My name is Seren Adams and I am an S6 pupil at Dunblane High School. I first discovered Medic Mentor in my fifth year of high school (the year of the dreaded higher examinations), when Dr Siva came to talk to the pupils at my school that were interested in medicine. I’ll be honest and say that I very nearly didn’t go to that talk, as I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself or my ability to make it into medical school. I had just received five A’s and two B’s in my National 5 exams; results that were impressive, but do not reflect those of a typical “straight A” medical student. Despite my lack of confidence, I ended up leaving the talk feeling inspired and signed up to Medic Mentor the minute I got home. Little did I know that this would be the start of my journey into medicine.

I was very keen to get involved with Medic Mentor in any way that I could, so I immediately became a school ambassador and volunteered to present at a National Healthcare Weekend. I was petrified to present in front of so many people but had the constant support of the mentors, and I was so proud of myself in the end for facing my fear. What has always amazed me the most about Medic Mentor is that if you put yourself out there, you will be given endless amounts of opportunities to not only develop skills that will boost your medical school application, but to also be a part of a community that supports one another. However, despite all the new skills and knowledge Medic Mentor had equipped me with up until this point, I was still far from ready to apply to medical school. The next steps were taking the UCAT and writing my personal statement.

One part of Medic Mentor I would always recommend getting involved with is their summer school. It is amazing to me how in such a brief period of time I was able to accomplish so much and make so many new friends. By the end of summer school not only was my personal statement finished, but I had also had plenty of interview practice and had attended presentations delivered by an expert on the UCAT and BMAT. All of this contributed to boosting my confidence and preparing me for the incredibly competitive selection process that applying to medical school entails. 

Of course, no one should expect their application process to go without bumps in the road. The biggest problem I faced was when I received my Higher exam results and hadn’t done as well as I had expected. I got three A’s and two B’s (having missed out on an A in Human Biology by one mark). Looking back, I should have been more optimistic and focused on all the stronger aspects of my application such as my UCAT score and personal statement, but at the time all I could think about was how much I had disappointed everyone that had helped me get this far. I was just about ready to give up on a career in medicine altogether when my dad phoned up medic mentor. They immediately told me that dropping a grade wasn’t the end of the world and I still had a chance of becoming a doctor. I wasn’t convinced at the time, but nevertheless I started phoning medical schools across the UK, and was amazed by how many said they would consider my application. I ended up with three interviews and I’m now holding offers to Hull York Medical school and Plymouth Medical School. 

The purpose of this story is not to tell you that grades have no weight on your application to medical school. It is important that you work hard to obtain the best grades that you possibly can as this will increase your chances of receiving an interview/offer. But coming from someone who isn’t the stereotypical “perfect applicant” to medical school, your weaknesses and mistakes don’t mean you will not be a good doctor. No matter what your struggles are, Medic Mentor will be able to give you advice and skills on how best to tackle them. Medic Mentor are hands down the reason I have received multiple offers to university, and I cannot thank them enough for all that they have done for me! I wish you all luck on your future applications and I cannot wait to hear all of your success stories.