Tell me about yourself.
- Sai
- Biology, Chemistry and English
- Interests -> Tennis, Piano, Creative writing and reading a variety of articles about my interets in medicine and other subjects.
“My name is Sai, and I’m currently studying Biology, Chemistry, and English at [School Name]. These subjects have helped me develop a strong foundation in both the sciences and communication, both of which are essential in medicine. I’ve always been fascinated by the human body, and as I read more about medicine, I became drawn to the idea of helping people through science.
Outside of academics, I’m passionate about tennis and playing the piano. Tennis has taught me discipline, teamwork, and resilience, while piano allows me to express myself creatively. I also love creative writing and reading articles on medicine and other topics, which expands my thinking and keeps me curious.
These hobbies have taught me valuable skills, like handling pressure, staying focused, and communicating clearly—all of which I believe will be crucial in my future medical career. I’m excited about the path ahead and the opportunity to combine my interests and knowledge in medicine to make a difference.”
What do you do to relax?
“To relax, I enjoy playing tennis, playing the piano, and doing creative writing. Tennis helps me clear my mind and stay active, which is a great way to relieve stress after studying. The physical challenge allows me to reset mentally. Playing the piano, on the other hand, is a way for me to focus purely on music, and I find it very calming. Creative writing is my outlet for expressing myself and letting my imagination flow.
These activities not only help me unwind, but they also teach me important skills like discipline, focus, and creative thinking—qualities I know will be valuable in medicine. Tennis, for example, has taught me how to handle pressure, while writing improves my communication and reflection skills. Maintaining this balance between work and relaxation is something I plan to continue, especially as I enter medical school.”
Why medicine?
- Opportunity to make a real impact:
- Direct influence on both individual lives and broader healthcare outcomes.
- Ability to improve healthcare systems and patient outcomes.
- Interest in chronic illness & prevention:
- Focus on the growing burden of chronic illnesses (e.g., obesity, diabetes) on systems like the NHS.
- Curiosity about the gap between treatment and prevention (e.g., preventing gastric bypass through lifestyle changes).
- Interested in shifting from reactive care to proactive, preventive strategies.
- Application of preventive strategies:
- Exploring how small lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, public health initiatives) can lower healthcare costs and improve patient well-being.
- Excitement about seeing real-world results in clinical settings.
- Teamwork and collaboration:
- Inspired by effective collaboration among healthcare professionals (e.g., specialists working together).
- Value in learning from both senior colleagues and mentoring juniors.
- Motivated by a dynamic, constantly evolving healthcare environment.
- Continuous personal and professional growth:
- Medicine is about ongoing learning and improvement.
- Desire to contribute to the healthcare system and make a tangible, lasting difference.
- Summary:
- Interest towards science -> Preventative vs treatment -> Obesity
- Tangible effect
- Close-knit teams allow building of rapport
- Teaching and teacher -> Variety is unique
What is your aim during medicine?
Use the CAMP structure (Clinical, Academic, Management, Personal)
• Clinical - I want to build up a base of knowledge that is strong enough to allow me to pursue the specialty of my choice, as well as a bedside manner than allows me to build a strong rapport with any patient. Personally, I’ve developed an interest in nutrition and intestinal health, so perhaps specialising in gastroenterology could be for me, but I understand that my time in medical school will shape my plans and understanding the work of a specialist or GP.
• Academic - I would like to always make sure that I am keen to teach those more junior to me, as I am aware of how critical this is to the development of doctors.
• Personal - I want to ensure that I have a personal balance outside of medicine, so that I can continue playing the sports that I enjoy and continuing my hobby of chess. I hope to also have time for the voluntary work I do.
What are the challenges involved in a medical career?
- Long hours + working over time -> Maximum 48hrs per week average for junior doctors (2016 contract)
- Vast amount of knowledge
- Ability to deal with grief + gruesome sights-> Sadness experienced at breast clinic on work experience
- Ability to teach and be taught simultaneously
- Effective communication with a variety of people -> Weed woman on work experience
Why did you choose Birmingham medical school?
- Excellent campus
- Close to home
- Course structure is great
- Only slightly PBL
- Small amount of contact hours per week (4) in the first two years
- Great hospital
- Medical school open 24/7
Why did you choose Bristol medical school?
- Wide range of intercalation
- Not too much contact time at start of course (Only 2% in first year)
- Nicely sized uni
- Nice city -> Green spaces
- Prosection
- Nice size of year
Why do you suit the integrated teaching style?
- Enjoy early clinical exposure
- Enjoy a mix of lectures and PBL
- Teaching system by system allows comprehensive understanding
What are the pros and cons of the integrated teaching style?
PROS
• Early clinical exposure
• Good balance of teaching methods
• Teaching system by system allows comprehensive understanding
CONS
• Clinical exposure can be premature
• Need a lot of motivation to the get the most out of PBL
What ways do you learn?
- Mixture of teaching styles -> Mostly lecture
- I find that learning similar content in a variety of ways helps my retention greatly -> So an integrated teaching style is excellent for me
- I enjoy being able to apply what I learn as a way of reinforcing it -> PBL and CBL is perfect for this
Medical training is long. What will make you stick to it?
• ?
What is something interesting you’ve read recently?
- New report published in the BMJ by David Ludwig and colleagues, assessing the effect of low-carb diets on energy expenditure and hormone production
- The percentage of carbohydrates in the diets was changed, while total calories and protein were controlled
- It was shown that for every 10% increase in the proportion of carbohydrate, energy expenditure increased by 52 calories/day
- Ghrelin was lower in low-carb, but leptin was also lower
- This was largely in support of Ludwig’s carbohydrate-insulin model, which states that high-carb diets increase insulin levels that move glucose into storage as fat and away from metabolically active tissues, as well as slowing metabolism and inducing a ‘starvation state’. It also affects appetite.
- The main concerns are about the lack of studies into the long-term effect and differing studies that show the opposite.
- However, it is important to understand the dangers of focusing too much on weight loss and not enough on the general health effect
- Safest bet is the Mediterranean diet, which emphasises: primarily plant-based foods, replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil, using herbs instead of salt, limiting red meat, eating fish and poultry at leat twice a week, enjoying food with family and friends, some red wine
