Student Spotlight: Course Reps
Student Spotlights pass the mic to our student doctors, to hear their take on their School experience and shine the light on a particular role, team or pathway through the School of Medicine.
This month Alicia Cox, Stephanie Girgis (Course reps for Year 1) and Siona Mitra (Course rep for Year 2) tell us what it’s like to be a student representative.
What motivated you to become a course rep?
Alicia & Stephanie: In light of the global pandemic and its impact on our learning as students, we thought feedback from our year would be one of the most fundamental aspects to ensure the year ran as smoothly as possible. We also wanted to enhance our leadership skills by engaging and interacting with the student body and the senior team, seeing this as an opportunity to enhance our portfolios as future doctors.
Siona: I wanted to get more involved within the School and, as an international student myself, represent the international student doctor population. I saw it as an opportunity to connect with my peers and mentors, as well as the chance to be able to make a difference.
How do you become a course rep?
Siona: An election takes place through the Guild of Students at the start of every academic year. You nominate yourself and write a short manifesto on why you are the best fit for the role. Everyone in your year has the chance to vote for who they want their rep to be.
Siona Mitra's first day on campus
What does a course rep do?
Siona: Essentially, we are a bridge between students and staff. We share concerns of students in our cohort and work alongside staff to implement changes. The biggest and most important responsibilities are to collect feedback from your year group, attend Staff Student Liaison Meetings (known as SSLCs) and create an enhancement project, which is an attempt to bring one big change to the School.
Alicia & Stephanie: As course reps we attend meetings with the Year 1 Leads roughly around every block and represent our cohort by giving feedback on different areas. We attend meetings with reps from other years to discuss things that span across all years and that apply to the medicine course as a whole. SSLCs allow us to discuss prominent issues and positive evaluations, as well as highlight areas in which the School can improve.
Alicia & Stephanie share a love of animals. Their dapper furry friends.
What have you enjoyed the most about repping so far?
Alicia & Stephanie: We have built great friendships within the cohort and have enjoyed enhancing skills such as time management, presentation skills, and leadership skills.
Siona: I really enjoy the SSLCs as they give me the opportunity to share student concerns and feedback. Although a bit daunting at first, for me it’s been the most enriching and interesting part of being a course rep.
What challenges have you been presented with and how have you overcome them?
Siona: It can be difficult to convey requests that you personally don’t agree with. You can feel like the bad guy. But it’s all part of the role and we back up everything we share with content from student surveys and things like that.
Alicia & Stephanie: At the start, it was hard to manage studies, starting university, extra Zoom calls, and handling feedback all at the same time. Over time, we learned to schedule our time so that all tasks had an allocated few hours per day. It was difficult to collate feedback when things got a bit stressful, for example when new COVID-19 guidance was introduced. We resolved this by gathering feedback in a clear and concise way and working with our Year Leads who guided us on the best course of action.
Alicia & Stephanie following safety guidance during the pandemic.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is interested in becoming a course rep?
Siona: To constantly and frequently interact with fellow students to understand different thought processes rather than limiting the interactions to only three times a year prior to SSLC. It helps you understand different perspectives, empathise, and pin down what could make things better or easier.
Alicia & Stephanie: Firstly, have fun! Next, make sure you can manage it. Being a course rep takes up a lot of time. Ensure that your time management skills are on point. Reflect on the skills you have gained and how you can apply them to your future profession, which will help you develop your professionalism, self-awareness, and reflective practices.
Do you want to step into the spotlight?
If you would like to feature in the spotlight series, or nominate someone to share their story, drop us a line at mednews@liverpool.ac.uk.
Discover more
Interested in becoming a course rep for the next academic year? Take a look at our Student Representatives page and the Course Reps page on Liverpool Guild of Students.