Here's how being Miss World helped Rolene Strauss get through med school

Beauty queen Rolene Strauss has survived both Miss SA and medical school, and says the struggles are not as different as you may think.

The former Miss SA and Miss World winner studied medicine at the University of the Free State at around the same time she and her husband D'Neil Strauss welcomed their first baby boy, which added some pressure to the beauty queen's schedule. 

In a recent vlog Rolene opened up about some of the difficulties she faced at the time and credited beauty pageants for teaching her the real life lessons she needed to cope.

"Miss SA and Miss World taught me how to manage my time. I learnt how to prioritise and at med school with a newborn baby. It helped me to know, this is what's important at this moment, and focus on it."

Public speaking is a skill beauty queens need to arm themselves with, and for Rolene, the challenge was even greater as she also had to learn to speak English fluently.

Rolene said mastering English came in handy when doing presentations about patients in front of her colleagues and other students. 

The comparison between medicine and beauty pageants is an odd one, but she said, in her case, the two fed off each other and helped her become the best version of herself.

Encouraging her fans, Rolene said life's challenges were meant to shape you for the person you aspire to be.

"The difficulties you face, it is setting you up for the future and you are able to learn from it, and implement it."