Sample Medical Science Personal Statement
My ambition to study for a degree in the Medical Sciences and to devote my career to healthcare has its primary inspiration in my family circumstances. I have been surrounded by the illness and disability of members of my family from my childhood, and have come to understand very forcibly the human toll imposed by poor health. It is my hope that I shall be able to work in the healthcare service to make a real difference to people’s lives and to help those who are at their most vulnerable physically.
At the same time I have a great interest in human physiology and the workings of the body. I have researched the subject in great detail, investigating the basic functions of the organs, the effects of drugs, including caffeine and alcohol, the peculiar cellular disturbance which becomes cancer, and the principles of immunisation. I have begun to explore how diseases manifest themselves, at the level of cells, tissues and the whole patient, and my strong interest in Chemistry has led me to investigate the biomolecules working in the body. At school I have worked on projects which deal with the cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory and muscular systems. I have a copy of the A.D.A.M Anatomy installed on my computer, which is my constant point of reference, and I make a point of reading medical journals and the “health” sections of the media. I very much hope that a successful completion of my first degree can be a step towards qualifying as a doctor, specializing ultimately in cardiology, and that, in this way, I shall be able to improve the lot of patients who suffer in the way my family members have suffered.
Caring for my parents because of their poor health has meant that I have had to grow up faster than might have been expected, because of the responsibilities I have had to bear. This has also had an impact on my school work, since repeated absences to care for parents meant that I was sometimes unable to achieve the best results in my exams. My grandparents suffered from diabetes, hypertension and angina – classic conditions of the modern world. One of my grandmothers suffered several strokes, and later developed dementia, and I spent much time caring for her in the last two years of her life. For five years I have been the main carer for my parents. My father had a serious heart attack two years ago and my mother has been badly disabled by depression and anxiety after the death of her mother. I have worked endlessly to get her out of bed and mobile again. It is small wonder, then, that my career ambitions focus on the importance of helping people.
Work experience has given substance to my interests. I work at my GP surgery during vacations, sitting in on consultations and accompanying the doctor on home visits, which has taught me much about the doctor’s life and duties, about medication, and about how people cope with illness. I have also worked as a volunteer at my local pharmacy, observing the pharmacist’s duties and asking many questions about how drugs work and are formulated, and in this way gaining deeper insight into physiology and biochemistry. I have attended medical lectures at Edinburgh University, and also a laparoscopy event, where I was able to try the intriguing simulator. I attended first aid classes for several years and gained various certificates and badges, again learning a lot about the body and its vulnerability.
At school I have held several posts of responsibility. I am a reading club tutor, helping younger pupils who have difficulties with reading, and I am a “buddy” to S1 students, guiding and advising them where necessary. I work hard and maintain a positive attitude to everything I undertake to do. I am persistent and determined, and have a mature sense of my responsibility to other people, the product of my support for my parents. My commitment to my ambition is total, and I believe I have the necessary qualities to become a very successful undergraduate.
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