Coping with anxiety at medical school

People often ask me what anxiety feels like and I normally respond with something like this: “You know that feeling in your stomach when you are going down stairs and miss a step? It’s that, all the time.” Then they tend to ask me: “But… you do medicine? Isn’t that a really stressful course?” Truth …

Mission Zambia 2017

On the 26th of June, eight of us first-years set out to the other side of the world on our Mission Zambia trip. It was a total of 17 hours flying and an additional 3-hour drive to Mwandi, a small town in the Western Province, where we were based. The town was small yet buzzing …

I had a less than typical first year

My first year spanned 2 years… I had a less than typical first year of medical school; for a start, it spanned 2 years! During the first semester, I didn’t know what I was doing but I was determined to work hard. I set myself the task of watching every lecture again and making notes …

A peek into 2nd year of medicine

Hey! I’m Shreyashi and I’m currently in 3rd Year. I thought that I’d share some insight into how 2nd Year was for my friends and I. 2nd Year starts off with you being plunged into the wonderful yet intense world of anatomy; covering the wonders of the digestive system, the nether regions, head, neck and …

How to utilize your summer holidays before Year 13

Hey! I’ve currently just finished my 2nd year of medicine. Three years ago, I was stressing about applying for medicine. There were so many questions; Where to apply? What entrance exams to sit? And not to forget, which “relevant” extra-curricular activities to do? The application process is, in short, daunting. Balancing an application to medical …

Summer Days: How to spend your holiday before Results Day

“Biology students, your time has finished, please put your pens down”. For me, these words were sweeter than any I’d heard in the past month, one consisting mainly of industrial tea consumption, mountain ranges of past papers forming across my bedroom floor and bedtimes that made waking up feeling like crawling out of my coffin. …

Life as an international student

Accents, bad stereotypes and a culture shock; the typical ABCs of being an international student. Coming from Singapore, a tremendously westernized country, I did not believe I would struggle with any of these when I moved here to study medicine. That’s where I was wrong. Food Life is so different here from back home in …

Interviews *Cue dramatic music*

February… Peak of winter and interview season! Some of you must be preparing anxiously for your upcoming interviews. I had my interview for Nottingham in the middle of February. The wait before the interview was full of panicked preparation. It didn’t help that I was quite clueless about MMIs but fret not, here’s a breakdown of what …

The wait for university offers…

If you’re still waiting for university offers, have a re-read of Fern’s great advice on how to stay positive! My name is Fern Buller and, in some sort of miracle, I am now a second year medical student at Nottingham. This past year has been the most amazing experience; I have loved almost every moment …

Life as a second year medical student

Hi there, my name’s Hayley and I’m a second year medical student at Nottingham. I remember coming back to med school thinking “first year is officially over, I’m a fifth way through the course-it’s all going so fast!” Accommodation Life as a second year is great so far, especially living in a nice house with …