The List

    Olympiads
  • BMO1, Merit
  • SMC, Gold
  • Intermediate Bio Olympiad, Gold
  • C3L6, Silver
    Subject-related Experience
  • 4 months of weekly volunteering at care home with dementia patients
  • 2 weeks in Cardiology Department
    • Shadowed a variety of members in the MDT
    • Learnt about cardioversions, stent insertion etc.
  • Read books including: This is Going to Hurt, Duty of Care, and Preventable
    • Included the second book in my personal statement
    • Linked it with my EPQ and my interest in infectious diseases
    Leadership and Experience
  • Lead Editor of my college's medical publication
    • Started a student-run publication for articles around medicine and biology
    • Formed a team of writers and oversaw article submissions
    • Designed and edited all aspects of the publication
  • Leader and Founder of Maths Club
    • Created and taught a curriculum for mathematically able students applying to university
  • SATs and GCSE Tutor
    • Totalled 100+ hours of tutoring students
    Activities not included in my application
  • Former Leader of Chess Club
    • Hosted chess events during Year 12
  • Member of student executive
    • Interviewed potential employees at my college
  • ObserveGP online
  • Plymouth Peninsula Pathways

The List, Explained

Yes, these are all the activities I did for my application. I got into no summer schools, won no essay awards, or excelled in sport or music. So what gives? Well, what universities really want is to see your passion for your subject and your academic potential. You can see several examples of these above.

The Olympiads I participated in above were able to demonstrate aptitude beyond the usual A-Level syllabus. In truth, I have only had previous experience with math olympiads. I did not revise for the biology or chemistry olympiads. While olympiads are a great way to show off your academic potential, there are other ways you could show your academic potential off. For example, by participating in essay competitions or writing for your subject, as I have done by editing my college's medical publication.

The rest of the experiences I included in my personal statement revolved around my passion for the subject. I integrated the medicine-related experiences I had such as volunteering at the care home and shadowing doctors at the cardiology department, while giving my observations such as how teamwork was consistently shown throughout my experiences. I then linked this on to my own experiences and how I built my teamwork skills through activities such as the medical publication.

I also included a specific interest in the course I am applying by mentioning that I read specific books, Duty of Care and Preventable. I explained how these inspired the writing of my EPQ and the creation of posters centred around infectious diseases. Universities want to see this linking of experiences to actual activities, so make sure it's evident in your personal statement.