you know that almost all applicants will have good academic records and the rest of your application should provide plenty of information on that area anyway so I would suggest focusing on your personal interests and relating them to how they make you a well rounded and balanced potential doctor.
If I remember correctly mine started with 'ever since i can remember i have wanted to be a doctor...'. Another possible way of starting is with a famous quote that means something to you.
I would suggest you make it as personal to you as possible and try not to be too formal. Also get someone like a school's career advisor or head of year/form tutor etc to read through it if you can.
Ranjit (3rd year)
Fuzz,
ReplyDeleteAnother tip:
Personal statements from my experience do not come out in one go or in one sitting - I have had to hack away at mine for about 20 drafts before I was happy with it!
I found the best way to get started was to keep a notebook where I wrote down anything that I felt would be appropriate for my personal statement, whenever inspiration struck. I had a bullet point list of all the things I wanted to INCLUDE in my PS (e.g. voluntary work, work experience, etc.) but I did not start out writing full sentences. I started out with getting together all the jigsaw pieces of everything I wanted to include and then taking it from there slowly.
Also, re: starting with a famous quote/'ever since I was five I have been interested in medicine/science/being a doc' statements - in my opinion, these can work REALLY well if said with the correct emphasis and if flowing well with the rest of the statement. But, be wary of sounding 'cliched' or trying to sound too quirky and different and not flowing well. As with all cliches, sometimes nothing expresses sentiments better than a cliched phrase, but originality is also good.
I must emphasise I do not know what Lancaster Uni or indeed any other uni med schools are looking for in their personal statements - this is just my opinion as someone who's gone through the UCAS system before and who has also seen other young applicants' personal statements. I find the ones that stick most are the original ones, but having said that, some have used sentiment/cliched phrases well to their statement's advantage. Try not to get hung up on any one idea, and see how your statement works best for you. :)
PS: For some reason it says Vinni First Year, but I am in third year!
ReplyDeletethank you
ReplyDeleteFuzz, it was good to read your tips of personal statement. I would also like to thank vinni for her inputs which will be helpful to everyone who are about to write there personal statement this year.
ReplyDeletemed school personal statement review
Using parts of your personal life and tying it to why you want to become a doctor is a great way to start off the personal statement. It's a way to show your personality and individuality for sure.
ReplyDeleteTrident University
The problem is that when students apply to medical school personal statement writing is not the first thing on their mind. Thanks for your useful post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for share this informative post.
ReplyDeleteMy writing gets bogged down with unnecessary details sometimes and what a great reminder to trust the reader and keep the action moving. write my essay for me same goes for scene breaks. I appreciate them when reading. Just that little interruption gives me the chance to reflect on what's going on and then dig back into the action.
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