Former pupil heads to Medical College

Tell us what you’ve been up to during your gap year? 

I’ve been travelling – and working at M&S to pay for it! Last October, I flew out to Nepal and trekked to Everest Base Camp and then Lobuche East Peak, which is 6,119m which had amazing views. I enjoyed everything including learning about the culture and the amazing views. The only negatives were running out of clean clothes and being stranded at Lukla Airport for five days, as it had to shut because of the weather. I also went skiing in Canada, visited family in California and spent six weeks travelling around Australia. It was my first visit, and I loved the lifestyle, the food and the people were so friendly.

What are your strongest memories of school? I made so many good friends at St David’s, and I loved the Outdoor Education. I even managed to get some sailing and powerboat qualifications. There were so many House Events that brought all the school together, and they were good fun.

Was there a particular teacher, subject or experience at school that had a lasting impact on you? I really enjoyed biology with Mrs Stephenson as she made the lessons so interesting. I remember one lesson in which we dissected a fish, and it perfectly demonstrated how fish scales work. I also enjoyed the maths lessons with Mr Worral, as he explained things so well, yet they were quite relaxing.

How do you think your time here has shaped the person you are today? I think coming to St David’s has made me more confident, and willing to try more things. The environment is less formal, and you feel you can ask your teachers anything and they are very accessible.

When did you first start thinking that medicine might be the path for you? It was during GCSE History when we were learning about medicine through time. I particularly enjoyed World War medicinal history. One amazing fact was that most people used to die if they broke a leg, but splints reduced deaths by 80%. Also, WW2 saw the first use of penicillin in 1942. All this just sparked an interest in medicine for me.

What is it about medicine that excites you? It’s the idea of making an impact on a person’s life – it would be hugely rewarding. The medical world is interesting as it’s always developing and changing so no day would be the same.

What are you most looking forward to starting at Medical School? It will be a completely new experience, finding out new things. Making new friends, and Sheffield is a great city that is surrounded by countryside so the best of both worlds.

Is there a particular area of medicine that interests you? Maybe becoming a GP, talking to people and listening to them all day and covering such a range of ailments and issues – no day would be the same. Or perhaps I’d like to become a dermatologist, fixing skin cancers and wrinkles! I’ll get back to you with an answer in five years…

What do you think helped you most to achieve your goals while at school? Initially I wasn’t going to do medicine, I was thinking perhaps biomedicine as I didn’t think I’d get the grades to get into a medical school but my classmates like Izzy, Sophia and Thomas as well as my teachers (and parents!) all encouraged me to believe in myself.

How did our ALN provision help you? I think having the right access arrangements during exam time, and having a separate room were crucial in helping me get those grades. I’ve got slow processing, so I really needed that extra time. In my other school I really struggled to complete essays in exams as I didn’t have the right access arrangements.

If you could go back and speak to someone starting at St David’s College, what would you say to them? I would advise them to take as many opportunities as possible, as there are so many extracurricular things to do, and throw yourself into school life as much as possible. Outdoor ed is amazing and I wish I could have done more, and I was never a performing arts person, but I loved watching them. Just give things a go. If you don’t try, you will never know.