By Maria Gonsalves, iBSc Anatomy, Developmental and Human Biology
Hi everyone! My name is Maria and I intercalated in Anatomy, Developmental and Human Biology at King’s between my 3rd and 4th year of medical school at the University of Birmingham.
Why I chose to study at Kings:
I chose to intercalate at King’s as the Anatomy course is well-known for providing excellent teaching and offers modules such as ‘Surgical Sciences’ and ‘Surgical Anatomy’, which are tailored to my pursuit of a career in surgery.
It also gave me the opportunity to learn new skills like dissection, laparoscopic skills, and suturing, which aren’t in my medical school curriculum. Being in a new city (especially one as big as London) was an amazing way for me to make new friends and try out societies and clubs I’d never tried before.
Key takeaways from this year:
Studying at King’s has been a wonderful experience, here are some points about the course that I’d like to highlight:
- Intercalating in Anatomy at King’s is really useful for networking with surgeons and creating contacts that can help you in the future. Through my dissertation, I was able to build a relationship with my supervisors and consultant surgeons in my current speciality of interest.
- Completing a dissertation is a great way to not only improve your academic writing and referencing skills but also allows you to write about something you’re passionate about. Alongside my supervisors, I published my work and contributed to novel research.
- Most of the Anatomy modules are held at Guy’s campus so living within walking distance can be really helpful. I found living nearby especially helpful during transport strikes. However, living further away is a great way to get to know different areas of London and explore.
- Time management is key! I know as medical students we’ve heard this one too many times, but I found effectively balancing my dissertation, dissection projects and exams simultaneously a lot harder than I thought.
- Most importantly, intercalating is about having fun and the opportunity to try something new and out of your comfort zone. This year I’ve learned so much and formed many friendships with people I wouldn’t have met if I had changed my mind.
I hope I’ve given you some insight into what it’s like to intercalate as an external student at King’s and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is considering it as an option.