Welcome to Maidakourounlian.com Your Ultimate Medical Student Blog Destination!
Igniting the Passion for Medical Learning
Hello! I am Maida Kourounlian and this is my personal blog that I created to share my passion and thoughts on Medical Studies. I am sixteen years old and I live in Athens, Greece and I have been going to St Lawrence College since I was five years old.
Embark on My Educational Odyssey
My school follows the British system of education with 6 years of primary school and 7 years of secondary school, including sixth form which is the 2 last years of school, called Year 12 and 13. In year 10 you choose your IGCSEs which is the international version of the British GCSEs. This is the first step in choosing subjects related to your future career and we do this when we are 14 years old. Since I want to pursue a career in medicine, I chose Biology, Chemistry,Physics,Spanish and History. We also had mandatory subjects such as Greek, English and Maths. You study these subjects for 2 years and at the end of year 11 you sit official IGCSE exams. In total I have 9 IGCSEs but I would have loved to do one more. Unfortunately , my school doesn't offer more than 9 subjects and you have to register for other subjects outside of school (in the British Council for example). I found out you could do this too late. I am currently waiting for my IGCSE results which come out on the 13th of August! I have to say I’m quite nervous but hopefully everything will be fine. In September I am starting my A levels and going in to Year 12! 2 years of school left for me!I will be studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths.
My interests
My favourite hobby is reading; my family thinks I read so much that they now call me a bibliophile! I would say my favourite book is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath but we can’t forget the all time classic that is the Harry Potter series! I have to admit that I have yet to find a book that affects me the same way the Harry Potter series has. Unfortunately, as my educational journey advances, I have less and less time to read, though I always try to get 30 minutes in, even if it’s just reading in the car on the way to school. I also really enjoy ballet which I have been doing 13 years now and I’m not planning on stopping until I graduate. I do ballet 2 times a week for 1 hour and a half and it really helps me relax and get away from the stresses of school. It's a great way to maintain both my physical and mental health which I believe are crucial for academic success. I also restarted gymnastics in Year 11 after doing it for 5 years then stopping due to Covid. I really enjoy it and I try to go whenever I have time to , however I found myself frequently missing practices closer to exam season. Additionally , I like watching movies and shows alone at home as it relaxes me and is a great way to unwind. Finally , I enjoy meeting up with my friends whenever I can but it is rather difficult to arrange with so much homework and extracurricular activities. I’ll try to make more of an effort this year since life can’t be all about studying which is something i need to remind myself too often.
my hobbies
My hobbies are an essential part of my life because they provide a healthy balance between studying and relaxing, which helps me meet the demands of daily life. Reading,dancing ballet, and journaling are some of the things I love to do.
Journaling is not exactly a ‘fun’ hobby but it prevents me from getting stressed by organising my day. Hobbies not only give my brain a break and keep me mentally sharp, but they also make me feel happy and accomplished, especially when I have done both studying and spent time on my hobbies.I value my hobbies so much that I always try to attend all my ballet and gymnastics classes not only for my physical health but also for my mental health. I can say for sure that I'm happier when I have given up at least one hour of my time a day for personal relaxation or recreation.
My friends are equally vital to my wellbeing since they add a certain dimension to my repetitive life through humour, support, and shared experiences. We try our best to go out all together once in a while, even if it's just for lunch or brunch at a cafe with a visiting friend who moved to Australia for example. I value our friendship so much that we try to video call each other every couple of months. Birthdays are also a chance for us to get together therefore I make sure to host a party with the 8 of us every year!
I'm also super grateful that they got me through tiring Duke of Edinburgh's International Award hiking trips which although fun are also exhausting. I'd say friends are there to celebrate victories; for example this year my friend and I both got awards in our school’s annual award ceremony! They also offer alternative viewpoints, and provide comfort during difficult periods such as failing a test or exam! My friends and interests work together to provide a balanced combination of social interaction, personal fulfilment and academics which is necessary for survival during school months.
Whenever school becomes boring or tiring I can always rely on them to cheer me up! I also really appreciate the amazing people I met on my summer courses at Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford Universities. I got the opportunity to meet so many interesting people from different cultures and countries. I am grateful for all those late night walks with my friends in Cambridge ,studying together in the Harvard Widener library, practising CPR in my medical course in Oxford together, studying the structure of the respiratory system in class, hanging out in the university common rooms and of course exploring the city!
