Hey everyone, my name is Tessa and I will hopefully be studying medicine at the University of Aberdeen (as long as I get the grades!). I had been keen on studying medicine since I was about 15 so I had attended a fair number of medical insight events before I came across Medic Mentor. They had all been very informative and certainly very useful but I could not help but feel rather overwhelmed with all the hard work you had to do and even scared due to the how competitive it was to get a place. I began to doubt if I was truly capable of handling such a momentous and seemingly impossible task ahead of me, being surrounded by so many bright and passionate applicants. Attending the Get into Medicine Conference completely changed my perspective and mindset on the whole application process. They told us the facts and busted the myths, making it no secret the journey to medicine is tough. However, their guidance and top tips made the end goal seem far more achievable and filled me with new confidence. Most importantly, coming away from the weekend I was so inspired by all the incredible doctors, medical students and current school students giving presentations which lit a fire within me to keep persevering and throw myself at every opportunity that comes my way. It also opened me up to the world of fantastic opportunities Medic Mentor has to offer to boost your application. I remember coming away from the conferences and immediately signing up to the Medical Leadership Programme and thinking about writing an article for the Medic Mentor Magazine!

Every experience I have had with Medic Mentor has been so valuable. Writing an article for the magazine helped me to develop my research and writing skills and allowed me to expand on my medical wider reading which is essential for interviews. I never thought that I would say that I have my own work published in a national health magazine at this age! The school ambassadors programme helped me to connect with other fellow aspiring students as well as mentors who have just been through the whole process and are full of expertise. This motivated me to set up my own medical society at our school because I wanted to pass on the knowledge I had gained from Medic Mentor. This became a safe environment for us to debate issues and bounce off each others ideas in attempt to maximise all of our chances of getting into medical school. One valuable thing that Medic Mentor taught me was the importance of helping and encouraging those around us rather than viewing each other as competition. I made it my goal to try and get as many people in my school society to get in as possible. In doing so I would also be developing my own leadership skills, which was huge for me as my comfort zone was quietly sitting in the background and observing rather than being at the forefront.

My favourite experience with Medic Mentor was undoubtedly the Summer School. It was incredibly intense as the 6 days were jam packed, but trust me it’s completely worth it! My teachers were so impressed when I offered them a full first draft of my personal statement and I didn’t have nearly the same level of stress as all my peers at school during the UCAS applications because I was so on top of it all. One massive struggle I had was being petrified about interviews so the practice and guidance at Summer School was essential for me. The first couple of mock interviews I had were so traumatic, but by my final mock interview I was confident and able to articulate my points a lot more clearly. The help by Medic Mentor provides does not stop there, they are only a call or email away whenever you need it! I got further guidance with UCAT, interview prep and even on what medical school I should pick. In the end, I received 3 offers to study medicine at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and I definitely have to thank Medic Mentor for helping me get there!