I’ve just finished my first year at medical school and I can’t believe how fast its gone! I’m writing this 2 days after my final exam and I’m heading back home in a week (sorry for the delay in the upload- I’m now back home!). Exam season was stressful but I have enjoyed the whole year so much and I’m feeling pretty sad to be leaving so soon! I love being at home but all of my friends from uni live super far away so I’m going to miss it a lot! I thought I’d just make a post to summarise my first year at university for anyone who is interested, and also for me to look back on further down the line!
THE COURSE I love the way my course is structured- we have a different ‘theme’ each week so it’s easy to organise notes and revision. In semester 1, we focused on the science behind medicine so we did topics such as enzymes, muscles, nerves etc. Some of this was familiar from A-Levels but there was a lot that was to a higher level. In semester 2, we had a different illness to focus on each week. We had a module on respiratory and cardiovascular medicine (including asthma, COPD and others), a module on cancer and one on musculoskeletal problems. Each week we also had a case study that was relevant to the lecture content, a little bit would be released each day and you could do your own research around the case, and at the end of the week we had a lecture going over the case. During semester 2, we had cadaver dissection each Monday where we looked at the relevant anatomy for that week. Anatomy required a LOT of preparation each week (and it was the hardest feeling starting your notes with a blank word document every week!) but I did end up really enjoying it. We had clinical placements every now and again- I did quite like how often they were because it is enough to get experience, but not too many that it felt overwhelming! CLINICAL PLACEMENTS At my university we had 2 GP visits and 3 hospital visits in first year. The GP visits mainly consisted of observing GP consultations as well as sitting in with other healthcare professionals. I really liked these just to get more GP experience (as I only had 2 days of GP experience before coming to uni), and I loved making the links between things I had learnt with certain conditions that I got to see and the treatments that were prescribed. The hospital visits were each focused around one of the clinical skills we had learnt: history taking, cardiovascular examination and respiratory examination. We got to practise skills with simulated patients as well as go on the wards to carry out examinations on patients! We were always in a group and supervised by a doctor/older student so we got to receive good feedback which was really helpful. EXAMS This year, I had 6 exams! We had 2 for lecture content – one for semester 1 and one for semester 2 (including anatomy). There was also an exam that incorporated lecture content but was based around 3 of the 13 case studies we had throughout semester 2. We also had an exam which was 50% an anatomy spotter (where you look at prosections, surface anatomy images and scans) and 50% calculations/blood test results/practical questions. In the anatomy spotter, there were different stations and you have questions to identify structures, and then follow up questions for that structure e.g. innervations, attachments, functions etc. I thought it went okay on the whole but there were some really tricky stations, and it was super time pressured too! We then had a clinical OSCE where there were different stations assessing clinical skills. I had practised a lot on my family and friends so I did feel quite well prepared for this one. There were a coupled of stations I struggled on but overall it went okay! I also had an optional module exam on Diabetes and Obesity – this was a 3rd year biochemistry module so I found it really difficult to revise but I did feel like my revision paid off so hopefully it went okay! Update: I now have my results from my first year exams and I’m super happy with them! My results ranged from 78-87% which was a lot better than I expected 😊 UNIVERSITY LIFE I’ve had a lot of messages about university life and how much free time I get to do other things. In first year at least, I think it is definitely manageable to balance work with a social life, you just have to make the effort to manage your time well! I got into the habit of waking up at 6am since January and that really helped me to have more free time- I’d work in the mornings and then have more free time in the evenings. I found it so much easier to work early in the mornings too as there are less distractions and I just felt a lot more productive! Even during exam season, I still made time to meet friends for lunch most days and go to the gym etc, it’s all about finding a balance to make sure that you don’t start to feel burnt out with work and revision. ACCOMMODATION I lived in catered halls this year which I really liked, and I’m doing the same next year. At my university, the majority of halls are catered but I know that many universities have mostly self-catered accommodation. I think that’s really a personal choice but I am really glad I chose catered – it’s just one less thing to have to think about (shopping, cooking etc) and it makes it a lot more social as everyone eats together in a dining hall! There are quite a few other medics in my hall who I am really good friends with, and all the halls are nearby which is nice too. When deciding on accommodation, I’d consider:
Catered or self-catered
Distance from where your course will be based (mine was a 15-20-minute walk which I found fine)
Room type – shared bathrooms, room size, desk etc
It’s crazy to think that the year is done already. I remember this time last year I had just finished my A-Levels- I really didn’t know if I’d even end up at university that same year! I had no idea what to expect. I’m so grateful that it all worked out and I’ve had a great first year, and I’m excited for what is to come.
If you are thinking of applying to university/medicine, feel free to send a message with any questions you might have as I know how daunting it can feel! I hope this was helpful for some of you 😊
Jasmine x