Personal Statement - How to Begin? (Part 1/3)

Personal Statement writing can feel like a minefield of its own. We hope our 3-part series can break this down for you! The Sassy Medic has written 3 really great pieces for all our readers the first part of which begins here.

Summing up all the reasons you should be accepted into University in under 4000 characters isn’t easy. So here are a few things I think it’s important to remember when writing your Medical School personal statement.

1. Make it personal - The admissions teams read thousands of personal statements a year. Yours needs to be different!

2. Write a true account - If you have done something you are proud of then write about it but ensure it reflects what you did.

3. Don’t undersell yourself! - This might seem obvious but make sure you highlight what makes you the right fit for medicine. What have you done that shows your commitment and understanding.

4. Tell a story - YOUR personal statement should flow and be easy to follow. It should have a beginning, a middle and an end. This is the story of why you want to be a doctor or dentist!

5. Write it yourself - Again another obvious one but not everyone does. If you are attending panel interviews it is likely the interviewers will have a copy of your statement, it is even more likely they will ask you about it! It is completely acceptable to have people reviewing it, the Step2Med tutors do this endlessly over the summer, but make sure you have written it yourself first.

6. Make every word count - With a strict character count it is important that every word adds something to your statement. If you don’t feel it adds anything then you probably don’t need it.

Most importantly remember why you are applying to medical school, whether that be as a direct school leaver, a graduate or a mature student, why do you want this! Your personal statement is your opportunity to tell the admissions team why you are going to make an excellent student at their university!

As always, if you have any questions please email hello@step2med.co.uk and the tutors are available daily to help you with any queries you may have.

The second article on personal statements will be published next week.

This piece was written by The Sassy Medic (Instagram @the.sassy.medic), and reviewed by Dr Pooja Devani, Step2Med.