- 12 Feb 2024
- News
As Storm Isha swirled around the UK last, it was not all doom and gloom. There was a glimmer of hope in the Alexander Flemming Building at Imperial College London, as inquisitive and motivated college students came from far and wide to attend the In2MedSchool Mentee Conference.
In2MedSchool is an initiative created to support college students from widening participation backgrounds throughout their journey into university, with a specific focus on the difficult process of entering medical school. Medical school is renowned for being a much longer and more difficult process than a typical university course. According to medical school expert, the acceptance rate of medical school in the UK is typically around 30%. Highlighting just how hard getting into medical school can be. In2MedSchool supports students in a variety of ways, such as webinars and mentorship, the latter of which focuses on helping students in a variety of ways such as:
- Helping students understand what pathway into medical school is suitable for them.
- BMAT and UCAT Examination Support
- Personal Statement, Medical School Interview prep and work experience
The 20th and 21st of January perfectly encapsulated the amazing work of In2MedSchool as a variety of talks were hosted; laying out a blueprint for success for all students, regardless of their background, discussing a variety of topics such as financing university, medical school applications, how to deal with rejection from medical school, and alternative routes if the unthinkable happens, and it was capped off by a workshop hosted by Pastest and the medic life; detailing one of our employees journey to med school and how to tackle the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test).
Watch our video, the In2MedSchool in 30 Seconds, for a short overview watch of the day on Instagram or TikTok!
Although it’s great to condense the day into a short clip, it would feel wrong to not share about each of the amazing talks we experienced!
Talk 1: How to Write a Personal Statement
To kick the day off, the first talk of the day centred around personal statements. This was an insightful talk that shared a variety of great tips that students could take home with them to begin writing personal statements that reflected their own, personal experiences whilst remaining professional and formal within writing.
The talk began by discussing a “tried and tested” method for writing a personal statement including the five “classic” paragraphs. A structure was a great way to start the session; giving those who attended an excellent starting point for their medical school application as well as providing insight into why it’s so valuable to provide a well-written personal statement. One of the key concepts mentioned within this talk focused on the “reflection” aspect of the personal statement, one of the hardest sections to master.
To summarise the rest of the talk, there were some amazing points shared about the “dos and don’ts” of writing a personal statement including how to write things to present yourself in a positive light, as well as hot topics such as using AI and the value and pitfalls of the advanced technology when writing your personal statement. For more information on how you can incorporate AI into your Medical School revision and scheduling, click here!
Talk 2: A Guide to MMI Interviews
Following a short break, the next talk started discussing MMI Interviews. MMI stands for, “Multiple Mini Interviews” and as the name suggests it’s a series of short, timed interviews focusing on a variety of topics such as communication skills, teamwork, the university itself, or ethics.
The talk discussed some excellent points about how students can utilise their statements to demonstrate a thorough interest in a topic or specific field of study, as well as being prepared to field any questions the interviewer may have about their personal statement.
This was followed by a selection of tips to help students stand out in their interviews, discussing body language, whether students should memorise their answers, the importance of staying up to date with trending topics in the field of medicine or the NHS, and where students can find information regarding the type of questions, they may be asked specific to the university of their choice.
It was amazing to hear the speaker sharing his personal experience within the MMI interview about how he felt one station went poorly. Still, he took his time to gather his thoughts and let go of the negative thoughts about the last station before progressing to the next, demonstrating a trait all doctors should have; resilience.
The rest of the talk covered some amazing points such as a framework for dealing with difficult scenarios, how to tackle ethical issues and asking the audience for some engagement about how they would handle certain ethical issues, creating an extremely useful, interactive experience for all involved.
Talk 3: How to Handle Rejection and Alternate Routes to Becoming a Doctor
The final talk before lunch discussed a more emotional topic; how to deal with going through clearing, rejection, and alternate routes to becoming a doctor. The difficult discussion began with a heartfelt story from a speaker discussing the origins of his passion for becoming a doctor, and some critical advice he received on a placement.
The speakers then transitioned into a conversation about an overview of the application route following the submission of the UCAS application; all the way through from the date applications are submitted to achieving the grades required in A level to joining the university of their dreams. The students were informed of the extended process of receiving offers to medical school, and to not be disheartened when their friends who aren’t taking medicine are receiving offers for their courses as this is normal and not something to panic about.
Following this, rejection became the focal point of the conversation, and the clear message was, that rejection is not the end of your journey into medicine, it’s merely a setback where you can learn more skills, gain more work experience, and prepare for the UCAS application next year. It was even noted students may have a greater chance of being accepted onto the course of their dreams as they have firm grades, compared to the rest of the cohort with conditional offers as they haven’t received their grades yet.
The rest of the talk covered alternate routes into medicine such as foundation medicine years, studying abroad, and medicine transfer schemes, which was finalised with a Q&A allowing students to share their concerns.
Talk 4: Pastest and The Medic Life Workshop & Panel
The final talk of the day was a collaboration between Louise of Pastest and Bakhtar of The Medic Life. To open the session, Louise shared her personal experiences of medical school, setting up societies, intercalating her degree and working outside of her degree.
She made some excellent points about how to effectively manage time at university, including the plausibility of working part-time whilst studying for such a time-consuming degree. She also talks about her time working at Pastest as a Content Editor as she took a break from her degree, allowing her to work in a different environment whilst earning money to help her support herself before finishing her degree.
Louise then passed the mic to Bakhtar, as he discussed the UCAT exam. Demonstrating to students just how high-paced and intense the exam is. He explained the value of understanding each aspect of the exam by pointing out how long students have per question and how quickly they need to pick out key information and solve problems. Although the exam may have seemed frightening to some, by the end of the talk everyone in the room had a greater understanding of how to tackle the exam, the environment they could expect to take the exam in, and a few tricks for answering questions quickly and scoring competitively on the exam. For more information on how Bakhtar can help you, visit The Medic Life website!
Our contribution to the amazing conference was finalised by a panel consisting of Louise and Bakhtar hosted by our head of marketing Jenn G. Asking a range of questions such as their motivations for entering medicine, the pros and cons of a gap year, their methods of studying, and how their career aspirations have evolved.
For an amazing clip of an answer from Bakhtar speaking on using visualisation as a motivational tool, click here!
Although Storm Isha cut our attendance at the event short, it was a day which supported the students who attended greatly, as they heard the wisdom of a variety of seasoned medical students and professionals. We’re certain all who attended found great value in each and every one of the talks given by the speakers and we are honoured to support such an amazing initiative.
To find out more about In2MedSchool, the medic life and Pastest and how they can support you at the beginning and throughout the entirety of your medical education, check out all of our websites and social platforms below!
Socials
Pastest
The Medic Life
In2MedSchool
- 12 Feb 2024
- News