Although taking a year out wasn’t what I had originally planned, I think that year was really important and informative for me. It made me realise how much I really did want to study Medicine.
I think most Medicine students are perfectionists by nature and sometimes you need to understand that it’s OK if you fall. What’s important is that you pick yourself up, learn from it and keep going.
My parents were always motivating me to pursue my passions and whatever I wanted to do in life. Neither of my parents were educated in the UK or have studied in higher education but they were incredibly supportive of my decision to progress to university.
I think for many students who are the first generation in their family to go to university, it can be a barrier when you don’t have contacts to go to for advice. I think because my parents are now living in a country where neither of them have been through the education system, they weren’t best equipped to give me guidance on how to approach my university application.
Keen to help other students facing similar challenges, Humza supports the Medical School’s Widening Access to Medicine (WAM) programme, which is a series of free events designed to support local students, from diverse backgrounds, who have the ability and attributes to be successful in their application for a place in the Medical School.
The fact that Edge Hill’s Medical School is brand new really appealed to me because there are opportunities to leave a lasting impact that you wouldn’t have at other schools. As we’re one of the first cohorts to pass through the school, we’re the students who can set up the clubs, societies and traditions of the Medical School and be an active creator in that process, which is amazing.