international diaries

Amina Buba, Nigeria

Sameer Patel, Kenya

BSMS has 11 spaces for international students each year. Here, Amina and Sameer reflect on their first year here.

Amina:

'Although Nigerian schools use the British system of education, I didn’t know what exactly to expect. With the help of my family and a lot of determination, I was able to overcome my fear. Studying A-levels in Leicester and learning about different cultures did help a lot in preparing me for medical school.

'I was overwhelmed with joy when I got a place at BSMS. I was a bit nervous but after I got here and met everyone, I felt a lot better. I shared a flat with five non-medical students so friends on other programmes kept me up to date with what’s happening outside the medical school.

'My experiences at BSMS have not only helped me academically but have also given me a better perception of life as a whole. We start being treated like professionals right from day one, and the staff and students all share the same enthusiasm about medicine. The primary and secondary care visits give me a chance to explore the numerous differences in the health care systems here and back home. And when I am not studying, there are all the social activities in Brighton.

'The clinical years are brilliant, the real deal, though the third year was hard work! Since my elective in Cairo I’ve been working in oncology, haematology and palliative care. I’ve also joined an international health society, helped set up the cookery club and am the BSMS surgical society’s women in surgery representative.

'As an international student, being away from home is very hard and there is a lot of adjusting to do. But here I get a lot of support from both the medical school and the two universities. I feel very privileged to be part of BSMS and would definitely pick it again. I definitely recommend BSMS to any aspiring doctor, and am enjoying myself every step of the way.'

Sameer:

'A medical degree from the UK is an invaluable award, and BSMS appealed as it is small, with brand new facilities and a well-organised programme structure. The allure of having two universities to explore was also irresistible. The city of Brighton, its perfect balance of country-esque campus life and metropolitan city-centre, its famed nightlife and of course the best weather in England all made it the easy choice for me.

'I was initially nervous about what my accommodation would be like, how I’d settle in and whether I’d make friends easily. But the champagne reception on the evening of our arrival to BSMS was a wonderful platform to make friends. Next the student society MEDSOC arranged an evening out at a local Brighton nightclub, which was great fun.

Now I’m on a year of clinical rotations, giving me a chance to explore career options. I’m hoping to train in general surgery. Taking holistic patient histories and examining pathology is exciting investigative work, and gets me out of bed each morning. Cramming for exams, however is less than jolly….

'I’m on the Surgical Society’s committee and help with BrightMed, our widening participation programme.

'I like the innovative BSMS structure of teaching clinical practice right from the onset, the multidisciplinary learning with nursing, midwifery and pharmacy students, and of course cadaver dissection in anatomy. There are lots of character-building, leadership and extracurricular opportunities available to BSMS students… but there’s also time for nightclubbing and football training.

'The accomplished healthcare professionals who train us, and all the facilities available, make getting a quality medical degree that bit easier. BSMS was the right choice and I’m still thrilled to be living here.'

Useful links:

Information for international students from the University of Brighton

Information for international students from the University of Sussex

UKCOSA: The Council for International Education

Higher Education and Research Opportunities in the United Kingdom