Update!

Hey guys,

So I've survived my first term of medical school, and I can definitely say that I've loved every minute of it! I passed my first exam and assignment, met so many new people, survived freshers week, signed for my house next year! Literally so much has happened in the past 12 weeks, but although I've loved all of it, I am SO ready to go home. I miss my dog, and my family, and being able to eat food without worrying about how much it costs. I can't wait to have dinner cooked for me and to sleep in my own bed!

Honestly though, medical school has been so much fun. Although sometimes it is hard when you literally cannot understand the relevance of a lecture and all you want to do is sleep, it's sooo nice to be studying something that I really love! I don't enjoy revision, but it's definitely a lot more interesting than revising the process of photosynthesis for A level!

I really like our dissection sessions. We use prosection at Newcastle but I really like that because I feel like it's a lot better if it's actually been dissected properly. I've learnt how to take blood and do a respiratory exam as well which was so exciting, I felt like such a proper doctor! (Even though I'm definitely far from it!). We've also had a GP and hospital visit, and both of those were so much fun - it was so nice to feel like you vaguely belonged in the hospital.

I think they've been quite nice to us this term, but looking at next term our timetable seems a lot more intense (LOADS of 9ams ahhh!), but I'm excited as well!

I really hope the application process is going well for you if you're applying! Good luck!

Nicole xxx

Surviving the application process

I wanted to make a post just about my tips for the year that all of you have ahead. It's just over a month until the deadline for medical school applications, and so I just want to give you some advice on what to expect and how to deal with it.

1. Once you submit your UCAS form, do not expect a track update within 30 seconds. I know I'm going to tell you this and you'll all do it anyway, but you're not going to get an offer the next day! On your phone, switch your email updates to manual, so that you only get notifications for emails if you're on the actual email app. It means you're not going to constantly check your email because you won't be getting the notifications.

2. Ignore other peoples offers. I know how hard it is when your friends who haven't applied for medicine are getting offers every other day, and you're having to sit there with no decisions on your UCAS track except maybe your back-up offer. (Which you should celebrate! You still have an offer!). But be happy for your friends! You'd want them to be happy for you, so be happy for them.

3. Talk to your fellow medical applicant friends. When waiting for offers/interviews, it is soooo nice to be able to rant to someone and for them to understand. Medicine applicants don't get bored of talking about their medicine applications, so instead of boring your friends who haven't applied to medicine, speak to people who understand what you're going through! This also comes in really useful leading up to results day. Rant to your medicine friends about how you're terrified you won't get the grades and won't get in and will have to wait at least three years to study medicine. Trust me, it will help A LOT.

4. Keep looking at the websites of the medical schools you've applied to, or the medical school you've firmed. When it comes to revision, this keeps you so motivated, because it reminds you of what you're working for! I found if I just looked on the websites it made me so excited about studying medicine that I wanted to work so hard so that I could definitely get in.

5. Work for your interviews. I cannot stress this enough. Work so hard for your interviews. Your interview is down to YOU and noone else. It's no longer up to the medical school to decide whether your grades/UKCAT are good enough for you to get an interview. At the majority of medical schools, after the interview no other factors are considered, so make sure that you don't cause all that time you spent on your personal statement to be wasted by not trying for your interview.

6. Take rejections in your stride. It's okay to cry over a rejection for a few hours, but don't let it ruin everything! If it's not your final rejection, then you still have a chance. It's not over until all of your decisions on UCAS have been made.

7. WORK! Don't assume if you get the offer you'll get the grades. Work so hard. If you get the grades then even if you get 4 rejections, you will get into medical school one day. Work for your interviews, work for your mocks, work for class tests, work for your exams! Work for everything. It's one year of your life, which will determine the rest of your life. Enjoy what you're learning and make sure that there is no way that you will not get those 3As or not impress your interviewers. Let yourself get a little (or a lot) competitive - it's good for you! Just don't go overboard.

8. Lastly, stay positive. I know how painstaking it is waiting for those track emails. I know that sometimes it's literally all you can think about, and it stops you from sleeping. I know it makes you upset when your friend gets an offer and you don't (trust me, the day my friend got an offer I watched Marley & Me and cried for about half an hour). Let yourself be a bit upset but then pick yourself up and don't let it affect your work or anything. You will know when you know - don't let it take over your life.

Massive, massive good luck for all of your applications. I really hope that all of you get in where you want to, and receive at least that one golden offer.

Bye!xxx

Results Day

I'm sorry for not posting for a while! Once exams were over I kind of just forgot everything and relaxed and didn't think about this blog!

Anyway, so results day.

The night before I was sooo nervous. Every 10 minutes I would get these horrible butteflies in my stomach as I remembered that it was results day the next day. I went to bed at about 11:30 and then spent about two and a half hours trying to get to sleep. I watched the Great British Bake Off but that didn't help, however eventually at about 2am I finally got to sleep!

I woke up at 6:30am and attempted to fall back asleep but the butterflies had already hit! So I began texting people about my nerves, and checking track to see if it was possible to log on. Eventually at about 7 I decided to get ready so I did my makeup and got dressed, then went downstairs to eat breakfast (which I didn't do due to nerves hahaa). At 7:30 I randomly decided to refresh track to see if it would magically open early, and to my horror I was faced with the log in page! After about three minutes of deliberating with myself over whether to log on I slowly typed in my details and waited for the page to load, and was faced with te message "Congratulations! Your place at Newcastle University to study Medicine has been confirmed."

I literally just jumped in the air and ran over to my dog and hugged him, and then sprinted upstairs to my parents room shouting "I got in!!!!!! That means I got an A in chemistry?!?! Yessss!!!!!"

I then actually managed to eat some breakfast. Me and my mum headed to school at about 8:20 and I got the butterflies again, wondering what results I'd got. I wrote down the details of my course and university and then got my yearbook. Then I walked down the hill to get my envelope. My hands were literally shaking as I opened it, and then I pulled out the piece of paper. A*A*A*.

What?!?! Literally I sprinted up the hill and jumped on my friend, and handed the envelope to my mum. An A* in Chemistry?! Literally wtf.

I still can't really believe it, I never ever in my whole life thought I would get those grades, but I am so so happy.

I'm going to Newcastle and I'm going to be a doctor!!!!!!

If any of you were getting your results last Thursday, I really really hope they were what you wanted!

Bye!xxx

Nearly there...

So whilst all of my friends are currently free and have started their summer, I'm sitting at home about to mark my S2 paper. Whyyyyyy.

I hate stats, so it's just really irritating when the one exam that I have three days straight to revise for is the one that I hate the most.

Anyway! I'm nearly there! Last week was absolutely horrible - I had 4 exams in 5 days and it was just so stressful. I had a breakdown on Thursday before Biology Unit 5 on Friday because I was just so stressed because I felt like I didn't know anything, and I was terrified that they would give us a horrible exam. The exam itself actually went okay, and I'm really pleased because I came out of the exam hall feeling happy!

So, last week I had C3 on Monday. When I was actually in the exam I literally sat there thinking "I've failed." but when I came out I actually realised I probably hadn't failed, because loads of people had got similar answers to me! I know I made some silly mistakes, which is really frustrating, but there's nothing that I can do now!

Then On Tuesday I had Chemistry unit 5, omggggg that exam is just so hard! The exam itself wasn't terrible, I mean it could have been a lot worse. But looking back, there are things that I knew and I just didn't write them down and it's so frustrating:( I'm definitely the most worried about my grade in chemistry out of all of my subjects because I really just don't know. I'm the worst for over-thinking exams and assuming I've failed though. I'm literally just praying for an A.

Then C4 on Wednesday was okay. The first five questions were great, and then I turned over to question 6 and was like oh. The last 3 questions took me longer to do than the first 3 questions, and I still didn't manage to finish. I know that I also dropped some marks in that exam for irritating mistakes as well. That seems to be a big thing for me this year: silly mistakes.

And then, as I said, unit 5 biology definitely went better than expected! I liked the questions on the article, except for one which was a genetic diagram question that I just couldn't get my head around. I'm sooo pleased that I revised my AS stuff, because it was so so useful.

My advice for your A2 exams is don't panic. I think I've dropped quite a few marks this year from panicking when I saw a question that I didn't know the answer to immediately, and then just all I could think was "I'm not going to uni.". Just concentrate, forget what the exam's for, and focus on doing your best rather than panicking because you're not sure about one question.

This time tomorrow I will be freeeeee! But I better get back to stats, so that I can finish on a high rather than having an awful last exam!

Bye!xxx

First exam done!

So yesterday I did my first exam - Chemistry Unit 4!

I really don't know how I did - I found the first two questions quite difficult so then I was so scared for the last two questions, because I thought it must get harder, but then I thought that the last two questions were okay? Everybody on the student room said that they thought it was really hard, which is a good sign because at least I'm not the only one who struggled on those first two questions! I came out feeling alright-ish, and then obviously have made myself start panicking that I've done really badly. But there's nothing that I can do now anyway so I'm just going to have to move on and do really well in my unit 5 chemistry (probably easier said than done!).

I have Biology on Friday and then my horrible week next week, and after that only one more exam! Two weeks today until I finish!

I literally can't wait because there are so many exciting things happening after exams! I have my prom, and I'm going on holiday with my friends and then my family, and then I'm looking after my cousins for two weeks! And then we have results day which could either be great or not so great... Hopefully great! And then fingers crossed if I manage to get those 3As, I'll be heading up North in September to start being a medical student! It's so exciting!

Anyway, back to chemistry unit 5 revision... so much fun!!!!!

Bye!xxx

Boredom and Revision

So it's nearly time for my exams to start! A week tomorrow and I will have sat my first exam ahhhhh

I finished school just over a week ago now, and it was so sad:( I can't believe that I've finished! At my school we dress up in fancy dress on our last day of sixth form, and so me and my friend came dressed as lab rats. We wore lab coats, and tied up our hair in buns and sprayed our hair white with dry shampoo. We also put black eyeshadow all over our faces to make it look as though we'd been in an explosion. After school we all went to the pub and some of the teachers came, and it was just really nice for all of our year to go out together on our last day! It's probably the last time I'll ever see some people, as some people can't come to prom, and I might not see people on Results Day.

So the whole of half term has just been revision mainly. I've started worrying about Unit 5 Chemistry because it's just so difficult and it counts for 50% of my A2 grade! I need to know all of the synpotic information too, which is so annoying to have to revise, because I just want to focus on the new, harder things. I'm just doing past papers and then revising things that I mess up on - I'm also trying to learn all of the reaction conditions which is sooo difficult because there are literally so many reactions to know, and when it comes to having to apply them to a synthesis or something, I just get so stuck.

I've been out a bit as well! I went to see Matilda on Wednesday, because I got tickets for my friend for her birthday so that was really fun! And then today I'm going to see Maleficent with my mum because I just need to leave the house because I'm going mad from just sitting at my desk all day. I've also rediscovered the piano, so that's become a useful method of procrastination!

I literally just want my exams to start so that they can be over sooner. I'm so fed up of just revising and waiting for them to arrive! I want it to be the Summer so that I can just go out, and go on holiday and catch a tan.

I'm really not looking forward to my second week of exams though. It goes: Monday - C3, Tuesday - Chem unit 5, Wednesday - C4, Thursday - break, Friday -Biology unit 5. Help! I also have an exam on Friday 13th (Biology unit 4) so I'm going to be shaking before that exam starts hahaa

I hope that revision is going well for everybody!

Bye!xxx

Mocks and Miley Cyrus

So this is more of a general week post, as the application process is now over, my posts will be more about what's going on, revision and just general things of interest!

So, this week, the first thing that happened is that I went to see Miley Cyrus on Tuesday at the O2! It was literally amazing and I'm sooo glad that I went. I wasn't that excited because I preferred Miley when she was more country and before she cut her hair, but after I went to see her in concert it definitely changed my mind! We were in the standing bit, and we managed to get sooo close to the front - about three rows back! And we had such a good view:

Miley at the start!

I can't believe how close we were!

Miley on a hot dog hahahahaa

Me and my sister wore our hair in buns like Miley, and this was definitely a good idea, as not only did we look like her but it kept us so cool in the standing area!

Our Miley buns

I've never been so sad the day after a concert before - if I could do it all over again I definitely would! The support act, Sky Ferreira, was really good too! I used to listen to her but stopped for a while, but now I want to buy her album because I really like her music after rediscovering her!

So apart from Miley Cyrus, I obviously had school. And I had two mocks this week. Two!

On Thursday I had a C4 mock, which was okay, except for the fact that there was a differentiation question that I spent so long on, trying to figure out what to do, and I only realised in the last two minutes that I could literally do it in one step! Unfortunately I didn't manage to finish that question in time, which was really annoying. Overall, though, it wasn't toooo bad but I think that there's definitely some room for improvement.

Then, on Friday afternoon I had a Biology Unit 5 mock, which I was only told about on Tuesday, which was reaaaally annoying. After seeing Miley Cyrus on Tuesday, I only had two days to revise properly for it, so I wasn't expecting great things. I was able to answer all of the questions but I don't think that they were of the best quality - I have a feeling that my vocabulary could have been a bit better and that I really need to get my head around all of the topics.

Also, as of yesterday, it's one month until my exams start! This has really made me get motivated as I can no longer say "oh, it's over a month until my exams." I've been revising all day today, except for going to see my grandma for her birthday, woo!

I've also sorted out a summer job for August, in order to raise a bit of money for uni and going on holiday. So, during the first two weeks of August I'm going to look after my cousins which should be really fun! I'm excited, and we've already started planning some things that we want to do. Of course, I'll be taking results day off so that I can either drown my sorrows or celebrate! (Hopefully celebrate!)

Anyway, I should probably get back to revision - I've been procrastinating for too long reading blogs etc.

Bye!xxx

The Whole Application

So, I thought that since now my whole UCAS experience is over, I would tell you my whole story, just to give you some information about where I applied and how I went about it.

So, my 'stats' are:

GCSEs: 8A*s, 5As (I actually got a B in English Language which I retook in year 12 to get an A - it wasn't worth it, I wouldn't recommend it!) with A*s in all the sciences and Maths.

AS Levels: AAAA in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and French

UKCAT: 817.5

Work experience: 1 week working with disabled children on a trip to Lourdes, 1 week working at a school for disabled children, volunteering every other weekend during the summer in the kitchen at a hospice, 1 day at a hospital (after I submitted my UCAS!)

Universities I applied to:
Newcastle - Offer
Nottingham - Offer
Leeds - Rejection pre-interview
Cardiff - Rejection pre-interview

I genuinely never even thought that I would get one offer for medicine, so two was absolutely amazing and I'm still so happy about it! Especially since Newcastle and Nottingham were always my top choices.

So, my experience.

My whole decision to apply for Medicine was made last January, and I've talked about how I came to that decision here. As I didn't have much time, there was a frantic rush for work experience, and although as you can see I didn't manage to get any in a hospital - really, it's what you make of it!

After I'd received my AS results I began to work for my UKCAT which I took in mid-September (some people don't advise taking it once you're back at school, but I actually thought that it was good because I was in the frame of mind to work!). My university choices were completely dependent on my UKCAT, so I'll show you my lists to give you some ideas of where you could apply depending on you score/grades.

Bad UKCAT:
Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff

Medium UKCAT:
Nottingham, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff

Good UKCAT:
Nottingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Cardiff

My advice for choosing where to apply to is have one or two in your list that are 'tactical' i.e. you're pretty sure you'll get an interview there. For me, this was Newcastle, but I honestly loved it there anyway!

Anyway! So, I sent off my UCAS and then did my work experience at the hospital in October half term and got my interview at Newcastle in mid-November. I was absolutely ecstatic! So I began to work for my interview and my tips for interviews can be found here.

The interview went quite well, and I came out of it smiling which is always a good sign! I got to speak to other applicants which was really nice too, as they understand what you're going through.

Then, in December - the day before my birthday - I received an interview for Nottingham! I was literally sooo happy because at this point Nottingham was my first choice. So throughout my Christmas holidays I worked for my interview there and when it came around I was naturally sooo nervous! But it went well too, and I was happy when I left.

Then in January, I found out that I hadn't got into Leeds. I had to admit that I was really upset at first because I had like it there, and it was my first real taste of rejection! However, I soon picked up myself up and reminded myself that I was lucky to have two interviews.

Obviously, the next few months were absolutely horrible. I was so worried about not getting into Medicine and having to take a gap year, I wanted it so much that I couldn't even sleep some nights because I was just worrying all the time. If I could offer any advice I'd really say, you're going to find out when you find out, just focus on your school work because you still need your grades whether you get in or not. I know it's really difficult, and easier said than done, but you will know eventually!

So, I carried on working and kind of started losing hope for Cardiff. I had a feeling that my GCSEs were below the cut off because of that B in English Language, and lo and behold I got a rejection at the end of February! To be honest, I was expecting it, so although I felt disappointed it didn't affect me dramatically as I felt as though I was in a good position.

So now I knew that my next two track updates would be from universities where I'd actually got an interview! It was back to the constant email checking, and as soon as March hit the checking increased and increased. And then Newcastle started giving out offers. Panic mode.

Literally, every 10 seconds I was checking for emails, looking for that track update and every time I was disappointed until... two days after they gave out their first batch of offers I was out shopping with my sister and I got the track update. My hands were shaking madly and it felt as if it took an hour for the page to load, but then the page popped up. And I saw that I'd got an offer! I literally couldn't believe it and all I could say was "oh my god, oh my god" *cue tweet about offer*. I was on cloud nine and so so happy.

And then about a week later, Nottingham started giving out their offers. Although I was starting to worry slightly, I was just pleased to have one offer so I wasn't panicking as much as I would have been otherwise. They gave out one batch and that was it - slightly strange, but I resigned myself to thinking that I wouldn't get an offer/rejection until after the last interview which was about a week and a half away.

So, about 5 days after that first batch, I saw that I had an email from track. Ahhhhhh! I was at the bus stop with my friend, and so I opened it and logged in (which as usual took forever) and there it was! "The University of Nottingham has offered you a place to study Medicine". Two offers?!?! Whaaaaaat!

So then came the decision making. I have to admit, it's so so difficult to pick, because every medical school is so good, and they all teach you the same thing! So how do you distinguish? And you may think that you have your top choice sorted out, but if you get an offer from another place it just suddenly confuses everything.

I've decided to pick Newcastle though, because the way the course is structured, I think, is really good. You have a year of clinical placements in third year, where you're actually based at a hospital. And then in fourth year you come back to Newcastle to do SSCs and your elective, and kind of reinforce everything you've learnt on placement. And then in fifth year you're back on your clinical placements for an entire year. You also do a family study in first year, which is where you are assigned a pregnant woman and ask her questions to see how having a baby/pregnancy has affected her life. And then in second year you do a study on a chronically ill patient. And the town and university itself is just so lovely, and my interviewers there were so kind, I just think the whole atmosphere of the university and medical school is great.

As much as I absolutely love Nottingham, I just feel like Newcastle is the place for me! I've heard so many great things about it from everybody that I've met, I just can't say no.

I hope my story has helped you even a little bit! If I can give you any advice, it's work hard and stay positive, and it'll all be worth it in the end.

Bye!xxx

Firming

Soooo I think I've decided where I'm going to firm!

I received offers from Newcastle and Nottingham medical schools, but I think I'm going to firm Newcastle.

I went to the Newcastle post-offer day on Wednesday and absolutely loved it - we got to go into the dissection room and hold dissected hearts and lungs, and learn about the thorax. Then, after that, we went into the clinical skills room and attempted to make a heart out of plasticine (very difficult), and then got to see their SimMan and listen to his heart, which they had made sound like it had a defect. After the SimMan, we got to see an F2 demonstrate ultrasound on a student's neck, and we identified a vein and an artery. It was so interesting, and it's made me so excited to start now (as long as I get my grades)! I met some lovely people, and there was a girl there who I'd met at my other interview so that was really good!

I got to speak with loads of students as well, and I could just tell that they all loved the course and the university. I also noticed how well they all knew their stuff - I was so impressed with how they just knew all of their anatomy and observations, and what they could tell us. I'm so excited to know all of that too! And everyone seemed so clever, I could feel my competitive edge coming out as some people knew the answers and I didn't. It's so bad, I need to learn not to be so competitive, especially at medical school. Everyone's going to be so clever so it'll be difficult!

It's motivated me more to start revising, as it all just feels so real now!

Bye!xxx

Offer!!!!!!

So I got another offer today! I can't believe I got two offers, I never even thought I would get one! Wow.

So now comes the decision making...

Interview Tips

I know that when I was in the process of applying to Medicine I was always so grateful for any advice that I could find that helped me with how to prepare and behave in interviews. So I'd thought I'd make a list of tips for anybody who's looking for some help for medical school interviews! The only types of interview I had were traditional interviews, so I don't know how helpful these tips will be for MMI interviews but hopefully some of them will be useful!

I also used an interview book by ISC which was sooo helpful - definitely try and get it if you can. You don't need to listen to everything they say, but it does teach you how to structure an answer and is helpful for learning new words.

1. Back everything up. Wherever you can fit it in reflect on your work experience/an experience you had/something you've read. Show them that you can think about what you've seen or read and relate it to yourself. It also shows them that you've paid attention in your work experience, got something out of it, and also that you've actually done some work experience - sometimes they don't have your personal statement! Also, if you answer a question they're probably going to ask some subsequent questions according to your answer - be able to back yourself up! Don't make things up, or mention things that you don't know about.

2. Why do you want to do medicine/be a doctor? Have your reasons and rehearse your answer. This is usually the first question they ask you and first impressions are important! Make sure that you know what you're talking about, and be able to back up what you're saying. If you say "I love that you're always learning new things", have an example from your work experience which shows how you know this!

3. Research. Know about the NHS. You don't have to know every single reform, but know generally about what's going on at the moment in the NHS and how it could affect you as a doctor in the future, or how it may affect people. Also try to throw in some key words in these answers like "postcode lottery" or "clinical commissioning groups", it shows that you know what you're talking about. A really useful website is The Kings Fund which explains the NHS reforms in a video. Also, know about your medical school! They will probably ask you questions about the course or the medical school itself so make sure you know this.

4. Take your time. If your mind goes blank or you don't understand a question ask your interviewers! It shows that you're not afraid to ask if you don't understand something, which is really important. In my interview my mind went completely blank on the question "What do patients look for in a doctor?" which isn't very difficult. However, I told them and we moved onto a new question. In the new question I mentioned empathy, and then said "And that relates back to the previous question!" You can always redeem yourself if something goes slightly wrong.

5. Smile, relax and be yourself. I was sooo nervous for my interviews but I tried to come across as happy and confident. I know that it's easier said than done, but when you come in smile and be enthusiastic! If they make a joke then laugh along - they want to find out what you're like as well as what you know. Be friendly and polite, and think of it as a conversation. If you're passionate about something - show them! If you make a point then defend it, and try to lean towards the interviewers and speak animatedly with your hands and face. Try to ask a question at the end as well - it shows that your interested!

Finally, let them know how much you want to go to their university, and try to come across really excited about it!

I really hope these tips help:)

Bye!xxx

Offer!!!!!!!

I got an offer!!!!!!

I literally am so happy right now! After these last two days of being so miserable about university and everything, I can finally relaxxxxxx!

I was out shopping with my sister, and I'd already been checking my emails every five minutes to see if I'd got an update from track. And then I randomly checked them and there it was! We were in the middle of a shop but I couldn't wait until I got home so I just typed in my UCAS login details and waited for what seemed like forever to see what it said, and there it was! I literally can't believe it ahhhhh! My hands were shaking so much wow

My friend got an offer from the same university, so that's exciting!

I still have one university left to hear from and then it's done! I'm not panicking as much now, because to be honest, all I wanted was one offer and I'm just so relieved!

Eeeeeeek still so happy!

Bye!xxx

Bad Day

I have just got so frustrated this evening.

First of all, I have my mocks this week. Today was biology and stats, and they were both just bad:( biology included a 10 mark question on something nobody had revised as our teacher said it wouldn't come up. And then stats was just a joke, I swear they just put all of the most difficult questions into one paper, it was horrible. I sort of just gave up towards the end because I was hungry and I had no clue how to approach the questions:( the last one was 12 marks with no a b c d e etc., it was just one question for 12 marks! I got an answer but it probably wasn't right.

Secondly, one of my universities started giving out offers. At first I was like oh yeah, okay it's not that bad, there are several more batches. But then I just started overthinking (of course) and panicking about everything blah blah blah, grrrrr.

And last of all, I just did some revision for my bio and chem mocks tomorrow and I just felt as if nothing was going into my head at all! I feel as though I've been working all year but nothing is going into my head no matter what I do. It doesn't help that I'm extremely competitive and hate when people beat me, so I always anger myself by stressing that my teachers are going to think I haven't tried or that I don't care.

I just don't like this A2 year, I want it to be over and to just get my grades! Or I just want some motivation:( either one would be great! Plssssss

And all this uncertainty just makes it worse - I could be in this exact same position next year, just waiting for offers/rejections, not knowing if I'm going to uni.

I've just realised that all of the recent posts on my blog hae been so negative... Sorry for the rant! I just needed to release my stress somewhere hahaa. I promise I'll get back to being positive soon!

Bye!xxx

Another rejection

So today I got another track update, and it was another rejection sadly! I was kind of expecting it, as I hadn't heard anything from this university since December, and I had a feeling I was below the GCSE cut off (all because of my stupid B in English Language).

Anyway, I'm not too upset about it, but I'm getting really scared now because I've realised that the next two track updates will be from universities where I've actually had an interview - way more scary. I think I might faint when I get my next track email.

I'm not loving this new thing on track where it says the update before you've had time to scroll down to it - I'd rather be oblivious for a bit longer:(

Anyway! I've got to keep on working - I will get 3As in the summer!

Bye!xxx

Demotivated

Waaaaa I have my mocks coming up in the first week of March, but I just can't help but feel so demotivated whenever I try to revise. I think it's because I haven't heard anything from my universities, so I feel as though I'm working for nothing, even though obviously I'll still need the grades whether I reapply or somehow get in the first time! It's so frustrating because I want to revise but everything distracts me:(

If I get 4 rejections then I'll be motivated because I'll want to prove that I can do it and get into Medicine, and if I get an offer then it's obvious I'll be motivated - I'll want to meet the offer!

I've even started googling tips on how to get motivated... Oh dear.

Anyway, I should probably stop procrastinating by writing this blog post and get back to work.

Bye!xxx

Work Experience

So I said in my previous post that I'd take you through my process of applying for work experience at hospitals, and what I did for work experience.

If you're in year 10, 11 or 12 and considering studying Medicine, I literally urge you right now to get some work experience in a caring setting - whether it's a hospital, care home, school for disabled children - just get something so that you can find out if being a doctor is for you!

I didn't decide that I wanted to study Medicine until January of my year 12 year, and so I only had 9 months to try and get as much as possible. I applied to my local hospital for work experience, and then emailed loads of London hospitals about trying to get some work experience with them. All of these attempts were unsuccessful though, and I didn't manage to get any hospital work experience:(

So I turned to some different options. I went on a trip with my school to Lourdes with the HCPT, where I volunteered with looking after disabled children for a week. Then I got some work experience volunteering in a childrens hospice throughout the summer - I only worked in the kitchen but it just got me used to the caring environment and introduced me to a new medical environment. I also managed to get a week of work experience working in a school with disabled children. This was my favourite piece of work experience and I absolutely loved it. I got see the physiotherapists working with them in the hydrotherapy pool, and see how their teachers communicated with them. I also got to speak to the doctor who worked at the school and he gave me some really helpful advice. If I end up taking a gap year next year, I definitely want to go back and get some work experience there again.

And then in October, after I submitted my UCAS form, I got a stroke of luck! My auntie's friend offered to give me some work experience at a hospital in London. It was only for a day but it was SO useful. The amount of experience I got from just one day of working there was amazing, so if you get a week in a hospital you're soooo lucky. This meant that I had something to talk about in my interviews that wasn't on my personal statement, and it meant that I actually could speak about my hospital experience. It also really reinforced the fact that I wanted to work in a hospital, and got me really excited about wanting to be a doctor. I also got to speak to a medical student, a consultant and a registrar whilst I was there and so I was able to speak to people who were at loads of different stages in their medical career. So even if you get work experience after submitting your UCAS form, don't worry! It will help you so much in your interviews and then if you have to take a gap year you can talk about it then as well!

I also spoke to somebody who worked in the NHS, an anaesthetist, my GP and other medical students to see what life was like as a doctor and to get some more information about different roles. I would definitely advise this, because it's so useful to hear things from different people's perspectives, and it'll give you some ideas for points to make in your interview.

I hope this has given you some good pointers for where to start looking for work experience. You definitely should try and get some volunteering work as soon as possible, and then try to get something in a hospital or other caring setting! And use any contacts you have, don't be shy!

Hope this helped!

My Story

I thought I'd just take you through the story of me deciding that I wanted to study Medicine, because trust me I wasn't born wanting to be a doctor, but it just kind of crept up on me over the years!

I first really thought about working in a hospital when I decided I wanted to be a midwife in year 9 or 10. I got all of the information about it from a school careers fair and was really set on it for a while.

But I first began wanting to study Medicine when I was in year 10 (15 years old). I was watching a TV show about paediatric brain surgeons - I can't remember the specific name of it, but it was really good! And I absolutely loved how they worked. I loved the explanation of the diseases, seeing the effect that the surgeons had on their patients and their families, seeing how they worked with the skull and the brain during the procedures, and learning about the innovative treatments that these doctors and scientists had come up with to treat the neurological diseases that these children suffered from. It made me think - maybe I could do that! So from then and for the next few months I decided that I wanted to be a brain surgeon just like the doctors on that show. I went on a trip to King's and did a medical day there, and it was really fun!

However, this whole dream came to an end when I went on a trip to Cambridge with my school. One step in there and I was like "I only want to go here! I don't want to go anywhere else!", and since I wanted to go to Cambridge so much I decided that maybe I should just apply for a course where I'd have a good chance of getting in. And I didn't really think that I would be able to be successful if I applied to Cambridge for Medicine, so I decided I wanted to study Natural Sciences. Or maybe Biochemistry at Oxford? Or what about just Chemistry? Or Biology? Or Archaeology? Literally I was set on Oxbridge.

So I did my GCSEs, and worked really hard because I wanted to get those grades so that I could apply for Oxford or Cambridge. And I got good grades! I was really pleased with them overall and so I continued with my Cambridge dream. I knew I wanted to study something sciencey but I decided to keep my options open for if I did decide to study Medicine, so I chose to study Biology and Chemistry at A level.

So, I started year 12 studying Biology, Chemistry, Maths, French and Drama, but dropped Drama because 5 AS levels really was just too much. I went to the talks they held about Oxbridge and got really excited about the thought of studying at Cambridge! But as year 12 went on I kept putting myself off of the idea of Cambridge and I became less sure that it was for me. As I studied AS Biology, I noticed how much I loved learning about protein synthesis and the structure of proteins, and I decided that Biochemistry was for me.

And then in January 2013, I randomly came across Junior Doctors: Your Life in Their Hands on BBC3. And once again I fell in love with the idea of being a doctor. The whole evening after I watched it I just couldn't stop thinking about wanting to be like those Junior Doctors on TV! I know it sounds stupid, I mean you can't exactly decide your career from watching a TV show? But it just made me start thinking - maybe I could be a doctor after all! I'd got over the idea of going to Cambridge now, and so that wasn't putting me off the idea of wanting to be a doctor at all! I looked into it more and started really wanting to study Medicine. I spoke to my friend who was planning to do Medicine and she encouraged me to do it. I realised that I wasn't actually that passionate about Biochemistry, and now when I think about if I had to do that instead of Medicine it makes me really sad.

And so that's when it started. I started panicking about AS results, and whether I had enough work experience and extra-curricular activities! And since I only had about 9 months to get all of my work experience sorted it really was a panic. I'll tell you more about applying for work experience in my next post.

Thank you for reading! I hope you found my Medicine story at least a bit interesting:)

Rejection

So I've received my first pre-interview rejection. It hasn't actually been updated on Track yet, but I got an email saying that if I hadn't received an interview by last Friday then it was 'most likely a rejection'.

Obviously, when I first found out I was really upset, I don't like rejection and I was really disappointed and felt as though I'd failed or something. But then I realised that I can't complain - I've had two interviews, at my two top choices and some people haven't had any interviews at all. Two interviews is more than I ever expected, so I'm happy!

I'm just focussing on my A levels now, trying to get my best grades. I have mocks coming up in about a month so I need to start revising for them. I'm trying to distract myself as much as possible so that I can stop constantly thinking about how long it is until March!

Good luck with all of your applications, and try not to dwell on everything too much!:)

Waiting...

All of this waiting for offers/interviews/rejections is so annoying:( I'm constantly checking my emails, and always disappointed when I only find emails from The Student Room or Twitter.

I wish that Medicine offers were given out earlier, I hate all this stress and uncertainty!

March can't come soon enough.

Interview!

This is slightly late but I thought I'd just update you on the fact that I received an invitation to an interview on the 19th December, the day before my birthday! I was literally so so so happy and my hands were shaking once I found out. At the time when I find out I was with a group of medical school applicants because we'd all gone to a lecture together, so it was quite exciting as they could all really understand how much it meant.

My interview is on the 7th January, so in a few days time. I've been working soooo hard because I really really want to get into this university as I literally love it so much, and I don't want to mess this up. I'm quite glad that I've already had an interview in a similar style to the interview I'm having, as it means I know what to expect and maybe I won't be as nervous? (as if).

Some things that I have done to prepare for my interview are:

1. Read the BMJ and the BBC Health news pages, and if I've spotted any headlines on newspapers I've read those articles too. Literally this will save your life, because in my interview I had before I mentioned so much of what I'd read.
2. Reflected on work experience. Really think about your work experience and how it'll make you a better doctor, and why it's made you want to medicine in the first place! You must have loved something about it, otherwise you wouldn't be applying.
3. Gone through my personal statement and highlighted anything that they could ask me questions on and researched and thought about my answers to these questions.
4. Used a medical school interview book and looked at every question and read it through, and read through all of my notes that I made from this book for my previous interview
5. Gone onto YouTube and watched all of their medical school interview tips videos (especially the ethical scenario ones - these are soooo helpful)
6. Searched ethical scenarios on Google and tried to figure out what I would say myself. As well as that, the GMC has a really good interactive ethics program called GMPiA which really helped me to think about more day-to-day ethical scenarios than euthanasia.

I reaaaaally hope that this is enough to get me into medical school, I want to get in so much! Keep your fingers crossed for me!