What do I put in my personal statement?

The main focus of your personal statement is to sell yourself to universities receiving thousands of applications to show them that you deserve a place in their course, whilst trying not to sound too arrogant and maintain a certain level of humility. The advice that has proven most effective to former mentees, as well as the technique I used myself in my application, has been to prove your ability through your experience. The first step is to identify exactly what qualities medical schools are looking for in prospective doctors, and therefore it naturally follows that these should be qualities you look for in a good doctor. This gives you a starting point, from which you can begin to talk about your own experiences showing these skills. Universities have so many personal statements boasting about their authors’ skills in different areas, but with no evidence of this to follow. By citing your own personal experiences that show your beginnings in forming and honing these qualities, it not only provides some evidence for the staff reading your personal statement, it also provides a solid starting point for some of the typical questions asked at interview, allowing you to form a well rounded and in depth answer that sells you as a potential medical student.