their actions. Doctors must constantly do this when writing notes for each patient, so the candidate should really try to mention this in their statement to explain why their skills would be useful. The mention of teamwork could be followed by an explanation of why it is important in a medical setting and how the applicant witnessed this during their medical work experience. Finally, when the student talks about being able to identify and work on their weaknesses, they could use this as an opportunity to demonstrate further insight into the medical profession by discussing the importance of revalidation and audit in the modern NHS, or talking about how important it is for doctors to be able to work on their areas of weakness. 

Better aspects of this example:

• The applicant doesn’t simply list the activities they have been a part of, but also explains what they learned from these and the skills and attributes they developed as a result. This reflective ability is exactly what assessors will be looking for.
• The tone of the section is appropriate. The applicant doesn’t appear arrogant or over-confident, but at the same time, they manage to paint themselves in a good light, highlighting their range of skills relevant to medicine.
• This example uses the character count effectively. Unlike the earlier examples, almost all of the sentences serve a purpose and are succinct.
• They demonstrate a wide range of skills, most of which are very relevant to medicine.

' I am a resilient and empathetic individual and I think that I have the qualities to thrive despite the social and academic challenges of university. Through my work experience I’ve gained an insight into the difficulties doctors face but this has not dampened my enthusiasm. My placements and voluntary work have only strengthened my commitment and dedication to studying medicine.'

The effectiveness of a conclusion depends on the rest of the statement before it, so it is hard to judge how good a conclusion is without seeing what the candidate has mentioned in the rest of their statement. Assuming this follows on logically from the statement, however, we can say that this conclusion is generally good for the following reasons:

• It is brief, to the point, and highlights that the student holds some of the skills doctors need (this would of course need to be backed up with examples in the rest of the statement). 
• The author doesn’t introduce any new ideas here, as that would be inappropriate, but rather reiterates their determination, which is exactly what admissions tutors want to see. 
• The author demonstrates a balanced understanding of the demands of a medical career, illustrating this is a decision they have made rationally while considering the implications of their choice. 

As is always the case, this conclusion could still be improved:

• The mention of the social challenges of university is a bit too honest, even though these exist for everyone. Mentioning them could give the impression that the student struggles socially (which is not something they would want to highlight), or that they intend to dive into the social side of university at the expense of their studies. 
• If the candidate really insists on mentioning the social side, they should at least do this after discussing academics, and they should do it in the body of the statement, where they have space to explain what exactly they mean.
• The student describes themselves as empathetic. This should be avoided, as it should be evident from the statement itself.

'Over the years I have built up a large and extensive set of medical work experiences and volunteering opportunities. These have allowed me to demonstrate my ability to communicate effectively and work in a team, and they will allow me to become a more diligent student and effective doctor. I think that this, alongside my ability and strength of character mean that I should be considered for this course. I am excited to get started and begin to put my skills to good use.'

This is a reasonably strong conclusion. It provides a to-the-point summary of why the author believes they should be selected to study medicine and shows their excitement for starting this journey. However, there are some parts of this example that could be improved: 

• The author mentions 'ability' and 'strength of character.' These are nebulous terms and not specific to medicine or a medical degree in any way.
• The mention of a 'large and extensive range of medical work experiences' indicates overconfidence. Medical applicants are not expected to have any medical ability or any 'large and extensive range' of medical experience, nor is it probable that this candidate actually does (otherwise they wouldn’t need to go to medical school in the first place). Rather, medical students need a suitable set of skills and attributes in order to make the most of their medical education and become an effective doctor.
• On a similar note, the applicant says that their range of medical work experience will make them a better student and doctor, but this is only true if they can reflect on their experience and learn from it. Impassively watching an operation or clinic without properly engaging with it won’t make you a better doctor in the future.

We’ll now go on to look at an example of a strong personal statement. No personal statement is perfect, but this example demonstrates a good level of reflection, engagement and suitability to study medicine (we know this because the writer of this statement went on to receive four offers). 

It goes without saying that plagiarism of any of these examples is a bad idea. They are known to medical schools and will be flagged up when run through plagiarism detection software. 

Use these as examples of ways you could structure your own statement, how to reflect on experiences, and how to link them back to medicine and demonstrate suitable insight and motivation. 

'It is the coupling of patient-centred care with evidence-based science that draws me to medicine. The depth of medical science enthrals me, but seeing complex pathology affecting a real person is what drives home my captivation. As a doctor, you are not only there for people during their most vulnerable moments but are empowered by science to offer them help, and this capacity for doing good alongside the prospect of lifelong learning intrigues me. In recent years I have stayed busy academically - despite my medical focus I have kept a range of interests, studying Spanish and German to grow my social and cultural awareness and playing the violin and drums in groups to improve my confidence when working in teams and performing. This is similar to the team-working environment that dominates in medical settings, and I have found that my awareness of other cultures is a great help when interacting with the hugely diverse range of patients I meet during my volunteering work. The independent projects I am undertaking for my A-levels teach me how to rigorously construct and perform experiments, process data and present findings, developing my written communication. My work experience showed me the importance of these skills when making patients’ notes, and of course, medical academia must be concisely written and well constructed and communicated. Maths teaches me to problem-solve and recognise patterns, vital skills in diagnosis. Over the past two years, I have actively sought out and planned work experience and volunteering opportunities. My time last year in Critical Care showed me the importance of communication in healthcare to ensure patients understand their diagnosis and feel comfortable making decisions. I saw the value of empathy and patience when a doctor talked to a patient refusing to take her insulin and suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis. They tried to understand her position and remain compassionate despite her refusal. My experience deepened my insight into the realities of a medical career, as we were at the hospital for more than ten hours a day with breaks and lunches cut short by bleeps or calls from the ward. This helped me understand the physical resilience required by staff as I also came to appreciate the immense emotional burden they often had to bear. Despite this, the brilliant staff remained motivated and compassionate which I found inspirational. The Brighton and Sussex Medical School work experience and Observe GP courses I completed put emphasis on the value of holistic, patient-centred care, introducing me to specialities I had not previously considered such as geriatrics and oncology. Inspired by my experience I explored a variety of specialisms, reading memoirs (Do no harm) and textbooks (Oxford handbook of clinical medicine) alike. I investigated medical politics with my English persuasive piece, discussing the ethics behind the junior doctor strikes of 2016. I have been volunteering in a hospital ward since January, which helps improve my confidence and communication skills when talking to patients and relatives. I showed my ability to deal with unexpected situations when I found a patient smoking whilst on oxygen, and acted quickly to tell nurses. Over lockdown I felt privileged offering lonely patients some tea and a chat and seeing their mood change - it taught me that medicine is about treating patients as individuals, not a diagnosis. My work on the hospital door taught me to stay calm and interact assuredly with visitors, vital skills in public-service jobs like medicine. I coach tennis at a local club, planning and running sessions for younger children. I am responsible for players' safety and must manage risk while showing leadership qualities by making the sessions fun and inclusive. As a player, I am part of the self-run performance team, which forces me to better my ability without coaching. This means developing self-reflection and insight into my weaknesses, which I know to be integral skills for medics. One of the doctors I shadowed during my work experience was just starting her revalidation process and I saw the importance of self-awareness and honest reflection in meeting her targets and becoming a better doctor. I achieved my Gold Duke of Edinburgh certificate of achievement (and the Bronze and Silver awards), exhibiting my commitment and ability to self-reflect and improve. On our Silver expedition, we experienced severe rain, showing resilience by continuing when our kit was wet from day one. My diligence and academic ability will allow me to thrive in medical school, and I have the prerequisite qualities to become a compassionate and effective doctor. Despite the obstacles, I am determined to earn the privilege of being able to improve peoples' health. This is something that excites me and a career I would happily dedicate my life to.'

Strong personal statement example analysis

Introduction.

This statement is a good example of how a personal statement should be constructed and presented. The introduction is short and to the point, only dealing with the candidate’s motivations to study medicine while also demonstrating an insight into what the career involves. 

They demonstrate their insight briefly by mentioning that medicine involves lifelong learning. This is often seen as one of the challenges associated with the career but here they present it as an advantage which makes them seem more suited to the career. It also show they're a curious and interested individual who enjoys learning. 

The introduction's final sentence offers an opportunity for interviewers to probe the candidate further, to explore their curiosity, and ask them to explain what exactly attracts them to lifelong learning. An astute candidate would recognise this and try to think of a suitable answer in advance.

Paragraph 2 

The second paragraph opens the body of the statement by exploring the author’s academic interests. As with some of the previous example body paragraphs, the writer shows their reflective ability by explaining what each of their subjects taught them, and the skills they developed and demonstrated as a result. They improve upon this further by linking these skills back to medicine and explaining why they are important for doctors. 

This paragraph demonstrates the author’s work-life balance by showing their varied interests in languages and music, all without wasting characters by saying this directly. They also mention the diverse range of patients they encountered during their volunteering, which again implies an empathetic and conscientious nature while showing an insight into a medical career (particularly regarding the vast diversity of the patient cohort treated by the NHS). 

Their explanation of the relevance of maths could be more detailed, but again this could be something the applicant is hoping to be questioned on at interview. The candidate comes across as thoughtful and multi-talented, with the ability to reflect on their decisions and experiences, and with a suitable insight into how their strengths would play well into a medical career. 

In this particular paragraph, there isn’t much explanation as to how they drew their inferences about what a medical career entails from their volunteering and work experience (and what exactly these entailed), but these are explored in more detail later in the statement.

P aragraphs 3 and 4 

The next two paragraphs discuss the candidate’s work experience, beginning with a single work experience placement in detail. This is a better approach than the large lists of placements seen in the previous example body paragraphs. The author talks about a specific scenario and shows that they paid attention during their shadowing while also illustrating their ability to reflect on these experiences and the precise skills involved. 

The skills they mention here – communication, empathy, resilience – are skills that they specifically talk about developing and demonstrating through their activities in other parts of the statement. This shows that they have taken their learning and used it to inform the focus of their personal development. They also not only state that these skills are important for medics, but also explain why this is. For example, they explain that communication is important in helping patients relax and engage with their healthcare, and that resilience is required to deal with the antisocial hours.

In this section, the applicant briefly mentions a specific medical condition. This shows that they were engaging with the science during their placement and also provides interviewers with an opportunity to test the applicant’s scientific knowledge. Knowing this, the candidate would likely research diabetic ketoacidosis in order to be able to impress the panel. 

The author mentions some other virtual work experience opportunities they’ve been involved with and sets themselves up to discuss what these placements taught them. They then go on to explain the actions they took as a result of this, showing that they really engaged with the virtual placements and could identify what they learned and their areas of weakness. This is linked well to further reading and research they carried out, which illustrates their curiosity and engagement with medical science and literature. 

The reference to the junior doctor strikes at the end shows that they have engaged with medical news as well as the ethical side of medicine, which is something that many medical schools place a lot of emphasis on at interviews. Ideally, this section would explain how exactly they explored these different specialties and illustrate what they learned and how they developed their learning from the books mentioned.

Paragraphs 5 and 6 

These paragraphs discuss the applicant’s hospital volunteering and other extracurricular activities. The applicant doesn’t just state that they’ve volunteered in a hospital but goes into depth about the precise skills they developed as a result. They include an anecdote to illustrate their ability to react quickly and calmly in emergency situations, which is a great way to show that they’ve been paying attention (though this should really be backed up with an explanation as to why this is important in medicine). 

The candidate also shows their patient-centred approach when discussing how they cared for demoralised patients (again illustrating empathy and compassion). This style of healthcare is something that the modern NHS is really trying to promote, so showing an awareness of this and an aptitude for applying it practically will really impress your assessors. 

The author demonstrates another core attribute for medical students when talking about how their work on the front door of the hospital improved their confidence in communication, and they once more link this back to medicine. This last section could benefit from further explanation regarding the nature of their work on the hospital door and exactly how they developed these skills. 

In the second of these sections, the candidate simultaneously reflects on the skills they learnt from their tennis and explains how these apply to medicine, showing insight into the profession by mentioning and showing awareness of the process of revalidation. This will show assessors that the candidate paid attention during their work experience, reflected on what they learned, and then identified a way they could work on these skills in their own life.

The author name-checks the Duke of Edinburgh Award but then goes on to explain how exactly this helped them grow as a person. They link back to resilience, a skill they mentioned in an earlier section as being important for medics.

The conclusion is succinct and direct. Although clichéd in parts, it does a good job of summarising the points the candidate has made throughout the statement. They demonstrate confidence and dedication, not by introducing any confusing new information, but rather by remaking and reinforcing some of the author’s original claims from the introduction.

The following example illustrates how not to approach your personal statement. Now that you’ve read through the analysis of previous example passages and a complete example statement, try going through this statement yourself to identify the main recurring weaknesses and points for improvement. We’ve pointed out a few of the main ones at the end. You can even redraft it as a practice exercise.

' ‍ The combination of science with empathy and compassion is what attracts me most to a career in medicine. However, I wanted to ensure that the career was right for me so I attended a Medic Insight course in my local hospital. I enjoyed the course and it gave me new insight - the lectures and accounts from medical students and doctors helped me realise that medicine was the career for me. I was also introduced to the concept of the diagnostic puzzle which now particularly interests me. This is the challenge doctors face when trying to make a diagnosis, as they have to avoid differential diagnoses and use their skills and past experiences to come to a decision and produce the right prognosis. In order to gain further insight into both the positives and downsides of being a doctor, I organised some work experience in my local GP’s surgery. I managed to see consultations for chest pain, headaches, contraception and some chronic conditions which was very interesting. I also sat in on and observed the asthma clinic, which proved to be a very educational experience. During my experience, I tried to chat to as many doctors as possible about their jobs and what they enjoyed. I recently took up some work volunteering in a local elderly care home. Many of the residents had quite complex needs making it arduous work, but I learned a lot about caring for different people and some appropriate techniques for making them feel comfortable and at home. I became a better communicator as a result of my experience Nevertheless I really enjoyed my time there and I found it fulfilling when the patients managed to have fun or see their family. I appreciated how doctors often have high job satisfaction, as when I managed to facilitate a resident to do something not otherwise available to them I felt like I was making a real difference. My academic interests have also been very useful in developing skills that will be crucial as a doctor. I chose to study Physics and business at a-level and these have helped me develop more of an interest in scientific research and understanding; I’ve also become a more logical thinker as a result of the challenging questions we receive in physics exams. I know how important communication is as a doctor so I chose to study Mandarin, a language I know to be spoken widely around the globe. I was the lead violin in my school orchestra and also took part in the wind band, showing that I was willing to throw myself into school life. I really enjoyed our school’s concert, in which I had to perform a solo and demonstrate that I could stay calm under pressure and cope with great responsibility and i think that I’m now a better leader. This skill has also been improved in roles within my school on the pupil council and as form captain, which have improved my self-confidence. I needed to work hard in order to achieve my bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards, and have dedicated much of my time outside school to this endeavour over the past few years. I endured weekly sessions of Taekwondo, worked voluntarily in the charity shop Barnardo’s and took part in violin lessons.  As I’ve demonstrated throughout this statement I have an affinity for music, and so at university I plan to get involved with orchestras and bands. I also want to widen my horizons and discover new interests and hobbies, while trying to make new friends and cultivate a good work-life balance. I’m also keen to hike in the university’s surrounding territories. If I were allowed to study medicine, it would not only allow me to achieve one of my life goals, but to prove to you that I can become an effective, and successful doctor. I am absolutely dedicated to the study of medicine and know that I have the prerequisite skils and qualities to thrive in medical school and become a credit to your institution.”

Weak personal statement example analysis

• This personal statement does have some promising features, but overall it isn’t well structured and lacks appropriate reflection and insight. You can see this by comparing it to the strong example above. The author in this weak example very rarely describes what exactly they learned or gained from an experience and rarely links this back to medicine. 
• It reads quite like a list, with the candidate reeling off the experiences they’ve had or activities they’ve taken part in, without going into any real depth. They also use some vocabulary that implies that they really weren’t enjoying these experiences, such as when they speak of ‘enduring’ their time doing taekwondo, or of caring for residents being ‘arduous’ work. You don’t have to enjoy every activity you take part in, but implying that caring for people (a huge part of the job you are applying for and claiming to enjoy) is something you consider a chore isn’t a great start. This statement also has some questionable grammar and punctuation errors, which raises a red flag. Don’t forget to proofread your statement carefully before you submit it.
• The candidate often starts off their sections in a promising way. For example, by stating that they started volunteering in a local GP practice to gain more insight into the profession, but they rarely actually follow through on this. You never find out what insight the candidate actually gained or how they used this to inform their decision to apply for medicine. 
• Such lack of explanation and specificity is a theme throughout the statement. In the introduction, they say that personal accounts and lectures confirmed their wish to become a doctor, but they don’t actually explain how or why. They mention that their school subjects have helped them think more logically or improved their communication skills (which is good), but then they never go on to explain why this is relevant to medicine. They talk about leadership and self-confidence but again don’t link this back to the importance of self-confidence and the prominence of leadership in a medical setting.

To create an effective medicine personal statement, you need to provide plenty of detail. This includes concrete experiences demonstrating qualities that make a good doctor. If you can do this authentically, humbly and without selling yourself short, your personal statement will be in very good shape.

‍ ‍ If you're looking for more inspiration to craft a compelling medicine personal statement, check out our Personal Statement Online Course . It has over 100 personal statement examples, in-depth tutorials, and guidance from admissions experts, to help you create a ready-to-submit personal statement in just three days.

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