East Sussex College student one step closer to dream of becoming a doctor

An East Sussex College student has moved one step closer to his dream of becoming a doctor after gaining a place at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
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Ali Mohammadi, who is studying Access to HE Medicine at the college’s Lewes campus, impressed during his medical school interview and achieved one of the highest scores on the day, earning him a call back within three hours to offer him a place on the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (BM BS) degree.

“I couldn’t believe it. I started to cry!” said Ali.

“Receiving an offer in just three hours means a lot to me. They told me that I had the highest score out of all of the people they interviewed that day and that I was the first person they called. I was so happy, and it was an emotional moment for me.”

Ali Mohammadi. Picture: East Sussex CollegeAli Mohammadi. Picture: East Sussex College
Ali Mohammadi. Picture: East Sussex College
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Ali has only been living in the UK for four years and taught himself English.

He said: “Coming from a refugee background, I had to work really hard to apply for medical school in the UK.

“Four years ago, I moved to the UK, and I couldn’t imagine that one day I would be offered a place to study medicine at university.

“Since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of becoming a doctor. My mother is a radiologist and used to take me to work with her in the hospital. That is where I realised that I wanted a career where I could help improve people’s lives.”

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Ali will start his degree in September, but his route to medical school would have been different had he not been awarded a scholarship from East Sussex College to study the Access course.

Access to Higher Education courses prepare students to study at university.

Most students are able to apply for loans to cover the cost of the course. However, Ali was unable to apply for the loan, and his own fundraising efforts were not enough to cover the course fees.

But Hayley, the head of Access to HE in Lewes, sent an email to the college CEO to ask if there was anything the college could do to help – and the college agreed to award Ali with a scholarship, something they have never done before.

Rebecca Conroy, CEO of East Sussex College, said: “Due to lockdown, I have not yet met Ali, but I cannot wait to meet him in person and congratulate him on his huge achievements.”

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