This September, BWAMS was invited to represent Birmingham Medical School at Vision, a widening access event organised by medical students at Imperial College School of Medicine. The Vision Mastering Medicine Application conference, which took place on Sunday 22nd September, was a day jam-packed with inspirational talks from distinguished clinicians, practical workshops and opportunities to speak to medical students from across the country.
With our prospectuses in hand, we travelled down to London, eager to engage with students and provide a valuable insight into not only what it takes to construct a successful application but what life as a medical student actually entails. We spoke about the course structure offered at Birmingham, the many social and extra-curricular opportunities available through MedSoc and the highlights of student life in Birmingham. Interacting with students, reminded us of how stressful and often nerve-wracking this time period can be for all applicants, which only makes us as society more determined to provide guidance and support to students navigating the application process!
We were quizzed about all aspects of the journey to medical school from admission tests to interviews, which allowed us an insight into what students felt were the most difficult aspects of the application process – knowledge, which will prove useful for our upcoming Dr.EAM Senior and Junior conferences! The event also allowed us an opportunity to network with other like-minded medical students passionate about widening access, from Imperial and beyond. It was particularly beneficial to hear about the impactful work they do, whilst also discussing how we can collectively work towards a more diverse and inclusive healthcare service.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Vision Mastering Medicine Application Conference and look forward to being able to support similar events in the future!
Words: Halimah Khalil and Pratyusha Saha
Comments