Medicine Personal Statements: A Complete Guide

Getting your medicine personal statement right is often overlooked by medical school applicants. UCAT preparation can devour lots of time and energy – and for good reason – but writing a compelling statement can still give your application an edge at many medical schools.

This guide will break down what top universities are looking for in a medicine personal statement. It’s fully updated for the latest UCAS changes and new three-question format. We’ll distil what admissions tutors actually want to see, and show you how to map your experiences to the new UCAS questions confidently.

From statement structure to opening lines that will draw the reader in (without lapsing into cliché), and what you must include and what you can afford to leave off, we’ll help you craft a standout medicine personal statement. Plus we’ll address what many applicants want to know – will my chosen medical schools actually read my statement at all?

How to write a medicine personal statement

Admissions teams are looking for evidence of authentic motivation to study medicine, academic readiness for the demands of the curriculum, and proof that you have practical experience of what a career in the field involves. Your job is to show clear reasoning for pursuing medicine, connect your studies and experiences to the skills doctors use, and reflect thoughtfully on what you’ve learned.

Active reflection matters much more than reeling off a list of books you’ve read or work placements you’ve done. Always remember to add a sentence on what anything you have done to prepare for your medicine degree has taught you.

Medicine personal statement structure

For 2026 entry, UCAS asks you to respond to structured prompts rather than submit a single free-form essay. For each of the questions, the same rules apply: write in clear, concise paragraphs, provide evidence and analyse it, and end each section with a crisp reflection.

Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Admissions tutors want to see a reasoned motivation for studying medicine, grounded in exposure to the field and careful self-reflection.

What to cover
Explain the spark (what prompted your interest), the substance (what you did next), and the insight (how those experiences confirmed your choice and what you understand about the realities of medicine).

Avoid generic claims that you’ve always wanted to be a doctor, ever since you were six months old. It’s a massive cliché, is unsubstantiated, and does nothing to show that you have a mature, reasoned motivation for applying to medical school.

How to show it
1. Use a mini anecdote based on your work experience or super-curricular academic exploration of medicine.

2. Reflect on what this experience taught you

3. Link your reflection explicitly to your motivation to study medicine.

Example
“During a community clinic session, I watched a GP balance a complex medication review with the patient’s concerns about caring for her father. Observing how clinical reasoning and communication came together showed me medicine is as much about problem-solving with people as it is about science. This blend of analytical work and service firmly shaped my decision to study medicine.”

Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Show how your academic work has built the habits doctors use: scientific reasoning, data interpretation, precision, resilience, and curiosity.

What to cover
Highlight specific, relevant topics that you’ve studied at A Level or equivalent (e.g., immunology, enzymes, statistics) or practical skills that you’ve gained in your studies – and how you gained them (experimental design, evaluation, error analysis). Our guide to what A Levels are best for medicine contains more advice on selecting your subjects.

Competitive medical schools will also want to see that you’ve stretched yourself beyond the school curriculum and your medicine personal statement is the perfect place to show this. If you’ve done a relevant EPQ, competed in science Olympiads, conducted super-curricular reading or attended lectures, mention them here. And remember not just to list them – reflect, reflect, reflect!

How to show it
Use the ABC method: Action (what you studied/did), Benefit (the skill gained), Course link (why it helps in medicine).

Example
“Designing my EPQ on antimicrobial resistance taught me to evaluate conflicting studies and weigh evidence quality. This strengthened my critical appraisal skills – essential for interpreting research and applying evidence-based practice in medicine.”

Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Medical work experience, volunteering, part-time jobs and caregiving can all be relevant here – but the key is to reflect on your experience and what is has taught you, not just list a series of placements.

What to cover
Patient-facing or people-centred roles (care homes, hospices, charities, sports coaching, tutoring), shadowing clinicians, MDT exposure, teamwork and leadership, resilience, and insight into the challenges of healthcare (limits, uncertainty, ethical tensions, safeguarding, consent, confidentiality).

How to show it
Use STARR: Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection. Always end with “So what?” – how it will shape your behaviour as a medical student.

Example
“While volunteering at a care home, I supported residents with dementia at mealtimes. To provide adequate care and make myself understood, I needed to slow my speech down, provide the patients with simple choices, and validate their feelings. This developed trust between us and improved outcomes, such as the number of patients who finished their meal. I learned that patience and adapting your communication style according to your patient’s needs are crucial for delivering high quality care. These are skills I would carry into clinical interactions.”

How to start a medicine personal statement

Many students agonise over how to begin their medicine personal statement. In truth, the new format has taken some of the pressure off the opening sentence but drawing the reader in with evidence of your experience and motivation can still pay dividends.

We recommend that you begin with a specific insight that sets the tone you will follow throughout your statement. Ground it in an interesting experience or impressive piece of academic work.

Steer clear of asserting that your whole life has been leading up to becoming a doctor or making grand, sweeping claims about medicine as a whole. The statement is personal for a reason – it’s a chance for you to show your authentic self, qualities, and motivation for a medicine degree.

Strong openings

“In the fracture clinic, I observed a patient with a distal radius fracture mentioning new tingling in the thumb and index finger. The registrar loosened the cast, rechecked capillary refill and sensation, and switched the plan from routine follow-up to an urgent median-nerve review. Watching a single detail from the history reshape management showed me how listening directs care as much as tests – and it’s a habit I want to develop.”

“For my EPQ on antimicrobial resistance, I analysed UKHSA ESPAUR tables on E. coli urinary isolates (2015–2023) alongside local antibiotic prescribing rates. The trend changed depending on whether I used items per 1,000 STAR-PUs or defined daily doses per capita. Evidence rarely points one way; medicine asks you to make measured choices under uncertainty, with the patient at the centre.”

Avoid
“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was little…”, famous quotations, or dramatic claims you can’t back up.

A simple formula:

1. Anecdote (1–2 lines)
2. Insight (what it showed you)
3. Link (why this leads you to medicine).

What to include in your statement

Academic preparation

• Specific areas of your A Level or equivalent syllabus
• Practicals you’ve completed as part of your schoolwork
• EPQ or other supercurricular projects
• Wider reading or lectures you’ve attended around medicine as an academic or practical discipline

Make sure you reflect on what you learned from each of these areas – and draw a clear link to how it prepares or motivates you for a medicine degree.

Clinical and caring exposure

Any relevant experience can be included – our guide to finding medical work experience contains an in-depth look at the types of experience you should aim for and how to apply.

Briefly outline what you did, then focus on what you learned.

Communication and teamwork

Examples from your medical work experience are ideal, but if not enough strong ones come to mind, these skills can be learned in a range of contexts. Teaching a junior sports team, chairing the debating society, or delivering customer service under pressure – all these can demonstrate communication and teamwork.

Resilience and hard work

Explain how you handle setbacks and maintain balance. Again, evidence in a medical context is best, but you could also draw on examples from elsewhere in your life – working part-time whilst achieving straight 9s at GCSE or volunteering for a charity every weekend for a year can demonstrate these skills.

Ethics and professionalism

This will absolutely be tested in your medicine interview, but you can get off on the right foot by demonstrating your awareness of ethical problems and professional standards in the field in your medicine personal statement, too.

Examples from your work experience can show your knowledge of professional boundaries, contemporary ethical debates in the profession, or the importance of punctuality, confidentiality, and accountability. Refer to NHS and GMC principles in plain language without name-dropping.

Informed commitment

Here, there’s absolutely no substitute for drawing on your relevant work experience. Medical schools want to see evidence in your personal statement that you understand the demands of a career as a doctor.

That might mean the extensive learning and training pathway you have ahead of you, the nature of long hours and shift work, the need for continuous professional development, or the realities of dealing with distressing scenarios or complex dilemmas….and at the end of it all – you’re still motivated to pursue this degree.

What to leave out

Steer clear of these in your medicine personal statement. At best, you’ll have admissions tutors rolling their eyes, and at worst, they’ll question your suitability for the profession.

Clichés and unsubstantiated claims

Anyone can claim to be passionate or to love medicine. Don’t just assert these things – show them instead using clear, compelling examples.

Activity lists without reflection

Mentioning three experiences and exploring in detail what they taught you will beat listing ten placements which you fail to reflect on.

Graphic clinical detail or patient identifiers

Maintain the dignity and confidentiality of any patients you might have encountered in your work experience.

Name-checking universities or tailoring to one

Your medicine personal statement goes to all four of your UCAS choices, so what you write needs to be relevant for all of them.

Humour, slang, or over-dramatic narratives

Keep your tone professional and academic. That’s what medical schools are looking for in your statement, after all.

Plagiarism and AI-generated text

UCAS screens personal statements for similarity and AI-generated content could get flagged. If you want to use AI, do so only to brainstorm – the thinking and wording must be yours.

Over-explaining school curriculum

Admissions tutors already know the syllabus and your predicted or achieved grades will be the evidence that you do, too. When you mention your A Level or equivalent studies, focus on the skills and knowledge you have gained that’s relevant for a medicine degree.

How do medical schools use personal statements?

Understanding how each university uses a medicine personal statement will help you not only with your statement but also with your other aspects of your application, like interview preparation.

Broadly, medical schools do one or more of five things with your personal statement:

1. They don’t use it at all
2. They read it but don’t assess it
3. They use it to shortlist applicants for interview
4. They use it as a basis for interview questions
5. They use it as a tie-breaker between otherwise equal candidates.

Always check each school’s most recent admissions page before you apply.

Which medical schools look at your personal statement?

These medical schools use the personal statement in some way – for shortlisting, interview discussion, or as a tie-breaker.

University	How they use the medicine personal statement
Aberdeen	Reviewed prior to interview invites; if invited, assessed during the interview.
Anglia Ruskin	Not directly used to select – but expect to discuss aspects of it at MMIs.
Aston	Not scored, but read alongside referee comments and taken into consideration.
Birmingham	Considered alongside other information before and after interview.
Bristol	Not weighted in selection; may be used to differentiate between identical interview scores (UCAT is the primary tie-breaker).
Brunel	Selection panel reviews the statement and reference when shortlisting for interview.
Buckingham	Reflections in the OSS Examination may include experiences described in your statement.
Cambridge	May form the basis of discussion at interview.
Cardiff	After academic cut-off, non-academic criteria from the statement and reference are considered.
Edge Hill	Not routinely used for selection – can be used to differentiate between tied candidates.
Edinburgh	Not formally assessed, but helpful preparation; expect it to be referred to on Assessment Day.
Exeter	Likely to be referred to at interview.
Glasgow	All aspects of the UCAS form (including statement and reference) are considered in screening.
Hull York	Not scored, but read; may be considered for borderline decisions and is good interview prep.
Imperial	UCAS application is reviewed at interview and may include your statement.
Keele	Not used to rank; one MMI station discusses relevant experiences and can draw on your statement.
King’s College London	Used alongside grades, UCAT and reference to shortlist for interview.
Leeds	Not formally scored; some MMI stations explore content from the statement.
Leicester	Not routinely read, but can be used in borderline or tie-breaker situations.
Norwich (UEA)	Not scored; used within the interview process (not for screening).
Nottingham (incl. Lincoln pathway)	Reviewed after interview (not scored) to ensure information is satisfactory.
Oxford	Likely to be discussed by tutors during interview.
Queen’s University Belfast	Not scored in selection; considered within MMIs to test non-cognitive competencies.
Sheffield	Not normally read/scored for selection; commonly explored during MMIs.
Southampton	Used as part of the Selection Day.
St Andrews	Selection assesses all application elements, including statement, reference and UCAT.
St George’s	Read but not formally assessed and not used to determine interview invitations.
Swansea	Considered and discussed during interview.
UCLan	Statement and reference are evaluated and scored to determine interview offers.
Warwick (Graduate Entry)	Does not form a central part of selection, but may be considered within a holistic review.

Tip: If your target medical schools use the statement at interview, make sure you write it with discussion in mind. Be prepared for anything you say to be explored or questioned. Taking detailed notes on any books, lectures, or experiences you refer to and reviewing these before interview will help you prepare. Re-read your statement before your interviews to remind yourself of its contents.

Which medical schools don’t look at your personal statement?

These schools state that they do not use the personal statement in selection (and, where specified, don’t discuss it at interview either).

University	What they say about the statement
Brighton and Sussex	Not used at any point during the admissions process.
Newcastle	Selectors will not have access to the statement (or reference) prior to and during interview.
Sunderland	Will not use the personal statement as a means of assessing your application.
Barts (Queen Mary)	Not used to reach interview and not part of interview scoring.
UCL	Not used as part of the selection procedure (they state selection is based on test scores instead).

Medicine personal statement examples

We’ve given some brief examples of paragraphs you might write in your personal statement already. But for complete statements to read and learn from, explore our full  medicine personal statement examples:

Example 1 – Successful for UCL, Imperial, KCL, and Queen Mary

Example 2 – Successful for Bristol and Plymouth, and invited to interview at Cambridge

Example 3 – Successful for Edinburgh, Newcastle, Imperial, and Dundee

Example 4 – Successful for KCL, Bristol, Sheffield, and Newcastle

Example 5 – Successful for Imperial, Manchester, and Birmingham

Example 6 – Invited for interview at KCL, Exeter, and Queen Mary; subsequently successful for Graduate-Entry Medicine at KCL

How Dukes Plus can help

Want expert, personal support with your statement? We can help.

Dukes Plus offers in-depth personal statement reviews for medical school applicants. Choose to have your statement reviewed by a medic or medical school admissions tutor and receive an expert feedback report in just a few days.

We’ll assess your statement against the criteria used by top universities and provide a clear analysis and actionable recommendations to fine-tune it, boosting your chances of admission.