If living in Paris has taught me anything,
it’s that life can be hectic, rigorous, and challenging—but also that it should
always be beautiful, fulfilling, and worthwhile. Paris seems to be the perfect
place for these elements. After all, the city is surrounded by vivid and lush
scenery, culture, food, dynamic
neighborhoods, vibrant atmospheres—and most importantly, conversation.
For the moment, allow me to introduce myself further.
My name is Nicolas Anelka. I am
twenty-three years old, living in Paris, and pursuing a medical degree in
Biology & Health at the Paris-Sud University of Medicine.
Upon turning 18, I left my hometown—nearby
Versailles—and found myself immersed in the historic conglomeration of
cobblestone streets, pale stone buildings, gleaming statues, bustling city
squares, and burgeoning artistic atmosphere of Paris. I have never looked back.
Five years later, with one year remaining
in my DCEM cycle, I can’t help but find myself adopting a refreshed
perspective.
To some degree, this website is my attempt
at bridging various gaps: the gap between one peer to the next, between
classroom study and application, and the gap
between medical students and the surrounding world.
I can still remember the nervousness and
fierce competitive atmosphere that so defined my first year. At the culmination
of the concourse, my peers shrank from
1,400 to 180.
Although my first year was more successful
than most, I believe that this type of resource would have been beneficial. If
my peers had access this website, dedicated to sharing knowledge and
demonstrating that medical students have valuable contributions to make—who
knows, perhaps those final 180 scores may have been different.
For medical students, peer-created
resources are few and far between. Opinions and viewpoints from medical
students—at any age—are valuable, particularly within such a challenging and
competitive field of study.
Creating this website is opening a missed
opportunity, establishing an online resource that is structured both for those
inside the medical community and those outside of it. There are no medical
requirements to enter here—valuable insights are ready and waiting to be found
by those outside of the medical community.
Ultimately, one of the greatest things that
I have learned thus far in my medical studies is the power of discussion. In
many ways, medicinal study is part of an
ongoing conversation, lasting throughout the centuries and ever-evolving. It’s
true that medicine is curative, but so is connection.
And so, to my peers in the medical
community, friends, family, professors, visitors, and to those who are curious
about medicine, health, and all its intricacies: Welcome! I look forward to
connecting and sharing this ongoing discussion with you, and I hope to make
some small contribution to our global society through the invaluable study of
medicine.
Contact me: anelka89Nikolas (at) gmail.com
