Transition to University: Student stories

Your transition to Medical School

Every path is different and no matter how much time you’ve spent preparing to become a medical student, you’re likely to encounter some things you never anticipated. Read about the experiences of some of our current students, and what they wish they’d known before coming to Lancaster Medical School.

Nellie

What was going through your mind before coming to Lancaster University?

I suppose I was panicky at first: the Medicine and Surgery course jumps straight in but you know the University is there to support you. Our first lecture was with student support so anyone who needed help knew how to access it straight away. Other courses didn’t have as much contact time while we had classes straight away in Fresher’s Week. So that set the tone of lots of work, but the Medical School has been very good at helping us with it.

What’s it like experiencing all these new things for the first time?

It was both exciting and daunting! I remember going into my first lecture, the energy was electric; everyone was ecstatic to start something new. None of us had ever worked like that before, it was completely different. They had all these mannikins and scenarios to work out, I felt like a real life doctor with real problems to solve, I loved it.

Was it a challenge learning that way?

There was a huge shift in my mindset, it was a completely different style to get used to but our lecturers were the best and the anatomy lab too helped us so much! The PBL (problem-based learning) curriculum is case-based. You get given a scenario and you set your own objectives then you go away and learn those with the resources the university provides. So, you go away and learn it the way you want and then you come back for a feedback session. It’s essentially based around these seminars but there’s a huge emphasis on independent learning.

How does that work for assessments?

PBL isn’t assessed. That’s the most important thing to know. You’re allocated into groups, and you spend a lot of time together you end up getting very close. You all work on a case and present your findings to your tutor. The independent learning side of things was tricky, but we worked together and collaborated. You can talk to your friends about things and talk through your notes and stuff. Some people find it stressful, but you have to see them as part of your learning rather than an assessment. By the end of the first 5/6 months we all learned to help each other out it became a group discussion.

What's the biggest change you've noticed since starting University?

I think I learned to listen more, not only to others but also to myself. I stopped seeing everything as a deadline or an assessment and more of a learning experience. That was the biggest change. Everyone is here for a reason and wants to do their best, so reaching out and sharing becomes its own experience.

Shiv

What were your greatest challenges in your transition to university?

I looked at a lot of traditional courses, preclinical, heavily content and lecture based that made me apprehensive. I chose Lancaster because of PBL (problem-based learning) and the early clinical placements. I wanted that degree of self-study and here you’re on placement from second year. It brings it all to life and really worked out the best for me; I enjoy that style of learning. Even in first year when I did communication skills, that was a taste of what clinical placement is like, and so I really felt fully prepared for what to expect in second year.

What surprised you the most about the application process?

I applied to Lancaster through UCAS extra, and because of covid my first interview was on Teams. It was the first medical interview done anywhere in the country on Teams so nothing I'd read really prepared me for how that would work.

What's the biggest change between school and university?

Well, it’s not like school. At school you’re used to the teacher leading everything, but in PBL it’s student driven. The tutor is there for support but only if you need it. It’s a lot better than school because everyone’s there for a reason, everyone chose to do this degree. The groups are really driven to do better! After the first couple modules it became very natural. I don’t think I’d be able to learn any other way now. I wouldn’t want to sit through hours and hours of lectures a week for three years.

If you could tell yourself anything about PBL, what would it be?

Just make the most of it and enjoy it. It’s so worth making the most of the time you have. You can collaborate and fill in each other’s gaps, you might deep dive into problem x but not a lot into y, but the person next to you might have done the opposite, so it’s exciting to share that. There’s definitely some competitiveness too, everyone’s trying to do their best, we all wanted to show the tutor how much we cared.

Isra

Can you tell us about coming to Lancaster University?

I applied for A100, the five-year MBChB Medicine and Surgery course and got a conditional offer but on results day my grades were one grade lower then my predicted. I was heart-broken and stressed out. However, on the same day I got an email from Lancaster saying they were sorry I’d missed my predicted grades by one grade, but that they could offer me a place on the Gateway course instead! I met these contextual criteria because my parents had never been to university, so I’d be the first in my family. I accepted it on UCAS as soon as I could, and while I knew it would be hard, I really wanted to do it.

How did you find the Gateway Year?

I loved my Gateway Year, and I would do it again. It was a great transition into university. Moving from A levels to Uni in general is a really difficult time: I was sad to be moving because I have a younger brother and I missed him every day, but because the Gateway Year is such a small cohort (there were 15 of us), we got really close and I made some amazing friends. We’d see each other every day, we’d be in a Biomed lecture of 300 students, but we’d all be sitting together in a row. Nicola our programme head was so lovely – she helped us transition in. Throughout the year we got assessed every five weeks, it was intense, but looking back even that was good because it took a lot of pressure off the final exam.

Was there anything about university that scared you?

I find everything so exciting so I didn’t find anything scary at all. I was just so excited to be here and to make new friends. Then when I was in a lab or in the lectures, I’d take pictures and send them to my parents and be like ‘’look, it’s me in a lab coat!’’ I found it so affirming.

How was your transition from the Gateway Year to year one of the MBChB?

There were challenges but I ended up with a great medic parent, a peer mentor during my first year. It’s like a professional relationship, we have to meet up with them, we build a relationship with them, and they helped me so much. I wanted to pay that back, and so I became a peer mentor for a Gateway student as well.

If you could give advice to your younger self, what would you say?

I would say put yourself out more, but I already did, I really put myself out there I did salsa, netball and chess, and I don’t even like chess! I also joined some amazing societies that helped me feel like a real medical student.

Students working at Health Innovation One

Welcome to Medicine and Surgery at Lancaster Medical School

Let our students show you what studying Medicine and Surgery at Lancaster Medical School is really like. From the sense of awe at some of their learning experiences, the way the Medical School supports them, to the friendships they make, this short film tries to put you in their shoes.