Extra-curricular activities form one of the most important aspects of your UCAS personal statement for medical school.
Since the UCAS personal statement changed for 2026 entry (applications from 2025 onwards), it is no longer one free-text essay: it is three structured questions inside a single 4,000-character limit, with a minimum of 350 characters per answer. This affects where your activities go. Super-curricular work (wider reading, MOOCs, an EPQ, lectures) sits most naturally in Question 2, where you show how your studies prepared you, while extracurriculars and work experience belong in Question 3. We would recommend Question 2 for anything academic, but honestly, if you would rather put it in Question 3, that is completely fine too. There is no wrong answer here.
In this article, we break down how to talk about extracurricular activities in your personal statement both confidently and precisely.
Extracurricular Activities For Medical School Summary:
Extra-curricular activities are vital for a standout UCAS personal statement for medical school.
The 2026-entry personal statement splits into three questions. Your super-curricular activities (wider reading, MOOCs, an EPQ, lectures) sit most naturally in Question 2 (how your qualifications and studies prepared you), while extracurriculars and work experience belong in Question 3 (what you have done outside formal education and why it matters). We would recommend Question 2 for anything academic, but if you would rather include a super-curricular in Question 3, that is absolutely fine too.
Highlight how volunteering experiences developed your compassion, empathy, and commitment.
Demonstrate your ability to balance rigorous academics with meaningful hobbies to prevent burnout.
Use specific, impactful examples and deep reflections to illustrate personal growth and dedication.
Showcase leadership, resilience, and responsibility through activities like Young Enterprise or Youth Leadership programs.
Personal Statement Extra-Curricular Activities Examples: What Extra-Curricular Activities Should I Include In A Personal Statement?
Extracurricular vs Super-Curricular vs Wider Reading: What Is The Difference?
These three terms are not interchangeable, and medicine, dentistry and veterinary admissions tutors use them precisely. Getting the distinction right helps you place each activity in the correct part of the new personal statement.
Extracurricular activities are things you do alongside your studies that are not directly about your subject: sport, music, drama, Duke of Edinburgh, part-time jobs, school societies, volunteering and work experience. They build transferable skills such as teamwork, leadership, resilience and time management.
Super-curricular activities extend your academic subject beyond the syllabus: lectures, MOOCs, science olympiads, EPQs, virtual work experience and clinical or scientific reading. For dentistry and medicine these show genuine intellectual curiosity about the field.
Wider reading is a sub-type of super-curricular activity: books, journals, articles and medical podcasts that deepen your understanding of healthcare or animal welfare. Always reflect on one specific idea you took from a source rather than listing titles.
In the new format, most super-curricular content (including wider reading) fits Question 2 (how your studies prepared you) or Question 3, while broader extracurriculars and work experience usually sit in Question 3. Dentistry applicants can find subject-specific ideas in our guide to the top books to read for a UK dentistry application.
Extra-curricular activities that you should include in your personal statement for medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine should provide you with relevant skills or experience for the course you are applying to. The best extracurricular activities for medicine will provide you with experiences to reflect on.
Extra-curricular activities which you should mention on your personal statement include:
Volunteering
Passions, Interests & Hobbies
Personal Growth and Skills Development
Interview coaching
Choose your 1-1 interview coaching
Rated 5.0 from 550+ reviews. Practise with experienced interview experts: mock MMI and panel interviews, scored with feedback.
Medicine Personal Statement: How To Write About Volunteering In The Personal Statement
Volunteering experience is essential to write about in your medicine personal statement.
Volunteer work in hospitals, care homes, charity shops or hospices is an incredible way to show that you are developing important skills such as compassion, empathy, commitment and organisation.
It may have also provided you with clinical experience, which may help you get into medical school.
However, it is important to show how the experience of volunteering has shaped you into a compassionate, committed and empathetic individual, aligning with the values expected of a doctor.
To stand out among many medical school applications, reflecting on why volunteering has impacted you personally is crucial.
This begins with asking yourself questions about your experience and making a record of your answers, either typed or written down.
The best time to write these reflections is immediately after every volunteering shift so that you avoid forgetting valuable details.
Personal Statement: How To Write About Your Interests
Sports, music and drama are exceptional ways to broaden your interests, meet new people and become a more well-rounded person.
Medical and dental schools value applicants who can balance studying with their passion, such as playing the guitar or leading the school drama club.
These commitments show great qualities such as leadership, patience and importantly, a willingness to pursue activities outside the school curriculum!
Balancing work and hobbies is crucial for success at university and in your future career.
Medicine and dentistry are demanding courses with extensive content to learn.
However, maintaining hobbies and dedicating time to passions outside of your studies keeps your mind active and prevents burnout. Engaging in sports and music can enhance your study effectiveness.
Interview coaching
Get interview-ready, 1-1
Mock MMI and panel interviews with personalised feedback.
1-1 coaching with experienced interview tutors, never a salesperson
Mock MMI and panel interviews, scored with honest feedback
A free Ultimate Interview Q&A Guide (worth £349) with every package
Transferable Skills: How To Write About Your Skills and Personal Interests
Which Transferable Skills Should You Evidence?
Medicine, dentistry and veterinary schools are not impressed by the number of activities you do; they want evidence of the skills a clinician or vet needs. The strongest statements pick two or three activities and use them to demonstrate specific, named qualities rather than a generic list.
Teamwork and leadership: captaining a team, running a society or coordinating a charity event shows you can both contribute to and lead a group, which mirrors multidisciplinary clinical teams.
Resilience and coping: Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, competitive sport or a demanding part-time job evidence how you handle setbacks and pressure, essential for the workload of these courses.
Time management and organisation: balancing academics with sustained commitments proves you can juggle competing demands without burning out.
Manual dexterity (dentistry and surgery): hobbies such as playing an instrument, sewing, model-making or art are worth mentioning for dentistry, where fine motor control matters.
Communication and empathy: tutoring, mentoring, customer-facing work or volunteering with vulnerable people shows you can listen and adapt your communication, central to patient and client care.
When writing about your skills and personal interests in your personal statement, highlight relevant experiences like leadership programs such as Young Enterprise, which develop leadership, resilience, and responsibility.
Connect your interests to your chosen course, using concrete examples like leading a sports team to demonstrate leadership.
Reflect on how these interests have shaped you and how these relate to a medical career, such as playing the piano for discipline, and mention unique hobbies like martial arts for focus and determination.
The New UCAS Personal Statement (2026 Entry): Where Do Extracurriculars Go?
The personal statement for 2026 entry is built around three questions, sharing a single 4,000-character limit with a minimum of 350 characters per answer. The questions are: (1) why do you want to study this course; (2) how have your qualifications and studies prepared you; and (3) what else have you done to prepare outside formal education, and why is it useful. Question 3 is the natural home for extracurricular activities, volunteering and work experience, while super-curricular reading often supports Question 2. For a full breakdown of the format, read our guide to the UCAS personal statement changes.
Because the three answers are marked as one statement, do not repeat the same activity across questions. Pick the strongest framing: a hospital volunteering placement might appear once in Question 3 as evidence of communication and resilience, not in both Question 1 and Question 3. If you want a structured plan for what to include, our medicine personal statement service maps your experiences across the three questions.
To write about your extracurricular activities in the new personal statement, remember that Question 3 asks not just what you did but why the experience is useful for the course, so reflection is key.
Reflecting on what you have gained from doing your extracurricular activity is key to writing your personal statement.
The way to reflect is by being honest with yourself and taking time to break down what you got out of an experience.
Extracurriculars & Reflective Writing: How To Reflect In Your Personal Statement
To begin reflecting, ask yourself these 3 questions:
What skills or knowledge did I develop from this experience?
This allows you to link your experience volunteering, for example, to vital life skills that are important to showcase in your medical interview.
How did this experience influence my views on healthcare?
Understanding how an activity such as volunteering in a care home has changed your perspective of medicine is essential for a good reflection.
Consider whether you faced any challenges or ethical dilemmas. What did you learn about the way we interact with the healthcare system? Did anything surprise you?
In what ways did this experience contribute to my personal and professional growth?
This is an opportunity to consider how you have changed as a person. How has a particular extracurricular activity prepared you for a career in medicine? Reflect on your personal development and how this motivates you for your future development.
Honest and enthusiastic: Remember to stay true to yourself when talking about your extracurricular activities.
The best way to convey excitement and enthusiasm is to be honest about what the activity has taught you, and how you have grown because of it.
Remember that admissions tutors read hundreds of statements, each mentioning sports and musical instruments, so do not exaggerate how many extracurricular activities you do, or invent any. With only 4,000 characters across all three questions, depth on two or three meaningful activities beats a long, thin list.
You do not get points for how many activities you do - rather how you have developed due to your passion for them.
Personal Statement Examples: How To Write About Your Extracurricular Activities
The following are example personal statement excerpts highlighting how to write about extra-curricular activities in your personal statement for medical school or dentistry.
Example Personal Statement For Medical School: Hospital Volunteering
Volunteering at a local hospital means that I see vulnerable patients and anxious relatives, giving me confidence in my ability to communicate well with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Med School Personal Statement Example: Hospice Work Experience
Common Mistakes To Avoid With Extracurricular Activities
The most frequent error is listing activities with no reflection: "I play hockey, the piano and volunteer at a care home" tells an admissions tutor nothing about you. Other common mistakes include claiming skills you cannot evidence, repeating the same activity across more than one of the three questions, and devoting precious characters to hobbies that show no relevant quality. Treat work experience as evidence to reflect on, not a job description; our guide on how UCAS medicine competition is changing shows why genuine, reflective insight matters more than ever.
Veterinary applicants should note that vet schools place heavy weight on animal and clinical work experience, so Question 3 should foreground reflection on what placements with vets, farms, kennels or stables taught you about the profession, rather than general hobbies.
My time speaking to patients in a hospice highlighted the importance of compassionate care in incredibly difficult circumstances. Empathy was crucial to delivering a high standard of care, as was resilience during difficult conversations with patients and their families. It reinforced my belief that the doctor-patient relationship is a necessity, forming the basis of patient trust in our healthcare system.
University Personal Statement For Dentistry Admission: Hospital Volunteering
Volunteering at a dentist's surgery profoundly impacted my personal growth. It strengthened my commitment to serving underprivileged communities and solidified my decision to pursue a career in dentistry. I learned the value of adaptability in challenging situations, as patients can show frustration at increasing waiting times for an appointment and difficult access.
From 1-1 tutoring and personal statement editing to interview coaching and our all-in-one Ultimate Package, we support every stage. Tell us what you are working towards and we will recommend the right option.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between extracurricular and super-curricular activities?
Extracurricular activities sit alongside your studies and are not directly about your subject: sport, music, drama, Duke of Edinburgh, part-time work and volunteering. Super-curricular activities extend your academic subject beyond the syllabus: lectures, MOOCs, EPQs, science olympiads and wider reading. Medicine, dentistry and veterinary admissions tutors value both, but use the terms precisely, so place each activity in the right part of your statement.
Where do extracurricular activities go in the new UCAS personal statement?
In the 2026-entry personal statement, extracurricular activities and work experience belong mainly in Question 3, which asks what you have done to prepare outside formal education and why it is useful. Super-curricular reading that builds on your subject often supports Question 2. The three answers share one 4,000-character limit with a minimum of 350 characters each, so choose the strongest place for each activity rather than repeating it.
What extracurricular activities should I include in my medical school personal statement?
Include activities that evidence the skills a doctor needs: volunteering, work experience, sport, music, leadership roles and part-time jobs. Choose two or three meaningful commitments rather than a long list. For each, reflect on a named quality it developed, such as resilience, teamwork, communication or time management, and link it to a career in medicine. Depth and honest reflection always beat quantity.
What are the best supercurriculars for medicine?
Strong super-curriculars for medicine include relevant wider reading and journals, university-run online courses (MOOCs), an EPQ on a medical or scientific topic, science olympiads, lectures, virtual work experience and quality medical podcasts. The point is not the activity itself but the reflection: show one specific idea you took from it and how it shaped your understanding of medicine, the NHS or a clinical issue.
What are the best supercurriculars for dentistry?
For dentistry, strong super-curriculars include reading around oral health and the NHS dental contract, dentistry-focused books, virtual or in-person dental work experience, lectures and an EPQ on a relevant topic. Hobbies that demonstrate manual dexterity, such as art, model-making or playing an instrument, also support a dentistry application. Always reflect on what each activity taught you rather than simply listing it.
Do you need extracurriculars for medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine?
Yes. While academic grades and admissions tests open the door, extracurricular and super-curricular activities are central to Question 3 of the personal statement and to interviews. They evidence the non-academic qualities these professions demand, such as empathy, teamwork, resilience and commitment. Veterinary medicine in particular expects substantial animal and clinical work experience, so extracurriculars are effectively a requirement, not an optional extra.
How do I write about volunteering in my personal statement?
Write about volunteering by focusing on reflection, not duties. State briefly what you did, then explain what it taught you and how it shaped your view of healthcare or your chosen profession. Highlight skills such as communication, empathy and commitment, and where possible link to a specific moment or patient interaction. Aim to show personal growth, and keep it concise so it fits within the 4,000-character limit.
How many extracurricular activities should I include?
There is no points system for the number of activities. Two or three well-chosen, deeply reflected activities are far stronger than a long, shallow list. With only 4,000 characters across all three personal statement questions, space is limited, so prioritise the activities that best evidence the skills medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine require, and cut anything that does not earn its place.
Is the extra activities section on UCAS important?
From 2026 entry there is no separate free-text "extra activities" box in the way there once was; relevant activities are written up within the three personal statement questions, mainly Question 3. Admissions tutors do read what you did outside formal education, so it is important, but quality of reflection matters far more than quantity. Universities assess your statement as a whole, so make each activity count.
What transferable skills do medical schools look for?
Medical, dental and veterinary schools look for teamwork, leadership, communication, empathy, resilience, time management, problem-solving and (for dentistry and surgery) manual dexterity. The key is to evidence these through specific experiences rather than simply listing them. For example, captaining a team can demonstrate leadership, while a demanding part-time job alongside study can demonstrate time management and resilience.
How do I reflect on my extracurricular activities effectively?
Reflect by asking three questions of each activity: what skill or knowledge did I gain; how did it influence my view of healthcare or my profession; and how did it contribute to my personal and professional growth. Be honest and specific, using a concrete example rather than a general statement. The best time to write reflections is immediately after the experience, while details are fresh.
Can sports and music improve my application?
Yes. Sport and music demonstrate valuable qualities: teamwork, discipline, stress management and a healthy balance that helps prevent burnout on demanding courses. Music and other fine-motor hobbies can also support manual dexterity for dentistry. What matters is the reflection: explain what the activity developed in you and how it relates to a career in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine, rather than simply naming it.
What hobbies show manual dexterity for dentistry?
Hobbies that demonstrate manual dexterity for dentistry include playing a musical instrument, sewing, knitting, model-making, painting, drawing, sculpture, calligraphy and crafts such as woodwork. These suggest the fine motor control and hand-eye coordination dentistry requires. Mention them briefly in the personal statement and reflect on the precision or patience they developed, rather than presenting a bare list of pastimes.
What extracurricular and work experience do vet schools want?
Veterinary schools place strong emphasis on animal and clinical work experience, including placements with vets, on farms, at kennels, catteries, stables or rescue centres. They want to see sustained commitment and honest reflection on what these experiences taught you about the realities of the profession. General extracurriculars such as teamwork and leadership roles support this, but relevant animal handling experience is the priority for Question 3.
How long should the extracurricular part of my personal statement be?
There is no fixed length, but the whole personal statement is capped at 4,000 characters across the three questions, with a 350-character minimum per answer. Extracurricular and work experience content usually sits in Question 3, and informal guidance suggests this can be shorter than Questions 1 and 2. Use the space efficiently: a few sentences of focused reflection per activity is enough to make an impact.
How can I make my extracurricular activities stand out?
Stand out by being specific and reflective rather than generic. Use one vivid example per activity, name the quality it developed, and link it explicitly to medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine. Avoid generic phrases and the temptation to list. Honesty also stands out: admissions tutors quickly spot exaggeration, so write about what you genuinely gained and how it has shaped your motivation.
Ultimate Package students from our 2025/26 cycle, with their UCAT scores and offers, who trained with us for the UCAT, personal statements and interviews.
Ultimate Package
S
Sophie
Medicine, King's College London
2025 UCAT2,590 / 2,700
“Harry got my UCAT up to 2,590, working through the sections I kept dropping marks on week by week. Gemma then ran my interview practice so the MMI stations didn't catch me out, and Dr Akash mentored me the whole way through. I'm off to King's for Medicine.”
Ultimate Package
D
Daniel
Medicine, University College London
Medicine offers4 offers
“The interview prep was the part that actually moved the needle. Proper mock MMIs, not just lists of questions, and feedback that was honest about what I was getting wrong. I ended up with four offers and firmed UCL.”
Ultimate Package
A
Aisha
Dentistry, University of Birmingham
Dentistry offers4 offers
“The Ultimate Package kept me organised from UCAT through to interviews. They knew what dental schools actually ask and tightened up my personal statement. Four offers in the end, and I'm going to Birmingham.”
Ultimate Package
C
Charlotte
Veterinary Medicine, Royal Veterinary College
Vet offers4 offers
“Vet applications come down to the written SAQs as much as the interview. Dr Rebecca went through my SAQs line by line, sharpened my answers and prepped me for the panels. I came away with four offers and chose the RVC.”
