Maisie's journey to becoming a Junior Doctor

Hi, my name is Maisie. I am currently a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester. 

I studied at Newcastle College from 2020-2022. 

I did quite a few different courses whilst at Newcastle. I did A Level Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. In Year 12, I also did AS Level Core Maths and an EPQ. 

Throughout high school, I always enjoyed science, so I knew I wanted to continue Biology and Chemistry whilst at college. Psychology was a last-minute choice; I thought I’d find it interesting, and it actually turned out to be my favourite subject throughout my time at the college. 

I knew from early on that I wanted to study Medicine, so throughout my time at Newcastle, this was my focus. 

I believe the most valuable skill I learned during college was resilience. Throughout my two years, I experienced many unexpected setbacks, such as being initially rejected from university. The ability to experience challenges, but then get yourself back on path, is an important skill I think I will carry with me both academically and personally. 

After college I took an unexpected gap year, due to being rejected from my university choices. Initially I found the idea of this quite hard, however looking back I think it was the best thing to happen to me! Throughout this year, I worked to increase my exposure to medicine, from working in a hospice, working as a GP receptionist and resitting the medical school entrance exam. By the end of the year, I was happy to say I received a place in medical school! 

In September 2023, I started at the University of Manchester as a first-year medical student, and I’m still here to this day!

I can confidently say that university was the right choice for me personally. I was contemplating whether to move away for university or not, and am now glad I made the move. Moving away from home has taught me a plethora of life skills, from cooking, cleaning, managing renting and navigating a new city. 

As mentioned previously, when I applied for university in Year 13 I was initially rejected from all my choices. This was a challenge for me, I never expected to be in that situation! It took a while to process and come to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be attending university that September, despite all of my friends leaving. However, as I said, I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason, and this unexpected gap year was the best thing I ever did. 

I think my expectations would be very similar to my current reality, although everything pushed back a year. In college I was adamant I wanted to go to Keele, so that was something which changed. I don’t think I would have envisioned myself living alone in Manchester. 

As part of the medicine application process, there are lots of additional steps needed. I volunteered at the Douglas Macmillan Hospice as a healthcare assistant, which was a difficult but highly rewarding job. I also worked (and still do) as a GP receptionist, doing a mixture of reception and admin duties. This, combined with extra reading, webinars, studying and extracurriculars helped me to gain my place in medical school.

I should hopefully graduate in 2028, where I will then be working for the NHS as a junior doctor. This is something I am looking forward to, although it feels like some time away yet!

I think my general ambitions have been the same throughout; however, something which has changed is my passion for widening participation. I didn’t realise the discrepancy between state and private school medical applicants, so I am passionate about changing it. I currently run an outreach group, called Manchester Outreach Medics, to inspire and support students from state-school backgrounds into medicine. I also had the recent opportunity to go back to my high school and talk about my unique journey to medicine. I had no idea about this in college, and it is something which has changed in my time in university. 

My proudest achievement would have to be gaining a place at medical school, after working incredibly hard. Seeing the reactions from my parents and grandparents was special and made all the challenges worthwhile. Being the first person in my family to move away for university, and soon-to-be the first doctor in my family, is something I am really proud of. Whilst at university, I have participated in some interesting things – including captaining a netball team, hiking from Manchester to Sheffield and completing the Manchester Half Marathon!

If I could go back in time, I wish I could tell Maisie then that everything was going to work in the end! 

My biggest piece of advice would be that there are different paths to the same destination. Don’t get disheartened if things do not go as you initially planned in your head. If you're willing to put in the hard work, things will eventually slot into place. Everyone is on their own path, so try not to compare yourself to those around you. 

I spent so long worrying about A Levels and university during college, I don’t think I appreciated it for what it is. I wish I appreciated the time I had there, with new and old friends, before we ventured off to different universities around the country. 

I would tell myself to keep up my hobbies! I ended up dropping a lot of hobbies to focus on revision, but these are so important for your mental and physical health. College offered so many sports and activities, which I didn’t partake in; I wish I did now!

College was a change from high school, with more independence and self-directed learning. I believe this taught me to grow my confidence and become much more self-disciplined. These are crucial skills which you carry through whichever path you take.  

‘Success’ has changed since being at college. At that time, my idea of success was getting the top grades on an exam or a perfect chemistry practical. Now, my idea of success is achieving an excellent balance between work and hobbies, as well as keeping in touch with friends and family. 

My favourite memory has to be the end-of-year celebration we attended for Psychology. We all had t-shirts to sign, and it was a lovely farewell to our time at college. I remember winning the award for the ‘biggest lover and hater of Freud at the same time’, which made me laugh.