Medicine personal statement

From an early age I have been fascinated by the workings of life. The human body is a remarkable machine with many diverse systems producing an organism that could never be artificially reproduced. My love of science is just one of my reasons for choosing medicine. I enjoy a challenge particularly towards a rewarding objective and although medicine is a tough career it can be enormously gratifying, highlighted by the doctors I have spoken to during my experience and on a personal level.

To further my insight into the medical field I participated in a work shadowing week at a GP surgery. I gained a valuable understanding of the workings of the surgery, with opportunities to observe and speak to the doctors regarding a medical career. I arranged another placement week myself at a local hospital, which was a superb opportunity to observe medicine from another point of view. I observed the ward rounds, an MRI scan, a skin biopsy and an endosocpy clinic all which I found interesting. I spent the most time with the haematology team, responsible for patients with diseases such as Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia (CML), haematology being one of my interests it was captivating that I could see the specialty from a more complex side than the AS biology course. For example I was able to understand how the level of platelets affects blood clotting. Throughout the week I expanded my confidence and communication skills through speaking to patients and doctors. Although I enjoyed the week it was at times extremely heart-rending, I was able to get close to many of the terminally ill patients helping and caring for them where I could, getting them tea or just talking and empathising with them to build their spirits. I volunteered at a local home for the elderly which was very rewarding as I built my caring skills, helping residents by making them tea or playing cards with them. At school I took part in a paired reading scheme for 6 months where I was able to help young children to read, speaking and listening to them to help their English. All my experience has made me more determined to accomplish my ambition to be a doctor.

My love of science and aspiration for a medical career is reflected in my A-Level choices where good time management, self motivated study skills and ability to cope with stress and pressure are essential. Biology and chemistry have helped me further my interest and develop my analytical skills, maths helps my problem solving skills helping me to work logically and ICT gives me a valuable insight into the rapidly developing technological world where computers are crucial. I believe all the qualities I have developed through my courses are essential for any good doctor.
I have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme which enabled me to achieve a first aid certificate including cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. I also enhanced my inter-personal, communication and team building abilities, valuable skills for any medical occupation, as I witnessed during my experience. For 2 years I have volunteered at a local vet hospital observing and helping out 2 hours per week communicating with the public in a different environment. I enjoy reading, mainly factual books to expand my general knowledge. To relax, I enjoy sports including football, and cricket for which I was captain of the school team and my local team for the past 3 years improving my leadership skills. I also recently rekindled my childhood passion for golf, another pastime I enjoy even if it is a little expensive!

I am a self motivated, determined individual and I look forward to the social and academic challenges of university. I am aware of the demands of a medical career but my commitment and desire to become a doctor has only been strengthened through my experience and work in a voluntary capacity.

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Comment by guest at 18:23:48 05/09/2004

I am coming at this from a slightly different angle from you being a graduate, and your personal statement does read very well. But there are a few points which I would not include, such as "the human body could never be artificially reproduced". Have you done your research on this statement, never say never... Also I have worked with terminally ill patients on an oncology ward and can you really say that you get to know these people well in the short space of 1 week, I think admissions tutors will think otherwise..
But apart from constructive comments above, I think its very good

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Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! by guest at 16:43:48 21/09/2006

thank you! iv been searching for a personal statement that was a bit like mine and i've finally found it. u r about to help me so much and i just thought il'd let u know!!!!Well done with getting accepted at so many places. Out of interest i was wondering if you could tell me how many lectures you have a week and how many hours work outside of lectures do you put in? i no this probanly sounds like I havent put any research in but I just wanted to know first hand off a student. :)

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hello by guest at 26/01/2007 20:18:47

hi. i just wanted to say that this PS is absolutely excellent. i am currenly in year 11 and studying towards my GCSE's, and i have always wanted to possess a medicine-based career since i was about 5 years of age. i m 16 now and still my desire to become a doctor is still very strong! i needed a bit of help for writing a PS for admission for college, along with a cv. i've done the cv and i love it! but all i needed now was how to put my PS together. after reading ths one, i m amazed. thanks for the help cz after reading this, my PS actually turned out to be one of the best out of all my class-fellows. thanks once again

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Comment by Daveo at 14/07/2007 10:38:11

Anyone that copied my statement here deserves to get caught. It isn't here to be copied, it is here to be an example. If you can't manage to put something together yourself then you're going to be awful doctors.

Also, to the person who said its NOT an example of a good personal statement. I've got a history of 4 interviews, 4 offers and being about to start my 5th yr at med school so it can't be that bad!

And yes, it would seem that I used the American version of CML, silly me.

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thanks! and help.. by guest at 04/08/2007 19:24:15

hey... i gota say this is a really good statement... 25th draft!? wow lol, but ofcourse it was worth it in the end... im in year 12 goin to 13 now and currently applying for medicine ... and i am structuring my personal statement based on yours.
But im having problems on what i can say about my subject a levels, maths chemistry biology and physics (nearly same as yours lol) so can u help?
i also havnt done that many awards which is a shame, i shuld have started the duke of edinburgh 2 years ago :P
but MAINLY: im nervous about the interview, was it really that hard or nerve racking? can you tel me how long it was, and what type of questions they asked you? thanks alot
plz reply

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Comment by guest at 13/09/2007 21:41:40

This personal statement is very well written and seems very interesting 2 read. Well done on producing sumtin as gud as this n congrats on gettin in2 medicine.

However, I have been reading the commentz 4rm other people n have also read the comments u have riten bk....n 2 tell u da truth u seem a bit arrogant and big headed....actually u seem very big headed! I mean the way you have responded 2 sum comments....it seems dat u have 2 b perfect in every single way n cannot accept ne kind of critism! U seem veri proud n keep boasting bout how u got 4 unconditional offers, which i am not denying is sumtin not 2 b proud bout coz it very well is, but da way u have riten it is juz making u seem arrogant n 2 gud 4 everytin n everybody else & dat is not particularly a gud quality 2 ave as a doctor.

Neway gud luk in ur life. Working as a doctor in such hectic environments, such as a hospital, will bound to produce sum kind of critism bout u, for example by patients....not all patients will b satisfied wid da service which dey have been given n will often complain 2 and about da doctors n so during those times u will ave 2 learn 2 accept those critism and hopefully u will not go n say 2 dese patients "well i got 4 unconditional offers 4 all ma uni choices so go n try n beat dat"!!!! because simply der is much more 2 life den this.

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Comment by guest at 04/10/2007 18:53:32

I like your statement. As has been said before, it has a good flow, accounts well for you personal experience and gives a pretty good sense of the kind of person you are.
But I also agree with some of the negative comments that have been made. Although it is hard not to fall into clichés, as all those aspiring to medical careers probably have close to the same motivations, your statement does seem rather hypocritical. In reading it attentively, one can see that you are rather proud of your accomplishments, which certainly isn't anything to be ashamed of, but you account for your life with a certain arrogance, paying more attention to what you might take from the people you attend, such as experience and qualities, rather than the satisfaction of giving to others, healing, and supporting the patients you might have cared for.
Therefore I am not certain that you as a person would enjoy persuing a career in medicine, where the purpose of your life is attending to those of others.
All the same I wish you luck in your futur.

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Comments by Daveo at 15/10/2007 21:09:51

Thanks again to everyone for the comments, I really enjoy coming back and reading them now and again (usually around application time)

To those that called me arrogant, i'm not really sure where that came from. In fact, in some ways I probably am arrogant, but in a completely different way to the vast majority of medical students.

Anyway, not to worry, i'm happy to take all comments on board including criticism, all I was saying by responding was that my statement had been successful. I could list loads of people who got 4 offers etc etc. I do like to point out to those who say its not a good statement that I did get offers but not to be arrogant.

Anyway thanks all, hope your applications go well. I'm doing my 5th year now and applying for my first job - guess what, another personal statemetn type thing to write.

good luck

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A word of warning. by guest at 30/12/2009 14:03:20

A very nicely written personal statement. A word of warning for people sourcing the best way to write a personal statement tho'. Medical School Selection boards regularly do what you are doing i.e. look at the internet to see what is out there! Taking great chunks of example statements and only changing the odd word or two makes for very boring reading.... and that is what so many people are doing !
I have just ploughed my way through 100s of applications that could all have been written by the same person and it was tedious in the extreem. So come on, lets have a little originality and stop going for the transparrent easy option!!!

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