birmingham medical school personal statement

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Preparing to Apply

It is important for you to demonstrate your motivation towards a career in medicine and show evidence that you will be able to acquire the values important in medicine. The Medical Schools Council have produced relevant and helpful guidance to help you understand these. In our selection process at Birmingham, you will be assessed on how well you align with these values. 

We can assure you that, at a Birmingham Medical School interview, an assessment of the values you hold will not require you to draw upon face-to-face experiences of healthcare. We will re-focus the interview experience, in part, towards an assessment of how well you have reflected on the resources we provide here. Therefore, even if you have previously had face-to-face experience in a clinical setting you should not assume that this will substitute for the learning you will acquire from these materials. 

Arranging, undertaking and effective reflection on face-to-face experiences requires a great deal of time and effort. You must be at least as committed to learning and developing your understanding of healthcare practice through on-line activity and research. 

Preparation for interview and indeed for study on a medicine course is aided by engaging in frequent discussions with friends and family about medical issues in the news and media as well as these resources. It is essential that you have as much practise as possible in explaining and justifying your opinions in one-to-one and group discussions.

Where to start

We will not test your factual knowledge of, for example, systems and structures in the body, and certainly not your medical knowledge. Remember, we are assessing your values and how the resources below have impacted on you. 

It is very useful to have a broad understanding of the medical profession. Health Education England have produced a helpful booklet ( HEE: Careers in Medicine ). Understanding what it is that underpins the profession is also important. Do you know any of the NHS core values ? Do you know about the role of the General Medical Council, particularly in relation to medical students ( GMC: Achieving Good Medical Practice )? The NHS England  and NICE websites provides interesting reports about how science is informing medical practice. 

In recognition of the need to support applicants at this time, the Medical Schools Council have produced updated guidance on work experience .

You will note that we suggest you use many of the same resources. Therefore, you can be reassured that preparation for interview at the University of Birmingham will assist with other medicine applications. 

As all doctors understand, reflection is vital. The Royal College of General Practitioners have written an excellent document that explains why reflection is important and how to reflect:  Reflective Diary

The introductory sections of this document is a great place to start before you delve into the resources. Once you do start to reflect, we advise that you evaluate each resource   using a reflection template. 

Simulated patient interactions with healthcare professionals

If you have been unable to observe a professional delivering care or support or been unable to do this yourself, the next best experience is a virtual patient interaction. The Royal College of General Practitioners have produced an on-line platform called Observe GP . Within this platform there are four patient encounters with different members of the healthcare team at a GP surgery. Take your time working through the entre activity and ensure that you engage fully. You will need to register to use Observe GP but it is free to use.

Insight into the complexities of healthcare practice

Brighton and Sussex Medical School have produced a Virtual Work Experience online platform . This is also excellent and covers a whole range of healthcare specialties. There is a great deal of information, many opportunities for you to check your learning as well as some simulated patient interactions. Again, you need to register. There is an opportunity for you to receive a certificate for completing this course but we will not ask to see this. We advise that you use the RCGP reflection diary templates as you work through each section.

Doctors recounting their experiences can provide excellent insight. Some of these raise challenging issues but that is the nature of a profession where the stakes are very high:

Hospital Dr Blogs

Doctor's Association Blogs

General guidance

The Medical Schools Council provide much additional information and guidance to support applicants for medicine. Check out their website:

MSC Studying Medicine  

Developing your personal qualities

Though the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many restrictions on what we are able to do however there are still opportunities for you to engage with and support others, even if you do not leave the house. Many of you may already be doing this but we suggest registering with nextdoor.co.uk or Do IT  and offering your support. You will need to be prepared to meet whatever need you come across but some examples are providing on-line academic support to students, delivering food to vulnerable people and speaking on the phone to those who cannot go out.

Doctor profiles

Read an overview on what inspired five Doctors, to join the profession. 

Doctor profiles  

Support for school and college students applying for healthcare degrees

This section on the website is dedicated to different healthcare degrees with a variety of resources including resources on what it is like working in the National Health Service.

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Medical School Profiles: Applying To Birmingham Medical School

Applying to birmingham medical school.

Welcome to our series of medical school profiles. These are completely free as part of Medicine Answered’s commitment to making information on a career in Medicine free and easily available. These medical school profiles can be used with our free guide “ how to choose which medical schools to apply to ” which covers 19 points that you can systematically run through when considering if a medical school is an excellent choice for you to apply to.

What this guide to applying to study Medicine at Birmingham Medical School covers

This medical school profile provides key information relevant for applying to study Medicine at Birmingham Medical School. We list the Medicine courses on offer at Birmingham Medical School. We then move onto the entry requirements for studying Medicine at Birmingham Medical School. This includes how Birmingham Medical School uses applicants UKCAT results; the interview process at Birmingham Medical School; how Birmingham Medical School uses Medicine personal statements and other key details and statistics that will help you to apply to study Medicine at Birmingham Medical School. Then, we cover tips on how to write a Medicine personal statement for Birmingham Medical School and tips on how to pass the Birmingham Medical School MMI interview.

Courses on offer at Birmingham Medical School:

• Standard Entry Medicine (5 years). UCAS course code A100
• Accelerated Graduate Entry Medicine (4 years) UCAS course code A101

The competition for offers for a place to study Medicine at Birmingham Medical School:

5-year Standard Entry Medicine Course:

Number of applicants per interview: 2 (home/EEA) 4 (international)

Number of applicants per place: 6 (home/EEA) 19 (international)

Birmingham Medical School state that they interview around 1200 applicants and give approximately 850 offers to study their five year Medicine degree. They have approximately 360 places.

4-year Accelerated Graduate Entry Medicine Programme:

Number of applicants per interview: 7 (home/EEA only)

Number of applicants per place: 20 (home/EEA only)

International Applicants to study Medicine at Birmingham Medical School

Birmingham Medical School welcomes applications from international students for its standard five-year Medicine programme. International students cannot apply to Birmingham’s accelerated Graduate Entry Medicine programme. This is only open to applicants from the European Economic Area (EEA) which includes the UK.

Graduate Entry Medicine at Birmingham Medical School:

Birmingham Medical School offer an accelerated four-year Graduate Entry Medicine programme open to home students only. This includes students from the EEA. It is only available to candidates who hold a first or high 2:1 degree in a life science degree and who have achieved a minimum of ABB at A-level. Graduate applicants applying to the standard entry Medicine course have more flexibility in the type of degree that is accepted but the A-level requirements are higher as a result.

You will notice that Birmingham Medical School places a high emphasis on academic criteria and focuses on pre-degree grades more so than many other Graduate Entry Medicine programmes at other medical schools. One of the reasons for this is because Birmingham Medical School does not use an admissions tests for Graduate Entry Medicine applicants. As a result, if you have a strong application and a good degree but weaker A-levels and GCSE results then your application may be more competitive at a different medical school.

See our free guide to applying to Medicine as a graduate for more information on Graduate Entry Medicine . This is a comprehensive guide and includes topics such as fees, funding, deciding on Graduate Entry Medicine, choosing between four-year programmes versus standard entry Medicine programmes and more. We also have a comprehensive and entirely free guide on how to write a Graduate Entry Medicine personal statement .

Course structure at Birmingham Medical School:

The course structure at Birmingham Medical School takes the form of an integrated Medicine curriculum. This is the most common course structure for UK medical schools. It means that clinical concepts and basic Sciences are taught together instead of the traditional (and now rare) approach of separating the teaching of the sciences with the teaching of Clinical Medicine. Integrated curriculums means that medical students can see how the sciences that they learn relate to how patients present.

A wide range of teaching methods and settings are used at Birmingham Medical School. These include lectures, seminars, lab work, bedside teaching, clinical teaching, small tutorials, peer group learning and self-study. Birmingham Medical School employs some use of enquiry-based learning (EBL). EBL shares many similarities with the more widely known, Problem Based Learning (PBL), which Birmingham Medical School also uses. In EBL, instead of just being taught and told what to learn, students set their own learning objectives. This process is well supervised, so it is a common myth that PBL or EBL leaves students alone. This is not the case. Birmingham Medical Schools use of EBL, and PBL develops skills in teamwork, communication, self-directed study and self-reflection.

Contact hours at Birmingham Medical School.

The following is the approximate contact hours for the 5-year Medicine programme at Birmingham Medical School according to them as of 2019. If a student were to intercalate, their contact hours would be different while they are intercalating.

• In the first-year, Birmingham medical students can expect approximately 10.5 hours of scheduled teaching, 23 hours of independent study and 4 hours of placement per week.
• In the second-year, Birmingham medical students can expect approximately 13 hours of scheduled teaching, 21 hours of independent study and 4 hours of placement per week.
• In the third year, Birmingham medical students can expect approximately 4 hours of scheduled teaching, 12 hours of independent study and 20 hours of placement per week.
• In the fourth year, Birmingham medical students can expect approximately 2 hours of scheduled teaching, 12 hours of independent study and 24 hours of placement per week.
• In the fifth year, Birmingham medical students can expect approximately 3 hours of scheduled teaching, 9 hours of independent study and 25 hours of placement per week .

Intercalation at Birmingham Medical School

Birmingham Medical School allows students who gain a good standard in their medical school exams the opportunity to intercalate. Many medical schools give their students the chance to intercalate, and it is a popular option. We discuss this further in our free blogs. Intercalation allows students to interrupt their medical studies and gain a degree in a chosen subject and then return to the Medicine degree.

Electives at Birmingham Medical School

As with other medical schools, the Birmingham Medical School course structure incorporates a compulsory elective. A two-month elective is part of the latter stages of the Birmingham Medicine degree where students study Medicine in a different setting. This can be in the medical school, elsewhere in the UK or as most students choose, abroad.

Open days at Birmingham Medical School

Birmingham Medical School open days are a good chance for you to see the medical school yourself and to hear from staff and students. A Birmingham Medical School open day also provides you with a good chance to explore the city for yourself.

Entry Requirements for Birmingham Medical School 5-year Medicine programme:

The Medicine entry requirements at Birmingham Medical School place a high emphasis on academic grades both in the standard and Graduate Entry Medicine courses. In particular, Birmingham Medical School selection process to decide who is offered an interview place a high emphasis on GCSE results. GCSE results make up 60 per cent of the score to determine who is offered an interview at Birmingham Medical School. The UKCAT makes up the other 40 percent. Personal statements are reviewed but not scored. AS and A-levels are not scored either.

You must carefully understand the entry requirements for Birmingham Medical School before you make an application there. Below are some headline details about the entry requirements for Birmingham Medical School for 2019 entry. You can see the full information on their prospectus or website.

A-Level requirements for Birmingham Medical School: The standard offer to study Medicine at Birmingham is A*AA including Chemistry and Biology. The A* can come in any of the accepted subjects. Predicated grades must be AAA at A-level. There are different requirements for candidates who study four A-levels instead of three.

GCSE requirements for Birmingham Medical School: GCSE grades will make up 60 per cent of the number of points to decide which candidates receive an interview at Birmingham Medical School. The other 40 per cent comes from the UKCAT scores. See the medical schools website for details of how Birmingham medical school calculates scores for GCSEs.

Admissions tests – how does Birmingham Medical School use UKCAT scores?

Birmingham Medical School requires the UKCAT from applicants to its five-year standard entry Medicine course. No admissions test is used in the four-year graduate entry Medicine programme at Birmingham Medical School. For 2019 entry the UKCAT scores count for 40 per cent of an applicants score for interview selection. The other 60 per cent comes from GCSE results.

Because A-levels are not scored, and the personal statement is reviewed but not scored, the UKCAT (and GCSE results) are a very important part of an application to Birmingham medical school. For more information about the UKCAT and how to prepare for the UKCAT, see our free comprehisive UKCAT guide and FAQ.

How Does Birmingham Medical School use the Medicine personal statement?

Birmingham Medical School use the Medicine personal statement in their application process. It does not formally score the Medicine personal statement to decide whom to interview, but states candidates’ personal statements must showcase relevant work experience and provide evidence of significant extra-curricular involvement.

Tips on how to write a successful Medicine personal statement for Birmingham Medical School

• Read our entirely free guide, how to write a Medicine personal statement in 10 steps. This will take you from step 1 – with no plan and nothing written down, all the way to step 10 – a completed excellent personal statement ready for you to submit to UCAS. Read More
• See our free full analysis of a successful Medicine personal statement which gained offers for an interview from all four medical schools (and subsequently four offers of a place). We analyse why this Medicine personal is effective and how you can learn from this in writing you own Medicine personal statement. Read More
• Medicine personal statement review services are offered by various companies. They are not essential so do not believe any company that tells you otherwise. However, services by competent providers can add real value to your Medicine application. When looking at providers ensure that they are by experts in Medicine admissions and have professional skills in editing and reviewing. Medicine Answered provide an excellent medical school personal statement review service with a unique level of expertise. A professional editor and then a doctor (who received all four offers to study Medicine) will examine the personal statement line by line and make the appropriate corrections. After making sure the grammar and writing are flawless, they will also comment on the overall strength of the application and make suggestions of things which may be asked at your Medicine interview based on your medical school personal statement. Read More

What type of interview does Birmingham Medical School use?

Birmingham Medical School typically interviews around 1200 students for its five-year Medicine programme and gives approximately 850 offers. For the accelerated Graduate entry Medicine programme, Birmingham Medical School usually interviews around 100 Graduate students. Birmingham Medical School uses MMI interviews. For 2019 entry Birmingham MMI Medicine interviews are comprised of 7 MMI stations each lasting 6 minutes. There is a two minute preparation time outside the station where candidates read information relating to the MMI station. For 2019 entry, the seven MMI stations for Birmingham Medical School interviews are as follows:

Ethics station

Motivation and insight into Medicine: Challenges faced by practitioners

Data interpretation station

Interactive task: engagement with a student

Motivation and insight into Medicine: Personal attributes

Dealing with personal and ethical challenges

Interactive task: role play

Note you will start from any of the MMI stations, not necessarily station one.

Tips for passing a Birmingham Medical School MMI interview

Success at a Birmingham Medical School MMI interview (or at any other medical school interview) is not random. It involves a tried and tested set of steps that you can also follow:

• A strategic plan on how to prepare for your Medicine interview  – This is covered in our free guide on how to prepare for your Medicine interview in seven steps. Read More
• Learning key Medicine interview strategies –  We have plenty of free articles covering Medicine interview strategies as well as a free database of real Medicine interview questions with examples of full competent answers, analysis, and advice on how to approach these Medicine interview questions. Read More
• We also have a free guide to Medical Ethics and blog articles such as how to deal with hostile interviewers & MMI actors, how to answer opinion questions and more. Read More
• Avoiding common medical school interview pitfalls – See our free guide on common medical school Interview pitfalls and how to avoid them. Read More
• Intelligent, reflective medical school interview practice  – Use our free exclusive database of medical schhol interview questions and answers. Read More
• Execution on the interview day  – Preparation and practice are one part of success. The other part is peak performance and execution on the day. Read our free article about dealing with nerves before and during your medical school interview. Read More

If you prefer a face to face approach, Medicine Answered also provide excellent doctor delivered one-day medical schhol interview courses as well as one to one private tutoring online or in person. All of our courses and tutoring are delivered only by doctors who passed all four of their Medicine interviews. For more information see our Medicine interview course page.

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The Only 3 Medical School Personal Statement Examples You Need to Read

Posted in: Applying to Medical School

Table of Contents

The personal statement is one of the most important parts of the med school application process because t his mini-essay is a critical opportunity for you to stand out from other prospective medical students by demonstrating your passion and personality, not just your grades.

Admissions committees receive hundreds or more AMCAS medical school applications , so yours should be unique and captivating. Your medical school personal statement shows admissions officers who you are beyond your high school or pre-med GPA , extracurriculars , and MCAT score . 

The best personal statements are… well, personal . This is your chance to share what life experiences have compelled you toward a career in healthcare or the medical field , and how those experiences shape the picture of your ideal future.

MedSchoolCoach has crucial advice for writing your personal statement . 

Read these examples of personal statements for prospective med students.

Writing a great medical school personal statement is a lot easier with the right support. We’ve helped numerous med school applicants craft top-notch personal statements and can do the same for you.

But first: 7 steps to writing an engaging personal statement.

Before you read these excellent examples, you need to understand the process of writing a personal statement.  

Include these in your medical school personal statement:

• Why you’re passionate about becoming a doctor
• Your qualities that will make you a great physician
• Personal stories that demonstrate those qualities
• Specific examples of the communities you want to serve as a member of the medical field

What are the most important things to remember when writing a medical school personal statement ?

• Begin the writing process early: Give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming and to revisit your first draft, revising it based on input from family members and undergrad professors. Consult the application timeline for your target enrollment season.
• Choose a central theme: An unfocused essay will leave readers confused and uninterested. Give your statement a clear thesis in the first paragraph that guides its formation.
• Start with a hook: Grab the reader’s attention immediately with your statement’s first sentence. Instead of opening with a conventional introduction, be creative! Begin with something unexpected.
• Be the you of today, not the you of the future: Forecasting your future as a physician can come across as empty promises. Don’t get caught up in your ambitions; instead, be honest about your current situation and interest in the field of medicine.
• Demonstrate your passion: It’s not enough to simply state your interest in becoming a doctor; you have to prove it through personal stories. Show how your perspectives have been shaped by formative experiences and how those will make you an effective physician.
• Show, don’t tell : Avoid cliches that admissions committees have heard hundreds of times, like “I want to help people.” Make your writing come alive with dynamic, persuasive storytelling that recounts your personal experiences.
• Tie everything together: Conclude by wrapping up your main points. Reiterate your passion for the medical profession, your defining personal qualities, and why you’ll make a good doctor.

You can read more about our recommended method in our step-by-step guide , but those are the major points.

Example 1 — From the Stretcher to the Spotlight: My Journey to Becoming an Emergency Medicine Physician

Another siren shrieks as the emergency room doors slide open and a team of EMTs pushes a blood-soaked stretcher through the entrance. It’s the fifth ambulance to arrive tonight — and only my first clinical shadowing experience in an emergency medicine department since my premed education began.

But it wasn’t my first time in an emergency room, and I knew I was meant to be here again.

In those crucial moments on the ER floor, many of my peers learned that they stumble in high-pressure environments. A few weeks of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, broken bones, and deep lacerations in the busiest trauma bay in the region were enough to alter their career path.

They will be better practitioners somewhere predictable, like a pediatrician in a private practice where they choose their schedules, clients, and staff.

Every healthcare provider has their specialties, and mine are on full display in those crucial moments of lifesaving care. Why am I pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine? Because I’ve seen firsthand the miracles that Emergency Medicine physicians perform.

12 years ago, I was in an emergency room… but I was the one on the stretcher.

A forest-green Saturn coupe rolled into my parent’s driveway. The driver, my best friend Kevin, had just passed his driving test and was itching to take a late-night run to the other side of town. I had ridden with Kevin and his father many times before when he held his learner’s permit. But this time, we didn’t have an adult with us, and the joyride ended differently: with a 40-mph passenger-side collision, T-boned by a drunk driver.

I distinctly recall the sensation of being lifted out of the crumpled car by a paramedic and laid onto a stretcher. A quick drive later, I was in the care of Dr. Smith, the ER resident on call that night. Without missing a beat, he assessed my condition and provided the care I needed. When my mom thanked him for saving my life, he simply responded, “It’s what he needed.”

Now I’m watching other doctors and nurses provide this life-saving care as I observe as a premed student. I see the way the staff works together like a well-oiled machine, and it reminds me of my time in high-school theater.

Everyone has a role to play, however big or small, to make the show a success. All contributions are essential to a winning performance — even the technicians working behind the scenes. That’s what true teamwork is, and I see that same dynamic in the emergency department.

Some actors freeze during performances, overcome by stage fright. Other students are too anxious to even set foot in front of an audience; they remain backstage assisting with split-second costume changes.

Not me. I felt energized under the spotlight, deftly improvising to help my co-stars when they would forget their lines. Admittedly, I wasn’t the best actor or singer in the cast, but I provided something essential: assurance under pressure. Everyone knew me as dependable, always in their corner when something went awry. I had a reputation for remaining calm and thinking on my feet.

My ability to stay unruffled under pressure was first discovered on stage, but I can use it on a very different platform providing patient care. Now, when other people freeze under the intensity of serving public health on the front lines, I can step in and provide my calm, collected guidance to see them through.

As an ER doctor, I will have to provide that stability when a nurse gets flustered by a quarrelsome patient or shaken from an irreparably injured infant. When you’re an Emergency Medicine physician, you’re not following a script. It takes an aptitude of thinking on your toes to face the fast pace and unpredictable challenges of an emergency center.

During my time shadowing, I saw experienced physicians put those assured, gentle communication skills to use. A 13-year-old boy was admitted for a knife wound he’d received on the streets. He only spoke Spanish, but it was clear he mistrusted doctors and was alarmed by the situation. In mere minutes, one of the doctors calmed the patient so he could receive care he needed.

Let me be clear: I haven’t simply gravitated toward Emergency Medicine because I liked it most. It’s not the adrenaline or the pride that compel me. I owe Emergency Medicine my life, and I want to use my life to extend the lives of other people. Every person brought into the trauma bay could be another me , no matter what they look like.

People are more than their injury, health record, or circumstances. They are not just a task to complete or a challenge to conquer.

My childhood injury gave me an appreciation for the work of ER doctors and a compassion for patients, to foster well-being when people are most broken and vulnerable. I already have the dedication to the work and the heart for patients; I just need the medical knowledge and procedural skills to perform life-saving interventions. My ability to remain calm, think on my toes, be part of a team, and work decisively without making mistakes or overlooking critical issues will serve me well as an Emergency Medicine physician.

Some ER physicians I spoke with liked to think that they’re “a different breed” than other medical professionals — but I don’t see it that way. We’re just performing a different role than the rest of the cast.

Breaking It Down

Let’s look at what qualities make this a great personal statement for med school.

• Engaging opening: The writer painted a vivid scene that immediately puts the reader in their shoes and leaves them wanting more.
• Personal examples: The writer demonstrated his ability to stay calm, work as a team, and problem-solve through theater experience, which he also uses as a comparison. And, he explained his passion for Emergency Medical care from his childhood accident.
• Organized: The writer transitions fluidly between body paragraphs, connecting stories and ideas by emphasizing parallels and hopping back and forth between time.
• Ample length: Makes full use of the AACOMAS and AMCAS application personal statement’s character limit of 5,300 characters (including spaces), which is about 850-950 words.

Unsure what traits and clinical or research experience your preferred medical school values ? You can research their admissions requirements and mission statement using the MSAR .

Example 2 — Early Clinical Work For Empathetic Patient Care

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine.

As I walked briskly down the hall to keep up during our daily rounds in the ICU, I heard the steady beeping of Michelle’s cardiac monitor and saw a ruby ornament twinkling on the small Christmas tree beside her. She was always alone, but someone had decorated her room for the holidays.

It warmed my heart that I wasn’t the only one who saw her as more than a patient in a coma. I continually felt guilty that I couldn’t spend more time with her; her usual companions were ventilators, IV bags, and catheters, not to mention the golf ball-sized tumors along her spine. Every day, I thought about running to Michelle’s bedside to do anything I could for her.

Thus, I was taken aback when my advisor, who was visiting me that day, asked me if I was okay. It never crossed my mind that at age 17, my peers might not be able to handle the tragedies that healthcare workers consistently face. These situations were difficult, but they invoked humanity and compassion from me. I knew I wanted to pursue medicine. And I knew I could do it.

From my senior year of high school to my senior year of college, I continued to explore my passion for patient interaction.

At the Stepp Lab, I was charged with contacting potential study participants for a study focusing on speech symptoms in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The study would help future patients, but I couldn’t help but think: “What are we doing for these patients in return?” I worried that the heart and soul behind the research would get lost in the mix of acoustic data and participant ID numbers.

But my fears were put to rest by Richard, the self-proclaimed “Parkinson’s Song & Dance Man,” who recorded himself singing show tunes as part of his therapy. Knowing that he was legally blind and unable to read caller ID, I was always thrilled when he recognized my voice. The spirit in his voice indicated that my interest in him and his journey with Parkinson’s was meaningful. Talking with him inspired me to dive deeper, which led to an appreciative understanding of his time as a sergeant in the U.S. military.

It was an important reminder: my interest and care are just as important as an effective prescribed treatment plan.

Following graduation, I began my work as a medical assistant for a dermatologist. My experience with a patient, Joann, validated my ability to provide excellent hands-on patient care. Other physicians prescribed her painkillers to relieve the excruciating pain from the shingles rash, which presented as a fiery trail of blisters wrapped around her torso. But these painkillers offered no relief and made her so drowsy that she fell one night on the way to the bathroom.

Joann was tired, suffering, and beaten down. The lidocaine patches we initially prescribed would be a much safer option, but I refused for her to pay $250, as she was on the brink of losing her job. When she returned to the office a week later, she held my hand and cried tears of joy because I found her affordable patches, which helped her pain without the systemic effects.

The joy that pierced through the weariness in her eyes immediately confirmed that direct patient care like this was what I was meant to do. As I passed her a tissue, I felt ecstatic that I could make such a difference, and I sought to do more.

Since graduation, I have been volunteering at Open Door, a small pantry that serves a primarily Hispanic community of lower socioeconomic families. It is gut-wrenching to explain that we cannot give them certain items when our stock is low. After all, the fresh fruits and vegetables I serve are fundamental to their culturally-inspired meals.

For the first time, I found myself serving anguish rather than a helping hand. Usually, uplifting moments strengthen one’s desire to become a physician, but in this case, it was my ability to handle the low points that reignited my passion for aiding others.

After running out of produce one day, I was confused as to why a woman thanked me. Through translation by a fellow volunteer, I learned it was because of my positivity. She taught me that the way I approach unfavorable situations affects another’s perception and that my spirited attitude breaks through language barriers.

This volunteer work served as a wake-up call to the unacceptable fact that U.S. citizens’ health suffers due to lack of access to healthy foods. If someone cannot afford healthy foods, they may not have access to healthcare. In the future, I want to partner with other food banks to offer free services like blood pressure readings. I have always wanted to help people, but I now have a particular interest in bringing help to people who cannot afford it.

While the foundation of medicine is scientific knowledge, the foundation of healthcare is the word “care” itself. I never found out what happened to Michelle and her Christmas tree, but I still wonder about her to this day, and she has strengthened my passion to serve others. A sense of excitement and comfort stems from knowing that I will be there for people on their worst days, since I have already seen the impact my support has had.

In my mind, becoming a physician is not a choice but a natural next step to continue bringing humanity and compassion to those around me.

How did this personal statement grab and sustain attention so well?

• Personalization: Everything about this statement helps you to understand the writer, from their personal experiences to their hope for how their future career will look.
• Showing, not telling: From the first sentence, the reader is hooked. This prospective medical student has plenty of great “on paper” experience (early shadowing, clinical experience, etc.), but they showed this with storytelling, not by repeating their CV.
• Empathy: An admissions committee reading this personal statement would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this student cares deeply about their patients. They remember first names, individual details, and the emotions that each patient made them feel.
• A clear path forward: The writer doesn’t just want to work in the medical field — they have a passion for exactly how they want to impact the communities they serve. Outside of strictly medical work, they care about the way finances can limit access to healthcare and the struggle to find healthy food in food deserts around the US .

Read Next: How Hard Is It to Get Into Medical School?

Example 3 — Beyond the Diagnosis: The Importance of Individualized Care in Medicine

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Nova Southeastern University College Of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Haywood sighs and shakes her head upon opening the chart. “I was worried about her A1C. It’s up again. Hypertension, too. Alright, let’s go.”

As we enter the patient’s room, I’m expecting the news about her blood sugar and pressure to fill the room. Instead, Dr. Haywood says, “Roseline! How are you doing? How’s your girl, doing well?”

Dr. Haywood continues to ask questions, genuinely interested in Roseline’s experience as a new mother. If not for the parchment-lined examination chair and anatomy posters plastered to the wall, this exchange could be happening in a grocery store. What about her A1C? Her blood pressure? Potential Type II diabetes?

As I continue to listen, Dr. Haywood discovers that Roseline’s mother moved in with her, cooking Haitian meals I recognize as high on the glycemic index. Dr. Haywood effortlessly evolves their conversation to focus on these. Being Haitian herself, she knows some traditional dishes are healthier than others and advises Roseline to avoid those that might exacerbate her high blood sugar and blood pressure. Dr. Haywood also suggests Roseline incorporate exercise by bringing her baby on a walk through her neighborhood.

During my shadowing experience, I observed one of the core components of being a physician through several encounters like this one. By establishing a relationship with her patient where Roseline was comfortable sharing the details of new motherhood, Dr. Haywood was able to individualize her approach to lowering the patient’s A1C and hypertension. Inspired by her ability to treat the whole person , I began to adopt a similar practice as a tutor for elementary kids in underserved areas of D.C.

Shaniyah did not like Zoom, or math for that matter. When I first met her as a prospective tutee online, she preferred to keep her microphone muted and would claim she was finished with her math homework after barely attempting the first problem. Realizing that basing our sessions solely on math would be fruitless, I adapted my tutoring style to incorporate some of the things for which she had a natural affinity.

The first step was acknowledging the difficulties a virtual environment posed to effective communication, particularly the ease at which distractions might take over. After sharing this with Shaniyah, she immediately disclosed her struggles to share her work with me. With this information, I found an online platform that allowed us to visualize each other’s work.

This obstacle in communication overcome, Shaniyah felt more comfortable sharing details about herself that I utilized as her tutor. Her love of soccer gave me the idea to use the concept of goal scoring to help with addition, and soon Shaniyah’s math skills and enthusiasm began to improve. As our relationship grew, so did her successes, and I suspect the feelings I experienced as her tutor are the same as a physician’s when their patient responds well to prescribed treatment.

I believe this skill, caring for someone as a whole person , that I have learned and practiced through shadowing and tutoring is the central tenet of medicine that allows a doctor to successfully treat their patients.

Inspired by talking with patients who had received life-altering organ transplants during my shadowing experience, I created a club called D.C. Donors for Georgetown University students to encourage their peers to register as organ donors or donate blood. This experience taught me that to truly serve a person, you must involve your whole person, too.

In starting this club to help those in need of transplants, I had to dedicate my time and effort beyond just my physical interactions with these patients. For instance, this involved reaching out to D.C.’s organ procurement organization to inquire about a potential partnership with my club, to which they agreed. In addition, I organized tabling events on campus, which required significant planning and communication with both club members and my university.

Though exciting, starting a club was also a difficult process, especially given the limitations the pandemic imposed on in-person meetings and events. To adapt, I had to plan more engaging meetings, designing virtual activities to make members more comfortable contributing their ideas. In addition, planning a blood drive required extensive communication with my university to ensure the safety of the staff and participants during the pandemic.

Ultimately, I believe these behind-the-scenes actions were instrumental in addressing the need for organ and blood donors in the D.C. area.

From these experiences, I have grown to believe that good medicine not only necessitates the physician cares for her patient as a whole, but also that she fully commits her whole person to the care of the patient. Tutoring and starting D.C. Donors not only allowed me to develop these skills but also to experience such fulfilling emotions: the pride I had in Shaniyah when her math improved, the gratefulness I felt when she confided in me, the steadfast commitment I expressed to transplant patients, and the joy I had in collaborating with other passionate club members.

I envision a career as a physician to demand these skills of me and more, and I have confirmed my desire to become one after feeling so enriched by practicing them.

Here’s what makes this personal statement such a good example of what works:

• Desirable qualities: The student clearly demonstrates qualities any school would want in an applicant: teachability, adaptability, leadership, organization, and empathy, to name a few. This again uses the “show, don’t tell” method, allowing the readers to understand the student without hand-holding.
• Personalized storytelling: Many in the healthcare profession will connect with experiences like the ones expressed here, such as addressing patient concerns relationally or the lack of blood donors during the recent pandemic. The writer automatically makes a personal link between themselves and the admissions committees reading this statement.
• Extensive (but not too long): Without feeling too wordy, this personal statement uses nearly all of the 5,300 characters allowed on the AMCAS application. There’s no fluff left in the final draft, only what matters.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

You can learn a lot from those personal statements. They avoid the most common mistakes that med school applicants make when writing the medical school personal statement.

Here are some things you should avoid in your personal statement if you want to be a doctor:

• Name-dropping: Admissions counselors won’t be impressed when you brag about your highly regarded family members, associates, or mentors. You need to stand on your own feet — not someone else’s.
• Dishonesty: Lies and exaggerations can torpedo your application. And they’re bad habits for anyone entering the medical field. Don’t do it.
• Unedited AI content: Artificial intelligence can help you edit and improve your writing, but don’t let it do the work for you. Your statement needs to be authentic, which means in your voice! A chatbot can’t feel or adequately convey your own empathy, compassion, trauma, drive, or personality.
• Grammatical errors and typos: Have someone reliable proofread your essay and scour it for typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors. Even free grammar-checking apps can catch mistakes!
• Telling without showing: I’ll reiterate how important it is to prove your self-descriptive statements with real-life examples. Telling without showing won’t persuade readers.
• Too many examples: Have 3-4 solid personal stories at most; only include a few that are crucial for providing your points. The more experiences you share, the less impact they’ll make.
• Fluff and filler: Cut all fluff, filler words, and irrelevant points. There are many other places you can include information in your application, such as secondary essays on your clinical experience, volunteer work, and research projects . 

You can find more valuable do’s and don’ts in our in-depth guide to writing your best personal statement .

Need extra help? We’ve got you covered.

Schedule a meeting with medschoolcoach for expert support on writing and editing your personal statement. we’re here to help you impress medical school admissions committees .

Renee Marinelli, MD

Dr. Marinelli has practiced family medicine, served on the University of California Admissions Committee, and has helped hundreds of students get into medical school. She spearheads a team of physician advisors who guide MedSchoolCoach students.

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Birmingham Medical School Review

Home » Application Guide » Birmingham Medical School Review

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Welcome to our UK Medical School Review series . In this series, we work with current students to produce an in-depth overview of each UK Medical School, covering what it is like to study there, how the course looks and what you need to get in.

Today, we are focussing on Birmingham Medical School, in the City of a Thousand Trades, or Brum if you will. Sumayyah, a Birmingham Medic, shares her experiences and insights as a current student.

Let’s get started with an overview of Birmingham Medical School…

Overview Of Birmingham Medical School

About birmingham medical school.

Birmingham Medical School beginnings date back to 1825 when Mr Sands Cox, a local surgeon, started anatomical demonstrations. The school is one of the oldest and largest British Medical Schools. By 1828, the school was comprised of a lecture theatre and museum/dissecting room. Then, in 1841, the Queen’s Hospital opened for teaching and then rest is quite literally history.  

Birmingham Medical School Alumni

Birmingham Medical School is now a world-famous school for teaching Medical and Dental Sciences. Due to its historical prowess in the world of medicine and from having amazing facilities, it comes as no surprise that a number of alumni are fairly notable. Notable alumni include Leon Abrams, who developed and implanted the first variable-rate heart pacemaker, Peter Weissberg, the former Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation and Sir Harry Gilbert Barling.

Medical School

• University Age: 197
• UK Ranking: 26th
• Pint Price: £2.85
• Alumni Notability: 8/10
• A-level Requirements: A*AA
• Places Available: 350
• Applicant Success Rate: 11%
• Teaching Style: EBL
• Interview Style: MMIs
• Admissions Test: UCAT

Why did you choose to study at Birmingham?

“The university itself has been around a long time, with a good reputation. I have family who went to UoB so I knew I could trust the university with my own degree. They also have good connections with a range of hospitals around the city and lecturers, many of whom work at the hospitals. 

The university is in the same city as home which means I commute. It means I have the freedom to go out and do as I like, while simultaneously saving some money living at home. It also has a mix of students from a range of ethnicities, backgrounds etc. I knew this would help me feel more comfortable settling in, whilst allowing me the chance to meet new people and have a range of different experiences.”

What is the best thing and worst thing about Birmingham Medical School?

“The best thing is the range of teaching styles and variety of lecturers – from very young to older, males and females, different ethnicities. It’s nice to see. I like the inclusivity which they have with prayer rooms, showering facilities, halal and vegetarian/vegan food. They host a range of events for people that drink, those that don’t drink and those that don’t go into clubs etc.

Medical School Rankings

The following link will take you to the Complete University Guide Medicine League Table . Here, you can see that Birmingham Medical School takes the 26th position with an overall score of 95%:

The table also highlights 99% graduate prospects for Birmingham Medics so there’s little to worry about once you graduate!

Rankings will, of course, differ between other tables; the Guardian includes different aspects to the Complete University Guide . When making your own decision on which table to look at, think about what you place more importance on, such as spending per student or career prospects. Keep in mind that all Medical Schools are highly ranked with excellent ratings across the board.

Birmingham Medical School Fees And Financial Support

The yearly tuition fees for Medicine and Surgery is £9,250 for home students and £26,640 (pre-clinical years 1 and 2) then £44,100 (clinical years 3, 4 and 5) for international students. Tuition fee loans are offered to all UK students by the Government and cover the course fees in full. Fees do not have to be paid upfront. 

Funding For International Students

As stated on the Birmingham Uni website , they work in partnership with your home countries in order to provide you with the funds necessary to complete your studies and enjoy university life. For example, for US students, Birmingham is approved by the US Department of Education to offer the William D Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, enabling eligible American students to access financial support.

Birmingham Scholarships, Grants and Bursaries

Birmingham offer scholarships, grants and bursaries to their students. There are multiple scholarships including for music and sports.

The Chamberlain Award is available to new applicants belonging to one of the following groups:

• If your household income is below £25,000.
• If you successfully complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme and your household income is below £60,000.
• If your household income is below £60,000 and you are resident in a Low Progression Neighbourhood (defined as a Polar 4 quintile 1 area) when applying to study at Birmingham, as recorded on your UCAS application.

What are the living costs like?

“Firstly, it’s £2.87 per pint on average, but this, of course, depends on where you’re buying it from. Public transport is also dependent on the type of pass and where you’re using it. The city is split into 5 zones.

• Bus pass for a term is £160.
• Bus and train pass to be used in zones 1 and 2, for a term is £233.
• Bus and train pass to be used in zones 1 to 5, for a term is £275.
• The other alternative is to pay monthly which can be beneficial if you know you won’t need the pass at all during the Christmas/Easter holidays. Then, it can be anywhere between £40 and £70 a month.”

Earn your offer at Birmingham with support from 6med.

Get full, comprehensive support for your medical school application with 6med’s Complete Bundle . Access everything you need for success as soon as you sign up. 

Not sure where to start with your Medical School application?

Our Complete Bundle provides support for your Personal Statement, UCAT, BMAT and Interview and guides you to a successful application.

With our Complete Bundle, we guarantee that you will get at least one offer to study Medicine, or your money back.

What Is Studying at birmingham medical school Like?

Medicine at Birmingham is taught through lectures, tutorials, practical classes, bedside demonstrations and clinical experience. There is also a small component of problem-based learning (PBL).  

The teaching style will be different to what you are used to as a great deal of learning is from student selected enquiry-based learning. This style is all about posing questions, problems or scenarios to students, rather than simply presenting facts or providing a smooth path to knowledge. Students are more in charge of their own learning and must identify and research issues and questions to develop their knowledge. This form of learning is in addition to the usual structured teaching sessions. 

Many students prefer this style because it is the opportunity to graduate as a more effective and independent learner, whilst also being supported to reach this stage. Birmingham also exposes you to amazing facilities and a lot of contact hours with patients (aside from enquiry-based learning, a significant part of your learning takes place on clinical placements). 

The image below gives you an idea of the contact hours for the MBChB degree.

Birmingham assesses their students in a variety of ways. This includes: 

• Single Best Answer Multiple Choice Questions (SBA MCQ)
• Short Answer Questions (SAQ)
• Written Examinations
• Clinical Competency Examinations
• Appraisal of Professional Behaviour and Attitudes
• Oral Examinations
• Presentations
• Conference Poster presentations
• Teaching session and report

Degree Content

There are two Medicine courses offered at Birmingham. The first is the Medicine and Surgery MBChB Undergraduate Course.

Undergraduate Medicine Course

The Undergrad Course programme lasts 5 years with the option of doing an intercalated programme. If you perform well during your degree, you can take advantage of the internationally competitive research within Birmingham Medical School through an in-depth study of chosen topics for one year, leading to the award of a Batchelor’s degree. 

Below is a summary of the curriculum across the 5 years:

Summary of the curriculum:

• Basic Life Support
• Community Based Medicine 1 (GP placement)
• Foundations of Medical Science and Practice 1: Cell Science, Endocrinology, Neurones and Society
• Foundations of Medical Science and Practice 2: Health Behaviours, Musculoskeletal, Respiratory and Digestive Systems
• Professional and Academic Skills 1
• Regional Anatomy 1

Second Year

• Community Based Medicine 2
• Foundations of Medical Science and Practice 3: Immunology, Health Care Provision, Cardiovascular and Renal Science
• Foundations of Medical Science and Practice 4: Brain, Decision Making, Reproduction and Cancer
• Professional and Academic Skills 2
• Regional Anatomy 2
• Clinical Core 2: Hospital Based Medicine and Surgery and Community Based Medicine
• Evidence Based Medicine and Research Methods
• Health Improvement Evidence Review Project: a group project that reviews the evidence for a treatment chosen by the group

Fourth Year

• Clinical Core 3: anaesthetics, cardiology, community based medicine, dermatology, diabetes, ENT, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genito-urinary medicine, geriatrics, hepatology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, palliative medicine, psychiatry, radiology, respiratory, rheumatology, urology.
• Conference Poster Presentation: you present the findings of a quality improvement project you have undertaken
• Learning and Teaching project: you learn how to teach your peers
• Elective Preparation
• Clinical Core 4: medicine and surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, general practice
• Ethics and Law in Clinical Practice: based on a case you have seen which raised ethical or legal difficulties
• Written Professional Communication: a group project looking at the various ways in which doctors communicate in writing

The other Medical Course is the Medicine and Surgery MBChB  Graduate Course.

The Graduate Course lasts for 4 years. All modules can be found here .

Undergraduate BDS Dental Surgery Course

The Dentistry Course lasts for 5 years and it provides students with a wide variety of opportunities to learn essential and advanced skills to excel in Dentistry. The course also gives students early contact with patients in as early as first year. 

What Makes Birmingham Medical School Unique?

What makes birmingham medical school unique.

“The teaching style is unique. Particularly since Covid-19. There is a real mix of face to face lectures, pre-recorded lectures, Zoom sessions, small group teachings and self directed learning sessions. I really enjoy the mix as I feel it always has me on my feet, and my brain engaged.

Even the lectures are in a range of different formats. The pre-recorded ones are sometimes 1-2 hours long. Other times they are 7-10 segments of 10-15 minutes per segment. The way they have their syllabus organised is also nice and particularly unique. We have different modules per semester but they’re not divided up by parts of the body per say. Rather we look at systems and the body’s involvement. For example, in semester 1 we had a module on neurons and synapses. This allowed us to explore how neurons affect the entire body system. In semester 2 we have a whole module on muscles, joints and movement. Again, an important system which really affects almost the whole body.

In terms of the university itself, I also like the campus and think the integration of red brick buildings, modern buildings and green space gives the campus quite a special feel. It allows a small community to thrive in its own space whilst being only a 6 minute train ride away from the city centre.”

Birmingham Medical School Entry Requirements

Undergraduate degree , graduate degree , dentistry degree .

Our Complete Bundle provides support for your Personal Statement, UCAT, BMAT and Interview, all designed to guide you to a successful application.

Personal Statement Crash Course

Medical School application causing you confusion?

Birmingham Medical School Personal Statement

Birmingham wants you to have a broad understanding of the medical profession. The Uni suggests that they are not testing students on their factual knowledge, but rather assessing applicants on their values. A good place to start is knowing the NHS Core Values and GMC Good Medical Practice .

Therefore, in your Personal Statement, we suggest that you show understanding and demonstrate the different qualities of a good doctor .

Any relevant work experience you have undertaken is necessary as it will show your commitment to learning and your understanding of healthcare settings. If you struggle to complete any work experience, then other experiences such as voluntary work, hobbies or part-time jobs will demonstrate your development of the skills required to be a doctor, and emphasise that you are more than just your textbooks!

It’s important to remember that don’t have to do it all alone. It can be extremely beneficial to get advice or feedback during your writing process. 6med’s Personal Statement Bundle provides you with constant support throughout the entire process to ensure your write a winning personal statement!

Birmingham Medical School Admissions Tests

Birmingham suggests that there isn’t a minimum UCAT cut-off score and that your total score from the subtests (not including SJT) will be ranked with fellow applicants. Scores are then segregated into separate deciles. Although Birmingham state that there isn’t a UCAT cut-off score, they do mention that in 2020, the threshold total score for selection for interview was 2640.  

The UCAT only makes up 30% of your application. This is important to know as Birmingham scores applicants using a weighted score where academic grades (e.g. GCSEs and A-levels) make up 70% of your application. This means that although your UCAT score is taken into account, it only forms a smaller part of your overall applicant score to be selected for Birmingham interviews. 

Birmingham Medical School Interview

Mmi interview style.

Each year, Birmingham interviews around 1,400 applicants for the Undergrad degree and make 850 offers. During the pandemic, the University has used online interviews which last around 30 mins which are still similar to the in-person MMI style  they normally use. Here is the interview format for online interviews and in-person interviews: 

Online Interviews:

The online interviews are around 30 minutes long and there are multiple stations that last between 6-10 minutes. Here are some of the stations: 

• Dealing with personal and ethical challenges
• Calculation station

Face-To-Face MMI Interviews:

The face-to-face interviews (which the University normally uses outside of the pandemic) consist of seven 6 minute stations. Here are some of the stations: 

• Interaction in a social setting
• Critical thinking
• Two calculation stations
• Motivation and insight into medicine
• Interaction in a healthcare setting

Example Birmingham Medical School Questions:

• Why would you like to study Medicine at the University of Birmingham? (2018)
• A prospective medical student has requested your advice on whether to apply to study Medicine and in particular whether s/he should apply to Birmingham Medical School. Over the next 6 minutes, discuss with the student their plans and whether they should apply to Birmingham Medical School. (2019)
• Tell us about the GMC? (2020)
• What are the demands placed on doctors? (2021)
• Review the table/graph enclosed and explain your findings. (2019)
• Why do you want to be a doctor, not a nurse? (2021)
• What health issues do you think doctors cannot control in our area? (2018)
• What have you struggled with? What do you think you will struggle with at medical school? (2020)
• Read this article on the proposed sugar tax. What are your thoughts? (2019)
• Speak to an actor, who has come into the GP practice to discuss his low mood over the past 3 months. (2020)
• Should organ donation be opt-in or opt-out in the UK? (2021)
• A friend of yours has repeatedly missed university due to “illness”. On Instagram, you see them away on a party holiday in Toulouse, meaning they have missed hospital clinics for 1 week. What do you do? (2020)

Birmingham uses MMIs to allow applicants to demonstrate a range of skills including: motivation for medicine, communication, reflection, ability to evaluate information, empathy, self-insight, ethical reasoning, data analysis and interpretation.

Interview Scoring

In previous years, an offer is made based on the interview performance data as well as a score derived from your SJT result from the UCAT. A total score is made up from 1/7th of your scores on each of the interview/role play stations (which comes to 5/7 of all components), 1/7th from the mean score of the two calculation stations (so 6/7 of all components) and then the final 1/7 from the UCAT SJT results. 

Don’t forget that the other four UCAT sections are used but just to select those to invite to interview. The same goes for your academic achievements. 

If you want to practice your MMI skills, you can sign up for 6med’s Interview Bundle to get invited to a live MMI Crash Course. You’ll also get access to tonnes of other helpful resources!

Extra-Curriculars at Birmingham Medical School

Outside of study time, what do most people get up to.

“The Guild – they’re essentially the student union. They have student services focusing on a range of areas from social media to mental health, exam tips to supporting societies to run. They host a range of events from Christmas countdown events to tours of the university to nights out and more. They’re integral to the smooth running of student life on campus.

Bristol Road – a 15 minute walk away from the medical school and just 10 minutes from the main library, this road is full of useful spots. It includes an Aldi, Costa, a range of food places from Indian takeaways to grilled food, noodles and more.

Broad Street – the social spot in the city centre. Often the road on which social events a hosted, there is a range of clubs and pubs from Rosies to Snobs, 1565 Bar & Terrace and Marmalade. Often, if there is a pub hop event, it’ll happen on this road.

Medical society – hosts a range of societies. Within the campus, there are over 400 societies that can be joined. And a whole host under med soc. These include GP soc, surgery soc, anatomy soc, sports socs, and socs just to socialise!”

What is the Birmingham accommodation like?

“I stayed in the accommodation called Ashcroft which is located in Pritchartts park accommodation village. I chose this accommodation and accommodation village as it was only a 6-minute walk away from the medical school. Additionally, it was self catered and had shared bathrooms which fit my price range perfectly. 

I loved my time in this accommodation because I made some of my best friends from university there. There are also student mentors available with accommodation who are there to provide individual and flat support in regards to living away from university. There are also opportunities for socials within accommodation such as campus bars, quizzes or organising trips to the Harry Potter Studios like in my first year of university. There are other accommodation villages such as The Vale and Selly Oak, as well as partner accommodation that all provide similar services in the first year of university, but vary in terms of distance to the medical school and price.”

Birmingham Medical School Contact

Email : [email protected]

Postal address:

Birmingham Medical School College of Medical and Dental Sciences University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT

Advice for Birmingham medical school applicants

What advice would you give to a first-year student starting at your medical school.

“Try to not get scared by how huge the campus is! And the silent study spaces aren’t as daunting as they seem. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first, third or final year student, you’ll always have things to do, you’ll be busy and your list of tasks/work to do is no less valid than anyone else’s. If anything, the older years are always so happy to help so approach them and ask for help and tips. Find out what worked well for them, how they revised and what they think the high yield topics are when exam season comes around!

I’d also say don’t cram. You physically cannot cram Medicine, it won’t do you any good – nor for your future patients. Learn as you go along, revise as you go along and you’ll realise that you then have time to incorporate activities and hobbies into your timetable.

Medicine is long, it’s a 5-year degree plus more. It’s a marathon – so most importantly, pace yourself. Don’t burn out too early.”

Check out our other UK Medical School Reviews:

Swansea Medical School Review

Queen’s university belfast medical school review, lancaster medical school review, brighton and sussex medical school review, aberdeen medical school review, warwick medical school review, dundee medical school review, st george’s medical school review, sheffield medical school review, nottingham medical school review, manchester medical school review, liverpool medical school review, glasgow medical school review, leicester medical school review, hull york medical school review, exeter medical school review, southampton medical school review, bristol medical school review, oxford medical school review, ucl medical school review, barts and the london (queen mary) medical school review, newcastle medical school review, leeds medical school review, imperial college london medical school review, edinburgh medical school review, cardiff medical school review, king’s college london medical school review, cambridge medical school review.

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Great Medical School Personal Statement Examples (2024-2025) Insider’s Guide

A physician and former medical school admissions officer teaches you how to write your medical school personal statement, step by step. Read several full-length medical school personal statement examples for inspiration.

In this article, a former medical school admissions officer explains exactly how to write a stand-out medical school personal statement!

Our goal is to empower you to write a medical school personal statement that reflects your individuality, truest aspirations and genuine motivations.

This guide also includes:

• Real life medical school personal statement examples
• Medical school personal statement inventory template and outline exercise
• AMCAS, TMDSAS, and AACOMAS personal statement prompts
• Advanced strategies to ensure you address everything admissions committees want to know
• The secret to writing a great medical school personal statement

So, if you want your medical school personal statement to earn more more medical school interviews, you will love this informative guide.

Let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents

Medical School Personal Statement Fundamentals

If you are getting ready to write your medical school personal statement for the 2024-2025 application year, you may already know that almost 60% of medical school applicants are not accepted every year . You have most likely also completed all of your medical school requirements and have scoured the internet for worthy medical school personal statement examples and guidance.

You know the medical school personal statement offers a crucial opportunity to show medical schools who you are beyond your GPA and MCAT score .

It provides an opportunity to express who you are as an individual, the major influences and background that have shaped your interests and values, what inspired you to pursue medicine, and what kind of a physician you envision yourself becoming.

However, with so much information online, you are not sure who to trust. We are happy you have found us!

Because the vast majority of people offering guidance are not former admissions officers or doctors , you must be careful when searching online.

We are real medical school admissions insiders and know what goes on behind closed doors and how to ensure your medical school personal statement has broad appeal while highlighting your most crucial accomplishments, perspectives, and insights.

With tight limits on space, it can be tough trying to decide what to include in your medical school personal statement to make sure you stand out. You must think strategically about how you want to present your personal “big picture” while showing you possess the preprofessional competencies med schools are seeking.

When a medical school admissions reviewer finishes reading your medical school personal statement, ask yourself:

• What are the most important things you want that person to remember about you?
• Does your medical school personal statement sum up your personality, interests, and talents?
• Does your medical school personal statement sound as if it’s written from the heart?

It’s pretty obvious to most admissions reviewers when applicants are trying too hard to impress them. Being authentic and upfront about who you are is the best way to be a memorable applicant.

The Biggest Medical School Personal Statement Mistakes

The most common medical school personal statement mistake we see students make is that they write about:

• What they have accomplished
• How they have accomplished it

By including details on what you have accomplished and how, you will make yourself sound like every other medical school applicant. 

Most medical school applicants are involved in similar activities: research, clinical work, service, and social justice work. 

To stand out, you must write from the heart making it clear you haven’t marched through your premedical years and checking boxes.

We also strongly discourage applicants from using ChatGPT or any AI bot to write their medical school personal statement. Writing in your own voice is essential and using anything automated will undermine success.

The Medical School Personal Statement Secret

MedEdits students stand out in the medical school personal statement because in their personal statements they address:

WHY they have accomplished what they have.

In other words, they write in more detail about their passions, interests, and what is genuinely important to them. 

It sounds simple, we know, but by writing in a natural way, really zeroing in on WHY YOU DO WHAT YOU DO, you will appeal to a wide variety of people in a humanistic way. 

MedEdits students have done extremely well in the most recent medical school admissions cycle. Many of these applicants have below average “stats” for the medical schools from which they are receiving interviews and acceptances.

Why? How is that possible? They all have a few things in common:

• They write a narrative that is authentic and distinctive to them.
• They write a medical school personal statement with broad appeal (many different types of people will be evaluating your application; most are not physicians).
• They don’t try too hard to impress; instead they write about the most impactful experiences they have had on their path to medical school.
• They demonstrate they are humble, intellectual, compassionate, and committed to a career in medicine all at the same time.

Keep reading for a step by step approach to write your medical school personal statement.

“After sitting on a medical school admissions committee for many years, I can tell you, think strategically about how you want to present your personal “big picture.” We want to know who you are as a human being.”

As physicians, former medical school faculty, and medical school admissions committee members, this article will offer a step by step guide to simplify the medical school personal statement brainstorming and writing process.

By following the proven strategies outlined in this article, you will be and to write a personal statement that will earn you more medical school interviews . This proven approach has helped hundreds of medical school applicants get in to medical school the first time they apply!

Learn the 2024-2025 Medical School Personal Statement Prompts ( AMCAS , TMDSAS , AACOMAS )

The personal statement is the major essay portion of your primary application process. In it, you should describe yourself and your background, as well as any important early exposures to medicine, how and why medicine first piqued your interest, what you have done as a pre med, your personal experiences, and how you became increasingly fascinated with it. It’s also key to explain why medicine is the right career for you, in terms of both personal and intellectual fulfillment, and to show your commitment has continued to deepen as you learned more about the field.

The personal statement also offers you the opportunity to express who you are outside of medicine. What are your other interests? Where did you grow up? What did you enjoy about college? Figuring out what aspects of your background to highlight is important since this is one of your only chances to express to the med school admissions committee before your interview what is important to you and why.

However, it is important to consider the actual personal statement prompt for each system through which you will apply, AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS, since each is slightly different.

Getting into a medical school has never been more competitive. Let the experts at MedEdits help you with your medical school application materials. We’ve worked with more than 5,000 students and 94% have been admitted to medical school.

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2024 AMCAS Personal Statement Prompt

The AMCAS personal statement instructions are as follows:

Use the Personal Comments Essay as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Consider and write your Personal Comments Essay carefully; many admissions committees place significant weight on the essay. Here are some questions that you may want to consider while writing the essay:

• Why have you selected the field of medicine?
• What motivates you to learn more about medicine?
• What do you want medical schools to know about you that hasn’t been disclosed in other sections of the application?

In addition, you may wish to include information such as:

• Unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced your educational pursuits
• Comments on significant fluctuations in your academic record that are not explained elsewhere in your application

As you can see, these prompts are not vague; there are fundamental questions that admissions committees want you to answer when writing your personal statement. While the content of your statement should be focused on medicine, answering the open ended third question is a bit trickier.

The AMCAS personal statement length is 5,300 characters with spaces maximum.

2024 TMDSAS Personal Statement Prompt

The TMDSAS personal statement is one of the most important pieces of your medical school application.

The TMDSAS personal statement prompt is as follows:

Explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. Be sure to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

This TMDSAS prompt is very similar to the AMCAS personal statement prompt. The TMDSAS personal statement length is 5,000 characters with spaces whereas the AMCAS personal statement length is 5,300 characters with spaces. Most students use the same essay (with very minor modifications, if necessary) for both application systems.

You’ve been working hard on your med school application, reading medical school personal statement examples, editing, revising, editing and revising.  Make sure you know where you’re sending your personal statement and application.  Watch this important medical school admissions statistics video.

2024 AACOMAS Personal Statement Prompt

The AACOMAS personal statement is for osteopathic medical schools specifically. As with the AMCAS statement, you need to lay out your journey to medicine as chronologically as possible in 5,300 characters with spaces or less. So you essentially have the same story map as for an AMCAS statement. Most important, you must show you are interested in osteopathy specifically. Therefore, when trying to decide what to include or leave out, prioritize any osteopathy experiences you have had, or those that are in line with the osteopathic philosophy of the mind-body connection, the body as self-healing, and other tenets.

Medical School Application Timeline and When to Write your Personal Statement

If you’re applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools, you can most likely use the same medical school personal statement for both AMCAS and AACOMAS. In fact, this is why AACOMAS changed the personal statement length to match the AMCAS length several years ago.

Most medical school personal statements can be used for AMCAS and AACOMAS.

Know the Required Medical School Personal Statement Length

Below are the medical schools personal statement length limits for each application system. As you can see, they are all very similar. When you start brainstorming and writing your personal statement, keep these limits in mind.

AMCAS Personal Statement Length : 5,300 characters with spaces.

As per the AAMC website :   “The available space for this essay is 5,300 characters (spaces are counted as characters), or approximately one page. You will receive an error message if you exceed the available space.”

AACOMAS Personal Statement Length : 5,300 characters with spaces

TMDSAS Personal Statement Length : 5,000 characters with spaces

As per the TMDSAS Website (Page 36): “The personal essay asks you to explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. You are asked to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician. The essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.”

Demonstrate Required Preprofessional Competencies

Next, your want to be aware of the nine preprofessional core competencies as outlined by the Association of American Medical Colleges . Medical school admissions committees want to see, as evidenced by your medical school personal statement and application, that you possess these qualities and characteristics. Now, don’t worry, medical school admissions committees don’t expect you to demonstrate all of them, but, you should demonstrate some.

• Service Orientation
• Social Skills
• Cultural Competence
• Oral Communication
• Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others
• Reliability and Dependability
• Resilience and Adaptability
• Capacity for Improvement

In your personal statement, you might be able to also demonstrate the four thinking and reasoning competencies:

• Critical Thinking
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Written Communication
• Scientific Inquiry

So, let’s think about how to address the personal statement prompts in a slightly different way while ensuring you demonstrate the preprofessional competencies. When writing your personal statement, be sure it answers the four questions that follow and you will “hit” most of the core competencies listed above.

1. What have you done that supports your interest in becoming a doctor?

I always advise applicants to practice “evidence based admissions.” The reader of your essay wants to see the “evidence” that you have done what is necessary to understand the practice of medicine. This includes clinical exposure, research, and community service, among other activities.

2. Why do you want to be a doctor?

This may seem pretty basic – and it is – but admissions officers need to know WHY you want to practice medicine. Many applicants make the mistake of simply listing what they have done without offering insights about those experiences that answer the question, “Why medicine?” Your reasons for wanting to be a doctor may overlap with those of other applicants. This is okay because the experiences in which you participated, the stories you can tell about those experiences, and the wisdom you gained are completely distinct—because they are only yours. 

“In admissions committee meetings we were always interested in WHY you wanted to earn a medical degree and how you would contribute to the medical school community.”

Medical school admissions committees want to know that you have explored your interest deeply and that you can reflect on the significance of these clinical experiences and volunteer work. But writing only that you “want to help people” does not support a sincere desire to become a physician; you must indicate why the medical profession in particular—rather than social work, teaching, or another “helping” profession—is your goal. 

3. How have your experiences influenced you?

It is important to show how your experiences are linked and how they have influenced you. How did your experiences motivate you? How did they affect what else you did in your life? How did your experiences shape your future goals? Medical school admissions committees like to see a sensible progression of involvements. While not every activity needs to be logically “connected” with another, the evolution of your interests and how your experiences have nurtured your future goals and ambitions show that you are motivated and committed.

4. Who are you as a person? What are your values and ideals?

Medical school admissions committees want to know about you as an individual beyond your interests in medicine, too. This is where answering that third open ended question in the prompt becomes so important. What was interesting about your background, youth, and home life? What did you enjoy most about college? Do you have any distinctive passions or interests? They want to be convinced that you are a good person beyond your experiences. Write about those topics that are unlikely to appear elsewhere in your statement that will offer depth and interest to your work and illustrate the qualities and characteristics you possess.

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• How to Get into NYU Medical School
• How To Get Into Columbia Medical School
• How To Get Into UT Southwestern Medical School
• How To Get Into Harvard Medical School

Complete Your Personal Inventory and Outline (Example Below)

The bulk of your essay should be about your most valuable experiences, personal, academic, scholarly, clinical, academic and extracurricular activities that have impacted your path to medical school and through which you have learned about the practice of medicine. The best personal statements cover several topics and are not narrow in scope. Why is this important? Many different people with a variety of backgrounds, interests, and ideas of what makes a great medical student will be reading your essay. You want to make sure you essay has broad appeal.

The following exercise will help you to determine what experiences you should highlight in your personal statement. 

When composing your personal statement, keep in mind that you are writing, in effect, a “story” of how you arrived at this point in your life. But, unlike a “story” in the creative sense, yours must also offer convincing evidence for your decision to apply to medical school. Before starting your personal statement, create an experience- based personal inventory:

• Write down a list of the most important experiences in your life and your development. The list should be all inclusive and comprise those experiences that had the most impact on you. Put the list, which should consist of personal, extracurricular, and academic events, in chronological order.
• From this list, determine which experiences you consider the most important in helping you decide to pursue a career in medicine. This “experience oriented” approach will allow you to determine which experiences best illustrate the personal competencies admissions committees look for in your written documents. Remember that you must provide evidence for your interest in medicine and for most of the personal qualities and characteristics that medical school admissions committees want to see.
• After making your list, think about why each “most important” experience was influential and write that down. What did you observe? What did you learn? What insights did you gain? How  did the experience influence your path and choices?
• Then think of a story or illustration for why each experience was important.
• After doing this exercise, evaluate each experience for its significance and influence and for its “story” value. Choose to write about those experiences that not only were influential but that also will provide interesting reading, keeping in mind that  your goal is to weave the pertinent experiences together into a compelling story. In making your choices, think about how you will link each experience and transition from one topic to the next.
• Decide which of your listed experiences you will use for your introduction first (see below for more about your introduction). Then decide which experiences you will include in the body of your personal statement, create a general outline, and get writing!

Remember, you will also have your work and activities entries and your secondary applications to write in more detail about your experiences. Therefore, don’t feel you must pack everything in to your statement!

Craft a Compelling Personal Statement Introduction and Body

You hear conflicting advice about application essays. Some tell you not to open with a story. Others tell you to always begin with a story. Regardless of the advice you receive, be sure to do three things:

• Be true to yourself. Everyone will have an opinion regarding what you should and should not write. Follow your own instincts. Your personal statement should be a reflection of you, and only you.
• Start your personal statement with something catchy.  Think about the list of potential topics above.
• Don’t rush your work. Composing thoughtful documents takes time and you don’t want your writing and ideas to be sloppy and underdeveloped.

Most important is to begin with something that engages your reader. A narrative, a “story,” an anecdote written in the first or third person, is ideal. Whatever your approach, your first paragraph must grab your reader’s attention and motivate him to want to continue reading. I encourage applicants to start their personal statement by describing an experience that was especially influential in setting them on their path to medical school. This can be a personal or scholarly experience or an extracurricular one. Remember to avoid clichés and quotes and to be honest and authentic in your writing. Don’t try to be someone who you are not by trying to imitate personal statement examples you have read online or “tell them what you think they want to hear”; consistency is key and your interviewer is going to make sure that you are who you say you are!

When deciding what experiences to include in the body of your personal statement, go back to your personal inventory and identify those experiences that have been the most influential in your personal path and your path to medical school. Keep in mind that the reader wants to have an idea of who you are as a human being so don’t write your personal statement as a glorified resume. Include some information about your background and personal experiences that can give a picture of who you are as a person outside of the classroom or laboratory.

Ideally, you should choose two or three experiences to highlight in the body of your personal statement. You don’t want to write about all of your accomplishments; that is what your application entries are for!

Write Your Personal Statement Conclusion

In your conclusion, it is customary to “go full circle” by coming back to the topic—or anecdote—you introduced in the introduction, but this is not a must. Summarize why you want to be a doctor and address what you hope to achieve and your goals for medical school. Write a conclusion that is compelling and will leave the reader wanting to meet you.

Complete Personal Statement Checklist

When reading your medical school personal statement be sure it:

Shows insight and introspection

The best medical school personal statements tell a great deal about what you have learned through your experiences and the insights you have gained.

You want to tell your story by highlighting those experiences that have been the most influential on your path to medical school and to give a clear sense of chronology. You want your statement always to be logical and never to confuse your reader.

Is interesting and engaging

The best personal statements engage the reader. This doesn’t mean you must use big words or be a literary prize winner. Write in your own language and voice, but really think about your journey to medical school and the most intriguing experiences you have had.

Gives the reader a mental image of who you are

You want the reader to be able to envision you as a caregiver and a medical professional. You want to convey that you would be a compassionate provider at the bedside – someone who could cope well with crisis and adversity.

Illustrates your passion for, and commitment to, medicine

Your reader must be convinced that you are excited about and committed to a career in medicine!

Above all, your personal statement should be about you. Explain to your reader what you have done and why you want to be a doctor with insight, compassion, and understanding.

Medical School Personal Statement Myths

Also keep in mind some common myths about personal statements that I hear quite often:

My personal statement must have a theme.

Not true. The vast majority of personal statements do not have themes. In fact, most are somewhat autobiographical and are just as interesting as those statements that are woven around a “theme.” It is only the very talented writer who can creatively write a personal statement around a theme, and this approach often backfires since the applicant fails to answer the three questions above.

My personal statement must be no longer than one page.

Not true. This advice is antiquated and dates back to the days of the written application when admissions committees flipped through pages. If your personal statement is interesting and compelling, it is fine to use the entire allotted space. The application systems have incorporated limits for exactly this reason! Many students, depending on their unique circumstances, can actually undermine their success by limiting their personal statement to a page. That said, never max out a space just for the sake of doing so. Quality writing and perspectives are preferable to quantity.

My personal statement should not describe patient encounters or my personal medical experiences.

Not true. Again, the actual topics on which you focus in your personal statement are less important than the understanding you gained from those experiences. I have successful clients who have written extremely powerful and compelling personal statements that included information about clinical encounters – both personal and professional. Write about whichever experiences were the most important on your path to medicine. It’s always best, however, to avoid spending too much space on childhood and high school activities. Focus instead on those that are more current.

In my personal statement I need to sell myself.

Not exactly true. You never want to boast in your personal statement. Let your experiences, insights, and observations speak for themselves. You want your reader to draw the conclusion – on his or her own – that you have the qualities and characteristics the medical school seeks. Never tell what qualities and characteristics you possess; let readers draw these conclusions on their own based on what you write.

Medical School Personal Statement Examples and Analysis for Inspiration

Below are examples of actual medical school personal statements. You can also likely find medical school personal statements on Reddit.

AMCAS Medical School Personal Statement Example and Analysis #1 with Personal Inventory  

We will use Amy to illustrate the general process of writing an application to medical school, along with providing the resulting documents. Amy will first list those experiences, personal, extracurricular, and scholarly, that have been most influential in two areas: her life in general and her path to medical school. She will put this personal inventory in chronologic order for use in composing her personal statement.

She will then select those experiences that were the most significant to her and will reflect and think about why they were important. For her application entries, Amy will write about each experience, including those that she considers influential in her life but not in her choice of medicine, in her application entries. Experiences that Amy will not write about in her activity entries or her personal statement are those that she does not consider most influential in either her life or in her choice of medicine.

Amy’s personal inventory (from oldest to most recent)

• Going with my mom to work. She is a surgeon — I was very curious about what she did. I was intrigued by the relationships she had with patients and how much they valued her efforts. I also loved seeing her as “a doctor” since, to me, she was just “mom.”
• I loved biology in high school. I started to think seriously about medicine then. It was during high school that I became fascinated with biology and how the human body worked. I would say that was when I thought, “Hmm, maybe I should be a doctor.”
• Grandmother’s death, senior year of high school. My grandmother’s death was tragic. It was the first time I had ever seen someone close to me suffer. It was one of the most devastating experiences in my life.
• Global Health Trip to Guatemala my freshman year of college. I realized after going to Guatemala that I had always taken my access to health care for granted. Here I saw children who didn’t have basic health care. This made me want to become a physician so I could give more to people like those I met in Guatemala.
• Sorority involvement. Even though sorority life might seem trivial, I loved it. I learned to work with different types of people and gained some really valuable leadership experience.
• Poor grades in college science classes. I still regret that I did badly in my science classes. I think I was immature and was also too involved in other activities and didn’t have the focus I needed to do well. I had a 3.4 undergraduate GPA.
• Teaching and tutoring Jose, a child from Honduras. In a way, meeting Jose in a college tutoring program brought my Guatemala experience to my home. Jose struggled academically, and his parents were immigrants and spoke only Spanish, so they had their own challenges. I tried to help Jose as much as I could. I saw that because he lacked resources, he was at a tremendous disadvantage.
• Volunteering at Excellent Medical Center. Shadowing physicians at the medical center gave me a really broad view of medicine. I learned about different specialties, met many different patients, and saw both great and not-so-great physician role models. Counselor at Ronald McDonald House. Working with sick kids made me appreciate my health. I tried to make them happy and was so impressed with their resilience. It made me realize that good health is everything.
• Oncology research. Understanding what happens behind the scenes in research was fascinating. Not only did I gain some valuable research experience, but I learned how research is done.
• Peer health counselor. Communicating with my peers about really important medical tests gave me an idea of the tremendous responsibility that doctors have. I also learned that it is important to be sensitive, to listen, and to be open-minded when working with others.
• Clinical Summer Program. This gave me an entirely new view of medicine. I worked with the forensics department, and visiting scenes of deaths was entirely new to me. This experience added a completely new dimension to my understanding of medicine and how illness and death affect loved ones.
• Emergency department internship. Here I learned so much about how things worked in the hospital. I realized how important it was that people who worked in the clinical department were involved in creating hospital policies. This made me understand, in practical terms, how an MPH would give me the foundation to make even more change in the future.
• Master’s in public health. I decided to get an MPH for two reasons. First of all, I knew my undergraduate science GPA was an issue so I figured that graduate level courses in which I performed well would boost my record. I don’t think I will write this on my application, but I also thought the degree would give me other skills if I didn’t get into medical school, and I knew it would also give me something on which I could build during medical school and in my career since I was interested in policy work.

As you can see from Amy’s personal inventory list, she has many accomplishments that are important to her and influenced her path. The most influential personal experience that motivated her to practice medicine was her mother’s career as a practicing physician, but Amy was also motivated by watching her mother’s career evolve. Even though the death of her grandmother was devastating for Amy, she did not consider this experience especially influential in her choice to attend medical school so she didn’t write about it in her personal statement.

Amy wrote an experience-based personal statement, rich with anecdotes and detailed descriptions, to illustrate the evolution of her interest in medicine and how this motivated her to also earn a master’s in public health.

Amy’s Medical School Personal Statement Example:

She was sprawled across the floor of her apartment. Scattered trash, decaying food, alcohol bottles, medication vials, and cigarette butts covered the floor. I had just graduated from college, and this was my first day on rotation with the forensic pathology department as a Summer Scholar, one of my most valuable activities on the path to medical school. As the coroner deputy scanned the scene for clues to what caused this woman’s death, I saw her distraught husband. I did not know what to say other than “I am so sorry.” I listened intently as he repeated the same stories about his wife and his dismay that he never got to say goodbye. The next day, alongside the coroner as he performed the autopsy, I could not stop thinking about the grieving man.

Discerning a cause of death was not something I had previously associated with the practice of medicine. As a child, I often spent Saturday mornings with my mother, a surgeon, as she rounded on patients. I witnessed the results of her actions, as she provided her patients a renewed chance at life. I grew to honor and respect my mother’s profession. Witnessing the immense gratitude of her patients and their families, I quickly came to admire the impact she was able to make in the lives of her patients and their loved ones.

I knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine as my mother had, and throughout high school and college I sought out clinical, research, and volunteer opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of medicine. After volunteering with cancer survivors at Camp Ronald McDonald, I was inspired to further understand this disease. Through my oncology research, I learned about therapeutic processes for treatment development. Further, following my experience administering HIV tests, I completed research on point-of-care HIV testing, to be instituted throughout 26 hospitals and clinics. I realized that research often served as a basis for change in policy and medical practice and sought out opportunities to learn more about both.

All of my medically related experiences demonstrated that people who were ‘behind the scenes’ and had limited or no clinical background made many of the decisions in health care. Witnessing the evolution of my mother’s career further underscored the impact of policy change on the practice of medicine. In particular, the limits legislation imposed on the care she could provide influenced my perspective and future goals. Patients whom my mother had successfully treated for more than a decade, and with whom she had long-standing, trusting relationships, were no longer able to see her, because of policy coverage changes. Some patients, frustrated by these limitations, simply stopped seeking the care they needed. As a senior in college, I wanted to understand how policy transformations came about and gain the tools I would need to help effect administrative and policy changes in the future as a physician. It was with this goal in mind that I decided to complete a master’s in public health program before applying to medical school.

As an MPH candidate, I am gaining insight into the theories and practices behind the complex interconnections of the healthcare system; I am learning about economics, operations, management, ethics, policy, finance, and technology and how these entities converge to impact delivery of care. A holistic understanding of this diverse, highly competitive, market-driven system will allow me, as a clinician, to find solutions to policy, public health, and administration issues. I believe that change can be more effective if those who actually practice medicine also decide where improvements need to be made.

For example, as the sole intern for the emergency department at County Medical Center, I worked to increase efficiency in the ED by evaluating and mapping patient flow. I tracked patients from point of entry to point of discharge and found that the discharge process took up nearly 35% of patients’ time. By analyzing the reasons for this situation, in collaboration with nurses and physicians who worked in the ED and had an intimate understanding of what took place in the clinical area, I was able to make practical recommendations to decrease throughput time. The medical center has already implemented these suggestions, resulting in decreased length of stays. This example illustrates the benefit of having clinicians who work ‘behind the scenes’ establish policies and procedures, impacting operational change and improving patient care. I will also apply what I have learned through this project as the business development intern at Another Local Medical Center this summer, where I will assist in strategic planning, financial analysis, and program reviews for various clinical departments.

Through my mother’s career and my own medical experiences, I have become aware of the need for clinician administrators and policymakers. My primary goal as a physician will be to care for patients, but with the knowledge and experience I have gained through my MPH, I also hope to effect positive public policy and administrative changes.

What’s Good About Amy’s Medical School Personal Statement:  

Paragraphs 1 and 2: Amy started her personal statement by illustrating a powerful experience she had when she realized that medical caregivers often feel impotent, and how this contrasted with her understanding of medicine as a little girl going with her mother to work. Recognition of this intense contrast also highlights Amy’s maturity.

Paragraph 3: Amy then “lists” a few experiences that were important to her.

Paragraph 4: Amy describes the commonality in some of her experiences and how her observations were substantiated by watching the evolution of her mother’s practice. She then explains how this motivated her to earn an MPH so she could create change more effectively as a physician than as a layman.

Paragraph 5: Amy then explains how her graduate degree is helping her to better understand the “issues in medicine” that she observed.

Paragraph 6: Amy then describes one exceptional accomplishment she had that highlights what she has learned and how she has applied it.

Paragraph 7: Finally, Amy effectively concludes her personal statement and summarizes the major topics addressed in her essay.

As you can see, Amy’s statement has excellent flow, is captivating and unusual, and illustrates her understanding of, and commitment to, medicine. She also exhibits, throughout her application entries and statement, the personal competencies, characteristics, and qualities that medical school admissions officers are seeking. Her application also has broad appeal; reviewers who are focused on research, cultural awareness, working with the underserved, health administration and policy, teaching, or clinical medicine would all find it of interest.

med school personal statement examples

Osteopathic Medical School Personal Statement Example and Analysis #2

Medical School Personal Statement Example Background: This is a nontraditional applicant who applied to osteopathic medical schools. With a 500 and a 504 on the MCAT , he needed to showcase how his former career and what he learned through his work made him an asset. He also needed to convey why osteopathic medicine was an ideal fit for him. The student does an excellent job illustrating his commitment to medicine and explaining why and how he made the well-informed decision to leave his former career to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine.

What’s Good About It: A nontraditional student with a former career, this applicant does a great job outlining how and why he decided to pursue a career in medicine. Clearly dedicated to service, he also does a great job making it clear he is a good fit for osteopathic medical school and understands this distinctions of osteopathic practice.. 

Working as a police officer, one comes to expect the unexpected, but sometimes, when the unexpected happens, one can’t help but be surprised. In November 20XX, I had been a police officer for two years when my partner and I happened to be nearby when a man had a cardiac emergency in Einstein Bagels. Entering the restaurant, I was caught off guard by the lifeless figure on the floor, surrounded by spilled food. Time paused as my partner and I began performing CPR, and my heart raced as I watched color return to the man’s pale face.

Luckily, paramedics arrived within minutes to transport him to a local hospital. Later, I watched as the family thanked the doctors who gave their loved one a renewed chance at life. That day, in the “unexpected,” I confirmed that I wanted to become a physician, something that had attracted me since childhood.

I have always been enthralled by the science of medicine and eager to help those in need but, due to life events, my path to achieving this dream has been long. My journey began following high school when I joined the U.S. Army. I was immature and needed structure, and I knew the military was an opportunity to pursue my medical ambitions. I trained as a combat medic and requested work in an emergency room of an army hospital. At the hospital, I started IVs, ran EKGs, collected vital signs, and assisted with codes. I loved every minute as I was directly involved in patient care and observed physicians methodically investigating their patients’ signs and symptoms until they reached a diagnosis. Even when dealing with difficult patients, the physicians I worked with maintained composure, showing patience and understanding while educating patients about their diseases. I observed physicians not only as clinicians but also as teachers. As a medic, I learned that I loved working with patients and being part of the healthcare team, and I gained an understanding of acute care and hospital operations.

Following my discharge in 20XX, I transferred to an army reserve hospital and continued as a combat medic until 20XX. Working as a medic at several hospitals and clinics in the area, I was exposed to osteopathic medicine and the whole body approach to patient care. I was influenced by the D.O.s’ hands-on treatment and their use of manipulative medicine as a form of therapy. I learned that the body cannot function properly if there is dysfunction in the musculoskeletal system.

In 20XX, I became a police officer to support myself as I finished my undergraduate degree and premed courses. While working the streets, I continued my patient care experiences by being the first to care for victims of gunshot wounds, stab wounds, car accidents, and other medical emergencies. In addition, I investigated many unknown causes of death with the medical examiner’s office. I often found signs of drug and alcohol abuse and learned the dangers and power of addiction. In 20XX, I finished my undergraduate degree in education and in 20XX, I completed my premed courses.

Wanting to learn more about primary care medicine, in 20XX I volunteered at a community health clinic that treats underserved populations. Shadowing a family physician, I learned about the physical exam as I looked into ears and listened to the hearts and lungs of patients with her guidance. I paid close attention as she expressed the need for more PCPs and the important roles they play in preventing disease and reducing ER visits by treating and educating patients early in the disease process. This was evident as numerous patients were treated for high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and diabetes, all conditions that can be resolved or improved by lifestyle changes. I learned that these changes are not always easy for many in underserved populations as healthier food is often more expensive and sometimes money for prescriptions is not available. This experience opened my eyes to the challenges of being a physician in an underserved area.

The idea of disease prevention stayed with me as I thought about the man who needed CPR. Could early detection and education about heart disease have prevented his “unexpected” cardiac event? My experiences in health care and law enforcement have confirmed my desire to be an osteopathic physician and to treat the patients of the local area. I want to eliminate as many medical surprises as I can.

Texas Medical School Personal Statement Example and Analysis #3

Medical School Personal Statement Example Background: This applicant, who grew up with modest means, should be an inspiration to us all. Rather than allowing limited resources to stand in his way, he took advantage of everything that was available to him. He commuted to college from home and had a part-time job so he was stretched thin, and his initial college performance suffered. However, he worked hard and his grades improved. Most medical school admissions committees seek out applicants like this because, by overcoming adversity and succeeding with limited resources, they demonstrate exceptional perseverance, maturity, and dedication. His accomplishments are, by themselves, impressive and he does an outstanding job of detailing his path, challenges, and commitment to medicine. He received multiple acceptances to top medical schools and was offered scholarships.

What’s Good About It: This student does a great job opening his personal statement with a beautifully written introduction that immediately takes the reader to Central America. He then explains his path, why he did poorly early in college, and goes on to discuss his academic interests and pursuits. He is also clearly invested in research and articulates that he is intellectually curious, motivated, hard working, compassionate and committed to a career in medicine by explaining his experiences using interesting language and details. This is an intriguing statement that makes clear the applicant is worthy of an interview invitation. Finally, the student expresses his interest in attending medical school in Texas.

They were learning the basics of carpentry and agriculture. The air was muggy and hot, but these young boys seemed unaffected, though I and my fellow college students sweated and often complained. As time passed, I started to have a greater appreciation for the challenges these boys faced. These orphans, whom I met and trained in rural Central America as a member of The Project, had little. They dreamed of using these basic skills to earn a living wage. Abandoned by their families, they knew this was their only opportunity to re-enter society as self- sufficient individuals. I stood by them in the fields and tutored them after class. And while I tried my best to instill in them a strong work ethic, it was the boys who instilled in me a desire to help those in need. They gave me a new perspective on my decision to become a doctor.

I don’t know exactly when I decided to become a physician; I have had this goal for a long time. I grew up in the inner city of A City, in Texas and attended magnet schools. My family knew little about higher education, and I learned to seek out my own opportunities and advice. I attended The University with the goal of gaining admission to medical school. When I started college, I lacked the maturity to focus on academics and performed poorly. Then I traveled to Central America. Since I was one of the few students who spoke Spanish, many of the boys felt comfortable talking with me. They saw me as a role model.

The boys worked hard so that they could learn trades that would help them to be productive members of society. It was then I realized that my grandparents, who immigrated to the US so I would have access to greater opportunities, had done the same. I felt like I was wasting what they had sacrificed for me. When I returned to University in the fall, I made academics my priority and committed myself to learn more about medicine .

Through my major in neuroscience, I strengthened my understanding of how we perceive and experience life. In systems neurobiology, I learned the physiology of the nervous system. Teaching everything from basic neural circuits to complex sensory pathways, Professor X provided me with the knowledge necessary to conduct research in Parkinson’s disease. My research focused on the ability of antioxidants to prevent the onset of Parkinson’s, and while my project was only a pilot study at the time, Professor X encouraged me to present it at the National Research Conference. During my senior year, I developed the study into a formal research project, recruiting the help of professors of statistics and biochemistry.

Working at the School of Medicine reinforced my analytical skills. I spent my summer in the department of emergency medicine, working with the department chair, Dr. Excellent. Through Dr. Excellent’s mentorship, I participated in a retrospective study analyzing patient charts to determine the efficacy of D-dimer assays in predicting blood clots. The direct clinical relevance of my research strengthened my commitment and motivated my decision to seek out more clinical research opportunities.

A growing awareness of the role of human compassion in healing has also influenced my choice to pursue a career in medicine. It is something no animal model or cell culture can ever duplicate or rival. Working in clinical research has allowed me to see the selflessness of many physicians and patients and their mutual desire to help others. As a research study assistant in the department of surgery, I educate and enroll patients in clinical trials. One such study examines the role of pre-operative substance administration in tumor progression. Patients enrolled in this study underwent six weeks of therapy before having the affected organ surgically excised. Observing how patients were willing to participate in this research to benefit others helped me understand the resiliency of the human spirit.

Working in clinical trials has enabled me to further explore my passion for science, while helping others. Through my undergraduate coursework and participation in volunteer groups I have had many opportunities to solidify my goal to become a physician. As I am working, I sometimes think about my second summer in Central America. I recall how one day, after I had turned countless rows of soil in scorching heat, one of the boys told me that I was a trabajador verdadero—a true worker. I paused as I realized the significance of this comment. While the boy may not have been able to articulate it, he knew I could identify with him. What the boy didn’t know, however, was that had my grandparents not decided to immigrate to the US, I would not have the great privilege of seizing opportunities in this country and writing this essay today. I look forward to the next step of my education and hope to return home to Texas where I look forward to serving the communities I call home.

Final Thoughts

Above all, and as stated in this article numerous times, your personal statement should be authentic and genuine. Write about your path and and journey to this point in your life using anecdotes and observations to intrigue the reader and illustrate what is and was important to you. Good luck!

Medical School Personal Statement Help & Consulting

If all this information has you staring at your screen like a deer in the headlights, you’re not alone. Writing a superb medical school personal statement can be a daunting task, and many applicants find it difficult to get started writing, or to express everything they want to say succinctly. That’s where MedEdits can help. You don’t have to have the best writing skills to compose a stand-out statement. From personal-statement editing alone to comprehensive packages for all your medical school application needs, we offer extensive support and expertise developed from working with thousands of successful medical school applicants. We can’t promise applying to medical school will be stress-free, but most clients tell us it’s a huge relief not to have to go it alone.

MedEdits offers personal statement consulting and editing. Our goal when working with students is to draw out what makes each student distinctive. How do we do this? We will explore your background and upbringing, interests and ideals as well as your accomplishments and activities. By helping you identify the most distinguishing aspects of who you are, you will then be able to compose an authentic and genuine personal statement in your own voice to capture the admissions committee’s attention so you are invited for a medical school interview. Our unique brainstorming methodology has helped hundreds of aspiring premeds gain acceptance to medical school.

Sample Medical School Personal Statement

Example Medical School Personal Statement

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2024 How to Write a Medical School Personal Statement (11 Steps)

• By Med School Insiders
• December 2, 2023
• Medical Student , Pre-med
• Medical School Application , Personal Statement

Each piece of a med school application brings a unique set of anxiety-ridden challenges, but few equal that of the personal statement. A personal statement is much, much more than a narrative-version of your CV. Reiterating your grades and extracurriculars in complete sentences is not how to write a medical school personal statement.

A personal statement is an opportunity to tell your story. Why do you want to study medicine? What drives you? This is your chance to let an admissions committee know who you really are beyond your grades.

Of course, you’re studying to become a doctor, not a novelist, which means the idea of crafting your personal statement may seem daunting, to say the least.

In this guide, we’ll take a comprehensive, step-by-step look at how to write a medical school personal statement, including how to get started, everything you need to include, and common mistakes to avoid.

Article Sections

• Anatomy of Medical School Personal Statement

What Med School Admissions Committees Look For

How to get started.

• How to Write a Personal Statement

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Medical school personal statement examples, anatomy of a medical school personal statement.

A personal statement has a 5,300 character maximum, about 1.5 pages of single-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font. The challenge isn’t trying to fill in words; the challenge is selecting the key moments in your life that made you want to be a doctor and expressing them concisely.

A personal statement is made up of three parts:

Introduction

It’s essentially a short essay that uses your life experience to succinctly demonstrate why you’re the right person for the job. If someone’s making a movie about your life and the events that shaped your desire to become a doctor, what key moments do you want to highlight?

Your introduction must capture an admissions committee’s attention. Use the introduction to hook your readers. The first few sentences should entice them to read more.

There isn’t a perfect number of paragraphs or set structure. This is where you discuss the experiences that have shaped your personality, your desire to study medicine, and your dreams for the future.

This is the summary of your statement, and it should tie in directly to your introduction. Now is the time to emphasize why you want to be a physician and your future goals.

Learn more about the Anatomy of a Stellar Medical School Personal Statement .

Admissions committees need to know they’re accepting students who are ready to face the rigorous day-and-night grind of medical school. They have your CV and transcripts; now you need to demonstrate you have what it takes to succeed.

The personal statement is your chance to display your personality and highlight the experiences that shaped you. What drives you? What strengths and experiences will you bring to medical school? Why are you an asset?

The admissions committee isn’t looking for a list of your accomplishments. They want to know your story . Don’t tell the admissions committee you’re compassionate and driven; show them with tangible examples from your life.

So you’re a great listener. What’s a moment in your past that demonstrates this? If you care deeply about the wellbeing of others, what story from your life illustrates that passion?

1 | Read Real Personal Statement Examples

Right off the bat, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone—far from it. Every medical student who came before you has written personal statements, which means you have a wealth of examples to read and learn from.

Every personal statement is unique to the writer. Don’t expect to find a perfect blueprint you can copy off of, but reading several different personal statements will give you a sense of the themes, concepts, strategies, and stories that can help you find success.

If you know people in your own life who have successfully matriculated to med school, it’s a good idea to ask them if you can take a look at their personal statement. Med School Insiders compiled a database of personal statements donated by successful medical school applicants. Reading successful personal statements will give you an idea of what’s expected.

Reading bad personal statements can also give you an idea of what mistakes to avoid. Learn from our bad personal statement examples , which includes key insights into what you should do instead.

2 | Reflect on Past Experiences

Take this as an opportunity to reflect. Don’t think of it as brainstorming, and don’t worry about being creative just yet. Simply think back on key moments from your past.

Think of your personal statement like your superhero origin story. You may have excellent grades, abilities, and a natural aptitude for science, but why are you pursuing medicine? What moment or moments in your life revealed to you why you had to be a doctor?

Take Spider-Man. Yes, Peter Parker received his superpowers from a radioactive spider bite, but that’s not why he fights crime; Spider-Man fights crime so that what happened to his Uncle Ben never happens to anyone else. Bruce Wayne is incredibly smart, incredibly strong, and incredibly rich, but that’s not why he fights crime as Batman. Bruce Wayne became Batman so that no one else would lose their parents to a random act of violence like he did.

The truth is, a lot of superheroes have pretty similar motivations, and doctors have similar motivations, too. Your desire to become a doctor likely stems from a genuine intellectual interest in medicine, a desire to work closely with other humans, and a drive to help people and save lives. The other med school hopefuls you’re applying with have very similar motivations.

The key is digging deep and determining what you value most about becoming a doctor. Once you know that, think about the tangible experiences in your life that helped you realize those values.

Utilize our list of 25 medical school personal statement prompts as you ideate and reflect on your life to date.

3 | Choose Which Experiences/Traits to Highlight

Identify three to four personal strengths you are particularly proud of and want the admissions committee to know. Where did these strengths shine in your premedical years? What experiences helped you build on these strengths? This will make up the body of your personal statement.

Remember: writing a personal statement takes time—and lots of it. It will likely take several different attempts and drafts. After discussing your selected strengths, you may find that they don’t define you well enough or that there are better options. Don’t be discouraged. Give yourself plenty of time to reflect on and explore a variety of different strengths.

Don’t forget about the interview; the admissions committee will certainly ask you to further elaborate on the experiences outlined in your personal statement. Share personal stories that you want to be asked about and feel comfortable addressing.

Generally, personal statements involve experiences in the following categories:

• A passion for patient interaction
• Intellectual curiosity for medicine (academics, research, etc.)
• Dedication and discipline (medicine or another pursuit)
• Perseverance in the face of adversity
• Interpersonal and professional skills

How to Write a Medical School Personal Statement

4 | show, don’t tell.

If essays or storytelling aren’t necessarily your strong suit, think back to math class and those equations where the teacher made you show your work for the full grade. It’s not enough that you got the answer right; you had to show how you arrived at the answer.

Think of this in the same way. It’s great that you’re compassionate, but the admissions committee isn’t going to take you at your word. They want you to back up that claim with evidence. It is vital that you show the admissions committee you’re compassionate with concrete examples from your life that illustrate your journey to medicine.

It’s much more impactful to share a story that demonstrates specific qualities than it is to tell someone you have those qualities directly. Saying you are hardworking or resilient is not enough. You need to craft a story that allows the reader to infer those qualities about you.

5 | Leverage the Narrative-Based Approach

You are applying to medical school along with an immense number of other students with great grades, stellar qualifications, and impressive clinical hours. These are all key to your medical school application, but the best grades in the world won’t set you apart in the eyes of the admissions committee.

Your personal statement is a chance to stand out in a crowded field. Too many personal statements read like a CV but with full paragraphs, which quickly becomes monotonous.

Leverage a narrative-based approach so that the admissions committee is excited to learn more about you. Your entire application should illustrate your compelling journey toward becoming a doctor. Highlight how your experiences make you an asset who will contribute uniquely to the medical school.

It’s not enough to simply check off the boxes. The admissions committee wants to know your story.

Learn How to Develop a Cohesive Narrative for Medical School Applications .

6 | Create an Outline

After taking the time to reflect on the experiences and traits you want to include in your personal statement, create an outline to structure your approach .

You do not need to stick to it, but this is the general structure of most personal statements:

• Introduction (A strong hook to catch the reader’s attention—usually an anecdote or reflection that introduces the theme of your story. Hook the reader with the opening sentence.)
• Experience 1
• Experience 2
• Experience 3
• Conclusion (Tie your story back to the opening hook/theme. Summarize why you want to be a physician and what your future goals are.)

Remember, this is not a list of your accomplishments. The personal statement must read like a cohesive narrative, not a resume.

Establish a theme in the introduction that’s central to your desire to become a doctor. Each following paragraph will illustrate how your personal experiences have shaped that desire and prepared you for your journey. In the conclusion, gracefully tie back to your central theme or hook to turn the personal statement into a consistent, interconnected story.

7 | Force Yourself to Start Writing

It’s understandable and common to feel overwhelmed while writing a personal statement. In fact, if you don’t feel overwhelmed, it’s safe to say that you’re not taking this seriously enough.

Start with a theme, but don’t get stuck trying to come up with the perfect opening sentence. That comes later. Once you have a general outline, just start writing. See what happens, and—most importantly—be kind to yourself.

The first words you write won’t be perfect, but they will get you started. You should fully expect the first draft of your personal statement to be terrible. That’s okay. First drafts are never perfect.

Your first draft probably won’t look anything like your final essay. Put one foot in front of the other and just start writing. Get the ideas out and worry about editing later.

8 | Keep it Concise and Direct

In your subsequent drafts, focus on cutting down your words and being concise. It’s not your use of flowery language that will impress the admissions committee. Forget about extravagant word choices and convoluted sentence structure. You don’t have the space for poetic tangents anyway.

Use your words efficiently, and favor clear language over long, complicated words. It’s easy for readers to spot when you’re using a thesaurus, and it will only take away from your end message. Find the simplest way to say something.

For example:

Hard-working over Assiduous

Compassion over Magnanimity

Agree over Concur

Use tools like the Hemingway App to keep your language direct and concise.

9 | Take Some Time Away

Take time away from your drafts. Once you complete a draft, take a break, and let it sit. Go for a walk, watch some TV, or work on a completely different activity. After your break, come back to your personal statement with fresh eyes. You may find that the fantastic opening line you came up with isn’t so fantastic anymore, or that sentence you weren’t so sure about actually works really well.

Writing your personal statement will take time. Even if you feel extremely confident in your personal statement, take time away from it and come back.

10 | Refine, Review, and Edit

We recommend using editing apps like Grammarly and Hemingway Editor , but don’t rely on bots alone to catch possible mistakes.

Ask your friends and family for their first impressions on the content of your personal statement. Tell them to be brutally honest (because the admissions committee certainly will be.) Reach out to a mentor or people who have been through this process before.

Spelling or grammar mistakes indicate carelessness on your part and are an automatic red flag for admissions committees. Read over your work carefully, and ask others you trust to do the same.

The editing process is such a critical phase for your personal statement. Learn how to edit your personal statement to impress admissions committees.

11 | Invest in Essay Editing Services

Your medical school personal statement is arguably the most important piece of your application. While an excellent essay can lock-in your interview offer, a poorly-written personal statement can ruin your chances—even with stellar grades, impressive academic awards, and a notable list of extracurriculars.

Don’t risk your acceptance. Essay editing services can provide the help that friends, family, and mentors cannot.

Med School Insiders Personal Statement Editing Services includes careful analysis of content and tone as well as helpful insights into how you can improve your essay and impress admissions committees.

Avoid the following common personal statement mistakes .

• Don’t list your accomplishments or rehash your CV and extracurriculars.
• Don’t make spelling or grammar errors.
• Don’t overuse the word I. Doing so makes you more likely to state your accomplishments instead of telling a story.
• Don’t use flowery language or words you found in a thesaurus.
• Don’t explain to a physician what medicine is all about. Talk about yourself and your experiences; the admissions committee already understands medicine.
• Don’t state the obvious or use clichés. (Every applicant likes science and wants to help people.)
• Don’t lie or fabricate your personal stories.
• Don’t make excuses for poor grades or a low MCAT score.
• Don’t speak negatively about another physician or healthcare professional.
• Don’t plead for an interview or acceptance.
• Don’t edit your personal statement by yourself.
• Don’t procrastinate.

Learn more: 20 Personal Statement: Dos and Don’ts .

It’s important to read the personal statements of matriculated students. While you won’t be able to mimic someone else’s personal statement, you can still learn a lot from them, and reading different statements can spark ideas for your own essay.

We compiled a selection of real medical school personal statements from successful applicants. These statements are for reference purposes only and should not be plagiarized in any way. Plagiarism detection software is used when evaluating personal statements, and plagiarizing is grounds for an automatic disqualification.

Be sure to read the included feedback regarding the personal statements as well, as this will give you extra insight into what admissions committees are looking for.

Read Real Medical School Personal Statement Examples .

Medical School Personal Statement Editing

Don’t write your medical school personal statement alone—we can help. Med School Insiders offers a range of personal statement editing packages , from general editing to unlimited, in-depth editing with a physician who will be there to advise you every step of the way.

Learn more about our Comprehensive Medical School Admissions Packages . Our team of doctors has years of experience serving on admissions committees, so you’ll receive key insights from people who have been intimately involved with the selection process.

Next read: Guide to Understanding the Medical School Application Process

Med School Insiders

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Ultimate guide to birmingham medicine interview (2023) - questions & tips, birmingham medical school: overview.

Located in the vibrant midland city of Birmingham, the University of Birmingham Medical School is a fantastic place to study medicine. And the location is just one of many of Birmingham’s assets.

Hundreds of actively working societies and clubs, varied nightlife, Birmingham’s modern campus, cutting-edge research facilities and high student satisfaction all contribute to Birmingham being a great time to study and develop, whilst having a lot of fun.

Pre-interview Selection: 🔢 How does Birmingham select students for interviews (2024 entry)?

GCSEs (45%): Obtained GCSE grades in Maths, English, Biology and Chemistry and 2 extra subjects are scored. These grades are converted into a score using the following system: 8 or 9 = 4 points, 7/A = 2 points, 6/B = 1 point, 5 or below = 0 points. Then, that score is scaled to a maximum of 4.5.

A-level Predicted Grades: Birmingham medical school does not use predicted grades when shortlisting students for interviews, beyond checking if they’ve met the standard entry requirements.

Personal Statement: Not scored, but for your application to be considered, your personal statement must be related to medicine and “offer evidence of commitment to medicine”.

UCAT (35%): Your UCAT score will be converted to a score from 0 to 3.5 (max), based on the decile you fall into. For instance, the top 10% of students who applied for medicine at Birmingham in a given year will get a maximum of 3.5 points, 2nd 10% from the top will get 3.11, 3rd 10% from the top 2.72 and so on. The higher your score, the higher your chances. Birmingham medical school does not consider the SJT score.

Contextual (20%): If you’ve attended one of the schools listed in Birmingham’s contextual schools' list, you’ll receive a score from this element, which will be given 20% weighting.

➗  Calculate Your Chances: Birmingham has come up with a very resourceful calculator tool , which can help you determine your likelihood of receiving an interview invitation at Birmingham Medical School and thus apply strategically. For the 2021 entry, the total score cut off was 7.0, but that may vary from year to year.

🌍  International Students: The selection process for international students applying for medicine at Birmingham slightly differs. GCSE scores are not a part of the selection process beyond checking if you’ve met the minimum entry requirements. Instead, all students are ranked according to their UCAT scores. For more details on the selection process check this link to Birmingham’s official website.

📊 What is the lowest required UCAT score to get an interview at Birmingham Medical School?

🇬🇧  Home Students: Cut off score based on the performance of students who applied to Birmingham in a given year. For 2020 entry, the UCAT cut off at Birmingham was 2830 for non-contextual applications, and 2260 for contextual candidates.

🌍  International Students: For international students, a cut-off score from the cognitive skills test section is calculated each year. For 2020 entry, the threshold score for an interview at Birmingham was 2640.

📈 Want to save yourself some  time, stress and money  preparing for the interview at Birmingham Medical School? Prepare with  Medfully , “the best long-term interview resource”.

📤 When does Birmingham send out interview invitations?

Usually, Birmingham starts sending out interview invitations in early December until the end of January or until all places have been filled.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 How many candidates get interviewed for Medicine at Birmingham?

🇬🇧  Home Students: For 2022 entry, 2850 students applied from the UK, and out of those 1122 were interviewed (40%). Each year Birmingham aims to interview around 1,100 top students who applied.

🌍  International Students: For 2022 entry, out of 604 international students who applied for medicine at Birmingham, 69 (11%) were interviewed. Places for international students at Birmingham Medical School are capped at 28, which is why the competition is much more intense.

💡 How To Prepare for Medicine Interviews at Birmigham?

Preparing for medical school interviews requires more than just reading an article or doing a mock interview. It requires intentionality, structure and commitment. Luckily, with  Medfully  it is simpler and more efficient than ever:

Interviews at Birmingham Medical School: 🗓️ Birmingham Medicine Interview dates:

Medicine interviews at Birmingham are most likely to take place between January 2024 and February 2024 (for 2024 entry).

Unsuccessful applicants will hear back from Birmingham only once all interviews are completed (most likely in March 2024).

💬 What’s the interview format at Birmingham Medical School?

It is still unknown if Birmingham will conduct medical school interviews online or in-person for 2024 entry. Make sure to check Birmingham’s website regularly for latest updates.

2021 and 2022 entry:

For 2021 and 2022 entry, Birmingham conducted online MMI interviews. Unlike most MMIs, these were short (20-30 minutes in total) and were comprised of just 2, 6-minute stations (plus 2 minutes of downtime before and after each station). One of the stations was a role play and the other assessed your insight into medicine. An online, 10-minute maths test was also a part of the Birmingham medicine interview, but it was usually held on a different day than the MMI

Pre-Covid (2020 entry and before):

Before the pandemic started, medicine interviews at Birmingham were typical MMIs, comprised of 7, 6-minute stations, which included role plays and calculation tasks. You can find more detailed information about the content of the interview here .

🏆 How likely is it I’ll be given an offer after an interview at Birmingham?

🇬🇧  Home Students: For 2022 entry, 1122 interviews finally resulted in 800 offers, so over 70% of those who received the invitation for an interview have received an offer to study medicine at Birmingham!

🌍  International Students: For 2022 entry, 68 interviews finally resulted in 56 offers, so over 80% of international students who received the invitation for an interview have received an offer to study medicine at Birmingham! Once you get the interview invitation from Birmingham, your chances of getting in are very high.

💅 What to do before the interview at Birmingham Medical School?

• read the interview invitation email very carefully, make sure you note down where and when the interview is happening and what you need for the interview
• find and bring your ID to the interview
• increase your confidence and interview knowledge by preparing using  Medfully
• prepare a formal interview outfit in advance, try it on and see if you feel confident and comfortable in it (you can read more about the interview dress code here)
• plan your journey - if you are invited for an in-person interview and have to travel from far away, make sure to arrive in Birmingham a day or two in advance so that you can be fresh on the day of your Birmingham medicine interview

⏳ How long it takes to hear back from Birmingham?

Birmingham usually replies to candidates once all interviews are completed, which is late February / March of the application cycle.

🧠 Birmingham Medicine Interview Questions:

Personal & Ethical Challenges

• A 14-year old boy is rushed into A&E after a car crash. The patient is unconscious and has sustained huge blood loss as a result of the accident. Together with your team, you decide the boy requires an urgent blood transfusion. As you are about to take the boy into the OR, his parents arrive and forbid you to carry on with the blood transfusion on religious grounds. How would you proceed, and what factors should you consider?
• Imagine you are the head of the surgical department in a hospital. There are two patients, A and B, both requiring an urgent liver transplant, but there is only one viable liver. Patient A is a 32-year old social activist, with a drug abuse history. Patient B is a 78-year old woman, who takes care of 3 children, whose parents died in a car accident. How would you allocate the liver and why?
• Approximately 13% of the NHS budget is spent in the last 12 months of patients’ lives and with the ageing population that number is likely to grow in upcoming years. Do you think physician-assisted suicide should be legalised in the UK to reduce the spending on elderly care?
• You are playing basketball in front of your house with a friend. You wanted to pass the ball to them, but they made a dodge and it hit your neighbour's new car instead. As you approach the car you see that the ball caused one of the windows to shatter. You don't know your neighbour very well but heard rumours about him being grumpy and rude. Break the news to your neighbour.
• You are a 3rd-year medical student. Together with a group of your classmates you've been working on a presentation on the impact of different calcium sources on hip fractures in older adults. As you prepare the setup you realise you forgot to save your part of the presentation. In turn, your group's presentation is incomplete. Approach your group leader and discuss the issue with them.
• One of your best friends is hosting her 18th birthday party on Friday evening. It's Thursday evening now. As you advise her on the outfit for tomorrow you realise you are responsible for interviewing with a professor of cardiovascular surgery for members of your medical school's surgical society on Friday at 6 pm. Tell your best friend that you won't be able to attend their party tomorrow.

Motivations For Medicine

• In your personal statement you’ve mentioned that the rapport between doctors and patients really appeals to you and motivates you to pursure medicine. However, as an ICU nurse, I can assure you that the relarionship between nurses and their patients is even stronger, as we get to spend much more time with patients than doctors do. Why did you choose to apply for medicine and not nursing?
• What would you do if you didn’t get in this year?
• Has anyone tried to dissuade you from medicine? If yes, why did you decide to go for it anyways?

Reflection:

• What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
• Why would you make for a good doctor?
• What challenges do medical students typically face and how are you planning to overcome them?

Data Analysis:

• Registering with a free account at medfully.co.uk will give you access to our guide on data-analysis questions (Interview Guide → Miscalleanous → Data Analysis).

Calculations:

• A patient weighing 72kg requires a 75mg dose of Ibunapratosan via an IV drip. You have a 0.1L bag with an Ibunapratosan concentration of 5mg/mL. What volume of fluid from the bag should you give to the patient?
• You went to a local pharmacy to purchase a few drugs for your ill husband. You had to get 3 350ml bottles of syrup, which costs £0.30 per 100ml and 2 packs of pain medication tablets, each containing 3 leaves for £2.50 per leaf. How much did you pay?

🚀  TOP Tip: Have a hard time answering any of the above questions? You’ll find insider tactics to tackle all of the above questions and formulate convincing and structured answers at  Medfully - The Best Medicine Interview Preparation Resource.

Please note that these aren’t questions that have been asked at Birmingham in past years. Publishing such information would be against Birmingham’s policy. The above questions are adjusted for the interview style at Birmingham and are meant to give you a broad sense of the questions you may face. You can find more details about the content of Birmingham medicine interview on their official website .

✅ Birmingham Medical School Interviews: 4 Tips

Don’t Understate The Challenges In Medicine

During the interview, the admissions team at Birmingham will want to see that you have a realistic understanding of what it means to be a doctor. In your answers, make sure to include and appreciate the less glamorous side of medicine too; the physical and emotional day-to-day challenges, long training etc.

At the same time, show that you are not only aware of the challenges, but are keen to apply yourself to them and are resilient enough to persevere.

Train Your Mental Maths:

An MMI station assessing your mathematical abilities has always been a part of the Birmingham medicine MMI. Although the stations are meant to be at “GCSE level and below”, the interview stress or clinical relevance of the questions won’t work in your favour. Therefore, it’s best if you dedicate some time to refresh your mathematical knowledge and do a few exercises, until you feel like such calculations aren’t a challenge to you.

You can find a couple of sample calculation questions in our interview question list , but the UCAT quantitative reasoning questions are also a good practise resource.

Prepare For A Role Play:

Role-plays are practically guaranteed to come up in your medicine interview at Birmingham. Role play stations are some of the most challenging MMI stations, as they require you not only to demonstrate knowledge and insight but also skills and qualities. Not only that, most students find role plays hardest to prepare for.

Make sure you dedicate time to practising role-plays with your friends and family until you get comfortable and confident performing them. Spending a few pounds on a couple sessions with a private tutor, just dedicated to practising role plays, may make a significant difference to your confidence and role-playing abilities.

Know the GMC’s Good Medical Practise Guidelines Inside Out

The NHS Constitution and GMC’s Good Medical Practice are not only a great insight into doctors’ work in the NHS but are also among the pre-interview reading advised by Birmingham.

The NHS Constitution outlines what the patients and staff working in the NHS can expect from the NHS and what the NHS expects in return.

GMC’s Good Medical Practice  sets out guidelines for doctors working in the NHS and will help you understand what it means to be a “good doctor”. These documents aren’t the easiest reads, but they may come in handy for your interviews. Reading them carefully and analytically will certainly help you with answering questions about medical ethics and role play’s at Birmingham and beyond.

🤞 Good luck with preparing for the Birmingham Medicine interview! Fingers crossed!

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Ultimate Guide: Nottingham Medicine Interview | Questions & Tips (2023)

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Birmingham University Medicine Interview Questions

This guide explains Medicine interviews at Birmingham University - including the shortlisting process, interview dates, common interview questions, and tips on how to answer well.

Birmingham Medicine Interviews

• Discover when Birmingham interviews take place
• See the interview format for 2024 entry
• Find out common interview topics
• Get tips to answer Birmingham questions

Jump to Section

• Deciding on Medicine
• Work Experience
• Choosing a Medical School
• Personal Statement
• Online Interviews
• Traditional/Panel
• Role Play Stations
• Professional Judgement Stations
• Communication Stations
• Prioritisation Stations
• Calculation and Data Stations
• PBL Stations
• MMI Interview Questions
• Oxford Medicine Interviews
• Cambridge Medicine Interviews
• When Are Interview Invites Being Sent Out?
• School-by-School Tips
• Interview Tips
• Prepare For Medicine Interviews
• Replay Medicine Interview Webinars
• Interview Questions
• NHS Hot Topics
• Medical Ethics
• Graduate Entry
• Studying Abroad
• Study Medicine Abroad In Europe
• Studying Abroad in the USA
• Study Abroad in Ireland
• Study Medicine In The Caribbean
• Study Abroad in Australia
• Study Abroad in Hong Kong
• How To Survive Your First Year Of Med School
• Science Hot Topics
• Veterinary Medicine
• Allied Health
• Physician Associate
• The NHS Guide
• Parents’ Guide

If you’re preparing for a Birmingham University Medicine interview , check out this guide to the common interview questions you can expect.

Birmingham University Medical Interviews

Medicine interviews for Birmingham University usually take place in January and February. Birmingham anticipates that this will remain the same for 2024 entry too.

To shortlist candidates for interview, all applications are given a score, which is based on GCSEs , UCAT score and contextual factors. The GCSEs considered are Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, Biology and Chemistry (or double sciences) and any two other subjects.

The score assigned for the UCAT  is considered in terms of the decile ranking, with each decile obtaining a different score. Contextual factors are also each allocated a certain number of points.

The three individual scores are added up to give a total score out of 10. As it is the total score that’s considered when deciding which candidates to invite to interview, there are no individual GCSE or UCAT cut-offs.

The inclusion of a contextual element to the score replaces their previous method of assigning 20% of interview places to contextual applicants. The weighting will be: 45% academic, 40% UCAT and 15% contextual.

An in-depth explanation of the selection process can be accessed here .

For international applicants, no score is calculated. Instead, to be shortlisted, applicants must first pass the minimum academic results requirement. Next, students are ranked by UCAT score. The top-scoring students are then invited to interview, based on non-academic qualities from the Personal Statement .

For 2023 entry into the A100 course, there were 2829 applications for 368 places. Of those, there were 1146 interviews and 840 offers were made post-interview.

Birmingham usually sends interview invitations in December and January. They state that ‘there is no advantage to attending an interview early. Everyone has the exact same chance of being successful.’

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How Is Birmingham Interviewing For 2024 Entry?

Birmingham University uses the MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews) format for its Medicine interviews. There are usually 6 or 7 MMI stations, with 8 minutes allotted to each station. It is important to note that two of these minutes are for reading time. The interviews will be held face to face for 2024 entry.

International applicants should also be prepared to attend an interview, though there will be the option of undertaking it online via Zoom. The interview will be adapted to consist of two MMI stations, as well as a calculations assessment on a separate day.

Common Medicine Interview Question Topics At Birmingham Medical School

At Birmingham University, the following topics are typically covered in the Medicine interview questions:

• Critical thinking
• Commitment and insight into Medicine
• Personal and ethical challenges
• Data interpretation
• Role play in a healthcare setting
• Role play in a social setting
• Calculation (computer-based)

Sample questions might include:

• Tell me about a time that something went wrong? How did you deal with it?
• What have you done to show your interest in Medicine?
• When do you think it would be right to break confidentiality as a Doctor?
• What did you learn from your work experience ?
• What would you do if someone was not pulling their weight in a PBL group?
• What are the pros and cons of having health information accessible online?

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Tips For Answering Birmingham Interview Questions

Know which stations to expect

At your Birmingham medical interview, you will face MMI stations covering particular themes, as outlined above. Make sure you arrive knowing what to expect and having practised.

You will need to handle data in the interview. So, an important aspect of your interview preparation should include practising with data, because the University of Birmingham’s website says that you will need to undertake ‘very simple calculations in your head’.

Don’t be caught out on the day with something that you could have easily prepared for!

Keep up-to-date with medical news

Birmingham makes it very clear that it is not possible to ‘revise’ for MMIs. However, you should be able to prepare for your interview by reading about the latest NHS hot topics and issues that appear in the news and media. Discussing and debating them with friends and family is a good way to improve your communication skills for any station!

It is important to remember that you are applying to enter the medical field, in which keeping up-to-date with the latest research will become an important part of your working life! Get into good habits now so that you’ll be able to start your journey of lifelong learning.

Understand what happens after the interview

The decision to make an offer is mainly based on how well you did at interview. If, however, you feel that the interview didn’t go so well, the worst thing that you can do is panic!

Birmingham uses your scores for each station to calculate an average score. This is used to rank everybody. However, what is considered a high score will vary from year to year. If you found one station particularly challenging in your Birmingham interview, you may find that many other candidates did too!

For more tips on how to answer interview questions at your Birmingham Medical School interview, see this blog .

How Are Interviews At Birmingham Assessed?

The decision of an offer will be based on performance at interview and the SJT score from the UCAT. Each MMI station and the SJT score will be equally weighted.

For each individual MMI station, there may be a minimum required score that is set. These must be fulfilled, along with the total score being above the overall cut-off.

No other academic factors will be considered at this stage.

Birmingham anticipates that the majority of decisions will be communicated before March 2024.

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Medicine Personal Statement

Learn how to write a unique and exemplar Medicine Personal Statement today with our award-winning techniques

Receive feedback within 48 hours for your medicine personal statement

Receive personalised analysis within 48 hours

Personal statements for every course

Our team has first-hand experience writing personal statements for a range of courses - including Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine. They know what it takes to write a successful one and will help you tailor yours to the universities you’ve applied for.

In a nutshell...

• PS Analysis within 48h
• Reduce Word Count by 20%

Reviewed by Doctors

• Line-By-Line Feedback
• Ask Unlimited Questions
• Matched to Your Needs

Start your Medic Mind Journey

How it works....

Many candidates miss out on a place at medical school because their medicine personal statement isn’t up to scratch. It’s often hard to know exactly what to write in your medicine personal statement and how to catch interviewers’ attention. Watch this video to see how we can help you.

How Medic Mind’s PS Check works

Many miss out on medical school – because their medicine personal statement isn't up to scratch.

Personal Statement Editing in 60 Seconds

Would you watch rather than read? ? Watch the video ☝️

Your time is valuable. So we’ve summarised it for you!

Personal Statements for every Course

Our team has first-hand experience writing personal statements for a range of courses - including Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine.

How we can help

Response in 48 hours.

Whether it's a first, ninth or final draft, send us your personal statement. You can also tell us if you'd like us to focus on a particular aspect e.g. word count or work experience ?

Our experts will thoroughly read through your medicine personal statement and give you their own analysis of what you have done well and what you can improve on ??‍?

After receiving our feedback, you should feel ready to improve your medicine personal statement. Feel free to send us another draft at this stage! ?

After completing all the improvements, the hard part is over, and you can finally upload your medicine personal statement to UCAS. Ah - What a relief! ?

Line-by-line feedback

Here at Medic Mind, we're extremely meticulous and our team of doctors will review every line of your medicine personal statement and ensure it meets our high standards.

Complete with an analysis summary

As well as line-by-line feedback for your medicine personal statement, we'll give you feedback on how you did in each of the key areas that medical school admission teams are looking for.

Write, revise and repeat

After reading our feedback, make the changes we've suggested and implement them. You're welcome to contact us anytime for further advice and also request another medicine personal statement check!

1-1 sessions with Skype Tutoring

• Discuss & Rewrite LIVE

Before your 1-1 session, your mentor will review your medicine personal statement and make some initial comments to make every minute count ?

You get to speak to your mentor in real-time and allows you to go through your medicine personal statement with on-going feedback ??‍?

After the session, you can continue to edit the medicine personal statement in your own time and message your mentor if you have further questions ?

Let’s work through an example

Reducing word count.

You could make this more concise by shortening the full paragraph (see example at end of document)

Work Experience

There's no link here between your MOOC and Work Experience - It needs to read more as a story here.

Spelling and Grammar

Your spelling and grammar up until this point has been perfect! Don't worry too much about using complex language.

Extra-curriculars

It would be useful here to link this back to medicine and show why this is important to have as a doctor.

Motivation for Medicine

This is a good start! However, you need to show how exactly this sparked your interest for medicine e.g. appreciation for human body.

Language Style

Good use of the active voice but just be careful that your sentences are not longer than 2 sentences.

How can we improve your Personal Statement?

Personal analysis.

Rather than giving you some generic advice, we'll work through what you've written and give bespoke feedback.

Reducing Word Count

The 4,000 word limit can be hard to maintain, but we will make you more concise in your writing.

Improving Language

All our tutors are experienced teachers who have excelled in the exam and implement our proven strategies.

Grammar Checking

Universities will reject a medicine personal statement with poor grammar - we'll make sure you won't.

Your medicine personal statement will be proofed by doctors with insight into what universities are looking for.

1-to-1 Feedback Lessons

You will be mentored throughout to ensure your medicine personal statement is up to scratch.

Our students love us

I'm so thankful for the help Shameena gave! She managed to cut out 1,000 characters from my medicine personal statement! She also gave some great insights into how I could improve.

Thanks to Medic Mind's Personal Statement check I managed to get invited to 4 interviews! They were very quick in their turnaround, and were able to address the areas I needed to edit.

I was surprised by how detailed Medic Mind were in their feedback - they noticed things my head of sixth form didn’t. I liked the fact that I could Skype the tutor and discuss the edits through with her.

I had my medicine personal statement reviewed 4 times by Medic Mind and they went above and beyond what I expected! They are a group of enthusiastic and professional teachers!

October 2019

The feedback they gave was very constructive and helped me cut down words. They took extra care to make sure I understood the feedback they were giving, and implement it effectively.

September 2018

I would highly recommend the Medic Mind medicine personal statement review. They made sure they didn't just rewrite my personal statement but instead gave some real individual feedback!

August 2017

I could not recommend this website more! I bought a medicine personal statement check from many companies but theirs was the best. They also responded within 24h before my UCAS deadline

August 2019

I had a two hour 1-1 session with Alice who was so helpful in cutting down my medicine personal statement. She helped me with my surgical work experience paragraph, which had a few lengthy sentences.

September 2019

The medicine personal statement check happened so quickly - I got it back instantly. I have no complaints at all! Speed was good - I got it back within 2 days. The analysis was detailed and clear to me.

At first I was reluctant as I was skeptical that it was cheaper than most providers. However, I was very happy! My editor, Shameena, spotted grammar mistakes and helped me cut my word count

If it wasn't for Medic Mind, I would never have known how to write a medicine personal statement so well. They helped teach me how to make links between my work experience and my skills.

Our packages

All our packages come with feedback on grammar, structure and content. Your personal statement will be reviewed by a current doctor. Rest assured, whichever package you purchase you are guaranteed your medicine personal statement back within 48 hours or your money back.

• 1 Personal Statement Check
• Expert Feedback in 48h
• PS Online Course
• Live PS Bootcamps
• Oxbridge, GEM, Normal
• 2 x 1-1 Lessons with PS Specialist
• 2 Personal Statement Checks

TheBootcamp

Our proven 4-step method.

Step 1

Send us your medicine personal statement ?

Whether it’s a first, ninth or final draft, send us your personal statement. You can also tell us if you’d like us to focus on a particular aspect e.g. word count or work experience

Step 2

We’ll analyse your medicine personal statement ??‍?

Our experts will thoroughly read through your medicine personal statement and give you their own analysis of what you have done well and what you can improve on

Step 3

Write, Revise & Repeat ?

After receiving our feedback, you should feel ready to improve your medicine personal statement. Feel free to send us another draft at this stage!

Step 4

Submit and Relax ?

After completing all the improvements, the hard part is over, and you can finally upload your medicine personal statement to UCAS. Ah – What a relief!

Talk to us within 21 seconds

The best time to start your tutoring journey is today! Speak to our tutors for answers to any questions you have.

Still got questions? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

→how long has medic mind been running.

Medic Mind first launched in July 2017 with a small team of 5 tutors and 30 1-1 Tutoring Clients. Since then it has rapidly grown to a team of 100+ Tutors and over 500+ 1-1 Tutors a Year! In this time, the company has overseen the development of sister courses such as Dentist Mind, Study Mind with Vet Mind and others to come in the future!

→I need my medicine personal statement check back by 24 hours can you help?

Yes of course! We run an express service on request so when you e-mail us your medicine personal statement let us know you'd like it faster and also the reason for it and we'll certainly cater to you.

→Can I request you to write my medicine personal statement?

Unfortunately not, no. As current and future doctors, it goes against our ethical code to do this so if we are requested to do this for your medicine personal statement, we'll have to politely decline.

→Will my medicine personal statement be secure?

Absolutely. The only people that will see your medicine personal statement will be the checkers - All your data will be encrypted and is protected by our privacy policy.

→I'm worried about the word count for my medicine personal statement - can you help?

Of course we can - Just let us know that you'd like to cut down the word count for your medicine personal statement and we'll happily oblige.

→I'm an international student - I'm worried my English isn't good enough for the medicine personal statement.

Not to worry - we'll provide you a special service to ensure that your medicine personal statement meets the English standards required by medical schools.

→What should I include in my medicine personal statement?

Your medicine personal statement should include information about your academic achievements, relevant work experience, extracurricular activities, personal qualities, and motivations for studying medicine. It should also demonstrate your interest and commitment to the field of medicine.

→How can I make my medicine personal statement stand out?

To make your medicine personal statement stand out, you should focus on highlighting your unique qualities and experiences. You can also demonstrate your knowledge of the medical profession, your interest in research, and your commitment to serving others. Using specific examples and evidence to support your statements can also make your personal statement more compelling.

→Why is a medicine personal statement important?

A medicine personal statement is important because it allows medical schools to assess a candidate's suitability for studying medicine. It provides insights into a candidate's motivation, skills, and experience and helps admissions tutors make informed decisions about their application.

Didn’t find the answer you’re looking for? Feel free to contact us directly

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