Abidemi Otaiku 2018

Studying Medicine at the University of Southampton has helped me to develop good clinical skills, communication skills, and a genuine passion for learning. It has been an excellent experience.

The course appealed to me because it is primarily lecture based in the pre-clinical phase, yet still offered some early clinical exposure. The most memorable part was the final year elective, where I spent four weeks doing neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London and four weeks doing functional neurosurgery at the Montreal Neurological Institute in Canada. These, alongside other experiences in Southampton, have confirmed my desire to become an academic neurologist in the future.

There are so many opportunities to pursue during the course both academically and recreationally. I took a break from the medical degree in 2015/16 where I obtained an intercalated BSc in Psychology from King's College London and also completed the first year of a qualification in Philosophy, Ethics & Religion (AKC), also at King's. I completed the second year of the AKC qualification in 2016/17 via distance learning during my fourth year of medical school.

Additionally, I participated in and contributed to leading several medical and non-medical societies, including Southampton INSPIRE Academic Society, 'the Badgers' (the medical school basketball team), Southampton University Tennis Club and Southampton University Christian Union. Through these opportunities, I gained leadership skills, made new friends, had fun and grew in my faith.

Studying at Southampton has enabled me to enhance my medical understanding and enabled me to meet so many different students from across the UK and across the world. It has helped make me the person that I am today.