My name is Koby Kalavannan and I’m one of the Year 13 Medic Mentor Summer School students who managed to secure 4 medical offers from Cambridge, Imperial, Keele and Cardiff. I’ve been part of the Medic Mentor community for the past year and I can’t begin to imagine where I would be without their support. The opportunities that have been offered, whether it be through the school ambassador programme, summer school, or even just being able to approach doctors and medical students who are so friendly and knowledgeable, has really made a massive difference and helped me feel better prepared whilst tackling the daunting admissions process!
My initial experience with Medic Mentor was attending a Get into Medicine Conference in February of Year 12. Having still not made my mind up as to whether medicine was for me, I was extremely confused, with pressure mounting to make a decision. That being said, listening to the doctors present so confidently and being inspired by the amazing experiences the medical students had had as a part of Medic Mentor, I finally felt as though I had found people who could guide me and help me discover my passion for medicine.
Looking back now, that seems a long time ago! Since then, I’ve been as proactive as possible by making the most of all the opportunities that have been offered to me. Almost as soon as I left the Get into Medicine Conference, I signed up to become a school ambassador as part of the medical leadership programme. This has allowed me to develop key skills that interviewers will be looking for such as communication, teamwork and leadership in the school ambassador meetings that happen 4 times a year. Moreover, these meetings have allowed me to become more confident whilst tackling ethical scenarios. Speaking to doctors and medical students has also allowed me to continue gaining a realistic insight into the profession and has affirmed that medicine is the course for me.
On top of this, I have helped coordinate a Get into Medicine Conference and have even presented in one which went a long way in building my confidence prior to my interviews. At interview I constantly drew upon experiences such as these and reflected upon how I’ve developed key transferable skills which was easier than expected as I was able to practice this beforehand through my written reflections as part of my work towards the awards programme. The awards programme guided me through my application process each step of the way and having the mentors only an email away, has been incredibly helpful!
What really has been the cherry on the top though, was my experience at summer school – it was fantastic! Coming out of it with a completed personal statement as well as a hoard of UCAT, BMAT and interview tips, was in itself amazing but also making great friends who I’m still in contact with 6 months on is incredible! Although my brief shot as a rapper at summer school didn’t quite hit the mark, Medic Mentor certainly has (beyond expectation!), and has truly been a second family for me. I’ve been supported incredibly as an applying student and look forward to that continuing as a medical student through the scholarship programme!
As a final piece of advice to all the applying students out there, although it may be difficult to find motivation in these difficult times, definitely keep in contact with Medic Mentor and if you are as proactive as possible and make the most of the resources available on the website as well as the mentor themselves, I’m sure you’ll go a long way and this admissions process which was initially unnerving for me will soon becoming a fun process through which you’ll make many memories! Good luck guys – be proactive, make the most of the opportunities on offer and I hope you smash it!