Getting into university was one of the hardest processes I’ve ever had to go through, especially considering the fact that I was applying to study medicine and almost all the universities I chose were from the Russell Group. How do I make myself sound like a spectacular individual that’s had experience in a wide range of medical fields, when I didn’t have any doctors or highly educated members in my family or even from my close friends? How would I tackle a medical interview when I have never really been prepped on what to expect or how to answer the questions? And above all would I really get the grades to even get in?These worries and more caused me a great deal of grief during the latter part of my studies in college and when I did get into university to study medicine, I realised that a lot of my colleagues also had the same concerns as me. (My medicine course is part of a King’s access-style course, so everyone I study with is basically from similar background to me) It was this realisation that the overwhelming amount of medical applicants who come from a similar background to me had the same obstacles, that made me realise that it was an issue that needed to be tackled and that I should make some sort of effort to be involved in access programmes for selective universities and more specifically to the course which I study.
So with that in mind, now in my second year at King’s I have decided to become part of the university’s Widening Participation Scheme and also be part of a student-led society called U.CAN which aims to support students applying to medicine and dentistry, equipping them with the skills and the know-how to go about getting into those two highly competitive degrees. It’s more out of a sense of duty to level the playing field, that I do it – more than buffing up my resume or anything! The system isn’t fair and it’s a great waste of potential in British society that bright students are let down by a system that doesn’t always recognise who they are or what they can achieve.