Graduation 2025: Imogen La Chapelle

By: Communications

Three images of Imogen La Chapelle smiling at the camera

What journey did you take to get to UEA?

I knew I wanted to do Medicine from the age of five-years-old, therefore a big portion of my younger years was spent gaining appropriate experience and preparing for my application. I was always on the lookout for opportunities that would help me get into Medicine, since no one in my family is in healthcare, so it was very difficult to get work experience.

When I was 16, I discovered Preparing for Medicine, a widening participation programme to aid disadvantaged students to get into Medicine. I applied straight away and found myself at the campus residential a few months later. I had the most amazing time at this residential and instantly knew that UEA was the university for me.

I made it my firm choice when I was in Year 13 and, aside from missed exams due to Covid-19, it was an incredibly rewarding process to finally reach my goal of a Medicine degree.

Tell us a UEA memory you’ll always treasure.

Sledging down the hills on campus when it snowed during my first year! I had spent my whole childhood coming to UEA for the best hills for sledging – it was so much fun to wake up one morning,, be able to wander out of the Ziggurats and encounter hundreds of people having snowball fights and sledging on UEA’s grounds.

What’s next for you after graduation?

From August 2025, I will be working as a resident doctor at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. I will start in the general medical wards and then rotate between different departments every four months for the next two years.

I’m really excited to finally put five years of hard work into practice and be able to make a difference in people’s lives. I’m very nervous too but I’ve had lots of support from UEA over the last year to prepare for this moment, so I feel ready to begin this next stage of my career.

Where is your future heading?

After two years of rotating between departments, it will be time to pick a specialty! I’m still unsure about what I’d like to specialise in, but I have lots of ideas and interests so I’m excited to see where I end up.

I’ve just started working on a research project about children’s health and nutrition, where I’ll actually be working with some members of staff at Norwich Medical School. It’s a very exciting project and will hopefully be a good focus for me outside of my work at the hospital.

What will you miss about being on campus or in Norwich?

I imagine I will still make lots of visits to Norwich to see my family, but I will definitely miss some of my favourite parts of campus. An important one for me was regular lattes from Unio, one of the coffee shops on campus. Nothing for me will ever beat the price and quality of Unio coffee!

Discover more about Preparing for Medicine

If you are looking to start university in September 2025 and still thinking about your options, consider joining a UK Top 25 university this September through Clearing.

Find out more about Clearing and view available courses

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