Advice for Freshers

If you’re currently a first year medic, your life has probably changed significantly in the past few months. You’re no longer taught by teachers in classrooms, there isn’t as much guidance as you had in sixth form, and, for most of you, you’re hundreds of miles away from your family at home. There’s also that thing… IMS. But don’t worry! In the next few paragraphs I will hopefully provide some guidance and reassurance about how to ‘do’ first year and what not to do. 

Firstly, the jump from A-level to Medicine is a big one and IMS lectures come thick and fast. Slides are packed full of information and you have only half a minute to read everything before the lecturer moves on to the next slide. Meanwhile, in the row in front you can see someone who has already made notes before the lecture and is typing literally everything the lecturer says into their notes. Don’t be that guy. The important information should be on the slides and you should only really add things which the lecturer emphasises and which help aid your understanding. Some people will have made notes before the lecture, some will add lots of unnecessary information, others will make handwritten notes – the most important thing to do is find out what works best for you. Don’t be put off by what other people are doing! If you’re not sure how much you need to know for a lecture/topic then seek clarification from lecturers and seminar teachers. 

Secondly, make sure IMS doesn’t put you off medicine. You’ve probably come to study medicine because you’re interested in human biology and want to treat patients. IMS is a relatively dry module with lots of biochemistry to begin with but I can assure you, things get a lot more interesting in second and third term with Body Systems – so just get through IMS and things will get a lot better. 

Furthermore, don’t be fooled into thinking 5 years is a long time – it really isn’t. Everyone always says that medical school will fly by and it may be hard to believe as a first year but it’s genuinely true. I’m currently in third year and I can remember being a first year like it was yesterday. Medical school goes by really quickly so make sure you try and make the most of it. There’s lots of really cool societies and so many different activities, sports and hobbies which you can try out. Find your comfort zone, run as far away as possible from it and expose yourself to new and challenging situations as that’s where you will grow the most. Get involved in as many societies and extracurricular activities as possible and most importantly enjoy your time as a student. After all, you’re only going to be a student once! Going to university to study medicine isn’t only about gaining the qualifications so you can become a doctor but it’s up to you to make the most out of it. Remember to take it easy – adapting to life as a medical student can be difficult at times but give yourself a break and make sure you leave time to relax. 

Finally and most importantly, sometimes in life things don’t always go to plan and situations can arise which complicate things, especially as a first year medical student living away from home. If this is the case for you at any point in medical school then please don’t hesitate to contact somebody – there’s a lot of great support available at the University of Leeds and there’s always someone available to listen and help.  

Bako Nouri