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Posted on March 2nd 2023
Alumni Profile: Josheela Geddam, Medical Student at King's
In the first of a series looking at where former HGAED students are studying or working now, we feature Josheela, who is currently in her first year of Medicine at King’s College London.
What is the Medicine course like at King's College London?
The course is a good blend of biomedical sciences and other subjects I wouldn’t have previously thought were so relevant in being a doctor. One of the most interesting parts of my course so far is doing lab experiments, dissections on cadavers and clinical skills such as taking blood pressure.
I also enjoy the workshops on philosophy and cultural competence, and group presentations with students from other healthcare courses. This has allowed me to interact with and make friends with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
How would you describe the Sixth Form at HGAED?
A place where I was allowed to grow and develop my confidence and independence but had a lot of support to make sure I achieved my full potential because my teachers set high expectations.
The student body is so diverse in both culture and character, so I had a lot of fun with friends, made friends for life and learnt a lot from everyone sharing their experiences and views.
How did studying Biology, Chemistry and English Literature at A Level help prepare you for university?
Biology is the most important subject to grasp for any biology/biomedical science degree, even if it’s not always an entry requirement. All my science modules assume that we have a certain level of understanding of the content and lab skills we learn at A Level and I would definitely be struggling if I didn’t study Biology at school. Chemistry content is less directly linked except for a few topics and core concepts, but the course load, difficulty and discipline required to study it well really helped me adjust to the load of my degree as a whole and the commitment I need to make to it.
I mainly took English Lit as I enjoyed it at GCSE and knew it would help me achieve my entry requirements, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so useful, give me a slight advantage. We are given a lot of journals and articles to read, as well as essays to write. These were skills we embedded for at A Level so it makes easier for me especially when structuring essays.
What advice would you give students currently at HGAED?
Consider what you want out of higher education and where you see yourself next year, then in 5-6 years time, because the choices you make now will still be relevant then.
Research every option you’re considering fully and make sure that all your back-up options are something you would actually want to do rather than choosing them because they are the most common back-up or it’s the closest to your first choice. This includes gap years, which aren’t as simple to take as they seem.
Make sure you pick universities you think you will actually enjoy attending and are responsive in supporting you when you are there, instead of just going by prestige and league tables. There are growing options and opportunities for people who don’t think university is for them (I wouldn't have gone if I didn't want to study medicine), but these are just as competitive as university, so make sure you prepare properly to make a good application.
Don’t leave thinking about your living circumstances for results day - apply for student finance in advance, look at your potential travel costs, start saving for driving lessons if you can (or a really good bike!), consider whether you want to stay at home, move into student accommodation or private accommodation, learn how to cook, clean and budget properly and independently, see what sort of full time/part time employment you could realistically balance with your studies.
