Natalie Medicine and Surgery MBBS Hons
Course Dates: 2009 - 2014
Your Course
The course is good - I have certainly not regretted coming since I arrived - it has gone so quick and I can't believe it's halfway through already. The content of the course is well structured. At the moment I am studying clinical medicine and going to wards for the first time and seeing patients. Seeing patients is the part of the course that I enjoy most - it's something to look forward to when you get up in the morning. The hours of the course are more like a working day. The calibre of teachers is quite good. We have had some good professors and some good doctors teach on the course. Some of their lectures you never forget, such is the standard of teaching and the way they deliver their subject.
Choosing Newcastle
I chose to study in the UK because in Canada you need to have studied a four year bachelors course in another subject before applying for medical school. The application process in the UK is more straight forward - in Canada there seems to be a lot of loops to jump through in order to get admitted. There is also a reputable standard of teaching in the UK. Before choosing Newcastle, I spoke to a student studying here in the year above me who told me about the course and the city. After I did some further research, I liked the programme content and the size of the city was also appealing.
University Facilities
The Walton Library is really good. The 24 hour computer cluster nearby is very handy when an 'all nighter' is needed. All the books I need can be found in the Walton Library. I have membership of the Sports Centre. I go to social activities there like badminton and it is quite good for booking courts. Also, as it is just next to the Medical School, that is quite handy.
Extra Curricular Activities
I am involved in two schemes with local primary schools which are approved by the Medical School. Firstly, other medical students and I help run something known as the 'Teddy Bear Hospital' where we go into local schools and teach them about doctors and nurses - we show them how to put plasters on teddy bears and other such things which is where the name comes from. Secondly, we do CPR training in primary schools.
Accommodation
In my first year I lived in Castle Leazes. I liked my room. It was a good size with its own sink. In a place such as Castle Leazes you can get to know a lot of people and the staff that worked there were very approachable. I certainly made a lot of friends and your get to meet a lot of different types of people. It was just a ten minute walk from the Medical School which is very convenient as I could just roll out of bed to get to my lectures. In my second year, I moved into private accommodation in Spital Tongues which is where I live now. Again, it is close to the Medical School and in a quiet area. I live there with other medical students and we have signed again for the property for next year. Spital Tongues is an area which offers good value for money on rented accommodation.
The City
The local people here are friendly. They always use the words 'pet' or something like that to refer to you, which is something I am not used to from my home in Canada. It is a good place to live. It is a pretty city with picturesque areas such as the Quayside. Everywhere is within walking distance and there are good shops and a nice park - Leazes Park.
Advice for Future Canadian Students
If future students from Canada were interested in coming to Newcastle I would just tell them to go for it. I would recommend Newcastle University to anyone but tell students to try to talk to current students before they get here in order to get an idea of what you are going to expect.