Life as a medic
On this page:
Social life
Academic life
Hobbies and interests
Students' Unions
Support at medical school
Highs of medical school
Lows of medical school
Case studies
Social life
Nearly all medical schools are based in large cities with a massive variety of social and cultural activities. On top of this, medical school is a close-knit community and medics spend a lot of time in each others company both in and out of the classroom.
There are many medics' sports teams which allow you to get involved in an activity which is often less competitive and less time consuming than the union teams. The medical society (MedSoc) is often one of the biggest and most active societies in the students' union. As well as organising balls, parties, days out, sports days etc, anyone can get involved in the running of it. There are also other medical associations such as MedSIN (Medical Students International Network), the medical school magazine and the medics' charities committee.
The list goes on... there are loads of things on offer, including performance societies (musicals, bands, dance, backstage stuff), political and campaigning (political parties, animal rights, refugee support, environmental stuff), religious and cultural (religions, international societies) and loads of others such as outdoor pursuits, real ale, radio, newspaper, work in the community and much more. As far as sports go, there are the normal ones you'd expect and some unusual ones such as lacrosse and korfball. Most societies and clubs cater for experts and beginners. If you're into something and there isn't a society there to cater for your needs, then you can always set one up!
One of our committee members has written a good article about balancing work with other interests, why he does WAMS and all sorts of other interesting things about uni life! You can read it by going to the BBC Leeds Student Life (link opens in new page) page.
Academic Life
One thing that separates medicine from the rest is the length of the course. It can be up to six years, which is a long time. Often you will have very long hours on the wards, lots of work to do in your own time and revision. And often you will be placed away from home. It is hard and it's a long slog. If you want to become a doctor, you must also think "Do I want to be a medical student?", as you need to be a student before you're a doctor! 
However, don't despair, there is light at the end of the tunnel and there is always plenty of time (except during exams!) for fun and play!
Students' Unions
Students' Unions (or guilds or union societies) are one of the best things about coming to university. They have so much to offer in terms of representation, leisure time and getting involved. Students' They are not just about a cheap pint! Unions are there for you while you are at university. They are there to represent you to the university and the media. They are a democratic organisation and can really make a big difference to your life at university. Students' Unions are totally separate from the university and therefore are in a perfect position to lobby the university for better facilities, lecturers etc. Most student unions are affiliated to the NUS (National Union of Students), who campaign for student issues on a national basis.
Democracy
Student unions are run by students for students. On the ground level unions are run by executive officers, who are all students taking a sabbatical year. They are helped out by a large number of staff and all decisions must be ratified by the Union Council, the highest decision making body in the union.
Welfare
All student unions run a Student Advice Centre or Welfare Services, which give friendly, impartial advice. It is there to help you with housing disputes, finance, university appeals, immigration and a whole load more.
Issues
If you feel strongly about any sort of issues then it's easy to get involved. Why not run a campaign on something you feel passionate about?
Clubs and societies
Student unions have loads of activity going on. From performing to campaigning, from religion to outdoor activities and loads of sport from the normal to the plain weird! There is the student newspaper, radio station, R.A.G (Raise and Give), Student Community Action, Nightline, all run by student committies. There must be something there to take your fancy!
Bars
Student Unions own and run their own bars and clubs, so there's plenty to keep you occupied of an evening!
Shops
Student unions often have their own shops such as newsagents/supermarkets, off licence, card shop, job shop, book shop and more. There may also be commercial outlets such as travel shops and insurance shops.
Representation
One of the main jobs the student union will do is represent student views to the university.
Support at medical school
Many people think that as soon as you start university, then you are left on your own, but this is not true! In medical schools there is a large amount of support available: - Student support. In most medical schools there will be some sort of committee which may be your first port of call for problems with the course.
- Medical school staff. Leaders of the course are there for both academic and pastoral support. Often there will be one person designated to your year, who is there for support.
- Personal tutors. Nearly all medical schools offer a personal tutor scheme. If you're lucky, your personal tutor will take you out for meals!
- Student unions. Student unions offer friendly and impartial advice. Go and see your elected officers or find the student advice centre. They can help with all sorts of issues such as housing, immigration, money and representation.
- Nightline. All major student unions offer a 'nightline' listening and information service.
- Chaplaincy. The Chaplaincy represents many faiths and offers spiritual and pastoral advice.
- Equality. All universities will have a department to help students with disabilities e.g. dyslexia.
- International Office. Here's where international students can go for specialist advice.
- Counselling.
- Security services.
Highs of medical school
- Practical course with hands on experience
- Varied subject matter
- Leads to a worthwhile exciting career with a guaranteed job that pays well!
- Sense of community within the medical school
- Great social life with a large mix of people
- You may need to manage your time, but there're still loads of opportunities to get involved with things.
Lows of medical school
- Lots of exams-it's hard work!
- Shorter holidays than other university students
- Need to be quite self-motivated
- Social life can be a bit too good (can be distracting!)
- Some people say it's hard to mix with students on other courses (although I think this is utter rubbish!)
- Different course structure means that medics can have exams at different times.
- Although it's okay to go to lectures still half drunk, it's not the best idea to do it on the wards!
Brian 
"When I first thought about studying medicine I thought I'd be too old because I was over 30. Unlike a lot of people, medicine wasn't something I'd always wanted to do, but an interest that developed gradually. Whilst studying for my psychology degree I spent a fair bit of time in the medical library carrying out research for my final year project, and remember being fascinated by some of the medical literature. But at that time there were some research questions I wanted to try to answer, so I went on to study for a Ph.D. This led to various posts as a health psychologist when I also did some lecturing. I was involved in a variety of health-related research projects including a study examining infant feeding choices and a project designed to reduce the number of school children taking up smoking. During my time as a research fellow I came into contact with a wide range of health professionals and this, combined with my experiences of visiting my dad in hospital when I was younger, and later his death from cancer, led to a desire to have a more active role in the field of healthcare. I volunteered at a care home and an A&E ward and this confirmed the niggling thoughts that I'd like to do something a bit more "hands on" than research. I decided to look into it again and discover if I really was too old. I discovered I wasn't, but my background was not suitably science-based (I had arts A-levels and a social science degree). I contacted a few Medical Schools and they told me I'd have to obtain some science A-levels. So I went back to study Chemistry and Biology at Park Lane College in the evenings, rolled up my sleeves, took the plunge, and sent off my UCAS application! I think waiting to hear if I'd got any interviews, attending the interviews, waiting to hear if I'd be given any offers, and then waiting to hear if I'd got the grades I needed was possibly one of the most stressful periods of my life! But looking back over my first term I feel like it's definitely been worthwhile. To any graduates considering medicine, I'd say; do a bit of research, get some work experience so you have a vague idea what you're letting yourself in for, and then if it still feels right, go for it."
