Kristine | Medical Foundation Programme Student at Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI)

Kristine

I am fromIndiaIndia

I study Medicine at Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI)· Ireland

Studying

Medicine in IrelandIreland

Career goal

Doctor

Hi! My name is Kristine, I am now a 3rd year Med student at RCSI in Ireland.

Kristine is a former student and verified International Foundation Group ambassador

Why Kristine chose this path

“I heard about the Medical Foundation Programme at IFG and thought it would be a great alternative to doing my final year of school. I liked that the programme was focused specifically on medical and science-related content, which I felt would give me a strong foundation and help prepare me for the transition into medical school.”

How I got in

I applied online by submitting my CV along with a short personal statement explaining why I wanted to study medicine

Top tips for getting accepted

I would recommend focusing on why you want to study medicine and making sure your CV reflects your interests, experiences, and how you have spent your time preparing yourself for a future in medicine.

Common mistakes to avoid

I would have taken more time during high school to build up my CV, even with experiences that I didn’t think were particularly important at the time. Looking back, I realised that all of your different experiences and interests can add value and make your CV unique.

What Kristine wishes they knew

Things I wish I knew before starting

I wish I had known that it wasn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be. The teachers were really helpful and involved, and I always felt like I could ask questions and get support when I needed it. There were also so many skills and classes that I learned through the programme that I didn’t expect to, and I’ve actually found many of them really helpful now that I’m in medical school.

The hardest part

The hardest part was probably adjusting to a new environment and getting used to the new content. It was a change from school, and I had to learn how to manage my time effectively and balance studying with having a social life. Looking back, though, this was actually really useful preparation for medical school.

The best decision I made

Making the decision to move closer to campus and live on my own was one of the best decisions I made. It was really helpful to have that experience before moving to another country for university. Living with friends and learning how to balance being a student prepared me well for RCSI. It was also such a fun experience and I made some of my favourite memories there.

What it's actually like

A typical day

A typical day would start with heading to the IFG campus in the morning for a couple of classes. We would usually have a break where we could go grab a coffee with our friends before heading back for another class. After classes, we would often go to a nearby café to study or head to the gym together. I really enjoyed having a good balance between classes, studying, and spending time with friends.

Topics Kristine can help with

Student LifeCourses & Modules

Questions students ask Kristine

What's student life really like at your university?
Student life at RCSI is definitely busy, but there’s much more to it than just studying medicine. The workload can be demanding, so finding a good balance is really important. It took a while to adjust but its so important to find things to do outside of Medicine.
How competitive is it to get onto your course, and how did you stand out?
Medicine is a competitive course and RCSI has a reputation for being a really good medical school.I think joining IFG helped me stand out because it gave me the opportunity to build a strong foundation before starting university. I also tried to make sure my experiences reflected my interest in medicine rather than just focusing on academics.
What would you do differently if you were going through the application again?
I would definitely take advantage of reaching out to students who were already at the college and asking them about their experiences. Hearing directly from students who had already gone through the application process would have given me a better idea of what to expect and helped me feel more prepared and confident going into it.

Ready to ask Kristine a question?

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