Applying to medical school can sometimes feel like starring on the game show “Who wants to be a Millionaire”. The suspense as you feel the eyes of onlookers in the crowds; your parents, your teachers, your siblings and friends. Your palms begin to perspire as the Game Show host, or in this case, the medical admissions team stare into your eyes. They ask you question after question, the stakes slowly getting greater until you hit the million-pound question. The final barrier. One more step and you’ve done it. Hit the jackpot, and reached your goal. You’d be a millionaire, a medic.
Whilst navigating your medical school application can make you feel like the star of a BBC game show, there are ways to make sure you make it to the final round.
Hi, I’m Zoe, a second-year medic at the University of Leicester. In this post, I’ll reflect on my experience of studying for A levels, the barriers I faced when applying and how to overcome them, and the things I did over the summer that helped me succeed.
Succeeding in sixth form
Sixth form is a big deal. From my position now, it’s hard to think I was ever worried about settling in and finding my rhythm. However, I felt fear when I started too. I remember putting SO much pressure on myself to reinvent myself and be someone everyone liked and to instantly be amazing at all my subjects. It’s not always easy, but trust me, I know. But I’m here to tell you my mistakes, so you don’t have to make them!
If you don’t ask, you don’t get,
The early bird catches the worm,
Knock and the door shall be opened…
The greatest skill I learned during sixth form was never to be afraid to ask. Many students shy away from putting their hand up or get so disheartened that they don’t understand the content that everyone else seems to be whizzing through that they feel too embarrassed to ask. When preparing for exams, it is so important to nip concerns and questions in the bud the minute they arise.
A top tip is when you’re going through questions independently, either write down your questions on a notes app or draft an email to your teacher directly asking them to explain it. This way, you never forget what you needed to ask and those questions you had become things of the past.
My second tip is to settle on a revision strategy early. It’s important to test multiple ways of working until you find one that gets you results. Start early with this, so you are committed to a strategy long before it’s time to revise for your final exams. It’s also worth mentioning that the best revision technique for you may not be the one you enjoy the most. Personally, I love making pretty posters, but I’ve discovered that this doesn’t anchor info for me as well as flashcards or blurting does.
reasons why you won’t get into medical school.
Whilst that is not what I’m writing about, I wouldn’t be surprised if this subheading is the internal talk you give yourself on the regular during your application journey. Imposter syndrome is a very real phenomenon that aspiring medics continue to face. In reality, some of the biggest barriers we face in achieving our goals are the ones we set or form ourselves. The power of positive self-talk and determination has never been so important. In this section, I will mention the worries students face when applying to medicine, and how to overcome them.
Comparison with other students.
Comparison really is the thief of Joy, and I still battle with this regularly. Comparison is often useless, as everyone has their own journey, weaknesses, strengths and luck. Two people doing the exact same career rarely experience the same journey to get there. During medical school, I began to tackle this with positive self-talk. I’ll take the time regularly to remind myself of all the things I am actually good at. It might feel conceited, but the reality is you probably don’t do it enough. Soon, you will begin to believe what you say about yourself and this will shine through in your work.
The second tip is to replace comparison with role models. Instead of comparing everything bad in yourself to everything amazing in someone else, try this. Pick someone to track, someone who works hard and achieves higher than you do. Now follow them and look at what they do differently. How do they work? Ask them how they spend their revision time. What aspects of what they do can you implement to boost your own performance?
Warning: Implementing these techniques may produce great results, improved confidence, and improved relationships with yourself and your peers. Proceed with caution.
Failure
“You’re a failure.”
The words that linger ringing in your ears and crashing your spirit long after they’ve been said. Why is this? In failure, we learn. Most people who have ever created something great are willing to look failure in the eye and try something new and brave; because they don’t fear things not working out.
Think back on something that you are proud of achieving in your life, it could be anything… What would have happened if you hadn’t put fear aside and given it a go for the first time? A successful medical applicant is determined and bold. They hunt for experiences and opportunities. They present themselves before the medical schools, their life’s work and achievements, knowing they could be rejected. They aren’t afraid to put their all into their studies, because their focus isn’t on what could go wrong, but everything that could go right, making the time and effort justified.
How do you become unbothered by the thought of failure?
When you are next afraid of trying something for fear of failure, write down a list:
● In one column, put down all the things that could happen if it went right and you succeeded. This could be anything! Feelings, situations, opportunities
● In another column, note the things that would happen if said challenge went wrong. In comparing the two, I promise most of the time you’ll see that it’s worth giving it a go.
The penultimate summer
What do you do in the summer of year 12 to cement your chances of getting a place at medical school? In year 13, I had two offers from Bart’s and the London and Keele University. Here are some of the things I did to get them.
Write a killer personal statement
Despite what some may say, the personal statement is important. It can be used as a tie break and even as a station in the interview. I made sure to give it the time and dedication it deserved, and it paid off! This enabled me to select universities that valued reflective writing, like Keele.
Don’t forget, reflecting on your experiences, motivation and strengths this summer will help you feel ready to answer these important questions at the interview.
From experience, I have learnt that a good personal statement is reflective. You can use the Gibbs reflective cycle to model this, which is a structure to help you concisely link experiences, strengths and insight into a career in medicine.
Don’t be too descriptive, you only get 4000 characters! Finally, be yourself.
Also, don’t use complicated words too often, they distract the reader and make it harder to deliver your point. Write eloquently, but you shouldn’t need to use the thesaurus for every adjective you use.
Consider summer school
I attended the Medic Mentor summer school, in the summer of year 12. I want to share with you my honest review and thoughts on the summer school, to help you make the right decision!
Overall, I had an amazing time! Honestly, I am so grateful that I have been able to go. I was given great support that better placed me to apply.
So I went to summer school in London, we stayed at the Marriott Hotel and it was really nice! The week was jam-packed.
The itinerary included:
● Loads of interview practice
● UCAT Bootcamp days
● medical ethics
● breaking bad news. and loads more!
Not to mention, we finished our entire personal statements in one week from start to finish! It’s so bonkers when I think about it!
The Good
One of the things that stood out to me at the summer school was the atmosphere. The attitude of the mentors was amazing and they were so invested in helping you perfect your personal statement, or improve your interview skills. On top of that, you are surrounded by like-minded students who all want to achieve! This means everyone is there to work hard and it pushes you to do your best work.
This brings me to the fact that summer school is an incredible networking opportunity. There are people I met at summer school, who I am still in contact with. The opportunity to be involved in the medical leadership programme also presents a chance to talk to other aspiring medics and support each other on the journey.
Finally, the programme itself is so well thought out and each activity you do is purposely designed to help your application in some way. The doctors are invested in your success, and going to a summer school will allow you to pick their brains and ask for help. I gained huge confidence from summer school. This comes down to a well-designed and well-delivered programme that extends beyond
The Bad
I have to mention that summer school doesn’t come cheap, and it can be a difficult decision for you and your family to make. I know it was for me. That said, although the medic mentor summer school is expensive. I wouldn’t say the price is actually “bad” in any way. Many summer schools don’t give you the continued support that Medic Mentor offers you beyond the end of the programme. I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth and have reaped the benefits of my decision to attend.
However, summer school is a bad decision unless you are willing to work hard at it, arrive prepared and be enthusiastic. Summer schools and programmes like the medical leadership programme won’t be worthwhile unless you decide to get involved. So, engage with the activities, reflect on your experiences, and stay involved with Medic Mentor after the week has ended.
The Ugly
Nothing was that ugly about this Summer School, but I’ll do it anyway for completion. The hardest part was probably the mental exhaustion during the residential week. There were days when I sat and worked for hours tirelessly at my personal statement. I would read edit after edit from the mentors and doctors that told me what to cut, things to improve, and bits to get rid of. Sometimes, it felt brutal. The medic mentor summer school definitely isn’t a spa retreat, but more of a boot camp. You’ll need resilience and determination. That said, my mentor was lovely and was there to support me through the highs and lows. Despite the tough parts, I ended up happy with my achievements! I finished my personal statement, improved my interview skills and got ready for the UCAT. So I guess it was a case of no pain, no gain.
That's It!
I hope this blog post has encouraged you, and given you some tips, so you can make a million-pound medical school application. Remember to be consistent and keep your passion for becoming a doctor alive! I wish you the best of luck.
Zoe
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