university of oxford medicine personal statement

• Medical School Application

Medicine Personal Statement for Oxford

The medicine personal statement for Oxford University must be sharp and focused: some of your finest writing. With fierce competition coming with the territory – Oxford is one of the top medical schools in the UK , - it is absolutely imperative that you put tremendous effort into your application.

A sharp personal statement is one of the best ways to make your medical school application stand out . Oxford University has one of the more competitive medical school acceptance rates in the uk , so you will want to give yourself as many advantages as possible.

The use of medical school personal statement examples will give you insights otherwise denied to you by simply reading facts, rules, and advice in how to shape your statement. With that in mind, we will look at both.

In this blog we will discuss the purpose of a personal statement, cover some quick details about what you need to know specifically about Oxford’s medicine personal statement, and provide an example statement with a breakdown so you can approach your own statement with confidence.

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Article Contents 11 min read

Purpose of a personal statement .

To stand up and stand out – this is the purpose of a personal statement. Beyond what your medical school resume says, or a mere list of accomplishments, your personal statement will show your best, most unique aspects to the admissions committee. This goes beyond just hitting a list of medical school requirements . You need to show the uniqueness of you and your personal journey to medical school.

The key element to your personal statement is that it will be a personal story of your journey to pursue medicine. Telling this story is the main goal of your statement.

This means that you want to present yourself in the best light possible, but also to present your specific journey that you have taken to get to medical school and why medical school is important to you.

The primary focus ought to be on your impetus for journeying to med school – why do you want to be a doctor? Answer this question in full, in a way that makes you stand out, and you will greatly increase your chances of an interview.

Tell this story with your background, your work and volunteer experiences, academic breakthroughs, and how you have conquered or surmounted obstacles.

All of these subjects should be treated with your personal touch so that you as an individual stand out to the committee. Use every aspect of your statement to show your individuality and what you can bring to the program.

Consider a personal statement, structurally-speaking, the same as any other essay. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. You’re going to start with a captivating opening paragraph, follow that up with a body that tells your story through two or three major events that led you to medicine, and conclude your essay in a way that inspires the admissions committee to want to learn more about you. Keep in mind that your opening sentence and conclusion are just as important as your experiences.

Think also in terms of a chronological story. Start at the beginning – your early life – move through to the catalyst – why you are going into medicine – and then tell your journey to medical school. How did you get to where you are? What steps did you take to prepare for the next phase of your life and career?

Your first lines must arrest attention. Often called a “hook” for its purpose of ensnaring a reader, this sentence should compel a reader to finish reading the essay. Even if somebody is not a member of the admissions committee, with no obligation to read further, they should want to know more.

“My family moved to England when I was five; we are refugees,” is a bland, factual statement. Consider a different opener:

“When we fled to England, I felt our pursuers were always right behind me; I experienced fear and adrenaline the entire time. I was young, five years old, and my earliest memories are of coming from fear to safety.”

Don’t you want to know more? The second opener almost forces you to keep reading.

The opening also sets up the rest of the essay, just as a thesis statement would. The rest of your personal statement should emanate from this. In the above example, the statement should go on to speak of how the immigrant, refugee status of the writer has brought them to medical school, and why they will be a fantastic candidate. If you open by speaking about experiences as a refugee, those experiences should inform your journey and be part of your conclusion. How has your personal history brought you to medicine? If information is doled out without connection, it is random, and the personal statement will lack focus.

This infographic will guide you in creating an exemplary medical school personal statement:

Is an Oxford Medicine Personal Statement Different? 

Is there a difference between an Oxford personal statement for medicine and a “regular” statement? No, not really. You can write a UCAS personal statement to apply to a variety of institutions. Just make sure that you aren’t putting in anything that only applies to one institution and you’ll be fine.

With that said, there is a technical limit that you do need to pay attention to: word count.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, used by Oxford, gives you some limits on your personal statement’s length. It can be no more than 4,000 characters – including spaces – or 47 lines. Cross neither of these thresholds. It is imperative that you stay within the limits provided for you. Forty-eight lines means your statement won’t work. The 4,001 st character will not be crammed in, nor will it be read.

If you can manage to encompass elements of your top choice schools, that might be good. Let’s take a look at the qualities Oxford is looking for:

Under “personal characteristics suitable for medicine,” they list:

Honesty, empathy, motivation, communication, ethical awareness, ability to work with others, capacity for intense work, alignment of values with the NHS constitution.

Under “academic potential,” Oxford says they want:

Problem-solving, critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and communication skills.

Taking in both of those lists, you’ll see that communication comes up twice, so it might be wise to emphasize your ability to communicate.

With that said, don’t try to cater to Oxford alone. You aren’t just applying to Oxford, right? You will likely be using UCAS to open up several UK medical school applications . So don’t make everything in your statement specific to that one place. Go into detail about you . You aren’t trying to say why you want to go to a particular school, you are showing why you are a great candidate for medicine in-general, so highlight the “you” of it all.

You should, however, concentrate on your personal journey to medicine. Use these tips to help you prepare your statement for maximum effect:

Show Talent Through Reflection 

Naked facts won’t get you in. That’s what your transcript is for, or your resume. Instead, you need to make sure everything is unique to your journey and show the impact it has had. Simply stating test scores aren’t unique to you; everybody has test scores. Reflect on everything, showing how each fact matters and how it has changed you. Anything you include must be made relevant to your journey; relevance is paramount.

\u201cCancer was a big fear of mine; it\u2019s so rampant in my family tree. I thought I should spend my hospital volunteer hours confronting this fear. What I found wasn\u2019t fear, it was hope and strength. My task for the hospital was to assist patients, both physically, and emotionally, if needed. Through their stories of perseverance and determination, I found myself supported as often as they were. I learned how to apply empathy skills to my work, and about how healthcare means more than just medicine, it requires holistic treatment.\u201d ","label":"Example B","title":"Example B"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

The “B” example goes into detail on how this impacted their journey and what they learned from volunteering. Presumably, this person will go on to describe further experiences with cancer battles and persevering.

You pick your guideposts – two or three major events – and now you know to reflect on them, but the way you reflect matters as well. You could just describe how each point in your life moved you to study harder or achieve more, but that’s bragging at worst, and at best only amounts to a one-note symphony. You want to be more interesting, engaging, and unique than that.

Use the same events to describe and reflect on different aspects to your journey to medical school. You might want to add some extracurriculars for medical school , for instance.

For example: let’s say your first event chosen were parents pushing you into being a doctor, your second event was the first biology class you enjoyed taking, and the third event was applying your first-aid knowledge to a friend at a car accident. Okay, if you only conclude each event with, “so I still want to be a doctor,” that’s lifeless.

Use the first to show your parents’ high expectations and the stress and anxiety you felt, but also why family is important to you and that you value those connections. The second event opens up a world of curiosity – highlight your academic prowess and intellectual exploration. Finally, show how a high-anxiety event – a car wreck – showed you how to apply your knowledge, conquer your anxiety, and move forward. You’re good in a crisis. You’ve just highlighted different values, abilities, and personal goals and gains that you have that are unique to your journey.

The study of medicine is holistic, as is its practice. You show yourself to be a better candidate by showing a variety of skills and experiences, and that you understand that there is more to medicine than simply punching a clock and distributing some pills. By giving a more complete picture of your life and a bevvy of skills that you have accumulated – preferably in different areas – you add depth to your statement and a clearer picture of who you are and why you will be a brilliant physician.

If you can add in references – directly or indirectly – to the rest of your life, your non-academic life, so much the better. Throw in something about how you love tennis, or program computer code, or speak three languages – show off your intellectual diversity.

Skills Developed 

As you have moved forward on your journey, you have picked up certain skills. Can you highlight some of these, showing a progression of your gathering of knowledge?

Valued skills include communication skills, leadership, organization, and teaching.

Full Circle 

You started off your personal statement with a compelling, or maybe even intriguing, statement. The expectation is, of course, that you will come around at the end, connect your opening statement to your closing paragraph, and show why you are on your way to medical school. To say it quickly: pay it off. What did you learn? What did you achieve? How have you changed? Answer those questions by closing off your opening statement.

Our hook statement was about being a refugee. Talk about how you have come to think of yourself not as a refugee but as a helper – someone who can give back to others in need – and how your past, rooted in fear and pain, is moving you forward to help with the pain of others. Maybe that’s as an ER doctor or a physician overseas, but wherever you’re going, connect it to your opening statement.

A considered, thoughtful, and selfless goal is best, but regardless of the qualities of the goal, it must always tie in to you, in a singular way. Nobody else’s goal is yours because you are uniquely you. Show off why you are the best candidate for admission.

When we fled to England, I felt our pursuers were always right behind me; I experienced fear and adrenaline the entire time. I was young, five years old, and my earliest memories are of coming from fear to safety. 

I think I adjusted to our new lives faster than my parents did – I was very young, after all – and they never lost that sense of urgency and a need for safety. Maybe that is partly why they pushed so hard for me to enter into the medical profession. This pressure reignited anxiety within me, and I felt a lot of pressure to live up to expectations that were not my own.

In all honesty, medicine was not my personal goal for a long time. It was my parents’ dream for me. Over the years, that has changed, however. Family is important to me, and I believe that my strong family life has helped me over the years to develop a good sense of duty and personal responsibility.

Growing to love medicine and the sciences was a gradual process, but much of my shift towards medicine personally came from my high school biology teacher, Ms. Hill, who pushed me hard and gave me the encouragement I needed to find a love of the hard sciences within myself. She gave me the latitude to conduct extra experiments, which I enjoyed thoroughly. By allowing me to indulge my curiosity, she fired my enjoyment of the subject. I found myself cataloguing birds that visited our garden, breaking down foods to find sugar content, and indulging my curiosity all in the name of academic advancement.

What really brought me to medicine, though, was shadowing a physician – Dr. White – at a local hospital. Dr. White is a reconstructive plastic surgeon, and I observed Dr. White speaking to a patient about their orthognathic surgery to correct jaw problems. I never knew the jaw could cause so many problems throughout the body, but this patient suffered severely; they were unable to smile without pain.

I was allowed to observe the surgery as well, and I was more tense than Dr. White was in his operating room. Afterward, I saw the patient’s first pain-free smile.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been volunteering in a pediatrics unit at the same hospital. It is difficult seeing children in distress, but caring for children is rewarding and vital. My love of family, and my being a refugee child have given me a deep connection to pediatrics.

I have applied Dr. White’s friendly, straightforward, and unassuming manner interacting with patients and families, and I am already deriving such joy out of working with them. While volunteering, I also took a first aid course; I wound up using this knowledge far sooner than I had hoped.

This summer, my friend James was giving me a lift to a tennis match – we’re both very found of the game – and we got into a car accident. Despite being shaken, I wasn’t hurt, but James was. I remembered my first aid knowledge and managed to apply several techniques before the paramedics arrived; they complemented me on my actions as I rode with James to the hospital.

Maybe it was my childhood memories of fleeing from danger, but for some reason, I stayed fairly calm during the crisis – only getting the adrenaline shakes and worrying about my friend after. James is recovering well, in case you were worried.

It didn’t start as my dream, but my experiences with medicine have led me to dream of putting pain-free, post-anxiety smiles on the faces of patients and their families –family is still very important to me. I hope to work in pediatrics, since my experiences on that unit have shown how rewarding it is to heal children. I remember being a child in need of care, coming to this country all those years ago, and I think my experiences will help me relate to children in distress. 

Ultimately, I am grateful to my parents for pushing me and inspiring me. My path did not start out as truly mine, but it is now, and I am looking forward to seeing it through – through any adversity or hardship – all the way to the end.

Here's a great video that unpacks "Show, Don't Tell" as a writing strategy:

Breakdown 

The opening hook grabs attention and draws the reader in. They want to know more.

The honesty that comes next – saying that medicine wasn’t a lifelong dream, but something this person’s parents wanted for them – is a value that Oxford is looking for. Throughout the piece, you can see other aspects of Oxford’s values highlighted – intellectual curiosity, for instance.

Note that qualities are demonstrated. Instead of just saying, “I am intellectually curious,” the writer shows this by talking about their joy in conducting multiple experiments under the guidance of a beloved science teacher.

The experiences within the statement are described in detail and clear about how they affected the writer’s journey towards medicine. Many more experiences are doubtless under the surface, but a few, key moments are picked to discuss.

The conclusion relates to the opening statement. The personal statement highlights family and the writer’s experiences as a refugee child as reasons for the areas of medicine this person wants to practice. It all connects to their personal story. 

Your personal statement is something you need to perfect to have your best chance of getting in to medical school. Take your time to write it right.

Remember: reflect, showcase yourself, and tell your story.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the central service used by many UK universities and colleges to allow students an easier admissions process.

To see a bit more about the process, check out some UCAS reference letter examples .

Very little, actually. Pick two or three highlights and focus on those landmark moments in your journey to medical school. Everything else is available on transcripts and CVs.

No. Limits are limits. Never go over the character or line count in any way.

Take your mind off of your work for a half an hour or so. Do something physical, like going for a walk, or practice meditation. When you come back to writing, give yourself two minutes to free-associate and write whatever comes to your mind about your journey to medical school. By the end of those two minutes, you’ll be well on your way.

No. You’re writing an essay, and although you are writing in the first person, there is an expectation that you will still employ professional, academic language and a formal structure. This is the written equivalent of an interview. You wouldn’t pepper your language with “like” or employ slang in an interview, so don’t do it here. 

So, while the admissions committee expects your writing to be a first-person account, it’s still within an understanding of polished work. Your prose should be in casual-dress.

Around six to eight schools is a good number. Give yourself a range so you aren’t putting all of your hopes in one possibility – that’s limiting and a big risk. But don’t put so many together that you run out of time or cannot focus on making a great application.

Another UCAS-specific note: you can apply to up to five institutions through UCAS, so do all five. If you want to hit that six-eight number, you’ll have to go outside of the UCAS system to do so.

Somewhere between six and eight weeks is good. This won’t be full-time, of course, but take the time to reflect and write something meaningful, impactful, and that has the desired impact on your readers.

UCAS doesn’t allow you to alter your statement after you submit, so make 100% sure that you have the best statement you can before sending it in.

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Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Oxford (Alexander)

Home » Application Guide » Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Oxford (Alexander)

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Welcome to our collection of Medicine Personal Statement Examples! We’ve searched far and wide to find personal statements from successful applicants all around the UK and asked them to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of their work for your own inspiration. Today’s subject is from Alexander, who studies Medicine at the University of Oxford.

Alexander applied to study medicine in 2014 at 4 of the best medical schools in the UK, including Edinburgh and Sheffield . In the end, he received offers from both University College London and the University of Oxford , of which he chose the latter and began his studies in 2015.

Let’s read the personal statement that got him a place at Oxford, or skip straight to his feedback to learn what made his personal statement a success!

Please be aware that these examples are meant purely for the sake of inspiration, and should absolutely NOT be used as a model around which to base your own personal statement. UCAS have a rather strict system that detects plagiarism .

University of Oxford Medicine Personal Statement Example

Whole personal statement.

Life as a doctor is hard – long hours, demanding patients and a pressurised working environment. However you also have the tremendous privilege of helping people at their most vulnerable. This is what appeals to me about medicine.  

I have always been interested in science and health and used to enjoy listening to my grandfather talking about his experiences as a family doctor at the birth of the NHS. My parents are pharmacists, so healthcare has always featured in family conversations. It made me think that medicine would be a challenging yet rewarding career.  

Medicine reflects my academic interests. For instance, I am a keen follower of rugby and American Football and became intrigued by concussion. My EPQ allowed me to research the physiology of brain injuries, analyse scientific papers on the materials used in helmet construction and study the psychological impact of wearing helmets.  

Taking part in the Chemistry Olympiad and Cambridge Chemistry Challenge really tested my understanding and ability to apply the principles of chemistry to new and unique situations such as drug manufacture. I was particularly interested in the complexity of the processes that create some of our most basic, yet fundamental drugs.  

I am curious about medical research, so read ‘The Trouble with Medical Journals’ by former BMJ editor, Dr Richard Smith. It showed me how difficult it is to conduct studies that are wholly free from bias and conflicts of interest, and opened up an interesting debate about the role of pharmaceutical companies in funding clinical trials.  

My work experience has given me a great insight into life as a doctor. I organised a placement in an orthopaedics department, where I closely observed the whole process from admission and surgery to after-care. I saw how important communication was in all aspects of the department: having clear, defined roles in theatre, and using the right language to guide scared patients through complex procedures. I also witnessed first-hand one of the main challenges facing a doctor – dealing with uncooperative patients, yet still achieving a good outcome.  

My work as a volunteer at a dementia care home showed me some of the harsher realities of long-term illness and gave me a practical understanding of the effects of degenerative brain disease. I spent time talking to residents and keeping them company, including one who was a former matron. She could remember how to diagnose illnesses but could not remember when she last had a cup of tea. When I asked her about her time as a matron, she cried. I found this upsetting and it pushed me way out of my comfort zone. Initially I felt uncomfortable and did not know how to approach my time at the home. However I persevered and gained a new appreciation of the difficulties faced by both the elderly and those caring for them.  

A doctor must keep calm and make good decisions under pressure. On my Gold DofE expedition, I used my problem-solving ability to navigate out of a dense forest using only contour lines. At times the group became frustrated and started to argue. I took responsibility to try and resolve these difficulties by suggesting solutions in a non-confrontational manner.  

My passion outside work and college is cricket. I play as much as I can for several clubs and coach young people aged 4-15. I like the responsibility of influencing a young cricketer’s development. Coaching has enabled me to gain valuable experience in organising other people and become a better communicator. It can be frustrating, but worth it when you see how much they improve. I also help junior school children with their reading, which is richly rewarding but demands great patience.  

In summary: I enjoy science. I can relate to people. I am resilient and would relish an environment of lifelong learning. A career in a caring profession like medicine would be stimulating, meaningful, and provide me with the best opportunities to apply my knowledge to benefit others.

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University of Oxford Medicine Personal Statement Example Analysis

Now, let’s go section by section and see what Alexander has to say about what he wrote:  

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

I wanted to keep this introduction very simple and straightforward, which I believe I did well. I didn’t waffle about any life-changing events that made me decide to study medicine overnight, I just focused on an honest appraisal of my background that led me to consider medicine. It’s very direct, but I feel admissions teams prefer honestly over trying to create a massively blown-up story about something that is actually pretty simple. It saves time and space that can be used to thoroughly discuss my experiences and skills later on.

‘Life as a doctor is hard’ does sound a little cliché and cringy when I read it back all these years later. I wanted to create a catchy opening but instead, it just feels like I’m either moaning or explaining medical work to a child. In the second part, emphasising the medical background I come from may come across as I’m only doing medicine because my family do it/want me to do it. It is certainly worth mentioning, but I barely discuss how living with medical professionals has helped me develop my own skills and interests.

Lastly, and this is a reoccurring issue, why did I split this into two paragraphs? They both link together, but splitting this section in half makes each part feel less significant than if I had left them as one.  

I am curious about medical research, so read ‘The Trouble with Medical Journals’ by former BMJ editor, Dr Richard Smith. It showed me how difficult it is to conduct studies that are wholly free from bias and conflicts of interest, and opened up an interesting debate about the role of pharmaceutical companies in funding clinical trials.

I start off the main part of my personal statement by discussing my academics. Here, I found ways to relate the extra things I’d done at sixth form (EPQ, Olympiad, Trouble with Medical Journals) to medical topics and reflected on how they had helped me become a good medicine applicant. Again I kept the things I gained from them very simple, being very clear about exactly what I did and not trying to stretch the truth. Although I am trying to sell myself, I didn’t want to over-exaggerate my accomplishments as many admissions teams can see right through insincerity. Detailing my additional research is also a great way of demonstrating my interest in medicine in a practical and applicable way, rather than just describing life experiences that inspired me.  

Throughout these paragraphs, the writing sometimes comes across as a bit waffly, such as being intrigued by concussions because of rugby and American football. It’s a very random detail to mention and could have flowed more naturally into my EPQ. Instead of providing this surface-level information about myself, I could perhaps have given examples of what I’d learnt, although I did leave it slightly open to encourage interviewers to ask me about my EPQ at the interview. I do provide a better amount of depth when discussing the other topics here though.  

As for the paragraphing issue, this section is a bit more justifiable as each paragraph does tackle a separate topic. However, paragraphs this small do make the content feel less important or in-depth.

This is my discussion of work experience and volunteering work . Here, I was clear that I organised my orthopaedic work experience and dementia home volunteering myself, not that it was arranged for me. This may seem like an odd thing to point out, but it definitely shows a level of confidence and initiative that some applicants do miss (it was especially important for me considering my medical background, it would be very easy for the reader to assume my parents sorted something for me).  

Again, I didn’t over-exaggerate what I had done or learnt, I was very factual and let that speak for itself as I was confident it was good enough to be impressive. Even if it wasn’t the most impressive experience they had seen, the confidence in which I presented it gives it equal or greater value to work experience that has been dressed in over descriptive language.  

Paragraph-wise, this is actually a section I handled correctly in my opinion.  

Given how much I could have written about these two experiences, I unfortunately wasn’t as reflective as I should have been here. I had learned a lot from these experiences, but I only really discussed the surface-level skills I had learnt from them. There are many underlying lessons that I could have defiantly discussed in order to give this section a bit more power.  

I was a bit nervous about including the time I made a person cry, and how difficult I initially found the care home, but overall I think that it was important to show awareness that I’m not yet a perfect doctor/person, but at least I have been able to see an improvement in myself from the experience. This is a tactic that could backfire if you’re not fully confident, but as long as you can explain yourself in the interview, you’ll come off as a stronger candidate because of it.  

Here we have another pretty straightforward paragraph which only says what I myself did and doesn’t try and take too much credit. It ticks off some of the soft skills medical schools are looking for, again with examples that I could elaborate on further in the interview. The first sentence of this paragraph also serves to justify the inclusion of everything else I discuss here by linking everything back to medicine.  

In reality, it’s a bit of a filler paragraph to try and show I’ve got some other skills they are after. Nothing here is as strong as what I previously discussed, although it’s really not expected to. I certainly don’t feel it’s a particularly strong or stand-out paragraph like the previous one, but it serves its purpose of demonstrating some additional skills.  

I think this paragraph works well, showing both my extra-curricular interest in cricket and also how I’ve turned my passion for it into something that helps others, which sounds like a decent analogy to medicine. The personal statement isn’t just about medical abilities; universities also want students who are happy, healthy and likely to contribute to university life as a whole. This example perfectly encapsulates how I would be a fantastic university student!

Everything doesn’t need to be “all medicine, all the time”, but linking this topic to medicine would have definitely helped it feel more relevant in this personal statement. I just said that this sounds like a good analogy for medicine, so all I would have needed to do is point this out in a slightly more explanatory way. Looking at the wording and phrasing I used, “ I like the responsibility ” maybe sounds a bit sociopathic while “organising other people” is also a slightly odd phrase. The junior school reading is maybe something I could have expanded on further, to show a bit more breadth.

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This is a proper summary of my personal statement; it doesn’t contain any new information and brings everything from my personal statement together in just 3 lines. It comes across as very snappy and ends with a true reflection of why I want to study medicine. This is pretty much everything expected of a good quality conclusion.  

This is perhaps where I may become a bit overly confident describing myself with all those terms. Taken on its own, the paragraph does nothing to show how I can say these things about myself, but I have tried to demonstrate why I believe I have those qualities throughout my statement. So hopefully, in context, it sounded appropriate. I suppose it must have done or else I wouldn’t have gotten my offers.  

Final Thoughts

Throughout this analysis, I have made sure to point out several times that this statement is no-nonsense and straight to the point. It’s very factual, and I make a point of showing my qualities with evidence rather than just saying I am caring or I like science for example. I show a good breadth of experiences and am not afraid to speak about the bad ones, which shows I have a fuller picture of the highs and lows of a career in medicine. I wrote this knowing that whoever would end up reading would know far more than me about medicine and be far more experienced than myself, so I didn’t want to either talk down to them or sound like I was desperate to impress them. I’d say the biggest strength of this personal statement is its confidence. When writing, know what your strengths are and own up to your weaknesses while understanding that they don’t detract from your abilities unless you let them.  

Because I was applying to Oxford I put my academic achievements first, even though my strongest paragraphs were more in the middle. There were several things that I had done that I did not include, and perhaps I could have created more space by shortening some of the paragraphs to create space for them, to ensure I’m covering more of the skills and qualities medical schools are after. These are all structural issues, but I had a few issues with my writing style too. The confident writing approach is effective when done well, but it can fall flat when you make weird statements like my first line, or become a bit too cocky. There’s a balance to reach and, although you probably won’t perfect every line, you will need to most likely go through countless drafts to get it right.  

So there you have it! This personal statement helped Alexander earn 2 offers from two of the most prestigious medical schools in the country!

Everyone has different experiences and abilities, so you may not be able to relate to everything that was said in this personal statement. However, the information and advice provided by Alexander is universal and will help any applicant write a better personal statement!  

Be sure to check out more Medicine Personal Statement Analyses to see advice from all different kinds of applicants, including Ali Abdaal , another Oxbridge medical student! Or if you want to get started on your own statement, check out 6med’s Personal Statement Bundle for all the support and resources you’ll ever need! If you want full support on every part of your application and a guaranteed place at med school, the Complete Bundle will be perfect for you.  

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Top Tips for an Oxford Medicine Personal Statement

Oxford medicine personal statement – top 10 tips: dos and don’ts.

The Medicine Personal Statement is a crucial component of your university application. It presents a unique opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from other applicants. You should be able to articulate your story and explain your interests beyond that of numbers on an admissions test. Furthermore, it gives the interviewer a chance to understand who you are. It provides a platform to bounce off questions during your Oxford Medicine interview tutoring .

They can tailor questions on your personality, interests, and commitment to who you are as a person and your amalgamation of experiences before you. Our Oxbridge application experts have compiled a list of top 10 Oxford University Personal Statement medicine tips. These include dos and don’ts for your Medicine Oxford Personal Statement for the 2024/25 application cycle. 

General Advice for your Oxford Medicine Personal Statement

Medicine is a course that integrates both the theoretical aspect of sciences as well as the human aspect of everyday life. Hence, it is a potential choice for scientists who is passionate in wanting to apply research findings to improve the lives of people and patients. However, Medicine also offers a breadth of experiences beyond that. With that comes realistic and not as glamorised aspects of the profession. It can be stressful, arduous, bureaucratic and frustrating. 

Hence, it is important for you to demonstrate in your Oxford personal statement medicine that you have a realistic understanding of the profession and that Medicine is the right choice for you. This means that you should demonstrate how you are a good fit for the subject. Not because it is expected of you, or that you are attracted to the prestige of it. Your motivations have to be well-reasoned and thought through. 

Moreover, when planning out your Medicine personal statement Oxford, make sure you research the University’s achievements in their relevant fields. Use it as a guide to illustrate your interest in Medicine.

Top 5 Tips for your Oxford Medicine Personal Statement

1. explain why you are interested in medicine ..

Oxford tutors are looking to teach students with genuine interest and passion for their course. Hence, make this the focus of your personal statement Oxford Medicine. Explain why you want to study your chosen subject. Especially for a course such as Medicine, you would have to ensure that your motives are well reasoned and well thought through. This means that your motivations should not be rooted around the fact that it is secure, well-paid, or prestigious. In your medicine Oxford personal statement you should explain to the tutor that you want to study Medicine because you are innately interested in the course and that you are a well fit for it. For example, stating that you want to pursue medicine because you are passionate about the sciences and find that the application of it to help people is meaningful and fulfilling, is a solid reason for wanting to apply to the Medicine course. Using concrete examples that display your interest will go a long way in demonstrating this interest. For example, this could include participating in biology or chemistry competitions or partaking in research projects. It could also be reading up on the latest innovations published in articles or books. Do not worry if you do not have a specific example or time where your ambition became crystal clear to you. Your decision in choosing to study Medicine can be illuminated through an amalgamation of your experiences or understanding of yourself and your strengths. Take your time in explaining why you align well with the course!

2. Display a good understanding of the course .

Understand the course that you are applying for. Ensure that you do not have a superficial or misguided view of what the course entails. Most people’s perception of a course comes from what they see in the media or by their high school subjects. Particularly in the case of medicine, most people’s impression of the course is shrouded by its prestige and the fact that it is well-paid. However, this is not always the case – there are difficult aspects of the course! This leads to a one-dimensional view of the course. Try to talk to graduates or people currently working in the field to gain a better understanding of the course and your options post-graduation. You can demonstrate this understanding in your Medicine personal statement by linking similarities in your past experiences to aspects of Medicine (if applicable). Or you can elaborate on personal qualities or traits that make you suitable for Medicine. For example, Medicine also aims to cultivate students to be clinician-scientists, where research work would be involved. Hence, perseverance is a good quality for an applicant to have when partaking in research or difficult aspects of the course. Furthermore, medicine in particular favours medicine-related experience. It signals to the tutors that you have a realistic understanding of your future profession. Try and include any hospital attachment or medical-related work that you were involved in. Make sure to reflect on your experience. Volunteering is also another key experience to mention.

3. Read around the subject you’re applying for .

Of course, Oxford does not expect you to be an expert in your field of study. You are going to university to study the material after all. However, being well-read in your course and reading ahead is a great way of demonstrating your interest in it. If you are genuinely interested in your course, you would also naturally want to learn more and explore the topic on your own. Reading does not only include books. This could also include podcasts, magazine articles, or even Netflix documentaries. Listening to a podcast on your ride home from school can be a nice way to ease such material into your lifestyle. There are some good articles in Nature, Scientific American and New Scientist that publishes the latest innovations in Medicine. You can also visit Oxford’s recommended reading list for some book inspirations: Oxford Medicine You can include the books in your Oxford personal statement by reflecting on the ideas and drawing similarities to your personal life or experiences. This would show a deep understanding of the content that you read through. It would show that you actually reflect on the material as you are reading through it.

4. Have a good structure for your Oxford personal statement .

The points listed above give you a lot of content to write about. However, all of that information can be difficult to get through for the reader if it’s not organised well! Try and follow a fixed overall structure for your Medicine personal statement. Also use paragraphs to enhance readability. You can have a look at an Oxford Medicine personal statement example. But look at the structure rather than the content otherwise it might not come across as genuine. If you copy medicine personal statement examples Oxford tutors are likely to spot this.

A good structure for example could be as follows. Your introduction could be a short 2-3 lines outlining your interest in Medicine. Or your starting point could be how you first started considering it as a potential career. In your body paragraphs, you can use it to explain specific traits that you have that make you suitable for the course. For example, if you are empathetic, or if you enjoy academic rigour. You can also use some body paragraphs to explain specific aspects of medicine that you are drawn to and how you pursued this interest. You can conclude by wrapping up the points mentioned above! For individual paragraphs, start off the paragraph with a point (such as your interest in the research aspect of medicine). Next, use concrete real-life experiences and examples to support this, before reflecting on these examples.

5. Ask your friends and family to proofread your Medicine personal statement .

Sometimes we are not able to be objective about our own work, especially when we are telling our own story. Try and approach friends, family, or seniors (especially those already in the same course or university!) to proofread your Oxford personal statement and to provide you with feedback. They can comment on the structure and readability of your Oxford personal statement, which could be really valuable! That being said, don’t share your personal statement in case it gets plagiarised by someone else.

Top 5 things to AVOID for your Oxford Medicine Personal Statement

1. writing a list of achievements ..

Even though one might assume that Oxford wants to choose the most decorated candidate that applies, this is not necessarily the case– they are looking for students who are genuinely interested in the course, and students who are a good fit for it. This means that you could have started a non-profit and dedicated 10,000 hours to volunteering, but if you don’t show how this is relevant to your study in Medicine in your Oxford University personal statement medicine tutors may not necessarily think you are suited for the programme. When talking about your achievements, always link back to how this is relevant to either your interest or your suitability for Medicine. Hence, try not to make your Oxford personal statement a laundry list of all your previous experiences. Less is more in you taking more time to explain and elaborate on a couple of experiences, rather than listing and glossing over multiple.

2. Valuing vocabulary over conciseness .

Some students feel the need to use bombastic words or flowery language but when it comes to your personal statement medicine oxford tutors aren’t necessarily looking for that. The Oxford personal statement comes off as sounding unnatural and difficult to read. Try and understand that the Medicine personal statement is a medium for you to tell your story and your passion. If using a thesaurus is getting in the way of that, opt for simple language. Oxford tutors value Oxford Medicine personal statements that they can read with ease and understand! If you’re not familiar with certain words, don’t use them as it might work against you instead!

3. Not showing the link to medicine .

Oxford tutors are not looking for students with the most awards– they are looking for students who are a good match for the course. Hence, try and focus on relevant experiences that would be useful in you studying medicine. When you mention these experiences, don’t assume that the tutors can immediately understand why it is relevant or impressive: always elaborate on how it is relevant to your passion for medicine or how it makes you a good fit for the course.

4. Misunderstanding what the course is about .

Make sure you thoroughly research the course– this includes the course syllabus, what the career would entail, and so on. You can find out more information by attending seminars or speaking to seniors who are currently studying medicine (preferably at Oxford!) or have graduated from the course. A simple google search and thoroughly reading all university brochure materials is a good start on understanding what you are in for! Try to forget all previous assumptions you have about the course, and make sure you thoroughly understand what you would be studying. Furthermore, especially for medicine, it would be good if you can involve yourself in any hospital or clinical attachments, and to mention such experiences in your personal experience. This is because it is a direct way of showing that you have first hand experience in what you would be studying.

5. Being cliché .

When talking about your interest and passion for medicine, try to explain it in a genuine and authentic way. You don’t need a movie-like moment, such as your whole life changing because of applications in medicine. Don’t feel the need to mention a close family member who was saved because of medicine, or the like. These anecdotes are often overplayed– so definitely do not mention them unless it is authentic to your story. A simple explanation of how unique aspects of medicine intrigues you or draws you in, although seemingly simple and ordinary, would be even more valuable if explained well. Try to be authentic and original, and really understand why YOU would love to study medicine!

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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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The Aspiring Medics

Oxford medicine personal statement (yusuf).

In this series of blogs, medical students and medicine offer holders share and explain their personal statement so that you can learn from our experiences and reflections. Yusuf is an undergraduate medical student at Oxford university and received offers from Oxford, Sheffield and St. George's.

Disclaimer: Please do NOT be tempted to use our personal statements as a model/foundation/plan. UCAS is very strict about plagiarism, more information can be found here .

Please remember that there is no such thing as a model personal statement. By definition, it is supposed to be unique and there is no "golden formula".

Fuelled by an innate curiosity, I am intrigued by the complexities of the human body and the diversity of medicine. Being able to work with a vast spectrum of patients and alongside other healthcare professionals promises an emotionally fulfilling career. The wide range of diseases and combinations thereof will allow me to be perpetually challenged yet intellectually stimulated.

Some students like to talk about a childhood moment in which they had the revelation that they wanted to do medicine; others speak about how they have always wanted to study medicine from a young age. Really it's about being honest and showing a realistic insight into medicine. For me, it was wanting to apply science directly to disease (intellectual curiosity) as well as being able to work with patients and other healthcare professionals (emotionally fulfilling).

Attending multidisciplinary meetings during work experience helped me grasp the varied input that is required in all aspects of patient care. It exemplified the kind of teamwork and opportunities for continued professional development that I aspire to be a part of. Lifelong learning and education are cornerstones of medicine. Observing a thoracocentesis revealed the importance of tailored communication in a doctor's role as practitioner, teacher and supervisor as I witnessed the consultant explain the procedure to myself, trainees and the patient in appropriate detail. This is a skill I have honed by mentoring students of varying age and ability. It has been a pleasure to see them learn and progress over time, showing me the value of dedication to improvement that is so important in medicine.

Simply stating your work placements isn't insightful for medical schools. They're not interested in the exact sort of placement you did but they are interested in what you've taken away from those experiences; what personal insight it gave you. It's important to not over-exaggerate the impact it had, it's about getting the balance between coming across as genuine and being insightful.

I found further evidence of medicine's compelling dynamism at a Research & Development site. Here I was introduced to chlorhexidine and its application to reduce omphalitis and thus infant mortality in Nepal. It illustrated the importance of research and the ensuing challenges faced in improving standards of living. Being actively involved in Model United Nations (MUN) for the last four years, I have discussed topics including the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria at conferences. Wishing to draw attention to such issues, I am spearheading a MUN conference as a platform for debate.

Not only is it important to demonstrate that you understand the qualities required for a doctor but you also want to show (and not tell) that you possess them. Throughout your personal statement, you want to create hooks for the admissions tutors and so having a few unique examples is really useful. Your involvement in academic projects and debates can be a really way of demonstrating intellectual curiosity.

Working as an optical assistant and volunteering at a dementia care home, I made sure to seize opportunities to develop a foundation for my clinical skills. By engaging in conversation with them about their treasured memories, I learned just how therapeutic it can be for a patient to have someone spare a moment to listen. It struck me just how important even the smallest gestures could be for those at the mercy of chronic disease. Being part of a patient's journey to recovery is an element of medicine I find appealing and I have gained an appreciation for the intricacies of the human eye.

As well as your academic ability, you really want to ensure you are showing the admissions tutors that you have begun to develop the foundations for your interpersonal skills. Your voluntary work and part-time jobs will be fantastic ways to show your commitment, empathy and communication skills.

Completing my Silver CREST and Industrial Cadet awards I have learned how to develop my independent research skills, as well as structure projects and meet deadlines. Seeking advice and scouring websites as part of my EPQ on pain receptors, I sought to compare sources and comprehend the etymology of medical terms. Doctors continually face ethically and emotionally challenging situations which I explored first hand, writing an article for Medic Mentor on whether death should be normalised for doctors. Considering contrasting viewpoints broadened my understanding of end of life care and the duties of a doctor.

I knew I wanted to have an academic focus on my personal statement because I was applying to Oxford. Please don't treat your personal statement as a CV simply listing off all the science projects that you've done and articles you've written. It's about quality over quantity.

Earning the position as Head Boy, I have further improved my leadership skills through appropriate delegation and adapting to last minute changes. Practising karate and engaging in drama, public speaking and debating has immensely strengthened my time management and self-discipline, as well as being valued outlets for enjoyment and creative thinking away from my studies. Additionally, I am in the process of completing my Gold DofE award where teamwork and resilience under pressure will be crucial to resolve challenges encountered.

Medicine is very demanding both as a university course but also as a career and therefore you want to show the admissions tutors that you already have developed coping mechanisms that will mean that you are able to manage high workloads and the stress involved.

I believe my greatest achievement will be the impact I make on the lives of others by continuously striving to push the limits of my potential with my desire to improve and hunger to learn. Medicine will pose many challenges, of that I am certain, but I believe no other degree or career could provide me with such a lifelong sense of fulfilment.

I ended my personal statement with summarising my motivations for being a doctor as well as reinforcing how I have a realistic understanding of medicine but for me the positives outweigh the negatives.

• 📝Personal Statement

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Successful Oxbridge Personal Statements

Your Personal Statement is the first demonstration of your character that the admissions teams at Oxford and Cambridge will see. Your perfect Personal Statement can only be written by yourself as it has to convey exactly who you are, why you want to study at Oxbridge and why you deserve to be there. But that doesn't mean help isn't available. There are many things to learn that can improve the effectiveness of your statement when implemented correctly. One of the best ways to get a deeper understanding of what makes a good Personal Statement is to read successful statements that have transferable qualities. This page features over 25 Successful Oxbridge Personal Statements from a whole variety of subjects. Read through them and learn what makes them so good (as well as the mistakes that some make), so that you can create a strong base for your own writing.

Why are Personal Statements Important?

Your personal statement is essentially you introducing yourself to the Oxbridge admissions teams and explaining why you should be given an offer on their courses. It’s a piece of writing that will have a lasting impact throughout the application process, so you need to make the best first impression.

The admissions teams aren’t just interested in the achievements that you have made or the grades you have earned; they are looking for applicants with the right attitude for the course. They need applicants who can go the extra mile, have a true understanding of the subject and have the qualities needed to become successful in their chosen field. All of these things can be expressed in a well-written personal statement.

How To Prepare for your Personal Statement

Your personal statement may not be prepared for in the same way as an entrance exam, but there are still things you can do both before and during the writing process.

Firstly, it’s a good idea to view examples of successful personal statements, such as the 25 + available below. It helps to view those related to your chosen subject, but there are still benefits to looking through as many as possible. 

Beyond this, learning specific techniques and advice from experts will also help. Our Premium Oxbridge Programmes provide a wide variety of support, including books and courses, all of which are designed to help you write the perfect personal statement. View our courses page to find out everything that we can do to help your application. 

Download our FREE 80-Page Personal Statement Starter Guide

We have developed an 80-page E-Book filled with expert Personal Statement Advice. Inside, you’ll find guides on planning and writing your personal statement, as well as our full collection of 25+ Successful Oxbridge Personal Statements. 

To access all this for free, just enter your name and email address and you’ll be sent the guide directly to your inbox. 

Successful Oxbridge Personal Statement Examples

Successful humanities personal statements, cambridge law ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆, oxford law ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford law & french ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford economics & management ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, cambridge economics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, cambridge land economy ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, cambridge classics ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford classics ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆, cambridge pbs ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆, oxford psychology ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, cambridge philosophy ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, oxford ppe ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, cambridge english ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆, oxford english language & literature ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford modern languages ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford geography ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, oxford history ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, successful science personal statements, cambridge medicine ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford medicine ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆, cambridge veterinary medicine ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, kcl dentistry ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆, cambridge natural sciences (bio) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, cambridge natural sciences (phy) ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford physics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, oxford chemistry ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, cambridge engineering ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, oxford engineering ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, cambridge maths & physics ★ ★ ★ ★ ★, oxford computer science ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆, personal statement posts from our blog.

• The Ultimate UCAS Personal Statement Guide
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• How to Write an Oxbridge Personal Statement
• Common Personal Statement Mistakes
• How to Plan your Personal Statement
• How to Make Your Personal Statement Stand out

Successful Personal Statement For Law At Oxford

Read through a successful Law Personal Statement for Oxford with a full analysis by Oxbridge Tutors. Find out why the Personal Statement helped the candidate to receive an Oxford offer.

Successful Personal Statement For Economics At Cambridge

Read through a successful Economics Personal Statement for Cambridge with a full analysis by Oxbridge Tutors. Find out why the Personal Statement helped the candidate to receive a Cambridge offer.

Successful Personal Statement For Economics & Management At Oxford

Writing an Economics and Management Personal Statement for Oxford? If so, you’re in the right place! In this post, we go through a REAL Personal Statement submitted to UCAS for a candidate wishing to study E&M at Oxford.

Successful Personal Statement For PPE At Oxford

Writing a PPE Personal Statement for Oxford? If so, you’re in the right place! In this post, we go through a REAL Personal Statement submitted to UCAS for a candidate wishing to study PPE at Oxford.

Successful Personal Statement Example For Computer Science At Oxford

Read through a successful Computer Science Personal Statement for Oxford with a full analysis by Oxbridge Tutors. Find out why the Personal Statement helped the candidate to receive an Oxford offer.

Successful Personal Statement For Medicine At Oxford University

Writing a Medicine Personal Statement for Oxford? If so, you’re in the right place! In this post, we go through a REAL Personal Statement submitted to UCAS for a candidate wishing to study Medicine at Oxford.

Successful Personal Statement For Medicine At Cambridge

Writing a Medicine Personal Statement for Cambridge? If so, you’re in the right place! In this post, we go through a REAL Personal Statement submitted to UCAS for a candidate wishing to study Medicine at Cambridge.

Successful Personal Statement For Veterinary Medicine At Cambridge

Read through a successful Veterinary Medicine Personal Statement for Cambridge with a full analysis by Oxbridge Tutors. Find out why the Personal Statement helped the candidate to receive a Cambridge offer.

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Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Get some inspiration to start writing your Medicine Personal Statement with these successful examples from current Medical School students. We've got Medicine Personal Statements which were successful for universities including Imperial, UCL, King's, Bristol, Edinburgh and more.

Personal Statement Examples

• Read successful Personal Statements for Medicine
• Pay attention to the structure and the content
• Get inspiration to plan your Personal Statement

Personal Statement Example 1

Check out this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for Imperial, UCL, QMUL and King's.

Personal Statement Example 2

This Personal Statement comes from a student who received Medicine offers from Bristol and Plymouth - and also got an interview at Cambridge.

Personal Statement Example 3

Have a look at this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for Imperial, Edinburgh, Dundee and Newcastle.

Personal Statement Example 4

Take a look at this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for King's, Newcastle, Bristol and Sheffield.

Personal Statement Example 5

Pick up tips from this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for Imperial, Birmingham and Manchester.

Personal Statement Example 6

This Personal Statement comes from a student who got into Graduate Entry Medicine at King's - and also had interviews for Undergraduate Medicine at King's, QMUL and Exeter.

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Oxford University Personal Statements

We hope our collection of oxford university personal statements provides inspiration for writing your own. please do not plagiarise them in any way, or ucas will penalise your application. our  personal statement editing & review services  are availble if you feel you need a little extra help..

History Personal Statement Example 3 Recently, I found out that my grandma was gambled into slavery for seven years. She escaped her prison and made her way back to Hong Kong, 300 miles south. I was amazed at how courageous she was. This personal discovery led me to read Jung Chang's 'Wild Swans' which made me both proud and ashamed of my heritage...

Computer Science Personal Statement Example 4 I find it amazing to watch as the digital revolution sculpts society at a rate that has never before been seen; there is so much to still be discovered. Quantum computing is a topic that particularly interests me, stemming from my studies and keen interest in physics...

Economics and PPE Personal Statement Example My aspiration to study economics at both advanced and degree level has stemmed from my lasting interest in current affairs and world development. These issues require an application of economics in real-life situations and can be related to many diverse subjects such as politics, philosophy and psychology...

English Literature Personal Statement Example 1 When I saw Gatz, John Collin's eight hour interpretation of The Great Gatsby, I noticed that Fitzgerald changes the colour of Daisy's hair every time he describes it. It is "like a dash of blue paint", "yellowy" like her daughters and then "dark, shining"...

Geography Personal Statement Example 2 In a dynamic world, the study of geography is increasingly important. The diversity of the subject and the interaction between the physical environment and human population is becoming even more evident with climate change and globalisation influencing our everyday lives...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 11 “If she’s smart she will study Medicine.” This is an unwritten rule in my culture - all Nigerian parents want their children to become doctors. What becomes of the aspiring psychologist in the family? I met a junior doctor, at an educational conference, who wanted to specialise in psychiatry...

History Personal Statement Example 13 Until I began my A-levels last September, I had never been to school or followed a formal syllabus. My parents homeschooled me. They guided, encouraged, and fed my interests with books, documentaries and discussions...

Natural and Biological Sciences Personal Statement Example Experiencing first-hand life as a human in the natural world, I have the authority to confirm that regardless of previous knowledge, unexplained phenomena still exist. As a scientist, I adore observing the unknown, analysing the known and making decisions accordingly...

English Personal Statement Example 22 What I enjoy above all else in a piece of literature is the feeling that it has brought about change, either in me or in some wider context. Literature which offers the opportunity for an adapted way of living or thinking, however slight, is I think a thing to be kept and treasured in our intellects...

English Literature and Creative Writing Personal Statement Example 1 I once aspired to be a visual artist, a photographer or painter. However, I later discovered the unique ability of poetry and the written word to maintain its power and resonance in a world saturated with images and messages...

Computer Science Personal Statement Example 45 Advances in computer and information technology over the past few decades have brought about revolution in science, medicine, education, business, and entertainment. I wish to be part of the future revolution and that is why I want to study computer science...

English Literature Personal Statement Example 16 I believe that to read English is to read the human being itself: after all, we are all writers. Even in the very act of choosing our words - thinking them, speaking them, physically writing them down - we create something meaningful...

Human Sciences Personal Statement Example Perhaps what makes me different from other University applicants is that I have ambition to understand multidimensional human life. It is not the appeal of a top qualification or the zesty student lifestyle that attracts me to this course; but it is the long-term knowledge and answers to interdisciplinary human problems, and the enigmas that I will commit a lifetime investigating with perhaps no solution, that inspires me to apply...

Engineering Personal Statement Example 19 Physics is that branch of science without which science is just like a beautiful lamp with no light. For centuries, mathematicians and physicists have made plenty of scientific contributions thus helping the world make a better place to live...

History (Ancient and Modern) Personal Statement Example 1 It is those things we don’t yet know or understand that make history a fascinating, intellectual puzzle. We know a remarkable amount about history and the development of society but new archaeological discoveries, the dedicated efforts of historians, translators and other academics and advancements in areas such as archaeometry mean that the body of historical information is still expanding...

Archaeology and Anthropology Personal Statement Example 2 As an immigrant living in Spain, I am constantly reminded of the importance social and cultural factors have on my daily life, the language I speak, and the difference between the relationships I maintain with people from my own country and those I encounter here on a daily basis...

Computer Science Personal Statement Example 49 My views about computing changed considerably when I heard about Linux. In the late nineties it was a newer operating system and tasks like installing and configuring were considered to be quite challenging in India...

Law Personal Statement Example 70 Law is ever changing, whether parliament is passing new legislation, existing legislation is being rewritten or the courts are interpreting laws in different ways. In the case of Anthony Bland the distinguishing of earlier precedents was vital...

History and English Personal Statement Example Studying history and English concurrently has appealed to me ever since I recognised the inseparability of the two disciplines closest to my heart. Personally, I believe that the literary style of a piece of writing is as important as scholarly research and I try to make my essays as lively as possible whilst still grounded in solid historical or literary method, dulce et utile, following the example of writers such as Richard J Evans...

Economics and Management Personal Statement Example 2 My interest in Economics goes beyond an appreciation of statistics and profit margins. In my mind, economics represents the relationship between people and their money – a relationship that dates back to the history of mankind...

German Personal Statement Example 7 The study of language has always been appealing and is the focus of much of my time and energy, but the study of the German language is what mesmerises me most. Before understanding German I was first intrigued by its sound, and as I began to learn it, I became fascinated by its complexity...

Economics Personal Statement Example 30 The ever-changing nature of the human science intrigues me. Newton’s laws of motion will never change, from wherever ‘the ball is dropped’. However, different strategies and policies have to be framed and implemented for each economic problem...

Mathematics & Computer Science Personal Statement Example I have found mathematics a fascinating subject since my early years. I enjoy it as it is challenging and logical. I am particularly interested in decision mathematics as it is a field that is directly related to real-life applications of mathematics and can be used to solve problems, such as finding the optimal solution for transporting materials from one place to another while minimising the cost...

Physics Personal Statement Example 15 I have always been intrigued by the world of physics. From everyday experiences to the most extreme boundaries of today's knowledge, I have always voraciously searched for answers to my questions. As I grew up, the elegance of mathematical demonstrations and of physical theorems fascinated me, and I have often dreamt of making contributions to the unification theory and of improving and simplifying the Navier-Stokes equations...

Electrical Engineering Personal Statement Example 2 The defining wonder of today’s age is electricity. In just two centuries, we have come from Faraday’s crude but prophetic experiments to devices just a square inch that can calculate in seconds what the most gifted of human minds might take days...

Medicine Personal Statement Example 70 The challenge of spending my working life immersed in the fascinating, ever-evolving world of the medical sciences, and the opportunity to use this knowledge to benefit others, has drawn me to seek a career in medicine...

Politics, Philosophy & Economics (PPE) Personal Statement Example 3 In this day and age virtually every aspect of our lives may be considered political. My passion to study Politics stems from this tenet and a belief that a comprehension of Politics is integral to understanding the current state of humanity...

Chemistry Personal Statement Example 18 Chemistry explores the properties of all matter and energy in our universe, which eventually leads to breakthroughs that benefit mankind, ranging from how to prevent food from decomposing to understanding what chemicals can help or harm you...

Philosophy Personal Statement Example (Mature Student) Since leaving education in 2006 I have always wanted to return; a great love of learning, desire for knowledge and natural curiosity throughout my life resulted in an ambition to teach. It was with this ambition in my heart that I took the plunge and returned to education, beginning my Access course last year with the intention of applying to study for a primary education degree...

Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 17 My decision to study engineering stems from a desire to contribute to the evolution of society through a process that does not just define our environment but our era. My personal inspiration is the Segovia aqueduct, an 800m long, 30 metre high Roman marvel which still stands today...

Ancient and Modern History Personal Statement Example 1 What makes history engaging and interesting to me is its interdisciplinary nature and its ability to take you on a journey to the discovery of humanity's past. History has been a constant source of captivation for me, from studying the mythology of Ancient Greece in primary school through to the study of the Russian Revolution at A Level...

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Identifying barriers to genetic testing in subspecialty cardiac care

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Background The utility of genetic testing in cardiovascular medicine is well-established in expert consensus statements for optimizing patient care. However, significant genetic testing care gaps persist for patients with inherited cardiovascular conditions. Objective This study aimed to understand why genetic testing care gaps in cardiovascular medicine exist by evaluating cardiovascular providers' opinions and use of genetic testing. Methods We developed and administered an anonymous survey to cardiovascular providers delivering direct patient care in the United States. Participants were contacted in collaboration with the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation. Results A total of 111 individuals completed the survey representing the following specialties: electrophysiology (55%, n=61), general cardiology (10.8%, n=12), imaging (7.2%, n=8), heart failure/transplant (6.3%, n=7), interventional cardiology (6.3%, n=7), fetal cardiology (5.4%, n=6), and other (9%, n=10). Eighty-six percent of respondents (n=97) stated genetic testing is 'very relevant' in the care of their patients. Eighty percent of electrophysiologists reported ordering genetic testing a few times a month or more. Navigating insurance authorization and billing procedures was an identified area of discomfort by 47.7% of respondents (n=53). Overall, cardiovascular provider specialty was shown to impact how often genetic testing is ordered. Provider work setting was shown to impact opinion of the utility of genetic testing for family screening, opinion of the utility of genetic testing for medication and device management, and how often genetic testing is ordered. Conclusions The results of this study support targeted provider education to increase the uptake of genetic testing for patients with inherited cardiovascular conditions.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

This study was funded by the University of Utah's Graduate Program of Genetic Counseling.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The study was approved and granted exemption status by the University of Utah Institutional Review Board (00164238).

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Data Availability

All data produced in the present study are available upon request to the authors.

View the discussion thread.

Supplementary Material

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