My 2023 Reflections As A Medical Student

Hello everyone or Assalamu Alaikum! I hope that everyone is well. In today’s article I will be sharing 23 highlights of 2023 which will be a way of documenting this fabulous year as well as share some lessons that you can take with you in 2024 In Sha Allah!

DISCLAIMER: Of course, these are just highlights of my life, there were times of sadness and/or stress at different times throughout the year, which I did not mention in this article. Please do not compare yourself to me or to anyone else.

I hope that this helps you all out or you find it somewhat informative!

January – I started the year off strong by doing my interview for the medical school I now go to – BSMS! Little did that girl know that she would now be attending the same medical school she interviewed at Alhamdulillah!

2. January – I also attended my sister’s graduation (Masha Allah Allahumma Barik to her). This was a spectacular moment for me and my family as my siblings and I are first generation university students. The lesson that you can take away from this is to be the change in your family and be the leader. Do not wait for your siblings or your parents to change, be embodied as your best version of yourself and they will surely follow you if they choose to.

3. January – I also started my Medium blog! This was a way for me to build an audience and see what types of blogs people are interested in. Now that I am writing this in December 2023, I am now at 179 followers on Medium at the time of writing and I even got monetised on my blogs. However, my Medium blog is not that active, so my lesson to you is that it is okay to start something that makes you happy long term and then give it up later if it no longer aligns with you.

4. February – this was a huge month for me in my life. I peaked in my religious journey and my Imaan and I made a really big decision for myself in my faith and this helped me to accelerate in my growth and my relationship with Allah (swt). I am so proud of myself for taking that decision! The lessons that were reiterated for me from this is that Allah is the best of planners because initially, I wanted to delay in taking a decision on this, but I then took the leap and with Allah’s help, I decided. Secondly, it taught me that when you give up something for the sake of Allah, He will always make it easier for you!

5. March – I remember having a good time with my sister by going to one of my favourite cafes – Filli Cafe! On the same day, I went to the London Central Mosque which is a very beautiful mosque. I also got the opportunity to volunteer for this charity ‘Action For Humanity’ where I had the opportunity to meet Mohammed Hijab (a quite famous Muslim influencer) at an event. Another cute event I remember is going to this girls’ Iftar event with some of my sixth form friends as Ramadan had begun. Staying committed to my faith while doing my A Levels is one of the things that kept me going.

6. March – I received my conditional offer from BSMS Alhamdulillah and I remember shaking while telling my sister over the phone. Due to this news, I had the Federation of my sixth form email me to take photos of me in Central London as I was one of six Medicine offer-holders amongst around 23 sixth forms in the Federation Alhamdulillah! I did not go to have my photo taken despite feeling tempted, because I wanted to only tell everyone of the success after I had gotten into medical school. My sister also had so much faith that she told me that if I got into Medicine with an unconditional offer, she would have photos of me taken in August. This taught me that good things take time, and when you receive the fruits of your hard work, it tastes even sweeter!

7. April – this was a very busy month for me! I remember going to the library quite frequently and I was studying for my upcoming A Level exams. Ramadan had also ended so it was great to celebrate Eid where I went to some family friends’ houses with my mother. Sometimes, you just have to appreciate the silent and boring work that is making you progress.

8. May – There were more library sessions here and I got closer to the Quran. Sometimes answers for my problems in life would appear in the Quran. As exams were approaching, I spent more time studying and for breaks, I would go on walks and connect with nature – scientifically, spending time in nature makes you happier!

9. June – this was the month of exams and stress. All my exams that culminated my 2 years of gruelling, hard work spanned over a period of three intense weeks. I had two exams in the first week, three exams in the second week and FOUR exams in the last week. My first exam was the Pure Maths and Mechanics Paper 1 and my last exam was my Chemistry Paper 3. Alhamdulillah, I still managed to complete all my exams which I was incredibly grateful for. The lesson here is that you must praise Allah for all that He gets you through.

10. June – after completing my exams and finishing sixth form (which was somewhat emotional), I started my holidays! I started my first ever TikTok account which I post on even today. I travelled to places in London and went on a cruise, tried a new drink and even had pizza in the Outlet Shopping Centre at the O2. Make sure you always diversify your identity and not just base it upon one thing solely.

11. June – another pinch-me moment is that I went to visit BSMS with my mother, not knowing that I am now writing this as a current medical student in that university. Fun fact: one of the staff members that gave me the tour of the medical school building that month still recognised me when I came in September as a student. Make sure you talk to as many people as possible and ask them questions when you go to an open day!

12. June – We also celebrated Eid-ul-Adha and my sister and I went to Dil Pasand Restaurant! I have posted a TikTok on my review of this place, which you can check out below. Documenting memories can be absolutely great!

13. July – July is always a special month for me because it is my birthday month! In this specific month, I went to many places such as Green Street, Primrose Hill, St James Park and the Garden at 120. I also tried new eating places such as Indulgence and Akaya Lounge for my birthday. I enjoyed doing some solo travelling around places in London (again many of the places I went to are on my TikTok). Learn to enjoy solo travelling – you get to learn a lot!

14. August – I passed my theory test for driving a car the first time Alhamdulillah. It feels amazing to be well-rounded in every aspect of my life.

15. August – Results Day was just around the corner so as I was preparing for that, I continued going to new places and documenting them along the way. I went to a hidden beach in London known as Ruislip Lido Beach and I also went to Chelmsford. When Results Day finally arrived, AHH! I got into Medicine and I even secured two other university offers Alhamdulillah! Being a first-generation university student who had dreamed of doing Medicine for a very long time, this was truly very exciting for me! I enrolled to BSMS and also secured my accommodation. I got gifts from my family members, Alhamdulillah. My mother, sister and I also went to Grand Rasoi Restaurant.

16. August – I started my YouTube channel! My YouTube channel was made to help Muslim girls to become high value. It is now a place where I film videos to help you grow academically, emotionally and spiritually!

17. September – As I was preparing for medical school, I continued… you guessed it… travelling! I spent time with my family and packed to move out for medical school. My sister and I went to one of the most expensive restaurants we have ever been to celebrate the fact that I got into medical school which was Coco Canary Wharf, where I had some delicious steak and it was very luxurious Subhanallah!

18. September – I then moved into my accommodation for medical school near the end of the month. I made some new friends, went to new places and had some fun in Freshers’ week! More details are on my blog linked here.

19. October – I was in medical school, going to lectures, doing my chores and habits and also having fun in a way that makes me happy long term! Some highlights were going to the ‘Sip and Paint’ session for the sisters in Islamic Society, going to Afters with my mother and brother and receiving my first DM on TikTok of someone appreciating my TikTok content.

20. October – I also wrote and submitted my first ever academic skills essay for university which was formative, but it gave me some insight into how independent uni life is. I would also commute roughly every two weeks to go back to London to visit my family home for the weekends which was a great balance!

21. November – Again, the workload in medical school started increasing as it was slowly approaching near the end of the end term. I went out with one of my friends in London from sixth form and I also had another highlight this month – the Islamic Society Charity Auction Dinner! This was incredibly useful since Palestine has been going through so many hardships – may Allah make it easy for them!! I also went ice skating for the first time – don’t be afraid to do new things but only if they make you happy long term!

22. November – I passed my first ever essay and presentation for medical school Alhamdulillah! Remember that if you were given a place in the institution, you are capable of doing well in that place and you deserve your place!

23. December – December has been one of my favourite months! I got a scholarship from Zero Gravity unexpectedly which I was very happy about. I have truly manifested many things but one great achievement was manifesting going on an aeroplane after ten years! I managed to achieve that and I went to Dublin for five days with my mother. This was after I had completed my first ever medical school term. ALHAMDULILLAH! I have also been having so much fun this past week visiting relatives and family friends, and even going to Central London to see the pretty winter lights.

I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL FOR 2023!! It has been one of the best years of my life and I believe it is always about to get better and better! I praise Allah for all the blessings, wisdom and opportunities I have received! Thank you to everyone who I have met along the journey of life! I am looking forward to 2024 In Sha Allah 😀

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this article as much as I have enjoyed reading it! 2024 is my year of abundance and prosperity In Sha Allah! Happy New Year!

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