Medicine

  • Ilhan Omar: 4th year medicine

    I remember my first day at UCL, the first to arrive out of a class of 300+, so early in fact the Cruciform building had not yet opened! I felt as though “newbie” was stamped across my forehead as the security guard approached me, asking if I knew where I was going. As he gave me the directions to the lecture theatre, I responded “Safe, man, safe.” As the day, and freshers’ week went on, I realised I was no longer in some school in North Weezy but in a world class institution. Time to fix up.
    The transition was hard, I truly felt like a schoolchild lost in a big university. Freshers’ week was a big blur, the freshers’ fair was filled with swarms of students being pulled this direction and that by societies, reminiscent of market stall holders. Then there was having to introduce yourself to countless numbers of people, only to not speak to them for the entire year, or remember who they were for that matter. However it wasn’t long before I found my circle of friends, and the rest, as they say is history.

    With regards to the actual course, for the first two years Cruciform LT1 will become your new home, lectures being the primary teaching method – A LOT of lectures. As a first year it’s quite easy to fall off track, from being in a spoon-fed environment to being responsible for your own education. Furthermore, in medicine as only the end of year exams count, there lies potential for a slippery slope towards failure. I found that working for all end of module assessments as if they were real saved me a whole lot of stress come Easter holidays, having learnt the hard way! Not all aspects of pre-clinicals are enjoyable, what you enjoy is a matter of personal preference. But if you’re not one for learning about enzymes and G-Protein coupled receptors, be patient. Clinical years will come soon, and they will be worth the wait (and pain of Pre-Clins!).

    Medicine may be what you came to study, but what makes uni special are the experiences you have, the people you meet, and the personal growth you achieve. There are a multitude of opportunities to get involved in what interests you, or to make a difference through volunteering. And there are the two Isoc’s. There for you, whether your needs are spiritual or academic. I remember being overjoyed at finding wudhu facilities, and a prayer room (plus prayer corridor in Cruciform). I was fortunate enough to meet fantastic sisters at UCL, all diverse, and have helped to enrich my university experience.
    Three years on, I like to think the novelty of being at UCL has worn off, but every now and then I remember how badly I wanted to come here, and thank Allah for blessing me with such an opportunity.

    Side effects of studying medicine:
    1.“Medical Student Syndrome” self-diagnosis after perceiving oneself to be experiencing the symptoms of the disease one is studying.
    2. Asking someone a ton of questions after they inform you they, or someone else is ill.
    3. Other people ask YOU a ton of questions about their health issues, the word ‘student’ in medical student failing on them.
    4. Becoming really lame. You know it gets bad when you crack medical jokes (note: this last side effect increases in risk if one spends too much time with medics and doesn’t integrate with others.)