Student Stories: My Life as a 3rd Year Medical Student
Third Year BSc (Hons) Student Tiah, shares her experience of studying and living in St Andrews as a medical student.
My name is Tiah and I am a 3rd year medical student on the St Andrews medicine BSc course. I started my studies here in 2023 after having spent a year out working in a primary school back home in Edinburgh. In my fourth year of high school, I really took a liking to biology and the idea of being a psychiatrist however upon realising that psychiatry requires a medical degree I shot that idea down pretty quickly, as I did not believe it was possible for me to attain those grades.
Fast forward to now I am in a position I never believed was possible for me. it hasn’t been the smoothest of rides by any means, but I am incredibly proud of myself for what I have accomplished so far in my medical journey.
I chose St Andrews for a multitude of reasons. Despite living across the bridges in Edinburgh, I had actually never been to St Andrews before my interview, although there were a few times I was tempted to take a day trip for the famous ice cream! When I came for my interview and experienced the vibe of the town it felt to some extent like home away from home. I had my creature comforts of the town centre, the wee independent coffee shops and its closeness in proximity to other cities all whilst being in a new unfamiliar environment where I didn’t know anyone. I remember liking the atmosphere of St Andrews, but I tried to not fall in love with the place in fear I might not actually make it through the interview.
My favourite module so far in my journey has been GI, reproduction and urinary, this module solidified my interest in female reproduction and the specialty of obstetrics, as well as inspired my dissertation topic. Placements in St Andrews are also a great opportunity to explore what branch of medicine you are interested in. When I first came to St Andrews I actually thought we didn’t get any placement experience because I was under the impression that was what our final three years in our partner school is for. I was very much wrong, the way placements are arranged in St Andrews is great as it very much eases you into a hospital setting. Fife is full of small community hospitals which is unique as in most of the country community hospitals no longer exist. Hospitals in fife also operate slightly different to some of the hospitals in the big cities. Part of the reason why I chose to study here in St Andrews was for its partner school option, I think it is so cool to learn in all these different environments throughout your six years, I think it just makes for better character building and a better all rounded experience in my humble opinion!
I currently live in St Andrews during the semesters, and I can confidently say it is a great place to live. I will miss those times I will be home studying and in need of a break so I will text a friend asking if they would like to join you on a walk and within 5 minutes they are outside my door. It is very convenient living in St Andrews as everything you could need is pretty much in walking distance.
One thing I was most nervous about was getting used to the content and style of teaching. I learned very quickly that everyone around you is in the same headspace. Older students in the school arrange lectures on how to find the study techniques for you and are very open to giving you advice on what they have learned over the years. I personally have always been actively against gatekeeping learning from others especially in an intense degree like medicine, I was scared this would be the case as it is something you often hear as a bad habit across medical schools but no, people are very willing to share their tips and tricks!
When it comes to making a choice on where to study or what degree to choose it is so important to choose a place which you enjoy the idea of and is convenient to you and your lifestyle as well as of course choosing a degree that you have genuine interest in. Over the years I am more sure of myself in my choices of where I have chosen to study and what I have chosen, as I stuck to what I felt was right for me despite everything I had heard about the universities I applied for or the degree I had chosen.
I have so much advice to give out from what I learned throughout medical journey but in the interest of not making this story a novel, here are a few points I have learnt:
Find the work life balance for you, for some people this is work 5 days a week and take the weekend off, for some people like me it is doing work every day but only you know how much time you need and if you are putting the hours in.
HAVE CONFIDENCE! I still find to this day that I am doubting my own abilities, and it is a common thing to encounter in an environment full of so many talented people. Imposter syndrome is a real thing and for me I found it came and went numerous times during these few years in medicine. So basically, what I am saying is don’t be like me and remember you were chosen to be here for a reason.
Everything happens for a reason. I do believe that if you work hard you will reap the benefits, but you will also encounter times where your path did not go the way you wanted it to. Take a step back, don’t compare yourself to what is happening around you and realise this may just be the short-term redirection you need.