Medicine Personal Statement Example 18

"The aim of Medicine is not to know the disease, but to relieve the suffering it causes." This quotation from Miguel Angel Garcia sums up why medicine is my career choice.

A close relative of mine fought cancer for two years. I was much younger then, and did not understand why the doctors only wanted to "make her comfortable", but now I do; and that is partly why I want to become a physician myself: not only to work on cures for various diseases but also to make ill people feel better, because, though I admire research, I first and foremost see myself as a practising physician.

Also, I have been fascinated with babies and pregnant women ever since a child, so fascinated in fact that for two years running I insisted every morning on my mother telling me the story of my birth.

From an early age on, then, this interest has led me gain a fair amount of knowledge on the human body and how it works.

I joined the Scouts when I was six years old, and continued with them for five years. During that time, I received a First-Aid badge and was nominated "Guide" of my group, which meant that I had to lead the way during orientation tests and hikes.

These made me develop leadership, communication and organisational skills that I have used and valued ever since.

More recently, I tried to volunteer at a local hospital, but the Portuguese NHS only accepts helpers over 18 years old. I

nstead, therefore, I volunteered at the Lisbon Zoo every weekend from December 2007 through April 2008.

This experience has taught me to deal with unexpected situations, because visitors were directed to me whenever they had a question and because I met new people every week, as the volunteer body was constantly changing.

I will take a First-Aid course with the Portuguese Red Cross from October 13th till 18th, and I have been accepted for a week of volunteering in the Health Centre of Sao Roque, in the island of Pico, Azores, during the month of April 2009 under the supervision of Dr. Merces Maciel.

Physical welfare is very important for me, and sports play a big role in my life. I have practised swimming for 12 years and, over the course of time, I have practised other sports, such as Taekwondo and Yoga, that taught me to relax in stressful times and environments.

I feel that such knowledge can be very helpful during University Exams time and while coping with the busy life of a Medical student. In school, I have always been an excellent student, with an interest not only in science-related disciplines, but also in Literature, Philosophy and languages.

I have always liked reading books, such as The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks or Metamorphosis by Kafka, that introduced me to the intricacies of the mind, with which I am fascinated this year in my Psychology course. In Philosophy, I have a deep interest in Ethics, a theme I believe to be very close to Medicine.

Next to Portuguese, I can speak and write English and French and can handle Spanish quite tolerably. I will sit the TOEFL on November 22nd.

A trait of my personality which I think differentiates me from other applicants is my creativity. I am a very creative and artistic person; I write poetry and make short movies.

Creativity is, in my opinion, a very important characteristic of a good physician, as it is a help during investigation processes and in difficult diagnosis situations.

In the future, I would like to specialise in Obstetrics, Paediatrics or Internal Medicine.

I have made the decision of studying in the UK because I believe that British universities rate among the finest in the world and because I want to learn from the top-people in the fast changing field of Medicine.

If I am given this opportunity, I am sure that it will be a wonderful experience that I will savour and cherish for the rest of my life, and that will make all the difference when it comes to advancing my career plans.