Hi! My name is Olivia, I am currently in Year 13 and I am planning to study medicine at Leicester University in September. I first discovered Medic Mentor at the beginning of Year 12 when I went to the Get into Medicine Conference. I was really inspired by the mentors there and the medic mentor students, and I really wanted to become involved too. Soon after, I became a school ambassador for Medic Mentor, which is one of the best decisions I ever made for my medical journey. I really benefited from mock interview practice in the lead up to my real interviews and leadership training which really helped me to start and lead my school’s medical society. Being part of medic mentor also gave me the opportunity to publish an article in their magazine which was an amazing experience. My interest in cellular senescence led me to publish an article called ‘The Age-Old Question of Anti-Ageing’ which answered the question as to whether we could ever halt or reverse the ageing process. The editors of the magazine gave me a lot of support and advice when I was writing this, and having it published was a really proud moment for me. During the summer of Year 12 I attended a UNIQ course (Oxford’s summer school) in oncology and the research I did for the article gave me a lot more insight into the genetic side of the course than I expected. The background knowledge it gave me helped me to get much more out of that experience and made the week even more interesting. During the summer I also attended the Medic Mentor Summer School which was a really fun experience. I got a lot of support with my personal statement and by the end of the week I was really happy and confident with it. I also got a lot of feedback during mock interviews which definitely helped me prepare for the real ones and the UCAT and BMAT workshop helped me to realise which areas I needed to prioritise and work more on. I met many medical students and lots of other applicants to medical, vet and dental school who made the experience really special and memorable. The ongoing support I had from the summer school also really helped. The day before my interviews, Dr Kennedy would do a mock interview with me via skype which really helped to calm me down and make me more confident for my interviews.

Over the past year medic mentor has given me so much support; the mentors have really inspired me and given me a lot of motivation when I’ve needed it most. Before discovering Medic Mentor, I didn’t know a single doctor or medical student, but now I know more than I can count. My experience has helped me to refine my leadership skills and has helped me to develop skills that will continue to help me through medical school. For all of you applying to medicine, veterinary or dentistry now, I wish you the best of luck and I hope you enjoy your experience with Medic Mentor. My biggest tip is to try and get as involved with Medic Mentor as you can- the more you put in, the more you will get out.