This is the blog I never thought I would get to post.
I commenced the journey to becoming a medical student in 2010 when I started my BSc and after a number of hiccups along the way, I applied this year praying to get one interview, I didn't, I got all 4. This by itself was beyond anything I could have hoped would happen, I felt incredibly lucky and grateful to know that once I got past the UKCAT and someone actually looked at my personal statement they thought I was worth a second glance!
In the last blog post I had completed 2 of the interviews, so before we get to the offers part I want to briefly talk about the other two. The 3rd interview I was completely dreading, it did not feel as if it went well and I fully expected a rejection, I was very nervous and it didn't feel like I had covered the bases at all, I thought it would be a 'no' for sure. The 4th and final interview was lovely, a really nice Uni, great people, all in all a positive experience, however I was incredibly nervous.
The waiting after interviews is horrendous...I found myself checking my emails at every opportunity! Then, I finally saw the email 'your track has been updated'....I logged in and there it was in black and white, a conditional offer (I needed AS Chemistry) from interview number 3! I felt it would be so unlikely that I would get an offer from them after the interview I checked my track several times just to make sure they hadn't changed it to 'unsuccessful'. However, I didn't allow myself to get too excited as it was a conditional offer, but to have the confirmation that I wasn't crazy, that after all this time the barrier between me and a place at medical school was the UKCAT was fabulous!
Then finally, what I was praying for all along, an unconditional offer! From the 2nd interview; a Uni I fell completely in love with! I cried and cried with joy, I could finally say the words I am going to be a doctor!!!! So there it is, a lesson in perseverance right here. 6 years after I started the journey I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and I will be starting 5 years of medical school this year!
This has been an incredibly hard journey, and the hard work hasn't even started yet! If you're in my position, my advice is don't give up....the happiness at the point where you get an offer is worth every moment of heartache! Thank you to those who believed in me, particularly my twitter friends! I'm going to be a medic!
Showing posts with label enjoy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enjoy. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Friday, 19 July 2013
Graduation
I finally did it, I finally graduated! I'm a mature student so this feels like a particularly large life goal completed, I was however more excited when I had my results than I was on the morning of graduation. I knew it was a big deal but I didn't feel over the top excited about it if that makes any sense at all?! So when I arrived in the blistering sunshine, I was more concerned about passing out than I was about graduating! I was given the robes and then dressed, and it started to feel slightly more important (although I did feel a little bit like an extra from Harry Potter).
I wasn't nervous about graduating per se, it reminded me of being in school and going up to receive an award in assembly a little bit, aside from the robes of course. I was however extremely nervous about the fact that we had to walk down steps after we had been on stage....the steps were in the middle of the stage leading back down into the audience. Let me say that again, steps in the middle of the stage + robes + my very very useless ankle = potential recipe for the most embarrassing moment of my entire life. Fortunately, it wasn't, it was very pleasant and quite emotional. I think it was about 10 mins before the end of the ceremony that it hit me that my degree and my time at the University I have grown to love very much over the last 3 years was over. I am leaving very dear friends, I'm moving away from my dad and family again and we're off to start new adventures at a new University. I have a BSc, but I have a lot more than just that (I know it sounds like a cliche but its true). I have learnt that I'm able to follow something through and not only follow it through but do well at it! I'm still completely and utterly in love with medicine, I still want to be a doctor and hope I will get there eventually too. I have volunteering experience and work experience which will continue throughout the next 12 months at least and I just feel like I've really made the most of what was in part a difficult 3 years.
After we graduated we went and had photos done, of course the obligatory throwing the hats up in the air shot, jumping up and down in the robes looking elated etc. Then we went and had a small school reception and reminisced about how wonderful the last 3 years have been. We're all off to do exciting things and we have plans to meet up at least once a year altogether which I really hope we stick to over the years. But I did feel sad, which was completely unexpected to be honest.
We have found a house and contracts etc are all signed so we're definitely off to London in the summer! I'm so very excited about this as I adore London, although I'm slightly dreading packing up our home! We've accumulated a lot of books over the last 4 years in fact we're going to do a car boot sale on the weekend just to try and get rid of some of the stuff we just haven't really used. As much as I'm adoring the weather I do wish it would perhaps just be a little milder whilst I'm moving, I don't particularly relish the thought of unpacking in 30 degree heat!
Anyway, whatever you're all doing in this wonderful sunshine I hope you're all having a great time (and using suncream!). To other graduates of all degrees - congratulations!
I wasn't nervous about graduating per se, it reminded me of being in school and going up to receive an award in assembly a little bit, aside from the robes of course. I was however extremely nervous about the fact that we had to walk down steps after we had been on stage....the steps were in the middle of the stage leading back down into the audience. Let me say that again, steps in the middle of the stage + robes + my very very useless ankle = potential recipe for the most embarrassing moment of my entire life. Fortunately, it wasn't, it was very pleasant and quite emotional. I think it was about 10 mins before the end of the ceremony that it hit me that my degree and my time at the University I have grown to love very much over the last 3 years was over. I am leaving very dear friends, I'm moving away from my dad and family again and we're off to start new adventures at a new University. I have a BSc, but I have a lot more than just that (I know it sounds like a cliche but its true). I have learnt that I'm able to follow something through and not only follow it through but do well at it! I'm still completely and utterly in love with medicine, I still want to be a doctor and hope I will get there eventually too. I have volunteering experience and work experience which will continue throughout the next 12 months at least and I just feel like I've really made the most of what was in part a difficult 3 years.
After we graduated we went and had photos done, of course the obligatory throwing the hats up in the air shot, jumping up and down in the robes looking elated etc. Then we went and had a small school reception and reminisced about how wonderful the last 3 years have been. We're all off to do exciting things and we have plans to meet up at least once a year altogether which I really hope we stick to over the years. But I did feel sad, which was completely unexpected to be honest.
We have found a house and contracts etc are all signed so we're definitely off to London in the summer! I'm so very excited about this as I adore London, although I'm slightly dreading packing up our home! We've accumulated a lot of books over the last 4 years in fact we're going to do a car boot sale on the weekend just to try and get rid of some of the stuff we just haven't really used. As much as I'm adoring the weather I do wish it would perhaps just be a little milder whilst I'm moving, I don't particularly relish the thought of unpacking in 30 degree heat!
Anyway, whatever you're all doing in this wonderful sunshine I hope you're all having a great time (and using suncream!). To other graduates of all degrees - congratulations!
Friday, 5 October 2012
Enter Plan B
So this month didn't go to plan at all. As you all know I was due to take the dreaded GAMSAT. I knew it wouldn't go well, I was incredibly unprepared and it was always going to just be a trial run. However, the morning of the exam I woke up at about 4:00am sneezing my head off. Constantly. Until about 6:30am when I got up, had a bath, got ready to leave, when suddenly I realised that I was being a little silly. Not only was I feeling like death warmed up (I'm really really not a fan of colds!), my throat felt like I was swallowing razorblades, but I STILL couldn't stop sneezing. I'd taken piriton, tried hot lemon water, but nothing was working, but I realised that if I went and sneezed my way through the entire day, I would distract everyone else in the room, the people who were not there for a trial run, would be utterly aggravated by my incessant AAAACHOOOing. I didn't want to ruin anyone else's chances of getting a med school place by being a distraction, so I went back to bed for the day. Plus I told myself, I was only going to put George's down if I felt the day went well (which I was almost 100% sure it would not) plus I still had my UKCAT to do, excellent, right decision.
My UKCAT was a couple of days ago. I was quietly confident, I had been getting high marks in all sections aside from QR which was a touch on the low side in all of the mock questions I was answering from books and a website I subscribed to. More importantly I completed the UKCAT mocks and they went really well, in fact in DA I was only 2 questions off 100%. When I sat down in the actual test and started doing the VR questions I was pleased that they felt significantly easier than the practice questions I had completed, and although I was concerned that my QR may have dragged my average down a touch, I was quite calm throughout. When I got my results however, they shocked me, I was no where near the cutoffs for any of the Unis I wanted to apply to. I smiled at the lady at reception, put on my coat, and left quickly. I was still ok, no tears, until I spoke to my other half (who was tremendously supportive) and realised that my medicine dream was over for this year at least. What is even more ridiculous is that DA was my lowest score, QR my highest?! I have absolutely no idea how the UKCAT is marked, I truly can't even begin to understand it if they really believed QR was my highest section, but they seemed to!
I was pretty angry with myself for the rest of the day, kept forgetting and then remembering and I felt horrible messaging my dad to tell him I'd messed up (even though he was very sympathetic). But after lunch with one of my best friends at Uni, I realised that my plan B was a pretty fantastic one, I now get to choose a Masters at a new Uni and do something really interesting for a year whilst increasing my medicine application portfolio. So I've spent the last couple of days researching exactly what kind of thing I want to do an MSc in and I'm sorting out referees etc. I now actually feel quite excited. It does come in waves however, one minute I'm really excited the next I feel a tad sad, but I believe there is a reason for everything!
Bring on Plan B....its the new Plan A now folks!
My UKCAT was a couple of days ago. I was quietly confident, I had been getting high marks in all sections aside from QR which was a touch on the low side in all of the mock questions I was answering from books and a website I subscribed to. More importantly I completed the UKCAT mocks and they went really well, in fact in DA I was only 2 questions off 100%. When I sat down in the actual test and started doing the VR questions I was pleased that they felt significantly easier than the practice questions I had completed, and although I was concerned that my QR may have dragged my average down a touch, I was quite calm throughout. When I got my results however, they shocked me, I was no where near the cutoffs for any of the Unis I wanted to apply to. I smiled at the lady at reception, put on my coat, and left quickly. I was still ok, no tears, until I spoke to my other half (who was tremendously supportive) and realised that my medicine dream was over for this year at least. What is even more ridiculous is that DA was my lowest score, QR my highest?! I have absolutely no idea how the UKCAT is marked, I truly can't even begin to understand it if they really believed QR was my highest section, but they seemed to!
I was pretty angry with myself for the rest of the day, kept forgetting and then remembering and I felt horrible messaging my dad to tell him I'd messed up (even though he was very sympathetic). But after lunch with one of my best friends at Uni, I realised that my plan B was a pretty fantastic one, I now get to choose a Masters at a new Uni and do something really interesting for a year whilst increasing my medicine application portfolio. So I've spent the last couple of days researching exactly what kind of thing I want to do an MSc in and I'm sorting out referees etc. I now actually feel quite excited. It does come in waves however, one minute I'm really excited the next I feel a tad sad, but I believe there is a reason for everything!
Bring on Plan B....its the new Plan A now folks!
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
April Cinema
I spent the day with my other half today, working this morning and then we popped to the cinema to see 'The Cabin in the Woods'.
We also saw 'The Hunger Games' last night, so I guess if you're a film fan this might help you choose between them (or encourage you to see one or neither of them, I'm not sure). Lets start with 'The Hunger Games'. This was fantastic, I absolutely loved it, was mildly irritated by a couple of things, it is a little 'Hollywood' in some respects, but I really did enjoy it; I hear it is a trilogy so I'm really looking forward to seeing the next two movies! Usually I read the books before the films come out, but I was really keen to enjoy this for what it was, I have seen the play and read the novel for 'The Woman in Black' and I spent the whole film trying to second guess what was coming next, I was also a little irritated by the fact that it was so different from the novel and so I decided I would read the book after seeing the film.
Now onto 'The Cabin in The Woods'. I should point out I'm quite a big film fan, I love horror, thriller type films, but I am a HUGE wuss, if I'm scared, I hide. I hid for a relatively large part of this film. If you watch the trailer, you would be forgiven for thinking that you're going to see a combination of 'Hostel' and 'The Hills Have Eyes', it is more than that, in some ways and in others not quite as graphic or tense. I really enjoyed it however; it frightened me, it was on quite a few different levels, literally, and had an ending I really didn't expect, but I perhaps would have altered the ending slightly again, but it was completely worth the ticket, which after seeing 'The Devil Inside Me' was a welcome relief. (Do not waste your money on 'The Devil Inside Me', the film was finally getting going and then it ends, awful film, complete waste of money and time!)
Now I'm going to revise Osteoporosis, a bit of a change from watching scary movies, but necessary I believe if I want to pass my exams next month. If you have any films you think I should see, please feel free to let me know - I'm always happy to watch new films!
We also saw 'The Hunger Games' last night, so I guess if you're a film fan this might help you choose between them (or encourage you to see one or neither of them, I'm not sure). Lets start with 'The Hunger Games'. This was fantastic, I absolutely loved it, was mildly irritated by a couple of things, it is a little 'Hollywood' in some respects, but I really did enjoy it; I hear it is a trilogy so I'm really looking forward to seeing the next two movies! Usually I read the books before the films come out, but I was really keen to enjoy this for what it was, I have seen the play and read the novel for 'The Woman in Black' and I spent the whole film trying to second guess what was coming next, I was also a little irritated by the fact that it was so different from the novel and so I decided I would read the book after seeing the film.
Now onto 'The Cabin in The Woods'. I should point out I'm quite a big film fan, I love horror, thriller type films, but I am a HUGE wuss, if I'm scared, I hide. I hid for a relatively large part of this film. If you watch the trailer, you would be forgiven for thinking that you're going to see a combination of 'Hostel' and 'The Hills Have Eyes', it is more than that, in some ways and in others not quite as graphic or tense. I really enjoyed it however; it frightened me, it was on quite a few different levels, literally, and had an ending I really didn't expect, but I perhaps would have altered the ending slightly again, but it was completely worth the ticket, which after seeing 'The Devil Inside Me' was a welcome relief. (Do not waste your money on 'The Devil Inside Me', the film was finally getting going and then it ends, awful film, complete waste of money and time!)
Now I'm going to revise Osteoporosis, a bit of a change from watching scary movies, but necessary I believe if I want to pass my exams next month. If you have any films you think I should see, please feel free to let me know - I'm always happy to watch new films!
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