About me
My name is Neil, I’m from Tonbridge, Kent and I’m about to start my second year of my course in Medicine at Queen’s. I came to realise that I wanted to study medicine during the first term of year 12, recognising that a career combining both scientific research and communication skills as a means of genuinely improving the quality of life of others, would be a perfect fit for me. My first year studying medicine has affirmed for me that that choice was the correct one as I have been consistently both fascinated with the content presented to me in this course as well as enthralled by the dynamic teaching style of tutors and lecturers.
College experience
Queen’s College’s welcoming and friendly environment helped establish for me on my first day of college a genuine sense of community which I found facilitated a smooth transition into university life. The fact that my accommodation was both comfortable and on the college site itself in first year, along with easily accessible and delicious catered food, further enabled this transition.
Oxford life
My typical day would often involve carrying out my morning routine, eating breakfast in hall, thereby offering an opportunity to socialise with fellow students, and then walking to the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre, often alongside my colleagues. After a morning of lectures and/or practicals I would either head to one of the nearby libraries or back to Queen’s either for lunch or further study, typically involving preparation for tutorials later in the term by writing essays.
My afternoons would often include a tutorial or further lectures, however in cases in which I had neither I would often take some time to unwind and/or socialise by pursuing a non-medicine related interest e.g., going on rowing outings, going for runs through Oxford or exploring events throughout the city.
After typically having dinner in halls at around 6 o’clock, I would sometimes continue with work if it were necessary to meet a deadline or for revision in Trinity term, however for the most part I would then make use of either Queen’s junior common room (JCR) or college bar, the beer cellar (BC) to catch up with friends at the end of the day.
Advice for applicants
All in all, remember that while life at college can be intense at times, not only as a result of meeting tutorial deadlines, but also the many social events that occur throughout each term at Queen’s, I find that it’s ultimately possible to balance work and social lives effectively. Because of the tight-knit community of Queen’s I never found myself without someone to talk to or with nothing to do with my free time.
