Meet Noah, former Year 13 boarding student who's journey to medicine started at BCS. Find out about Noah, life in BCS boarding and his plans for the future...

Q: What made you first join BCS; how did you first hear about us?

A: I went to an independent school exhibition with my dad, as we needed to find a secondary school for me to go to; we weren’t going to stay in Nigeria and I wanted to study overseas.

There were lots of different schools to look at and choose from. BCS stood out so we picked up the pamphlet and came into contact with the previous headteacher (Mr Slatford), who talked about what kind of school BCS is. I applied for a place in Year 10, took the entrance exams, applied for scholarships and it all went really well. I got offered a double scholarship for academics and sport.

We came here June 2019, toured around different schools I was accepted by and I liked BCS’ vibe the best. I choose BCS as it felt like a nice place to be, I liked the beach being close by and the boarding staff were super nice to speak to, Mr O'Donoghue and Mr Ryan especially! 

Q: When did you join?

A: I joined in Year 10, September 2019. A year and a half before Covid, I had a normal Year 10 and then Year 11 got split into three different parts as we had two different lockdowns that year.

Q: How did you find your first year, did you think you made the right decision?

A: It was intimidating at first because of all the different boarders and I had never been away from my parents for that long. I was 14, still trying to figure out who I was and my interests. All the older boys, like Adam, took me in as a little brother, so I made friends with all ages. My actual school year were nice too, I was good at sports so that let me integrate with them quickly. Academically it was quite difficult at the start because I came from an IB American school system and their way of answering questions and examinations was different to how it is here. It took me a little bit of time to adjust, but the teachers helped me out a lot and I got the hang of it, got pretty good at it actually.

Q: Now, by all accounts, are achieving A*’s?

A: That is what I’m predicted, so hopefully but we will see.

Q: When did you realise you wanted to take science and the pathway into medicine, what was the turning point?

A: I’ve never been much of a creative person. Doing Science here, I found that the staff were very good at teaching and always really helped me to understand. Dr Pumphrey, Miss Gates, and Miss Mariner got me into the whole science thing.

"My path to medicine started at BCS. I like concrete evidence and have a methodical way of thinking. Triple Science at A level is intense, but the workload is do-able because I am passionate, have a natural ability and have amazing teachers that make me want to learn."

It was a two-way street where I was good at it because I liked it and I liked it because I was good at it. The topics really engaged me, especially blowing stuff up in Chemistry! 

Q: When do you finish school and what is your plan for next year?

A: I finish BCS Sixth Form and A-Levels this year. I’ve applied through UCAS to four medical schools and one back up. I’ve got the backup offer already from Birmingham for Biochemistry. For Medicine I’ve applied to Nottingham, Southampton, Cardiff, and Leicester. I’ve had interviews at Leicester and Cardiff, with Southampton coming up in two weeks. My top two would definitely be Southampton and Cardiff, they all have similar courses, with a spiral curriculum and have patient exposure.

Q: What do you want to be, what kind of doctor?  

A: A surgeon, I don’t know what kind of surgeon yet. I like hands on stuff, I want to scrub in and see the results.

Q: What has been the highlight of BCS as your time is coming to an end?

A: My top moment was the end of Year 11, after we did our exams, all the hard work was over and it was worth it, I had tried my best and had the best summer and fun with my friends.

Another moment would be results day for GCSE, I felt like all the work I had put in and all the extra time I spent revising and seeing the teachers was worth it because I achieved the grades I wanted.

Q: Who has been your favourite teacher?

A: Dr Pumphrey! He has been integral to my time here, truly, if there was one person who has made this entire experience for me, it’s Dr Pumphrey. It’s hard to explain simply why, but professionally and academically his lessons are so engaging, there’s never been a time that I have been bored in his lessons. Anything he teaches has me engaged and wanting to learn more and become smarter. Outside of academics, he’s been my go-to for advice on medicine, guiding me through the whole process with the applications, and just any general life stuff as well. He is an overall mentor; my dad isn’t here so he has been a 'father figure' and a constant support. Nothing is ever a hassle for him, he never says no if you need help, so he is definitely number one.

Mr O’Donoghue definitely gets a mention as well, he has made my boarding life the best, he gives me freedom and treats me like a member of his own family.

Everybody else at BCS as well, they’re all lovely and I have made some great friends.

Q: Where do you see yourself after university, what is your goal other than being a surgeon?

A: I want to own a practice at some point in my life, I want to get to a point where I have achieved and accomplished the medical side of it, it will give me a lot of freedom to live how I want to live. I want to reach a point where all the GCSEs, A Levels, medical school and training has all lead up to a moment where I’m all set. It's a long journey, five years medical, two years internship as a junior doctor, practising under the supervisor of an attending, then you specialise, once you get good enough you can apply to get a practice with the NHS.

I just want to help people, there’s nothing else that’s my thing, other than science and school, some people are athletes or are creative and that’s their thing, I don’t have anything like that other than science.

Q: Are you going to miss BCS?

A: I will miss the people at BCS, when I look back at my time here it will be with a smile.