Stamford Park Trust Medic Conference

Last week, we were delighted to host the Stamford Park Trust ‘So You Want to Be a Doctor?’ event for Year 10 and 11 students from our fellow trust secondary schools.

The event was designed and led by Dr Damian Windle, Head of The XL Academy here at Ashton. It aimed to provide students with an insight into careers in Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary Science.

The afternoon offered a full schedule of informative sessions and discussions, including 'Meet the Medics', where current A2 students Ella, Emily, and Sikander - all holding confirmed offers to study Medicine - shared their experiences and advice on navigating the application and interview process for Medicine after college.

Students also had the opportunity to explore the science facilities at ASFC during a guided tour and gain practical advice on work experience and university entrance exams such as the UCAT.

The afternoon concluded with a session focused on UCAT preparation and a final evaluation, where students reflected on what they had learned and how they plan to move forward with their ambitions.

The students’ feedback shows they thoroughly enjoyed the event and found it useful:

"I really enjoyed the part where we met the three students, as they were very interesting and useful. I think everything shown to us today was very relevant and important to me and was very helpful."

"The authenticity of the students at Ashton Sixth Form College is really amazing!"

"A well-balanced and well-rounded overview of the Medicine process that was definitely helpful and provided lots of insight into the application process and whether or not to consider Medicine as a career."

"I really enjoyed listening to the medical students and how they got into the medical field."

"Amazing and extremely helpful information about the grades needed — it cleared up a lot of confusion I had."

This event showcases how collaboration between the college and our fellow trust schools can empower students and open pathways to high-level careers.

We look forward to hosting more events like this and strengthening our partnerships across the trust.