I was feeling rather optimistic post UKCAT that I would at least get an interview at one of the 5 year courses I applied to. Sadly I had to focus my choices in London due to family circumstances, which initially I had thought would give me a fighting chance of success, but it turns out not so much. I was rejected from the Uni I thought I had the best chance at (I'm not going to name it I'm afraid) for both the 4 year and the 5 year courses almost immediately. I have since been rejected from another 4 year course which leaves one 5 year course left, I'm 100% sure that will too be a rejection as ironically that was what I considered my "long shot". I was disappointed, but not heartbroken. I think I've realised that medicine wants different things from its students than it did years ago, even only 4 years later the entrance requirements are so ridiculously high now for the UKCAT for certain, if not most, Universities. I am feeling rather defeated by it all.
I have worked really hard for the last 4 years to get to a point where I have a strong application, I have the first, I have (what I thought was) a pretty good UKCAT score, I have extra curricula awards and achievements, the voluntary work, work experience, yet still it isn't enough. Those 3 little numbers on the UKCAT mean that someone didn't even read about the rest of it. I'm a mature student and yes I could apply again, but those 3 little numbers mean that there is a strong possibility I would end up right back here again, having spent another year chasing a dream that deep down I think I know can't happen for me.
I believe I would have had a really enjoyable and successful career and that I would have loved being a doctor so much, but I think perhaps after 2 attempts at the UKCAT which haven't resulted in even an interview or my personal statement even being looked at, that I should call it a day and accept that it isn't meant to be. I still have my UKCAT books and my GAMSAT books if I change my mind in the new year, but right now…I think that it is the end of my medicine journey.
I'm sorry to those who have been following me for the last few years that my story doesn't have a happier ending. I'll still update the blog when I've made my final decision in time. Thank you for sharing my experiences with me, I've appreciated everyone's support a great deal. xxx
Monday, 30 December 2013
Saturday, 28 September 2013
UKCAT
So after not being well for the GAMSAT (again!) I was starting to lose hope of being able to apply for med school this year, but I decided to bite the bullet and take the UKCAT this week.
I was so scared, I literally was feeling petrified! Had to take two trains to get there and then walk for about 20 mins to find the centre, when I got there it wasn't open as they were closed for lunch so I spent ages praying I was in the right place surrounded by people who were incredibly calm waiting to go for their driving theory tests. So after getting all signed in I sat down and took a few deep breaths for a moment and then started the test! I found the VR section rather stressful and the QR section incredibly stressful, in fact I didn't manage to put anything at all for the last question as I ran out of time and had to guess about 10 questions as I just wasn't quick enough! Abstract reasoning started to make me feel slightly better about it all as to be honest after QR I was starting to feel a little hopeless, and DA went really well. The SJT was completely fine and about 30 questions from the end of the section I started to really look forward to the whole thing being over...and then panicked that I wouldn't have done very well in it.
I finally finished and went to collect my stuff from the locker whilst waiting for the results. My heart was pounding and I was over the moon when I saw I had 710 overall and SJT band 1!
I was thrilled as I genuinely was just praying for 650 so as you can imagine I feel very very lucky. Now comes the hard part....choosing where to apply and writing my personal statement (I didn't want to start it before I took the UKCAT as I felt as if I was jinxing myself). So here we go....fingers crossed my luck continues!
I was so scared, I literally was feeling petrified! Had to take two trains to get there and then walk for about 20 mins to find the centre, when I got there it wasn't open as they were closed for lunch so I spent ages praying I was in the right place surrounded by people who were incredibly calm waiting to go for their driving theory tests. So after getting all signed in I sat down and took a few deep breaths for a moment and then started the test! I found the VR section rather stressful and the QR section incredibly stressful, in fact I didn't manage to put anything at all for the last question as I ran out of time and had to guess about 10 questions as I just wasn't quick enough! Abstract reasoning started to make me feel slightly better about it all as to be honest after QR I was starting to feel a little hopeless, and DA went really well. The SJT was completely fine and about 30 questions from the end of the section I started to really look forward to the whole thing being over...and then panicked that I wouldn't have done very well in it.
I finally finished and went to collect my stuff from the locker whilst waiting for the results. My heart was pounding and I was over the moon when I saw I had 710 overall and SJT band 1!
I was thrilled as I genuinely was just praying for 650 so as you can imagine I feel very very lucky. Now comes the hard part....choosing where to apply and writing my personal statement (I didn't want to start it before I took the UKCAT as I felt as if I was jinxing myself). So here we go....fingers crossed my luck continues!
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Been here a month already!
So time really does fly! We've been here a month already, we're still absolutely in love with it all, sofa arrived and we have new bookcases being delivered in the morning (after a 3 week wait grr!). It really feels like home now and we can't believe we didn't move years ago!
So what have I been up to? Mainly trying to figure out the UKCAT, I'm not too bad at it, but unfortunately I'm just not quite speedy enough which is very frustrating but I'm a lot calmer about it than last year. I'm concerned that its going to be the QR and AR which will be my stumbling blocks, but I'm trying to get my head around them! Time will tell.
I'm taking the GAMSAT next week, however I haven't prepared enough for section 3 for it to be a successful attempt, I'm hoping it will give me a good idea of where I'm lacking in knowledge ready for March though (for 2015 entry if I'm unsuccessful this year). Just started redrafting my personal statement too which shouldn't take too long at least.
I'll be happy once my GAMSAT is over and my UKCAT the following week too! I'm rather dreading them both if I'm honest, I don't have a lot of confidence in them but we shall see! In the interim, I'm trying to enjoy what is left of the summer, I have a feeling the next 12 months are going to be very busy indeed!
So what have I been up to? Mainly trying to figure out the UKCAT, I'm not too bad at it, but unfortunately I'm just not quite speedy enough which is very frustrating but I'm a lot calmer about it than last year. I'm concerned that its going to be the QR and AR which will be my stumbling blocks, but I'm trying to get my head around them! Time will tell.
I'm taking the GAMSAT next week, however I haven't prepared enough for section 3 for it to be a successful attempt, I'm hoping it will give me a good idea of where I'm lacking in knowledge ready for March though (for 2015 entry if I'm unsuccessful this year). Just started redrafting my personal statement too which shouldn't take too long at least.
I'll be happy once my GAMSAT is over and my UKCAT the following week too! I'm rather dreading them both if I'm honest, I don't have a lot of confidence in them but we shall see! In the interim, I'm trying to enjoy what is left of the summer, I have a feeling the next 12 months are going to be very busy indeed!
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
New House!
We made it! We managed to move into the new house and remarkably our furniture is all in one piece. Moving was very stressful and it is only now (5 days later) we've managed to let things calm down and our belongings seem to be finding homes. Our new house is absolutely gorgeous, we're thrilled with it. We met our landlords today and they were lovely too which was a hugh weight off our shoulders. We also had the internet installed today which made a big difference too. We're still waiting for our new sofa to be delivered though, looking forward to that arriving and it feeling even more like home.
Other half and I have enjoyed exploring and we're really loving the area, this was definitely a brilliant move. Now we're just getting everything ready for starting Uni again in September. My other half's place at Uni will turn from conditional to unconditional tomorrow which is brilliant and I've had my enrolment date too which is great. We're going back home to see my family in 3 weeks before we enrol as I've just become and Auntie again which was lovely, I was thrilled that I was able to see him a few times before we moved, but we want to go back a few times before Christmas to get to know him a little more in these early months.
Facetime is currently my new best friend, loving being able to see my family even though I've moved nearly 4 hours away from them. Wish I'd had that when my mum had been alive, she would have loved it! Anyway, a very domestic update from me, I'm going to settle down for the evening and relax with a bar of chocolate. Hope everyone is having a good week!
Other half and I have enjoyed exploring and we're really loving the area, this was definitely a brilliant move. Now we're just getting everything ready for starting Uni again in September. My other half's place at Uni will turn from conditional to unconditional tomorrow which is brilliant and I've had my enrolment date too which is great. We're going back home to see my family in 3 weeks before we enrol as I've just become and Auntie again which was lovely, I was thrilled that I was able to see him a few times before we moved, but we want to go back a few times before Christmas to get to know him a little more in these early months.
Facetime is currently my new best friend, loving being able to see my family even though I've moved nearly 4 hours away from them. Wish I'd had that when my mum had been alive, she would have loved it! Anyway, a very domestic update from me, I'm going to settle down for the evening and relax with a bar of chocolate. Hope everyone is having a good week!
Friday, 26 July 2013
Stress of Moving
I've moved house a number of times as an adult. As a child I had one family home which we kept my whole life, we briefly had a second home in another area of the country for work purposes, but this was only for a few years and it was never our permanent base. When my other half moved in with me I had been living in my apartment for only a couple of months, I fully intended to stay there for a good few years however it was really only a place for one person. It was a two bed apartment but it just didn't fit our needs as a couple, so after we got engaged (4 years ago) we decided to buy.
We bought a lovely house which I still adore, in a beautiful area right by a country park (which I equally still adore). We had a new bathroom fitted, we redecorated, made the garden look lovely and made it our home. Special highlights included being the first people into the country park after heavy snowfall, running through so much fresh snow when everything was still blue! Living near the coast for 4 years has also been a real treat for me and I will really miss it. But we're ready to move on, to a new area of the country with more culture, more to do, yet still beautiful country parks around (but sadly no coast!). If I could pick our house up and move it to the new area I really would! But I can't and we've found a lovely new home, slightly smaller than we have now, but its really gorgeous and we're thrilled about it.
So, whats the catch? In honestly, the answer is actually moving! I've never found it stressful before, even when we moved from the apartment together it just wasn't difficult - yet this time it really feels like it is! We've got a lot of stuff, so much so that we've even been doing car boot sales (which are surprisingly lucrative). But I can already feel myself getting anxious about packing, what should stay what should go...should we get new furniture, will this fit? I always remember being told that 3 of the most stressful things in life are getting married (wasn't stressful it was exciting!), getting divorced (hoping this won't be something I have to go through!) and moving house (which I always thought of as an adventure previously).
Hopefully this will be the last big move for a number of years as we've really fallen in love with the area! Fingers crossed my applications for med school agree with my new found love and let me stay there! My other half will be a student for the next 3 years and I'm doing my MSc next year, but if I'm lucky enough to get into med school it would be so lovely to not have to move again! But whatever will be will be, I will be grateful to get into med school anywhere!
I shall report on the house-move progress as the packing progresses...for now its time to quickly hoover as we have a viewing this afternoon, fingers crossed!!!!
We bought a lovely house which I still adore, in a beautiful area right by a country park (which I equally still adore). We had a new bathroom fitted, we redecorated, made the garden look lovely and made it our home. Special highlights included being the first people into the country park after heavy snowfall, running through so much fresh snow when everything was still blue! Living near the coast for 4 years has also been a real treat for me and I will really miss it. But we're ready to move on, to a new area of the country with more culture, more to do, yet still beautiful country parks around (but sadly no coast!). If I could pick our house up and move it to the new area I really would! But I can't and we've found a lovely new home, slightly smaller than we have now, but its really gorgeous and we're thrilled about it.
So, whats the catch? In honestly, the answer is actually moving! I've never found it stressful before, even when we moved from the apartment together it just wasn't difficult - yet this time it really feels like it is! We've got a lot of stuff, so much so that we've even been doing car boot sales (which are surprisingly lucrative). But I can already feel myself getting anxious about packing, what should stay what should go...should we get new furniture, will this fit? I always remember being told that 3 of the most stressful things in life are getting married (wasn't stressful it was exciting!), getting divorced (hoping this won't be something I have to go through!) and moving house (which I always thought of as an adventure previously).
Hopefully this will be the last big move for a number of years as we've really fallen in love with the area! Fingers crossed my applications for med school agree with my new found love and let me stay there! My other half will be a student for the next 3 years and I'm doing my MSc next year, but if I'm lucky enough to get into med school it would be so lovely to not have to move again! But whatever will be will be, I will be grateful to get into med school anywhere!
I shall report on the house-move progress as the packing progresses...for now its time to quickly hoover as we have a viewing this afternoon, fingers crossed!!!!
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