I wish to serve as a medic in the belief that everyone deserves good health. I am keen to play a positive role in the community, whilst continuing to explore the science of diseases and use this knowledge to develop and evaluate treatments. As for the social aspect, I have witnessed and developed collaborative skills while volunteering in solidarity with people from all walks of life, discovering the value of team work and commitment when serving hot meals to the homeless, helping at charity runs, and particularly when befriending an elderly lady with vascular dementia each Saturday. Since Easter, I have gained awareness of her preferred topics and her trouble hearing words starting with 'h'. For smoother communication and her comfort, I therefore rephrase my questions to not include these words. When she was hospitalised for a urinary tract infection, I learned it could have been severe if undetected, as the delirious symptoms could be mistaken for her dementia. This underlined the importance of knowing patients well enough to detect changes and acknowledging that individuals have unique experiences of disease. It also stressed the need for the adequate clinical communication skills observed during my week at a cancer hospital, shadowing the breast team as well as other essential surgical teams, radiologists and pathologists. One procedure I saw was Coleman's fat grafting technique, which demonstrated how doctors must be competent in assessing risks and making decisions most suited to the patient’s needs and wishes, as reinserting thigh fat in the breast prevents rejection, but may lead to necrosis and absorption by the body. I am inspired by the prospect of holding the range of responsibilities I saw at a multidisciplinary team meeting, where doctors carried out research while being active surgeons and clinicians. I saw first-hand how data was used honestly in an audit, contrasting case studies in a cultural perspective class on Goldacre’s 'Bad science'. The class explored careful data interpretation and source selection, which I engaged in when researching the ethics of organ re-transplantations for UCL’s Summer Challenge essay. Having a word limit was beneficial as I practised evaluating information in journals and communicating my findings efficiently, which I found easier thanks to my French studies, where I frequently examine different viewpoints in my essays to become more aware of the wider world. Following this, I achieved runner up in an essay competition, writing about longevity with a focus on the roles of epigenetics and gut bacteria, inspired by reading ‘Gut’ and attending biochemistry and probiotics lectures to complement my biology A-level. Keeping enthusiastic about opportunities like this and advancements related to my A levels is further evidence that I will be a dedicated medical student and has helped me achieve silver in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad and be chosen to represent my school at the RSC Analysts competition. Here, I realised the significance of precision and rigor in practicals, which I adopted to explain the effects of lipid solubility and antidotes on drug effectiveness in a presentation on ‘Poison: an illustrated history’ by Joel Levy, after enjoying chemistry lessons on mechanisms, isomerism and free radicals. As well as presenting in academic societies, I am the president of ACT (Action Changes Things) society, where I organise and manage fundraising events, helping the school raise over £3,000 last year. I have the privilege of distributing jobs, making back up plans and generating enthusiasm, which led me to set up my running club, which trains weekly to run for charities. From talking to doctors, I am fully aware that medicine is a lifestyle rather than a job and that the path is highly demanding. In embracing this, I wish to study medicine to use my perseverance and love of discovering new things to contribute to the healthcare community and the progress within medicine.

​

Offers: UCL & KCL