Ultimately Adnan

By Adnan Y

"Hello! My name is Adnan, I am 19 years old and currently a first year medical student at Anglia Ruskin University."

My Journey to University

Hello! My name is Adnan, I am 19 years old and currently a first year medical student at Anglia Ruskin University.

Becoming a doctor has always been in the back of my mind as a future career since I was in primary school. Although it sounds a bit generic, a job that combined helping people with my favourite subject - science - seemed like a perfect combination! Throughout secondary school, I became very much interested in education and teaching, and had thoughts of becoming a teacher. However, I finally decided on Medicine and knew that I could still become involved in teaching throughout my career as a doctor.

Having decided on Medicine, I tried to strengthen my application in as many ways as possible. I completed work experience in a GP practice and a dental practice,  volunteered for a Ghanaian charity called EduSpots and led a St John’s Ambulance programme for students at my school. I thoroughly enjoyed all these experiences and they strengthened my desire to pursue a career in which I could help others by working in a team of people with different qualities and specialities. 

I applied to study Medicine at university through UCAS and Anglia Ruskin was my first choice. Despite finding the Medicine entrance exam (the UCAT) a great struggle, I managed to secure 4 interviews - at Anglia Ruskin, QMUL, Exeter and Liverpool - and received offers from the first three universities. I was very fortunate to have guidance from my Sixth Form on where to apply strategically based on my UCAT and predicted grades, and this is something I would encourage every medical school applicant to consider. Once I received my offers, I was determined to do well in my exams. I did the International Baccalaureate Diploma instead of A-levels, which required a lot of work since it involves 6 subjects, each with coursework and exams. However, I managed to achieve 44 points (which is in the top 1% worldwide!) and started studying Medicine in September 2024. 

My Experience So Far 

I am currently 8 months into university and I'm really enjoying it so far. I was wondering at first if I had made the right decision by choosing ARU, but I have been pleased with all the facilities, clinical teaching and weekly placement sessions - which not every university offers as early as first year. One of my favourite aspects of the course is our weekly clinical skills sessions where we learn how to take patient histories, conduct examinations and develop practical skills such as cannulation. With such a long degree it is really nice to be learning these skills early on, which helps keep motivation!  

Being at university has helped me work on my organisation and management skills; adapting from Sixth Form to accommodate the demands of a degree with a lot of content. It has also developed my confidence in meeting new people - both students in my cohort and patients and doctors while on placement. As a first year student, I am sure I will continue to develop these skills throughout my time at university.

I have found that I actually have had more free time in university when compared to Sixth Form. This has allowed me to have a job as a tutor for an online company  alongside studying and is my first professional experience in teaching - something I hope to pursue in the future within Medicine. I am also currently working on a research project outside of university with the goal of publishing my first research paper; academic medicine is an area I might consider in the future and so I have been really pleased to work on this early on in my Medicine journey.   

Unlike the majority of my friends from Sixth Form, I have chosen to live at home for university, since my commute is not too long. I was initially worried I may not be getting the full ‘university experience’, however by joining societies and speaking to people in between and after lectures, I was able to meet new people and friends. So far, I have joined the Islamic society, which has a great sense of community and I have been able to make many of my friends there. I have also joined some of the medical societies, such as GP society and peer learning society, which have helped develop my interests within Medicine. Through meeting new people, I even found out that many others also commute. In fact, I often meet up with 2 other students in my year at the train station and we go in together, so speaking to others was definitely worthwhile! Living at home also has lots of benefits, such as saving money on accommodation. 

My Ultimate Tip

Without trying to sound like a med school interview response, I have found being resilient is a key quality needed in university. I have found that in lots of ways, whether revising for exams or staying on top of all commitments, maintaining a positive and determined mindset even when things feel overwhelming is needed to overcome any challenge.