Recently we have welcomed back Mount Old Scholars for the College Medical Society or MedSoc as it is affectionately known. MedSoc was set up last year by Sophie in College II who is keen to study Medicine at university and become a doctor. Last year, parents of current pupils kindly came in, or zoomed in, to speak with girls about their respective jobs in Medicine or medical-related fields. The girls heard from doctors, nurses, veterinarians, therapists, psychiatrists, and many more.
This year, the girls have heard from Old Scholars. Earlier in the year, Amy Granville (2013) visited in person before migrating to Australia for the next chapter of her career. Rachael Chrystal (2005) a GP who studied languages at A-Level and has become an expert in well-being. Yasmin Malik (2012) is a respected paediatric nurse who specialises in neonatal medicine. Alex Ward (2006) is a rehabilitation medicine consultant for the Leeds NHS. Esme Weeks (2017) is in her final year of undergraduate Medicine at Queen’s College, Oxford and planning to specialise in paediatric medicine. When we return at the start of the Spring term MedSoc will hear from Kiri Armstrong (2016), who is also in her final year of Medical School, at Cardiff.
The girls have appreciated hearing from Old Scholars. The connection that pupils build with Old Scholars is quite special. They see themselves in the women who are advising them as easily as the Old Scholars see themselves reflected in those young eyes.
“It is amazing the career Rachel has built. She is a practicing GP, works at a specialist menopause clinic and has her own well-being business in which she helps educate companies and professionals about promoting well-being.” – Suki
“I had a lovely time at med-soc this week, Yasmine was lovely and so insightful. She gave us a real insight into an NHS career and how progress and specialism occurs.” – Georgiana
“Alex was an inspiring speaker and I am extremely grateful for all the advice she gave us and her thoughtful answers to our questions.” – Sophie
Old Scholars enjoy giving back to the school in this way, remembering their own days as young hopefuls in their chosen career, and honouring the support they received from teachers and mentors. Esme even held mock interviews with College II girls who have applied for Medicine and provided written feedback to the girls to help them with their preparations.
“What I found particularly useful was the mock interview; Esme asked a lot of questions about things that I was not expecting. She gave me different perspectives and different questions compared to other mock interviews I’ve had. Having the Old Scholars come in to speak is useful because they’ve already been here, they’ve already done this. Hearing from Esme in particular was helpful because she was here so recently. And Esme is really lovely.” – Eleanor
College girls who are interested in particular career paths are encouraged to set up a specialist society or after-school club. These will, no doubt, be as enthusiastically supported by current parents and Old Scholars as MedSoc is.
Taking the initiative to set up such clubs is favourably looked upon by university admissions tutors and prospective employers. Past societies have included Robotics Club (Caroline Rosenzweig, 2016, Engineering, MIT), Engineering Club (Sarah Granville, 2018, Mechanical Engineering, Birmingham) and MedSoc (Eve Ainscough, 2015, Medicine, St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and Milly Lake, 2016, Applied Medical Sciences, UCL and Medicine, Queen Mary’s, London).
