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In Focus - Niranjan Sivananthan

Niranjan Sivananthan

Year of Study: Year 1

This month, we asked Niranjan Sivananthan, Year 1 BSMS student and incoming Welfare Officer for MedSoc, all about his new role and why building a community at medical school is so important.

What is MedSoc at BSMS?

MedSoc is the student union for BSMS and takes care of everything student life related outside of lectures and placements. Most of that happens through societies – whether you're into a particular medical specialty and want to find out more about it, want to connect with people about culture or religion or just feel like joining a fun hobby group, there's something for everyone. Sport is a huge part of BSMS MedSoc too and as such we have our own BSMS sports teams you can join. Additionally, MedSoc hosts a range of events each year, from balls to conferences to chilled out socials.

How did you get involved in MedSoc?

There are a lot of ways to get involved in MedSoc, but ultimately it is about enjoying your student life. I got involved in some societies which caught my interest like BSL and Homed, a language and charity supporting society respectively, and also signed up to hold committee positions in these societies. If you want to get involved in specific medical societies there’s a place for that too, such as CardioSoc which I have attended a few sessions of. Also, I am a member of BSMS Hockey, which has games against local teams and runs their own socials throughout the year. Finally, I attended many of the MedSoc-run social events, such as balls and socials throughout the year, which are always a blast. To get involved in anything, just sign up or show up. Ultimately, it is an opportunity to make the most of your time here, so may as well get stuck in!

Why did you get involved in MedSoc?

I got involved in MedSoc as I wanted to have a great time while studying medicine, which is a satisfying degree to pursue, although also incredibly hard. MedSoc helps with this as the events are built around our schedule as medical students and allows us to have a great time outside of just being medics. We can explore different interests or just chill out. I would have never known before this year that I actually liked hockey until I gave it a shot, for example. Ultimately, MedSoc helps to manage the stress of medical school and build up your knowledge and interest in specific aspects of medicine that you are interested in.

How are you finding your new role on the committee?

Recently, I got the role of Welfare Officer for MedSoc for the 25/26 academic year and so far, I am enjoying the role. Whether this be through setting up and discussing initiatives to help fellow students with some of the stresses of being a medical student or working with other committee members with ideas for MedSoc as a whole or with socials, it has been a blast so far. I would recommend to anyone who is considering a spot on MedSoc to give it a go when committee roles open up. You not only get to explore what the role is, but it is fun to help make all these things happen and to help build up the chill environment MedSoc brings.

What’s the best thing about being in MedSoc?

In my opinion, the best thing about MedSoc is the people; whether it be during a nighttime social or the winter ball, the people are what make the event. The people attending are your peers who you can get to know more and be friends with. They are the other students who help set up all these events. The students who take time out of their day to run revision sessions near our exams. Ultimately, the best thing about MedSoc is the people and the sense of community that is fostered by them, and I would recommend to any student here to get involved with that community.