The steps required to become a doctor are tough, and medical school is a long and arduous journey that requires a lot of determination, hard work, and brains. X user @heyitsnf, better known as N.F. Afrina (Nur Fatin Afrina) not only successfully graduated from medical school but also juggled being an author of two books and an influencer simultaneously, currently boasting over 40K followers on her collective social media channels. 

Afrina shared her studying journey, from way back during her primary school days to now, after graduating from medical school. She said the thread's purpose was to reflect on the past 24 years and “maybe make education cool again because I heard that now kids don’t find studying cool anymore.” She added, “God willing, you can be an influencer/writer on an educational journey.”

Life as a toddler & in primary school

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She shared images of her childhood reading, saying, “I loved books, and I still do now. I don't think I could even read yet in these photos, but I just loved books.” She added that her mother said she was an easy child as she would be quiet if she had a pen and a book. 

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Afrina also shared images of the trophies and medals she had accumulated, saying they were all for academic achievements and never for sports. This included trophies for ‘Best Overall Achiever’ and ‘Top Reader’. She also received 5As for her UPSR.

Secondary school days

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She also shared the dozens of notebooks she had from her Form 1 to 3 days, proving that her love for writing started early. She also received 10As and 1B for her PT3, adding that the B was for Kemahiran Hidup. Interestingly, she has such beautiful handwriting as a future doctor!

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Then, in Form 4, she got into Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah (KISAS). “KISAS was the Top 5 in Malaysia at that time, I think,” Afrina added. “Form 4 was awful, but (at the) last minute (I) managed to catch up and got into class 501 for Form 5 (we assume this is the top class in the form). She showed her results for Form 5, which showed that she only got a single B and all As during the entire year. Wow!

She also shared her daily routine:

• 4 am: Wake up (as an introvert, she needed me time when everyone was asleep) + get ready + study + pray

• 7 am - 6 pm: Classes. 

• 6 – 8 pm: Shower + study + pray

• 9 - 11 pm: Self-study

• 12 am: Sleep

• Repeat.

Note: what an insanely disciplined schedule! Afrina said that the result of her routine was that she scored 10A+ and 1A (for Bahasa Malaysia). 

College memories

With the results, she got into Kolej Mara Banting to take International Baccalaureate (IB). She said, “IB is like the A levels, a preparation programme for studying overseas. She got into the MARA Young Talent Programme (YTP). “If you have heard stories about IB, you know that IB is a very tough programme. I don't deny it. Presentations every day, writing eight research papers...basically, if you can do IB, you can do anything.” Phew! She scored 41/45 points for her IB. 

With her glittering results, she was qualified to take Medicine at any university in Ireland. The full course was for five years in Ireland, but she chose the twinning programme (two and a half years each in Ireland and Malaysia) instead of the full course. “Don’t ask me why,” Afrina laughed. 

She also added a disclaimer, saying that she was part of the second-to-last batch sent overseas to study Medicine by MARA YTP, so anyone looking for the same programme has to look for other scholarships or pay their way. 

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She chose University College Dublin (among Europe's most prestigious universities) for the first half of med school. Unfortunately, COVID hit after Semester 1, and she shared her setup for online classes (which she hated). Also, check out how well she keeps her notes here:
 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by N.F. Afrina ?? (@heyitsnf)

She also added a disclaimer, saying that she was part of the second-to-last batch sent overseas to study Medicine by MARA YTP, so anyone looking for the same programme has to look for other scholarships or pay their way. 

Her writing journey

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While at university, she even managed to write the bulk of her first fantasy novel, Not Here to Stay. 

Afrina then continued her fourth and fifth year of med school at RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus in Penang. She had to start from scratch and republish her novel during her fourth year. She self-published it, meaning she had to make a new cover and carry out new marketing, self-managing printing, and distribution. She called this “kerja gila”, as it was an insane task especially as she had final exams for numerous subjects that year.

She said she regrets doing all that then because she knew she could’ve given more to her studies, but she was too tired to do so. But “Alhamdulillah, we made it out alive.” How do people manage to juggle so many things? That book went on to win the second prize at Popular’s Reader Choice Awards.

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She went on to sit for her finals in Medicine, Surgery, and Orthopaedics, which marked the end of medical school. She is now well on her way to beginning her journey as Dr Nur Fatin Afrina Mohd Fakhruddin with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Obstetrics (MB. BCh BAO).

Now you know how much blood, sweat, and tears (cue BTS’ song) are needed to become a doctor. Best to think it through before you begin on this path!

You can check out her book Not Here to Stay by N.F. Afrina on Shopee or MPH Online here (but it’s currently sold out). She will also be publishing her third book this year.  You can also follow her on X, Instagram, and TikTok.