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Year 13 experience

Year 13 experience

My experience of year 13 so far: predicted grades, personal statements and lots of exams.

So this September, we all finally went back to school full time. Who knows how long that will last but so far (touch wood) I have been there every day. It’s been a crazy few weeks so I thought I would share my experience with you for entertainment or for any other year 13s- you’re not alone!

The first challenge this academic year has presented is obvious in these times: safety or lack thereof. Having spent the past few months shielding, this was incredibly overwhelming to deal with and I even considered moving school (I’m now very glad I stayed). I am not going to bore you with the details since most of you will probably have experienced the same lack of social distancing etc. To overcome this, I faced another challenge: finding the courage to be different which is harder than I’d like to admit. For me this meant being the only one wearing a mask in lessons, the one who stays away from others and at the start of the year, the one who had to have awkward conversations asking to sit on my own. Reflecting on this, I have realised having the ability to do things differently is a good skill to develop and applies to so many things, like saying no to an event because you need to study (I’m still not perfect at this one though!).

The next challenge medical applicants (and all early entry applicants) are facing is the looming October 15th UCAS deadline. Suddenly the deadline seems to be upon us so I have spent lots of the last week changing my personal statement and overthinking incredibly minor details. I even had to start my personal statement again because my drafts were simply too long. I’m happy to say that I have finally submitted my application so I won’t be spending any more time questioning one word in a sentence. Trying to get my personal statement in the UCAS box was another big challenge. Despite being under the character limit on google docs, according to UCAS I was still over. I was very proud of myself when I managed to cut it down and then it told me I was 3 lines over the line limit. 3 lines! In the end, I took out the empty lines between paragraphs in the main body and it was all okay, if a little chunky looking. But be warned, just because a word processor is happy, it doesn’t mean UCAS will be. However, despite being challenging, you can make it work (even if you spend some of the time wanting to throw your laptop at the wall). I’d really recommend starting to fill in the UCAS form now if you haven’t started yet because it takes longer than you think.

The final challenge so far has been having exams with not much notice to decide our predicted grades. Due to missing so much of year 12, many of us haven’t been able to have mock exams in the summer, which would have been a big deciding factor for our predicted grades. This meant my school still needed that data so we needed to sit exams, quickly. So, a couple of weeks ago, I spent all of my free periods but one doing exams whilst still trying to do all of my work for lessons. It was a hard week which I was very glad to see the back of but it has made me very grateful for free periods! I hated not having the time to prepare as much as I would have liked. I’ve also got more exams next week so yay for me.

Overall, despite quite a lot of work, I have really enjoyed year 13 so far. I am liking having a routine again and content taught again. I hope everyone else is finding this year ok too. What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Written by Aimear Wolstenholme (student who has engaged with Medsimple programmes)

UCAT: what to expect on test day and how to prepare the night before

UCAT: what to expect on test day and how to prepare the night before

I sat the UCAT last week and it was definitely different to what I expected so I thought I’d write a blog post on my own experience to help out anyone who has the UCAT coming up.

So after much deliberation, I decided to sit the UCAT in a test centre rather than at home. This was mainly because of tech issues which made the test centre the better choice for me. My UCAT was at 9am in a town about 40 minutes away from my house.

The first thing I’d recommend, especially if you have the exam in the morning, is to get everything ready the night before. Read through the guide from the UCAT website, make sure you’ve got your ID, your confirmation email and you know where you’re going. I sent myself a text with the location of the test centre and also checked it out on google maps. Make sure you know how long the journey could take (allowing for traffic) so you leave in plenty of time and if you’re getting a lift, it’s always a good idea to keep the person giving you a lift in the loop. I probably over prepared the night before (I even chose my outfit!) but it meant I knew that I had everything I needed. I’d also recommend watching UCAT’s own video about test day as this helped me understand what to expect.

The next thing that’s really important the night before the UCAT is to get enough sleep. For me this was easier said than done so I went to bed earlier than usual to allow for nerves. Late night revision before an exam never helps me- it’s almost always better to sleep. I also made sure to set an alarm to give me enough time to get ready and to stop me fretting that I wouldn’t get up. Honestly, being well rested is so helpful on test day.

Another thing to be prepared for on test day and the night before is nerves. I don’t think you can completely eliminate this but it’s important not to let things get out of hand. To try and keep nerves to a minimum, I did a short meditation when I woke up on UCAT day to start my day well. Knowing I had everything prepared also helped with nerves. On the day, I tried to engage with normal conversation and stay out of my head. Positive self talk and your mindset are also really important. I tried to tell myself that I was capable of doing well and also reminded myself that this wasn’t the most important thing in the world. There are still options if you don’t do as well as you’d like. However it’s not always possible to ‘stop’ anxiety or nerves and sometimes the best thing to do is accept that you’re feeling that way and try not to fixate on the feeling. Stressing about stressing isn’t going to help anyone.

Ok so now you are mentally prepared and have everything you need ready, what is the actual test like? The UCAT test centres are actually driving theory test centres (along with other online tests) so it’s very likely that there will be people sitting other tests. When I got there, I didn’t have to wait too long. You have to show that your phone is off and they will check you in. You sign to say you understand the rules and have your photo taken. You get a locker to put your stuff in. I’d definitely recommend going to the toilet before checking in as the process is quite fast and it’s best to avoid leaving the test room during the exam. I expected to be in a room of people sitting the UCAT, but I was actually the only one there who sat that test. This did mean that there were people coming in and out but it wasn’t too distracting. I sat in a small booth where I couldn’t see the people around me. The person who checked me in cleaned down my booth and the equipment I was using which gave me a great peace of mind. I was given two whiteboard booklets (basically A4 laminated sheets) and two pens although one was more than enough for me. When you sit down, the start screen is already up. It wasn’t like a normal exam where you sit down and then someone tells you to begin.

During the test itself, of course you have to wear a mask. I quite liked this as it meant I could mouth the words to myself (which seems to help me for some reason). I wear glasses but was able to stop them steaming up by putting the mask under the nose pads. The computer itself was quite old but that didn’t cause much of a problem. The questions took slightly longer to load than on my laptop but it didn’t cause any timing issues. Afterwards, you get your results instantly so there’s no waiting around.

It was definitely different to what I expected but honestly, despite being a fairly demanding exam, as long as you’re prepared and on time, it was quite chilled. I was personally relieved to be the only one doing the UCAT. This means there’s no competition or comparison which I personally really liked. The experience wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and the relief I felt to have it over with was so nice.

Good luck to anyone sitting the UCAT. You will be awesome- please try not to stress out too much and prioritise looking after yourself. I didn’t spend hours a day working in the days leading up to the exam- just a few mocks and then specific work on my personal targets and consolidating my strategy for each section. I’m so glad that I found time to relax too and I think it helped on test day.

You’ve got this!

Written by Aimear Wolstenholme (student who has engaged with Medsimple programmes)

Self care. What is it and why is it important?

Self care. What is it and why is it important?

Some days doing anything but work seems counterproductive, destructive even. What if I fail that test? What if I slow down my progress? What if I don’t get into medical school? Too often I am able to convince myself that I don’t have time to look after myself. I might be the only one but something tells me that I’m not alone, not even close.

I get it. As an aspiring medic and someone who just wants to make the most of my life, it can feel like I shouldn’t do anything but work on some goal or another. Feeling guilty for watching Netflix or fretting about a day trip are worries I have experienced many times. For a long time, I bought into a toxic productivity culture, where how much I got done somehow determined my worth as a person. Slowly but surely I’m realising how damaging this mindset and culture can be and learning to actually look after myself. I am choosing not to be driven by a fear of failure but instead by passion and a love for the process. I am learning to love the experiment that is our lives and let go of being perfect all of the time. Hopefully by sharing my journey, it might help someone else just a little.

So personally I have been interested in health for a pretty long time. It was what originally drew me to medicine. I am fascinated by lifestyle medicine and the power of what we eat and how we treat our bodies. Although I have always been pretty active and tried to eat well, I don’t think I’d truly considered, explored and utilised the benefits of self care. In my case, I am very good at convincing myself that I don’t have time to look after myself. Slowly but surely I am trying to shift that mindset. I am far from perfect but thought I would share what helps me.

So what is self care and why is it important? Quite simply, self care is just looking after ourselves and not just looking after our bodies but also our minds (although they are very much connected and many self care activities take care of both.) Specific activities vary from person to person and it takes experimentation to figure out what makes you feel good. We have to remember that self care is about caring for ourselves so we need to make sure it’s not becoming another thing we have to be perfect at. By all means, these activities should be a priority, but not another task that we feel guilty for not ticking off. For example, if you decide to do running, you don’t need to run every day no matter what or be the fastest runner. Pushing ourselves too hard can cause more problems which defeats the object of looking after ourselves. Why is it important? Personally for me, I try to focus on my well-being to preserve my mental health, increase mental clarity and also stay reasonably healthy but it can also aid our productivity. We can’t work 24/7. Taking breaks can help us be more efficient when we are working and more importantly, avoid burnout. This is so relevant for aspiring medics right now with plenty of parts of our application to think about, not to mention missing half a year of school.

So now I’ve hopefully convinced you that looking after ourselves and taking breaks is important, it’s probably time to mention some activities that I personally like. The first is pretty obvious and that is physical exercise. This is the one I struggle most to commit to but know how good it makes me feel. A simple YouTube workout in the morning can be a really great start to the day. Before summer, I had a good routine in place where I did a fairly short workout every morning and often did skipping (which is surprisingly tiring!) until I had some knee pain which skipping aggravated (like I said moderation and respecting your body is important). I am currently trying to experiment and build an exercise routine that I actually enjoy which I think is really important but I know that either way, physical activity makes me feel great. On this strain, going for walks can also be really great especially to help reduce feelings of anxiety and clear your head. I have really enjoyed going on more walks during lockdown and have noticed that they naturally calm me down if I’m feeling stressed or anxious. Another thing that can be really helpful is forms of mindfulness (being in the present moment) practice such as yoga and meditation. My new year’s resolution last year was to commit to daily meditation and although it hasn’t eliminated stress from my life, it has given me a tool to help calm myself down, reflect and has also made me more self aware. If you don’t like the sound of the meditation (even though it’s awesome and has an unfair stigma attached), you could try box breathing and practice focusing on your breath.

Journaling is another great tool to reflect, write down any worries and also document all the awesome or not so awesome things happening day to day. Journals are great things to look back on and help us in the present too. Something else that is really beneficial for me is having long conversations with friends, family and even people I don’t know. In lockdown, despite being introverted, I have really realised the importance of connection and have had way more long conversations (on video call) than ever before. For me, one on one interaction is one of the most effective forms of self care and makes me feel really refreshed. OK I’m getting close to the end of this list now don’t worry!

One very underestimated form of self care is literally just doing nothing and actually unwinding. We do need breaks and sometimes a Netflix binge, long bath or just time to do absolutely nothing is exactly what we need. It’s not unproductive, but essential for maintaining productivity long term. I’m not recommending spending all day watching Netflix but it’s OK once in a while and we shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for regularly spending time doing nothing. The final thing I’m going to mention is just spending time doing hobbies and activities you love (at whatever level that makes you happy). This varies wildly from person to person but is an important part of being you and helps to make us well rounded individuals (which medical schools like). For me, this is sitting and playing songs on the guitar. I’m not the best in the world at it and have no goals for it but I enjoy playing and that’s what matters.

I hope you found this post useful in some way and I hope you are finding some time for yourself whilst preparing for the UCAT (and if you’ve already done it I hope it went well). I just wanted to mention that I am not a medical professional nor am I trying to say that these are the only ways to look after our mental and physical health. If you feel like you have a mental or physical health condition then please go to your GP. I don’t want to fuel the stigma surrounding taking drugs for our mental health either. I do believe though that taking time for ourselves can have a really positive impact on our lives and wanted to share some of my experience with others.

Thanks for reading this pretty long post! You’ve got this!

Written by Aimear Wolstenholme (student who has engaged with Medsimple programmes)

What should we do this summer?

What should we do this summer?

After one of the craziest academic years of all time, it is finally the summer holidays. I actually can’t believe I’ve finished year 12- it’s certainly been a very enriching year and I have had so many awesome opportunities and a chance to develop lots of skills outside academia. Since school is finally out (although I haven’t set foot in school since March…), I thought I’d consider the question: what should we be doing this summer to get ready for our medical applications? I am going to talk you through my plans in a bid to give you a bit of inspiration if you’re stuck but please remember that ultimately you can choose what you do this summer. Also, these are just plans so may be a little optimistic!

Other than relaxing of course so I don’t burn out, I have a few main goals for the summer. The first is to revise for and do well in my UCAT. This is going to involve lots of practice questions every day as well as some honing my technique. If you want to read more about my UCAT experience, I made a blog post all about it so have a read of that. Another goal of mine is to revise the content I covered in my A levels this year so I feel fairly confident for year 13. I’ve always been someone who likes to revise little and often, learning as I go, so this approach has helped me in previous years. I also plan on going to more webinars, lectures and other online events to help strengthen my personal statement and have more things to talk about at interview where necessary (also these events are generally just super interesting to go to!). All in all, that makes for a pretty busy summer so how am I making sure that everything gets done?

Quite simply, I am using a weekly planner and have spent some time separating all my tasks out onto each day of the summer. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without my weekly and daily planner- they are literally the holy grail for staying productive! First, I went through and made note of any events I had planned, such as summer school, a holiday and any other random days out I’d planned in advance. This stopped me putting revision days in those slots where I clearly couldn’t study or be productive all day. I also added in any online events I’d signed up to. I have some online lectures planned (Nottingham University is currently hosting a great lecture series if you want a place to start and UCL have started one too) as well as a few webinars and Instagram lives that I want to go to. It’s important to me to jot these things down otherwise I will forget which would be a real shame. I am also a tutor, so I wrote down all my shifts too to help stop me planning to do too much work on some days. Next, it was time to plan the actual work I want to get done this summer. This included my UCAT preparation, school work and anything else I want to read up on or do. I tried to make my plans as specific as possible so instead of just writing UCAT (because I knew already I wanted to prepare for that), I would write UCAT practice paper or question bank or specific videos. This really helps me to focus my time and allows me to be much more efficient. I have done a similar thing with my school work and planned further reading, writing the specific chapter I want to study as well as the study method and the specific topic I want to read around rather than just ‘biology revision’ and ‘further reading’. I have tried to make my plans as realistic as possible too, but I guess I’ll find out how realistic they are when I attempt to follow them. I have also mostly left the weekends blank (except for UCAT) to give me time to switch off and do other things. This also allows me more flexibility to move tasks around if something comes up.

Whilst this summer is a great opportunity for us to work on our medicine application, I think it’s equally important that we find time to relax and do other things besides work in the holidays. Medical schools also value well rounded applicants so our hobbies shouldn’t be pushed aside. I can definitely fall into the trap for feeling guilty when I’m not being productive too but am trying my best to combat this fear of doing nothing. This summer is definitely going to involve lots of playing the guitar, doing yoga, seeing friends (safely of course) and just chilling out (aka netflix). I don’t want to go into year 13 exhausted already, but refreshed and ready.

Ultimately, you can choose how much or little you want to do this summer (although UCAT prep is advisable!) but I definitely think it’s worth some consideration. At least roughly planning our time can really help us to achieve our goals and use our time effectively. I’m going to link some of the events I’m planning on attending below and I’d love to hear about your plans too. Have an amazing summer!

You’ve got this!

Written by Aimear Wolstenholme (student who has engaged with Medsimple programmes)

How social media and networking is aiding my medical application and how it can help yours too

How social media and networking is aiding my medical application and how it can help yours too

So until lockdown, I have mostly used the powers of google and email to find and secure opportunities to aid my medical application and build a healthy CV. To be honest with you, that has been brilliant and my CV and medical application were looking healthy with volunteering, work experience and other opportunities lined up. Then covid happened and I’m honestly so glad (from an opportunities perspective, not the intense suffering and loss felt by so many) that it did. Here’s why.

Has anyone ever told you it’s not what you know but who you know? Well I’ve been told that and as someone with zero medics in the family (or even friends), this seemed a tad unfair. I didn’t consider for a long time that I had any control (or at least very little) over who I knew so the whole process of gaining work experience and opportunities seemed very unfair. To be honest it is easier for some than others to gain work experience but we have more control than we think.

I first properly heard about the idea of networking last summer at a brilliant free event called ‘Empowered by Vee’ in Oxford which is going virtual this year. I had heard about Linkedin before but honestly thought it was just a platform to promote your business and I didn’t have a business so why on earth would I be interested? That day I set up a Linkedin page and hardly used it until lockdown. I have really reaped the benefits ever since I started connecting with people, sharing what I was doing and using the platform to find amazing opportunities which I don’t think I would have found without Linkedin. For example, the opportunity to write on this blog came about through Linkedin and it’s one of many awesome opportunities that I’ve had (and you can secure too!).

So you may be wondering how to start building your own network and finding these opportunities yourself. There are two main things that you need to do. The first is to start sending out connection requests- lots of them! Make these relevant to the career and industry you’re interested in. I searched for medical students, doctors, aspiring medics and people involved in health as an industry. Eventually, Linkedin will start recommending related people to you so it takes a lot less effort to connect with people. Connections don’t appear by magic so you have to seek them out yourself, especially in the beginning. The next step is to update your profile regularly by posting and adding your experiences to it. As well as this, check your feed regularly and engage with posts and opportunities. If you see someone doing something that you’d like to do, either look it up or ask them about it. Scrolling through Linkedin is one of the only times that I don’t feel guilty for scrolling through social media so it’s a win win!

One thing I’ve been really surprised about is how nice people are on Linkedin. (Some people are a bit too nice so watch out for that- I have been asked for my phone number a few times which I won’t give out online). I often get messages offering to answer any questions I might have or offering opportunities. Private messages is where I find a big chunk of opportunities and I would say to really engage with this. Through talking to really lovely professionals and students, I have been able to have some of my questions answered and also secure some brilliant experiences. The amazing thing about Linkedin is that the more you put in, the more you get out so we really do have control over who we know. It might seem a bit slow at the start but stick with it to really unlock the power of networking.

So what have been my takeaways from the past year? I would say my biggest tip is to put yourself out there. When I have left my comfort zone (both in real life and online), some amazing things have happened. For example, I had a great conversation with someone from a CCG on a GP placement and he offered me work experience. I asked for his email and took him on the opportunity despite how nerve wracking it felt at the time. As a result, I had an amazing work experience placement in February which has helped me a lot since. So leave your comfort zone because if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Finally, know that you can seek out opportunities no matter what background you come from. Having to seek out my own opportunities has made me more resilient and more self-motivated. Not every experience works out (look at covid for example) but I am then so much happier when things do.

You’ve got this!

Written by Aimear Wolstenholme (student who has engaged with Medsimple programmes)

UCAT 2020

UCAT 2020. Forget covid. I think for us aspiring medics this has certainly been the topic of the week. Before you read any further, if you’re applying to medicine in October, have you signed up for the UCAT yet? If not, please go and do it right now. I literally booked mine 1 hour after booking opened and places were already very limited. It was really surprising!

I think there are so many questions surrounding the UCAT this year, starting with the obvious: where should we take it? Literally right up until I booked my test, I was adamant I was doing it at home. Living with a clinically extremely vulnerable person made this option feel way less stressful. Going outside seems a little scary right now so as you can imagine sitting in a test centre seemed incredibly daunting, social distancing or no social distancing. I even bought a whiteboard. I was that committed. But when I went to check my laptop things fell apart. Long story short, it didn’t like the tech very much and I didn’t like the thought of everything going wrong and me being able to do nothing about it. So in the end I took a complete U-turn and am now sitting my test at a test centre an hour away. (The closest ones on the dates I wanted had already sold out- please make sure you have booked your test!)

The next big question is when do I sit the UCAT. I can’t give you an answer to this but the general consensus seems to be to do it before September. We don’t need any more added stress in our lives. UCAT themselves favour the idea of sitting the test as early as possible but I guess that depends on how prepared you are. If you haven’t started your prep yet, I would say this isn’t going to be the smartest option. The good news is that you can postpone the test if you don’t feel prepared enough but, so places aren’t wasted, it’s more considerate not to do this or to at least only do it once or twice. I know that it feels better to get a test over and done with although it’s reassuring to know that if I’m really not prepared in time, all isn’t lost. Personally I have decided to take mine near the end of August, which gives me most of summer to prepare. It’s recommended that you leave 4-6 weeks to prepare but the sooner you start preparing the better.

So I guess the most important question is how do we prepare. I’d like to point out that the UCAT isn’t an IQ test, but an aptitude test so revision and practice really does help. There are plenty of free and paid resources out there to help with prep. (If you check out @wearemedics on Instagram, they have shared lots of great resources). My own approach so far and also going forward uses a mixture of free and paid resources. I am also trying to simulate how the test will be to make my revision as effective as it can be (so online not with books). I was fortunate enough to be able to get Medify’s question bank which has been great so far. You don’t have to choose that one of course. Medsimple are launching their own online UCAT course, and plenty of companies are running interactive courses and webinars too.

If you want a chance at winning access to Medsimple’s UCAT online learning platform with 65+ video tutorials and access to Medsimple’s UCAT question bank then have a look at the competition on Instagram. Winners will be announced this Friday (10/7/20). Keep your eyes peeled (and if you want, comment things you’ve found down below so we can all help each other) for free webinars and resources because they are honestly great.

Blog: https://medsimple.co.uk/ucat-competition/

I have been to a few of Meducator’s webinars which have been useful. I also think learning how to answer the questions as well as techniques to aid speed is really important too. This is where guidebooks and youtube videos come in really handy. I personally love Kharma Medic’s playlist on youtube all about the UCAT exam. It’s definitely worth a watch. We can’t forget UCAT’s own website either which has a goldmine of resources! They have tonnes of questions and tutorials to check out and it’s all free!

But what if I haven’t started preparing yet? Honestly, it’s ok. We still have time. I have been struggling to fit in UCAT practice despite being in lockdown so you’re not alone. But I am trying to make it a priority in my day now and slowly ramp up the practice. You’re not alone. None of us are perfect and we will all likely have days where we don’t do as much as we wanted if anything at all. We just have to pick ourselves up and move on. I would say if you haven’t started preparing, now is at least the time to compile your resources and make some sort of plan. Find out what successful candidates did and figure out how you want to approach this to get the best score possible.

We will all get through this. Remember that your mental health is a priority throughout all of this and that you’re not the only one who is finding this a bit difficult.

I’d love to hear from you. When and where are you taking your UCAT? How are you preparing for it?

Hope you’re staying safe and well. You’ve got this!

Written by Aimear Wolstenholme (student who has engaged with Medsimple programmes)

UCAT competition

Calling all aspiring medical students

To celebrate the upcoming launch of our new UCAT platform we have launched a competition!

2 aspiring medics will win full access to our UCAT learning platform till the end of the 2020 UCAT cycle.

Our UCAT online e-learning platform launches mid-July and you will be able to:

Watch 65+ video explanations
Access our question bank
Learn at your own pace

How to enter:
1. Follow us on instagram @medsimplehq
2. Subscribe to our mailing list – www.medsimple.co.uk
3. Tag 2 people in the instagram comments
4. Comment under our ‘Important UCAT annoucement’ instagram post your favourite show

Winners announced 10th July 2020 – feel free to share this exciting opportunity with others!

Medical virtual open days

As a result of the current pandemic, the vast majority of medical schools are holding open days virtually.

Please make a note of these key dates, and on behalf of the Medsimple team, we hope you enjoy your virtual open days.

A special thank you to Rochelle, an aspiring medic who has engaged with Medsimple, for creating the info-graphics.

Anglia Ruskin – 15th July
Aston – 3rd July
Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry – 25th and 26^th June
Birmingham – 26th June
Brunel Uni – 3rd July
Bristol – 26th June
Buckingham – 11th July
Cambridge – 2nd and 3^rd July
Cardiff – 3rd July
Central Lancashire – 5th July
Edge Hill – 18th and 19^th June
Exeter – online open day platform can be explored from 30^th May
Glasgow – see website for details
Hull and York – 11th and 12^th July
Imperial College London – 14th to 18^th July
Keele – 20th June
Kent and Medway – 20^th June
King’s College London – 20th to 25^th July
Lancaster – 27 June and 11^th July
Leeds – TBC
Liverpool – 19th and 20^th June
Newcastle – 26th and 27^th June
Norwich (UEA) – 20^th June
Nottingham-Lincoln – 10th and 11^th July
Oxford – July (date TBC)
Plymouth (Peninsula medical school) – in person open days planned for 26^th September, 7^th and 14^th October and 28^th November
Queen’s University Belfast – 2nd July
Sheffield – 27th June and 11th July
Southampton – 24th June
Sunderland – 15th June and 13^th August
UCL – 29th June to 4^th July
Warwick – TBC but in person open days planned for 10^th and 24^th October

Make sure to follow us on instagram to stay up-to-date with the latest news or you can subscribe to our newsletter

Medicine Personal Statement Advice

Many students dread writing a 4,000-character piece exploring their ‘perfect fit’ for Medicine. In a society, where humility is encouraged, it is rather uncomfortable making bold and boastful claims.

When writing your personal statement, it is important that you explore the following:
1. Your motivation – why Medicine?
a. This question can be rather difficult to answer and requires deep thought
2. Your qualification – what skills do you have that would make you a good doctor?
3. Academia/wider reading
4. Extra-curricular activity

In our personal statement workshop, we explore the elements of story-telling, the importance of showcasing your individuality as well as structure, sentence formulation and tone.

When writing a personal statement, you are essentially telling the reader a story. What impression do you want to leave on the reader? It is important to consider this whilst brainstorming.

Remember, there is no perfect personal statement formulation, you are unique and have unique experiences. When drafting your personal statement, write the paragraphs in an order that flows best with your story.

At Medsimple, we offer personal statement consultations and feedback services and will be more than happy to help you.

Lastly, do not be discouraged, writing a personal statement is hard work and requires constant revision. Trust us when we say this, ‘your first draft and the final draft will be worlds apart and you will be proud of what you send off.’

Good luck from us at Medsimple

Book now

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