Thomas Law- MD at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Thomas was the HKSN president back in 2010. Having majored in physiology and minored in Management, he is currently working to earn his MD at Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland.
Tell us about what you studied at McGill.
Class of 2010 — Faculty of Science (Physiology) + Minor in Management
What have you been currently working on after graduation?
Medicine @ Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
What are pros and cons about your program?
Definitely recommend people do Arts and Science or have a minor in something you are interested in or completely different from science…. 300/400 level sciences can be a bit dry if you aren’t into biochemical/molecular sciences
If you want to do research or medicine, then science faculty or arts/science faculty at McGill is for you!
At orientation for science faculty, dean usually asks class to put their hands up if they want to do medicine…. 90% of class will raise their hands, after about a year or two, that will probably drop down to <10%
Physiology is interesting to learn about, but tricky to be examined on… especially since the exams have type 2 multiple choice questions…. Eg. Pick 1 of 5 choices: 1) a and c, 2) b and d, 3) d only, 4) ABC, 5) all or none
Management minor:
A good break from sciences and gives you more perspective on how the business world works…. Which is pretty much how everything works in today’s society…. Sadly, very few things do not involve money or the business model
What were some valuable involvements at school that taught about yourself and oriented your goals?
Volunteering at Royal Victoria Hospital and being involved with different student run organizations at SSMU or science faculty
University is definitely a time for exploration and self-realization of what you like and don’t like.
Getting involved with student organizations gives you the opportunity to take on leadership roles that the school pays for. University also allows you to meet other students who are similar / different from you.
Extracurricular activites are not just about padding the CV, but you really do gain valuable life experience and memories that you will treasure as you move on from your undergraduate careers.
Most regretful thing you’ve done at McGill
Also goes along the lines of being able to balance extra-curricular activities with the demands of the challenging undergraduate academic program.
Finding the balance is something that we will always be working on, especially as you move onto a professional career after your undergraduate degree.
Expect many things to go on at the same time in your life, and lots of paperwork to fill out.
Have some sorts of system to organize it all, if you are the type of person who “remembers” everything without writing it down somewhere, you probably aren’t working hard enough or taking on enough responsibility.
Proudest thing you’ve done at McGill.
Graduating — this will be the happiest moment for you and your family
It proves to the whole world that you are capable of doing anything as long as you put your mind to it. It will also open the door to countless opportunities
What advice would you give to current undergraduate students at McGill? Is there anything else you want to add on?
Stay true to yourself throughout your undergraduate career.
If you feel like your core values are changing, you are probably trying too hard to fit in with other people’s values and trying to impress them. Find friends that you are truly comfortable with, you will definitely find some, as there are so many other students around, you just have to take some initiative to go and meet people
Stay humble and grounded, despite what you achieve or don’t achieve.
Keep in close contact with your parents, they may not know what #YOLO means…. Or even what a hashtag is, but they have been through everything you are going through right now and are the best people to go to when you have any problems.
Have faith that it will all work out in the end.
