What I would tell my fresher self: medical student edition

One of my biggest life goals was to go to medical school and now looking back at my journey, I feel so proud on how far I have come. I have grown so much over the years, working through challenges, building incredible friendships, and learning throughout my medical journey. Sometimes, I reflect on my early years and wish I could tell myself to do things differently to help me with difficult times.

One of the things, was to be confident when approaching senior students and doctors. I remember being afraid to ask questions or wanting to spend more time in wards to understand various specialities. If I had the confidence, I would have saved time and networked with doctors earlier on to learn more about the different medical fields. I did gain confidence overtime especially when I explored out of my comfort zone, which opened me to new opportunities like attending national conferences, being part of various societies and working with incredible teams.

Secondly, I should have joined medical society committee in early years so I could work to a more senior position later. My interest in surgery sparked during my clinical years, hence joining the university surgical society in year 4. I wish I had joined earlier on, since I would be working with people with similar interests and could have developed my skills and knowledge beforehand. However, I am grateful that I was part of the team and made an impact during the pandemic by organizing virtual events like workshops and guides. This year I am also a senior mentor to help guide young students about surgery experience and surgical career portfolio. I wish I had a mentor during my early years who could have helped me. Nevertheless, I am glad that I can help young students and share my learning experience.

Lastly, I would say to always keep in contact with all the relationships that I had made in my previous school and in medical school. I realised that we sometimes tend to forget the people who helped us along the way to achieve our dreams and it’s important to remind ourselves that. I had kept in contact with my previous school as an alumni, to answer any questions by prospective students going to University of Dundee. However, recently since I have been on placements and with time differences, I do find it harder to help out. Moving forward, I will try managing my timetable and organize sessions to help out students. I have a passion for teaching and with the wonderful experiences I have had in Dundee, I would want to share it prospective students.