Why I chose ARU to study Medicine

It was easy for me to explain why I wanted to go into medicine. I want to work in a healthcare setting and deliver quality patient care and management. I want to fit in the pieces of a puzzle to come up with the diagnosis. The human body is fascinating and, to me, keeping up with changing science and emerging research as I continue to develop in this career is what I am looking for in a job. Making a decision on where to study medicine however was a harder decision, although an important one. With so many different medical schools, I had to narrow it down to what was important to me. There are several factors to consider such as location, layout of course, examination methods and facilities. After all, this is where you will spend 5 years of your life. It’s also crucial to know where your application will be strongest. Keep an eye out for minimum entry requirements.

The following are the things I considered when choosing ARU:

1. Facilities: ARU has excellent facilities which have been great to learn in. The clinical skills lab has all the equipment needed to practice examinations and practical procedures. From mannequins to machines. It’s also a great space for workshops- we recently had an orthopaedic workshop where we got to learn how to use the drills and screws surgeons utilise during a surgery.
2. Course structure: the course is structured as a spiral curriculum with a systems based approach. Studying each system in its entirety and then going into placement to see it in practice allows me to understand both theory and practical medicine.
3. The area: Chelmsford is a city with great transport links into London and the Greater Anglia region. It’s also close to the M25, making travel simple. Living so close to London is great as I can always take the train into the city, but I’m also close to great walks and nature.
4. Early clinical exposure: at ARU we are able to start placement from our first year. Once we are 9 weeks into the course, we have an afternoon session a week in the hospital. This is an excellent way to build up confidence for the clinical years.
5. Anatomy suite: I really enjoy using the anatomy suite at ARU and having full cadaveric dissections instead of pro-sections is my preferred method of learning.

My advice for anyone looking into medicine is to know what type of course structure you prefer. Other things to consider are: whether you prefer problem-based learning (PBL) or lectures, or pure theory years before clinical exposure, if you can see yourself living in the area and what type of facilities you would like to use. Going to open days, taster days and summer schools will also help with your decision making!