My Top Tips for Writing the Personal Statement

It’s usually around this time of the year when most Medicine applicants begin drafting their personal statement. With AS-Levels out of the way, it’s time to focus on your personal statement alongside with preparation for admissions tests and in this blog post I’ll be providing you with my best 10 tips for the former.

Tip #1:

The first thing that I really want to get out of the way is to let you know that you do not need to be a highly proficient writer in order to be able to write a good personal statement! It’s a huge misapprehension that one needs to use flowery and over-elaborate vocabulary to impress the Admissions Office. In fact, this can even prove to be a disadvantage because after all, UCAS has a character-limit and at the end of the day, it’s all about your content and presenting it in a formal but simple and understandable manner.

Tip #2:

In order to start writing your personal statement you need to begin with writing the introduction right? Wrong! The introduction can often be the hardest part to write. To capture the reader’s attention within just 2-3 lines can definitely feel like a lot of pressure and as a result most of us feel too intimidated to even begin. Therefore, something that I always recommend if you’re in a conundrum like this is to begin with writing the main body. Once you’ve drafted the main body and have a good knowledge of what the essential elements of your personal statement are, you can work on a strong introduction and conclusion that perfectly tie everything together and this time you’ll find it a lot easier to do so. Your introduction and conclusion do not need to be too long either – a few sentences will be perfectly sufficient.

Tip #3:

You must have heard of this one before but I’ll say it again, avoid all the clichés! Although it can be appealing sometimes and most applicants really do want to do Medicine because of their genuine desire to help people for the most part, you need to express what’s unique about you and give the universities a reason to pick you amongst the thousands of other applicants. The best way to avoid sounding too mainstream is to be specific. Your personal statement is about you, your story and your reasons behind opting for the medical course and field. It certainly does not have to be anything too dramatic but always keep your tone personal (it is known as the ‘personal’ statement after all) and be 100% honest.

Tip #4:

This tip follows what I stated previously and that is to always act with honesty and integrity and under no circumstance should you plagiarize anything! Although reading other example personal statements can be useful and help steer you in the right direction when you’re feeling clueless, be sure not to read too many of them for this can influence your thoughts and writing style as well. UCAS has a very strict checker for plagiarism and if you’re discovered your application would immediately be rejected, putting all of your efforts to waste.

Tip #5:

Be selective and original. Initially, you might have tons of ideas, achievements and experiences that you wish to include in your personal statement but it’s not always possible to do so because of the UCAS character-limit. However, when it comes to writing the PS, it’s more about quality over quantity. You must decide on a few key experiences to write about that truly express your motivation towards medicine. These can be things that are unique to you and you must be able to reflect on them well, perhaps even providing your own original insight that stands out from the crowd, always making a correlation with medicine and stating the qualities and skills you have imbibed through these experiences. You might also be questioned on just about anything on your personal statement during interviews, so make sure you are able to elaborate on anything you mention and if you seem to have a hard time doing so, it’s best to leave it out. Be sure not to unnecessarily include something like your grades or scores which have already been included elsewhere in your UCAS application. Addition, you shouldn’t worry too much even if you use a common structure or format; it’s your content that should mean something.

Tip #6:

Reflect, reflect, and reflect. Whether you write about your work experience, your volunteering initiatives, the subjects you’ve picked, a book you’ve read or a life experience, you must be able to explain how those things have helped you become a suitable applicant for medical school and furthermore, a useful member of the medical profession. While it is essential to have done or observed things in preparation for your medical school application, the skills that you have learnt and picked up along the way are most important. Being able to reflect correctly also shows that you have really taken the time to explore the career and have made a well-informed decision to pursue it.

Tip #7:

Always include a small segment on your hobbies and interests aside of academics. A lot of applicants don’t pay much heed to this aspect of the personal statement but it is integral because medical schools look for well-rounded individuals. Even for the more academic universities such as Oxbridge, you must include at least a few words on your hobbies and extra-curricular activities; thereby showing that you have a life outside of academics and a way to de-stress and remain balanced. This is an essential skill to have to help you get through the medical degree, or else you might burn out pretty fast! Most people believe that your hobbies specifically have to be some type of a sport or an athletic activity but it can be just about anything ranging from baking to an art form to public speaking. In many cases, you can even include how your hobbies display certain qualities you have that make your personality more suitable towards medicine. Examples of such qualities can be teamwork, commitment, communication, time-management or responsibility, to name a few.

Tip #8:

Be realistic. When deciding on a career, we are naturally inclined to focus on the many positive aspects of the profession rather than the negatives. However, along with your enthusiasm and motivation for medicine that you will be portraying in your personal statement, it’s important to show that you also have a realistic understanding of what the future as a medical student and further, as a member of the medical profession entails. You must make it clear to the Admissions Office that you are making a well-informed decision and are aware of the challenges the career holds, but are able and willing to combat these challenges.

Tip #9:

The fine line between sounding confident or arrogant; this is a challenge that many applicants seem to face. Although you definitely need to display yours qualities, skills and achievements on your personal statement, you must be cautious of your tone, ensuring that you don’t come off as boastful. The key to maintaining a good balance is to write about all your achievements as learning opportunities and reflect on your accomplishments and how they have helped you grow as an individual suitable for the medical profession. You must make sure not to come off as a know-it-all but instead, someone humble and willing to learn more. After all, that’s what you want to head to medical school for.

Tip #10:

Write as many drafts as you need to and always proofread. Nobody gets their personal statement just right with their first draft so it’s important that you keep working on it over time and save every change as a new draft. Once you are at a point where you think you’re happy with it, you must proofread every bit of it. Double check to see whether all of your grammar, syntax and punctuation is correct. Sometimes a word or two can be grammatically essential to a sentence and no matter how tempting it might seem to cut them out for the sake of meeting the character-limit, you shouldn’t! Always try to rephrase the sentence if you find yourself in such a dilemma. While proofreading, ensure that you have used all your characters wisely, relating everything to medicine and yourself and any bit that does not ‘add something’ to your personal statement should be removed. It can also be beneficial to send out your final draft for a review to teachers, friends and professionals in order to get another person’s perspective and suggestions on it. However, remember that you are not obliged to accept and incorporate anybody’s feedback. All final decisions regarding your personal statement should be made by you and what feels right to you.

I also offer a Free Personal Statement Review Service that you may choose to avail for more personalized advice and feedback.

Finally, start now! Often, starting is the hardest part but do not over-think it and do not hesitate. Before you know it, you’ll be done with your first draft!