After my graduation from the IB Diploma Programme in 2020, I had taken a gap year and then started my first year in my bachelor’s programme in Biomedicine at Lund University in Sweden in the fall of 2021. At the time of writing this, I have completed my first year of the three-year programme and become a board member of the Biomedical Student Council of Lund University.
During the IB I thought I wanted to study medicine and become a doctor. I had an interest in biology and chemistry, specifically medicinal chemistry and cell biology. However, I had not known about the field of biomedicine at the time, and studying to become a doctor seemed great, but something still felt off. During my gap year spent in Finland, I realised I didn’t want to study medicine and become a doctor, the person who is the face of healthcare and works with patients directly. I wanted to be behind the scenes, an explorer of the cellular mechanisms upon which modern medicine and pharmaceuticals are built. I wanted to be a biomedical researcher.
The first time my interest in medicinal chemistry was sparked was during the option D “Medicine and Drugs” in my IB chemistry HL class. More specifically, how the biological targets that are used in medicine and drug development were found. During my gap year, I did more of my own research on what biomedicine entails, and slowly I realised that is what I wanted to do, and it felt right, more so than what I had felt about studying medicine.
Doing the IB programme at WIS not only gave me the credentials needed to apply to the competitive programme, but it taught me how to study independently too. The environment of WIS also gave me a diverse cultural perspective, which is an invaluable experience for open-mindedness and increasing collaboration skills.
As for the future, I plan on continuing my studies in the biomedical field to achieve a master’s, and potentially a PhD in a specific research area. I am glad I attended WIS and obtained my IB diploma. I wouldn't be here without it, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!