David - Newcastle University, Medicine
David
Date attended Ashmole: 2008 - 2015
A Levels: Maths, Biology, Chemistry and German
University: Newcastle University
Course: Medicine
What are you doing now?
I left Ashmole in the summer of 2015 and started at Newcastle in the September. My first two years were mainly lecture based but for my 3rd year, I am on clinical rotations in hospitals and GP surgeries in and around County Durham.
What have you got involved with in the university?
Newcastle Medical School has one of the biggest ranges of extra-curricular activities for medics. This year I am on the committee of Medical Education Society. We promote peer teaching between medical students and run revision sessions before the major exams. I am also on the committee of Cardiovascular Society. We are a special interest group that promote Cardiology by forming links with and hosting lectures by local cardiologists; but there is lots more to get involved with outside the medical school. Personally, I also run for the Athletics & Cross Country Club.
What did you find most valuable about your experiences at Ashmole Academy? What skills did it help you to develop?
At Ashmole, I mostly gained a tenacity to achieve. I had to work hard, but I may not have achieved as I have without it. In the Sixth Form, there was so much guidance from staff on how to enrich your application for university. This definitely improved my confidence to apply for a Russell Group. There were also many opportunities to improve public speaking skills with mock interviews and lunchtime activities like Philosophy Society. This helped me to deliver a strong interview to secure my place at medical school.
What did you find most valuable about the MedSoc programme at Ashmole?
The most valuable part of MedSoc was having ex-students come and speak to us about their experience of applying for Medical School. This definitely gave me the motivation and necessary knowledge to make my own successful application to medicine. Current affairs debates were engaging and brought me up to speed with changes in the profession.
Anything else you would like to tell us about yourself.
When I was a child, I appeared on the BBC programme Blue Peter. So yes...... I do have the badge. I am trilingual and I spent last summer working in the USA. I would definitely recommend spending the post A-Level summer doing something completely unrelated to academia. University is tiring and you will need the energy!
