Academia and Workload

Let’s start with the workload – from my previous article, there has been quite a drastic change. After the first month of medical school, the work ramped up quite a lot and there was actually quite a lot to do! Having 5 lectures in one day means that sometimes you cannot finish all the notes of that day and so then, the work is transferred to the next day. This work eventually piles up, so it is inevitable to fall behind in medical school. Of course, there are 10% of people who do not fall behind, but if you want to go to societies and work on other side projects (like me), then it can be hard to stay on top of work all the time. 

I completed one academic skills essay and one academic skills presentation and Alhamdulillah, I passed both of them. They were formative and a chance for us to get a feel of how university assessments are like. There is much more limited help than school, but remember that if you were chosen to be there, you are capable of passing!

1. It is normal to fall behind in university. Try to track all your lectures and stay on top of it, as that will reduce your stress.
2. You are capable of getting through university and medical school if you were able to get in! 

Societies/Gym 

In my last article, I talked about Islamic Society and how it is one of the societies I regularly attend. However, Alhamdulillah, this time I am happy to say that I managed to attend other society events such as IndiaSoc, African And Caribbean Society and British Sign Language Society. I hope that next term, I can participate in an even wider range of societies. 

Additionally, I also went to the gym and it is something I love to do! Gymming makes me feel empowered and that I am really improving myself and I hope to carry this on next term and increase the frequency of my gym sessions.

Friendships and Flatmates

Now, this is where we get to some drama – in the last article, I talked about how I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends and how I have the best flat. Now firstly, yes, I do have some good friends, Alhamdulillah. But if there is one thing I have known from my many years of having many different types of friendships, it is that I wait to see people’s true colours. Never get attached to people and never think that people owe you anything. This is crucial and I remember someone telling me that you should wait until December to see people’s true colours. This is not to say that everyone is secretly mean/has bad intentions, it is just to warn you to protect your energy against those who do not align with you.

Secondly, in terms of flatmates, one thing that I learnt is that going back to people’s true colours coming out later, it is important to know your boundaries. Every flat has a different issue, so if there is something that your flatmates are doing that is concerning you, you have every right to speak up. Let them know. Also, think about how you can keep improving yourself because, ultimately, you can only change yourself. However, ALWAYS stick to your boundaries and your values regardless of the situation. 

My Brand

My brand is something very important to me as I want to document my journey along the way. I have been posting TikToks as regularly as possible and I have recently hit 100 followers on TikTok. I also started posting live study with me videos on my YouTube channel which you can check out. Lastly, I have also been posting advice videos on my YouTube channel such as how to be confident and also how to ace specific years in school such as Year 12. 

Helping others through my brand really motivates me and makes me feel happy! If you do find any of my content on any of my platforms helpful, please do leave a like or a nice comment – it means a lot to me! 

That was my blog post on my first term of medical school. These were some of my highlights and I hope that it helped you guys out! Please comment below how your first term of your academic year went – I would love to know!

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

P.S. If you like my content, don’t hesitate to check out my blog with 200+ free articles, my TikTok account and my podcast with lots of insightful information. It can all be found here: https://linktr.ee/surobiscribbles

I wanted to write a diary entry of some of the highlights of my first month of medical school. 

Moving Out 

This was the first time I moved out as an 18 year old. The day I moved out, it was quite cool and I remember getting all my stuff and heading out for a long road trip. I was happy to see my room and the kitchen, which were both super clean and spacious. I have so many tips for moving out for the first time which I will make a blog post on in the future In Sha Allah. Realise that this is something new but within a few days, you will have some new friends and a new room you call home.

Freshers Week 

Here is a hot take: so many people believe that you need to go clubbing or have alcohol to have fun in freshers or to get the full freshers experience. But that is not true!! I did not go clubbing once ever since I started medical school nor have I ever drank alcohol and I don’t plan to go clubbing, drink alcohol or do any of that forever! For all the Muslims out there, do not feel peer pressured. I made the most of my Freshers week by attending other events. For example, I went to the non alcoholic events such as the Beach BBQ, coffee morning, golf and even chatted to my flat mates! There were also many Islamic society events taking place in my university. You do not need to go to any Haram place to make friends because the right friends will come to you regardless! Freshers week was amazing for me and I felt do happy to talk to new people, explore the city and take some nice photos and videos! Please do take photos because you want to remember these moments. In Sha Allah, I will make another blog post about how to make the most of Freshers Week as a Muslim. 

Academic Workload 

This is where I get to spill the tea: is medicine really that hard? The answer is yes and no. I find the content really interesting as it makes me feel grateful that Allah has given us human bodies that work miraculously and has gifted the intelligence to humans to be able to explore this. There are such a wide variety of topics to focus on in Medicine and you can never get bored! That can also be a negative because you are so busy that you can get behind in lectures really quickly! I have had over 40 lectures already! I have even submitted my first essay! However, I have learnt that seeking support from other medical students both in your year and other years can be helpful. Also, whenever you feel stressed, remember that you are literally fulfilling a dream that you worked so hard for. I love the independence that Medicine gives me and it is one of the things that make me want to wake up every day Alhamdulillah.

Societies 

Societies are one of the things I was most looking forward to for medical school. I love that you get to dive into different hobbies and skills and either learn something new or revisit an old passion. One of the societies that I will rave on about is Islamic Society. The Islamic Society in my medical school is absolutely amazing! They hold regular events, there are many brothers and sisters who help each other and they incorporate Islam into it. I went bowling for the first time through this society, we had a sip and paint and overall, it had been great! I also became the first year representative for the Ophthalmology society Alhamdulillah! 

Extracurriculars 

We all know that I love to do things outside of academia! So here I will talk about other things I have done. I have been by posting on my TikTok and YouTube as regularly as possible. This is alongside maintaining my chores such as laundry and shopping. Adjusting can be hard at first and there can be homesickness so I have not posted a lot. You need to find a good routine that works for you. I aim to increase the amount of content I post over the coming weeks In Sha Allah. 

Friendships 

The last segment of this article is friendships! Alhamdulillah as the years have increased, I find that I get more mature friends that are more similar to me. I get on well with my flatmates and even other people have said that we have the best flat! I do have more female friends over male friends and I also have a variety of friendship groups rather than sticking to one, which is fabulous! I hope that these friendships grow even further In Sha Allah! 

That was my article on some of the many highlights of my first month at medical school. I hope that In Sha Allah you gained some insight into how life is at medical school. Let me know if you have any suggestions for future articles. 

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! 

• My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student 
• My First Term of Medical School | Exams, Essays and Events 
• My First Month of Medical School | Moving Out, Freshers And Workload
• The Ultimate Guide To Ace Year 12 | Revision, Friendships And Supercurriculars
• How I Got All A*s At GCSEs | 10 Tips Every Year 11 Student Should Know