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In Focus - Holly Morley

Holly Morley

Year of Study: Year 3

Holly tells us about her experience of being a student at BSMS, how she prepared for interviews and what brought her to study medicine in Brighton. Read her answers below or watch her video here.

What made you want to study at BSMS?

Early clinical exposure, small group teaching and dissection sessions - plus it’s a really nice area! I love that you get a mix between the cosmopolitan city and the Downs which are so close by. I also loved the idea of being close to the sea and having a fresh start far from home (which for me is Nottingham).

What work experience did you undertake before applying to medicine? How was it beneficial?

GP work experience, outpatient clinic work experience, volunteering in a hospice and working as a healthcare assistant in a hospital.

The GP hospital placements were not that useful practically because I didn't understand what was happening, but they enabled me to spend time in an environment I aspired to work in. I appreciated for the first time how open people are in appointments by sharing details you might not on your day-to-day, and this attracted me to the job more and made me want to develop myself into a better listener.

Volunteering in a hospice really helped me to gain understanding of what matters to patients, and helped me further develop my communication skills. I was exposed to some difficult situations, having conversations with patients who were coming to terms with terminal illness, but they soon became normalised and I was able to look deeper into how I communicate with people and what kinds of things patient’s value that doctors express.

Working at the hospice, in combination with working as a healthcare assistant, are what I think gave me the confidence that led me to a successful application. It was no longer about revising questions for an interview and more about expressing the passion I had for the career, which is far easier to do when you have experience to demonstrate it!

I’d recommend either of these jobs to anybody applying, I learned so much, mostly about myself and how I could improve the skills needed for the job and how to process my own emotions in hospital and hospice settings, which is an infinitely important skill.

How did you prepare for the BMAT/UCAT?

The first time I just used a study book to revise and undertook no timed practice - I did really badly. The second time round applying I had a job, so I paid for a Medify membership, which gives you UCAT/BMAT style questions and marks you with feedback. Monetising the application process is really not something I agree with, and it inherently disadvantages students in a position similar to the one I was in the first time around, but it did help me a lot when I was able to get it.

There are now other groups like Medic Mentors and Widening Participation Medics Network who offer BMAT/UCAT advice, and of course BSMS do via BrightMed too!

How did you prepare for your interview(s) for medical school?

I undertook some practice interviews with a teacher in school, and did lots of background research on the medical schools I was applying to. I went through some questions with my family too.

I’ve spoken to other people who said they recorded themselves answering questions and watched a lot of YouTube videos to prepare, which is a great shout! If you can get a group of people interested in medicine / nursing / physio / healthcare degrees together for you all to practice questions, this works well too, or ask people in your school who have applied to medicine in the past and been successful to help you with interview if they have time.

What’s your top tip for interviews?

I think interviews are incredibly difficult to prepare for and, for me, a huge barrier was confidence. The first time I applied and had an interview I felt completely out of my depth. With practice it gets easier, so attend every interview you are offered and watch yourself grow along the way and adjust to the setting.

Also, just be yourself, and don't berate yourself for mistakes. You can even let how universities handle you not having all the answers guide your final choices on where to go; in my first interview I felt very silly because there was a question I knew very little about. The interviewer gave me no help and this indicated to me that it wasn't a medical school I wanted to go to. In contrast, my BSMS interview was more of a conversation where I explored my knowledge with the person asking questions as opposed to it being an examination I was made to feel silly for getting wrong. This helps you to get a good idea of what the medical school is likely going to be like.

Is there a piece of advice you wish you could have given your younger self when thinking about/applying to medicine?

It's okay to not get in first time, lots of people don't and whilst you don't hear about them they do exist. Over half of my cohort didn't come straight from school and are therefore gap year students or post-graduate students. An extra year out can help you to grow in confidence as a person and to experience things you'd like to do before entering a challenging, lengthy degree. It also gives you the opportunity to work and save money, and work could include for example being a Health Care Assistant, improving clinical confidence, and learning more about hospitals.

How did you choose which medical schools to apply to?

I was an A level re-sit student so I only had a few options, but I looked a lot at the environment I would be living in, since I like a good balance between rural and urban areas, I couldn't live in a place that was completely built up. Alternatively, I heard that other places that are quite rural don't have a lot of social activity, so I wanted to get the balance right.

How did you find/ manage the transition to university?

I found it fine. It was sad missing family but it was also liberating moving away, and I have become a lot more independent thanks to this.

Which part of your course have you found the most interesting so far?

Definitely 3rd year! I had a week in A&E which was great, I spoke to a lot of patients all coming in for a variety of reasons, and got to learn a lot about X-rays and ECGs which I had found difficult in earlier years, outside of clinical context.

I also really enjoyed the family study and participating in Time for Dementia. In these projects you visit a family with a baby (in first year- who doesn’t love to have an excuse to visit and cuddle a little one) and a patient who has been diagnosed with dementia and their family (Year 2). On my visits I had very positive experiences, as they allow you to build a relationship with the families you work with, which is something I will value a lot in my medical career. It was interesting learning more about the baby’s development with visits to contextualise the information. It also helped me to appreciate barriers to healthcare services in both of these scenarios, from a general health messages perspective regarding breastfeeding and baby checks, and in the context of the realities of managing chronic disease and ensuring health is accessible to all.

What has been your BSMS highlight so far?

I really enjoy the huge array of activities I can get involved in. I love working with BrightMed, An Apple A Day and Homeless Medicine society. These enable me to balance my workload with meaningful activities I also enjoy, and feel I need to do to be happy with the work I do.

What is your favourite thing about studying and living in Brighton?

It's such a great place! I might have to say the vast array of food options though, I've never had so much nutritional freedom!

Do you have a favourite place to visit in Brighton?

I love the Level, it's a lovely place to go for a walk. Queen's Park is great for runs. A beautiful shop called Spiderplant is in the North Laines, definitely one of my hotspots, and my favourite restaurant would have to be Food For Friends.

I love seeing the views around here too, and on the 272 bus route, you can make some nice autumnal journeys through the countryside. I’d really recommend a trip if you enjoy reflective car journeys!

What is your top tip for prospective applicants applying to study medicine?

Enjoy it and also let people in as you progress, because the course can be stressful sometimes, but you have the chance to make some amazing friends to go through it all with you. I have met some incredibly people in my two years at BSMS.