Embracing Freshers, Fancy Towels and a Lot of Stress Relief: The Zero Gravity Scholarship

Caitlyn, one of our Zero Gravity Scholars, breaks down her experience of the Zero Gravity Scholarship - from taking a weight of her shoulders with regards to copping the basic necessities, through to the almost equally important ability to grab a much needed de-stressing pint at the end of busy week as a Med student.

Hi everyone! I’m Caitlyn, a Zero Gravity Scholar currently in my first year of studying Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

I grew up in a single parent household in a small town called St. Helens, just outside of Liverpool (I know that makes me a Wool, real Scousers don’t hurt me please). I decided pretty early on that I wanted to go to medical school, but lack of money and opportunities meant that was always going to be very difficult.

I knew that people from St. Helens didn’t generally go on to become doctors, and that the application process would be especially tough for people like me.

But that's where Zero Gravity came in - before applying for a scholarship, I used the Zero Gravity platform to be matched with a current medical student mentor. My mentor was amazing and I am so grateful to her - from helping with entrance exam and interview prep to just being a huge source of moral support, and to have someone in my corner who gets it. My family were very supportive of me but none of them had been to university before - so it was very reassuring to hear from someone who had not only been through the Medicine application process, but had achieved a place at the end of it too. Having my mentor made a huge difference to both my interview skills and confidence, and I really don’t think I would have made it to medical school without her and the amazing platform Zero Gravity has set up.

Enough sap now. Let’s move on to the real point of this piece: talking about what being a Zero Gravity scholar is like:

The main thing for me was the money - an extra £1,000 a year for the first three years is an incredible amount of money that has really helped me so far.

Before even going to uni I was worried about finding the money to buy everything I needed to move in - bedding, towels, kitchen utensils etc etc. The list of moving out essentials was huge - but Zero Gravity let me get everything I needed, even the fancy towels I’d been eyeing up.

Going into uni, I knew I didn’t exactly fit the medical student stereotype - I'm working class, have no family that even went to university, let alone medical school - and was worried that having less money than my peers would be a barrier to attending social events, especially in Freshers week. And I was even more worried that meant I’d miss out on opportunities to make friends. Thankfully Zero Gravity had my back, and having that extra bit of money set aside meant I had an unforgettable Freshers week where I got to take part in every event that I wanted to. Not only that, but I was able to focus on talking to everyone and getting to know as many people as I could instead of worrying about if I can actually afford the pint I’m drinking.

My scholarship fund has also helped me take part in some great activities and socials throughout the year too - my highlight being a huge bottomless brunch with my friends after we finished our first med school exam in December! It was lovely being able to splurge on a celebration like that and at the same time not have to worry about buying my shopping for the rest of the month. It’s also helped me out with the small things too - a cheeky takeaway here and there or a couple of drinks in the student bar at the end of a long week. Studying medicine is super busy and full-on, so it’s nice having a pool of money for the little things to help me destress when things get a little too much. I really have made some incredible friends at uni, and those with the money spare have offered many times to help cover these little expenses for me - but it’s really nice to not have to rely on them and instead be able to pay my own way.

On the topic of financial burdens, receiving the scholarship has also let me relieve a lot of worry from my Mum. She works incredibly hard and does everything she can to help me, but being a single parent is tough and there are some things she just can’t help me with - and money is one of them

Having the Zero Gravity scholarship makes me feel all warm and fuzzy because Mum doesn’t need to stress about me having enough money to feed myself and still have fun. Very, very grateful for that (love you Mum).

Studying medicine also had some hidden expenses that I’d never thought about before either - stethoscopes are expensive man! I’ve used my Zero Gravity Scholarship money to buy my very own stethoscope instead of relying on the old (sometimes broken) ones that uni lend out to people. It was also helpful for the little fees like buying my bus ticket to get to my placements and society joining fees. There’s no right way to use the Scholarship money, but using it to buy my stethoscope and other things towards my academic development felt very gratifying.

Having the extra money for the next couple of years will continue to give me a lot of relief financially, especially as my placement hours increase (and the student housing market inevitably gets worse). I also hope I can use some of it to give back too - I’m wanting to start up the 6% Society within my med school, to celebrate and help my fellow medics that will make up (and hopefully increase) the 6% of UK doctors that are from working class backgrounds. The cause means a lot to me, and I’m hoping the Scholarship I earned through Zero Gravity will help me help others from similar backgrounds.

Before I round off this piece, I wanted to include a note on the other amazing things being a Zero Gravity Scholar gives you access to that I don’t necessarily need as a medic: career mentoring and opportunities! As a Scholar, you can get matched up with a career mentor to help you break into whatever industry you’re interested in after your degree. I’m lucky enough to be doing a very specific vocational course, so I don’t know the stress of trying to find work experience or deciding what career I want to go into after my degree. But I can imagine it isn’t easy, especially in the cost of living crisis. Having a career mentor to guide you, as well as having exclusive access to job and work experience offers from some top companies, would be a huge help in deciding the course of your professional life.

That’s all from me, I hope reading this has shown you how amazing Zero Gravity is, and hopefully encouraged some of you reading this to engage with the platform and try to bag yourselves a Scholarship too!

Caitlyn, you're a legend and we're so proud of you! Sign up to become a member here, or you can read more about the Zero Gravity Scholarship here.