cardiff uni personal statement

Admissions information for studying Medicine at Cardiff

Last updated: 18/09/2024
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What must be on my UCAS application?

All applicants must complete all sections of the UCAS application. In addition, a personal statement which includes information supporting suitability for a medical course and an academic reference are essential.

What do I include in a personal statement?

For all applicants, the personal statement should include:

insight into a career in medicine
evidence of experience and reflection in a caring environment
evidence and reflection of personal responsibility
evidence of a balanced approach to life
evidence of self-directed learning

Experience and reflection in a caring environment can be demonstrated by reflecting on any work experience carried out (examples include care homes, helping out with younger pupils in school, helping out with clubs, etc).

The Personal Statement is screened, but not formally scored.

What does the School of Medicine think of a gap year?

We welcome a constructive gap year as it allows you to travel, gain work experience or carry out charity work etc. We recognise that a gap year can broaden your skills and experience. With the cost of living, earning money before university may also be helpful.

How competitive is it to get into Medicine in Cardiff?

The competition has become even more fierce over the past few years. As well as the number of applications going up, the proportion of these applicants with excellent academic results has also increased. Unfortunately, many excellently qualified applicants are rejected because of this competition for a set number of places.

We have had around 4000 applications each year over the last 2 years. We interview 1100 applicants. We have given offers of a place to 600 applicants following the interview this year.

There are around 300 medical school places for Year 1 (including UK and Overseas).

As part of the Selection Process, you would only receive an offer if you have had an interview.

How many overseas places do you have for Medicine?

Like most traditional Medical Schools across the UK, we have a 7.5% cap on overseas places. This means we have around 25 places in year 1.

Are Welsh applicants treated differently to English (rest of UK) applicants?

All Medical Schools across the UK have contextualisation criteria, and the majority include their local areas within this. Given the geography and population of Wales and the under-representation of Welsh students studying in Medical Schools across the UK, Cardiff School of Medicine recognises Welsh-domiciled applicants as one of their contextualised groups.

Further information on Cardiff University’s contextual admissions.

Medical education in Wales is funded by the Welsh Government and the Centre for Medical Education within the School of Medicine recognises the need to ensure that public money in Wales is spent to improve the health of the nation of Wales, in addition to the wider UK.

The School of Medicine has responsibilities regarding widening access to medicine and supporting the diversity of the healthcare workforce, and these are also key considerations in reviewing applications to medical school.

Like all Medical Schools in the UK, the number of medical student placements is capped in line with the funding available.

Why do you treat contextualised applicants differently?

Having a diverse medical student population promotes a holistic empathetic approach to patients, ensures we are selecting doctors representative of the population they will be serving, and are more likely to work in communities similar to those they are from and in specialties that are struggling.

Groups of students who are under-represented at medical school are encouraged to apply. Many groups are under-represented.

How are applications scored?

Applicants are regarded as Welsh-domiciled, Rest of UK-non-contextualised, contextualised Rest of UK, Widening Participation (WP) and overseas.

WP applicants who have taken part in either the Step-Up programme, Doctoriaid Yfory (DY) or the Sutton Trust programme are given a guaranteed interview. Find out more about our WP strategy.

Points are given for achieved grades only. 9 GCSEs are assessed which must include a Maths GCSE, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science).

A*/8/9 = 3 points

A/7 = 2 points

B/6 = 1 point

No grades less than a B/6 are scored.

If you are applying with completed A levels, the points for these grades are added to your GCSE score. Once you have achieved over 27 points you are considered alongside those with GCSE and degree level (2:1) achieving this maximum score. Having a fourth A Level is not a requirement and will not enhance your application.

If you are applying with an Honours Degree (minimum 2:1) and have also achieved the minimum GCSE and A level requirements, you will achieve the maximum academic score and are considered alongside those achieving maximum academic scores with GCSEs or A levels.

At this point, wholly dependent on the number of applicants achieving the highest scores, if this is more than we can interview (around 1100) we introduce a UCAT cut-off score.

What is the cut-off score for Medicine in Cardiff?

Cut-off scores for interviews (academic and UCAT) are determined by the competitiveness (i.e. calibre) of the number and quality of the applications we receive each year.

The academic and/or UCAT cut-off score will vary year to year and may vary between the different groups to ensure there is representation from each group.

What is your UCAT cut-off score?

A UCAT cut-off score is only used if we have too many applicants sitting on excellent academic scores.

The UCAT cut-off score is not predetermined and is unrelated to the previous year’s cut-off. It cannot be predicted and is solely used to identify the 1100 to interview.

The cut-off score may be different for the different groups to ensure that there is representation from each group.

What subjects must I have?

GCSEs: Maths, English Language, Biology and Chemistry (or Double Science) at grade B/6 or higher. (Two scores must be entered onto your application if you have taken Double Science at GCSE).

A-levels: Chemistry and Biology and a third A level (the third A level can be Welsh Baccalaureate).

Graduate entry: 2:1 at the (honours) degree or working towards this if applying in your final year of the degree, ABC or BBB at A level (including Chemistry and Biology) and minimum required GCSEs at grade B.

Do you look at predicted grades?

Predicted grades are not considered at any stage of the Selection Process

Do you look at AS-level grades?

AS level grades are not considered at any stage of the Selection Process

Do you have a Graduate Entry programme?

The only Graduate Entry applicants we would consider for a 4-year course are those doing one of our agreed Feeder Stream routes (applicants must be on the specific Feeder Stream route from Cardiff Bioscience, Cardiff Medical Pharmacology, Bangor Biomedical Sciences or USW Biomedical Sciences). All other graduates would have to apply for the 5-year A100.

Do you accept BTECs and T levels?

No. BTECs and T levels are not accepted.

Do you accept Access courses?

We only accept the Access to Higher Education Diploma – Medicine delivered by Agored Cymru Access to Higher Education Diploma – Medicine (agored.cymru)

Do you accept re-sits?

We accept re-sits at the GCSE level within a year after they were originally taken (except for English Language which can be taken at any time).

We do not accept A-level re-sits. (Welsh applicants can re-sit AS-level subjects).

We only accept A-level re-sits in exceptional circumstances. Please see our extenuating circumstances policy and procedure for applicants to MBBCh Medicine A100 and A101 here: Extenuating Circumstances Policy and Guidance - Applicants - Cardiff University

I cannot complete my A levels in 2 years, what should I do?

Please see our extenuating circumstances policy here: Extenuating Circumstances Policy and Guidance - Applicants - Cardiff University

Do you accept the EPQ?

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is not considered at any stage of the Selection Process, however, you are more than welcome to include relevant information from your EPQ in your personal statement.

What about extenuating circumstances?

These must be sent to the Central University by the deadline specified to be considered by the Admission Group. We are not able to adjust academic grades that have been given by any awarding bodies (you should contact the relevant Exam Board). In exceptional cases (if evidence is provided) we may allow a re-sit.

I’m unsure what my fee status will be, can you help?

An applicant’s fee status is set by the University, in accordance with the Education (Fees and Awards) Regulations and with the University’s guiding principles of fee assessment.

Please see details of Cardiff University’s fee status policy and complete the Fee Assessment Questionnaire.

For further queries please contact [email protected]

Is there any specific information for International Students?

All applicants must offer an English Language qualification. The Cardiff University English Language policy can be accessed here.

For applicants who are studying the IB qualification, you must include your achieved Level 2 qualifications (GCSEs or Middle Years Programme MYP).

We consider international qualifications with reference to UCAS International qualification guidelines and UK ENIC – the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of International Qualifications and Skills (Ecctis).

We require some international qualifications to be supplemented with an additional Level 3 qualification of GCE A Levels, International Baccalaureate or an International Foundation Year (IFY). If you provide us with details of your qualification we can inform you of whether these would be eligible to be considered for direct entry or whether they would need to be supplemented by an additional Level 3 qualification.

When will I hear if I have an interview with Cardiff University?

We review all applications thoroughly once the October deadline has passed. This process can take many weeks. Therefore, we cannot give an exact timeframe on when applicants will be informed whether they have been successful in receiving an invitation to interview. We will only contact applicants once all applications have been reviewed.

We aim to communicate with all applicants by mid-December.

Will the interviews be in person or online and what will the format be?

The interviews will be in the format of Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) which involves several individual stations with themed questions.

We generally ask questions relating to the course in Cardiff, ethics, your understanding of a career in medicine, the NHS, working in teams, self-directed learning, motivation, empathy, resilience, and communication.

The interviews for entry 2025 will be in person for home (fee status) applicants and online for overseas (fee status) applicants.

Can I do my interview through the medium of Welsh? How do I apply for this?

Yes. Anyone can sit their MMI through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. There will be a set number of interviews offered through the medium of Welsh/bilingually. You will need to ensure that you choose one of these dates when registering for your interview.

What is a bilingual or Welsh interview at Cardiff University School of Medicine?

Bilingual and Welsh MMIs are essentially the same, in the sense they are conducted as one interview. You can switch from Welsh to English, and vice versa in these interviews. All interviewers will be happy to interview either Welsh or English and you are welcome to switch languages at any time. You will not be granted any additional points for speaking Welsh, nor will they be taken away if you switch languages at any time during the MMIs. You might wish to conduct one station in Welsh and another in English. This will not affect your score in any way.

All questions in the MMI interviews are available in Welsh so you can complete the whole interview through the medium of Welsh if you choose.

I applied to Cardiff for Medicine last year and didn’t get a place. Can I reapply this year?

Yes, you can reapply as long as you meet our minimum entry requirements for the year you are applying. You will need a current UCAT score.

If re-applying from a Step-Up/Doctoriaid Yfory (DY) or Sutton Trust or GEM programme you will need to inform the relevant programme leads so that your details are provided to us. You can only re-apply once from one of these programmes.

Can I transfer to Medicine from another degree?

We do not accept transfers (also known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)) onto A100 or A101.

We welcome applications from undergraduate students who are in their final year or have completed their degree. These applications are considered alongside other applicants in the cycle and will go through the same selection process (see “How applications are scored” above).

For students who have left an undergraduate degree programme before completion, we will require a letter from the institution where the degree was being studied confirming they have not withdrawn due to failure to progress academically or for any probity issue. These students can apply for Year 1 of Medicine through the normal UCAS process and will go through the same selection process as those applicants who have achieved their A-level grades (see “How applications are scored” above).

I attended a Step Up/Sutton Trust programme, how will you know?

We receive a list of applicants who have attended within the last year.

If you attended in a previous year and are making a reapplication, we would advise you to contact the programme and let them know you are re-applying so that they can provide us with your details.

Could you provide a checklist?

Medicine is a competitive programme. Mistakes or missing information on your UCAS application could make the difference between an interview and a rejection. Any incomplete applications we receive will be rejected. You might find the following checklist helpful in ensuring your application is complete and accurate.

Your UCAS application should include:

All qualifications achieved and pending. This includes English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry (or double award science) at GCSE or equivalent
A personal statement for Medicine
An academic reference A spelling and grammatical error check

You should also note that for Cardiff University School of Medicine, you are required to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) from July to October of the year of application.

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Cardiff University Personal Statements

These UCAS personal statements have been kindly provided by students applying to Cardiff University. You can click on one of the links below to view the entire statement and find out if the applicant was offered a place.

You can also view our entire collection of personal statements or view personal statements for application at other universities .

Politics & International Relations Personal Statement Example 1 I have always taken a keen interest in public affairs, always wanting to know what was happening in the world so studying politics and international relations is a natural attraction for me. I have been encouraged to pursue concentrated study due to my incredible fascination with the impact that political decision making has on humanity...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 6 It was the odd behavioural traits displayed by my uncle, who has Asperger’s syndrome that first generated from a young age my questioning about why he acted so ‘differently’ to the rest of us. This was part of what led to my interest of studying psychology, as it made me question how and why humans are so disparate from one another, and what part the brain plays in running our everyday lives...

Biology Personal Statement Example 5 Outside was always my favourite place as a child, splashing in puddles, inspecting insects under magnifying glasses and having snail races with my brothers. The living world fascinated me. My enthusiasm has only increased over the years and living by the sea has inspired me further...

French and Italian Personal Statement Example 1 I see speaking a foreign language as a key to a door opening up a new world of possibilities and opportunities. As a child my mother insisted I learned another language, she told me to grab any possible open window for a life beyond my own imagination...

German and English Literature Personal Statement Example Email correspondence with a friend in Berlin during the celebrations of the twentieth anniversary of the German reunification gave me an insight into the importance and relevance of Germany’s past both within the country itself, and throughout Europe...

Physics & Astrophysics Personal Statement Example I have always considered Physics to be a captivating area of study, whether it is a question of how aspects of it work, or indeed why they work. As such, I have found deep fascination in studying Physics, as it is able to provide answers (as well as evidence) to such queries...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 12 We know so much for certain about the human anatomy, but when it comes to Psychology even the line between the brain and the mind is blurred. Psychology interests me because nothing is ever certain. Even when it comes to the treatment of individual illnesses, there is no set way of treating a patient, and often it is only a mix of many approaches that can solve an issue entirely...

History Personal Statement Example 13 Until I began my A-levels last September, I had never been to school or followed a formal syllabus. My parents homeschooled me. They guided, encouraged, and fed my interests with books, documentaries and discussions...

Geography Personal Statement Example 4 All through my academic life I have found Geography extremely interesting because of the vast range of topics involved with it and how it relates to every subject in one way or another. I have a particular interest in the physical side of Geography and especially the topics of: climate change, coasts, hazards and the environment...

Religious Studies Personal Statement Example 1 I find it inspiring to be in the presence of other people who are seeking understanding of themselves, and the most intense experience I can remember is when I attended a Baptism where I witnessed the transformation people would undergo...

Medicine Personal Statement Example 43 The ever-evolving nature of medical science and the certainty that we will know more about the many different healthcare practices has inspired me to pursue a career in medicine. My dedication to studying medicine has been confirmed by the experience I have gained in different hospitals and practices and I look forward to the academic discipline and challenges that will arise...

Psychology Personal Statement Example 48 Since embarking on the A level course 16 months ago I have decided to devote my life to working in psychology. I am struck by the way Psychological research has impacted all areas of life, but also how much there is yet to understand...

Environmental Engineering Personal Statement Example Nowadays, Environmental Engineering plays a vital role in the world as the environment is being put under constantly increasing pressure. As I am fascinated by Science and Mathematics and feel that the environment is incredibly important, I decided to study this course...

Ancient/Medieval History Personal Statement Example My decision to study Medieval History at a higher level was never a difficult one. Having always been interested about the relationship between the past and the present, studying History at AS-Level only strengthened my decision...

Law and German Personal Statement Example I have always been fascinated by the structures of societies and how their laws are built. Due to the constant changes of the world, the ongoing conflicts, debates, and controversies, these laws are constantly evolving...

History and English Personal Statement Example Studying history and English concurrently has appealed to me ever since I recognised the inseparability of the two disciplines closest to my heart. Personally, I believe that the literary style of a piece of writing is as important as scholarly research and I try to make my essays as lively as possible whilst still grounded in solid historical or literary method, dulce et utile, following the example of writers such as Richard J Evans...

Biomedical Sciences Personal Statement Example 36 What I love about science is that it has yet to offer the 'best' way for anything. Man will always find ways to do things better than before, quote: "Wherever the knowledge takes us, it will empower us to do more...

Biomedical Science Personal Statement Example 14 How one mutation can cause a malignant tumour or change the genetic material which is then passed to the next generation interests me. The challenges which are within the human body and the diseases which can change it easily are also a fascination...

Law and French Personal Statement Example 5 According to the media, the United Kingdom has an extreme lack of female judges. This is made evident by the fact that Baroness Hale is the only woman justice to sit in the Supreme Court. This reality motivates me to embark upon legal study, as strong, able and powerful female...

Civil Engineering Personal Statement Example 18 Aged 4, my favourite question was "why?". This eventually developed into "Why is the sky blue", "Why does 2 plus 2 equal four", and after the first time I crossed the Severn Bridge, "Why does that stand up?"...