My first year at Medical School! (UK) / Newcastle Medical School

My first year of medical school! The past year has been such a huge learning curve. For me, there have been many bumps along the road but fir most people your first year of medical school can easily be one of the best years of your life. In this video, I wanted to shed some light on my first-year experience (featuring workload, freshers, making friends, mental health, part-time jobs, the pandemic, George Floyd and more)
⚡ T I M E S T A M P S ⚡
0:00 Intro
0:27 Freshers Week
02:25 First assignment
02:48 Anatomy
04:24 Clinical Skills
05:36 Intro to CBL
06:40 First exam
10:08 Placement
11:05 Social life
14:18 Mental health
16:31 Note taking
17:10 2nd assignment
18:06 Christmas
19:02 January exams
19:24 Note-taking
20:01 New job
20:50 Counselling group
21:31 Antidepressants
22:29 Counselling
23:16 Pandemic
23:33 Cancelled exam
24:49 Online exam
25:25 George Floyd (RIP)
26:17 Now!
💘Watch more💘
- Get ready for Medical School 2020 • Get ready for Medical ...
- Step by Step Guide How to get into Medical School • How to get into Medica...
- How I got into medical school! • How I got Medical Scho...
- What it's like to study at Newcastle Medical School • What it's like to stud...
If you're struggling with your mental health please reach out to:
- Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk
- CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) www.thecalmzone.net
MIND UK www.mind.org.uk
- No Panic (Support for people who suffer from panic attacks) www.nopanic.org.uk
- Streetwise (the charity I got my counselling from - based in Newcastle) www.streetwisenorth.org.uk/
📚 Books I recommend for getting into Medical School 📚
The Body: A Guide for Occupants amzn.to/32GRMEf
A beautifully written exploration of the human body, how it works and how it fights disease. (No medical knowledge required)
Trust Me I'm a Junior Doctor amzn.to/3nnoIJK
A hilarious insight into what it's REALLY like to work as a junior doctor.
Medical Ethics: An introduction amzn.to/38Jiwrj
A short intro into medical ethics and how it's shaped modern medicine.
💛 F O L L O W💛
/ chrstinnaa
/ chrstinna
🎶 Music 🎶
Prod by Riddiman
💜A B O U T💜
Hey! My name's Christina, I'm a medical student at Newcastle University and I make videos about getting into medical school, university life, productivity and self-improvement :) Business Enquiries: christinaaaliyah.com/contact/
Affiliate links used 😌 I make a small commission from anything purchase through my link, but it's no extra cost to you :) Thanks for supporting my channel!
Subscriber count: 44 🌸
Christina xx

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

⚡ T I M E S T A M P S ⚡ 0:00 Intro 0:27 Freshers Week 02:25 First assignment 02:48 Anatomy 04:24 Clinical Skills 05:36 Intro to CBL 06:40 First exam 10:08 Placement 11:05 Social life 14:18 Mental health 16:31 Note taking 17:10 2nd assignment 18:06 Christmas 19:02 January exams 19:24 Note-taking 20:01 New job 20:50 Counselling group 21:31 Antidepressants 22:29 Counselling 23:16 Pandemic 23:33 Cancelled exam 24:49 Online exam 25:25 George Floyd (RIP) 26:17 Now!

[@zhanaehagan5971]

I'm starting Newcastle medical school this year via partners and already have my grades, so just got to complete summer school. I'm really excited and your the only person to actually give in depth information on this. I also love your info on diversity there. As a Black person from London who has experienced Newcastle, everyone is very freindly.Thank you!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Aw I’m so pleased this was helpful!! I hope you love Newcastle 💕 ✨

[@davismanne]

What an incredible year! Thank you for highlighting mental issues and the support available for all 🤗😊

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

No problem davismanne! Glad you enjoyed this video

[@LeahRebecca]

this is so comforting for mental health glad u felt better🥺💜💜

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Much much better! 🙌🏾 Tysm Leah 💜

[@anatomyofbooks]

Newcastle is my first choice for medicine at the moment (I am applying for 2022) and this video helped me so much in my decision making! you put so much effort in your videos and they’re so lovely 💞

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Best of luck for 2022 Grace! Thank you so much, that's so kind! 💞

[@ahmed3440]

Hi Christina, I love this video and I'm so happy that you're talking about these things. I am hopefully starting medicine at Newcastle this September and your vids have been a great help! :)))

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Tysm Ahmed! I'm glad my videos have been helpful and well done on getting into Newcastle! I'm sure you'll love it here 🥰

[@aashav2573]

Thank you for the video! I am starting this september as a med student at ncl and absolutely terrified and nervous about moving to a new place and making friends. Most people I have talked to have said that university is going to be amazing and not to worry but I am really glad you have posted an honest view on this, showing the bad side as well as the good. Really happy to hear that your mental health is improving :)

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Congrats on getting into Newcastle! Huge well done! 🎉 I'm sure you'll have an absolutely amazing year! First year might take some time to adjust because it's so different to what you're used to but I'm sure it'll be amazing 💖 If you are ever struggling and need someone to talk to, never hesitate to Dm me 💕 And yes thank you lovely, in a much better place right now 🥰

[@melissapattison3048]

I loved this video!! so informative and nice to see something about Newcastle on youtube!! im starting NCL as a med student in September and im excited but super nervous.

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey Melissa! Congrats on getting into Newcastle! Huge well done!! 🎉🎉 I was the same! 😅 But the first few weeks tend to be quite chill so you've got nothing to worry about :)) If you have any questions about the med school feel free to message me at any time

[@styles1625]

this video is amazing btw ! so much effort put in and i really appreciate the timestamps , you seem like such a lovely person !!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey 👋🏾 Aww thank you so much for watching!! It means the world to me

[@danieladediran2945]

@@ChristinaAaliyah yeah it is great vidio 👍✊

[@danieladediran2945]

This is such a good video! Thank you Christina

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Thanks Daniel! So glad found helpful 💕🌸

[@akosuamensa167]

You are so transparent and sweet. Thank you for your videos I am glad I stumbled here ❤️❤️❤️

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey Akosua 👋🏾 tysm!! That means so much to me ❤ Thank you for watching

[@akosuamensa167]

@@ChristinaAaliyah 🥰😘❤️

[@megbarber635]

Hi, I'm a 4th year at Newcastle and I think I met you through netball last year! This is such an informative video and I wish things like this had existed when I was in you position. If you ever need a hand with anything or any advice, feel free to send me a message! Always happy to help!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey Meg! Omg yes I remember we met during Netball

[@DrPBaptiste]

Very detailed video I am sure many prospective med students will benefit greatly!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Thank you so much!

[@lizzieade8707]

I’m not even going to study medicine but I still watched this whole video lool, this was a really interesting video you’re a really engaging speaker!! Edit: I’m so glad to hear that you are feeling better now, hearing all your experiences and what you’ve overcome is really inspiring can’t wait to see your upcoming videos 😄😄

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Thank you so much for watching! 💞 This comment just made my morning 🤗🥺

[@lizzieade8707]

Christina Aaliyah you’re welcome!! ✨ Aww yayyyy good morning 😆

[@emmadavison4042]

Ahhh this has made me terrified 😂. The academics sounds soooo stressful and I’m due to start Newcastle med in September if results day goes to plan!!!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Omg congrats!! I'm sure you'll get in 🤞🏾 & I'm probably making it out to be a lot more difficult than it actually is haha, looking back it wasn't too bad it's just a lot more than what I was used to at A-level ❤ Good luck for Results Day!

[@faz2135]

so nice to see videos from a ncl medic for once:) i also did my assignment on plant based diets! it’d be cool if you could do a day in the life of a med student when term starts again

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Omg yes ! I'm definitely planning some day in the life videos once uni starts again! Thanks for watching 💕🌸

[@PhoebeJones]

This video is really nicely edited!! :)

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Thanks Phoebe 💕

[@caitlin6618]

i’m starting newcastle for medicine in september and i’m super excited ! if you have an videos/advice on revision resources for exams such as single best answer i’d really like to watch x

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey Caitlin, congrats on getting into Med School! Huge well done!

[@justkrypt4373]

thank you for the video, I firmed my offer at NCL and haven't seen many videos about the medical school. Do you know of anything else I can do before I start the course? Are there any reading materials or the curriculum online? Thank you in advance. My post notifications are on and hope to see more videos like these!!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey 👋🏾 Congrats on getting into Newcastle 🥳 I'm actually planning a video on what it's like to study at Newcastle Med School (pros and cons), so that video should be up soon! For the first few weeks lectures are pretty much A level biology plus a bit extra, so I'd say just make sure you're super confident on that and maybe if you haven't done A level biology try and watch some KZbin videos on transcription, translation, action potentials, actin and myosin to bring you up to scratch :) Learning anatomical words and will be super helpful too!

[@JoyAjanaku]

Yes please do a video in case based learning 😁

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

It's coming soon! 💕

[@cx620]

What was the course like was it mixed age groups? I’m 19 but I’m not going to uni until 2022 so I will be 21 by then. (Basically my choice of career has changed since I was doing my a levels and the a levels I count do not count) and it worries me I’m going to be a lot older than the people on my course x

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey, yeah we have mixed groups and we have lots of graduates on our course! There’s always a mixture of school leavers, graduates and people have done gap years too x

[@superewa1000]

hey! im starting med at newcastle in september, i wanted to know your thoughts on freshers wristbands? im in the newcastle med group chat and a lot of people are saying that youll be missing out if you dont get it, what do you think? did you get one?

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Heyy I didn’t get one! And most people don’t tbh! You’ll be absolutely fine without a wristband as long as you go to freshers fair& go to any parties/socials you get invited to. That’s how most people make friends and meeet people x Also as a medic I remember out first week being pretty busy, you might not get the chance to go out that much, but try to go to socials/ society events! Xx

[@jiminscheetos9950]

Would love a case based learning video x

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Noted! I've got a video coming up next week on 'What's it's like to study at Newcastle' (I'm gonna elaborate on CBL) so stay tuned 💕

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

I'll probably do a dedicated CBL video when I've got my timetable and back at uni so around October :)

[@jiminscheetos9950]

@@ChristinaAaliyah Okay thankyou so much!!💕

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

No problem 💕💕

[@Anthony-wi6pq]

Great video! Got one question, in your opinion how is Newcastle as a city? Would you stay there again etc etc

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

The city is amazing! Loads to do (cinema, night life, pubs, restaurants etc) and lots of societies at our university too!

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

I'm planning a video later this week on 'What it's like to study at Newcastle Med School' with more info on social life and the city! So stay tuned for that if you're interested 😊💕

[@Anthony-wi6pq]

@@ChristinaAaliyah Oooo seems interesting, Newcastle is one of my main med schools choices alongside Leicester and Manchester

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

@@Anthony-wi6pq Those are some great choices! I'm sure you'll make the right choice 💕

[@khalidzoldyck1092]

have my first assignment coming up, do you know what topic you picked?

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

I picked Iron deficiency anaemia! I think I included a photo in the section starting at 2:25 💕

[@maryamumar2208]

I love that necklace 🥰

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Thank you! It's actually 2 that I've just layered :) The choker from Accessorize and the other from Etsy 😊

[@AMiah-jz8uu]

Where is your original city? I'm planning on commuting from London every weekend but don't know if that's silly (grad entry).

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

I’m from Durham, with london just bear in mind the traffic :) u don’t want to be late or anything

[@mokshadilip7063]

Is newcaslte upon Tyne safe?

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Yes I’d say so, I’ve never had any issues personally. Most of campus is in the city centre so it’s easy and convenient to get around. Plus there are so many students so you’re around a lot of other people in the same boat. There are some people who can be racist/homophobic/rude but I’d say it’s the same in all cities unfortunately :(

[@kiracurtin7888]

hi there im thinking of coming to study at Newcastle next year, would you say people are friendly/welcoming there? as im coming form overseas and worry about making friends as I'm quite shy and not into clubbing scene - would you say Newcastle is predominantly a party scene or are there others who also prefer quiet nights in?

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

There’s definitely a mix of both here at Newcastle! This city has a reputation for being very good for nights out and the variety of clubs but I promise there are a lot of cosy/night in things to do :) especially at the university where there’s so many societies full of people that prefer a night in over clubbing :)) where are you from x

[@kiracurtin7888]

@@ChristinaAaliyah hi i'm from South Africa, thinking of studying psychology and love Newcastle's course - I was just worried about being only one who doesn't like clubbing/drinking (is there a specific hall/accomodation with more quieter life?)

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

I would avoid Park view and castle leazes as they are known to be quite rowdy, but the others should be ok. If you go into private accommodation you’ll be around plenty of other international students xx

[@kiracurtin7888]

@@ChristinaAaliyah ok thankyou so much for your help, hoping to visit later this year !

[@JoyAjanaku]

Where do you buy a stethoscope 🩺 from?

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

❤ Medisave.co.uk ❤

[@dilna1050]

Madam plz say that what are eligibility for studying medicine in Newcastle university .I'm just in my 12th grade

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey Rapheal, you can find the entry requirements for Newcastle a100 here ncl.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/a100/

[@kitanowo]

Would you say Newcastle is a diverse university? (In terms of black people)

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Hey Kitan, I'll be honest and say slightly. It better than other cities in my opinion (e.g. Ediburgh, Durham) you could walk around town or campus and see a number of black people. But it's not as good as Midlands or the South where there are plenty of black people. Hope this helps!

[@styles1625]

how diverse would you say manchester is ? in terms of black student population ( pls answer honestly)

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

I'm pretty sure Manchester is one of the more diverse universities, definitely one of the better ones in the North, but not as diverse as Midlands/Southern/London unis. I've been to Manchester a few times and it's much more diverse than Newcastle. If you're a black student at Manchester I doubt you'd be like the only black person on your course, so you won't be on your own. :) Hope this helps xx

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

You might find these links helpful: www.studyinternational.com/news/where-uks-most-diverse-universities-rankings/ www.manchester.ac.uk/connect/jobs/equality-diversity-inclusion/

[@styles1625]

Christina Aaliyah thank you so much for the great reply ❤️ is there many black people in Newcastle ( particularly the medicine course) Ino there’s less than Manchester but what would u say

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

In my year group there is roughly 10 black people (out of ~330 people) so not great. And this is actually one of the most diverse years groups at Newcastle Med School, some of the years above have only 1 or 2 black people. So the diversity here isnt the best, but I'd say its getting better x

[@styles1625]

Christina Aaliyah aww okay thanks for explaining xx

[@bencunniff1228]

This is so quiet

[@bencunniff1228]

I love it though really informative. Also love that u actually showed your timetable

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

Apologies! I'm working on making my audio better :)

[@ChristinaAaliyah]

No problem! I like when videos are really in detail, so wanted to make sure I included it ☺️