Interviews - UCAT - PS! One-to-one medicine admissions tutoring with a medical student (with 5+ years tutoring experience!) who’s been through it all — UCAT, interviews, and beyond.

Find out more about Anudi

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  After thinking about this question for quite a while, I realise my interest in medicine and tutoring could not be pinpointed to one specific point, it was rather an amalgamation of different experiences I have been through. I of course loved the sciences during my time in secondary school and sixth form, the seemingly structured basis of science having very much appealed to me. I spent some time doing various work experience, and found that I was particularly compelled to the care and teamwork which was demonstrated in healthcare. That, combined with my love of medical research and advancements, led me to pursue studying medicine. Whilst in school, I had participated in peer tutoring groups and worked as a teaching mentor for students younger than myself. When I reached the point of doing medical interviews, the UCAT and the BMAT, I found that having someone help and guide me at points throughout the process was so helpful, and I could not have reached the point I have now if it were not for the wonderful teachers and tutors who helped me along the way. As such, I decided to begin tutoring others in the hopes that I can spread my own knowledge and help others achieve their own goals - whether that be practicing their interview skills, acing their next biology test, or improving their UCAT skills.

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths for up to A-levels (so including KS3, GCSEs and A-levels). I also tutor for the 11+ - so Maths and English and the verbal reasoning/non-verbal reasoning. Aside from the sciences side, I help with the medical applications process - so reading through personal statements, teaching UCAT and BMAT techniques, and practicing interview techniques and running mock interviews (MMI and panel format).
  
  I can honestly say that I love teaching all of these subjects with my students, they still all interest me very much, and I find that even as a tutor, I am discover new small concepts as I teach my students. However, from my experience in school found the application questions in the sciences and maths to be much more difficult than most of the work usually done in class. As such, after helping my students understand the content, I like to dedicate time in lessons towards looking at application-style questions, as these can be difficult, but also very rewarding as students are able to understand how what they are learning relates to real-life situations.
  
  As for medical application-related teaching, I love how rewarding this can be as students ultimately achieve their goals and receive offers at the universities of their choice. Applying for medicine can be such a tough and daunting prospect, but I myself found that practice and a bit of teaching helped me come a long way from where I was.

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I would first like to mention my parents, who taught me Maths and English, amongst other subjects, when I was growing up, and would quiz me and stay up studying with me. They taught me that we have to be determined and work to earn the knowledge we want, and that we need to envision our improvement and take the steps required to reach it.
  
  I think each and every teacher I have had has impacted my understanding of teaching in some way. Each teacher has different styles of teaching, and I think it is important to respect that and learn from each of them. The teachers that stood out to me most were the ones who not only taught me with a rehearsed PowerPoint, but those who reviewed my progress and compelled me to push myself further.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  Knowledge and understanding of the subject being taught are two of the basic, most powerful qualities of being a good tutor, so I stive to keep up to date with all the changes in the specifications for the sciences, and am always reviewing the changes in the medical applications process (which is changing more drastically than ever before).
  
  Apart from these two bases, I also believe that reflection and flexibility are important qualities of a good tutor. I think that it is important for me to gauge an understanding of how my students best study and learn, and then modify my teaching to best suit the specific student. Not everyone learns the same, and not everyone teaches the same, but I believe my role as a tutor is to teach my students and help them achieve their best potential, so their own learning style is very important to me.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  In the past, I had a few specific classes in school (with my peer students) where I found it took me a long time to cover the lessons and understand the content. The lessons just did not seem remarkable to me and my brain refused to memorise any of the content for exams. It was then that I realised how the interaction in my other classes helped me learn so much better. Having to actively recall the information at the drop of the hat may have seemed daunting at the time, but after reflection I realised how much it helped me learn. As such, I try to keep my own lessons as interactive as possible, using different methods such as questions, kahoot quizzes, whiteboard learning and debates to keep the lesson entertaining and memorable.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  As a tutor, one of the challenges I face when teaching is when students are unable to grasp certain concepts after several attempts over different lessons. At that point, I find it valuable to take a step back and determine where exactly the issue is. Oftentimes, there is a specific piece of background explanation that would help the student understand. Sometimes, it is important to put the information into context - such as with a maths or physics problem, or to provide a step by step explanation with diagrams to illustrate the points. This is often where understanding each student's approach to learning becomes useful - as I've found that approaching the issue from the students perspective is extremely beneficial to deciding the best course of action.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  Of course, I would have to say that one of my most poignant passions is my studies in medicine. It has been such an honour to study such a diverse subject and to be able to share these experiences with my students. My passion for medicine is so closely linked to my love of the sciences - as the two are so closely interlinked. Nonetheless, my interests span outside of sciences and medicine, from reading to cycling and music.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P) ?

  My students are so important to me - and my belief in a personalised teaching approach means that I spend time outside of lessons creating personalised teaching materials for each student, focussing on their strengths and weaknesses and the method they best learn information. I also keep a strict response time, and aim to respond to students messages about lessons and questions within a few hours of receiving correspondence. I think that this level of dedication to my students makes me a better teacher - and a Superprof!