So this post is a bit of a personal one, to say the past year has been a smooth journey would be far from the truth. This post initially started as my first day of Medical School which soon became my first week of Medical School and now it’ll finally be posted as my first year of Medical School, I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. It has been an interesting year to say the least. I remember being bombarded with introductory talks during my first week, every day that week was a 9-5 and please bear in mind this was also fresher’s week. I’ll never forget those who were falling asleep during these talks being called out by one of our lecturers and I think at that moment it was just starting to dawn on all of us new students what we were getting ourselves into. I didn’t really have any expectations of Medical School, I had no idea what it would be like and I think it was because I never allowed myself to get attached to the prospect of being a medical student so that I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I didn’t get in but I also think this perspective affected me in the long run. Our course structure began with us learning the basics in the first half of the year called Platform for Clinical Science which covered Anatomy, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, Imaging, Immunology, Micro-anatomy, Numeracy, Pharmacology, Physiology, Psychology and Social Sciences. This would be described as the worst part of the year for many as we got thrown into the deep end from the get-go and the level of knowledge we had to attain was extremely high. Case Based Learning took place in the other half of the year, this involved each case group being given a scenario from which they would derive learning outcomes. During the week they would read around these learning outcomes as well as research before presenting what they’ve learnt to each other in the next session. Each case lasted 2 weeks and was made up of 3 sessions and covered a particular topic area either the Musculoskeletal system, Contraception and UTI, Upper Gastrointestinal Tract, Cardiovascular System, Respiratory System and Cognitive Health. Alongside the group case sessions we also had lectures, placements, clincal skills sessions and anatomy sessions related to the particular case. At the start of the year I dreaded lectures, especially those that started at 9am. I particularly struggled with note taking as I was hand writing my notes so it was very hard to keep up and as soon as i’d missed some important points I would get discouraged and just give up. With such a large year group sitting at the back of the lecture theatre was probably the worst decision I could have ever made as it is so easy to get distracted or just zone out but as the year progressed I switched to taking notes on my laptop and sitting right at the front and my life changed.  I strongly recommend recording lectures as you can consolidate your knowledge by re-listening to them and filling gaps in your notes. I’ll move on to a more interesting aspect of medical school, human dissection. I’ll admit this took me by surprise and nothing could have prepared me for it. It is incredibly important for you to research what is offered by different universities as I had never realised my medical school offered full body human dissection. Meeting the cadaver was a weird experience to say the least and this happened on our 2nd day, I felt scared as it was my first time seeing a dead body in such close proximity, I was also a bit excited as I would get to see the human body like never before, witness the intricate detail and gain a greater sense of appreciation for the individual and medicine as a whole; however I could not ignore the feeling of guilt. Dissection is a perplexing process and you’re constantly plagued with the fear of becoming desensitised but I’m grateful for the premature exposure as it prompts unanticipated negative experiences as well as positive outcomes which shape your Medicine journey. Dissection is emotionally taxing but it is a great representation of Medicine and encourages us to overcome our fears and learn how to deal with them quickly as well as develop an in-depth understanding of the human body.  I was privileged to have done my Literature Review (one of our assignments) on Cadaver Dissection and find it particularly interesting. Medical Students also had 3 hour long tutorials, these are the worst especially when they are at the end of a 9-5 day and you’re extremely tired and lacking motivation. Tutorials are like group work, so a class of about 30 or more are split into smaller groups and work together to answer a booklet full of questions using textbooks and the internet. One thing I do wish I’d done was spoken up more, I’m very quiet when working with other people and prefer to just listen but at the same time this meant I’d left some of the sessions without understanding certain parts and had been too shy to ask questions. Medical school is difficult as everybody is smart in their own right but some still feel the need to compete but you have to consent with acknowledging the fact that you may not be the smartest but it does not make you any less qualified and you don’t lose anything by helping or supporting those around you. During my first year we had weekly clinical skills sessions which I really enjoyed as we had to wear placement clothes and had the opportunity of being really hands-on and going over essential skill e.g. how to use an AED, practising injections, using an ECG, different types of examinations and manual handling. We also got the opportunity to practise our consultation skills with actors and actresses continuously throughout the year which was amazing as over time we were able to see our progress and how much more comfortable we became when in those situations. As my medical schools teaching style is integrated, we began weekly placements in January; this involved 2 and a half hour sessions in General Practises, Physiotherapy Units and Hospital Wards. As someone who had never done any medical work experience I was extremely excited to just see how everyone worked together to provide a high level of care. I got to meet some amazing doctors and also while on placement at the GP surgery we got to go on home visits on our own in pairs, this was so shocking to me at first and also a bit nerve-wracking as you never really knew the type of people you were going to meet. Some of my friends had bad encounters as they faced racist remarks which is unfortunately one of the fears ethnic minority students face. But overall, placements were an eye opening experience and the early patient contact really gives you a taste of your future. We had January exams and May/ June exams. When I tell people they are Single-Best Answer Exams (SBA’s) people automatically assume they’re multiple choice exams and therefore easy but do not be deceived. Single-best answer means that there may be more than one correct answer in the options given but you have to use your knowledge to decide which is most correct therefore making it difficult. Our exams are 3 hours long and made up of 120 SBA’s and you need 50% to pass. I think the most difficult concept to grasp is the fact that you are so used to doing extremely well academically before medical school  e.g. getting 80-90% in exams but this changes drastically to around 50-70% in medical school and can be difficult to cope with. In terms of the workload, I would say it remained consistently high throughout the year. Initially you’re bound to be shocked with amount of pre-reading you’re assigned to do, sometimes you’re assigned about 30 pages or more pre-reading to do for just one session. Our pre-reading involved reading from various textbooks as well as watching some YouTube videos so it was very important to manage our time wisely. As Medics, we had a lot less free time than those on other courses as the majority of our days were 9-5’s, this meant that a lot of our friends tend to be medics on our course just because we end up spending so much time together. It is important to have a good group of friends as they will make your 5 year journey a lot easier, I was privileged to have met some amazing friends at the start of the course and we’ve grown closer throughout the year. Although a lot of our conversations are medical which low-key puts other people off, when it comes to exams having a group of friends to revise with sometimes is great as you can identify gaps in your knowledge and a lot of the time you can your different techniques when it comes to learning particular things e.g. to learn the Cranial Nerves we learnt a song. Despite the lack of free time, we still had time to join societies and my Medical School also set up the Afro-Caribbean Medics Association (ACMA) which enabled first years to interact with medics from different year groups as well as Black Doctors from local hospitals and specialities. ACMA also matches students up with doctors already in a field they’re interested in and has been a great source of advice for us first years. This past year has been a roller coaster of emotions, some days i’d be elated to be studying my dream course and on other days I’d be down and feeling as though I didn’t deserve to be there but at the end of it all I know I wouldn’t rather do anything else and I get to genuinely enjoy learning about Medicine. I’ve learnt so much which may make it into another blog post but I hope that this post has given an insight to the thoughts and experience of a first year medical student.

There are 33 med schools and you only have 4 UCAS choices. When choosing a med school there are so many things to consider; so I thought I’d put them all in 1 place to make life a bit easier. University League Tables for Medicine http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings http://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2016/may/23/university-guide-2017-league-table-for-medicine Russell Group Universities The Russell Group universities are often described as “elite”. The 24 institutions – which include Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Manchester and Warwick – carry out some of the most highly rated research in the world and have a reputation for academic excellence. Russell Group universities have higher than average student satisfaction and lower than average drop-out rates, according to Wendy Piatt, its director. University of Birmingham University of Bristol University of Cambridge Cardiff University Durham University University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Glasgow Imperial College London King’s College London University of Leeds University of Liverpool London School of Economics and Political Science University of Manchester Newcastle University University of Nottingham University of Oxford Queen Mary University of London Queen’s University Belfast University of Sheffield University of Southampton University College London University of Warwick University of York UKCAT, BMAT & GAMSAT thresholds These are admissions tests used by medical schools as part of their entry requirements. 25 Medical Schools use the UKCAT, 7 use the BMAT and 7 use the GAMSAT. UKCAT and BMATs are the tests used for undergraduate medicine courses and GAMSAT are the tests used fro graduate medicine courses. The UKCAT and GAMSAT must be sat before the UCAS applications are made (as scores are noted in the application) wherease you must register to sit the BMAT before sending in your application but it will be sat after the application deadline. Each medical school has a different threshold for their chosen admissions test, these thresholds are good to know. Entry Requirements/ Required Subjects Know the grades you are working towards depending on whether you’re applying for standard Medicine or Medicine with a Foundation Year. Be aware of the necessary subjects required for course entry. Location: City, Campus Your experience in a campus in uni is very different to your experience in a city based university. CAMPUS Pros: + Safety + Quieter lifestyle + Community feel. Cons: – Limiting – Not much transport – Less independence CITY Pros: + Alot of choice and variety + Great atmosphere + More independence Cons: – Lack of community – Less safe – Fewer opportunities to make friends Course/ Teaching Style: Intergrated, Traditional, PBL https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Teaching%20styles%20at%20medical%20school.pdf Problem Based Learning: Student-centred approach. Learn in context of realistic problems. Work in teams to examine different clinical case scenarios. Students undertake private study and then discuss in seminars Traditional: Lectures and tutorials in scientific theories (including lab work) during first two or three years. After this, teaching takes place mainly in clinical settings. Intergrated: Lectures take place alongside clinical attachments from the start of the course. Intercalated year Intercalated degrees give you a chance to study a particular area of medicine in depth, whether you’ve already covered it on your medical course or want to study something new. Intercalation is not for every student, as only a small number of students are able to do so, so it’s worth taking the time to weigh up the pros and cons before making your decision. https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/career/studying-medicine/intercalated-degrees Facilities All universities will have a library dedicated to health science courses, a sports centre, a health service, a careers service etc. However, if there is something that is particularly important for you it is worth checking it out before you apply. https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/universities/choosing-the-right-university/the-facilities/ Cost of Living Certain cities are more expensive to live than others, this is necessary for the future especially when it comes to accommodation. Admissions Success Ratio I think it is also helpful to look at the number of people who apply and the number of places, this can be found in prospectuses. Attend Open Days Try to attend as many open days as possible especially the strong contenders so you can get a feel of the city, facilities, accommodation etc. It is never too early to start attending open days. Dissection Some universities offer full body dissection whereas others only offer prosection to teach anatomy. If you are someone who is looking to go into surgery full body dissection is very useful and an eye opening experience.

WORK HARD FROM THE START It’s a few months of your life for what may give you a better future. You won’t look back when you’re much older and regret not watching that TV programme and not going for that single day trip out with friends, however, you may regret not studying your hardest for your exams and subsequently missing out on the opportunity to do something you may love with your life. UNDERSTAND THE LESSON CONTENT ON THE DAY/ LEARN ALONG THE WAY (DON’T FALL BEHIND) If you don’t understand in the lesson don’t be afraid to ask your teacher questions because once you understand it makes revision easier and quicker as you are not spending time re-learning content. So pay attention in class. USE THE SPECIFICATION A lot of the time your teachers may go into more detail than what is needed which may end up confusing you. The spec is the content you’ll be asked about in the exam so use it to organise and aid your revision. Make sure you learn the entire syllabus for a subject, there is no use in cutting corners because a certain topic never comes up in the exam or it came up in the last exam. Knowing what an examiner wants is always beneficial and will help you loads! CREATE A REVISION TIMETABLE Try not to neglect some subjects in favour of others which you prefer. Stick to your revision timetable and assign a suitable amount of hours to each subject and also make some parts of the timetable flexible to focus on subjects that need extra attention. CREATE PERSONAL TARGET GRADES AND STICK THEM WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM Let this be your motivation. Knowing what you’re working towards can spur you on when the days are looking tough. WHEN EXAMS ARE APPROACHING DO AS MANY PAST PAPERS AS POSSIBLE Do past exam papers for practice, and actually pay attention to what it says in the mark scheme. Doing the papers is always good for getting exam technique etc, but the mark scheme is important to make sure you’re hitting the marks because often it’s just a matter of phrasing that people lose marks on.Do every single past paper a minimum of 3 times. GIVE ALL HOMEWORK IN ON TIME AND STAY MOTIVATED For homework, class tests, practice essays and practice exam papers always do your best. If you try your hardest throughout, you will succeed and improve and class assessments are a good way of measuring your performance throughout the year and evaluating your work and what you need to improve on CULTIVATE YOUR REVISION TECHNIQUE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR Know the way you learn and make sure you use an organised revision system. Choosing your revision techniques makes it easier to revise closer to exam time and prevents you wasting your time. Whether your technique is watching YouTube videos, Revision Cards, Mind Maps or rewriting revision notes, pick and choose your favourite. MAKE USE OF YOUR FREE PERIODS Use your frees to your advantage. This is your opportunity to complete your homework and coursework in school time as a result, which means you have time for work, college and also a social life. It also gives you time to make revision notes ready for exams before  study leave. MAKE REVISION NOTES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR This may not work for everyone but making revision notes is probably the most time-consuming part of revision. It takes a long time to make proper notes that have all the information on them and are in a good format. If you do these before you need to start hardcore revision you’ll be ahead of the game! Making them as well also drums some information into your head; they’re very worthwhile! DON’T LEAVE THINGS TO THE LAST-MINUTE This will almost inevitably happen, but try to avoid it if you can. The relief that comes with it is so so good and you’ll feel much better for it. Being able to take your time over things as well is useful, and you can concentrate more on what you need and what you don’t! DO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE! Don’t just sit around studying all day. Studying is good and I’m certainly not telling you to not do it! But you need a balance of will just end up being drained and friendless. You need friends there to celebrate with you or commiserate with you at the end. Sixth form and going out with friends also made me develop a lot more as a person; confidence wise and with social skills. PARTICIPATE IN THINGS WITHIN YOUR SCHOOL/COLLEGE. Don’t just sit on the side. Participating in activities, becoming a prefect, mentor, sports captain or anything like that will help you as a person, and will also improve your personal statement and reference! Melanin Medic xo If you’d like to know the resources I used to revise for my subjects (Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Psychology), then comment below and I’ll write a blog post on it.

I remember when I was in year 6 and my sisters friend asked me what I wanted to be. I said I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and she laughed at me; at that moment I knew medicine was definitely what I wanted to study. By the age of 11 I had fully researched everything I needed to do to become a doctor and stuck it on my bedroom wall; eventhough most of it was wrong. Throughout High School, I was very actively involved in pretty much every sport e.g. football, netball, basketball, table tennis, badminton and hockey. I ran my own Gospel Choir, was in the Student Voice, a peer mentor and Deputy Head Girl and continued to work extremely hard. I got the 3rd highest grades in my year group and came out with 7 A*’s, 3 A’s and 1 B in my GCSE’s so I decided to continue to pursue medicine. Then came A-Levels, I moved to a different 6th Form in a different town which was quite a big adjustment socially. Little did I know that studying for your A-Levels does not compare to GCSE’s at all; it’s a completely different ball game and I began to doubt myself. I thought I wasn’t going to get the grades I needed to even apply for Medicine. I studied Chemistry, Biology, Psychology and Maths which as you know aren’t easy subjects. I doubted myself so much that I started looking to pursue pharmacology or cognitive neuroscience and psychology and I felt that I couldn’t do Medicine. I was never the smartest in my class and my teachers overlooked me and categorised me as one of the overambitious black girls in my 6th form. I couldn’t decide on what I wanted to study and I would change my mind like every other week but deep down Medicine was always my passion. This whole while I struggled to find any medical work experience but I told myself if I get good AS grades I would still apply. AS results day came and I was pleased with my grades; Maths – A, Biology – A, Psychology – A, Chemistry – B. My next obstacle was the UKCAT, I started revising very last minute as I had only decided that I was going to apply for Medicine on results day and had booked the test for the 1st of September, 2 days before the start of year 13. I used KAPLAN books burrowed from the library to revise but they were quite old and so I paid for MEDIFY which I highly recommend. My UKCAT score was quite low but apparently average (638) so I was quite disheartened. So I really researched Medical School’s in terms of their entry requirements and UKCAT threshold to see if I had the chance to be shortlisted for an interview. The next obstacle came when my school gave me my predicted grades, Biology – A, Psychology – A, Chemistry – B. Most medical schools entry requirements are AAA at least so a B in Chemistry meant that I wouldn’t be shortlisted for any interviews. After my parents spoke to my head of 6th form and me crying in her office, she eventually changed my grade and I could apply for Medicine. Around this time I met my mentor who was an established General Practitioner and she was the greatest blessing. She helped me with my personal statement which was redrafted about 17 times, yes 17! But as I redrafted my personal statement I was always very down because I had no medical work experience but my mentor continued to encourage me. I applied for BioMedical Science at King’s College London and Medicine at Hull York Medical School, Queen’s Belfast, University of Bristol and Cardiff University. I got into KCL and was shortlisted for interviews at Queen’s Belfast, University of Bristol and Cardiff University. (I’ll take about my interviews in another post). Lucky for me my mentor and school organised practise interviews but I still felt that I wasn’t good enough and cried after each one. Eventually I got an offer from Cardiff and Bristol which were placed as my firm and insurance. Exam season for me was so stressful as I am heavily involved in my church and I sing in several choirs, some days I would get hope after 12am on the day of my exam. I struggled in my exams and to be honest I thought I had failed and whenever people asked me what I wanted to study I never fully confidently claimed that I wanted to study medicine, I always avoided the subject when asked. But now I can boldly say I study Medicine. On results day I remember checking UCAS track first because if I saw my grades first I probably would have freaked out. I ended up getting a B in Biology (4 UMS off an A) and A’s in Chemistry and Pyschology. But I got into Medical School. Applying for medicine is a very tedious process and at many times along the way I felt to quit. But you should never settle! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email me: melaninmedics@gmail.com