Hello everyone! My name is Nicola Bakova but I go by Cole, and I am happy to introduce myself as an aspiring medic and one of the Oxbridge officers for the VMS. I am an S5 (year 12) student at St Margaret’s Academy in Scotland. As your Oxbridge officer I will be presenting the Oxbridge update at the society meetings along with Lorraine and will take part in many more things to ensure that all students have all the up-to-date knowledge and any useful information on Oxbridge. Alongside that I will be doing my utmost best in all my other responsibilities as a part of the student committee, working with them as a team to ensure the VMS flourishes and that YOU, the amazing members, get the most out of this society. The committee, myself included, are there for you if you have any question, concern, or suggestion.
To provide a little background information about myself, I was born in Slovakia and moved to Scotland when I was still a toddler. I grew up in a town next to Edinburgh and that is where I’ve lived until now. Fun fact: this resulted in me developing an accent that is neither Slovak nor Scottish, but rather a unique blend of the two!
I first came into contact with Medic Mentor in early 2019 when I attended the National Healthcare Weekend. Since then I have become a school ambassador, joined the awards program, and booked a place on this year’s summer school. I am hoping to become even more involved with the amazing opportunities available, getting a place on the VMS student committee being the most recent one! Medic Mentor has been described to me as a family before many times and never have I felt this more than now. It has allowed me to connect with plenty of wonderful doctors, medical students, and fellow applicants. Everyone here is very open and helpful, and although I haven’t mentioned the vets and dentists, be assured there are plenty of them too and they are equally welcoming and eager to help.
Beyond the Medic Mentor family and my biological one, I also have one I’ve found within scouting. Through them I have completed one of my greatest achievements, the Explorer Belt. This involved my group going on a gruelling ten-day expedition through Denmark (with no cushy beds whatsoever, it was all tents and sleeping bags!) We planned the route ourselves, completed daily challenges, and interacted with locals. I will never forget this extraordinary experience I’ve had and I am proud of the skills I’ve developed such as independence, resourcefulness, and most importantly: teamwork! Besides scouting, I am a support worker at a service for autistic children. Initially a volunteering role, this job has allowed me to make a positive contribution to the children and their families. Then there is also reading, my primary hobby. I may not be up to date with all the recent Netflix shows but I am an avid book lover and proud owner of two large bookshelves, both of which are almost full!
After completing medical school my aspirations are to travel and to take part in some unique experiences! Volunteering overseas or maybe becoming a doctor on a cruise ship, the possibilities with medicine are numerous. Even if I don’t do anything of the sorts, the meaningful work that medics do would still be more than enough for me.
I hope that by reading this you have learned more my role, my relation to Medic Mentor, and who I am as a person. I look forward to seeing how the Virtual Medical Society will grow, and how we will all develop as successful applicants, and even more importantly, as confident and compassionate individuals that will one day become the next generation of medics, vets, and dentists.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
(Use comparison to better yourself, not to bring yourself down)
If you would like to post Cole a question, please comment below and she will get back to you!