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! 

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