Choosing to go down the path of medicine is a noble act in itself. However, it’s quite important for prospective medical students to first understand what kind of life they’re journeying towards. The following is an insight into the life of a medical student – Sahil Shah – studying at Manchester University in the UK, who goes into detail about aspects of school life that potential students tend to deliberate on…
Why medicine?
Why do thousands of students across the world aspire to work in this field? Do we all have the same reason? Or is this something a little more personal? To answer the most significant and possibly the most important question for future medical professionals, Sahil has provided an input into his own perspective.
“I chose medicine specifically because I knew what medicine would entail. My father is a radiologist and so I knew the life of a doctor. I’ve seen first-hand how much effort and work he puts in and the knowledge that he has.”
Getting into a university may seem like the end of the tunnel though, in reality, it’s far from it. As false as this may sound, medical school is not solely comprised of an academic lifestyle. Extracurriculars and societies are a significant part of any university, providing a wide array of opportunities to its students. Sports clubs at Manchester University are quite popular, and it often acts as an outlet for students to relieve some of their stress and build relationships with other students. In addition to this, there are often cultural societies created primarily for those international students who desire a sense of nostalgia. In some ways, it’s like a piece of home that welcomes you into a brand-new area.
What you will learn
Aside from the application and the transition into university, there’s a lot to learn from the actual experience of studying medicine. At some point or the other, we have all thought about how medical students manage their time. Being a student at Manchester University has taught Sahil that it isn’t as bad as we consider it to be. The first two years of medical school are relatively relaxed, with a timetable that allows for a decent amount of free time. If you’re lucky, you may even get a timetable of only four working days a week! As students near their third year in medical school, the work slowly begins to intensify as you start receiving clinical placements and are given more responsibilities.
Years 1-2 Years 3-5
In terms of classes, a typical week at Manchester University would consist of lectures, anatomy sessions, CSLC (Clinical Skills Learning Centre – students interacting with patients), and PBL (Problem-Based Learning) sessions. Additionally, students can re-watch lectures online if necessary. This particular university offers around 16 hours of work on campus a week for the medicine program. However, they also expect students to work for around 35 hours per week, indicating that the expectation is to do 19 hours of work in your own time.
All in all, we’ve always heard that medical school is no breeze, so here’s a perspective saying otherwise; it’s a good idea to stay on top of things but more importantly, it’s about supporting your mental and physical wellbeing by making sure you don’t overwork yourself. Getting into medical school is only the beginning of a very long and rewarding journey.
Source: Sahil Shah, 2nd Year Medical Student, Manchester University
Written by: Mahika Singh
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