"You're An Inspiration": Student Turns Matric Results Setback Into Unusual Route To Medical School
- A determined student shares her journey from facing setbacks after matric to fifth-year medical school
- Rejection emails and her low NBT scores didn't deter her from her dream of becoming a medical doctor
- Fellow TikTokkers find hope and inspiration in her resilience and determination to strive for her dreams
When most people see distinctions on a matric certificate, they expect tertiary institutions’ acceptance letters to roll in, but for one determined medical student, that wasn’t her reality.
Source: UGC
Instead of walking straight into medical school as she had planned, the road did not follow a predictable script as she expected. One minute, she was celebrating five distinctions. Next, she was staring at rejection emails that made no sense.
Her journey began in 2019, when she matriculated. But when she applied to different medical schools, every application was rejected because of her National Benchmark Test (NBT) results. Suddenly, the dream she had worked towards for years felt like it had slipped through her fingers.
Although it is not possible to fail the NBT, low scores can negatively affect university applications by placing you in support programs or potentially leading to rejection for competitive courses like Health Sciences.
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In a TikTok video posted on the 10th of January 2026, TikTokker @medandmodesty, known to her followers as Gracey, opens up about how academic setbacks shaped her path into medicine. The post quickly got attention, gaining over 14,000 likes.
She explained that the rejection forced her to take a gap year. While others moved on to university life, she remained and reapplied, with hope she didn’t know she still had.
By 2021, that hope paid off as she was accepted into medical school at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, not knowing it was just the beginning of another test. In her second year, she failed physiology, and the failure meant repeating the course and being held back a year. @medandmodesty describes that season as one where her dream of becoming a doctor felt painfully distant.
Membership invitation to join Golden Key Society
She repeated the course and passed, performing so well that she was invited to join the Golden Key Society, an academic honour reserved for top achievers.
This year, she will begin her fifth year of medical school, steadily pushing toward a goal that once felt impossible and hopes to graduate as a medical doctor by December 2027.
Watch the TikTok video below:
Student's academic achievement inspires SA
Fellow TikTokers related to her journey and shared their own experiences.
@Goodie_eatie commented:
"This hits hard because I’m going through the same thing. And like you, I hope I get accepted this year by God’s grace. I would like to know the measures you took during your gap year to end up being accepted."
@Julia said:
"Thank you for posting this. I got rejected for the 2nd time this year, and I’m in my 2nd year of civil engineering. I always apply for med school because I just can't give up on it. So thank u for giving me hope. 🥺👌"
@Nish highlighted:
"You’re my inspiration! The most humble, deserving, sweetest lady. Not to mention the most compassionate future-doctor. ❤️"
@Anika_ said:
"Watching this as I see my dream of being a medical doctor drifting far away from me again. 😭"
@leinyuy ✞ mentioned:
"Everything genuinely does work out in the end! So proud of you, doc. 🥹"
@KATLI AREFA wrote:
"Someone out there will feel so much better after seeing this! ❤️❤️"
Source: Instagram
3 Briefly News matric results-related stories
- In another article, Briefly News reported that matric results will be published in newspapers despite ongoing legal challenges.
- South Africa was left devastated after a KwaZulu-Natal matric boy drowned while waiting for the 2025 results.
- The Minister of Basic Education discussed the findings of the department's probe into the matric exam paper leak.
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Source: Briefly News
