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Limeng, 1st Year Medical Student

Limeng"My first year at Cambridge has been such a roller-coaster of experiences, emotions and memories. The course was very interesting and engaging, and we were flung straight into lectures, practical classes and dissections. In our first week we were introduced to our donors in the dissection room, a 'teacher' of sorts that would guide us through anatomy through the year. Fresher's week, which being Cambridge isn't really a week long, introduced me to so many societies and sports-- it was a real difficulty at the start to fit everything in.

As the terms progressed I found myself settling down and using my time to the best of my ability, balancing learning medicine alongside socialising with friends, going out, rowing and further research into the aspects of medicine I enjoy most. But sometimes you just need to have some downtime to relax; such a fact was made evident early on.

The shift to a more independent style of learning was a shock at the start and so was the supervisions. It took time to adapt to this but everyone helped each other through the transition. Friends helped each other through stressful times, namely the end of year exams, and celebrated accordingly through 'spraying' of cava, once the exams ended.

There is no doubt that the medical course can be very challenging at times, but regardless I have really enjoyed my first year, and hope next year will be more of the same."

Laura, 4th Year Medical Student

Laura"Now that I’ve reached the clinical years, I really appreciated how the course is structured; I learned clinical communication and skills such as taking blood in my fourth year, right before I went into my first placement. The new skills were fresh in my memory when I was facing patients for the first time. Addenbrooke’s is a fantastic hospital to see varied and highly specialised medicine and surgery, and there are so many opportunities for students to get involved in research - and even to publish a paper. After placements in Medicine, Emergency, and Surgery, my final placement this year was a ‘student-selected component’ where we could choose any kind of research to get involved in, from doing a quick departmental audit to joining a cell biology cancer research team."

Rachel, 4th Year Medical Student

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"I am a fourth year medic and I just started my clinical studies in Addenbrookes and soon Stevenage hospital! Third year in Cambridge is a departure from the very prescribed first two years. Each student gets to choose a degree course and do the final year of it. I picked the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Part II for its flexibility. I chose to study Physiology, Development and Neuroscience as my Major Subject, which allowed me to explore in more depth physiology I'd learned in earlier years. As a Minor Subject, I took GP and Primary Care Research, which was a particular highlight of my Part II. It was run by the Institute of Primary Care which is an excellent research institution I had had no exposure to before! I've also become involved in a systematic review and have continued working with the department. Third year was an excellent opportunity to have academic freedom. You do also have more freedom with your time to explore interests and hobbies outside your degree."