{"id":11013,"date":"2020-04-12T15:27:28","date_gmt":"2020-04-12T15:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/?p=11013"},"modified":"2020-11-24T11:23:02","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T11:23:02","slug":"how-to-start-your-medicine-personal-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/how-to-start-your-medicine-personal-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"How to start your medicine personal statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I just wanted to do a follow up blog from the overview<\/a> so that I could share some tips and more about my approach to writing my personal statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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INVEST IN A NOTEBOOK<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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This was my treasured notebook (only cost \u00a31!) \u2013 I kept all my notes in it from UCAS talks, open day talks, useful reflections<\/strong>, as well as notes from UCAT prep. It was so handy to have everything in one place when planning content of my personal statement.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What do you reflect on?<\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Work experience<\/strong><\/p>It is so useful to keep a log of what you do for the time that you are on work experience. Due to data protection laws, you can\u2019t write down personal details and indepth identifiable information about patients. Instead, write a brief description (e.g. saw a patient with type 1 diabetes) and focus more on the learning points from your observations<\/strong>. See if you can identify any moments which demonstrated good medical practice<\/a> \u2013 for example communication between professionals and also with the patients.

Also, if you get the opportunity to speak to doctors, don\u2019t be afraid to ask questions about how they got into medicine<\/em> and how they are finding their careers! This experience is also a chance for you to see firsthand if this environment is for you! You may be put off and uncertain, you may be surprised to hear this but that\u2019s okay! Make sure you do lots of research and ask as many different people that you can about medicine before deciding not to pursue it. It has to be a committed decision \u2013 there is no halfheartedness in medicine as harsh as it sounds!<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Voluntary experience<\/strong><\/p>Similarly, keep a small diary of what you do each time you go to volunteer \u2013 you never know when you come back to write your personal statement \u2013 there may be a moment that you want to reflect on from your volunteering so it is great to keep it noted down! Note down any of your personal development changes<\/strong> as well that you may notice the longer you are volunteering \u2013 this may be about your attachment with the people you interact with, your confidence to lead activities etc.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Wider reading<\/strong><\/p>As I mentioned in the previous blog, it is great to build on your intellectual curiosity<\/strong>, but it\u2019s so important that you keep a few notes on what you learnt<\/strong> from books\/ papers etc. When you finally come to writing your personal statement, there is no space to waffle. You need to be clear on what you have learnt otherwise there is no point adding it in down and later on, it may cause an issue if it is brought up at interview and you can\u2019t remember it. I always recommend to reread materials closer to interviews as well, which I will speak in a later blog.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Other<\/strong><\/p>I would always have a small MISC section (miscellaneous) in my notebook, for me to scribble down any interesting phrases or advice that I have heard \u2013 this could be from podcasts, YouTube vloggers or even webinars <\/strong>that I tuned into!<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Also, make sure you stay up to date with hot topics in the news<\/strong> \u2013 for example, at the time of writing this, the coronavirus pandemic<\/strong> was the main hot topic. Previous hot topics have been: Charlie Gard<\/strong> case \u2013 right to life, decision-making involved<\/em>; postcode lottery<\/strong> \u2013 unequal distribution of care in North and South.<\/em> Be sure to Google these if you have not heard of them before!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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PERSONAL STATEMENT: START WITH BULLET POINTS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So, if you are at the stage where you are ready to write your personal statement, where do you even begin? I remember when I first sat down I stared at my Word document for an hour and had no idea what to do, even though I had read lots of examples and guidance<\/a> online. I got frustrated with myself because I knew I had content but I didn\u2019t know how to get it down. I wanted it to be perfect, but as you will have read from before, it took me 10 drafts to be satisfied with it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019ve added this checklist here again, because this formed the basis of starting to write down content. I wrote down in bullet points everything I had to answer each question into a table \u2013 here is a rough example of how I began to fill in the table so you can get a picture of what I mean:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why<\/strong>
medicine?<\/strong><\/td>		\u2013 Motivation: chronic pain condition as a child \u2013 inspired by my treatment<\/em>
\u2013 fascination of human biology
\u2013 love interacting with new people and working in different environment
\u2013 love a challenge<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Work<\/strong>
experience<\/strong><\/td>		Week on rheumatology ward:
\u2013 what I got to see: \u2026<\/em>
\u2013 what did I learn from it? \u2026<\/em>.
<\/td><\/tr>
Voluntary<\/strong>
experience<\/strong><\/td>		Day centre volunteer at hospice:
\u2013 details of role:<\/em>
\u2013 what did I learn from it?\u2026.<\/em>
Shop volunteer:
\u2013 relevant skills: customer service, leadership, etc.<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Intellectual<\/strong>
curiosity<\/strong><\/td>		\u2013 <\/em>A level biology \u2013 e.g. further reading on lymphocytes
\u2013 read a paper on \u2026 \u2013 what I learnt from it:\u2026
\u2013 <\/em>Book \u2013 Being mortal, Atul Gawande \u2013 what I learnt \u2026<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Extracurricular<\/strong>
activities<\/strong><\/td>		\u2013 violin \u2013 performance diploma\/ symphony orchestra leader \u2013 skills from this: dexterity, control, time management
\u2013 <\/em>senior prefect \u2013 skills from this: demanding role, teamwork, role model
\u2013 <\/em>to relax: puzzles \u2013 particularly Hanjie and logic problems which also engages critical thinking<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
Other personal<\/strong>
qualities<\/strong><\/td>		\u2013 <\/em>hardworking, focussed, logical \u2013 good decision maker
<\/em>\u2013 bubbly, approachable \u2013 useful for communication<\/em>
\u2013 more points?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The key thing to note is that for every single point that I put down \u2013 I put an explanation as to why it was relevant for medicine\/ what I learnt from it<\/em>. If you can\u2019t think of a reason, still put it down but put it in brackets! When it comes to forming sentences, you need clarity and explanations. Remember you only have 4000 characters for your personal statement, so you need to make each word count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what next?<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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