Anonymous Medical Student
A TURNING POINT
And how this changed my perspective ...
Hi ! This is my first time ever writing an article like this and to be perfectly honest , I had no idea where to start . Even as a little first year , I knew I had experiences which I could draw upon , but I didn ’ t know if I was ready to share anything publicly . As a compromise to myself , this is going to be anonymous … for now .
Anyway , I ’ ll get on with it and won ’ t ramble too much ! As you likely all know , medical students are known for being high achievers and hard workers . With this in mind , I ’ m sure I speak for others when I say that this can often mean that pressure is put on us either by ourselves or people around us . For me , I never put the pressure on myself for GCSEs because I was extremely under confident and therefore I did not expect to get anywhere near the grades that I ended up achieving . However , when it came to Sixth Form and applying to university , with the realisation that I wanted to apply for Medicine , I knew that the exams were important and that they would determine my life ’ s course .
' YOU DON ' T HAVE TO TAKE THE STRAIGHT AND SMOOTH PATH '
Although this is true , I have learned ( mostly from the following event ) to appreciate that you don ’ t always have to follow the straight and smooth path to get somewhere sometimes you learn far more from taking the jagged , windy path !
So , before I could allow this pressure and many other thoughts to influence me too much , one of the most influential things in my life happened …
A friend of mine was in the Brussels terrorist attacks and came away with serious and lifechanging injuries . Having happened over the Easter holidays ( about a month and a half before my final exams ), when everyone was welcomed back to school , our peer was still in an induced coma and having to take every single day as it came .
' A FRIEND OF MINE WAS IN THE BRUSSELS TERRORIST ATTACKS '
That first day of term is one I doubt I will forget ). As each day became the next , we were continuously waiting for updates and news about how she was . During these weeks and months , I learned how incredibly strong a person , even at the relatively young age of 17 , can be and how they can overcome even the most horrific injuries . She never gave up and always showed us that she was fighting ; even battling medications inducing the coma in order to correct the nurse about how to pronounce her name . She has since achieved all of the goals that she set out for herself , on waking from the coma , and is on track to compete at the Tokyo Paralympics !
' I WOULD LIVE MY LIFE THE BEST WAY THAT I COULD '
Experiencing this first hand majorly changed my perspective on life . I decided that , rather than being the anxious human being that I was ( and still sort of am !), that I would live my life the best way I could and however I wanted because I was and am lucky enough to have my life to live .
' THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE THAN SIMPLY THE PERCENTAGE OR GRADE THAT YOU ACHIEVE IN AN EXAM '
There is so much more to life than simply the percentage or grade that you achieve in an exam . Yes , we are medical students , but we also have our whole lives in front of us . We are fortunate enough to be able to strive to achieve the goals we set out for ourselves but it is also so so important to take a minute to reflect on our lives and think about whether or not we are living out our potential ; not just academically but also socially and emotionally .
Take the time to enjoy a favourite hobby or to go for coffee with a friend or ( a new discovery of mine ) stay out until 5am at the Raz ! However you choose to live your life , ( here comes the cheese !) grab it with both hands and live it how you want to . Don ’ t let others influence you negatively or stop you from doing what you want . And take the bad things with the good ; they help you to grow and learn . Acknowledge the little things that life has to offer but also appreciate the fact that you have your life to live ! And finally , a little quote from my B & M water bottle , “ Think Positive and Be Powerful ”!
THINK POSITIVE AND BE POWERFUL