Personal Statement:Medicine 63

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

My desire to study medicine is based on several different factors. For example, how challenging it is as a subject, and also as a career. One challenge that appeals to me is the vast amount of knowledge required and being able to use and adapt that knowledge to unfamiliar situations. Another factor is that medicine is always changing and progressing. This enables me to further my knowledge throughout my entire life and that, for me, is an enjoyable prospect.

To get an insight into the medical profession and to better my understanding of the interactions between doctors and patients, I arranged ongoing work experience with a podiatrist. The reason why I chose to arrange this work experience is that there are great opportunities for me to be able to observe the patient-doctor relationship since, for the majority of the appointment time, the patient is having a conversation with the podiatrist. This has allowed me to see how a medical professional is able to develop a relationship with the patient, how this relaxes the patient, allowing the consultation to run more smoothly.

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

After contacting another podiatric surgeon I was able to arrange a placement in order for me to be able to observe joint reconstruction surgery. From this I was able to see how medicine is not made up of clear-cut methods and that problems can arise and that part of being a medical professional is dealing with these problems and overcoming them. For example, in this case the anaesthetic wasn't effective due to the nature of where it was injected thus it was injected at a different site.

I also arranged a week observing a chiropractor so that I could observe how chronic ailments can be treated without the use of drugs. Over the week, I was able to discuss with the patients how the treatment had helped them improve over time and how they were able to manage pain through exercises and treatments, rather than through the use of drugs. I also discussed the possible use of the placebo effect, and whether this could be a benefit worth harnessing and the ethics behind this. One ethical implication would be that for the placebo effect to work, the patient would not be able to have informed consent.

I am a qualified first aider with St John Ambulance and regularly volunteer for duties. Over my time so far I have seen many different scenarios and have been able to develop the way I deal with these situations. For example using my experience gained in order to deal with scenarios more efficiently or by having a conversation with the patient to make the situation less stressful for the patient and also more enjoyable for myself.

I am fully aware of how competitive applying to medical school can be due to the fact I applied during last year's cycle and was unsuccessful. As a result of this I have been able to reflect on my application and learn from the mistakes I made and have also been able to gain a lot more experience working in the medical profession and will continue to gain even more experience throughout my gap year.

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

I am currently looking forward to starting work as a volunteer porter at a local hospital with the intention of learning what it means to work as a member of a busy hospital team. I will also be using this year to raise money to help fund possible university expenses and also to gain more experience of what it means to work in the medical profession.

During my free time, I enjoy playing the viola and play as a member of the Lincolnshire Philharmonia Orchestra since I find this a good way to socialise and hope to continue playing music at university. I also enjoy going to the gym as I find the exercise relaxes me and helps me to reduce my stress levels.

I look forward to a career in medicine and the challenges that it entails. I hope that through a lot of hard work, stress and determination, my enthusiasm to study Medicine and to continually improve myself will allow me to become a successful doctor.

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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