Yanish Poolovadoo: international student profile

Yanish Poolovadoo came to The University of Manchester from Mauritius as an ambitious medical student, and is now undergoing the clinical years of the five-year MBChB in Medicine. Successfully managing his time between studies, part-time work and student societies, Yanish is President of the Mauritian Student Society while also on placement at Salford Royal Hospital.

Yanish Poolovadoo

“I chose to study at Manchester because Manchester Medical School is excellent. The fact that it is a single campus and that everything is so close by was an added bonus! I also think that as an international student, the knowledge of job security after graduating is an extreme benefit. I gain entry into the foundation programme after graduation and that is a real strength.

“I’m in my clinical years now and basically in hospital every day of the week – I love it. The fact that you get to interact with real patients puts everything that you’ve learnt over the past two years into practice and really tests you in the field – there is no other experience like it.

“For students of medicine, working with cadavers from day 1 is an experience you can’t really get anywhere else. I’m very thankful to people who have donated their bodies to medical science – it is a priceless experience which I am lucky to have. Manchester Medical School is very focused on self-learning. We get support but they encourage us to develop the skills and knowledge by ourselves if possible, and then come to the staff for support. I feel that this will be very helpful in the long run, and especially in the life of a foundation year 1 student.

“The best thing about studying in Manchester for me is the people. The campus is very multicultural and everyone is very understanding of different cultures and races. I did not feel out of place – everyone is genuinely amazing! When I first arrived, I definitely felt that there was sufficient support. We had a group of older international students looking after us – as peer mentors and within our own tutorial group in the School. Looking back, I would not have asked for anything to be done differently.

“Alongside my studies I have undertaken some part-time work at Manchester United FC’s stadium as a match-day steward. My friend recommended I go to the training day - I went, did a quick interview, and bam, I was a steward at Old Trafford! I was very happy because I’m also a Manchester United fan. I was also a member of the Manchester Medics Student Society committee in my second year, and I am currently the President of the Manchester Mauritian Society – I’ve always got things happening.  In terms of managing my time, I feel it’s important to know when and where you study best. I tend to work on campus in the Stopford Building, and have found I am more disciplined with my time now – if I study too much, I just get burnt out, and so I try to make free time and manage my time well.

“I would like to stay in Manchester for the foundation programme after graduation – I love the city. In terms of specialisation, radiology and emergency medicine seem quite exciting and interesting, but I’ll wait until the first year of my foundation to decide, as I will have a better idea at that time of which to pursue.”