Raahil is a first year BSc Radiography (Radiotherapy and Oncology) student. Before coming to City St George's, she studied Biology, Chemistry and English literature at college.
What were you doing before you came to study at City St George's?
I was doing my A-levels at London Academy of Excellence Tottenham. I studied biology, chemistry, English literature and did a one-year study of core maths.
How did you develop an interest in your course and why did you choose to study this course?
I was already very interested in healthcare and thought I wanted to go into medicine initially. However, after looking into my options further I decided to study Radiography (Radiotherapy and Oncology) as I feel like it still has the medicine aspect I wanted but it is more focused on something I am very interested in.
The study of cancers and cancer treatment has always fascinated me and I’m glad I am specialising in it.
Why did you choose to study at City St George's?
I chose City St George's during my search for different universities. I had never heard of the university but it was the first one to come up once I had typed my course on the internet.
It was a mixture of the support I saw that would be provided for me, the hospital options for placements and different opportunities as well as how I felt once I stepped into the university building(s).
Whenever I choose a school I always enter to see if I could see myself studying there and City St George's made me feel that way.
What has been your favourite thing about studying this course?
The content, my lecturers and my cohort. The content is the perfect balance of biology and practical skills as well as a little bit of maths and physics to put me on edge.
If you like biology this course is perfect as it builds on the knowledge you already have from A-level biology, if you’ve done it, and is very interesting if you have only come across it for the first time.
My cohort is also very supportive, I feel like the people you learn with have a huge impact on the type of experience you have at university in general.
What is your favourite thing about studying at City St George's?
Most of my lessons have been a mix of online and on campus lectures so there is a lot I am yet to experience on campus.
I think it’s mostly the atmosphere created around you. There are areas you can go when you want to do focussed work and there’s areas you can go if you want to work but still be in a chilled environment.
The fact that you get to choose, and it’s not completely work all the time, makes it less stressful.
How have you found the teaching and facilities on your course?
I think they’re both good. Sometimes lectures can be very intense as it’s a lot of information to internalise but it’s something you get used to with time.
However tutorials are quite interactive and provides some variation in the way you learn.
Where have you been on your clinical placements, and what have you enjoyed most about these experiences?
I’m only in first year so I haven’t been on placement yet.
That is happening in the summer term. We do however have clinical skills sessions where we use simulators of the machinery we will use on patients to deliver treatment.
How will these experiences help you with your future career?
Being a Therapeutic Radiographer requires a lot of human interaction and compassion, therefore it has been extremely useful being able to learn the practical skills as well as theory.
Recently, we’ve been doing work on multi-disciplinary teams and inter-professionalism which is something that will be directly used as we get put on our first placement in May.
Have you overcome any challenges during your studies?
I think maintaining motivation and pacing my studies so I don’t overwork myself and feel burnt out is my biggest challenge.
It’s something I struggled with since my GCSEs. Starting early with my revision or making sure my notes are prepared before my exams helps because my revision time isn’t taken up by trying to make notes on a whole module.
Working in time with the lectures instead of allowing things to pile up to avoid panic is my biggest challenge, but I am actively working on it.
What kind of things are you involved in outside of your course?
I work as a tutor and I think this has improved my communication skills as I sometimes have to simplify complicated things in order to be understood, which is needed for communication with patients.
I would recommend joining some societies which allows you to experience university life.
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
After I graduate, I’ll probably travel and then start working as a Therapeutic Radiographer. I am still unsure if I want to work in another country or not but we shall see I guess.
What would be your advice to anyone considering studying this course?
- Time management. Make sure by the time your study time arrives that you have completed your notes.
- Have fun but again be mindful that every exam you do counts towards your final degree.
- Make sure you do the tutorial packs before the tutorial session.
- Don’t worry about any science or maths that comes up if you haven’t done any of it in a very long time. You will be taught it in detail and the lecturers will always be there to help you.