How to Keep the Faith?

Sometimes not everything we do goes to plan, but it's important to keep the faith, be self-motivated and determined to reach your end goal.

One of our students has written a true personal insight into how things were not straightforward for her during her educational journey but how her willpower and drive for Medicine has kept her going until she reaches success!

My journey so far however has been far from easy, but I have a HUGE passion for Medicine. Just before my GCSE’s my Mother died, a very tragic sudden death. Shock filled the family and sadness loomed everyday life. My father also left a few months after this, leaving my brother and I unsure of the future ahead.

I knew I always wanted to go into Healthcare, I thought Midwifery was the career for me. I was predicted pretty good grades before this happened. But that year my life just ran ahead of me. Lessons, I would sit and stare and not have a clue what the lesson was about, and didn’t really care about any homework given to me.

I do recall a few teachers giving up on me – never asking me “How are you?” or “Do you need help?” Some teachers told me: “You won’t make it Jodie, I’ll see you on results day”. I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry – and I did just that.

The morning of results day came – I genuinely did work hard during the last few weeks leading up to the day of the exams. Clearly that wasn’t enough. Opening the certificate and running out with tears down my face as others had tears of joy was such a low point in my life – Now I am thankful in a way it happened. I learnt so much about myself.

I went home, cried some more and this huge sense of determination hit me, it came like a tidal wave. I rang every college in my area, explaining my situation. My school wouldn’t let me back in for A-Levels due to my grades, I begged to re-sit my GCSE’s at the same time – explaining my career aspirations, only to be told “We will call you next week Jodie”. That phone call never did come.

A college finally listened to me – I begged to re-sit my GCSE’s at the same time as A-Levels. They looked at me as if I was crazy. I was determined to do it. Looking back, it was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The constant revision and continually shuffling from GCSE standard to A-Level standard; I felt like giving up sometimes.

Here I am now, I have finished with 8 GCSEs and 3 A Levels, a Level 3 BTEC in Health and Social Care, a Diploma in Midwifery which I studied at Nottingham University and I am now predicted a 1st Class Honours Degree in Medical Sciences. I am also now revising for my UKCAT.

If you want something so bad you are willing to sacrifice just about anything to achieve it – you’ll do it. No matter what passion you have, believe you can achieve it.

Keep the Faith everyone!