How to Write Your Personal Statement for Medicine for University
Your personal statement is not the most important part of your medical application and some universities will not even read your personal statement. Some universities will highly value your personal statement however and most will expect it to be of a high standard. Please note the personal statement is being updated for 2025 entry and it is likely this new personal statement will consist of more specific questions to answer - although the basic principles will remain the same. For specific personal statement help and reviews click here.
The first general bit of advice is DO NOT READ ANY MEDICAL PERSONAL STATEMENTS until you have written your own. If you read other people's personal statements it suddenly becomes much harder to write your unique one. Write a nice draft of your own personal statement and then (and only then) you can read other people's and edit yours to improve it.
1. Beginning sentence
Your personal statement should begin with an initial sentence or two which mentions your general overview of why you wish to study medicine. This does not have to be some dramatic reason for studying medicine like doing CPR on a stranger or being gifted a chemistry set when you are seven. It is better if this is a general reason why you love medicine and what motivates you to want to apply to study it.
2. Science: Your Motivation and Passion
Explain why you are passionate about the science of studying medicine. Here you should discuss books you have read, science courses and any research you have done. It is better if you discuss extracurriculars, rather than things you have studied during your A-levels, as this shows how you have gone above and beyond to develop your science. Two or three courses/research/books etc will show the range of your personal development.
3. Work Experience: Your Relevant Experiences
This should be your largest paragraph - Here I would recommend highlighting any relevant experiences you have had in the field of medicine - including volunteering at a hospital, shadowing a doctor or working in a care home. Describe what you learned from these experiences and how they have affected your understanding of medicine, in particular emphasising any qualities you have developed, such as teamwork, communication, or problem-solving. It is also good to discuss here the realities of medicine, but why the benefits of studying medicine overweight the negatives.
5. Extracurriculars: Your skills
This paragraph should be your shortest. You should use it to mention all the extracurriculars you have taken part in and discuss how each of them has helped you develop an attribute for studying medicine.
For example:
DofE = teamwork/leadership
Musical Instrument = manual dexterity, passion
Raising money for charity = showing initiative, organisation
6. Conclusion sentence
Finally, add in your conclusion. This is just one sentence which summarises why you 'humbly' wish to study medicine. You should remain enthusiastic and discuss why you are excited (although be careful not to appear arrogant here).
Okay, now it's written...
So you have written an initial draft of your personal statement. What now? Well, now you need to go through and check that you haven't fallen into any traps that many students fall into. This includes:
Being overconfident about your ability to study medicine (confidence is good, overconfidence shows arrogance). This is the difference between saying I would appreciate the challenge of studying medicine and I will be a great doctor.
Being negative about any other healthcare profession(s). This is pretty self-explanatory but every worker in the NHS is vital to patient care (even if they never speak to a patient), and healthcare workers in the NHS work very very hard.
Pretending like medicine is always wonderful - Medicine is a great job, but it has its negatives - poor pay, long hours, and emotional toll. Personal statements which completely dismiss these issues suggest that you have not done enough work experience and do not know what medicine is really like (although OBVIOUSLY, you should not be too negative, just realistic).
Not reflecting on specific parts of your work experience/volunteering - If you list the work experience you have done, but show no reflection, then your personal statement will lack depth and will not be strong for your application.
Feeling like you have to mention everything you have done - It is sad but there will always be things you have achieved and extracurriculars/work experience you can't mention. Remember you can talk about these in your interview and it is more important to show reflection in your personal statement rather than listing all your achievements
And then...
Get several people to read through your personal statement. We recommend one friend (to proofread), teachers and school tutor (if you have one), family friends/parents and finally a tutor (click here and we can help). The more people you get to help - the better. However, remember that sometimes friends/parents will not give relevant advice for the medical personal statement so take it with a pinch of salt, but more proofreading is always better!
