So your friends are going out, and you are stuck at home revising? And the other students are receiving their offers, while you are still waiting for even just one interview invite?
It’s true, applying for medicine can seem like a long and lonely process at times. But it doesn’t have to be this way!
You might never have embarked on a pathway where achieving that goal – a medical school place – is so much dependent on your personal drive; I felt really daunted at the start of year 12, thinking that I would never actually get to go to medical school. It can be especially isolating if very few people, or no-one else from your school, is applying to study medicine. I felt lucky to have two other people in my year going through the same process, yet even then, we weren’t applying to the same medical schools.
Spotting the first signs of loneliness:
The times when you might be at most risk of loneliness, are when you are preparing for UCAT, and for school exams and A levels. It might even affect you during interviews, where it seems like it is just you, versus poker-faced interviewers!
BUT there are many ways in which feeling lonely can be avoided…
Connections
What better way to experience less isolation, than to connect up with a network of thousands of people, consisting of fellow students applying to medicine; medical students who have already gone through the entire process and are ready to share their advice; and doctors specially trained to help you reach your aim?
(If that sounds good to you, you are in the right place!)
A note to parent/guardian(s)
To parents of prospective medical students: if it’s possible, get involved! Try to regularly check in with your young person about how they are feeling, as they work their way through this challenging process of applying to medical school. If you have the chance, perhaps you could even help them to prepare for interviews, and with revision for exams.
get your teachers involved!
They may have set you hours of homework last week, but your teacher might also be the person that can really help you out with the formal aspects of your application! That could be writing your personal statement, getting some extra help with maths for the UCAT, or getting in some interview practice. Just ask them!
Furthermore, they might be able to link you up to other students who are applying for medicine too, and highlight opportunities both inside and outside of school that will maximise your chances of success.
On a similar note, if there is medical society at school, make sure to join it!
Reach out to your friends!
Even if it might feel strange, it can be very helpful to explain to your friends what the medical school application process involves, because they probably won’t realise how much extra work that journey requires.
Then, this will put your friends in a better position to support you; they may be able to rally round if you are having a particularly tough day, or appreciate why you need to go off and do some extra revision for UCAT, as an example. Maybe you could even have a few laughs together, doing some interview practice!?
Whether you are applying for medical school, or you have achieved that well-deserved place as a medical student, remember this:
Applying to study medicine is not a challenge you have to take on alone. Work together with your family, friends, and teachers; sharing your fears and doubts will lessen the burden along the way!