OK, well, I've been privileged to read quite a number of PSs now, and I'm thinking it's time to hand down some general pointers. Obviously, everyone's PS will have its unique strengths and weaknesses, but there are some very common problems I'm seeing again and again.
1. So many applicants are answering the unspoken question 'why medicine' by mentioning a brush with healthcare from their own or a relative's past. I have seen everything mentioned from tropical illnesses to an episode of wheezing, and it just ain't selling it to me. Not only is this the worst possible strategy to make your PS stand out (in that everyone is doing it), but it's not as though it answers the 'why medicine' question anyway - there must be far more people who've had a spell of serious (or not so serious) ill-health who did
not feel inspired as a result to train as doctors, that clearly there is more to the story than what is being said. Ask yourself what it was about what happened that resulted in a determination to be a doctor. If it was a realisation that a good doctor displays qualities you recognise in yourself, say so. If it was that you felt you could do a damn sight better, say that instead (but say why!). Ask yourself why you are telling us about your appendectomy, and follow that train of thought until it finally answers the 'why medicine' question. Then put
that in your PS, not your ailments.
2. It's been said a million times before, but I'll say it again. Your work experience is not a list. It's about what you've learned and what you've felt, what you've seen and heard and what it made you think. It's difficult within the word limit to describe both what work experience you've done and how you responded to it, but it's essential to use this paragraph or two to demonstrate your insight into what doctors do, why, how it makes them feel, its limitations, its stresses, its excitements, etc, and why you still feel that there's a good fit between this life and you. That's why you did the work experience, no? Not just so you could list it in your PS. Right?
3. It's a narrative. Your PS is the story of how you come to be a UCAS number on a medical school admissions department's desk. It needs to flow. It needs to be readable. It needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end, and preferably also what Hollywood calls hooks and plot points. It needs to give the reader a flavour of what it's like to be you, who you are, how you feel, why this is right for you, and why you are right for them. Lists of accomplishments are not readable. They do not have hooks. They are dry and boring and will not get you a second reading. I have read so many PSs which are literally a series of disjointed sentences: 'I ran a half marathon this year. I was also a prefect and sports captain. On Wednesdays I helped teach special needs children basket weaving.' The other problem with this approach is that, like (1.) and (2.) above, it is failing to specifically answer the questions we all know medical schools are wanting answers to: can you communicate, can you lead, can you work in a team, can you get along with people from other backgrounds, can you apply yourself, etc. You need to say what you've been doing with yourself, why, and why it's germane, eg, 'For the last year and a half, I have been a literacy volunteer at a local school, supporting children with a history of truancy. This has taught me the value of sustained effort - both on my part and that of others - as well as being personally rewarding. I have built on that understanding my applying myself consistently to my triathlon training, and now represent my county as well as having discovered in it a valuable counterbalance to stress and hard work.' Or something. You get the picture.
4. English! Time to brush up on your tenses, guys, even (or especially) if it's not your first language. 'I did this, I did that' automatically makes your experiences sound like a list. Auxiliary verbs ('I have done this') soften the effect, and make your PS read more smoothly. Yes, I know I'm probably showing my age, but I've read a lot of statements now, and
it does make a difference. And yes, I also know there's a word limit to think of, but you will just have to tighten up your prose to accommodate it! I totally understand how hard this is - I was in your shoes last year.
5. Finally, people, some more general careers advice. Medicine is a personality-driven field. Even post MMC, getting along with people counts, and your career will roll along far more smoothly, and opportunities will come more readily your way, if you treat people nicely. If this seems a little premature, consider how many people on this forum complain about how hard it is to get work experience. The fact is, you can't just fill in a form saying 'I want some work experience' and wait for it to come your way. You need to make your own opportunities, get to know who can help you and persuade them to do so. Afterwards, you thank them, and they say 'any time, in fact, you may want to call my colleague in histopathology and see if he can offer you a week of the same', and suddenly you have yourself an opportunity to get to know someone who can offer you some lab work in the future. With me so far? I've gotta say, I've looked at something approaching 2 dozen of these statements over the summer, and I've had precisely ONE thank you afterwards (you know who you are!).
This is no way to approach a career in medicine. More than any of the other sins mentioned above, you all need to develop a more advanced portfolio of interpersonal skills if you're going to succeed - don't forget that the statement is followed by the interview!
OK, this has turned into a bit of a rant! I hope the above is useful to some of you, not least because I doubt I'll have time to comment personally on many more. I wish you all luck, and if I can offer one more tired old piece of advice, it would be to try and enjoy the application cycle. Idiotic as this sounds, the anticipation of sending your form off, waiting to get acknowledgements and invitations to interview, checking in here to see what anyone else has heard, etc, is all very exciting! I almost feel sad I got in first time and won't be doing it again. No, really! The cycle will be over before you know it. If you have a place, you'll wish you hadn't wasted so much energy fretting, and if you don't, well, the fretting won't really have helped much. In the meantime, there's work to be done. Don't spend too much time here!
I should end by saying that I'll be in touch very shortly with those of you whose PSs are in my inbox.
