My name is Baker Lubwama and I’m a 3rd year medical student at Clare college, Cambridge. I’m currently undertaking an intercalated degree in Genetics. I grew up in Uganda and inner city London, surrounded, as well as impacted by health inequality. This, combined with other factors drove me towards choosing medicine.
In writing my personal statement, I made sure to not only explain my motivations, but to also give an account of the steps I’d taken to explore the subject and inform myself of the realities of the career that may follow. I did this by taking a deeper look into the things that were of interest and meaning to me. This included reading the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) report on the social determinants of health, volunteering as a tutor for young carers in my borough and undertaking an independent research project on the genetic solutions to malaria, a disease prevalent in Uganda.
The hardest part of my interview experience was probably dealing with nerves before and between the two interviews. The interviews themselves were very conversational and while it was still hard to gauge how well I was doing, I tried to take my time in answering the questions, making sure to explain my thought process.
The basis of most questions seemed to be topics I’d covered at A-level or even GCSE. However, the interviewers built on these ideas and asked questions that relied on a firm understanding of the topics in order to arrive to a logical conclusion. On reflection, the most helpful aspect of my interview preparation was making sure I understood my core science. Doing mock interviews with friends and teachers was also particularly helpful. Even when it was just answering convoluted science questions that we’d come up with based on our knowledge.
A typical week of medicine at Cambridge includes around 20-25 contact hours, split between lectures (which include 9ams), practicals (such as dissections or labs) and supervisions. Supervisions are run within your college whereas lectures and practicals are university wide. There’s normally an hour’s supervision per week for every module, but this can vary a lot depending on the students’ or supervisor’s preferences. I particularly enjoy supervisions as they’re an opportunity to discuss topics at length in a small group and try to really develop an understanding.
Before applying, I wish I’d known the impact that college choice can have on your experience and the extent of the variation in resources and facilities between colleges. The likelihood is you’ll love whatever college you attend and make great friends there, as I have. However, try to choose your college such that any preferences you may have (such as distance from lecture theatres, or sporting facilities) are catered to.