Sunday 17 March 2013

What is enough?

I think this is a question many to-be applicants would have with regards to their application and my answer to that ,really, would be : enough to fill your personal statement up.

This does not mean that you LIST what you did. NO.

The key to a good personal statement , in my opinion, is to SHOW not TELL .
For example , you were part of a team.
Telling would be something like this:
In my high school, I was a member of my school's basketball team. From my experience with working with my team, I have gained communication skills which , I feel, is one of the most important aspects of a good leader.
Showing , on the other hand, would be like this :
I enjoyed being an active member of my high school's basketball team . By often playing the role of a mediator between members with different personalities I have come to appreciate the differences between members of a team and learn to create a sense of unity between members.

By showing , you are telling a story of an aspect of your experience and hence giving insight into your personality and thoughts.

So, back to the main question, what is enough?

As long as you have experiences where you are able to show that you have qualities that a doctor would need , you would be alright , the most important thing is bringing it across effectively to the admissions tutor.
Here are some ideas for qualities that you may have picked up though extracurricular activities that you may want to include in your personal statement :
Teamwork
Leadership
Empathy
Ability to cope with stress
Perseverance
Wide range of interests
Good time management
Good organisation
Responsible

The list is endless , really, you just really have to reflect on everything you've done since high school and then try to think back on activities you did that brought out the best in you.

For work experience, aspects that you could have learnt that you may want to bring across in your PS could possibly be:
Teamwork in a multidisciplinary team
Role of a doctor
Difficulties involved in the career
Aspects of the career that appeals to you
Ethics

Everything really depends a lot on what you see while you are at your work experience. For example, if you worked as a receptionist for a GP, then you may often have encountered anxious patients , you can then perhaps talk about how you've seen the doctor(s) have the ability to calm them down and provide them with reassurance .

In conclusion, you do not need to go on a month worth of work experience , neither do you need to achieve gold DofE, all you just need is a good brain and good reflection of what you have done and learnt. You do not need to safe a person's life or anything dramatic, just show that you are able to learn from what you've been shown/observed and that it enough. Do not feel intimidated by the long list of things that others may have done (especially those on TSR!) have faith in yourself , your passion will definitely be conveyed to the admissions tutor!

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