Hello, I’m Daniel, an Edinburgh native and long-time fan of helping people. Being the sort of person at school who was really interested in science, the obvious –albeit cliché- answer to my future career ambiguity was healthcare.

 

It was at the ripe old age of 14 that I was forced to think about my future. The catalyst came in the form of my grandmother sitting me down and telling me she was worried that I didn’t have a solid life plan at this stage, as I was “getting a bit older now”. I thought that was a little extreme (and still do), but in retrospect I thank her for planting the idea of medicine in my head. It had never really been something I’d considered, being the shy and nerdy guy that I was. What I needed most at that point was someone to encourage me to believe in myself, and my abilities.

 

At school, I joined Model United Nations, a political debating society which really helped me to come out of my shell. I was also House Captain, president of the student council, and head of the school committee charged with interacting with the community; all positions which allowed me to build upon my communication and leadership skills, as well as general confidence in myself.

 

A career in medicine involves knowledge, excellent people skills and leadership, amongst other such qualities. We hope to provide you, the reader, with the necessary resources detailing exactly what you’ll need to demonstrate in an application to medical school. You may think that studying medicine involves having your nose in a textbook every waking hour, but fear not; there are plenty of opportunities for sports and a social life (although textbooks are still important).

 

If you’re intimidated by the thought of speaking to patients, don’t worry; confidence in this comes with practice. Medicine is all about perseverance, from the work experience and the application to actually studying the subject at university.

 

It’s fun, but not always easy. Then again, is anything worth achieving ever easy?