Am I Good Enough for Medicine?

Ella is a 3rd year Medical student at the University of Aberdeen.

Coming from a state school in the North East of England I definitely felt like a bit of an outsider to the world of medical school and struggled with feelings of not being good enough to apply. I guess I was afraid that others would have had a better education, be more polished at interview or know somebody that could get them in. But after being accepted and about to move into fourth year I can safely say that I couldn’t have been further from the truth.

One thing I’ve realised since being at medical school is that the paths people come into medicine from differ greatly and no two people’s journeys are the same. If I’m honest, I think that’s what makes it such a great course and future career to go into.

Each one of you has your individual strengths and if anything, the things that make you unique are those that you should embrace and show off in your application.

I wanted to write this blog to encourage you to go for it, if you’re wanting to do medicine but are toying with the idea of applying then just do it. I can remember being in my 2nd year of A levels and having to write my personal statement and CV on my own using videos on YouTube and it was hard, but I did it. Not being handed everything on a plate definitely helped me to understand that good things in life take time and effort. Applying to medicine may seem scary at the time, but I promise you it will be the best decisions you ever make.

You’ll see people at the worst and best times of their lives, share laughter and tears. It’s such a rewarding career and we are in a really privileged position as healthcare professionals hearing people share information with us that they would never tell anybody else.

The journey has been great so far and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Don’t let anybody stop you or make you doubt yourself. If you want to apply, go and do it.