Nathan Appanna
Second-year Medicine student
Hi! I’m a second year medical student at Hertford, about to go into third year. I’ve enjoyed the first two years here a lot, and hope you’ll visit Hertford at the next open day.
The college provides some fantastic teaching for Medicine which really makes you think outside the box. The tutors come from a variety of backgrounds, from research scientists to clinical doctors, and this helps encourage a synoptic approach to medical issues and integrated discussions across our subject areas. Our tutors are very supportive in other matters, and have helped guide us during our research projects and other activities. I myself have really enjoyed working in a lab at the Churchill Hospital, and some of my experiments will feature in two manuscripts currently in review for publication.
Hertford is unique in fostering a good relationship across years between pre-clinical (years 1-3) and clinical students (years 4-6). Twice a year, Vaughan Williams dinners are held, in memory of a former Hertford medical tutor, famous for classifying anti-arrhythmic drugs and pioneering the use of beta blockers in clinical practice. It’s helpful to have guidance from older students and to meet successful former Hertford medical students who come to give talks about their lives and careers.
Obviously, every subject workload can be challenging, but Hertford is a great college with a really friendly atmosphere, so it’s not too daunting. You can get involved in loads of extra-curricular activities and societies, including sports and music. For instance, we’re going on cricket tour to Corfu this summer! Despite tutorial essays and coursework, 3-4 times tennis training per week, committee meetings, and going to interesting talks and debates, there’s still time to relax and go out with friends. The inclusive, progressive nature of the college means no matter what your background, you’ll definitely meet similar people to you and discover shared and new interests.
Big up the college principal Will Hutton’s words at the start of Freshers’ Week: “Hertford’s the friendliest, funkiest college in Oxford”, so come and check it out.