Personal Statement:General personal statement for medical genetics biomedical science medical science physiology and neurology - The Student Room

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I have always been captivated by Biology and Chemistry and it is clear to me that my ambition is to obtain a medically related career. I have always been fascinated by how the human heart pumps blood around the body like a machine and how electrical signals travel along a myelinated or unmyelinated nerve cell. My eagerness for a medically related career was increased more when I read: What's Up Doc? by Dr Hilary Jones; Trust Me, I'm A Junior Doctor by Dr Max Pemberton and Illness: The Art Of Living by Havi Carel.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

In July 2011 for work experience I attended my local pharmacy, (Pharmacy name), for a fortnight. There I learnt how drugs were prescribed and the importance of checking for mistakes in the order as this can lead to both legal and medical complications. I also learnt how to dispense drugs, in particular for the elderly in a care home. Through the college I obtained work experience with (Hospital name). On the first morning I was assigned to doctors and followed them around, observing how they worked during their ward rounds. I learnt how to: read charts; take blood; fill in blood forms and send them off to the Pathology labs. In the afternoon I was assigned to a dermatologist. I learnt what properties local anaesthetics possessed, as well as learning what AK, Actinic Keratoses, is or commonly known as Rat Ulcer and other cancers. I observed biopsies being performed. During one I had to hold a patient's hand due to her past experience of knowing how much it hurts. On the second morning, in the operating theatre, I observed an operation on the inner ear of a man who had an infection and a thorax operation of a woman. In the afternoon I was assigned to an anaesthetist on the labour ward. I learnt the types of anaesthetics that were given, how they were administrated and the effect they had on the body. I was allowed the rare opportunity to watch a caesarean take place. On the third morning I was assigned to doctors in haematology, which enabled me to see patients who had had bone marrow transplants. In the afternoon I attended a clinical skills session.

In college I attend weekly medical tutorials. It consists of potential medical students discussing recent medical related publications, events in the media, as well as opportunities for work experience, seminars or events that we can attend.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

During summer 2011 I volunteered at a day care centre, (Name of day care centre), in which it was my duty to prepare food, clean, talk and engage in activities with the visitors. Through my placements and volunteering, I was enlightened to the fact that a strong verbal relationship, understanding and patience was required in order to treat patients sufficiently and accordingly, particularly where the elderly were concerned. I have volunteered with a number of groups, this included; disabled, elderly, primary and secondary children, ethnic minorities and the local community. Working with organisations such as (Name of groups), I achieved my gold in Youth University, which required 600 hours service and had completed 200 hours in Millennium Volunteers within a year of turning sixteen. I am currently a member of ChemNet.

During the summer of 2011 I attended a Reaching Wider Summer University school in (Name of university). I found these experiences very rewarding and they gave me a real insight into university life. My extracurricular activities include reading, working out, music and socialising with friends. Working out helps me release stress, it gives me an idea on where my limit is but also sets me a challenge in pushing myself beyond it. As an individual, I set out to accomplish the tasks at hand as well as applying myself to new tasks and execute them to the highest standards possible. If I am allocated a place to study, all my focus, concentration and perseverance will be given to the course, as this will give me a strong foundation for pursuing a career in the medical field.

Universities applied to:

• Swansea University
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Cardiff University
• Cardiff University
• Glamorgan University

Grades achieved:

• Welsh Bac (A2) - Pass
• Human Biology (A2) - B
• Chemistry (A2) - C
• Business (A2) - C

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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