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How do I Structure my Personal Statement?
Deciding on a structure to your personal statement can be quite hard, as you may have lots of things that you want to include. In general, it is a good idea to view your personal statement like any essay, you will want an introduction, the main text divided into paragraphs, and then a short conclusion rounding up your piece of writing.
Introduction
Your introduction should give the reader a taste of why you want to study medicine. This is the first thing that the admissions staff are going to read about you, so it’s important that you get your passion for wanting to study medicine across from the beginning. Avoid cliches (e.g. ‘I’ve wanted to study medicine since I saw a hospital aged 4’), but keep the opening punchy and exciting.
Middle
We recommend that you break this down into sections.
You may wish to split paragraphs by work experience, extra-curricular activities, and academic achievements. Read our guides for each of these sections to understand the content each paragraph should include.
Alternatively, each paragraph may focus on a skill that is required to be a doctor, such as leadership, teamwork, communication, which you can link into your work experience and extra-curricular activities.
| Read: Personal Statement: Extra-Curricular Activities |
| Read: Personal Statement: Motivation for Medicine |
| Read: Personal Statement: Academic Achievements |
Conclusion
Your conclusion should be short and sweet, highlighting again your passion for a career in medicine, and why you are best suited to such a career.
This is only a suggested guide to follow for your personal statement, and is by no means a “must follow guide”. It is however a surefire way to make sure you include everything notable that the admissions office would like to hear about. Remember, they know your grades and school performance, this is your chance to get your personality across. If you need any help getting started with the content, structure or even just an overview of your personal statement, then be sure to check out our personal statement services.
List of Topics
This list covers lots of possible topics to discuss in your personal statement. You won’t be able to cover all of them, so pick the ones best suited to you.
- Why Medicine?
- Why being a doctor specifically?
- Why do you like science / want to learn about the human body?
- Volunteering: care home
- Volunteering: fundraising / charity
- Work experience: GP
- Work experience: A&E
- Work experience: Surgery
- Work Experience: Hospital
- Work Experience: Abroad
- Extracurricular: sports, hobbies, skills
- Extracurricular: societies at school
- Extracurricular: awards (e.g. DofE)
- Academic: books read
- Academic: talks attended
- Academic: research projects
- Academic: passion for school subjects
- Explain your key skills (e.g. communication, leadership)
- Conclusion
Frequently Asked Question
→What is a personal statement?
A personal statement is an essay that you write as part of your application for admission to a college or university, or as part of a job application. It provides a snapshot of who you are, your experiences, achievements, and goals.
→How should I begin my personal statement?
You should begin your personal statement with a strong opening sentence that grabs the reader’s attention. You can start with a quote, a question, or a personal anecdote that relates to the topic of your essay.
→What is the best structure for a personal statement?
The best structure for a personal statement generally follows a chronological or thematic order. A chronological structure presents your experiences in the order in which they occurred, while a thematic structure groups your experiences according to themes or topics.
→What should I include in the body of my personal statement?
In the body of your personal statement, you should provide details about your experiences, achievements, and goals. You should also explain how these experiences have shaped you and why they are relevant to the program or job you are applying for.
→How long should my personal statement be?
The length of a personal statement varies depending on the institution or organization you are applying to. Generally, personal statements should be between 500 and 1000 words.
→Why is it important to structure a personal statement?
Structuring your personal statement is important because it helps you to present your information in a logical and cohesive way. A well-structured personal statement can make a positive impression on the reader and increase your chances of being accepted or hired.
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