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Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Last updated: 29/6/2023

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Your UCAS personal statement is a chance to showcase the skills, attributes, and experiences which make you suited to studying medicine. This can be quite a daunting prospect, especially when you have to boil all that down to just 4,000 characters, or 47 lines. 

In this article, we will:

• Examine examples of strong and weak medicine personal statements (interested in dentistry? Check out dentistry personal statement examples )
• Help you learn what you should and shouldn't include in your medicine personal statement

Want to explore more examples? Our Personal Statement Course has over 100 personal statement examples to help you find your voice.

What you'll find in this article:

Personal statement example 1 – introduction

Personal statement example 2 – introduction, personal statement example 1 – main body, personal statement example 2 – main body, personal statement example 1 – conclusion, personal statement example 2 – conclusion, strong personal statement example, weak personal statement example, what should your personal statement include.

To get into medical school , your personal statement should:

• Demonstrate meaningful insight into the profession, in the form of work experience or independent research. This could be partly based on medical books or podcasts when medical work experience is not possible
• Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and experiences
• Mention your extracurricular activities
• Discuss your academic interests and achievements

'At the moment I am working towards A-Level Chemistry, Biology and Maths. I achieved my AS-Level in Spanish but decided to drop it to focus on my more medically relevant subjects. I’ve been dreaming of studying medicine since I was a young child, and this was only reinforced when I contracted measles during my primary school exams. This affected my performance, but I found that this motivated me rather than discouraged me. A particularly inspiring doctor was heavily involved in helping me deal with the pressure. I was inspired by her to become a doctor myself and help others in a similar way. I am particularly interested in science and as such the practical side of medicine interested me. I’ve always enjoyed chemistry and biology the most, and have best learned when trying to link the pure science I learn in school back to it's practical and useful real-world applications. This is what is particularly interesting about medicine to me - you can apply pure, evidence-based science in a clinical and practical setting to have an obvious positive effect. Inspired by this interest, I invested in a subscription to the New Scientist magazine. I’ve read about a huge number of fascinating discoveries and how they’ve been applied in medical settings.'

This introductory section has some promising features, but there are areas the author could improve:

• The introductory sentence doesn’t catch the reader’s attention or hold much relevance for a medical personal statement. This sentence would be better suited to a subsequent section on the author’s academic achievements, and it would need to be supplemented with a suitable explanation as to why the chosen subjects are relevant for medicine. 
• The author uses an anecdote to illustrate why they first developed an interest in medicine. This is a good idea, but the anecdote they've chosen is not the most suitable. It references ‘primary school exams’, which uses the cliché of wanting to do medicine from a young age. This is not only overused, but is also underdeveloped. 
• The applicant mentions feeling under pressure for these primary school exams. This won’t fill the reader with confidence that the author will be able to cope with the demands of medical school and a career as a doctor. 
• The introduction should open with the anecdote rather than academic achievements. A strong and memorable opening line will catch the admission tutor’s attention, and gives the student an opportunity to summarise why they want to study medicine.
• It is far too long. A good introduction should be around 4-6 lines.

There are some parts of the introduction that are more effective:

• The part discussing why they enjoy chemistry and biology is useful – it links their love for pure science back to the passion they mentioned earlier for helping people. This demonstrates the blend of empathy and interest in science that medical schools will be looking for. 
• The same part also introduces the candidate’s reading of medical literature, which they could choose to discuss in more depth later in the statement, or which might be something that interviewers could choose to examine in more detail.

'From a young age, my real fascination in life has been science - in particular, the incredible intricacy of the human body. My passion to discover more about its inner workings fuelled my motivation to study medicine, and the challenging yet rewarding nature of the job leaves me certain that I want to pursue it as a career. I think that my chosen A-Levels have only made me more determined to become a doctor, while simultaneously allowing me to develop and improve my skills. I have become a better problem-solver by studying physics and maths, while also learning the importance of accuracy and attention to detail. I’ve particularly enjoyed chemistry, which has again helped me improve my problem solving skills and my ability to think rationally and logically. Throughout my chemistry and biology A-Levels, I’ve been required to engage in practical work which has taught me how to design and construct an experiment. I’ve also become better at communicating with other members of my team, something I witnessed the importance of during my work experience in A&E. During recent months, I’ve started reading more medical publications such as the Lancet and the British Medical Journal. I’ve been particularly interested in how this evidence-based science can be applied to clinical practice to really make an impact on patients.'

This introduction contains some useful reflection and demonstrates some insight, but is quite jumbled. The main areas of weakness are as follows:

• The content is good but much of it would be better suited to a later section and should be explored in more detail while being linked back to medicine (for example, the whole second half could be included in a longer segment on academia). 
• The applicant mentions that they improved their problem-solving skills. How did they do this? Why is this important in medicine? 
• They say that medicine is demanding but that this attracts them to the job. What experiences have they had to show the demanding nature of it? Why does this attract them to it? 
• The author also briefly mentions a stint of work experience in A&E, but the rushed nature of the introduction means that they can’t go into detail about the experience or reflect on what exactly they learned from it. 
• Similar to example 1, this introduction includes some clichés which detract from the author’s overall message. For example, that they have wanted to do medicine from a young age or that they love science (with no further explanation as to why). 
• It is far too long. Again, an introduction should be a succinct summary of why you're interested in medicine, and not a brief account of all of your experiences.

The stronger parts of this introduction include the following:

• The author does demonstrate that they can reflect on the skills they’ve improved through experience. For example, the analytical and problem-solving skills they gained from chemistry.
• The candidate shows an understanding of the link between evidence-based science and clinical application when discussing how they did further research around their physics course. This shows a good level of curiosity and insight.

'I first became interested in studying medicine when I carried out a work experience placement with my father an elderly care specialist. I really enjoyed the experience and it gave me a deeper insight into the challenges doctors face. I now believe that I better understand the resilience - both mental and physical - that doctors need to cope with the heavy workload and emotional challenges. A few months ago I was given the opportunity to attend work experience in St Mary’s hospital in Manchester where I visited and observed many different specialties and areas of the hospital like A&E and the labs and witnessed how doctors carried out their jobs. For the past year I’ve been doing some other volunteering work too, such as, taking meals around to patients on the ward, asking them about their experience in the hospital and just chatting with them about how they’re feeling. They’re often delighted to have someone to talk to especially during Covid when they weren’t allowed to receive visitors. I saw how my communication and empathy made a real impact on the mood of the lonelier patients. I spent a few days working in the same hospital, shadowing doctors and Allied Health professionals in the stroke ward. I became much more familiar with the process doctors used for treating stroke patients, and developed an understanding of the role that physiotherapists and occupational therapists have in their rehabilitation. On top of that I organised a placement with the emergency medicine doctors and spent time in the haemapheresis unit at St Mary’s.'

This example does contain some of the features we look for in a complete main body section but could definitely be improved: 

• The main issue with this is the list-like presentation, which goes hand-in-hand with a general lack of reflection or insight. Although it is good to discuss your work experience in your personal statement, it would be far better if the candidate focused on just one or two of the experiences mentioned, but went into far more detail about what they learned and the insight they gained. For example, after mentioning the role of Allied Health Professionals in the rehabilitation of stroke patients, they could go on to discuss how they came to appreciate the importance of these healthcare workers, and how the contribution of all these individuals within the multidisciplinary team is so important to achieving good outcomes.
• Statements like ‘I [...] witnessed how doctors carry out their jobs’ make it seem as if the candidate really wasn’t paying attention. They need to explain what they mean by this. Were they impressed by the doctors’ effective teamwork and communication skills, or perhaps by their positive attitude and morale? Did they seem well-trained and effective? What did they learn from this that might help them in the future?  ‍
• Similarly, the student simply states that they saw the effect of empathy on patients: ‘I saw how my communication and empathy made a real impact on the mood of the lonelier patients.’ This adopts a ‘telling’ approach, when the student needs to adopt a ‘showing’ approach. Simply telling us that they saw something does not adequately demonstrate an understanding of why those qualities are important, or what they actually mean. What does it mean to have empathy? What does that look like in real terms? How did they use it? What was the effect? Showing the tutor that you are empathetic is important, but simply saying it is disingenuous and shows a lack of understanding.
• The candidate spends a number of characters name-dropping the exact hospital they visited and its location, which isn’t the best use of valuable space, as it has no real impact on the message they’re trying to convey.
• Generally, it isn’t a good idea to talk about work experience with family members. Of course, this might be the reality, but try to have some other placements that you’ve organised yourself so that it doesn’t appear as if your family are doing all the hard work for you. At the very least, you could simply leave this information out.
• There are a few grammatical errors here, especially regarding the use of commas. It’s important to use a spell checker or to ask an English teacher to check your work for you before submitting your statement.

The better features of this example are:

• The candidate does show some insight into the role of a doctor when they talk about the resilience required by doctors to cope with the hard hours and challenging conditions. They just need to reflect in this way in other parts of the section, too.
• The author has clearly done a lot of work experience and is right to discuss this in their personal statement. Just remember that you don’t need to squeeze in every single little placement.

'I was pleased to be appointed as head boy in my last year of school, and as part of this role I headed up the school safety office. I carried out inspections of the dormitories, roll calls and helped in the running of school festivals and activity days. The office I was in charge of needed to ensure the safety of every student in the school and I helped plan and lead drills to prepare the students for storms, floods and fires. This role has made me a far better leader, and I also believe that I am now far more calm and logical when working under pressure or in uncertain situations. I’ve been an editor on the online school blog for over 2 years now and the experience has taught me how to work effectively in a team when under time pressure. In order to meet my deadlines I needed to remain motivated even when working independently, and I think that the diligence and work ethic I’ve developed as a result will be incredibly useful to me as a medical student. I took on the role of financial director for both the table tennis club and Model United Nations at my school. At first I struggled with the weight of responsibility as I was in charge of all of the clubs’ money and expenditures. However, I am now a far more organised individual as I came to appreciate the value of concise paperwork and of keeping a record of my actions. I not only manage the funds of the table tennis club but am also a regular member of it. I often play independently, and the lack of a specific coach means that I have to identify my own strengths and weaknesses. I am now far better at being honest about my weaknesses and then devising strategies for working on them. The sport has also allowed me to demonstrate my ability to work well in a team, but also to get my head down and work independently when necessary.'

This example is generally well written and showcases some of the features of a good main body section. However, there are some areas that can be improved:

• This section would benefit from the ‘show, don’t tell’ approach. Instead of explaining specific situations or events through which the candidate demonstrated certain attributes, they simply state them and then link them vaguely to a more general role or activity.
• The bigger problem, however, is that the author mentions a wide range of skills but falls short in linking these back to medicine.  ‍ For example, after reflecting on their role in the school safety office and the leadership skills they developed as a result, the author could talk about the senior role that doctors have within the multidisciplinary team and the importance of good leadership in a medical setting.  Similarly, the author mentions their ability to work independently but should really round this off by describing how this would benefit them in medical school, as the ability to progress your learning independently is crucial to success there. The student mentions an understanding of and proficiency with paperwork and recording their actions. Doctors must constantly do this when writing notes for each patient, so the candidate should really try to mention this in their statement to explain why their skills would be useful. The mention of teamwork could be followed by an explanation of why it is important in a medical setting and how the applicant witnessed this during their medical work experience. Finally, when the student talks about being able to identify and work on their weaknesses, they could use this as an opportunity to demonstrate further insight into the medical profession by discussing the importance of revalidation and audit in the modern NHS, or talking about how important it is for doctors to be able to work on their areas of weakness. 

Better aspects of this example:

• The applicant doesn’t simply list the activities they have been a part of, but also explains what they learned from these and the skills and attributes they developed as a result. This reflective ability is exactly what assessors will be looking for.
• The tone of the section is appropriate. The applicant doesn’t appear arrogant or over-confident, but at the same time, they manage to paint themselves in a good light, highlighting their range of skills relevant to medicine.
• This example uses the character count effectively. Unlike the earlier examples, almost all of the sentences serve a purpose and are succinct.
• They demonstrate a wide range of skills, most of which are very relevant to medicine.

' I am a resilient and empathetic individual and I think that I have the qualities to thrive despite the social and academic challenges of university. Through my work experience I’ve gained an insight into the difficulties doctors face but this has not dampened my enthusiasm. My placements and voluntary work have only strengthened my commitment and dedication to studying medicine.'

The effectiveness of a conclusion depends on the rest of the statement before it, so it is hard to judge how good a conclusion is without seeing what the candidate has mentioned in the rest of their statement. Assuming this follows on logically from the statement, however, we can say that this conclusion is generally good for the following reasons:

• It is brief, to the point, and highlights that the student holds some of the skills doctors need (this would of course need to be backed up with examples in the rest of the statement). 
• The author doesn’t introduce any new ideas here, as that would be inappropriate, but rather reiterates their determination, which is exactly what admissions tutors want to see. 
• The author demonstrates a balanced understanding of the demands of a medical career, illustrating this is a decision they have made rationally while considering the implications of their choice. 

As is always the case, this conclusion could still be improved:

• The mention of the social challenges of university is a bit too honest, even though these exist for everyone. Mentioning them could give the impression that the student struggles socially (which is not something they would want to highlight), or that they intend to dive into the social side of university at the expense of their studies. 
• If the candidate really insists on mentioning the social side, they should at least do this after discussing academics, and they should do it in the body of the statement, where they have space to explain what exactly they mean.
• The student describes themselves as empathetic. This should be avoided, as it should be evident from the statement itself.

'Over the years I have built up a large and extensive set of medical work experiences and volunteering opportunities. These have allowed me to demonstrate my ability to communicate effectively and work in a team, and they will allow me to become a more diligent student and effective doctor. I think that this, alongside my ability and strength of character mean that I should be considered for this course. I am excited to get started and begin to put my skills to good use.'

This is a reasonably strong conclusion. It provides a to-the-point summary of why the author believes they should be selected to study medicine and shows their excitement for starting this journey. However, there are some parts of this example that could be improved: 

• The author mentions 'ability' and 'strength of character.' These are nebulous terms and not specific to medicine or a medical degree in any way.
• The mention of a 'large and extensive range of medical work experiences' indicates overconfidence. Medical applicants are not expected to have any medical ability or any 'large and extensive range' of medical experience, nor is it probable that this candidate actually does (otherwise they wouldn’t need to go to medical school in the first place). Rather, medical students need a suitable set of skills and attributes in order to make the most of their medical education and become an effective doctor.
• On a similar note, the applicant says that their range of medical work experience will make them a better student and doctor, but this is only true if they can reflect on their experience and learn from it. Impassively watching an operation or clinic without properly engaging with it won’t make you a better doctor in the future.

We’ll now go on to look at an example of a strong personal statement. No personal statement is perfect, but this example demonstrates a good level of reflection, engagement and suitability to study medicine (we know this because the writer of this statement went on to receive four offers). 

It goes without saying that plagiarism of any of these examples is a bad idea. They are known to medical schools and will be flagged up when run through plagiarism detection software. 

Use these as examples of ways you could structure your own statement, how to reflect on experiences, and how to link them back to medicine and demonstrate suitable insight and motivation. 

'It is the coupling of patient-centred care with evidence-based science that draws me to medicine. The depth of medical science enthrals me, but seeing complex pathology affecting a real person is what drives home my captivation. As a doctor, you are not only there for people during their most vulnerable moments but are empowered by science to offer them help, and this capacity for doing good alongside the prospect of lifelong learning intrigues me. In recent years I have stayed busy academically - despite my medical focus I have kept a range of interests, studying Spanish and German to grow my social and cultural awareness and playing the violin and drums in groups to improve my confidence when working in teams and performing. This is similar to the team-working environment that dominates in medical settings, and I have found that my awareness of other cultures is a great help when interacting with the hugely diverse range of patients I meet during my volunteering work. The independent projects I am undertaking for my A-levels teach me how to rigorously construct and perform experiments, process data and present findings, developing my written communication. My work experience showed me the importance of these skills when making patients’ notes, and of course, medical academia must be concisely written and well constructed and communicated. Maths teaches me to problem-solve and recognise patterns, vital skills in diagnosis. Over the past two years, I have actively sought out and planned work experience and volunteering opportunities. My time last year in Critical Care showed me the importance of communication in healthcare to ensure patients understand their diagnosis and feel comfortable making decisions. I saw the value of empathy and patience when a doctor talked to a patient refusing to take her insulin and suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis. They tried to understand her position and remain compassionate despite her refusal. My experience deepened my insight into the realities of a medical career, as we were at the hospital for more than ten hours a day with breaks and lunches cut short by bleeps or calls from the ward. This helped me understand the physical resilience required by staff as I also came to appreciate the immense emotional burden they often had to bear. Despite this, the brilliant staff remained motivated and compassionate which I found inspirational. The Brighton and Sussex Medical School work experience and Observe GP courses I completed put emphasis on the value of holistic, patient-centred care, introducing me to specialities I had not previously considered such as geriatrics and oncology. Inspired by my experience I explored a variety of specialisms, reading memoirs (Do no harm) and textbooks (Oxford handbook of clinical medicine) alike. I investigated medical politics with my English persuasive piece, discussing the ethics behind the junior doctor strikes of 2016. I have been volunteering in a hospital ward since January, which helps improve my confidence and communication skills when talking to patients and relatives. I showed my ability to deal with unexpected situations when I found a patient smoking whilst on oxygen, and acted quickly to tell nurses. Over lockdown I felt privileged offering lonely patients some tea and a chat and seeing their mood change - it taught me that medicine is about treating patients as individuals, not a diagnosis. My work on the hospital door taught me to stay calm and interact assuredly with visitors, vital skills in public-service jobs like medicine. I coach tennis at a local club, planning and running sessions for younger children. I am responsible for players' safety and must manage risk while showing leadership qualities by making the sessions fun and inclusive. As a player, I am part of the self-run performance team, which forces me to better my ability without coaching. This means developing self-reflection and insight into my weaknesses, which I know to be integral skills for medics. One of the doctors I shadowed during my work experience was just starting her revalidation process and I saw the importance of self-awareness and honest reflection in meeting her targets and becoming a better doctor. I achieved my Gold Duke of Edinburgh certificate of achievement (and the Bronze and Silver awards), exhibiting my commitment and ability to self-reflect and improve. On our Silver expedition, we experienced severe rain, showing resilience by continuing when our kit was wet from day one. My diligence and academic ability will allow me to thrive in medical school, and I have the prerequisite qualities to become a compassionate and effective doctor. Despite the obstacles, I am determined to earn the privilege of being able to improve peoples' health. This is something that excites me and a career I would happily dedicate my life to.'

Strong personal statement example analysis

Introduction.

This statement is a good example of how a personal statement should be constructed and presented. The introduction is short and to the point, only dealing with the candidate’s motivations to study medicine while also demonstrating an insight into what the career involves. 

They demonstrate their insight briefly by mentioning that medicine involves lifelong learning. This is often seen as one of the challenges associated with the career but here they present it as an advantage which makes them seem more suited to the career. It also show they're a curious and interested individual who enjoys learning. 

The introduction's final sentence offers an opportunity for interviewers to probe the candidate further, to explore their curiosity, and ask them to explain what exactly attracts them to lifelong learning. An astute candidate would recognise this and try to think of a suitable answer in advance.

Paragraph 2 

The second paragraph opens the body of the statement by exploring the author’s academic interests. As with some of the previous example body paragraphs, the writer shows their reflective ability by explaining what each of their subjects taught them, and the skills they developed and demonstrated as a result. They improve upon this further by linking these skills back to medicine and explaining why they are important for doctors. 

This paragraph demonstrates the author’s work-life balance by showing their varied interests in languages and music, all without wasting characters by saying this directly. They also mention the diverse range of patients they encountered during their volunteering, which again implies an empathetic and conscientious nature while showing an insight into a medical career (particularly regarding the vast diversity of the patient cohort treated by the NHS). 

Their explanation of the relevance of maths could be more detailed, but again this could be something the applicant is hoping to be questioned on at interview. The candidate comes across as thoughtful and multi-talented, with the ability to reflect on their decisions and experiences, and with a suitable insight into how their strengths would play well into a medical career. 

In this particular paragraph, there isn’t much explanation as to how they drew their inferences about what a medical career entails from their volunteering and work experience (and what exactly these entailed), but these are explored in more detail later in the statement.

P aragraphs 3 and 4 

The next two paragraphs discuss the candidate’s work experience, beginning with a single work experience placement in detail. This is a better approach than the large lists of placements seen in the previous example body paragraphs. The author talks about a specific scenario and shows that they paid attention during their shadowing while also illustrating their ability to reflect on these experiences and the precise skills involved. 

The skills they mention here – communication, empathy, resilience – are skills that they specifically talk about developing and demonstrating through their activities in other parts of the statement. This shows that they have taken their learning and used it to inform the focus of their personal development. They also not only state that these skills are important for medics, but also explain why this is. For example, they explain that communication is important in helping patients relax and engage with their healthcare, and that resilience is required to deal with the antisocial hours.

In this section, the applicant briefly mentions a specific medical condition. This shows that they were engaging with the science during their placement and also provides interviewers with an opportunity to test the applicant’s scientific knowledge. Knowing this, the candidate would likely research diabetic ketoacidosis in order to be able to impress the panel. 

The author mentions some other virtual work experience opportunities they’ve been involved with and sets themselves up to discuss what these placements taught them. They then go on to explain the actions they took as a result of this, showing that they really engaged with the virtual placements and could identify what they learned and their areas of weakness. This is linked well to further reading and research they carried out, which illustrates their curiosity and engagement with medical science and literature. 

The reference to the junior doctor strikes at the end shows that they have engaged with medical news as well as the ethical side of medicine, which is something that many medical schools place a lot of emphasis on at interviews. Ideally, this section would explain how exactly they explored these different specialties and illustrate what they learned and how they developed their learning from the books mentioned.

Paragraphs 5 and 6 

These paragraphs discuss the applicant’s hospital volunteering and other extracurricular activities. The applicant doesn’t just state that they’ve volunteered in a hospital but goes into depth about the precise skills they developed as a result. They include an anecdote to illustrate their ability to react quickly and calmly in emergency situations, which is a great way to show that they’ve been paying attention (though this should really be backed up with an explanation as to why this is important in medicine). 

The candidate also shows their patient-centred approach when discussing how they cared for demoralised patients (again illustrating empathy and compassion). This style of healthcare is something that the modern NHS is really trying to promote, so showing an awareness of this and an aptitude for applying it practically will really impress your assessors. 

The author demonstrates another core attribute for medical students when talking about how their work on the front door of the hospital improved their confidence in communication, and they once more link this back to medicine. This last section could benefit from further explanation regarding the nature of their work on the hospital door and exactly how they developed these skills. 

In the second of these sections, the candidate simultaneously reflects on the skills they learnt from their tennis and explains how these apply to medicine, showing insight into the profession by mentioning and showing awareness of the process of revalidation. This will show assessors that the candidate paid attention during their work experience, reflected on what they learned, and then identified a way they could work on these skills in their own life.

The author name-checks the Duke of Edinburgh Award but then goes on to explain how exactly this helped them grow as a person. They link back to resilience, a skill they mentioned in an earlier section as being important for medics.

The conclusion is succinct and direct. Although clichéd in parts, it does a good job of summarising the points the candidate has made throughout the statement. They demonstrate confidence and dedication, not by introducing any confusing new information, but rather by remaking and reinforcing some of the author’s original claims from the introduction.

The following example illustrates how not to approach your personal statement. Now that you’ve read through the analysis of previous example passages and a complete example statement, try going through this statement yourself to identify the main recurring weaknesses and points for improvement. We’ve pointed out a few of the main ones at the end. You can even redraft it as a practice exercise.

' ‍ The combination of science with empathy and compassion is what attracts me most to a career in medicine. However, I wanted to ensure that the career was right for me so I attended a Medic Insight course in my local hospital. I enjoyed the course and it gave me new insight - the lectures and accounts from medical students and doctors helped me realise that medicine was the career for me. I was also introduced to the concept of the diagnostic puzzle which now particularly interests me. This is the challenge doctors face when trying to make a diagnosis, as they have to avoid differential diagnoses and use their skills and past experiences to come to a decision and produce the right prognosis. In order to gain further insight into both the positives and downsides of being a doctor, I organised some work experience in my local GP’s surgery. I managed to see consultations for chest pain, headaches, contraception and some chronic conditions which was very interesting. I also sat in on and observed the asthma clinic, which proved to be a very educational experience. During my experience, I tried to chat to as many doctors as possible about their jobs and what they enjoyed. I recently took up some work volunteering in a local elderly care home. Many of the residents had quite complex needs making it arduous work, but I learned a lot about caring for different people and some appropriate techniques for making them feel comfortable and at home. I became a better communicator as a result of my experience Nevertheless I really enjoyed my time there and I found it fulfilling when the patients managed to have fun or see their family. I appreciated how doctors often have high job satisfaction, as when I managed to facilitate a resident to do something not otherwise available to them I felt like I was making a real difference. My academic interests have also been very useful in developing skills that will be crucial as a doctor. I chose to study Physics and business at a-level and these have helped me develop more of an interest in scientific research and understanding; I’ve also become a more logical thinker as a result of the challenging questions we receive in physics exams. I know how important communication is as a doctor so I chose to study Mandarin, a language I know to be spoken widely around the globe. I was the lead violin in my school orchestra and also took part in the wind band, showing that I was willing to throw myself into school life. I really enjoyed our school’s concert, in which I had to perform a solo and demonstrate that I could stay calm under pressure and cope with great responsibility and i think that I’m now a better leader. This skill has also been improved in roles within my school on the pupil council and as form captain, which have improved my self-confidence. I needed to work hard in order to achieve my bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards, and have dedicated much of my time outside school to this endeavour over the past few years. I endured weekly sessions of Taekwondo, worked voluntarily in the charity shop Barnardo’s and took part in violin lessons.  As I’ve demonstrated throughout this statement I have an affinity for music, and so at university I plan to get involved with orchestras and bands. I also want to widen my horizons and discover new interests and hobbies, while trying to make new friends and cultivate a good work-life balance. I’m also keen to hike in the university’s surrounding territories. If I were allowed to study medicine, it would not only allow me to achieve one of my life goals, but to prove to you that I can become an effective, and successful doctor. I am absolutely dedicated to the study of medicine and know that I have the prerequisite skils and qualities to thrive in medical school and become a credit to your institution.”

Weak personal statement example analysis

• This personal statement does have some promising features, but overall it isn’t well structured and lacks appropriate reflection and insight. You can see this by comparing it to the strong example above. The author in this weak example very rarely describes what exactly they learned or gained from an experience and rarely links this back to medicine. 
• It reads quite like a list, with the candidate reeling off the experiences they’ve had or activities they’ve taken part in, without going into any real depth. They also use some vocabulary that implies that they really weren’t enjoying these experiences, such as when they speak of ‘enduring’ their time doing taekwondo, or of caring for residents being ‘arduous’ work. You don’t have to enjoy every activity you take part in, but implying that caring for people (a huge part of the job you are applying for and claiming to enjoy) is something you consider a chore isn’t a great start. This statement also has some questionable grammar and punctuation errors, which raises a red flag. Don’t forget to proofread your statement carefully before you submit it.
• The candidate often starts off their sections in a promising way. For example, by stating that they started volunteering in a local GP practice to gain more insight into the profession, but they rarely actually follow through on this. You never find out what insight the candidate actually gained or how they used this to inform their decision to apply for medicine. 
• Such lack of explanation and specificity is a theme throughout the statement. In the introduction, they say that personal accounts and lectures confirmed their wish to become a doctor, but they don’t actually explain how or why. They mention that their school subjects have helped them think more logically or improved their communication skills (which is good), but then they never go on to explain why this is relevant to medicine. They talk about leadership and self-confidence but again don’t link this back to the importance of self-confidence and the prominence of leadership in a medical setting.

To create an effective medicine personal statement, you need to provide plenty of detail. This includes concrete experiences demonstrating qualities that make a good doctor. If you can do this authentically, humbly and without selling yourself short, your personal statement will be in very good shape.

‍ ‍ If you're looking for more inspiration to craft a compelling medicine personal statement, check out our Personal Statement Online Course . It has over 100 personal statement examples, in-depth tutorials, and guidance from admissions experts, to help you create a ready-to-submit personal statement in just three days.

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Personal Statement: Extra-Curricular Activities

Introduction.

When thinking about extra-curricular activities it is sometimes difficult to decide what to include and what not to in your personal statement. There are many things you can talk about.   Volunteering, Schemes and Hobbies. These are the three main categories that you want to include. 

• Volunteering – experiences such as volunteering in a care home, hospice or with charities are great to mention. This can help to demonstrate your commitment to a caring role, especially if you have undertaken this volunteering over a long period of time. Remember to think about what your learnt, as your reflection is what the examiner is often looking for.
• Schemes – such as Young Enterprise. This experience will have provided you with some great skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication skills. Think about what you learnt while completing such a scheme, as well as why these skills are essential for doctors to have. 
• Hobbies – Sports and music are great examples here. Think about why you enjoy doing a particular sport of musical instrument for example. Also think about why it is important to have a good work-life balance when studying at university. 

How do I talk about my extracurricular activities? 

Try to link your activities to skills that you have learnt through them, and then on to why you ultimately want to study medicine, and how this will help you. This shows insight and maturity of thought.  

There is more to university than just medicine , and medical schools do want to hear about that aspect of you too. It is really important that you show you do more than just produce good grades. Extracurricular activities is a great way of showing that you do more than just study, so make sure to include it. Some universities even penalise you for not including any information about your extracurriculars. 

Be enthusiastic in your tone, – similarly to your introduction you want to make sure that you have an enthusiastic tone in your writing, however remember it is an academic piece of writing. Therefore, try to avoid talking about things such as watching TV, instead think about sports and other extracurricular activities you do. 

Worked Examples

We wanted to show you a bad and good example of what you can write. These are generic examples, but please do make your own. Remember medical schools want to hear about your unique experiences and what you have learnt. Also they may ask you about it at interview, so be sure to be truthful with your examples. 

“I have a grade 2 piano, and I like playing football every week.”

This is a bad example because the student has just listed what they have done/do. This doesn’t show what you have learnt from your extracurriculars or why you enjoy them. Instead try to focus on one and explain it in more detail.

“I have a passion for creative projects, so being part of a Young Enterprise company enabled me to nurture my skills and explore the world of business. I learnt invaluable lessons on teamwork and leadership. This has also helped completement my role as Captain of the School Football Team.”

This example is much more interesting and you have told the reader much more detail. The reflection on what you have learnt with regards to skills is what they are looking for. You could further add a specific example about your project for a more indepth answer. Do remember the character count, so you may not be able to do this. You can always go into more detail in your interview if asked about this.

Hopefully this helped  guide you as to what to and what not to include, as well as how to write about your extracurricular activities in an interesting way. It is always important to remember that many medical schools mark your personal statements, just like an essay, and this can help to decide which applicants are shortlisted for an interview. It is likely extra-curricular activities on this shortlist, therefore mentioning these is very important.  

Frequently Asked Question

→what kind of extra-curricular activities should be included in a personal statement.

Extra-curricular activities that should be included in a personal statement include activities that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, communication skills, and community involvement. These can include volunteering, sports teams, clubs, student government, or other leadership positions.

→How should extra-curricular activities be presented in a personal statement?

Extra-curricular activities should be presented in a way that highlights the skills and qualities that they have developed through participation. Candidates should provide specific examples and describe their impact on the activity or organization.

→What are some tips for including extra-curricular activities in a personal statement?

Some tips for including extra-curricular activities in a personal statement include choosing activities that are relevant to the program or field, emphasizing leadership and teamwork skills, providing specific examples and achievements, and showing the impact that the activities have had on the candidate’s personal and professional development.

→Why is it important to include extra-curricular activities in a personal statement?

Including extra-curricular activities in a personal statement can help to demonstrate a candidate’s skills, interests, and personal qualities. It can also show that they are well-rounded and have experiences beyond their academic studies.

→What are good extracurricular activities for a medicine personal statement?

You don’t need to showcase medically-related activities in your personal statement! Admissions tutors are looking for you to demonstrate how you have contributed to these activities and how you can relate it back to skills needed as a doctor and how it has strengthened these. They are also looking for skills that you can show that will enable you to take on the challenges of studying medicine.

→How to write extra curricular activities in SOP?

By following our advice above, you should have a good idea about how to write about extracurricular activities in your personal statement. Just remember to continue to link it back to skills that you have demonstrated and not just writing a statement. Reflection is a great way to show that you are able to learn from your experiences.

Was this article helpful?

Still got a question leave a comment, leave a comment, cancel reply, 366 comments, iqra medic mind tutor 28 february 2022.

Thanks this is very helpful. Now i can write about my extracurricular, which is semi classical dancing.

Ebune Franck Medic Mind Tutor 29 June 2022

Thanks a lot I was very helpful 🙂

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How To Write The Perfect Medical School Personal Statement

“In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods, than in giving health to men” Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 BCE)

You have already chosen to commit yourself to study medicine in Europe , and we want to help you every step of the way. Many future students don’t know how to write their medicine personal statement. Every day we get asked questions such as:

• What is a personal statement for a medical university?
• How to write one?
• What should I include in it?
• What is the purpose of the medical personal statement?

Based on years of experience and our expert advisor’s guidelines, this article will provide the best tips and examples for writing your personal statement.

This post will assist you whether you haven't even considered what to include in your personal statement or have written it and want to double-check that you're on the right track.

Table of Contents

• 1 What is a medical personal statement?
• 2 What is the difference between a personal statement and a motivation letter?
• 3 What is the length of a personal statement?
• 4 What role do personal statements play in medical schools?
• 5 What do medical universities want to see in your personal statement?
• 6 Which medical schools in Europe should you apply to with a personal statement?
• 7 Why is a personal statement so important?
• 8 What should I include in my personal statement?
• 9 How to structure a medical personal statement?
• 10.1.1 Step 1. Create a list of the qualities that you want to demonstrate
• 10.1.2 Step 2. Think about a situation when you have shown these qualities
• 10.1.3 Step 3. Present your experience as a captivating story
• 10.1.4 Step 4. Show, don’t tell
• 11 How to create great body paragraphs in a medicine personal statement?
• 12 How to end a personal statement in a meaningful way?
• 13.2 DON’TS:
• 14 Checklist for your MD personal statement

What is a medical personal statement?

More than 100 medical schools in Europe teach medicine, dentistry, veterinary, and pharmacy in English. Each university has its entry requirements . Some may require you to sit an entrance exam in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, or Mathematics. Others have no entrance exam but just an interview.

As part of the application process, some medical schools will ask for additional materials such as CVs ( application resume ), recommendations, and, more often, medicine personal statements or motivation letters.

A medical personal statement is a kind of essay. You get the chance to tell your personal story of why you have chosen medicine as a career. It is the first opportunity for admissions tutors to evaluate you as a person rather than a collection of grades and achievements. Therefore you must create a strong first impression. You have to think of it not as a burdensome part of the application process but as an excellent opportunity to shine among the other applicants.

What is the difference between a personal statement and a motivation letter?

As we mentioned, some schools require a personal statement and another motivation letter. It is essential to know the difference between them.

A personal statement is more about self-promotion . You should explain why you are the best candidate for a particular course and want to become a doctor. It is more about your personality traits and skills to help you achieve your dream career.

A motivation letter is more about your future study ambitions and how the programme you're applying to will assist you in achieving your objectives. In other words, why and how will studying medicine help you in the future .

What is the length of a personal statement?

Every medical university has its requirements regarding the length of the personal statement. Therefore, before you start writing it, you must check the specific guidelines of the university you are applying to.

However, often it will have to be around 500 words . Yes, it must be short, accurate, and straightforward.

What role do personal statements play in medical schools?

There are a few ways that medical schools will use your personal statement.

• It may not play a role in the selection process at all.
• It will be read but not evaluated . However, if you manage to prepare an excellent essay, it will demonstrate your passion for medicine and will certainly not harm you in the long run.
• It is used to aid in decision-making between two candidates with identical academic results. An essay can be a turning point in your path to becoming a doctor.
• Usually, medical universities use students' personal statements before interviews to prepare a few questions you will be asked during the interview. This is another reason many schools ask for this kind of essay. They use it as a starting point in discussions. As a result, it's a good idea to write about things you'd be willing to expand on if requested.

What do medical universities want to see in your personal statement?

Medical universities know that to be a good doctor, you need skills such as:

• Self-reflection
• Prioritising
• Good time management
• Working under pressure
• Critical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Problem-solving skills
• Willingness to accept accountability for your actions
• Soft skills

Keep these things in mind when you draft your essay. You shouldn’t just say, “I am empathetic”. Rather than that, you have to give an example and write about a situation when you demonstrated these skills.

Which medical schools in Europe should you apply to with a personal statement?

Some of the medical universities in Europe that require a medical student personal statement as part of the application process are:

• European University In Tbilisi (Georgia)
• Poznan University of Medical Science (Poland)
• Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Kosice (Slovakia)

Why is a personal statement so important?

It's one thing to demonstrate academic success and another to present yourself positively as an individual. Striking a balance between the two is crucial. So take your time and carefully consider what you want to include and how you will present it.

The top 3 reasons why a medicine personal statement is so important are:

• It allows you to show your best qualities
• It can help you stand out from your competition
• It is a great way to prepare for your medical school interview

What should I include in my personal statement?

Let’s make it clear one more time. A personal statement is about YOU, and your personal skills that make you an ideal applicant to study medicine in Europe. Hence, medical schools are looking to know more about:

• What motivated you to study medicine? ( Motivation )
• Why in this country? Why in this particular university? ( Motivation and exploration )
• What steps have you taken to get knowledge about it? ( Exploration )
• Why do you think you'd be a good fit for medicine? ( Suitability )

Describe your passion for medicine and the reason for making your statement unique. Learn more about the country's history, and find things that you can name as an advantage for studying there. Read about the university's history and the city where it is located. Find prominent people who have studied and contributed to science development at a given university. Show originality.

Make sure to include a line about your hobbies/interests outside of school and reflect on past experiences that taught you something valuable like commitment, the ability to work in a team, and the importance of helping those in need.

How to structure a medical personal statement?

In general, medicine personal statement structure can be divided into 3 parts:

• Introduction - motivation

In this paragraph, your main goal is to make the reader want to read more and tell what made you choose medicine as a career.

• Main body - exploration and suitability

This is where you have to tell your story and how your qualities make you a perfect applicant. It is the ideal place to write about the knowledge you gained while shadowing a doctor , for example.

• Conclusion - motivation

Bring everything together.

How to write a strong medical personal statement introduction?

Ensure you have an original and intriguing starting phrase that will entice the reader to continue reading. This is your only chance to leave a lasting impression and grab the admissions tutors' attention.

One method to get their attention is to start with an incident or an “Aha!” moment that inspired your decision to pursue a career in medicine. What inspires or motivates you will reveal a lot about your personality. But from our experience, we know that very few students have such a moment.

Many applicants have known they wanted to be a doctor since childhood or have developed an interest in medicine.

If you are one of them, the simple truth is that you can’t start your essay with a fascinating experience or life-changing story. And that’s okay.

What to do, then?

Step-by-step guide on how to start writing a personal statement for medicine:

Step 1. create a list of the qualities that you want to demonstrate.

Take a piece of paper and write down the traits and abilities you want to reveal to the reader. There is no need to create a long list. Just think of 10 qualities that will help you become a great doctor. Some examples include:

• Effective communication skills
• Knowledge-seeking
• Understanding
• Team worker

We have all heard the phrase “Quality over Quantity”. This seeing relates to your writing too. If you try to include all 10 points on your list, you will end up with an inconsistent and uninfluential opening of your essay. Therefore you have to revise your list and pick up only 2 or 3 qualities . Please don’t waste time figuring out which ones are ideal because they don’t exist. Here the trick is to choose those that describe you best and that you can actually write about.

Step 2. Think about a situation when you have shown these qualities

This step is self-explanatory, but here are some guidelines that you can follow to pick the perfect event to write about.

Choose a story you can share in a few sentences (5 or 6). A good option is an event that comes from shadowing doctors, working in a clinic, volunteering, and extracurricular activity related to medicine.

Suppose you want to be original. Connect a travel story or work experience with the abilities you have chosen to highlight. This will guarantee a unique story that will impress the admissions committee.

Step 3. Present your experience as a captivating story

If you are worried about the story you picked, let us tell you a secret. It is not about choosing the perfect topic but presenting it engagingly. Remember that one event can be written in both dull and intriguing ways. Strive for the second!

Step 4. Show, don’t tell

Maybe this is the most crucial step of writing a medical personal statement. Don’t tell: “I have great communication skills.” Show it with your compelling story! The key is to demonstrate your qualities.

How to create great body paragraphs in a medicine personal statement?

In the body of your essay, you essentially want to expand the concepts stated in your introduction paragraph by using personal experiences as proof.

You have already written about why you want to study medicine. So it's time to dive in. Write in detail about the experiences that helped you grow and led to your decision to study medicine. Each key point should be given its own paragraph.

Here are a few steps that you can follow to write the best medicine personal statement ever:

• Explain why you wanted to participate in the experience you are writing about.
• Describe how you felt during the event.
• Describe your accomplishments and lessons learned.
• What impact did your experience have on you and the environment around you?
• Explain how your experience influenced your desire to apply to medical school.

How to end a personal statement in a meaningful way?

Your medical personal statement conclusion should be like your introduction: showing your interest in studying medicine. You have to wrap everything together and leave the reader wanting to learn more about you.

You should re-emphasise your essay's main points and highlight these 3 things one more time:

• Qualities that will make you one of the best doctors
• Knowledge gained as a result of your formative experiences
• Your sincere passion for being a medical student

Top tips for medicine personal statement from our expert advisors:

• Connect your extracurricular activities to how they will help you become a better doctor
• Tell a story
• Always double-check for grammar and spelling mistakes
• Show professionalism
• Use clear, direct language
• Ask your family for an opinion
• Don’t lie, be true to yourself
• Don’t try to cover everything
• Don’t use cliches
• Don't forget about the proper structure

Checklist for your MD personal statement

Before sending your medical personal statement, make sure you cover the following:

• Is your first paragraph clear about why you want to be a doctor?
• Have you thought about what you learned from each of the situations you've mentioned?
• Is there a phrase or two regarding your hobbies or outside interests?
• Is your grammar correct?
• Do you show that you possess the qualities necessary for this profession?
• Do you indicate that you understand the reality of a career in medicine?
• Is your final paragraph a summary of why you believe you are well-suited for the medicine course and career?

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The Best Hobbies for Medical School Application

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When applying to medical school, you must take your extracurricular activities seriously. Of course, your GPA and MCAT will get your foot in the door. Still, your extracurricular interests will make you stand out during the medical school application process .

You must discover methods to demonstrate your passion for medicine as a potential medical student through your academic endeavors, extracurricular activities, and hobbies. The most significant elements of your experiences will be highlighted when you write your personal statement for medical school and your entries for employment and extracurricular activities.

Even though you do not need to participate in every extracurricular activity to succeed in medical school, the most competitive students make intelligent choices regarding their hobbies. 

Additionally, they explain how the skills they developed in their hobbies will help them succeed in a medical job. 

For advice on selecting extracurriculars to help you get into medical school, continue reading. 

Learn which hobbies, and how many hours of each, will help you stand out from the competition when applying to medical schools.

Why are Hobbies Important for a Medical School Application? 

Our first advice to any aspiring medical student is to put yourself in the admission committee's shoes. Recognize that they review tens of thousands of applications. And that it will be a massive benefit if you can do anything to make it simpler to comprehend or more memorable in any way.

Hobbies are a crucial component of a resume because they humanize you. In addition, they demonstrate your humanness to a medical institution. Moreover, you lead an existence outside of school.

Additionally, your hobbies indicate the following: 

Hobbies Show Your Enthusiasm

Every medical school looks for applicants who love what they do. Developing a hobby and showing dedication to it demonstrates this. 

For instance, playing the piano for ten years and participating in an annual community concert demonstrates a long-term commitment to an art form and discipline in practice and performance.

All these traits can be used to fuel a love for medicine. 

Be detailed when describing your hobby to highlight your passion. For example, do not just state you like making pasta for yourself and your significant other if you enjoy cooking. Instead, talk about your sources of inspiration, the cuisines you have experimented with, and the tips and techniques you have picked up along the way.

Hobbies Increase Your Human Relatability

Imagine for a minute that you are the medical school interviewer. They have looked through hundreds of applications, all of which most likely share the same qualifications: fundamental science research, clinical volunteering, and significant volunteerism.

All those extracurricular activities are essential for demonstrating interest in medicine. Still, they only sometimes paint a complete image of the person you are. Hobbies and talents come in handy here.

Showing the interviewer that you are comfortable discussing interests outside of medicine displays your capacity for interpersonal relationships. 

In the end, which question would you prefer to ask a student during an interview—their clinical research or how they first became involved in performing magic or fencing?

Hobbies Add Variety to Your Application

The term "diversity" will undoubtedly be used frequently throughout the application procedure. 

Medical schools are adjusting by preparing an equally diverse cohort of students to become the next generation of doctors as the patient community in America continues to diversify.

The aim is to educate students in the art and science of patient care rather than to turn them into a class of book-reading, test-taking robots. 

Diverse interests like learning a foreign language or taking international trips demonstrate that you have accepted cultures other than your own.

Hobbies Show that You Place a High Value on Your Overall Well-Being

Four years of arduous medical school study can quickly become overpowering at times. You must maintain an existence outside medical school and not give up your hobbies and interests.

Furthermore, it is essential to have regular, healthy stress relief. This may involve getting up early twice a week to catch the surf at the beach or having band practice for the weekly all-school talent show. 

Medical schools want to accept students who have figured out how to keep their sanity throughout those 4+ years of undergrad.

How to Choose Which Hobbies to Include in a Medical School Application?

It is normal to feel overburdened when searching for extracurricular activities to include in your med school CV. There are some methods to focus more specifically and decide which extracurricular activities are most likely to impress admissions committees. 

It will help if you choose activities that are genuinely important to you first. 

If you are unsure whether to include a hobby, consider whether it constitutes a worthwhile endeavor. 

Has it instilled principles in you? 

Has it made you more aware of your desire to seek a career in medicine?

Here are a few things to consider when selecting the interests to list on your medical school applications, as many students find it challenging.

Be Mindful of the Hobbies that You Choose

Only include endeavors in which you have proven a sizable time dedication. 

For instance, listing finishing as a hobby if you have only completed it three times will not please the admissions panel. Instead, talk about lifelong endeavors that have molded you over the years.

Additionally, choose hobbies that you can discuss and meditate on with confidence. When you write about your hobbies, you should be able to discuss what you learn from them and how they help you develop personally.

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

Applicants to medical schools frequently believe that the best method to gain admission is to give the admissions committee a long list of extracurricular activities. Wrong!

Content is what counts when it comes to extracurricular activities. So spend time on a few pursuits that genuinely excite you rather than dabbling in dozens of pastimes for only a few hours.

You can avoid mentioning the week you spent volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in other terms. 

But, on the other hand, if you spent two years volunteering with nursing home residents, you should certainly mention that on your application.

Look for "Triangulated" or Multi-Purpose Activities

It makes sense to prioritize activities because your leisure time is probably limited as a premed student. Look for activities demonstrating several skills or talents simultaneously as one of the best ways to enhance your applicant profile.

For instance, by planning a health fair at your school, you can demonstrate your leadership aptitude and commitment to volunteer work. 

On the other hand, tutoring students in math and science is a beautiful way to display your love of medicine, your talent as a teacher, and your dedication to service.

By combining tasks in this manner, you can gain experience in your chosen field while saving time.

Put Emphasis on Meaning

Medical institutions are interested in more than just a student's interests. 

They are also curious about the significance of these pastimes for the candidates. So, instead of naming your extracurricular activities, outline what you learned from each.

The objective is to give the admission committee a sense of the activities that were particularly advantageous to you and helpful on your path to becoming a doctor.

Remember that you can include any interest, regardless of how peculiar or unique it is. Hobbies can take many different forms. As long as they make sense to you and meet the criteria set forth by medical colleges, it will be beneficial to include them in your application.

The enthusiasm and vigor of the students create the ambiance and allure of a medical school. Many schools encourage cultural celebrations, sports contests, talent shows, art exhibitions, and philanthropic fundraisers to support students' efforts to maintain their well-being and build diverse communities.

While your GPA and MCAT score will satisfy the essential requirements for each school, your interests and extracurricular activities will complete your application and help you stand out as a distinctive candidate.

Here are the best hobbies to make you stand out in your medical school application:

Arts and Entertainment

Premed students lead busy lives frequently consumed by their academic and scientific endeavors. 

Arts and entertainment can appear to be frivolities, but they make fascinating hobbies for several reasons:

• They demonstrate your relatability.
• They demonstrate your ability to relate to a variety of people.
• They show your uniqueness and ability to use a large portion of the pre-med brain.

Even if you do not believe you have a single creative bone in your body, try to appreciate the arts. 

Despite your months of arduous work at the pottery wheel or your hilarious open mic performances, you can still express your wish to broaden your horizons and try new things.

Craftsmanship

Although your image of "craftsmanship" may be of burly men using power tools in wood sheds, this term can describe anything requiring you to create something from scratch.

What draws admissions committees to this? Finishing a job from scratch and creating something tangible with your two hands requires a lot of perseverance. A willingness to fail, adaptation, problem-solving, and trial and error is involved in these pursuits.

Furthermore, whether it is a portfolio, a YouTube link, an Etsy website, or a publication, the majority of these will produce some evidence you can include in your application. It is always a plus if your hobbies involve more than just reading text on a page.

Performance and Public Speaking

Premed students may be terrified of these hobbies, but that is the idea. 

Choosing a hobby in this group entails some risk because the public eye will frequently scrutinize you.

One former candidate, for instance, had begun an improvised comedy class at his school and performed stand-up comedy. 

Another was a slam artist who used this platform to lessen the stigma associated with mental health. 

A candidate frequently visited his high school to speak to the graduating classes and the sports teams.

Because they demonstrate self-assurance, risk-taking within reason, social skills, skillful rhetoric and communication, and an aptitude for audience connection, these pastimes appeal to admissions panels. 

This hobby has the added benefit of helping you develop the abilities needed for patient rapport building, teamwork, and conducting interviews.

Athletics and Exercise

Due to their interest in the body and wish to "practice what they preach" , pre-meds typically have a strong sense of health. 

Exercise is essential for successful pre-med students, but not all forms of exercise will help you stick out.

The most popular activities include running, weightlifting, meditation, and intramural sports. 

However, a little variety can always make these more attractive. 

You could participate in an intramural activity like croquet or curling, try aerial or karaoke yoga, or run a tough mud race. (Yes, those exist).

Although you do not need anything this extraordinary, you might want to try adding variety if your athletic hobby falls into a popular area.

Research and Writing 

Unsurprisingly, medical schools look for students with research experience, given the importance of research in the medical profession. 

Many students conduct hypothesis-based research projects as part of their coursework. 

Nevertheless, selective medical schools are particularly interested in candidates who have completed independent research outside the classroom. 

Getting your name on a publication is excellent, but medical schools know this is not always feasible. As a result, the caliber of your work is far more significant than publishing.

It will leave a good impression if you are passionate about traveling and have sufficient experience to speak about it in depth and quickly. Traveling and everything it entails cultivates consciousness and broadens the mind. 

Your ability to adapt to new situations, countries, and people will help you develop as a person and become a lifelong learner.

Being tolerant, adaptable, and open-minded will help you succeed as a health professional in the future. These are qualities that will help you communicate, comprehend, and empathize with the diverse people who will be your patients.

Playing an Instrument

The challenging and rewarding process of learning an instrument requires dedication and determination. These two qualities are essential in becoming a doctor in the future. 

If you know how to play the cello, guitar, or even a banjo and are good at it. Include it in your medical school application. 

However, only include this hobby if you are genuinely interested in it. The admissions boards are reasonably intelligent. They can tell if you are pulling something out to make yourself seem "impressive."

Learning New Languages

If you want to advance in your medical school application, you might need more than just speaking English. Portuguese, Arabic, and Chinese are three languages expanding quickly worldwide.

According to studies, acquiring a language improves one's intelligence , memory, and problem-solving skills. These qualities are crucial in becoming a doctor. 

In addition, there is also a likelihood that you will encounter a patient whose first language is not English in the future. Also, there might be opportunities to work or volunteer as a medical professional in another country besides the United States or Canada.

Photography

Photography can represent you in more ways than " This candidate likes to take pictures. " After all, photography requires creativity, interpersonal skills, and, most of all, attention to detail. 

The best doctors make sure to include all of the details. The admissions committee will greatly be impressed if you are one of these candidates who takes the best pictures while possessing the qualities a future physician should have.

Blogging/Vlogging

We live in an era where you can reach a wider audience through social media. This includes blogging and vlogging. And this is something you will have shreds of evidence to present to the admissions committee. 

Showing them how articulate, passionate, and creative you give you a significant advantage in your medical school application process. 

Remember that your content does not have to be anything medical-related. It could be about anything you are passionate about. Once you are in medical school and a doctor, you will have more than enough content to focus on.

Final Thoughts

Some pre-med students believe that admissions panels should not consider extracurricular activities. 

This reasoning has some validity: no matter how fascinating your hobbies are, they cannot compensate for a weak science GPA. Hobbies will not make or break your entry to medical school.

However, hobbies are one way to relieve stress, and medicine requires medical professionals who know how to do so. In addition, it demonstrates to admissions committees that you are like any other typical student and that your life does not center entirely around being a pre-med student.

As a candidate, you will undoubtedly have more to boast about the older you are. 

You're no longer alone on your journey to becoming a physician

The Ultimate Guide to Craft Your Perfect Medical Student Personal Statement

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Be Bold, Be Doc-Worthy!

The personal statement is more than just words on paper; it's your chance to showcase your passion, dedication, and unique qualities that make you an ideal candidate for medical school. But how do we write it? Don’t worry! Here's a guide on the best medicine personal statement. This will be your compass to help you through the murky waters of crafting a personal statement that'll make admissions officers say, "Wow, this applicant is the real deal!"

What is a Personal Statement for Medicine?

A medical student personal statement is a crucial document for aspiring medical students. It includes your skills, experiences, and motivations for pursuing medicine, reflecting their understanding of the field and commitment to becoming a doctor.

Importance of a Personal Statement for Medical Residency

A personal statement for medical residency is vital. It lets program directors gauge your dedication and suitability for their program. It's more than a routine document; it's your chance to showcase your passion and unique qualities. A well-written statement can boost your residency application. Hence, it is important to make it solid and interview-friendly, as it may sway decisions between candidates.

Character Limit for Medical School Personal Statement 

Your medical student personal statement should emphasize the unique qualities and experiences that make you a standout candidate. Hence it is always important to maintain the character limit and the structure. Here is a breakdown:

Guide to Write Your Personal Statement for Medicine

Writing a personal statement for medicine can be tricky. Many applicants make mistakes without even realizing it. Therefore, here is a step-by-step guide to writing a personal statement for medical residency to ensure your statement stands out.

 1. Understand your Interests in the Specialty

Avoid generic templates and delve into personal experiences that sparked your interest in the specialty. Remember to highlight genuine reasons for your passion. Here is a student personal statement for universities example:

Bad Example- “I want to specialize in cardiology because I find the human heart interesting. I enjoyed my time shadowing a cardiologist and I think I would be good at it. I also think cardiology is a prestigious field and cardiologists earn a good salary.”

Good Example- “Ever since I had the opportunity to shadow a cardiologist during my second year of medical school, I was fascinated by the complexity of the human heart. I was drawn to the intricate procedures, the ability to make a direct and immediate impact on a patient's life, and the constant advancements in the field. I was particularly moved by a case where I was able to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of a rare heart condition, which sparked a desire to delve deeper into this specialty. I am excited about the prospect of furthering my understanding and skills in cardiology during my residency.”

2. Jot Down your Special Qualities

Write your medical student personal statement with care. Highlight unique experiences showcasing your qualities. Avoid clichés like ‘hard worker’ or ‘team player.’ Here is a successful medicine personal statement example:

Bad Example- “I think I am a good fit for your program because I am smart and hardworking. I always get good grades and I am good at dealing with people. I believe these qualities make me a good candidate for your program.” 

Good Example- “Throughout my medical school journey, I have consistently demonstrated my ability to handle pressure and think on my feet. During my clinical rotations, I was often complimented for my ability to make quick, informed decisions in high-stress situations. I also have a strong academic background, with a particular interest in research. These experiences have not only enriched my understanding of medicine but also honed my analytical and problem-solving skills.”

3. Mention the Program You’re Looking For

Mentioning the type of programs you prefer in your medical student personal statement isn't mandatory but can help program directors assess your fit. Tailor your statements for different programs to highlight relevant factors like clinical training or research. If applying for multiple specialities, craft separate personal statements for the university for each.

Bad Example- “I want to join a program that is easy and doesn't require too much work. I don't really care about the location or the specific focus of the program.”

Good Example- “I am seeking a residency program that fosters a collaborative and supportive learning environment. I am particularly interested in programs that emphasize patient-centered care and value research and innovation. I am also looking for a program that provides opportunities for community engagement and global health initiatives, as these align with my long-term career goals.”

4.  Be a Storyteller

While writing your personal statement for medical residency, think of it as a narrative. Describe your journey vividly, from its start to its impact on your decision to pursue medicine. Engage readers with descriptive imagery. Here’s an example: 

Bad Example- “I want to be a doctor because I like helping people. I had good experiences and I learned a lot. I think I would be a good doctor because I am hardworking and dedicated.”

Good Example- “During my second year of medical school, I encountered a patient named Mr. Sharma in the cardiology ward. He was a 65-year-old man with a history of heart disease. Despite his condition, he always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude. His resilience inspired me and sparked my interest in cardiology. I remember one particular night when Mr. Sharma's condition suddenly worsened. I was part of the team that worked tirelessly to stabilize him. That night, I experienced the challenges and rewards of being a doctor. It reinforced my desire to pursue a career in medicine and made me realize the impact I could have on patients' lives.”

5. Write your Career Goals

Include your career aspirations in your medical student personal statement. Research programs you're applying to align with your goals. Avoid programs lacking research opportunities if interested in conducting cutting-edge research during medical residency. Here’s an example-

Bad Example- “I want to be a doctor because I want to help people. I also think it would be cool to do some research and maybe teach at a medical school someday.”

Good Example- “My long-term career goal is to become a leading pediatric cardiologist who not only provides exceptional care to my patients but also contributes to the advancement of the field through research. I am particularly interested in investigating the genetic factors influencing congenital heart diseases.”

6. Note your Hobbies and Interests

In your personal statement for medical residency, consider adding a hobbies and interests section to highlight unique qualities. Whether sports, dance, or music, explain how these activities enhance your skills as a future doctor. Here are personal statement examples for medical residency- 

‍ Bad Example- “In my free time, I like to run and play the piano. I also do some volunteering. I think these hobbies are good for me and help me relax. I believe they will also help me be a good doctor.”

Good Example- “Outside of my academic pursuits, I am an avid runner and have completed several marathons. Running has taught me the value of persistence and hard work, qualities that I believe are essential in medicine. I also enjoy playing the piano, a hobby that has enhanced my dexterity and attention to detail, skills that are crucial in surgical procedures.”

7. Address your Weaknesses and How Do You Tackle Them

In a personal statement for medical residency, addressing your weaknesses like low STEP scores or USMLE exam attempts is crucial. Explain the reasons and lessons learned, though opinions vary on the timing of such explanations. Here is an example-

Bad Example- “I don't really have any weaknesses. But if I had to pick one, I would say that I work too hard sometimes. But I think that's a good thing because it shows that I am dedicated and committed to my work.”

Good Example- “One of my weaknesses is that I tend to be overly critical of myself. This often leads to unnecessary stress and hinders my ability to appreciate my accomplishments. However, I am actively working on this by practicing mindfulness and self-compassion. I have also sought feedback from mentors and peers to gain a more balanced perspective of my performance. This has not only improved my mental well-being but also enhanced my ability to learn from my experiences and grow as a future physician.”

8. Compose the Introduction and Conclusion Well

While writing your personal statement for medical residency, make the introduction and conclusion captivating. Begin with an attention-grabbing hook and end by referring back to the opening, creating a compelling narrative loop.

Bad Example- Intro: “I want to be a doctor because I think it's a good job. I like science and I want to help people.” 

Conclusion: “So, that's why I want to be a doctor. I hope you will consider my application.”

Good Example- Intro: “From a young age, I was fascinated by the intricacies of the human body. The idea that a single cell could multiply and differentiate into a complex organism captivated me. This curiosity led me to pursue a career in medicine, a field that constantly challenges and inspires me.”

Conclusion: “In conclusion, my journey in medicine has been driven by my passion for understanding the human body, my commitment to serving others, and my desire to make a meaningful impact on patients' lives. I am excited about the opportunity to further develop my skills and knowledge during my residency and look forward to contributing to the field of medicine.”

Write your perfect medical student personal statement with ease at amber's accommodation!

Structure of medical student personal statement.

Before you start writing, it is important to make a personal statement medicine structure. Start with an outline. Ensure your story flows seamlessly from beginning to end, captivating your audience. Select two to three qualities and match each with relevant experiences. Reflect on your career path to demonstrate a passion for medicine and future goals. 

1. Introduction Paragraph:

Begin with an attention-grabbing hook and provide background context on your interest in medicine. Conclude with a thesis statement summarizing your main argument. 

2. Body Paragraph 1:

Start by introducing the first key point related to your qualities for medicine. Support this point with evidence and examples.

3. Body Paragraph 2:

Introduce the second major point, elaborating with further details and analysis.

4. Body Paragraph 3:

Present the third main point, providing specifics and evidence to strengthen your argument.

5. Conclusion Paragraph:

Summarize your arguments and tie them back to your thesis. Close with final thoughts or a call to action.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Medical Student Personal Statement

Now that you have understood the structure and what to write, here are a few common mistakes that you should avoid before starting with your personal statement for medicine.

1. Starting Too Late

Many applicants for medical school or residency make the error of beginning their personal statement just weeks before the deadline. However, it is wise to start it two months prior, enabling you to craft several drafts and seek valuable input from mentors and residents.

2. Submitting the First or Second Draft

Numerous revisions are essential before the submission of a medical student personal statement. This would highlight the extensive transformation from the initial to the final version. Aim for 500-700 words, presenting your story convincingly to secure interview invitations.

3. Not Showing it to Someone

For composing your medical student personal statement, seek feedback from experienced editors like residents or mentors. They can offer structural advice, not just grammatical fixes. Don't hesitate to seek help for significant editing and rewriting.

4. Depending on Online Templates

Avoid using online templates while writing your medical student personal statement. Your statement should reflect your individuality and effort. Using templates risks plagiarism and undermines your application's authenticity. Instead, invest the time and effort to make it truly personal.

5. Talk About Why You Got Into a Medical School

For medical residency applications, prioritize your chosen speciality over your initial motivation for studying medicine. Briefly mention your medical school inspiration, but emphasize your passion for the specific field you're pursuing. Avoid dwelling on past influences beyond a couple of sentences.

6. Having it Too Short or Too Long

Craft a concise, engaging medical student personal statement. Strike a balance between brevity and detail ensures readability while highlighting relevant experiences and aspirations in 500-700 words.

7. Lacking Structure and Flow

Many medical students focus on fixing language issues in their personal statements, like grammar or vocabulary. However, the main problem often lies in the lack of flow. Jumping between ideas makes it hard to follow. Consider structural edits for better readability and coherence.

So, this is your story—the one that screams, "You got this!" Don't let it gather dust. Polish it, personalize it and hit submit! This journey to becoming a medical student starts with a powerful personal statement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ucl use medical student personal statements, what do medical schools want in a personal statement, do uk universities check medical student personal statements, what should you not say in a personal statement for medical residency, what should be the first sentence of a medical student personal statement, what is a good closing paragraph for a personal statement for medicine.

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Medicine Personal Statement

Your medicine personal statement is one of the most important elements of your medical school application. Competition for medical school is always fierce, and 2023 entry is set to be no different, therefore your personal statement will be key for distinguishing yourself from other applicants. It will be used in the decision making process by universities, when comparing candidates either prior to or following an interview , along with the result from your admission exam (if applicable) and your predicted grades. Therefore, you should see it as an opportunity to show universities more about you, your experiences and your motivation for applying.

How to write a personal statement for medicine

Your personal statement is a key opportunity to show your chosen universities your skills and experiences that make you a suitable candidate, and your ambitions for a career within medicine. You’ll find some guidance on what you should aim to include in your personal statement in the next section but it’ll also be useful to consider the following when preparing to write your personal statement:

1. The UCAS character limit

One of the biggest challenges when looking at areas that you need to cover is trying to include everything within the tight UCAS character limit. Remember, you only have 4,000 characters, which is roughly two sides of A4. Consider which elements are most important to you, and which qualities and experiences you want to demonstrate, as there may be things you have to sacrifice to avoid exceeding the character limit.

2. Your writing style

The quality of your writing is important within your personal statement, so consider your choice of language carefully and remember your audience and what you’re trying to convey. Equally, ensure that your writing is cohesive and flows well; so while you'll undoubtedly have a list of skills, experiences and information you want to include, you want to avoid it reading like a list.

3. Making your experiences relevant

Whether you’re discussing work experience you’ve undertaken or hobbies or clubs that you partake in, you should always focus on making them relevant to your future studies. Universities aren’t looking for a narrative of work experience that you’ve carried out, they’re interested in what you learnt as a result of the experience. Your personal statement should reflect on any work experience and demonstrate what skills and/or qualities you’ve developed which are required within the medical profession. Similarly with your hobbies or clubs, you should reflect on relevant skills and qualities that you have developed as a result of these.

4. How you will demonstrate your knowledge of working within the medical profession

As well as demonstrating your motivation for working within the medical profession, it’s also important to show that you have a realistic understanding of what this entails, which can be achieved by acknowledging the less attractive side of medicine. However, ensure that you put a positive spin on any negatives you present and allow your passion for medicine to come through. Linking to your work experience is a great way of doing this. For example, you could highlight challenges that you observed within medical practice, but focus on the positives that came from this: was it multidisciplinary team working, effective communication, or challenging individuals to continue to develop their skills and knowledge?

Medicine Personal Statement Structure

There isn’t a set personal statement template which you need to follow, however, there are some essential things which you should try to include. The UCAS website advises that university admissions tutors are looking for evidence of the following:

1. Your understanding of the subject area and the demands of the medical profession, as well as your motivation to study and fulfil the requirements of your future role.

This can be demonstrated in a number of ways:

• Relevant work experience and shadowing - remember to focus on what you learnt and the skills and qualities you developed as a result of the work experience, and only include concise descriptions of what tasks you did, and only when relevant.
• Reference to additional reading around key issues, topics and the latest research - only include things you will be confident discussing at your interview, should it be referred to.
• Membership of relevant societies / clubs - don’t simply list these, make meaningful links between the knowledge, skills and qualities you have developed through your participation in these.

2. Your interests outside of your academic study.

For example, sports, music, volunteering. Again, remember to use these to demonstrate your skills and qualities that will make you a suitable candidate for medical school.

3. Your ability to work individually and as a member of a team.

Give examples of occasions when you’ve demonstrated that you can work effectively within a team and as an individual. You may also want to include examples of situations where you’ve led a group, if you have experience of this.

4. Your personal qualities which make you suitable for a career in medicine.

Try to provide examples which demonstrate your personal qualities which make you a suitable candidate for medical school, for example your empathy, your resilience, your drive, etc., by linking to your work experience, your hobbies and even your academic studies.

5. Your analytical and critical thinking skills demonstrated through a well written personal statement.

The most effective way to demonstrate your skills is by providing examples, using your experiences to show that you process the required analytical and critical thinking skills to make you a suitable candidate.

Excellent Medicine Personal Statement Tips

Writing your personal statement can seem daunting; keep it simple with the following useful tips:

1. Plan what you want to include

Using the information above to help you, create a plan of what you want to include, whether that’s using a mind map, lists or any other way which works for you, to ensure you know which experiences, skills and qualities you want to share before starting your personal statement.

2. Draft, draft and draft again

Don’t worry about making your personal statement perfect the first time around (or keeping within the character limit for that matter). Once you’ve written everything you want to include you can begin rewording sentences, moving sections around and editing parts which are less significant so you can get within the character limit.

3. Give yourself lots of time

It's simple but so important. All those drafts take time, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to write. You don’t want your personal statement to appear rushed or to miss important information that will help your application.

4. Draw on trusted family members, friends or teachers to check over your statement

Getting a second opinion is useful for picking up errors you might have missed or showing you where you can sell yourself more. Just be careful to avoid taking on board too many opinions, as you want you to make sure it’s your voice which comes through.

5. Read it aloud

It’s so basic but it makes spotting punctuation and grammatical errors easier. It’ll also help to ensure that it flows and reads well, which admissions tutors will be looking for.

How to Start a Medicine Personal Statement

Often the most difficult part with any written piece is getting started; there is generally a focus on ensuring that your first paragraph captivates your reader and makes them want to read more, which can create a stumbling block when you begin writing. A useful tactic to help you to avoid staring at a blank page for hours, is to ignore your opening altogether, and to begin as if you’re picking it up after an introductory sentence or two. Once you’ve written your first draft you’ll find it easier to draw out interesting points and to rework them to create an opening statement.

It’s important within your opening paragraph to show your passion and your reasons for wanting to study medicine; the difficulty is trying to avoid cliches, when it’s highly likely that your reasons for wanting to study medicine are similar to many students who have come before you. Sharing your interests which are related to medicine, or your personal experiences (your work experience, volunteering, etc.) which have developed your passion, is an effective way to achieve this in an individual way. Don’t get fixated on trying to stand out, focus on giving an honest account of why you want to study medicine and your interests and experiences which have helped you to decide this, and avoid using unrealistic or exaggerated reasons or experiences.

Remember, while your opening section is important, it is also just one part of your overall statement; make sure that it adds to your personal statement (remember that tight character limit) and isn’t just there to grab attention.

Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement

If you’re applying for the graduate entry route, not only will the UCAS rules be the same for your personal statement (for example the character limit, deadline, etc.), but what you should aim to include will also remain the same. However, university admission tutors will have higher expectations for graduate entry applicants’ skills, competencies and experiences, given that you have undertaken a degree previously and likely have more experience; sharing relevant work experience, as well as any academic achievements or other accomplishments which are relevant, will allow you to demonstrate that you meet these expectations.

Even if your current or previous employment is not health related, it may still be relevant to your application, if you're able to demonstrate the transferable skills which will be useful for a career in medicine. Where possible, provide examples of additional work experience within medical or care settings, if your employment isn’t health related, to demonstrate your commitment to studying medicine and your development of skills to support this. Remember to limit your descriptions of your work experience, to include only what is necessary, and focus on reflecting on your experiences and the skills and qualities you have developed as a result of them.

As with other routes into medicine, you’ll be expected to demonstrate why you want to study and your passion for a future career in medicine. Admission tutors will also be assessing if you have the required attributes for a career in medicine and a realistic view of what it entails. Again, reflecting on your previous work experiences, either voluntary or paid, as well as your previous degree, if it’s relevant, will allow you to demonstrate that you meet these requirements.

You can find more guidance on entry requirements, funding and admissions exams in our Graduate Entry Medicine blog .

A Good Medicine Personal Statement

Finally, remember that a good medical personal statement will look completely different depending on the candidate. Focus on sharing your unique experiences, skills and qualities, and your personal ambitions and passion for a career in medicine. That’s what admission tutors want to see and that’s what will make you stand out as an individual.

For more personal statement tips visit the UCAS ‘How to write your undergraduate personal statement’ . You can also find support with all aspects of your medical school application and interview in our dedicated ‘Applying to medical school’ section.

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Personal Statement for Medicine

Composing a personal statement for any degree is a challenge but for medicine, this is your chance to illustrate your academic prowess and work experience alongside a genuine passion and fascination for the medical subjects you love. a personal statement can support your application if your exam results are slightly below your expectations or can enhance a strong set of grades for the best chance of acceptance., make the most of your words.

UCAS , the admissions service for universities in the UK, describes a personal statement as “your opportunity to sell yourself to your prospective school, college or training provider.” Students are given a 47 line, 4,000 character limit (which roughly equates to 500 words) in which to show off their appeal to the institutions of their choosing. 

Here, it’s important to get into the mind of the member of admissions staff that will be reading your statement – what do they want to see? 500 words may seem like plenty, but you’ll likely find that space is at a premium when you’re trying to find the perfect formula to impress your chosen university.

Research a career in medicine before you apply

The key things that medical schools will be looking for are evidence of motivation, explorative work experience and suitability for fitting into their learning environment.

Your personal statement is not only an opportunity to demonstrate your motivations for studying medicine, but also to convey a sense of insight into medicine as a career. It is a chance to reflect on your experiences thus far and outline your personal qualities which will enable you to excel as both a medical student and future doctor.

Developing an understanding about the roles and responsibilities of a doctor will help you prepare your personal statement with ease. Volunteering in your local community and undertaking work experience placements are examples of activities which may allow you to gain a deeper insight into medicine. However, reading official resources such as those produced by the General Medical Council (GMC) before you even begin to think about the content of your personal statement, can help to give your writing a clear focus and direction.

Check how universities will use your personal statement 

Your personal statement may be used in the selection process for interviews to a varying degree by each medical school. Having said this, on the whole, personal statements do not feature heavily in the selection process for interview. Whilst this is the case for most medical schools in the UK, a few medical schools will utilise a scoring system to assess the personal statement at some point in their selection process; either before interview (for interview selection) or at the interview itself.

If this is the case for one or more of the universities you intend to apply to, pay careful attention to any details on their website which discuss exactly what the admissions team are looking for in a personal statement. For example, the University of Oxford place a larger emphasis on showing an interest in medical science and academia.

Where to find this information

It is important to check exactly how the medical schools you intend to apply to will use your personal statement both before and during the interview. To access the most relevant and up-to-date information you should check the websites for each of the medical schools you may apply to. If you have any queries about how your personal statement will be used, or if anything you find on their websites is unclear, email the admissions team directly.

Key things to remember about your personal statement 

Writing a personal statement can be daunting, but we are here to help make the process less stressful. To break it down, we have listed some essential factors you should remember to focus on when writing your own personal statement:

• Structure and flow: Creating a clear and organised structure allows the reader to follow your thought process and enables you, the writer, to include the most relevant information about yourself, given the restricted word count.
• Authenticity: The clue is in the title; your personal statement should be personal! Be genuine and honest about your experiences and skills and let your personality shine through your writing. 
• Relevance: With the limited word count, you need to include only the most relevant experiences and skills you have that are directly relevant to medicine. 
• Specificity: Provide details about your experiences and give examples. Avoid any vague and general statements. 

Goals and aspirations: You should mention your goals and aspirations and what you want to get out of a degree in medicine. What are your short-term and long-term goals?

The aim of this section is for you to establish a structure that works for you, by deciding what the main components of your personal statement will be about.

Before diving into finding the best structure for your personal statement, it is important to remember there is no set format or st ructure. Reading a few example statements may help to give you an idea of where you start ; however it is all about finding the right balance that is appropriate for you. This balance will be based on your personal experiences and what has been important in shaping your journey towards Medicine.

You should start your personal statement with a clear introduction and end with a conclusion .

DEVELOPING A STRUCTURE THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Here, we will focus on developing a structure for the main body of your personal statement. The importance of having a well-thought-out structure is that it will make your thoughts and experiences easier to follow. A good structure will help reinforce the key content of your statement, further giving admissions tutors the impression that you have a focused understanding of medicine and yourself. 

T here is no one way to structure the main body ; in fact , there are many ways! The components you discuss will differ according to your experiences, and the weighting given to these components will largely be based on what medical schools you apply to.

EXAMPLES OF PERSONAL STATEMENT STRUCTURE 

Here is an example of how to divide the main body of your personal statement:

• Interest in academia and wider reading
• Work experience and voluntary commitments
• Extra-curricular Activities

Remember, this is only one example. Alternatively, you could base your paragraphs on the qualities you want to demonstrate, such as:

• Interest in medicine, science, and academia
• Compassion, communication skills and empathy
• Leadership, teamwork and problem-solving

These ideas are here to prompt you, so work around them based on your experiences. If there is a particularly valuable quality, such as resilience, that you are passionate about and have relevant experiences in, of course , this should be included!

The idea of convincing an admissions tutor, in around 500 words, that you are an ideal prospective medical student can be overwhelming. This, as well as the fact that they will be reading through hundreds of personal statements of people applying for the same course, might make you feel pressured to have an introduction that will grab their attention and set you aside from the majority.

DON’T FOCUS TOO MUCH ON YOUR INTRODUCTION

A powerful introduction will state an intrinsic motivation to study medicine, whilst also outlining your understanding of the career. However, your reasons for wanting to pursue medicine do not have to be entirely crammed into your introduction. 

W hile there is no set length for an introduction, you should make sure it is not too short that it seems rushed and neglected, but not so long that it is the same size as the paragraphs of your main body. A few sentences should be sufficient for an introduction.

TRY STARTING WITH THE MAIN BODY FIRST

It might seem logical and necessary to begin by writing the introduction, but this is not the case! It is perfectly reasonable to work on other parts of your personal statement and return to write the introduction at a later point in time. Some people even find that once they have written the majority of their personal statement, they are able to pick out points they think will work well for their introduction.

• Be original: It is a personal statement , so keep it personal. It should accurately depict why you want to study medicine .
• Give examples: Stories can add to the personal element of motivation to study medicine but ensure that this comes across as genuine. Do not try and pin your motivation down to a single event as this can appear naïve . I nstead , state how this scenario was one of the elements that led you to pursue medicine.
• Use your time wisely: Do not spend all your time trying to think of a catchy opening. Remember that you can always come back to the introduction.
• Remember you have a word limit: Keep your statements succinct and to the point.
• Use a professional tone: Stay away from using humour as the person reading your personal statement may not receive it as well as you would hope. The aim is to be professional and put across your interest in medicine.

Keep in mind that depending on the interview style of the medical schools you are applying to; your personal statement can be used as part of your interview. They may pick out parts of your introduction and ask you to elaborate on them. 

C heck this beforehand and if applicable, remember this when stating your motivations to study medicine. If you would not be happy to talk about it in your interview, then avoid including it!

• Using cliché words and phrases such as ‘passionate’, ‘fascinated’ and ‘from a young age I have always wanted to’
• Using a quote without reflecting on how it adds to what you are trying to convey. If possible, avoid quotes and use your own words. After all, they are interested in what you have to say, not a scientist or author
• Making blank statements that do not add to what you are saying.
• Describing how TV shows attracted you to medicine, even if other reasons are raised, as this will reduce the power of your introduction.

Reflecting on your work experiences, wider reading and other relevant activities will form the bulk of the main body of your personal statement. Reflection is imperative to a successful application. A well-reflected personal statement shows that you have given serious thought to healthcare as a life-long career , and it goes down extremely well with the admission officers. The General Medical Council (GMC) has created a guide for medical students about reflection – most of the information is transferrable to medical applicants.

It is crucial to understand that the lessons and skills that you take away from an experience are far more superior to the number of activities you have undertaken or descriptions of consultations you may have seen. Therefore, this section will delve deeper into how you should reflect on an experience whilst undertaking it, as well as how this reflection can be incorporated concisely into your personal statement.

HOW TO REFLECT ON AN EXPERIENCE

Below are some general questions to think about when reflecting on any type of experience you have partaken in . R anging from clinical work experience placements to leadership roles, voluntary commitments, and par t-ti me jobs , you should ask yourself these questions when reflecting on your experiences.

• Description of the experience: W hat was your role? If you are telling a story, what happened , or what was the task at hand?
• Feelings and thoughts about the experience: What resonated with you or affected you the most?
• Analysis and evaluation of the experience: W hat went well and what didn’t? Which parts stood out to you? Did you have any challenging experiences? How did you deal with them?
• Conclusion and action plan: S ummary of what you learned and what you could have done differently . H ow could you relate this to your development as a doctor ?

HOW TO REFLECT ON YOUR LEARNING

The following questions will help you reflect and think critically about learning experiences. This includes anything you have read, listened to, or watched to gain a deeper insight into the life of a medical student and/or doctor.

• Description: What is the idea or concept you have been exposed to?
• Feelings and thoughts about what you have learned: What resonated with you or affected you the most?
• Analysis: Is there anything that drew your attention or anything you found challenging? Does this build upon what you had previously known or read about? Has it changed the way you think, opened your eyes to something new, or made you more confident and assured in a belief you already had?
• Conclusion and action plan: What other avenues of this concept would you like to explore? How can you implement what you’ve learned in your clinical practice?

HOW TO INCLUDE REFLECTION IN YOUR MEDICINE PERSONAL STATEMENT

Before you sit down and start typing away at your statement, we highly suggest that you first read through all of the reflective notes you wrote when undertaking any experience or activity that gave you an insight into medicine. This will allow you to look back at all of the wonderful experiences you have had and focus on the key points you can take away from them.

REFLECTION METHODS TO TRY

There are so many different approaches you can take to reflective writing in your personal statement , and different people prefer different methods. For example, you can structure your reflection according to Gibb’s reflective cycle . Another approach is the ‘STARR’ framework , which stands for ‘Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection’ . This is often a favourite among applicants for medicine interviews but can also be used in the personal statement to write structured reflections.

• S ituation: What is the setting in which you have undertaken your experience?
• T ask: What was the position or role you held?
• A ction: What actions did you specifically carry out on a regular basis?
• R esults: What was the most relevant and significant outcome of your activities?
• R eflection: What skills and knowledge have you acquired as a result of this activity? How and why had this experience influence d you?

Work experience can be loosely defined as any activity that is designed to sufficiently broaden your understanding of a particular career path. The aim of this section is to provide you with examples of the different types of work experiences you can undertake and how you should go about reflecting on them in your personal statement.

WHY IS MEDICAL WORK EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT?

Most students will feel that work experience gives the most realistic perspective of medicine as a career. Through shadowing in consultations, watching surgeries, and perhaps even just being in a clinical environment, you will start to build your understanding of the role of a doctor. 

A pplying to medical school is a huge commitment, so exploring the working life of a physician is definitely a wise thing to do. Work experience allows you to gain valuable skills that may be useful throughout your university life and your career as well.

WHAT IS THE AIM OF WORK EXPERIENCE?

W ork experience is evidence to show that you have taken the time to find out more about the realities of a career in medicine. Therefore, it is a vital aspect of not only the personal statement but your medical school application as a whole. The purpose and overall aim of your work experience will broadly fall into one or more of the following categories:

• To understand the realities of life as a doctor and medical student
• To develop the skills and qualities needed for a career in medicine
• To acquire more knowledge about your particular interests

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE WORK EXPERIENCE

Firstly, we will consider traditional in-person work experience activities, which are usually undertaken in a healthcare environment. This can include hospital, general practi c e, or pharmacy shadowing placements, as well as voluntary roles in a care home or hospice. To make the most out of these types of experiences, we would recommend the following:

• Listen to the types of questions that healthcare professionals use when taking a history or interacting with patients. What did you think about their interactions with patients? How do they adapt their communication style?
• Ask questions. This is an opportunity to ask all those burning questions ; don’t be shy! If possible, ask questions to a wide range of health care professionals about each of their individual roles as well as their experiences working in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Research one of the common conditions that you have seen during your placement and are interested in finding out more about it.

The above points will form the basis of your reflection, so it is important to start thinking about them as you go along with your work experience. Keep a reflective diary to jot down these thoughts and experiences. This diary will become especially useful when sitting down to write your personal statement.

TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT MEDICAL WORK EXPERIENCE

• Mention the transferrable skills and attributes you will have developed. Skills such as teamwork, communication, problem-solving and resilience in the face of adversity are vital to a career in medicine.
• State clearly the insights you have gained. For example, as the GP demonstrates active listening and shows empathy, you will see that the patient immediately opens up and gives more information , which will be helpful in establishing a diagnosis. If this resonates with you, include this in your personal statement.
• It is important to show that you understand the challenges a doctor will face. Be sure to reflect on any negative experiences which made you more aware of the demanding nature of the profession. What could have been done differently in the scenario you witnessed?
• Be as concise as possible . D escriptions should be kept to a minimum. It is more important to highlight your thoughts, understanding and values before and after an experience, rather than details about the experience itself.
• Viewing medical work experience as merely a tick box exercise. Try not to view work experience as a requirement for university statements or interviews. Instead, you should view this as a learning opportunity for yourself so that you can develop both academically and personally. If you have this mindset, you will be able to truly discover a lot more about the subject and about yourself too!
• Concerning yourself too much with the medical jargon and knowledge you come across during your work experience, whether in-person or virtual. Focus on the attitudes and transferrable skills, and definitely do try to explore the science , but ultimately , medical school will teach you the required knowledge for your career
• Breaching confidentiality when writing about your work experience, whether it be in your personal statement or reflective diary. This means that you do not include any identifiable information in your personal statement, such as, ‘I witnessed Mr Smith undergoing an ECG’.

Volunteering is the idea of offering your time or skills to benefit an unrelated person or organisation with no formal payment in return.

Relevant volunteering can be considered a form of work experience and can significantly enhance your personal statement. Whilst grades are important, medical schools are also highly interested in students who exhibit genuine care and compassion. 

Doing voluntary work can highlight this side of you and give some insight into the life of a doctor, which is very much a caring profession. Volunteering can assist you in developing the necessary skills and qualities relevant to medicine.

EXAMPLES OF VOLUNTEERING ROLES

The types of volunteering roles and commitments you can include in your personal statement, can vary extensively. Moreover, the volunteering you have undertaken does not need to be within a healthcare setting. It is more important that you can reflect on your experiences and appreciate how the skills you have developed are relevant to career in medicine. Below are just some examples of voluntary roles you may include in your personal statement:

• Carehome/hospice volunteer
• Hospital volunteer
• School mentor
• Charity shop assistant
• Youth group coordinator
• Foodbank volunteer

TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT VOLUNTARY ROLES

• Emphasise any long-term or frequent volunteering commitments. This shows commitment to medicine and determination. Whilst long-term volunteering is favoured, do not worry if you were unable to complete any due to the pandemic!
• Use buzzwords alluding to the relevant skills and qualities learnt. Examples of buzzwords can include “contributed”, “enhanced” and “implemented”. 
• Discuss briefly how you found any volunteering opportunities , especially if you organised it yourself. This shows initiative! If an opportunity is extremely rare or competitive, make sure to highlight this.
• Group together experiences where you gained similar skills and insights, rather than discussing multiple experiences individually. This can get messy and take up a lot of your time
• Speak about your feelings and emotions during your volunteering! This shows you are human and comes across much more genuine and sincere.
• Clearly state your contribution and actions , not someone else’s!
• Discuss any sacrifices, mistakes, or challenges you faced during your volunteering. Also , make sure you are prepared to describe what you did/would do differently to overcome these challenges!
• Rambling on about experiences . U se the STARR structure to organise thoughts. Keep it concise!
• Writing a long list of all the voluntary roles you have ever held. Focus on one or two that you benefitted from greatly and reflect on them.
• Repeating experiences, certain insights, or qualities. Demonstrate variety in what you have learned.
• Lie or exaggerate any details!
• Superficially state what happened. If you are able to, delve further into your thoughts before, during and after volunteering.

When it comes to extra-curriculars, it ’s easy to get confused on what you should include and how to include it in your personal statement. As an aspiring medic, you might have done many different activities at school (and outside) that may be related or seemingly have nothing to do with each other. This could range from part-time jobs to being a prefect in your school, societies, clubs , or even your personal hobbies or sporting interests.

HOW TO WRITE ABOUT EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 

In your personal statement, a great way to tie it all together is to use your activities to reflect on how they made you the person you are today. Instead of simply listing all of your positions or engagements, think about what qualities you were able to gain from them that would make you a better doctor. 

A mong others, qualities like compassion, empathy, time management, organisation, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership are essential in medicine, but they’re not necessarily born in a hospital or through direct engagement in clinical experiences. You have probably been doing some of these activities for a really long time, now let’s frame it in a different context for your application.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

In a large pool of applicants, it is easy to think , ‘ H ave I done enough?’. Sometimes, this can be the wrong question to ask, as most medical schools do not look at the ‘number’ of things you have done but rather how the things you’ve done can help you as a doctor. 

D o not worry if you have not done a lot of activities in your time at school. The number of things you’ve done doesn’t matter as much as:

• What you’ve learned from them
• How you’ve reflected on them
• What moments and experiences you can improve on
• How you’ve later developed as a person and an aspiring medic based on those experiences

WHAT GOES WHERE?

With a limited number of characters, every word counts. You want to make sure you make the most of everything you have done, but at the same time , frame it in the most effective way for your application. This is why you might want to focus on some activities over others or group some activities together to give yourself space to write about and reflect on your experiences in a more elaborate way and relate them to your future career. There are many ways you can group your activities, mainly either by the type of activity ( e.g., academic, sports, or volunteering ) or based on what qualities or skills you’ve developed as a result of partaking in this activity.

SHOULD I INCLUDE MY HOBBIES?

The short answer is yes if you want to, but – make sure you’re not just taking up space by listing them. You don’t need to elaborate on them too much if you don’t want to, but try to strike the balance so as to show the admissions committee you value your time spent doing these hobbies, but at the same time you’re not taking away from all the other elements of your personal statement. You could also relate them to having a work-life balance – an essential trait in medicine.

TIPS FOR WRITING ABOUT EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

• Use your experiences to highlight your strengths and your skills. How did your activity help you develop a unique skill?
• Focus on the activities that have benefited you the most.
• Elaborate with insight and introspection on the activities you’ve chosen to focus on.
• Group other activities together to help you use your limited characters where they matter most.
• Listing things you have done without further elaborating on them.
• Elaborating on every single activity or being repetitive – if they sound similar, group them, or take some out if you don’t think they’re important.
• Faking interest or passion in something you do not actually like or mention ing an activity you did not really do. It takes away from the space you have to talk about things you are passionate about, which is a lot more valuable and impactful.

This is your final chance to make an impression on the admissions tutor, so make it count! The aim of your conclusion should be to tie together the key points that you included in the main body of your personal statement. Along with the introduction, this is one of the most difficult parts to write, so writing both at the end, after you have a coherent idea of the flow of your piece is advisable.

Ideally, it should only be a few sentences long. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to revisit your conclusion multiple times before submitting. It is important to end on a confident note by expressing a real passion for medicine.

TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR CONCLUSION 

• Summarise and reiterate your key points: Include s kills, experiences, and interests and how these make you suitable for studying medicine. For example, if your experiences have taught you the importance of resilience, how will this skill help you to progress in your future career?
• Mention the takeaway points: What do you want the admission tutor to remember about you ?
• Revisit your conclusion and read it aloud to yourself: Reading it out to yourself and others helps to determine if you’re being concise and getting straight to the point without waffling.
• Write a couple of drafts: By writing different versions of your conclusion, you might find various ways of conveying the same idea, some that you like more than others. This will help you write the best conclusion to suit you.
• Acknowledge the difficulties and demanding nature of studying medicine: Studying medicine can be difficult, but you are equipped with the skills to handle this! You should showcase how the skills you’ve developed will assist you in overcoming difficulties .This will show you are the ideal candidate for studying medicine.
• Writing a conclusion that is too long. You will probably find that the 4000 – character limit of the personal statement will restrict the length of your conclusion. So ideally, one or two succinct sentences should be more than enough to summarise.
• Introducing completely new points – you do not want to leave the admissions tutor confused by bringing in new ideas that you cannot elaborate on further.
• As with the introduction, avoid clichés and quotes.
• Avoid repeating sentences from the main body of the personal statement.
• Avoid making your conclusion too specific to one university. For example, don’t mention a particular teaching style if it is not offered by all the universities that you are applying for.

Now that you have written your personal statement, the hard part is over, right? Well, in all honesty , you might find yourself spending more time editing your personal statement than writing it! It is important to give yourself enough time to perfect your personal statement before the deadline. 

O ur advice at this point is – before you start editing, put your personal statement away. By the time you have finished writing, you will have read and re-read it countless times in the process. You need to take the time away from it to get a fresh look. This will be invaluable when you start editing.

SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, AND GRAMMAR

First things first, triple-check that your word processor has spell-check on with UK English, so that you can correct any spelling mistakes. It may sound obvious; however, technology can often malfunction!

You are a school-age pupil, so the piece should sound like you wrote it. It does not have to sound like you have taken letter-writing classes and have used a thesaurus on every other word. However, you also need to come across as professional. It is best not to use contractions such as don’t (do not), as it is too informal. Make sure you have used a combination of long and short sentences so that it has structure, as well as making sure every sentence doesn’t start with ‘I’.

READ YOUR STATEMENT OUT ALOUD

There are many ways of making sure your personal statement reads well. One method, which is particularly helpful is to read your personal statement aloud to someone else. It becomes very obvious when a sentence is too long and does not flow or make sense when you say it aloud. The person listening will be able to tell you which parts do not sound right. 

W hen we write, we often overestimate how well the writing sounds because you will , of course , know what you meant to say. However, to another person and the admissions team reading it – you want them to know exactly what you mean, rather than having to decode paragraphs that are not crystal clear .

You could try asking an English teacher at your school, or a friend who is studying English to read through it. The spelling, grammar and syntax are independent of the content , so this could be really useful in ensuring it flows well.

SEEKING ANOTHER OPINION

Whilst it may seem tempting to gain as many opinions as possible on your personal statement, it is better to seek the advice of a few trusted individuals. The medicine personal statement is , by nature , a subjective piece of writing. Having too many people read your personal statement and suggest changes, can become quite confusing and stressful very quickly! Here’s how you can avoid this situation: 

• Make sure you are close to your final draft before giving your personal statement to someone else to read. However, still ensure you have enough time to make changes.
• If your school has a careers advisor or team of teachers familiar with reading personal statements, it is worth having your personal statement read and critiqued by them.
• When listening to feedback from others, consider all you can get, but don’t be afraid to not include all the feedback you receive since your personal statement should be truly reflective of only you.
• If you would really like a raw opinion, find a way to have a teacher read it anonymously ! The admissions tutor will be reading your personal statement with no knowledge of who you are. If you want someone to read your personal statement with no knowledge of your background, print off a copy with your details omitted.

TIPS TO SHORTEN YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT

• Do not waste characters writing about things that are elsewhere on your UCAS form. For example, your A-level (or equivalent) choices can all be entered in the qualifications section.
• Remove unnecessary adverbs such as somewhat, rather, sometimes, fairly, pretty really, quite, basically, hopefully, luckily.
• Use the verb form of a word over the noun form – this should reduce words. For example, ‘I created a MedSoc’ vs ‘A MedSoc was created by me’
• Print off your personal statement to edit and cut words. Print it off in a different font to the one you typed it in. This will provide an experience of looking at your personal statement with ‘fresh eyes’.
• Use the ‘Build, Blur, Corrode’ method to identify the weakest parts of your personal statement.
• If you cannot bear to cut sentences, copy and paste them into a document called ‘Scrap’ , that way you know exactly where to find them if you were to want to add them again.
• When focusing on a specific paragraph, copy it into a new blank document and separate each sentence with a line between them. Use this technique to perfect each individual sentence and identify those that are too long.
• When retelling encounters from your work experience, details of what exactly happened are not always necessary!

YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT IS READY TO GO

Once you’ve followed the steps and tips we have outlined, your personal statement is all ready to be submitted. You’ve finished another step in your application to med school! You’re essentially mid-way through the application process ; you should be proud of yourself that you have made it this far. 

Next, you should think about references from your teachers and prepare yourself for a medical school interview. Interviews can be intimidating, but don’t worry! We have created a guide to help you understand the process and how to complete the interviews to the best of your ability. 

HOW PREMED CAN HELP YOU

If you need some work experience to help enhance your med school application, we are here to help! At Premed, we offer in-person and online work experience to ensure you get a taste of life in the medical field. Boost your chances of getting into medical school by applying to one of our work experience courses today.

What should a medicine personal statement include?

When writing a personal statement for medicine, you should focus on including relevant work experience and any volunteer work. The majority of your writing should focus on these aspects as it is important to reflect on your experiences and how this makes the ideal candidate to study medicine. You may also want to include a few short sentences about some extra-curricular activities you partake in as well. 

What should you not say in a medical personal statement?

Don’t be generic about why you want to study medicine. You should demonstrate you have a passion for helping people by providing examples through any work experience or volunteering. Remember, an admissions tutor will read hundreds of personal statements so your application needs to be personal to you. 

Additionally, don’t provide general statements about your skills and experiences or simply list them. You should reflect on your experience and skills by supplying concrete examples to support your statements. This will show you can demonstrate these skills, enhancing your application. 

What do medical schools want in a personal statement?

What your personal statement should contain may differ from university to university but there are some common trends. For example, you should focus on writing about your skills and work experience and reflect on what you have learned from them. It is also ideal to state you understand what a career in medicine entails and how you are prepared to manage the challenges that come with a career in medicine. 

How should I structure my personal statement?

There are several ways you can structure a personal statement, there is no set structure! The way you write your personal statement should be personal to you based on your own experiences. An example of how you can structure your personal statement is:

Another example of a personal statement structure is: 

• Interest in academia and medicine
• Group of skills related to each other (e.g., compassion, empathy and communication)
• Another group of skills related to each other (e.g., leadership, teamwork and problem-solving)

Remember, you also need to include an introduction and conclusion! 

How long should a personal statement be?

You have a limit of 4,000 characters for your personal statement based on UCAS guidelines . This is equivalent to approximately 550-1,000 words. This shows you need to be precise with what you include in your personal statement as you are limited by the words you have. 

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Successful UCAS Medicine Personal Statement Example & Analysis

An example of a successful medicine personal statement.

Below is an example of a strong medicine personal statement that the Medicine Answered team improved. This medicine personal statement rewarded the applicant with interviews at all four medical schools, helping them to secure four offers. We have kindly been granted permission to post it. A complete analysis follows, showing paragraph by paragraph precisely what makes this medicine personal statement strong and how the multiple weaknesses initially present were corrected. This will help you to do the same and write a powerful medicine personal statement. Note: this medicine personal statement is of an A-level candidate. It is still very relevant to graduates. However, later in this article, we advise specifically on writing a Graduate Entry Medicine personal statement and the critical differences all graduates must consider.

This medicine personal statement does an excellent job of using the limited characters available to illustrate what skills the candidate gained from their activities; rather than using most of the characters to explain what these activities are. However, this is done skilfully so that the reader still clearly knows enough from these brief descriptions to understand what the activities are. This use of succinct language frees up characters so that they can instead be used to discuss the meaning and insight that the candidate gained from these activities.

Failure to illustrate what a candidate has learned is a classic mistake in many medicine personal statements. This was a particular issue this candidate had in their initial Medicine personal statement. They had many different types of experiences to list and could not describe them succinctly, causing their Medicine personal statement to far exceed the character limit. By using a more succinct writing style and focusing on illustrating activities rather than describing them, this reviewed version corrected this common medicine personal statement weakness.

UCAS UK Medicine personal statement example which received four offers for interview

“I wish to study medicine as I have long held the ambition to pursue a career that would help others and contribute to the community. As a carer for my grandmother, who has severe arthritis, I have seen how much of a difference good healthcare can make to her life. Shadowing a GP and witnessing the reassurance and help given to patients reinforced this and strengthened my ambition to study medicine. A Medlink lecture on psychiatry sparked my interest, so in college, I co-founded and led a mentoring group called ____ mentoring. Using concepts from cognitive behavioural therapy, I mentored students with low self-esteem or who were having problems at college. I taught after-school lessons on topics such as dealing with failure, stress and goal setting. Selecting a team, delegating work and organising meetings strengthened my leadership skills, while working to strict deadlines improved my organisation. We presented our work to an NHS psychologist, who gave us valuable feedback. We are currently filming our programme to make it available online and in other colleges. I undertook a residential stay at a holiday home for disabled people, where I took guests on day trips and helped to feed and toilet them. Many guests were completely reliant on carers and could not communicate verbally. At times, they would become violent. At first, I found this intimidating, but during the two weeks I learnt how to deal with these situations. I also volunteered at a summer playscheme where several children had learning disabilities. Being responsible for groups of children increased my confidence in caring for others: I found dealing with quieter children and including them in group activities to be rewarding. To develop my understanding of the children I read several books about how learning disabilities affect peoples’ lives. Teamwork is vital in all aspects of medicine, which I find very appealing. I witnessed a live scoliosis surgery, during which I saw how the outcome depended on the skill and dedication not only of the surgeon but also of every other member of the team. At the GP, I learnt how the clerical staff and nurses were vital in the running of the practice. Medicine is a dynamic profession that will continue to undergo major advances in the next few decades. These developments will require a commitment to lifelong learning, and I find the prospect of this exciting. I have attended lectures on topics such as premature birth and pharmacogenetics. During a lecture on RNA Interference (RNAi), the lecturer stated RNAi could be the most important development in medicine since antibiotics. Intrigued by this claim, I completed a 2500-word essay on RNAi and its impact on medicine. It was a challenging topic, but I found that I enjoyed using post-A-level books and medical journals, which improved my research skills. Next year, I will be travelling through Asia and Europe. I have secured work at a Romanian orphanage and will start a placement at ______________ hospital this October. I have also applied for a 10-week development and teaching project in Africa. I am currently learning Thai Boxing and sign language and taking courses in self-development and memory improvement. I participate in basketball tournaments and play tennis. I play the violin to grade 3 and find music helps me to relax. I gained a 200-hour Millennium Volunteers award, a v50 award and I am currently completing a Gold DofE award. I am part of a focus group for a national volunteering organisation. We organise events and promote the benefits of voluntary work to individuals and organisations. My experiences have made me absolutely committed to becoming a doctor, and I believe that they have also prepared me to cope with the demands of studying medicine. I realise that the long hours and often stressful situations which doctors work in are daunting, but it is a challenge I am willing to meet because of the satisfaction that I find in making a difference to peoples’ lives.”

Analysis of this Medicine personal statement

The overall structure of this medicine personal statement..

The initial medical school personal statement lacked a smooth flow as it skipped from point to point without any clear connection between the points. This also made it very easy for the reader to miss certain points or to forget them after they finished reading the Medicine personal statement. Therefore in this reviewed version, we took different scattered points throughout the document and grouped them into themed paragraphs giving the medicine personal statement structure and flow, making it easier to follow and read more like a story.

Paragraph 1 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

Notice that this Medicine personal statement opening paragraph has one central theme: doctors can help people -> the author has seen this for himself -> this fuels his desire to study Medicine -> he has confirmed this through work experience.

What is done well in this edited opening paragraph, is an event is described, and this is followed up by explaining the reason why this makes the author want to study Medicine. The candidate says how he was a carer for his disabled grandmother, and he shadowed a GP. In the unedited version, this was all he wrote. These are just statements and don’t say why that would want to make him study Medicine. Plenty of people look after a disabled relative but do not want to be a doctor so why does the author? However, in the edited medicine personal statement, we added the reason why his grandmother and the GP work experience caused him to want to study Medicine. Of course, the space is so limited in a medicine personal statement that you cannot expand on points very much. A deliberate choice has to be made about which points should be developed and which should not.

Note that the reasons for studying Medicine and examples used in this opening paragraph are not original. There is no unique Medicine personal statement opening line. This is a relatively typical Medicine personal statement opening paragraph. However, that is completely fine. These are solid reasons for studying Medicine and are true for the candidate.

Paragraph 2 Of This Medical Personal Statement

The edited version of paragraph 2 does an excellent job of succinctly explaining an unknown project to the reader without becoming verbose or complicated. It demonstrates what skills the candidate has learned, and they are perfect for studying Medicine, so this is a great example to use. Very few characters are wasted on describing the contents of the lecture or attending Medlink as the other content in this paragraph is far more impressive and important to write. For this reason, it was edited in this way as the unedited version was verbose and wasted many characters on explaining things such as “I attended the Medlink residential course which had various lectures including ….etc.” These do not add anything to enhance the author’s accomplishments and are not needed for narrative purposes either. The assessor already knows what Medlink is.

Many candidates try to state in their Medicine personal statement that they possess the ability to deal with pressure and have good stress/time management skills etc. The edited personal statement makes it more obvious to the reader that the candidate has taught these skills to others. This implies to the reader that the candidate understands these concepts well enough to be able to teach them to others. This is far more effective than if the candidate merely claimed to have these skills. The original wording in the candidate’s initial medicine personal statement was sloppy, so the teaching element was less clear. This is corrected in the reviewed medical school personal statement.

Paragraph 3 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

These are two good examples of caring role work experience, and in the unedited version, the candidate gave some insightful thoughts on things he learned. However, it was mixed in with lots of unnecessary content which diluted the strength of the good points. In this edited version, this is a powerful paragraph because the writer omits the extra material. This causes the remaining text to be more powerful, and it now shows that the candidate has keen self-awareness and insight. He can extract solid learning points from his experiences.

Essentially the candidate is saying he was acutely aware of how he felt during the experiences. He knew that it was challenging to deal with people who had limited communication skills, who could become violent (he even used the word intimidating) and when he was responsible for groups of children. Despite this, he persisted with these experiences and learnt from them. This demonstrates that he is a self-reflective learner. The statement about doing further reading shows how he is an independent learner. He can identify his own learning needs and knows how to pursue them. Being a self-reflective and independent learner is essential for studying Medicine particularly in PBL courses. The candidate is showing he has these skills as well as a lot of maturity and self-awareness in this paragraph of his medicine personal statement.

Paragraph 4 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

You will notice that the things mentioned in this paragraph are very routine things to put into a Medical personal statement and are very passive in nature (i.e. the candidate is not actively doing anything, he is just watching a procedure, he is watching the GP staff). In the unedited version, it very much read like this, i.e. the candidate was a passive observer. In the edited paragraph, however, it becomes more active and unique. Look how once again the author describes an event and then explains a learning point or gives a reflection. Notice how only a few of the words in this paragraph describe what the candidate did. Most of the words describe what the candidate learned and his reflections on the experiences. This is far more powerful than just listing the steps of the operation or describing the activities of the admin staff.

Paragraph 5 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

This paragraph is themed around the author’s keen scientific curiosity and passion for learning. He describes attending lectures and doing activities which are clearly outside of his A-level curriculum. This paragraph is cleverly constructed to make use of the limited character count by not wasting words on how or where he attended these lectures or stating that they are in addition to his A-levels. It is self-evident that they are extracurricular and he does not need to waste words to spell this out. The topics discussed are things that the author needs to understand well as they can be brought up in the Medicine interview. We highlighted to the candidate suggested areas which may be raised at interview, which indeed did arise.

He once again demonstrates that he is a self-reflective and independent learner by talking about various lectures he attends, and how he explored one lecture further by writing an essay on the topic. Note that the author in paragraph two also states how a Medlink talk sparked his interest and he developed things further. This is an individual with curiosity and a desire to understand things further. He once again shows self-reflection when he says that it was challenging to use post-A-level books and medical journals, but he enjoyed the challenge and looks forward to the academic challenges of the ever-evolving field of Medicine.

Paragraph 6 + 7 Of This Medicine Personal Statement

Note that with the correct reflective style it is possible to show the benefits of almost any hobby . For example, if we look at another medicine personal statement we reviewed, the candidate initially stated that playing doubles badminton enhanced their teamwork skills and gave a few basic reflections. This is not bad, but more could be extracted from this hobby. In the reviewed version this was discussed in greater depth and placed as part of an entire paragraph where the theme was teamwork – both in medicine and how the candidate also works to enhance their teamwork skills. See how it was possible to extract much more from this hobby: First we discussed teamwork in medicine and how then how the candidate also seeks to improve their teamwork skills followed by “working as a pair necessitates an awareness of each other’s strengths & weaknesses. We must then work to merge these in a way that potentiates our combined strengths & mitigates our weaknesses. We must consider how our opponents’ factor into this. The fast-pace of badminton requires the ability to make rapid decisions under pressure while still working towards an overall game plan.” This is far better than what the candidate originally said in their medical school personal statement about badminton being good for teamwork and thinking fast.

Making the most of the candidates work experience

How can Medicine Answered help you with your medicine personal statement?

Our Premium Medicine Personal Statement Review Service

This is a highly specialised service. Your medicine personal statement will be reviewed by both a professional editor with specific expertise in medical admissions to ensure the writing style is flawless; and also a qualified doctor who received all four offers to study Medicine to ensure all the content is excellent. This is our minimum standard. We do not use medical students or non-professional editors.

360 Application Review

This includes a full Medicine personal statement review as detailed. Additionally, a doctor will look at your academic grades, UKCAT scores (comparing them with the current 2018 results for this cycle) and work experience. In the context of your whole application , they will also suggest topics which may be discussed at your interview. They will provide a plan for what to do next to move forward and prepare for the rest of your Medicine application. They will give tailored feedback on these elements and based on this provide further suggestions on making strategically sound medical school choices in a way that maximises your individual strengths and minimises your weaknesses.

For more information about both services, visit the Medical Personal Statement Review page, or contact a member of our team.

Our free guides to helping you write an excellent medicine personal statement

Medicine Answered offer the following entirely free guides which will help you to write a superb Medicine personal statement:

How to write a medical school personal statement in 10 steps – this will help to take you from step 1, with no ideas and nothing written down; to step 10, a completed medical school personal statement.

How to write a Graduate Entry Medical School Personal Statement – this discusses how graduates should write their medicine personal statement whether they are applying to Standard Entry Medicine or Graduate Entry Medicine courses.

Further Related Questions 2023

What are the Manchester Medical School “non-academic information form” or the Keele Medical School “roles and responsibilities form”?

Manchester Medical School asks all candidates to also complete a non-academic information form after submitting their UCAS application. The other medical schools do not see this form as it is sent directly to Manchester. This form is very similar to a medical school personal statement but is under a format that the medical school controls. It contains headings which are the same types of topic that you would discuss in a medicine personal statement. The headings are “Experience in a caring role” “Hobbies and interests” “Teamwork” and “Motivation for Medicine”. Keele Medical School has a similar form called the roles and responsibilities form. Again it is sent directly to Keele Medical School. Both these forms should be treated as a separate piece of work from the medicine personal statement even though there is large overlap.

What is the UCAS word limit for medical school personal statements?

A medicine personal statement must meet the following two criteria:

1. Be less than 4000 characters (the counter UCAS use to determine the character count is slightly different from the word counter on most word processors, e.g. Microsoft Word. This is because the UCAS system counts punctuation, spaces, tabs and paragraph lines).

2. Be no longer than 47 lines on the UCAS system (again this is different to what 47 lines on a word processor would look like).

The Best (and Worst) Hobbies to Include in Your Medical School Application

Running in charity 5Ks. Traveling around the globe. Playing the piano.

These might sound like great hobbies to include in your medical school application, but the truth is that every pre-med does them. They’re fine. Average. They won’t hurt you, but they’ll do little to help you stand out.

These hobbies have become cliche, leaving admissions committees feeling underwhelmed.

How to Piss Off Your Medical School Admissions Reader: the 5 Most Troublesome Taboos

So which hobbies should you include on your work/activities section and which should you omit? Before we talk about which to include, let’s first address the question of whether to include hobbies at all.

SHOULD YOU INCLUDE HOBBIES IN YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION?

Some pre-meds seem to think that hobbies shouldn’t matter, that admissions committees don’t care what they do in their free time. There’s some truth to this logic: hobbies won’t make or break your med school application, and no matter how interesting your hobbies are, they won’t help you overcome a low science GPA.

But medicine needs doctors who know how to relieve stress, and hobbies are one way to do that. Including hobbies on your application tells admissions committees that you’re (at least a little) normal, that not EVERYTHING in your life revolves around being pre-med.

Hobbies also humanize you. They can help you bond with your admissions reader or interviewer.

HOW SHOULD YOU INCLUDE YOUR HOBBIES ON THE AMCAS APPLICATION?

We recommend using one work/activity entry to list all of your hobbies. Lump them all together, and describe each with one sentence in the description. This means you’ll need to pick your favorite 2-3 hobbies, so choose wisely. As with any work/activities entry, you’ll be asked to list the total hours. How can you quantify all of the time you’ve spent playing piano for the past 16 years? It’s a little ridiculous, but you should list the total time and list the start date of the activity, even if that was when you were four.

Now that we’ve addressed the Whether and the How of writing about hobbies on the medical school application, let’s talk about the Which. Which activities should you include and which should you omit?

THE MOST CLICHE HOBBIES IN MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATIONS

Cliche hobby #1 - exercise and athletics.

Pre-meds tend to be health conscious due to their interest in the body and desire to “practice what they preach” as future care providers. Exercise is vital for successful pre-meds, but not all exercise is created equal when it comes to standing out.

Running, weightlifting, yoga, and intramural sports are probably the most common. However, these can always be made more interesting through a little variety. For example, you could run in a Tough Mudder race, experiment with aerial or karaoke yoga , or play some unusual intramural sport like croquet or curling (yes, those exist).

Some of the most unusual athletic activities I’ve seen include:

*Competing in a community boxing league

*Playing for a national handball team in Ghana

*Serving as a female coxswain on a men’s rowing team

*Auditioning for American Ninja Warrior

You don’t need something this extraordinary, but if your athletic hobby falls into a common category, you may want to try and spice things up a bit.

Verdict : include it, but don’t bank on it to help you stand out.

CLICHE HOBBY #2 - TRAVELING

Traveling is great. It expands your worldview and exposes you to new experiences and cultures.

But many other pre-meds will have travel experiences to discuss, whether for medical mission trips or merely for pleasure. So it’s not usually something that will jump off the page.

Most of the time, the recreational travel includes tropical places like Hawaii or the Bahamas, or the proverbial backpack trip through Europe. It’s often terribly unoriginal and reeks of privilege, and it can even backfire against a candidate if presented the wrong way.

Again, there are ways to make your travel experiences more unique. Maybe you take a personalized road trip to visit the hometowns of your parents and grandparents. Maybe you visit wilderness sanctuaries with endangered animals. Maybe you visit some remote, obscure destination like Isle Royale or Bumpass Hell .

Some of the most unusual traveling activities I’ve seen include:

*A road trip through the deep South to write a travel article about the Underground Railroad

*A silent, meditative retreat with Buddhist monks

*An ongoing life mission to visit every Major League Baseball stadium

Verdict : include it only if your experience is truly unusual or you have nothing more interesting to talk about (see below).

CLICHE HOBBY #3 - PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT

Learning an instrument is a challenging and enriching endeavor that shows dedication and commitment. The problem is that playing an instrument, particularly something classical like piano or violin, has almost become a stereotype for pre-meds (a.k.a. the overachievers whose parents have forced them to stuff their resumes from birth).

I think this hobby is most egregious when it’s clear that the candidates haven’t really dedicated much time to the instrument recently. This becomes evident when the accolades are primarily from high school competitions and concertos. The admissions committees are pretty savvy, so they’ll be able to tell if you’re dredging up something from the past just to look “impressive.”

Music can still be a crucial component in your application, but it’s better if you can find a way to make it distinct. Here are some of the most unusual musical activities I’ve seen:

*Playing live music for nursing homes and hospice patients

*Marching and playing tuba in college band

*Banging a drum kit on top of a moving parade float  

*Composing a song for your college graduation ceremony

Verdict : include it if you’ve continued to play in college. Otherwise, probably omit.

CLICHE HOBBY #4 - COOKING

Another cliche hobby is anything under the umbrella of cooking, baking, or trying new restaurants. This is a bit like exercise - it’s important, it’s enriching, but it basically comes standard for every health-conscious candidate. If you like healthy cooking, do your best to personalize the description through recent attempted recipes or specialty dishes.  

Verdict : include it only if you have nothing more interesting to talk about (see below)

RED-FLAG HOBBIES TO AVOID IN YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION

This list is totally unfair. There are perfectly normal people who enjoy the activities below, many of whom go on to become doctors. But these hobbies are the ones that could make people question whether you have the perspective and temperament to be a physician.

For those who don’t know, cosplay is a “performance art” in which participants wear self-made costumes and fashion accessories to represent specific fictional characters. This could mean attending occasional events like Comic-Con or treating every single day like Halloween. If you want to dress up like Pokemon or Marvel superheroes, keep that under wraps in your medical school application. To most readers, it might seem childish or a bit out of touch with reality.

ADULT COLORING BOOKS

This trend is a relatively new one. These books aim to provide a combination of nostalgia and therapeutic relaxation. But that’s a pretty generous description. Basically, it’s a fine way to relax while you’re on a plane or watching TV, but it hardly counts as a legitimate hobby.    

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

Nerds! Just kidding. I love D&D. But just like cosplay, this activity carries a certain stigma and stereotype. To some readers, it could make you seem maladjusted and socially awkward, or at least someone with WAY too much time to kill on roleplaying campaigns.

WATCHING NETFLIX

No! Stop right there! The only things you should be “binging” are sleep and self-affirmation.

If you’re only able to afford your hobby because of your wealthy parents or relatives, then it’s probably not smart to highlight it in your medical school application. Certain activities can paint you as privileged or spoiled if you’re not careful in how you present them.

UNIQUE HOBBIES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION

Interesting hobby #1 - arts and entertainment.

Over the years, I have worked with some artistic pre-meds. One was a child actress who later modeled in commercials during college. There was a medical illustrator who produced sketchings and drawings for textbooks. There was also a campus DJ who spun his turntables at community events. There were sculptors, food critics, and art historians.

But these types are few and far between.  

Pre-meds are busy people, and their scientific and academic pursuits can often consume their lives. Arts and entertainment can seem like diversions, but they’re interesting hobbies for a few important reasons: 1.) they’re unusual and stand out, 2.) they show a well-roundedness and your ability to utilize a largely untapped part of the pre-med brain, and 3.) they show your relatability and accessibility to a wider range of people.

Try to embrace the arts, even if you don’t think you have a creative bone in your body. Your months of hard work at the pottery wheel or botched open mic performances will still communicate your desire to expand your perspective and try new things.

INTERESTING HOBBY #2 - CRAFTSMANSHIP

You might be thinking of burly men in wood sheds using power tools, but in this case “craftsmanship” can refer to anything that involves you making something from scratch.

I recall one pre-med who refurbished a non-functioning Harley Davidson motorcycle. One crocheted stuffed animals for newborns in the NICU. Another collaborated with hip-hop artists to produce albums through music editing software. A few have worked on documentary films, designed iPhone games, written and directed one-act plays, and competed in drone races as part of a robotics team.

Why is this attractive to admissions committees? It shows a lot of follow through to complete a project from scratch and make something tangible with your own two hands. Almost all of these endeavors involve trial and error, adaptation, problem solving, and a willingness to fail.

Plus, most of these will result in some kind of evidence that you can share in your application, whether it’s a portfolio, a YouTube link, an Etsy page, or a publication. It’s always good if your hobbies amount to something more than words on a page.

Interesting Hobby #3 - Performance and Public Speaking

These hobbies might strike fear into the hearts of pre-meds, but that’s kind of the point. Choosing a hobby in this category carries a certain degree of risk, since you’ll be regularly in the spotlight and subject to people’s scrutiny.

For example, one former candidate was a standup comedian who had started an improv comedy class at his school. Another was a slam poet who used this medium to decrease the taboos surrounding mental health. There was a candidate who regularly returned to his high school to give talks to the athletic teams and graduating classes.

These hobbies are attractive to admissions committees because they show confidence, healthy risk-taking, social skills, effective rhetoric and communication, and an ability to connect with one’s audience.

Hobbies like this carry the added bonus of honing skills you’ll need for interviewing, collaborating with colleagues, and forming relationships with patients.  

CAN YOU HAVE TOO MANY HOBBIES IN YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION?

Yes! I once had a student write about her interests in knitting, crocheting, costume-making, running, and riflery (a weird combination, I know). If you put too many hobbies on your medical school application, it will look like you have a little TOO much fun, especially if there are already any questions about your commitment to the field or your performance in the classroom.

So keep it to one spot on your Work/Activities section and save any further discussions of the activities for your secondaries and interviews.

Here are 10 Unique Activities That Got People Into Medical School .

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The best hobbies for your medical school application.

Introduction ‍

As you may already know, applying to medical school is a process that requires a lot of preparation; not only because a good GPA and MCAT score is essential, but because you have to decide how to present yourself so that you can stand out from the other applicants.

Including hobbies in your medical school application allows you to share with the admission committee what you love doing and what has shaped you and your character throughout your life.

From cheerleading to playing the piano, hobbies come in all shapes and forms. They can provide you with values and ways of thinking that help you develop as a person, student, and professional.

Get The Ultimate Guide on Writing an Unforgettable Personal Statement

Why Hobbies are Important for your Medical School Application ‍

Good grades and a good MCAT score are not the whole equation. In fact, along with satisfying all the required coursework, they are just the essential criteria, meaning that they are strictly necessary to be considered for admission. 

Medical schools consider the academic part of your application a given, but they want to get to know the person behind the GPA and the MCAT score. 

The AMCAS application comprises nine sections : background information, coursework, work and activities, letters of evaluation, medical schools, essays, and standardized tests. You can include up to 15 experiences under the “work and activities” section; this is where your hobbies will go. 

While it’s not mandatory for you to include hobbies in your medical school application, these kinds of activities show your passions and who you are after all the work is done. Remember that hobbies are not school or work, or any responsibility; hobbies are activities that you engage in because you enjoy them and they give you valuable, usually intangible rewards.

Your hobbies make you a well-rounded individual, and knowing how to find a balance between work and free time is a crucial aspect of life. Being devoted to working is fine, but if you can show both sides of yourself to the admission committee, they will gain a good impression of you.

Medical schools are looking for real people, human beings who can be future generations' health care providers; good grades are not all there is. 

Hobbies for your medical school application are important because they show the relatable part of you; the admission committee wants to learn about your human side as well, not only about you as a student and professional.

Which Hobbies Can you Include in Your Med School Application?  ‍

As mentioned earlier, in your medical school application you can include up to 15 experiences, some of which can be hobbies. However, it’s important to focus on only  significant hobbies – those that have made a difference in how you view the world and how you interact with people. 

In this section, we’re going to discuss some of the most popular hobbies to include and each one’s strengths and limitations. 

The most typical hobbies students include in their medical school application are hobbies surrounding athletics and exercise. These are common because many kids start practicing a sport in school, and they continue to do so as they make their way through college.

As a future health care provider, it’s a good idea to talk about a physical hobby you may have, which will show that taking care of yourself is one of your main interests. Some sports might include team sports like football or basketball, individual sports like running or swimming, or even hiking or biking.

Each of them is different and can bring diverse values to the table. Even though many applicants may talk about sports-related hobbies, it’s up to you to make your entries original and personal; use your imagination! Another very common hobby students list in their medical school application is playing an instrument.

Including not only a physical hobby but also one that stimulates your mind will immediately make you a well-rounded, competitive candidate. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “healthy mind in a healthy body”; medical schools value the fact that you think both aspects of health are equally important and you take good care of them.

Another hobby to include in your medical school application is traveling. If that’s something you’re passionate about and have enough experience to widely and comfortably talk about it, it will make a good impression.

Traveling and all it involves makes you a conscious human being and expands your worldview. New experiences, new cultures, new people; these are all things that help you grow as a person and make you a lifelong learner.

Being open-minded and culturally educated is a sign that you are tolerant, adaptable, and will be able to do an outstanding job as a health practitioner in the future – interacting, understanding, and empathizing with the diverse people that will be your patients. 

Apart from the hobbies mentioned above, any other passions and activities you think contribute to your personal growth can be included in your application. Maybe you’ve been cooking or baking your whole life, which has brought you a sense of responsibility. Perhaps it has brought you close to your family and has taught you values on bringing people together.

You might also be an artist. Maybe you paint, write, or draw. Or maybe you’re even a content creator on a social media platform. Remember that your creativity says a lot about who you are as a person, so those are great and unique hobbies you might want to consider adding to your application.

How to Choose Which Hobbies to Include in Your Medical School Application ‍

Many students struggle when it comes to choosing the activities to include as hobbies for their medical school applications, so here are several things to consider. 

First of all, choose activities that are truly significant to you. If you’re doubting about whether to include a hobby or not, ask yourself if it’s actually a meaningful activity. Has it taught you values? Has it helped you realize you want to pursue a career as a doctor?

Second, include only activities where you have demonstrated a significant time commitment. Including finishing as a hobby, for example, when you’ve only done it three times isn’t going to impress the admission committee. Talk about long-lasting activities that have shaped you throughout the years.

Third, pick hobbies you can confidently talk about and reflect on. What you learn from them and how they contribute to your personal growth are things that you should be able to include when you write about your hobbies.

And last but not least, keep in mind that you can include any hobby, no matter how weird or special it is. Hobbies come in all shapes and forms, and as long as it makes sense to you and fits the requirements of what medical schools are looking for, it will be useful to include in your application. 

How to Portray your Hobbies in the Right Manner ‍

Whatever your hobbies are, what truly matters is how good you are at using them to your advantage for your medical school application. While the word “hobby” might trigger informal and casual language, you should keep in mind that you’re not talking about your hobbies to a friend, you’re writing about them in your medical school application. 

Think about and reflect on the following questions for a minute: 

• What hobbies contribute to either personal, social, or educational growth?
• What values have your hobbies taught you throughout the years?
• How can you strategically use your hobbies to your advantage?
• How have your hobbies made you a different person? Would you be so selfless today if it weren’t for this recreation? Would you be so emphatic, creative, compassionate…?

These thought-provoking questions will help redirect the focus of your hobbies to what medical schools want to know about you.

For example, if one of your hobbies is a team sport, let’s say basketball, perhaps it has helped you develop a team and community spirit, it has taught you social values and how helping each other is the key to success. 

If you enjoy an individual sport like running, the time you invest in it probably not only helps you stay in good shape but also contributes to your mental health and well-being. It enables you to connect and get to know yourself, which will help you interact with others and your community. 

To sum up, you can include any activity you are passionate about that you think aligns with who you are and assists you in your way of becoming the person and professional you aim to become.

Even watching Netflix or playing video games could be included as your hobbies, but only if there’s a good reason to do so, and you follow the considerations mentioned above. Maybe you enjoy watching documentaries because it helps broaden your knowledge, or playing video games helps you focus and concentrate before you study.

Again, focus on the purpose of sharing your hobbies in the context of your medical school application, don’t list an activity just for the sake of it. Portraying your hobbies in the right manner will help you be a competitive applicant, and will let medical schools get to know the person behind the transcript.

How Many Hobbies are too Many? ‍

Can you include too many hobbies in your AMCAS application? The answer is yes! 

Like mentioned earlier, you can include up to 15 experiences, including clinical experience, volunteer experience , research, medical shadowing and hobbies. So, keep in mind that you need a wide and varied range of experiences to talk about.

While you can include more than one hobby, it’s recommended that you don’t include more than three, since you’ll need space for the other experiences, too. The key is to focus on quality, not quantity. 

A list of hobbies becomes too long when they stop being meaningful. Focus on the activities that have made you, and still, today, make you grow personally, mentally, academically, or physically.

Hobbies that contribute to shaping you into a well-rounded individual; a conscious, empathic, selfless, and educated person, are the ones you want to include. Thinking about it that way, your list of hobbies is probably already narrowing down.

Do you only have one meaningful hobby? Great! Now focus on explaining why it is significant, what it provides you, what has made you stick with it, and the rewards of doing it.

Are they personal rewards or social rewards? Does it contribute to your physical health, mental health, perhaps both? Does it contribute to the well-being of society? Does it impact other people? Have you learned values from it? And most importantly, has this hobby contributed to the decision to become a doctor?

How this passion aligns with the fact that you want to attend medical school to become a physician is probably the most critical part. Your list of hobbies becomes too long when you can no longer show the admission committee how your hobby aligns with your decision to become a doctor.

Does this mean you can only write about one hobby? No problem! Is it three hobbies? No problem, either. Just focus on how meaningful they are and what they bring to your life. But remember, you only have 15 slots to fit all of your experiences; choose wisely how many of those should be hobbies. 

1. Do I have to include hobbies in my medical school application? ‍

It’s not strictly necessary to include hobbies in your medical school application. Hobbies are included in the “work and activities” section, and as you may have already guessed, you can add work or any activity that is meaningful to you, but that is not a hobby.

While it’s recommended that you do so, you shouldn’t feel like you need to. Including hobbies shows your character and who you really are, and medical schools genuinely appreciate this information about you, but it’s not mandatory. 

The personal statement essay is also a good place to talk about them; if a hobby is really meaningful to you, you can use that space to elaborate on it and save a slot under “work and activities” for other experiences.  ‍

2. How many hobbies can I include? ‍

Technically, there’s no limit of hobbies you can include, but you need to be smart about it. Like already mentioned, you can include up to 15 experiences under the “work and activities'' section.

The wisest idea would be to include 1 to 3 hobbies, and leave at least 12 spots to talk about other activities that should be prioritized above hobbies, like clinical work or volunteering. AMCAS application experts advise students to “enter only significant experiences since medical schools are interested in quality rather than quantity.”  ‍

3. Should I include as many as possible? ‍

No. It would be best if you focused on quality rather than quantity. The fact that you can include up to fifteen activities might give you the wrong idea. Still, medical schools will value one meaningful activity over six random hobbies that don’t align or make sense in the context of your application.  ‍

4. Do medical schools take your hobbies into account? ‍

Yes. As we mentioned earlier, medical schools want to know you as a person, not just as a student. If you satisfactorily portray them, hobbies show your human and most vulnerable side, which will be highly appreciated by the admission committee.

At the end of the day, whether you end up being a good doctor or not depends on this side of you, not on whether you got a perfect grade on a specific class back in college. So, take time to write and elaborate about yourself, your passions, and what makes you human.  ‍

5. My hobbies are cliché. Should I talk about them anyway?  ‍

Definitely, but try giving it a pinch of yourself. Even if your hobby is playing volleyball, think about how it makes you different and why this sport is so important to you. Focus on what it brings you rather than on the sport itself. That way, it doesn’t matter how cliché it is; you will show in your application how this hobby makes you who you are. 

Conclusion ‍

Hobbies for your medical school application are not required but can benefit your chances to stand out. The activities you engage in during your daily life apart from school and your job contribute to your human side and say a lot about who you are and who you aspire to become one day. 

You know that you are more than your grades, so sharing your passions is a perfect way to show admissions committees who you are beyond your GPA and MCAT score Medical schools want people, not numbers. Just like doctors are not robots, medical schools don’t make admission decisions based solely on your grades. 

Who are you after school or after work? Do you do something that contributes to your well-being or the well-being of your community? Do you take pride in what you do and how it contributes to yourself and the world?

Talking about your hobbies is an opportunity for you to show your passions and stand out from other candidates who may have the same transcript as you. Remember, you can have the most cliché hobbies and still be different; it’s what you take and learn from your participation that matters most.

Showcase your passions, abilities and strengths, and make your application unique and personal. At the end of the day, that’s who you are! 

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How do I start writing my medicine personal statement?

The best way to start writing your medicine personal statement is by doing a brainstorm. There are 3 lists you need to write down.

1. Make a list of all the skills you think are required to make an effective doctor.

This will stimulate your thinking towards the qualities you have seen in doctors and professionals in your work experience. Here are some examples:

• Professionalism
• Understanding of a healthcare environment
• Communication skills
• Honesty & integrity
• Ethical Awareness
• Teamwork & leadership (coping with responsibility)
• Problem solving
• Reflection on your work
• Insight into your strengths & weaknesses
• Organisation

What additional skills can you think of?

2. Make a list of all your different experiences that are relevant to medicine.

Jot everything down, from work experience to volunteering to books you read, people you spoke to, and lectures or workshops you've attended. You don't know which of these may make an appearance in your personal statement.

3. Make a list of all your different extra-curricular activities, jobs and hobbies that may not be directly related to medicine.

Again, you don't know which of these will feature just yet. This can include the sports team you play for, the after-school clubs you attend, the part-time job you have, and so on.

These three lists are the foundation for your personal statement. You're going to take the different experiences and skills you've identified and transform them into sentences and paragraphs that are relevant for you. There are two approaches you can take for this which we'll explore next.

What do I write about in my medicine personal statement?

We've identified two ways to get the ball rolling and start writing paragraphs for your personal statement. We're going to call one the Experience-first method, and the second the Skills-first method. Choose the method that feels easiest or most natural for you. There isn't a right or wrong way to do it.

Experience-first method

Reflect on your experiences.

For each experience you've identified in steps 2 and 3, write a few short sentences reflecting on it and what you've learnt from it. Identify which skills (from step 1) that it's helped you develop, what it has taught you about medicine, and why it makes you a good candidate for medical school.

• Experience - e.g. 2 day work experience in a GP
• Skills that you observed or demonstrated
• Reflecting on what you learnt from this, how this skill relates to medicine, and how it will help you to become a better doctor.

Once you've done this, group together similar experiences that have taught you similar lessons or skills and turn them into it's own paragraph.

Skills-first method

Reflect on a time you have demonstrated or observed each skill.

Here, instead of writing about each experience, you're starting with the skill and finding examples of when you have demonstrated or observed these skills from all your different experiences (from step 2 or 3). Briefly describe the example or experience you've identified, reflecting on the skill and what it has taught you about medicine and why you want to become a doctor.

• Example of where you have demonstrated or observed this in your experience/activities/hobbies/research.

Once you have done this, group some skills or scenarios together to form a paragraph.

How do I reflect on my experiences in my personal statement?

Many students make the mistake of making their personal statement sound like a list of experiences. However, quality reflections and an understanding of the realities of a career in medicine are far more important to convey rather than listing the quantity of experiences you have undertaken. For each skill, try to think of 1-2 sentences discussing what you have learnt.

If you’re someone that hasn’t had many work experience opportunities or have experience in non-medicine related areas, this is where reflection is a game-changer. No matter what kind of experience you have, there’s usually always a way to make it relevant to medicine. You need to reflect on it and frame the experience in such a way that the admission’s team will recognise the value of it.

Let's look at an example. Imagine you worked in Tesco during the Summer - there are good and bad ways to incorporate this into your personal statement.

Bad : When I’m not studying, I work part-time in Tesco which has helped my customer service skills. I also enjoy reading, swimming and baking.

Good: Working at Tesco for 3 months has developed my communication and customer service skills. It has given me the confidence to de-escalate situation’s when customers have become angry, as I approach them calmly and try to find the root of their problem. I am also aware of how to escalate situations to my manager or security if I am out of my depth. These are important skills in Medicine, as it is important to recognise your own limits to ensure patient safety and your own safety.

Just like this, a short-term job you may have had can bring so much value to your personal statement if you reflect on it in the right way.

Should I talk about my hobbies and interests in my personal statement?

In addition to your academic experiences, it’s worth including a few sentences about your interests outside of your studies. This is because it highlights to admissions tutors that you are able to find ways to balance your time and prevent burnout – as medicine can be quite intense as a profession and university course! In addition, it also shows that you are a well-rounded applicant who could add value to their university by participating in events that the university has to offer. Remember, you’re not just applying for the medicine course, you’re applying to be a representative of that university, so you want to show that you’ll be an asset to them.

How do I cut down my personal statement?

Cutting down the personal statement to 4000 characters can often seem like the most difficult part for many students, especially after all the hard work you have put into writing it. It can be daunting to know what is considered less important and should be cut down, therefore we will give you some useful tips!

Tips to cut down your word count include:

Don't over-describe your experience ‍

Often students waste too many words describing an experience they undertook. It is important to remember that the admissions tutors are less interested in the exact details of the experience and want to see more of your reflections and skills developed from it. Bear this in mind when deciding which parts to cut down!

Avoid writing full names of experiences and places.

These are less significant to the success of your personal statement in comparison to what you learnt from that particular experience.

Consider condensing your hobbies and interests paragraph as these are arguably the least relevant

Cut down or combine areas where you've repeated yourself or described the same skill in two different ways/experiences.

Look for 'extra' words that can be cut out.

Let's look at an example:

" Volunteering in a hospital taught me that it's important to develop good team- working skills as this will mean that patients experience more efficient and effective care." - 169 characters.

Look for the extra words in this sentence that don't add any value, and take them out. For example, this same sentence can be written as:

" Volunteering in a hospital taught me the importance of good teamwork, as it will mean patients experience more efficient and effective care." - 141 characters.

And just like that, the essence of the sentence remains the same, but you've shaved off 28 characters. And in a personal statement, every character is valuable.

How do I start and end my personal statement?

Many students put off writing the introduction and conclusion to their personal statement to the end, which can be a useful idea as it requires a different approach to the main body paragraphs. In your introduction, you should answer the question of WHY you want to become a doctor and what sparked your passion to embark upon this career path. This may be a very personal reason so think about it carefully and try to make it gripping as it will ultimately create the first impression of your personal statement! Word of advice - try to avoid saying "Ever since I was 6..." or "When my grandma was diagnosed with cancer, I knew I wanted to be a doctor," as these make it seem less like it was an impulsive decision you made when you were young, instead of a well thought out decision that you truly understand.

You may also want to refer back to this reason in your conclusion to create a cyclic ending to the personal statement which can help admissions tutors understand your journey and thus make for a more memorable personal statement. When closing your personal statement, you should also re-emphasise the fact that your skills and experiences have enabled you to develop a deeper understanding of the realities of a medical career and that you are now better equipped to handle the challenges, therefore making you well suited to the course and career.

What should I do before submitting my personal statement?

Make sure you triple-check your personal statement before submitting it.

A few tips you should definitely try include:

• Screening for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and incomplete sentences or phrases.
• Reading your personal statement aloud to check it makes sense, flows well and sounds like you.
• Asking a few people proof-read your personal statement to gain perspective from a new pair of eyes. Ideally, this should be your teacher or someone who has been to university and has experience with what a good personal statement requires.

However, we would recommend not letting too many people read your personal statement as it can leave you overwhelmed with so many different opinions and ideas. If you try to make everyone happy with your personal statement, it becomes very easy to lose your own voice and suddenly it doesn't really reflect who you are anymore.

Author: Sakina Lakda and Latifa Haque

Editor: Latifa Haque

Prepare for Success with the SuperPack

AMCAS Hobbies—What Schools Look For and How to Stand Out

• By Med School Insiders
• January 16, 2023
• Extracurricular Activities , Work and Activities

Your medical school application has several different components, and each plays a vital role in your success. You know you need a stellar personal statement , strong letters of recommendation , and a solid MCAT score , but why would schools care about your hobbies? What hobbies do schools look for? Will the AMCAS hobbies you select in the Work and Activities section affect the outcome of your application?

Your hobbies may not be as important as other experiences on your application, such as notable clinical or research experiences, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable. Effectively utilizing hobbies in the experiences section of your application can show that you are a well-rounded candidate who has a lot to offer the student body of the schools you’re applying to.

In this post, we break down why medical schools care about hobbies, which hobbies add value to your application, and how to effectively describe hobby experiences.

Why Do Medical Schools Care About Hobbies?

Medical schools want to know who you are, not only as a future professional and someone who can succeed in academia, but more importantly, who you are as a person. Hobbies can show your well-roundedness much more than statistics or letters of recommendation can. Even if you share hobbies with other candidates, your unique experience and take on it can help you stand out from other applicants.

Schools want to build a well-rounded class, and this goes for any school, from something brand new to something as prestigious as Stanford or Harvard. Schools want to build a balanced and diverse class who will be effective future colleagues and peers to one another. Hobbies give admissions committees special insight into who you are and what you can contribute to your school.

For example, a medical school is unlikely to select athletes exclusively, as this won’t add diversity to the thoughts and conversations of the student body. It’s better for schools to have a blend of voices, including athletes and also creatives, such as writers, artists, people with travel experience, etc.

Medical schools intentionally craft diverse classes so that students learn not only from the school but also from each other. Your hobbies provide admissions committees with special insight into what you have to offer and how you can contribute to the diversity of their student body. So, effectively discussing one or two unique hobbies in your application will help admissions committees take a more active interest in you and help them determine if you are a good fit for their school.

What Hobbies Add Value to Your Application?

There’s no such thing as a bad hobby. That said, you only have space to mention 15 experiences in the AMCAS Work and Activities section, including research, extracurriculars, jobs, etc., so don’t go above two or three hobbies. It’s also vital that these hobbies indicate a lifelong passion. If you started the hobby in the last year or so, don’t include it. Choose a hobby you’ve had since high school, as this better shows your passion for it and commitment to it.

If you choose a more recent hobby that you developed in college, be prepared to be able to illustrate why you have such a passion for that hobby and why it has had a significant impact on you in a short time.

Examples of Hobbies include:

• Playing an instrument
• Team sports
• Weight lifting
• Martial arts
• Creative writing
• Filmography

What hobbies have you continued throughout all of your studies? Schools want someone with longstanding hobbies, as this shows them you’re able to find balance in your life. If all you make time for is your studies, you’re going to burn out , and the last thing medical schools want is a class of students on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Choose hobbies that have had a profound impact on you. You must be able to reflect on the hobbies and demonstrate how the hobby has altered the course of your life. Who would you be if not for your hobby?

It’s natural for students to second guess whether or not to include hobbies. Is being an avid film buff really relevant to your medical school application?

You don’t have to include hobbies that are exclusively related to healthcare. You want to demonstrate you’re a well-rounded person. Hobbies allow admissions committees to see who you are outside of the classroom, outside of research, and outside of volunteering.

Hobbies aren’t an escape; they’re how you recenter, connect back to the world, and refresh your mental health. Hobbies set you apart and lend insight into how you see and connect with the world around you.

For example, you might be passionate about documentaries. On the surface, this could feel like a lazy hobby. But why do you have that passion? What makes you turn to documentaries instead of reality TV? Connect your passion for documentaries to a thirst for knowledge and a quest for a deeper understanding of the world—a good passion for all doctors to have.

Remember, you also include hobbies to help admissions committees determine where you’ll have the most opportunities to meet people and network at school. You may think your passion for cooking isn’t relevant, but it could be that there’s a passionate community of amateur chefs within a school’s student body. Admissions committees will remember you better, thanks to your descriptive hobbies.

It’s not so much about which hobbies you choose; it’s more about showing depth, passion, and the length of your participation. Choose hobbies that form the building blocks of your identity—ones you can speak about in-depth during interviews. Interviewers will be much more interested in discussing your unique hobbies as opposed to your MCAT score.

The AMCAS Hobbies Section

The Work and Activities section, where you can mention the hobbies you want to include, is the first place admissions committees look to get a sense of your personality and whether or not you fit the mold of the medical student they’re looking for. You can select up to 15 premed experiences, ranging from extracurricular activities to jobs to volunteering experiences to hobbies and more.

You have 700 characters of space to discuss each of these activities and their impact on you. Of those 15, you can select up to three most meaningful experiences, which grants you 1325 characters of extra space to speak about these experiences in more detail.

First and foremost, admissions committees are looking for activities in a few core areas : research experience, clinical exposure, and community involvement. Most of your activities will fall into these categories, so we recommend only including two or at most three hobbies.

You don’t have a lot of space to discuss these activities, so ensure your titles are as descriptive as possible and make every word count when you describe the activity. Don’t describe the activity itself, but rather your experience with it. Use one or two sentences to describe what you learned or gained from the experience.

Learn more in our comprehensive Guide to the AMCAS Work and Activities Section .

What it Looks Like on Other Applications (AACOMAS and TMDSAS)

If you’re applying to osteopathic (DO) schools or medical schools in Texas, you will need to apply through their respective application services—The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service ( AACOMAS ) and The Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service ( TMDSAS ).

While similar, the application requirements of each service differ slightly, and the Work and Activities section is no different. AACOMAS has no limit to the number of experiences you can mention, but it does not have a Most Meaningful Experience section. TMDSAS has applicants create a Chronology of Activities, which includes everything between high school graduation and the summer of your application.

Learn more about each of the AMCAS vs. AACOMAS vs. TMDSAS Med School Application Differences .

For osteopathic applicants, read our AACOMAS Experiences and Achievements Guide , and for Texas medical school applicants, read our TMDSAS Activities Section Guide .

Effectively Writing Medical School Application Hobbies

In order to write about your hobbies effectively, you must connect the activity to your personal growth and how it has impacted your relationship to medicine.

Admissions committees are looking for depth. Don’t provide superficial reasons, such as, “I like to travel,” or, “I just play basketball for the fun of it.” Dive deep into the specific elements of the hobby—a hobby you’ll continue to practice throughout your future medical career. Explain the what and the how of the hobby, but always leave room for the why . The why is the most important aspect to break down, and it will make the hobby unique to you.

If you’ve participated in a lot of team sports, regardless of the level you played at, you can connect your experience with working as a team and being a team player to medical school and your future career.

Doctors work as part of a team on a daily basis, and your ability to be a functioning member of the team is crucial to your future success. You must know each team member’s strengths and weaknesses and how best to utilize them in order to function optimally. Explain how your participation in team sports has shown you the value of teamwork and how to work as an effective part of a team.

If your interests are more artistic in nature, such as music, art, or acting, you might speak about how your hobby has taught you to live in the moment and be present.

So much of being a premed and medical student is looking toward the future. It takes a long, long time to become a professional physician, and it’s easy for medical students to constantly look to the horizon, never keeping their minds on where they are and what they’re doing. You may explain how a passion for the arts has helped you cultivate an ability to appreciate the little things in life and focus on the journey, not the destination.

Not only can this help you with your studies, but your artistic passion and insight could also help your bedside manner, as you’ll be able to engage with patients about music, movies, or art. Your ability to be present and make the most of the moment could also help you ease the mind of a patient you had to deliver bad news to.

Or let’s say you’re interested in global health. You can speak about how your travel hobby has helped you learn how to be open-minded about and mindful of other people’s cultural differences—a major asset to your career if you plan to work with communities around the world.

No matter what your hobby is, highlight the amount of time and effort you’ve put into it. If your hobby is traveling, how many places have you traveled to? If you’re a chef, how long have you been cooking? If you’re into team sports, how many years have you played?

Now, it’s possible you haven’t spent much time thinking about how your hobbies have impacted your development or why they’re so important to you. A great way to reflect on this is by journaling (something we also recommend you do throughout your extracurricular activities.)

Journaling provides a resource to fall back on when you’re asked questions about how an activity has impacted you, and it can help you remember anecdotes or insights you might otherwise forget. Take time to reflect in a journal on the hobbies that have most shaped your identity, the ones you’ll use to help balance your life in medical school and beyond.

Learn How Students Can Harness the Powerful Benefits of Journaling .

How to Keep Up With Hobbies as a Premed

Finding balance between your studies, extracurricular positions, social engagements, and hobbies is key to maintaining your energy, enthusiasm, and mental health. You won’t find time for your hobbies—you must make time for them. Hobbies you are passionate about are not a waste of time so long as you can keep up with your studies. With the right routines and time management practices , you can succeed in school and have a life outside of it.

While your studies are extremely important, you can’t study every minute of the day. Your brain needs time to rest. Crafting a solid routine will help you ensure you get to all of your priorities. Build your hobbies into your downtime, which could be during your morning routine , your night routine , or when you take a break in the afternoon.

It all comes down to creating a daily routine and schedule that you can follow day after day. Don’t wait to see if you’ll get to it; intentionally block time in your week for the hobbies you’re passionate about.

What If You Don’t Have Any Hobbies?

While it’s probably unlikely you don’t have anything that you do for fun, this question is part of the reason it’s so important to start thinking about these aspects of your application early on as a premed.

Schools are looking for well-rounded students who can demonstrate they know how to work hard while still maintaining their balance and wellness. Medical school is extremely challenging; without a way to decompress, you could easily burn out. Admissions committees know this, which is why it’s important to include at least one hobby in your application.

If you’re looking for a hobby, remember not to force it. A hobby you don’t like and can’t speak positively about won’t help you. Check out what clubs your school has available. Ask friends about their hobbies. Step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Reflect on each of the activities you try in a journal to determine their impact on you. Did you have fun? Did you learn anything about yourself? Could you see yourself participating in the activity regularly?

If you don’t have any hobbies, it’s important to get outside and find one. Admissions committees aren’t only considering your grades; they’re considering who you are as an entire human being.

Don’t neglect your own personal growth believing your strict, exclusive focus on medicine will make you stand out from the crowd. Medical schools want well-rounded, balanced individuals. What hobby or activity have you always been curious about but felt like you never had time to try? Now is the time to give it a shot and challenge yourself in ways you never have before.

Learn more: Why You Should Step Outside Your Comfort Zone—Student Guide .

Crafting the Path to Success

Med School Insiders offers one-on-one advising that pairs you with a physician advisor who can answer your questions about medical school applications, what to do with the time between your studies, how to transition into your first year of medical school, and much more. It’s our goal to help you create a future that aligns with your vision, which includes your hobbies, studies, career goals, lifestyle, and habits.

Sign up for our newsletter and follow our blog for the latest medical school application news, guides, and resources. Our content library is filled with articles that will help you prepare for every aspect of your application, as well as how to succeed during medical school and residency.

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Customer Note Premed Preclinical Med Student Clinical Med Student

• Medical School Application

Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got 6 Acceptances

Featured Admissions Expert: Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

These 30 exemplary medical school personal statement examples come from our students who enrolled in one of our application review programs. Most of these examples led to multiple acceptance for our students. For instance, the first example got our student accepted into SIX medical schools. Here's what you'll find in this article: We'll first go over 30 medical school personal statement samples, then we'll provide you a step-by-step guide for composing your own outstanding statement from scratch. If you follow this strategy, you're going to have a stellar statement whether you apply to the most competitive or the easiest medical schools to get into .

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Listen to the blog!

Article Contents 35 min read

Stellar medical school personal statement examples that got multiple acceptances, medical school personal statement example #1.

I made my way to Hillary’s house after hearing about her alcoholic father’s incarceration. Seeing her tearfulness and at a loss for words, I took her hand and held it, hoping to make things more bearable. She squeezed back gently in reply, “thank you.” My silent gesture seemed to confer a soundless message of comfort, encouragement and support.

Through mentoring, I have developed meaningful relationships with individuals of all ages, including seven-year-old Hillary. Many of my mentees come from disadvantaged backgrounds; working with them has challenged me to become more understanding and compassionate. Although Hillary was not able to control her father’s alcoholism and I had no immediate solution to her problems, I felt truly fortunate to be able to comfort her with my presence. Though not always tangible, my small victories, such as the support I offered Hillary, hold great personal meaning. Similarly, medicine encompasses more than an understanding of tangible entities such as the science of disease and treatment—to be an excellent physician requires empathy, dedication, curiosity and love of problem solving. These are skills I have developed through my experiences both teaching and shadowing inspiring physicians.

Medicine encompasses more than hard science. My experience as a teaching assistant nurtured my passion for medicine; I found that helping students required more than knowledge of organic chemistry. Rather, I was only able to address their difficulties when I sought out their underlying fears and feelings. One student, Azra, struggled despite regularly attending office hours. She approached me, asking for help. As we worked together, I noticed that her frustration stemmed from how intimidated she was by problems. I helped her by listening to her as a fellow student and normalizing her struggles. “I remember doing badly on my first organic chem test, despite studying really hard,” I said to Azra while working on a problem. “Really? You’re a TA, shouldn’t you be perfect?” I looked up and explained that I had improved my grades through hard work. I could tell she instantly felt more hopeful, she said, “If you could do it, then I can too!” When she passed, receiving a B+;I felt as if I had passed too. That B+ meant so much: it was a tangible result of Azra’s hard work, but it was also symbol of our dedication to one another and the bond we forged working together.

My passion for teaching others and sharing knowledge emanates from my curiosity and love for learning. My shadowing experiences in particular have stimulated my curiosity and desire to learn more about the world around me. How does platelet rich plasma stimulate tissue growth? How does diabetes affect the proximal convoluted tubule? My questions never stopped. I wanted to know everything and it felt very satisfying to apply my knowledge to clinical problems.

Shadowing physicians further taught me that medicine not only fuels my curiosity; it also challenges my problem solving skills. I enjoy the connections found in medicine, how things learned in one area can aid in coming up with a solution in another. For instance, while shadowing Dr. Steel I was asked, “What causes varicose veins and what are the complications?” I thought to myself, what could it be? I knew that veins have valves and thought back to my shadowing experience with Dr. Smith in the operating room. She had amputated a patient’s foot due to ulcers obstructing the venous circulation. I replied, “veins have valves and valve problems could lead to ulcers.” Dr. Steel smiled, “you’re right, but it doesn’t end there!” Medicine is not disconnected; it is not about interventional cardiology or orthopedic surgery. In fact, medicine is intertwined and collaborative. The ability to gather knowledge from many specialties and put seemingly distinct concepts together to form a coherent picture truly attracts me to medicine.

It is hard to separate science from medicine; in fact, medicine is science. However, medicine is also about people—their feelings, struggles and concerns. Humans are not pre-programmed robots that all face the same problems. Humans deserve sensitive and understanding physicians. Humans deserve doctors who are infinitely curious, constantly questioning new advents in medicine. They deserve someone who loves the challenge of problem solving and coming up with innovative individualized solutions. I want to be that physician. I want to be able to approach each case as a unique entity and incorporate my strengths into providing personalized care for my patients. Until that time, I may be found Friday mornings in the operating room, peering over shoulders, dreaming about the day I get to hold the drill.

Let's take a step back to consider what this medical school personal statement example does, not just what it says. It begins with an engaging hook in the first paragraph and ends with a compelling conclusion. The introduction draws you in, making the essay almost impossible to put down, while the conclusion paints a picture of someone who is both passionate and dedicated to the profession. In between the introduction and conclusion, this student makes excellent use of personal narrative. The anecdotes chosen demonstrate this individual's response to the common question, " Why do you want to be a doctor ?" while simultaneously making them come across as compassionate, curious, and reflective. The essay articulates a number of key qualities and competencies, which go far beyond the common trope, I want to be a doctor because I want to help people.

This person is clearly a talented writer, but this was the result of several rounds of edits with one of our medical school admissions consulting team members and a lot of hard work on the student's part. If your essay is not quite there yet, or if you're just getting started, don't sweat it. Do take note that writing a good personal essay takes advanced planning and significant effort.

I was one of those kids who always wanted to be doctor. I didn’t understand the responsibilities and heartbreaks, the difficult decisions, and the years of study and training that go with the title, but I did understand that the person in the white coat stood for knowledge, professionalism, and compassion. As a child, visits to the pediatrician were important events. I’d attend to my hair and clothes, and travel to the appointment in anticipation. I loved the interaction with my doctor. I loved that whoever I was in the larger world, I could enter the safe space of the doctor’s office, and for a moment my concerns were heard and evaluated. I listened as my mother communicated with the doctor. I’d be asked questions, respectfully examined, treatments and options would be weighed, and we would be on our way. My mother had been supported in her efforts to raise a well child, and I’d had a meaningful interaction with an adult who cared for my body and development. I understood medicine as an act of service, which aligned with my values, and became a dream.

I was hospitalized for several months as a teenager and was inspired by the experience, despite the illness. In the time of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, I met truly sick children. Children who were much more ill than me. Children who wouldn’t recover. We shared a four-bed room, and we shared our medical stories. Because of the old hospital building, there was little privacy in our room, and we couldn’t help but listen-in during rounds, learning the medical details, becoming “experts” in our four distinct cases. I had more mobility than some of the patients, and when the medical team and family members were unavailable, I’d run simple errands for my roommates, liaise informally with staff, and attend to needs. To bring physical relief, a cold compress, a warmed blanket, a message to a nurse, filled me with such an intense joy and sense of purpose that I applied for a volunteer position at the hospital even before my release.

I have since been volunteering in emergency departments, out-patient clinics, and long term care facilities. While the depth of human suffering is at times shocking and the iterations of illness astounding, it is in the long-term care facility that I had the most meaningful experiences by virtue of my responsibilities and the nature of the patients’ illnesses. Charles was 55 when he died. He had early onset Parkinson’s Disease with dementia that revealed itself with a small tremor when he was in his late twenties. Charles had a wife and three daughters who visited regularly, but whom he didn’t often remember. Over four years as a volunteer, my role with the family was to fill in the spaces left by Charles’ periodic inability to project his voice as well as his growing cognitive lapses. I would tell the family of his activities between their visits, and I would remind him of their visits and their news. This was a hard experience for me. I watched as 3 daughters, around my own age, incrementally lost their father. I became angry, and then I grew even more determined.

In the summer of third year of my Health Sciences degree, I was chosen to participate in an undergraduate research fellowship in biomedical research at my university. As part of this experience, I worked alongside graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, medical students, physicians, and faculty in Alzheimer’s research into biomarkers that might predict future disease. We collaborated in teams, and by way of the principal investigator’s careful leadership, I learned wherever one falls in terms of rank, each contribution is vital to the outcome. None of the work is in isolation. For instance, I was closely mentored by Will, a graduate student who had been in my role the previous summer. He, in turn, collaborated with post docs and medical students, turning to faculty when roadblocks were met. While one person’s knowledge and skill may be deeper than another’s, individual efforts make up the whole. Working in this team, aside from developing research skills, I realized that practicing medicine is not an individual pursuit, but a collaborative commitment to excellence in scholarship and leadership, which all begins with mentorship.

Building on this experience with teamwork in the lab, I participated in a global health initiative in Nepal for four months, where I worked alongside nurses, doctors, and translators. I worked in mobile rural health camps that offered tuberculosis care, monitored the health and development of babies and children under 5, and tended to minor injuries. We worked 11-hour days helping hundreds of people in the 3 days we spent in each location. Patients would already be in line before we woke each morning. I spent each day recording basic demographic information, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, weight, height, as well as random blood sugar levels, for each patient, before they lined up to see a doctor. Each day was exhausting and satisfying. We helped so many people. But this satisfaction was quickly displaced by a developing understanding of issues in health equity.

My desire to be doctor as a young person was not misguided, but simply naïve. I’ve since learned the role of empathy and compassion through my experiences as a patient and volunteer. I’ve broadened my contextual understanding of medicine in the lab and in Nepal. My purpose hasn’t changed, but what has developed is my understanding that to be a physician is to help people live healthy, dignified lives by practicing both medicine and social justice.

28 More Medical School Personal Statement Examples That Got Accepted

What my sister went through pushed me to strengthen my knowledge in medical education, patient care, and research. These events have influenced who I am today and helped me determine my own passions. I aspire to be a doctor because I want to make miracles, like my sister, happen. Life is something to cherish; it would not be the same if I did not have one of my four sisters to spend it with. As all stories have endings, I hope that mine ends with me fulfilling my dream of being a doctor, which has been the sole focus of my life to this point. I would love nothing more than to dedicate myself to such a rewarding career, where I achieve what those doctors did for my family. Their expertise allowed my sister to get all the care she needed for her heart, eyes, lungs, and overall growth. Those physicians gave me more than just my little sister, they gave me the determination and focus needed to succeed in the medical field, and for that, I am forever grateful. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #3","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #3"}]" code="tab4" template="BlogArticle">

I came to America, leaving my parents and friends behind, to grasp my chance at a better future. I believe this chance is now in front of me. Medicine is the only path I truly desire because it satisfies my curiosity about the human body and it allows me to directly interact with patients. I do not want to miss this chance to further hone my skills and knowledge, in order to provide better care for my patients. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement #4","title":"Medical School Personal Statement #4"}]" code="tab5" template="BlogArticle">

The time I have spent in various medical settings has confirmed my love for the field. Regardless of the environment, I am drawn to patients and their stories, like that scared young boy at AMC. I am aware that medicine is a constantly changing landscape; however, one thing that has remained steadfast over the years is putting the patient first, and I plan on doing this as a physician. All of my experiences have taught me a great deal about patient interaction and global health, however, I am left wanting more. I crave more knowledge to help patients and become more useful in the healthcare sector. I am certain medical school is the path that will help me reach my goal. One day, I hope to use my experiences to become an amazing doctor like the doctors that treated my sister, so I can help other children like her. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #5","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #5"}]" code="tab6" template="BlogArticle">

My interest in the field of medicine has developed overtime, with a common theme surrounding the importance of personal health and wellness. Through my journey in sports, travelling, and meeting some incredible individuals such as Michael, I have shifted my focus from thinking solely about the physical well-being, to understanding the importance of mental, spiritual, and social health as well. Being part of a profession that emphasizes continuous education, and application of knowledge to help people is very rewarding, and I will bring compassion, a hard work ethic and an attitude that is always focused on bettering patient outcomes. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example # 7","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example # 7"}]" code="tab8" template="BlogArticle">

Medicine embodies a hard science, but it is ultimately a profession that treats people. I have seen firsthand that medicine is not a \u201cone-treatment-fits-all\u201d practice, as an effective physician takes a holistic approach. This is the type of physician I aspire to be: one who refuses to shy away from the humanity of patients and their social context, and one who uses research and innovation to improve the human condition. So, when I rethink \u201cwhy medicine?\u201d, I know it\u2019s for me \u2013 because it is a holistic discipline, because it demands all of me, because I am ready to absorb the fascinating knowledge and science that dictates human life, and engage with humanity in a way no other profession allows for. Until the day that I dawn the coveted white coat, you can find me in inpatient units, comforting the many John\u2019s to come, or perhaps at the back of an operating room observing a mitral valve repair \u2013 dreaming of the day the puck is in my zone. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #8","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #8"}]" code="tab9" template="BlogArticle">

When I signed up to be a live DJ, I didn't know that the oral skills I practiced on-air would influence all aspects of my life, let alone lead me to consider a career in the art of healing. I see now, though, the importance of these key events in my life that have allowed me to develop excellent communication skills--whether that be empathic listening, reading and giving non-verbal cues, or verbal communication. I realize I have always been on a path towards medicine. Ultimately, I aim to continue to strengthen my skills as I establish my role as a medical student and leader: trusting my choices, effectively communicating, and taking action for people in need. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #9","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #9"}]" code="tab10" template="BlogArticle">

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t I pursue medicine sooner?\u201d Is the question that now occupies my mind. Leila made me aware of the unprofessional treatment delivered by some doctors. My subsequent activities confirmed my desire to become a doctor who cares deeply for his patients and provides the highest quality care. My passion for research fuels my scientific curiosity. I will continue to advocate for patient equality and fairness. Combining these qualities will allow me to succeed as a physician. ","label":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #10","title":"Medical School Personal Statement Example #10"}]" code="tab11" template="BlogArticle">

Medical school personal statement example: #11

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Please note that all personal statements are the property of the students who wrote them, re-printed with permission. Names and identifying characteristics have been changed. Plagiarism detection software is used when evaluating personal statements. Plagiarism is grounds for disqualification from the application. ","label":"NOTE","title":"NOTE"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

As one of the most important  medical school requirements , the personal statement tells your story of why you decided to pursue the medical profession. Keep in mind that personal statements are one of the key factors that affect medical school acceptance rates . This is why it's important to write a stellar essay!

But this is easier said than done. In fact, medical school personal statements remain one of the most challenging parts of students' journeys to medical school. Here's our student Melissa sharing her experience of working on her personal statement:

"I struggled making my personal statement personal... I couldn't incorporate my feelings, motives and life stories that inspired me to pursue medicine into my personal statement" -Melissa, BeMo Student

Our student Rishi, who is not a student at the Carver College of Medicine , learned about the importance of the medical school personal statement the hard way:

"If you're a reapplicant like me, you know we all dread it but you have to get ready to answer what has changed about your application that we should accept you this time. I had an existing personal statement that did not get me in the first time so there was definitely work to be done." - Rishi, BeMo Student, current student at the Carver College of Medicine

The importance of the medical school personal statement can actually increase if you are applying to medical school with any red flags or setbacks, as out student Kannan did:

"I got 511 on my second MCAT try... My goal was anything over median of 510 so anything over that was honestly good with me because it's just about [creating] a good personal statement at that point... I read online about how important the personal statement [is]... making sure [it's] really polished and so that's when I decided to get some professional help." - Kannan, BeMo Student, current student at the Schulich School of Medicine  

As you can see from these testimonials, your medical school personal statement can really make a difference. So we are here to help you get started writing your own personal statement. Let's approach this step-by-step. Below you will see how we will outline the steps to creating your very best personal statement. And don't forget that if you need to see more examples, you can also check out our AMCAS personal statement examples, AACOMAS personal statement examples and TMDSAS personal statement examples to further inspire you!

Here's a quick run-down of what we'll cover in the article:

Now let's dive in deeper!

#1 Understanding the Qualities of a Strong Med School Personal Statement

Before discussing how to write a strong medical school personal statement, we first need to understand the qualities of a strong essay. Similar to crafting strong medical school secondary essays , writing a strong personal statement is a challenging, yet extremely important, part of your MD or MD-PhD programs applications. Your AMCAS Work and Activities section may show the reader what you have done, but the personal statement explains why. This is how Dr. Neel Mistry, MD and our admissions expert, prepared for his medical school personal statement writing:

"The personal statement is an opportunity for you to shine and really impress the committee to invite you for an interview. The personal statement is your chance to be reflective and go beyond what is stated on your CV and [activities]. In order to stand out, it is important to answer the main questions [of medical school personal statements] well: a bit about yourself and what led you to medicine, why you would make an ideal medical student and future physician, what attracts you to [medicine], and what sets you apart from the other candidates. The key here is answering the last two questions well. Most candidates simply highlight what they have done, but do not reflect on it or mention how what they have done has prepared them for a future medical career." - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

A personal statement should be deeply personal, giving the admissions committee insight into your passions and your ultimate decision to pursue a career in medicine. A compelling and introspective personal statement can make the difference between getting an interview and facing medical school rejection . Review our blogs to find out how to prepare for med school interviews and learn the most common medical school interview questions .

As you contemplate the task in front of you, you may be wondering what composing an essay has to do with entering the field of medicine. Many of our students were surprised to learn that medical school personal statements are so valued by med schools. The two things are more closely related than you think. A compelling personal statement demonstrates your written communication skills and highlights your accomplishments, passions, and aspirations. The ability to communicate a complex idea in a short space is an important skill as a physician. You should demonstrate your communication skills by writing a concise and meaningful statement that illustrates your best attributes. Leaving a lasting impression on your reader is what will lead to interview invitations.

A quick note: if you are applying to schools that do not require the formal medical school personal statement, such as medical schools in Canada , you should still learn how to write such essays. Many medical schools in Ontario , for example, ask for short essays for supplementary questionnaires. These are very similar to the personal statement. Knowing how to brainstorm, write, and format your answers is key to your success!!!

You want to give yourself as much time as possible to write your statement. Do not think you can do this in an evening or even in a week. Some statements take months. My best statement took almost a year to get right. Allow yourself time and start early to avoid added stress. Think of the ideas you want to include and brainstorm possible ways to highlight these ideas. Ask your friends for ideas or even brainstorm your ideas with people you trust. Get some feedback early to make sure you are headed in the right direction.

All personal statements for medical school, often start by explaining why medicine is awesome; the admission committee already knows that. You should explain why you want a career in medicine. What is it about the practice of medicine that resonates with who you are? Naturally, this takes a lot of reflection around who you are. Here are some additional questions you can consider as you go about brainstorming for your essay:

• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What is something you want them to know about you that isn't in your application?
• Where were you born, how did you grow up, and what type of childhood did you have growing up (perhaps including interesting stories about your siblings, parents, grandparents)?
• What kinds of early exposure to the medical field left an impression on you as a child?
• Did you become familiar with and interested in the field of medicine at an early stage of your life? If so, why?
• What are your key strengths, and how have you developed these?
• What steps did you take to familiarize yourself with the medical profession?
• Did you shadow a physician? Did you volunteer or work in a clinical setting? Did you get involved in medical research?
• What challenges have you faced? Have these made an impact on what you chose to study?
• What are your favorite activities?
• What kinds of extracurriculars for medical school or volunteer work have you done, and how have these shaped who you are, your priorities, and or your perspectives on a career in medicine?
• What was your "Aha!" moment?
• When did your desire to become a doctor solidify?
• How did you make the decision to apply to medical school?

You shouldn't try to answer all of these in your essay. Try only a few main points that will carry over into the final draft. Use these to brainstorm and gather ideas. Start developing your narrative by prioritizing the most impactful responses to these prompts and the ideas that are most relevant to your own experiences and goals. The perfect personal statement not only shows the admissions committee that you have refined communication skills, but also conveys maturity and professionalism. It should also display your motivation and suitability for medical practice. Here's how our student Alison, who was a non-traditional applicant with a serious red flag in her application, used her brainstorming sessions with our admissions experts to get a theme going in her medical school personal statement and her overall application package:

"I think it was during my brainstorming session that we really started talking about... what the theme [was] going to be for my application. And I think that was really helpful in and of itself. Just [reflecting] 'Hey, what's your focus going to be like? How are we going to write this? What's the style going to be?' Just to create an element of consistency throughout..." Alison, BeMo Student, current student at Dell Medical School 

After brainstorming, you should be able to clearly see a few key ideas, skills, qualities, and intersections that you want to write about. Once you've isolated the elements you want to explore in your essay (usually 2-4 key ideas), you can begin building your outline. In terms of structure, this should follow the standard academic format, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

As you begin thinking about what to include in your personal essay, remember that you are writing for a specific audience with specific expectations. Your evaluator will be familiar with the key qualities desired by medical schools, as informed by the standards of the profession. But keep in mind that they too are human, and they respond well to well-crafted, engaging essays that tell a story. Here's what our student Alison had to share about keeping your audience in mind when writing your personal statement:

"Make it easy for the reader to be able to work [their] way through [your personal statement]. Because, at the end of the day, I think one thing that helped me a lot was being able to think about who was going to be reading this application and it's going to be these people that are sitting around a desk or sitting at a table and [go] through massive numbers of applications every single day. And the easier and more digestible that you can make it for them, gives you a little bit of a win." - Alison, BeMo student, current student at Dell Medical School

The admissions committee will be examining your essay through the lens of their particular school's mission, values, and priorities. You should think about your experiences with reference to the AAMC Core Competencies and to each school's mission statement so that you're working toward your narrative with the institution and broader discipline in mind.

Review AAMC Core Competencies : The AAMC Core Competencies are the key characteristics and skills sought by U.S. medical schools. These are separated into three general categories:

You are not expected to have mastered all of these competencies at this stage of your education. Display those that are relevant to your experiences will help demonstrate your commitment to the medical profession.

Review the school's mission statement: Educational institutions put a lot of time and care into drafting their school's vision. The mission statement will articulate the overall values and priorities of each university, giving you insight into what they might seek in candidates, and thus what you should try to display in your personal statement. Echoing the values of the university helps illustrate that you are a good fit for their intellectual culture. The mission statement may help you identify other priorities of the university, for example, whether they prioritize research-based or experiential-based education. All this research into your chosen medical schools will help you tremendously not only when you write you personal statement, but also the rest of your medical school application components, including your medical school letter of intent if you ever need to write one later.

Just like the personal statement is, in essence, a prompt without a prompt. They give you free rein to write your own prompt to tell your story. This is often difficult for students as they find it hard to get started without having a true direction. Below is a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Use these prompts as a starting point for your essay. Also, they are a great way of addressing why you want to be a doctor without saying something generic.

• The moment your passion for medicine crystallized
• The events that led you toward this path
• Specific instances in which you experienced opportunities
• Challenges that helped shape your worldview
• Your compassion, resilience, or enthusiastic collaboration
• Demonstrate your commitment to others
• Your dependability
• Your leadership skills
• Your ability to problem-solve or to resolve a conflict

These are personal, impactful experiences that only you have had. Focus on the personal, and connect that to the values of your future profession. Do that and you will avoid writing the same essay as everyone else. Dr. Monica Taneja, MD and our admissions expert, shares her tip that got her accepted to the University of Maryland School of Medicine :

"I focused on my journey to medicine and opportunities that I sought out along the way. Everyone’s path and validation is unique, so walking the reader through your growth to the point of application will naturally be different, but that's what I wanted to share in my personal statement." - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Admissions committees don't want your resumé in narrative form. The most boring essays are those of applicants listing their accomplishments. Remember, all that stuff is already in the activities section of the application. This is where you should discuss interesting or important life events that shaped you and your interest in medicine (a service trip to rural Guatemala, a death in the family, a personal experience as a patient). One suggestion is to have an overarching theme to your essay to tie everything together, starting with an anecdote. Alternatively, you can use one big metaphor or analogy through the essay. Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD and experienced admissions committee member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, encourages you to be creative when it comes to the theme of your personal statement:

"It is very easy to make the “cookie cutter” personal statement. To a reviewer who is reading tens of these at a time it can become quite boring. What I did was [tell] a story. Like any good novel, the stories' first lines are meant to hook the reader. This can be about anything if you can bring it back and relate it to your application. It could be about the time your friend was smashed up against the boards in hockey and you, with your limited first aid experience helped to treat him. It is important that the story be REAL." - Dr. Jaime Cazes, MD

Your personal statement must be well-organized, showing a clear, logical progression, as well as connections between ideas. It is generally best to use a chronological progression since this mirrors your progression into a mature adult and gives you the opportunity to illustrate how you learned from early mistakes later on. Carry the theme throughout the statement to achieve continuity and cohesion. Use the theme to links ideas from each paragraph to the next and to unite your piece.

Medical School Personal Statement Structure

When working toward the initial draft of your essay, it is important to keep the following in mind: The essay should read like a chronological narrative and have good structure and flow. Just like any academic essay, it will need an introduction, body content, and a conclusion. If you're wondering whether a medical school advisor can help you with your medical school application, check out our blog for the answer.

Check out our video to learn how to create a killer introduction to your medical school personal statement:

Introduction

The introductory paragraph and, even more importantly, the introductory sentence of your essay, will most certainly make or break your overall statement. Ensure that you have a creative and captivating opening sentence that draws the reader in. This is your first and only chance to make a first impression and really capture the attention of the committee. Starting with an event or an Aha! moment that inspired your decision to pursue a medical profession is one way to grab their attention. The kinds of things that inspire or motivate you can say a lot about who you are as a person.

The broader introductory paragraph itself should serve several functions. First, it must draw your reader in with an eye-catching first line and an engaging hook or anecdote. It should point toward the qualities that most effectively demonstrate your desire and suitability for becoming a physician (you will discuss these qualities further in the body paragraphs). The thesis of the introduction is that you have certain skills, experiences, and characteristics and that these skills, experiences, and characteristics will lead you to thrive in the field of medicine. Finally, it must also serve as a roadmap to the reader, allowing them to understand where the remainder of the story is headed.

That is a lot of work for a single paragraph to do. To better help you envision what this looks like in practice, here is a sample introduction that hits these main points.

I was convinced I was going to grow up to be a professional chef. This was not just another far-fetched idealistic childhood dream that many of us had growing up. There was a sense of certainty about this dream that motivated me to devote countless hours to its practice. It was mostly the wonder that it brought to others and the way they were left in awe after they tried a dish that I recall enjoying the most creating as a young chef. But, when I was 13, my grandfather was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and I realized that sometimes cooking is not enough, as I quickly learned about the vital role physicians play in the life of everyday people like my family and myself. Although my grandfather ended up passing away from his illness, the impact that the healthcare team had on him, my family, and I will always serve as the initial starting point of my fascination with the medical profession. Since that time, I have spent years learning more about the human sciences through my undergraduate studies and research, have developed a deeper understanding of the demands and challenges of the medical profession through my various volunteer and extra-curricular experiences, and although it has been difficult along the way, I have continued to forge a more intimate fascination with the medical field that has motivated me to apply to medical school at this juncture of my life. ","label":"Sample Introduction","title":"Sample Introduction"}]" code="tab3" template="BlogArticle">

In the body of your essay, you essentially want to elaborate on the ideas that you have introduced in your opening paragraph by drawing on your personal experiences to provide evidence. Major points from the above sample introduction could be: dedication and resilience (practicing cooking for hours, and devoting years to undergraduate studies in human sciences), passion and emotional connection (being able to create something that inspired awe in others, and personally connecting with the work of the grandfather's healthcare team), motivation and drive (being inspired by the role physicians play in their patients' lives, participating in volunteer work and extracurriculars, and an enduring fascination with the field of medicine). Depending on the details, a selection of volunteer and extra-curricular experiences might also be discussed in more detail, in order to emphasize other traits like collaboration, teamwork, perseverance, or a sense of social responsibility – all key characteristics sought by medical schools. Just like an academic essay, you will devote one paragraph to each major point, explaining this in detail, supporting your claims with experiences from your life, and reflecting on the meaning of each plot point in your personal narrative, with reference to why you want to pursue a medical career.

Your final statement should not be a simple summary of the things you have discussed. It should be insightful, captivating, and leave the reader with a lasting impression. Although you want to re-emphasize the major ideas of your essay, you should try to be creative and captivating, much like your opening paragraph. Sometimes if you can link your opening idea to your last paragraph it will really tie the whole essay together. The conclusion is just as important as the introduction. It is your last chance to express your medical aspirations. You want to impress the reader while also leaving them wanting more. In this case, more would mean getting an interview so they can learn more about who you are! Leave them thinking I have got to meet this person.

The narrative you construct should display some of your most tightly held values, principles, or ethical positions, along with key accomplishments and activities. If you see yourself as someone who is committed to community service, and you have a track record of such service, your story should feature this and provide insight into why you care about your community and what you learned from your experiences. Saying that you value community service when you've never volunteered a day in your life is pointless. Stating that your family is one where we support each other through challenge and loss (if this is indeed true), is excellent because it lays the groundwork for telling a story while showing that you are orientated towards close relationships. You would then go on to offer a brief anecdote that supports this. You are showing how you live such principles, rather than just telling your reader that you have such principles:

"Remember to use specific personal examples throughout your statement to make it more impactful and memorable for the readers. Often, painting a picture in the reader’s mind in the form of a story helps with this." - Dr. Neel Mistry, MD

A lot of students make the mistake of verbalizing their personal attributes with a bunch of adjectives, such as, "This experience taught me to be a self-reliant leader, with excellent communication skills, and empathy for others..." In reality, this does nothing to convey these qualities. It's a mistake to simply list your skills or characteristics without showing the reader an example of a time you used them to solve a problem. If you simply list your skills or characteristics (telling), without demonstrating the ways you have applied them (showing), you risk coming across as arrogant. The person reading the essay may not believe you, as you've not really given them a way to see such values in your actions. It is better to construct a narrative to show the reader that you possess the traits that medical schools are looking for, rather than explicitly stating that you are an empathetic individual or capable of deep self-reflection. Instead of listing adjectives, tell your personal story and allow the admissions committee to paint the picture for themselves. This step is very challenging for many students, but it's one of the most important strategies used in successful essays. Writing this way will absolutely make your statement stand out from the rest.

While it may be tempting to write in a high academic tone, using terminology or jargon that is often complex or discipline-specific, requiring a specialized vocabulary for comprehension. You should actually aim to write for a non-specialist audience. Remember, in the world of medicine, describing a complex, clinical condition to a patient requires using specific but clear words. This is why your personal statement should show that you can do the same thing. Using large words in unwieldy ways makes you sound like you are compensating for poor communication skills. Use words that you believe most people understand. Read your personal statement back to a 14-year-old, and then again to someone for whom English is not their first language, to see if you're on the right path.

Ultimately, fancy words do not make you a good communicator; listening and ensuring reader comprehension makes you a good communicator. Instead of using complex terminology to tell the admissions committee that you have strong communication skills, show them your communication skills through clear, accessible prose, written with non-specialists in mind. A common refrain among writing instructors is, never use a $10 word where a $2 word will suffice. If you can say it in plain, accessible language, then this is what you should do.

Display Professionalism

Professionalism may seem like a difficult quality to display when only composing a personal statement. After all, the reader can't see your mannerisms, your personal style, or any of those little qualities that allow someone to appear professional. Professionalism is about respect for the experience of others on your team or in your workplace. It is displayed when you are able to step back from your own individual position and think about what is best for your colleagues and peers, considering their needs alongside your own. If a story is relevant to why you want to be a physician and demonstrates an example of how you were professional in a workplace setting, then it is appropriate to include in your essay.

One easy way to destroy a sense of professionalism is to act in a judgmental way towards others, particularly if you perceived and ultimately resolved an error on someone else's part. Sometimes students blame another medical professional for something that went wrong with a patient.

They might say something to the effect of, "The nurse kept brushing off the patient's concerns, refusing to ask the attending to increase her pain medications. Luckily, being the empathetic individual that I am, I took the time to listen to sit with the patient, eventually bringing her concerns to the attending physician, who thanked me for letting him know."

There are a couple of things wrong with this example. It seems like this person is putting down someone else in an attempt to make themselves look better. They come across as un-empathetic and judgmental of the nurse. Maybe she was having a busy day, or maybe the attending had just seen the patient for this issue and the patient didn't really need re-assessment. Reading this kind of account in a personal statement makes the reader question the maturity of the applicant and their ability to move past blaming others and resolve problems in a meaningful way. Instead of allocating blame, identify what the problem was for the patient and then focus on what you did to resolve it and reflect on what you learned from the whole experience.

One last note on professionalism: Being professional does not mean being overly stoic, hiding your emotions, or cultivating a bland personality. A lot of students are afraid to talk about how a situation made them feel in their personal statement. They worry that discussing feelings is inappropriate and will appear unprofessional. Unfortunately for these students, emotional intelligence is hugely important to the practice of medicine. In order to be a good doctor, one must be aware of their own emotions as well as those of their patients. Good doctors are able to quickly identify their own emotions and understand how their emotional reactions may inform their actions, and the ability to deliver appropriate care, in a given situation. Someone who is incapable of identifying their emotions is also incapable of managing them effectively and will likely struggle to identify the emotions of others. So, when writing your personal statement, think about how each experience made you feel, and what you learned from those feelings and that experience.

How to Write About Discrepancies and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Part of your essay's body can include a discussion of any discrepancies or gaps in your education, or disruptions in your academic performance. If you had to take time off, or if you had a term or course with low grades, or if you had any other extenuating circumstances that impacted your education, you can take time to address these here. It is very important to address these strategically. Do not approach this section as space to plead your case. Offer a brief summary of the situation, and then emphasize what you learned from such hardships. Always focus on the positive, illustrating how such difficulties made you stronger, more resilient, or more compassionate. Connect your experiences to the qualities desired by medical schools. Here's how I student Alison address an academic discrepancy in her application:

I had an academic dishonesty during undergrad, which, at the time, ended up being this big misunderstanding. But I was going to appeal this and get it off my record. I was supposed to start nursing school two weeks after this whole ordeal had gone down and, at our university, if you try to appeal your academic dishonesty then you'd have to take an incomplete in that class and I needed this class in order to start nursing school. So I wasn't able to [appeal]. So when I talked with the people at the nursing school they were like ‘it's no big deal, it's fine’. [But] it came back and it haunted me very much. When I was applying [to medical school] I started looking online [to see] how big of a deal is it to have this ‘red flag’ on my application. I started reading all of these horror stories on Student Doctor Network and all of these other forums about how if you have an academic dishonesty you shouldn't even bother applying, that you'll never get in. Schools will blacklist you and I was [wondering] what am I going do. [My advisor suggested I use the essay to talk about my discrepancy]. 

First off, if anyone out there has an academic violation don't read student doctor network. don't listen to anybody. you absolutely are still a potential medical student and schools are not going to blacklist you just because of one mistake that you made. that's all lies. don't listen to them. i don't even think it came up a single time during any of my interviews. i think a lot of that came back to how i wrote that essay and the biggest advice that i can give that i got from the [bemo] team is explain what happened… just give the facts. be very objective about it. in the last two thirds [of the essay] you want to focus on what you learned from it and how it made you a better person and how it's going to make you a better physician.” – alison, bemo student, current student at dell medical school.

We hope many of you find a peace of mind when you read Alison's story. Because it shows that with the right approach to your medical school personal statement, you can overcome even red flags or setbacks that made you dread the application process. Use your personal statement to emphasize your ability to persevere through it all but do so in a positive way. Most of all, if you feel like you have to explain yourself, take accountability for the situation. State that it is unfortunate and then redirect it to what you learned and how it will make you a better doctor. Always focus on being positive and do not lament on the negative situation too much.

Additional Mistakes to Avoid in Personal Statements:

Check out this video on the top 5 errors to avoid in your personal statement!

Step 3: Writing Your First Draft

As you can see, there is a LOT of planning and consideration to be done before actually starting your first draft. Properly brainstorming, outlining, and considering the content and style of your essay prior to beginning the essay will make the writing process much smoother than it would be you to try to jump right to the draft-writing stage. Now, you're not just staring at a blank page wondering what you could possibly write to impress the admissions committee. Instead, you've researched what the school desires from its students and what the medical profession prioritizes in terms of personal characteristics, you've sketched out some key moments from your life that exemplify those traits, and you have a detailed outline that just needs filling in.

As you're getting started, focus on getting content on the page, filling in your outline and getting your ideas arranged on the page. Your essay will go through multiple drafts and re-writes, so the first step is to free write and start articulating connections between your experiences and the characteristics you're highlighting. You can worry about flow, transitions, and perfect grammar in later drafts. The first draft is always a working draft, written with the understanding that its purpose is to act as a starting point, not an ending point. Once you've completed a draft, you can begin the revising process. The next section will break down what to do once you have your first draft completed.

You can also begin looking at things like style, voice, transitions, and overall theme. The best way to do this is to read your essay aloud. This may sound strange, but it is one of the single most impactful bits of writing advice a student can receive. When we're reading in our heads (and particularly when we're reading our own words), it is easy to skip over parts that may be awkwardly worded, or where the grammar is off. As our brains process information differently, depending on whether we're taking in visual or auditory information, this can also help you understand where the connections between ideas aren't as evident as you would like. Reading the essay aloud will help you begin internalizing the narrative you've crafted, so that you can come to more easily express this both formally in writing and informally in conversation (for example, in an interview).

#1 Did You Distinguish Yourself From Others?

Does your narrative sound unique? Is it different than your peers or did you write in a generic manner? Our admissions expert Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, shares how she got the attention of the admissions committee with her personal statement:

"I also found it helpful to give schools a “punch-line”. As in I wanted them to remember 1-2 things about me that are my differentiators and I reiterated those throughout [the personal statement]." - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD

Use your narrative to provide a compelling picture of who you are as a person, as a learner, as an advocate, and as a future medical professional. What can you offer? Remember, you will be getting a lot out of your med school experience, but the school will be getting a lot out of you, as well. You will be contributing your research efforts to your department, you will be participating in the academic community, and as you go on to become a successful medical professional you will impact the perception of your school's prestige. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, so use this opportunity to highlight what you bring to the table, and what you will contribute as a student at their institution. Let them know what it is about you that is an attribute to their program. Make them see you as a stand out from the crowd.

#2 Does My Essay Flow and is it Comprehensible?

Personal statements are a blessing and a curse for admission committees. They give them a better glimpse of who the applicant is than simple scores. Also, they are long and time-consuming to read. And often, they sound exactly alike. On occasion, a personal statement really makes an applicant shine. After reading page after page of redundant, cookie-cutter essays, an essay comes along with fluid prose and a compelling narrative, the reader snaps out of that feeling of monotony and gladly extends their enthusiastic attention.

Frankly, if the statement is pleasant to read, it will get read with more attention and appreciation. Flow is easier to craft through narrative, which is why you should root the statement in a story that demonstrates characteristics desirable to medical schools. Fluidity takes time to build, though, so your statement should be etched out through many drafts and should also be based on an outline. You need to brainstorm, then outline, then draft and re-draft, and then bring in editors and listeners for feedback (Note: You need someone to proofread your work. Bestselling authors have editors. Top scholars have editors. I need an editor. You need an editor. Everyone needs an editor). Then, check and double-check and fix anything that needs fixing. Then check again. Then submit. You want this to be a statement that captures the reader's interest by creating a fluid, comprehensible piece that leads the reader to not only read each paragraph but want to continue to the next sentence.

#3 Did You Check Your Grammar?

If you give yourself more than one night to write your statement, the chances of grammatical errors will decrease considerably. If you are pressed for time, upload your file into an online grammar website. Use the grammar checker on your word processor, but know that this, in itself, isn't enough. Use the eyes and ears of other people to check and double-check your grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Read your statement out loud to yourself and you will almost certainly find an error (and likely several errors). Use fresh eyes to review the statement several times before you actually submit it, by walking away from it for a day or so and then re-reading it. Start your essay early, so that you actually have time to do this. This step can make or break your essay. Do not waste all the effort you have put into writing, to only be discarded by the committee for using incorrect grammar and syntax.

#4 Did You Gather Feedback From Other People?

The most important tip in writing a strong application essay is this getting someone else to read your work. While the tips above are all very useful for writing a strong draft, nothing will benefit you more than getting an outside appraisal of your work. For example, it's very easy to overlook your own spelling or grammatical errors. You know your own story and you may think that your narrative and it's meaning make sense to your reader. You won't know that for sure without having someone else actually read it. This may sound obvious, but it's still an absolute necessity. Have someone you trust to read the essay and ask them what they thought of it. What was their impression of you after reading it? Did it make sense? Was it confusing? Do they have any questions? What was the tone of the essay? Do they see the connections you're trying to make? What were their takeaways from your essay, and do these align with your intended takeaways for your reader? Ideally, this person should have some knowledge of the application process or the medical profession, so that they can say whether you were successful in demonstrating that you are a suitable candidate for medical school. However, any external reader is better than no external reader at all.

Avoid having people too close to you read your work. They may refrain from being too critical in an effort to spare your feelings. This is the time to get brutal, honest feedback. If you know someone who is an editor but do not feel that they can be objective, try and find someone else.

Want more examples? Check out our video below:

FAQs and Final Notes

Your personal statement should tell your story and highlight specific experiences or aspects of your journey that have led you to medicine. If your first exposure or interest in the medical field was sparked from your own medical struggles, then you can certainly include this in your statement. What is most important is that you write about what factors or experiences attributed to you deciding that medicine is the right career path for you.

Sometimes students shy away from including their own personal struggles and describing how they felt during difficult times but this is a great way for admissions committees to gain perspective into who you are as a person and where your motivations lie. Remember, this is your story, not someone else's, so your statement should revolve around you. If you choose to discuss a personal hardship, what's most important is that you don't cast yourself as the victim and that you discuss what the experience taught you. Also, medical schools are not allowed to discriminate against students for discussing medical issues, so it is not looked at as a red flag unless you are talking about an issue inappropriately. For example, making yourself appear as the victim or not taking responsibility.

All US medical schools require the completion of a personal statement with your AMCAS, TMDSAS or AACOMAS applications.

Medical schools in Canada on the other hand, do not require or accept personal statements. In lieu of the personal statement, a few of these schools may require you to address a prompt in the form of an essay, or allow you to submit an explanation essay to describe any extenuating circumstances, but this is not the same as the US personal statement. For example, when applying through  OMSAS , the  University of Toronto medical school  requires applicants to complete four short, 250 words or less, personal essays.

Many students struggle with whether or not they should address an unfavorable grade in their personal statement. What one student does isn't necessarily the right decision for you.

To help you decide, think about whether or not that bad grade might reflect on your poorly. If you think it will, then it's best to address the academic misstep head-on instead of having admissions committees dwell on possible areas of concern. If you're addressing a poor evaluation, ensure that you take responsibility for your grade, discuss what you learned and how your performance will be improved in the future - then move on. It's important that you don't play the victim and you must always reflect on what lessons you've learned moving forward.

Of course not, just because you didn't wake up one morning and notice a lightbulb flashing the words medicine, doesn't mean that your experiences and journey to medicine are inferior to those who did. Students arrive to medicine in all sorts of ways, some change career paths later in life, some always knew they wanted to pursue medicine, and others slowly became interested in medicine through their life interactions and experiences. Your personal statement should address your own unique story to how you first became interested in medicine and when and how that interest turned to a concrete desire.

While your entire statement is important, the opening sentence can often make or break your statement. This is because admission committee members are reviewing hundreds, if not thousands of personal statements. If your opening sentence is not eye-catching, interesting, and memorable, you risk your statement blending in with the large pile of other statements. Have a look at our video above for tips and strategies for creating a fantastic opening sentence.

Having your statement reviewed by family and friends can be a good place to start, but unfortunately, it's near-impossible for them to provide you with unbiased feedback. Often, friends and family members are going to support us and rave about our achievements. Even if they may truly think your statement needs work, they may feel uncomfortable giving you their honest feedback at the risk of hurting your feelings.

In addition, family and friends don't know exactly what admission committee members are looking for in a personal statement, nor do they have years of experience reviewing personal statements and helping students put the best version of themselves forward. For these reasons, many students choose to seek the help of a professional medical school advisor to make sure they have the absolute best chances of acceptance to medical school the first time around.

If you have enough time set aside to write your statement without juggling multiple other commitments, it normally takes at least four weeks to write your statement. If you are working, in school, or volunteering and have other commitments, be prepared to spend 6-8 weeks.

Your conclusion should have a summary of the main points you have made in your essay, but it should not just be a summary. You should also end with something that makes the reader want to learn more about you (i.e. call you for an interview). A good way to do this is to include a call-back to your opening anecdote: how have you grown or matured since then? How are you more prepared now to begin medical school?

The goal is to show as many of them as you can in the WHOLE application: this includes your personal statement, sketch, reference letters, secondary essays, and even your GPA and MCAT (which show critical thinking and reasoning already). So, it’s not an issue to focus on only a few select experiences and competencies in the personal statement.

Yes, you can. However, if you used an experience as a most meaningful entry, pick something else to talk about in your essay. Remember, you want to highlight as many core competencies across your whole application). Or, if you do pick the same experience: pick a different specific encounter or project with a different lesson learned.

Once your essay is in good shape, it's best to submit to ensure your application is reviewed as soon as possible. Remember, with rolling admissions, as more time passes before you submit your application, your chances of acceptance decreases. Nerves are normal and wanting to tinker is also normal, but over-analyzing and constant adjustments can actually weaken your essay.

So, if you're thinking about making more changes, it's important to really reflect and think about WHY you want to change something and if it will actually make the essay stronger. If not your changes won't actually make the essay stronger or if it's a very minor change you're thinking of making, then you should likely leave it as is.

The reality is, medical school admission is an extremely competitive process. In order to have the best chance of success, every part of your application must be stellar. Also, every year some students get in whose GPAs or  MCAT scores  are below the median. How? Simply because they must have stood out in other parts of the application, such as the personal statement.

The ones that honestly made the most impact on you. You'll need to reflect on your whole life and think about which experiences helped you grow and pushed you to pursue medicine. Ideally, experiences that show commitment and progression are better than one-off or short-term activities, as they usually contribute more to growth.

Final Notes

This Ultimate Guide has demonstrated all the work that needs to be done to compose a successful, engaging personal statement for your medical school application. While it would be wonderful if there was an easy way to write your personal statement in a day, the reality is that this kind of composition takes a lot of work. As daunting as this may seem, this guide lays out a clear path. In summary, the following 5 steps are the basis of what you should take away from this guide. These 5 steps are your guide and sort of cheat sheet to writing your best personal statement.

5 Main Takeaways For Personal Statement Writing:

• Brainstorming
• Content and Theme
• Multiple Drafts
• Revision With Attention to Grammar

While a strong personal statement alone will not guarantee admission to medical school, it could absolutely squeeze you onto a  medical school waitlist , off the waitlist, and onto the offer list, or give someone on the admissions committee a reason to go to battle for your candidacy. Use this as an opportunity to highlight the incredible skills you've worked and studied to refine, the remarkable life experiences you've had, and the key qualities you possess in your own unique way. Show the admissions committee that you are someone they want to meet. Remember, in this context, wanting to meet you means wanting to bring you in for an interview!

Dr. Lauren Prufer is an admissions expert at BeMo. Dr. Prufer is also a medical resident at McMaster University. Her medical degree is from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. During her time in medical school, she developed a passion for sharing her knowledge with others through medical writing, research, and peer mentoring.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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Write About Your Hobbies on the Medical School Application

Under the Work/Activities section of the AMCAS, there is a experience type called “Extracurricular/Hobbies/Avocations”. Describing interesting hobbies such as traveling, cooking, playing intramural sports or an instrument, and website building are all ways to show a school that you’ll be able to contribute to the school in more ways than just academics. For example, one of my classmates with whom I coordinated a student-run clinic with is an avid long distance runner and is currently training for the Boston Marathon. Earlier in the year, she encouraged classmates to train together and participate in San Francisco’s Nike Women’s Half Marathon. The diversity of student keeps medical school exciting by providing opportunities for students to share their passions with one another.

Below are four reasons why you should not underestimate the strength of describing your avocations and hobbies on the medical school application Work/Activities section.

Read: How To Stand Out With Extracurriculars  || 5 Parts of a Competitive Medical School Application

1. Hobbies demonstrate your passion

Cultivating a hobby and demonstrating commitment to that activity reveals a passion that every medical school searches for in its applicants. For example, playing the piano for 10 years and performing in a yearly community concert shows discipline in practicing, confidence in performing, and long-term dedication to an art. These are all qualities that can be channeled into a passion for medicine. In order to emphasize your passion, be specific in describing your hobby. If you cook, don’t just say you enjoy preparing pasta for yourself and your significant other. Instead, describe where you gain your inspiration from, the types of cuisine that you’ve tried your hand at, and what tricks you’ve learned in the kitchen.

2. They make you more relatable as a person

For a moment, put yourself into the seat of the interviewer at a medical school. They’ve read over dozens, if not hundreds, of applications that most likely fall under the same mold: basic science research, clinical volunteering, and plenty of community service. While all of those extracurricular activities are crucial in demonstrating interest in medicine, they don’t necessarily provide a wholesome picture about who you are as an individual. This is where hobbies and interests help. Showing the interviewer that you are well versed in discussing interests outside of medicine demonstrates that you are capable of relating to people on multiple levels. After all, if you were an interviewer, would you prefer to ask a student about their clinical research, or discuss how they became interested in performing magic or fencing?

3. They round out your application with diversity

Throughout the application process, you will undoubtedly find mention of the word “ diversity ” numerous times. As the American patient population continues to grow more diverse, medical schools are adapting by training an equally diverse cohort of students to become the next generation of physicians. The end goal is not to produce a class of book-reading, test-taking robots, but to educate students on the art and science of patient care – to take care of the most diverse group of human beings. Diverse hobbies such as speaking a foreign language or traveling to different countries shows that you have embraced cultures besides your own.

4. They demonstrate that wellbeing is a priority in your life

Medical school is 4 years of hard work and can easily become overwhelming at times. It’s important that you don’t sacrifice your interests and hobbies and continue to have a life outside of medical school. Whether it’s waking up early twice a week to catch the surf down at Venice Beach (shout-out to PDr’s Evan Laveman) or holding band practice for the all-school Talent Show one evening a week, it’s important to have regular, positive stress relief. Medical schools have figured out how to train doctors, but they haven’t quite figured out how to maintain everybody’s sanity throughout those 4+ years, so they want to accept students who are already experts at doing so.

|| Read about medical school essay editing service

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ProspectiveDoctor

Related posts:

• Tips from a Medical School Admissions Officer
• Pre-Med Myths
• Pre-Med Myths Part 3
• How To Write About Extracurriculars

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Home › University › How To Write A Personal Statement? 10 Tips + Student Questions Answered › How To Write A Medicine Personal Statement & Impress Admissions

How To Write A Medicine Personal Statement & Impress Admissions

• Published January 20, 2023

Table of Contents

Are you considering a career in medicine but feeling overwhelmed by the thought of writing your medical personal statement? You’re not alone. In the UK, medicine is one of the most competitive fields to enter, with on average, over 20,000 applicants for around 6,000 places each year.

But there’s hope, have you considered attending medicine summer schools ? These programs can give you a great insight into what it’s like to study medicine at a UK university and network with your competition in your personal statement.

In this post, we’ll give you tips and tricks to make the process of writing your medical personal statement a breeze. So, whether you’re just starting or looking to revise, keep reading and take the first step towards a successful medical school application.

Brainstorm Your “WHY”

Why do you want to become a doctor ? How do you know this is the career for you?

How will it benefit you and the people around you? These are just some of the questions that can help you connect with your “WHY.”

If there’s one thing to remember on writing a medical personal statement, they should reflect not just who you are but also what motivates you. There are two techniques you can learn to help you with the brainstorming process.

The first technique is journaling. Just start writing about your passion for medicine without overthinking what people will say when they read it after. Write in complete freedom and just let it flow.

After a day or two of journaling, go back and review what you wrote. How do the words make you feel? How does it connect with your goals as a future doctor? Circle those parts that strike an emotional chord within you and use them as material for writing a medical personal statement.

We’ve also covered the exact method of  how to write a personal statement  – don’t miss out!

The second technique is to read books about motivation and inspiration. Inspiring stories surround us. By reading some of them, you’ll have a basic idea of expressing why you want to study medicine.

Books may even help you remember pivotal experiences in your life that inspired you to pursue a  career in the medical field .

In both techniques, the goal is to help you discover what motivates and inspires you to use it as material on how to write a medical personal statement. The more you are connected with your “why,” the easier it will be to write a personal statement that will touch the hearts of the admissions committee.

State Your Skills  For Medical School

What makes you qualified? How will your skills help you become a successful doctor in the future? These are the questions that can help you validate your reasons for pursuing this career path.

After coming up with your “why,” it’s now time to think about what sets you apart from other applicants, and highlight your skills to prove that you are qualified to become a medical student. If you don’t know where to start, here are skills that are valuable to the medical field:

• A genuine desire to study medicine
• Self-awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses
• Intellectual ability
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Personal Organisation
• Capable of working under pressure
• Knows how to deal with uncertainty
• Responsible for one’s own actions
• Conscientiousness
• Conscious of one’s own health
• Confidence and efficiency in communication
• Team player

Which of these is your strongest suit? Pinpoint at least one to three skills you have that will help you succeed as a doctor. Focus on these strengths when you’re thinking about how to write a medical personal statement.

Related Read :  How To Include Work Experience In Your Personal Statement?

Back-Up Your Skills With Credentials

Of course, it’s not enough to state your skills. Back them up with credentials and the admissions tutors will remember you —state awards, accomplishments, or experiences showcasing your strengths when writing your personal statement. Check out this list for inspiration:

• Extracurricular activities (clubs/organisations)
• Awards or certifications
• Volunteering
• Leadership positions
• Meaningful life experiences
• If you shadowed a doctor

Tell A Story

You may have all the necessary qualifications to be accepted as a medical student, but what counts is how you stand out from others.

Remember, the admissions committee reads thousands of medical personal statements every year. So it would be best if you found a way how to make yours memorable. The best way medical school applicants can give a lasting impression is to present the piece as a story. Can you imagine reading a personal statement structured like a grocery list of skills and credentials? 

Dive Further Into The Top With The :  Best UK Universities For Medicine

If you were the reader, you might not even proceed to read the next paragraph! But if you were to tell a captivating story, your reader will want to keep reading to know how it ends! That is our goal on how to write a medical personal statement.

How can you do it?

Start with a sentence that leads the reader on. Then, write about a time in your life when you experienced an event that set you on fire about being a doctor.

How did it happen? Why did you think of becoming a doctor and not choosing other career paths?

Here’s a pro tip: don’t mention your childhood. It’s in our  what not to put in personal statements  guide and many students still make the mistake of saying, “Since I was a child, I always wanted to become a doctor.” But children have very little reason and experience to make reasonable decisions. The admissions committee is well aware of this. And mentioning your childhood dreams  will not  impress them!

You have to share a significant life event that inspired you to become a doctor when you were old enough to mull it over. As you unfold your story, weave in crucial skills, credentials, and experiences. Be specific with names, dates, and places. Follow this strategy, and your reader will hardly recognise they’re nearing the end of your personal statement!

Write A Strong Opening

You should start your medical personal statement with an opening sentence that hooks the admissions tutors and makes them want to read more. Make the sentence exciting and unique to make people curious about what’s coming next. Have a look at some personal statement introduction examples to understand what exactly a good personal statement opening is.

If possible, don’t open with “I want to pursue medicine as a career because I have a passion for caring for others,” which is a dull opening line. After all, this phrase has been used so often it hardly makes an impact.

Here are some opening sentence ideas on how to write a medical personal statement:“Caring for others is my reason to live.”“My heart beats with the rhythm of the hospital’s emergency room.”“I was one of the fortunate ones.”“It all started with a patient named Mrs Sanchez….”

Reading these opening sentences sparks interest that makes your readers eager to read more. Although, we don’t recommend quotes as openers as they can be really hit and miss – be concise, use the tips mentioned and you’ll ace it.

The trick is to make sure the rest of your personal statement supports your first sentence to ensure coherency. 

Proofread Your Personal Statement

Proofreading is a vital step on how to write a medical personal statement. Handling human lives requires careful attention to detail. Demonstrate your keen attention to detail by ensuring your personal statement is free of spelling and grammatical errors.

It’s essential to point out that the admissions committee not only reads your content. But they also pay close attention to  how you present  your content. A well-organised and coherent write-up reflects a sound writer.

So don’t speed through this stage! Take your time. Run your personal statement through Grammarly.

Read it out loud! Enjoy the process of perfecting your personal statement. After all, this is a vital step in achieving your dream to become a medic!

Ask Others To Read Your Personal Statement

It’s challenging to judge your personal statement with unbiased eyes because you are its author. That’s why asking for other people’s feedback is essential on how to write a medical personal statement.

Approach your family, friends, and acquaintances. Tell them you need their opinion on your personal statement. Do they find it easy to understand? Is it coherent? Do they hear  you  while they’re reading your personal statement?

Ask them as many questions as you can. Don’t be afraid to listen to their criticism. It’s much better to hear corrections now while you still have the chance to revise your work. The result is worth the extra time and effort!

Put Some Distance 

After noting down feedback and revising your medical school personal statement multiple times, it’s best to put it down for a short time. You need to see it with a clear set of eyes.

So forget about it for a few days. Play your favourite sport. Read your favourite book. Or chill by your couch with your music on. Go about your daily life as if you didn’t spend the last few days working hard writing your medical personal statement.

You’d be surprised what happens when you come back to reread your work. Little details you didn’t notice before will stand out like glaring red lights. You may even catch sentences that don’t fit well together. So revise as much as you need!

What should you not say in a medical personal statement?

• Instead of using your personal statement to focus on your own or family member’s medical conditions, use it to highlight your experiences that have led you to pursue a career in medicine and the skills and qualities you have developed as a result.
• Use negative experiences to demonstrate growth and resilience, rather than to create pity. Show how you have overcome challenges and how you have grown as a person.
• Show your compassion and empathy through your experiences, highlighting how they have helped you understand the needs of patients and how you plan to use this understanding to serve your community.
• Share specific examples of how you have already demonstrated your abilities and potential, rather than making promises about what you will do in the future. Use concrete examples to show the admissions committee what you are capable of.
• Discuss the challenges in healthcare and identify ways to improve in these areas without pointing any fingers. Show that you have a realistic understanding of patient needs and that you have potential solutions to improve healthcare.

How Long Should Your Medical Personal Statement Be?

According to UCAS, your medical school personal statement can be up to 4000 characters long. The average word is 4.7 characters, so that’s about 850 words.

When To Write Your Med School Personal Statement?

Don’t wait until the eleventh hour to begin crafting your medical school personal statement. Instead, take advantage of the summer break to start working on it well ahead of the UCAS deadline, typically in October. This will not only relieve the stress of having to write it alongside A-Level work and BMAT revision but also give you ample time to perfect your statement and make it truly stand out.

Start Writing Your Medicine Personal Statement

Writing a successful medical personal statement is no easy feat. How you open your essay, how well-organised it is, and how well it communicates who you are, are crucial elements in writing a medical personal statement. This article aimed to give you practical tips on how to write a medical personal statement that will help get your foot in the door.

We hope these insights into successful college essays will make the process easier for you. We wish you the best of luck!

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How Your Personal Statement Will Be Used At Your Medicine Interview

Find out which Med Schools will ask you about your Personal Statement at interview – and get some tips to make sure you know how to answer these questions.

During your Medicine interview , it’s possible that you will be asked to talk about aspects of your Personal Statement . Here’s a guide to which Med Schools are likely to do this, plus some guidance to help you with your answers.

Why Will I Be Asked About My Personal Statement?

Your Personal Statement should provide a clear explanation as to why you want to study Medicine, why you would be suited to the course/the career, and what you have done to expand your knowledge and your experience. These are things that interviewers should want to know about during your interview – so they might use what’s already in your Personal Statement as a starting point to quiz you on your motivation for Medicine , your work experience , and your extracurricular activities . 

Even if the Med School doesn’t say anything specific on their website or in your interview invite about using Personal Statements at interview, it’s still a good idea to re-familiarise yourself with the content of your Personal Statement in order to prepare. 

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Which Med Schools Will Ask About My Personal Statement?

We’ve had a look at what all of the Med Schools are saying about interviews on their websites, so here’s a guide to the ones that mention using Personal Statements at interview…

• Aberdeen University says that your Personal Statement will be assessed during your interview.
• Anglia Ruskin University advises that you should be prepared to discuss or use aspects of your Personal Statement at your MMI . 
• Barts (Queen Mary University of London) states that interview panelists will use your Personal Statement to ask questions about your work experience.
• Exeter University suggests that you keep a copy of your Personal Statement, because it will likely be referred to at interview. 
• Glasgow University recommends that you revisit your Personal Statement to prepare for interview, because the interviewers will have no knowledge about you other than your name.
• Imperial College London says that you could face questions about your Personal Statement at interview, and that you should use your Personal Statement to highlight the skills you have that make you suited to the course.
• Keele University mentions that you can expect to be asked at some length about your hobbies and interests, and that an obvious starting point for these questions will be areas mentioned in your Personal Statement. 
• Kent and Medway Medical School suggests that you could be asked about your Personal Statement at one of the MMI stations.
• Lancaster University advises that interviewers will want to explore your understanding of your chosen career through discussion of your Personal Statement and your work/voluntary experience.
• Liverpool University mentions that information relevant to your Personal Statement is likely to be considered as part of the interview process. 
• Queen’s University Belfast states that your Personal Statement will be considered as part of the MMI process. 
• Southampton University uses Personal Statements at their Selection Days.
• Sunderland University says that you will have an opportunity to discuss your Personal Statement at your MMI.

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How Should I Answer Questions About My Personal Statement?

Before the interview, look over your Personal Statement to refresh your memory of the information – but don’t just learn it off by heart. If the interviewers have seen your Personal Statement in advance, or have it in front of them, they will know if you’re regurgitating it instead of speaking more spontaneously. 

If you’re asked about aspects of your Personal Statement at interview, use the opportunity to expand on any points you want to say more about. For example, you could reflect on lessons learned from your work experience in more depth, or give further details about your hobbies and how these skills could be relevant to a career in Medicine. 

You can also use this opportunity to tell the interviewers about anything you’ve done since submitting your Personal Statement (e.g. if you’ve recently started a new work experience or volunteering placement), because obviously they won’t know about this already and it could strengthen your application.

Even if you aren’t asked about your Personal Statement by the interviewers directly, you can use information from your Personal Statement to discuss yourself and your experience in a clear, structured way.

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