Loading More Content
Tuition fees and accommodation are obvious expenses at university, but the less obvious ones can quickly add up:
The exact costs vary between medical schools, but it’s always worth budgeting for a little more than just your rent and food.
Conversely, don’t assume that you need to buy everything you see other students buying. Stethoscopes are an example of this, as you may not need one for a few years and they are often discounted when you arrive. Your university should tell you what is essential, and older students can be a great source of advice about what is genuinely useful.
At university, you’ll quickly discover that everyone has a different study method. Someone might swear by Anki or Quizlet, whilst others write handwritten notes or spend most of their time doing practice questions.
There is no universally correct method, so try experimenting during your first few weeks if you feel like you haven’t found the one (or multiple!) that works for you. If you don’t have personalised study techniques, learning becomes less efficient and it becomes harder to remember everything. Medical school involves a huge amount of content, so learning how to study efficiently is just as important as learning the information itself.
Medical school involves a lot of information, and having a reliable device can make life a lot easier. You don’t necessarily need the most expensive device on the market, just something reliable.
Many students use a laptop or tablet to organise lecture notes, annotate slides and keep everything in one place. OneNote and Notion are popular options, whilst others may simply download PowerPoint slides and annotate them directly.
Think about what fits your study style – if you like handwriting and annotating diagrams, a tablet with a stylus might suit you; if you type quickly and need lots of different tabs open, a laptop may be more practical.
Medical school attracts academically capable people, so suddenly being surrounded by other high achievers can be a shock, and imposter syndrome is incredibly common. Remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and you rarely see the full picture of someone else’s experience.
Your degree isn’t a competition with the person sitting next to you. You don’t need to study more hours than your friends, get the highest mark in every exam or know the answer every time you’re asked a question. Just always do your best and remember that you’re here for a reason.
Don’t feel like you have to prove yourself on placement either. Clinical placements are opportunities to learn, not auditions for your future career; it’s completely fine not to know the answer. Ask questions, introduce yourself to the team, volunteer when appropriate and make the most of opportunities to practise your skills.
Nobody tells you quite how much administration comes with being a medical student.
There are attendance requirements, portfolio tasks, deadlines, occupational health appointments, vaccinations, DBS checks and various forms that seem to appear at exactly the wrong moment.
It sounds boring, but getting organised early can save you a lot of stress later. Find a calendar or task-management system that works for you and use it consistently. Try not to rely on remembering everything in your head; there will be enough medical knowledge to remember without adding your entire university timetable to the list!
You may arrive at medical school convinced you’re going to become a surgeon, paediatrician, GP, or psychiatrist. Then you’ll experience a specialty that you’d never considered and completely change your mind.
That’s completely normal and will likely happen multiple times throughout the course; it’s important to remain open to these new possibilities! You have years to explore medicine, so use your placements to find out what different careers are actually like, talk to doctors and make the most of opportunities to explore specialties that interest you.
Medical school will probably be harder than you expect in some ways and more enjoyable than you expect in others. There will be exams you’re convinced you’ve failed, topics that make absolutely no sense, and days when you question why you chose medicine.
There will also be friendships, memorable placements, patients who stay with you, moments when something finally clicks, and the first time you realise that you’re actually becoming a doctor. Throughout this, ensure that you manage your mental health and look after yourself. Universities often have many resources for this, so be sure to make the most of them.
Asking older students for advice is very useful too; they have already sat the exams you’re preparing for, experienced the placements you’re about to start, and made plenty of mistakes along the way. Just remember that their advice is personal and what worked brilliantly for one student may not work for you.
You don’t have to have everything figured out immediately, and you’re called a fresher for a reason. Take a breath, find what works for you, and remember why you’re at medical school.
You deserve to be here.
Loading More Content