lee4ever
16-07-2004, 10:22 PM
In view of the current 'application' season for UK medic aspirants, I think it's timely to start a new thread on writing an 'ideal' personal statement (p/s) for the UCAS form. It is important to realise that an impressive personal statement is equally as important as good predicted grades and.. yup.. a good open reference from your referee.
I would love to post my personal statement that I sent in last year but due to some unfortunate turn of events, which caused me to lose the last remaining copy of my p/s, I am unable to do so. However, I have come up with some pointers of writing a good p/s, which should hopefully sway the admission tutor's view in favour of yourself! This are, however, strictly my own opinion.
1) Content of the p/s: This is the most important part. The content of the p/s will definitely vary from one person to another, but I'll give a generalisation of the pertinent points that should be included in the p/s.
Paragraph 1: What sparked off your interest in medicine? (Talk a bit about your childhood/schooling days/family background & how it has resulted in your early inclination towards medicine) Warning: Never say that you chose medicine because of the money/glamour/title/status/you feel that you're smart etc etc. This will definitely work against your interest (i.e. sure kena reject one!)
What did you do in your primary/secondary school/college to further nurture your interest in medicine (OK... it would be good to mention here about involvement in extra co-curricular activities. e.g. St John Ambulance/Red Cresent which gave you an insight into the medical profession/sowed the seeds of medical aspiration. Leadership postions in school clubs/societies may be worth mentioning here since it is a way to serve your fellow students-sort of a moral responsibility)
Paragraph 2: Here's where you talk about your attachment in the hospital/shadowing doctors or equivalent. Try to give a clear, insightful explanation of what you did and most importantly, say what you learnt from your attachment. It's what you learnt & gained from the attachment that is more important, rather than just mentioning vaguely all the different departments that you were attached to, without saying what you benefitted from those attachments. Oh ya, don't forget to mention that from your attachement, you realise the challenges that a doctor will face, that it's not easy being a doctor. However, state that despite all the demanding nature of the job, it is the satisfaction of being able to make a difference to the patient's life, no matter how big or small that difference may be, that makes the effort worthwhile. (this will definetely make the admission tutor go: "oh my, this student really does have a realistic attitude towards medicine." Cool huh? :D )
Paragraph 3: Talk about your academic achievements in school so far to show that you are academically capable to meet the rigours of the medical course. Also, talk about your non-academic/co-curricular achievements, to show that you're an all-rounder and not just a good-for-nothing-except-studying bookworm. :D The admission tutors just luurve all-rounders. Mention about the titles of the books that you've read, just to show that you're a well-read & wee-informed person. (just make sure that the titles you mention aren't A-level texts!) Say that you're always interested in the latest developments in medicine/always read medical related news.(e.g. from New Scientist/Scientific American/The Lancet etc etc)
Paragraph 4: Your future plans and how you're going to use your medical education in the UK to fulfil those dreams. Don't forget to mention how you plan to contribute to your future uni in return: participate actively in student activities. Say that you hope to be an asset to your uni in the future.
2) Lenght of p/s: please note that the space given by UCAS on the form is very small, and would definitely not be enough if you want to include every single itsy-bitsy detail. OK... here's what you should do. Firstly, write a draft without limiting yourself to the space limit of the UCAS form. This will allow an uninhibited free flow of ideas. My first draft was four pages long! Then, read your draft again and cut down on the unnecessary bits, change the sentence structure in order to have shorter sentences, conveying the same idea and delivering the same impact as the original sentence. Join your ideas together where appropriate in a single sentence. I took nearly two months to come up with the final draft of my p/s!
3) Grammar: Please.. please use correct grammar, correct spelling etc etc. (Use UK spelling... not the US version) Have your English language lecturer/placement counsellor/friends/parents/brother/sister to proof-read your p/s. Ask them for their honest opinion and tell them not to be afraid to give their fair share of 'kutuking'!
Oh yeah, above all, don't be hesitant to spend too much time on preparing your p/s. Invest your time & effort in constructing your p/s and I'm sure you'll not regret it. Sure... it might even cause you to sacrifice your study time in order to do your p/s, but hey, without a good p/s, you might end up not getting a place in uni at all! Then, even straight As in your A-Levels would mean nothing at all.
Alrighty then, I think that's all for the time being. Hope this helps! Good luck in writing your p/s! :)
I would love to post my personal statement that I sent in last year but due to some unfortunate turn of events, which caused me to lose the last remaining copy of my p/s, I am unable to do so. However, I have come up with some pointers of writing a good p/s, which should hopefully sway the admission tutor's view in favour of yourself! This are, however, strictly my own opinion.
1) Content of the p/s: This is the most important part. The content of the p/s will definitely vary from one person to another, but I'll give a generalisation of the pertinent points that should be included in the p/s.
Paragraph 1: What sparked off your interest in medicine? (Talk a bit about your childhood/schooling days/family background & how it has resulted in your early inclination towards medicine) Warning: Never say that you chose medicine because of the money/glamour/title/status/you feel that you're smart etc etc. This will definitely work against your interest (i.e. sure kena reject one!)
What did you do in your primary/secondary school/college to further nurture your interest in medicine (OK... it would be good to mention here about involvement in extra co-curricular activities. e.g. St John Ambulance/Red Cresent which gave you an insight into the medical profession/sowed the seeds of medical aspiration. Leadership postions in school clubs/societies may be worth mentioning here since it is a way to serve your fellow students-sort of a moral responsibility)
Paragraph 2: Here's where you talk about your attachment in the hospital/shadowing doctors or equivalent. Try to give a clear, insightful explanation of what you did and most importantly, say what you learnt from your attachment. It's what you learnt & gained from the attachment that is more important, rather than just mentioning vaguely all the different departments that you were attached to, without saying what you benefitted from those attachments. Oh ya, don't forget to mention that from your attachement, you realise the challenges that a doctor will face, that it's not easy being a doctor. However, state that despite all the demanding nature of the job, it is the satisfaction of being able to make a difference to the patient's life, no matter how big or small that difference may be, that makes the effort worthwhile. (this will definetely make the admission tutor go: "oh my, this student really does have a realistic attitude towards medicine." Cool huh? :D )
Paragraph 3: Talk about your academic achievements in school so far to show that you are academically capable to meet the rigours of the medical course. Also, talk about your non-academic/co-curricular achievements, to show that you're an all-rounder and not just a good-for-nothing-except-studying bookworm. :D The admission tutors just luurve all-rounders. Mention about the titles of the books that you've read, just to show that you're a well-read & wee-informed person. (just make sure that the titles you mention aren't A-level texts!) Say that you're always interested in the latest developments in medicine/always read medical related news.(e.g. from New Scientist/Scientific American/The Lancet etc etc)
Paragraph 4: Your future plans and how you're going to use your medical education in the UK to fulfil those dreams. Don't forget to mention how you plan to contribute to your future uni in return: participate actively in student activities. Say that you hope to be an asset to your uni in the future.
2) Lenght of p/s: please note that the space given by UCAS on the form is very small, and would definitely not be enough if you want to include every single itsy-bitsy detail. OK... here's what you should do. Firstly, write a draft without limiting yourself to the space limit of the UCAS form. This will allow an uninhibited free flow of ideas. My first draft was four pages long! Then, read your draft again and cut down on the unnecessary bits, change the sentence structure in order to have shorter sentences, conveying the same idea and delivering the same impact as the original sentence. Join your ideas together where appropriate in a single sentence. I took nearly two months to come up with the final draft of my p/s!
3) Grammar: Please.. please use correct grammar, correct spelling etc etc. (Use UK spelling... not the US version) Have your English language lecturer/placement counsellor/friends/parents/brother/sister to proof-read your p/s. Ask them for their honest opinion and tell them not to be afraid to give their fair share of 'kutuking'!
Oh yeah, above all, don't be hesitant to spend too much time on preparing your p/s. Invest your time & effort in constructing your p/s and I'm sure you'll not regret it. Sure... it might even cause you to sacrifice your study time in order to do your p/s, but hey, without a good p/s, you might end up not getting a place in uni at all! Then, even straight As in your A-Levels would mean nothing at all.
Alrighty then, I think that's all for the time being. Hope this helps! Good luck in writing your p/s! :)