Monday 27 April 2009

Plans

I've got quite a few pms over at TSR about this, five in fact, from pre-meds who've been rejected like me for all their choices. I've replied to them but thought I'd post my plans here for others to read.

Basically my plans hinge on results day. If I get three or four As then I'm taking a gap year. I plan to get a job. Go to Peru. Volunteer with vitalise. Join a gym. Take up Tennis again. Take up Hockey again. Camp America next summer. Some more hospital work experience. Volunteer at a nursery/day care centre. Some more care home voluntary work. Learn a language or two. And gate crash freshers weeks up and down the country :D

If I don't get AAA then it'll be plan B. Go to uni somewhere, doing something. Bio med or virology. Then transfer in first year, or finish the degree and apply for medicine at the end of it. I really don't want to do that route. I will just hate it. So bring on the revision!!

Sunday 19 April 2009

Camping

Loved every moment of it. Went to Porlock, Minehead from Tuesday to Friday. Bloody Brilliant. I've never had a better time with friends and I'm so happy. About 20 of us went up on Tuesday and left over staggered days. We've got so many in jokes and it's amazing.

Tuesday
Got picked up by a mate and then picked up another on the way to a car park where we'd all agreed to meet. It was immense. All our cars were stuffed with stuff: Bags, Cooking Stuff, Guitars. We all set off at about 9. I had made a mix CD for the journey. Got there in about hour and half. Set up camp, had a search around Porlock and then drove to Minehead for some Tesco shopping. Got back and by 3 I was drunk :/ Remained drunk well into the night and slept amazingly. Loved it.

Wednesday
Got up, had a shower in an interesting "recently done up" shower block and then went in search of breakfast. Discovered that Porlock had seen us coming and wanted every last penny we had. Eventually found a café that was still serving breakfast at 10am. Had the best crumpets in the world. The butter was amazing. The woman must have litterally made it from cows out back. It probably increased my chances of a heart attack by about 10 but I don't care. It was so nice.

Did a bit of snack shopping, buying some lunch and that. Then headed into Minehead for a drive. Ended up buying coconuts in Tesco and then going on to play crazy golf. Brilliant. Got back. Headed back and made dinner plans. Had a BBQ and then headed to a local pub. It was a mate's birthday and she was wrecked. So many jokes came from that one night and she'll never live it down. Great way to have an 18th though.

Thursday
Another late start, meaning I missed breakfast but ended up having some chocolate shreddies instead. Excellent! Hung around playing the word-association for about two hours. Eventually headed for some lunch. Worse lunch every. Cost me better part of a £10 for a bagette and small drink. The service was awful, she didn't even ask about drinks till after she'd taken food. She left the menus the entire meal and also started tidying plates away and then just gave up. There was also a hair in two of mates meals. They got free lunch but the rest of us had to pay. Was not happy about that.

Headed back to camp to find other half of the group downing WKD using straws. Hilarious. The sun had also come out for a bit. So we headed to the pebble beach in wellies. Me and few headed into the water. Got soaked and had a laugh. However had to crawl out cause the pebbles hurt so much. While everyone went back to camp to pay the "propiertier", I stayed with two mates and dried out. Laid there for about 2 hours talking. It was so good.

We eventually walked back to camp where they had created Alice MK II. A girl called Alice couldn't come but wanted a model made so she was there in spirit. MK I was a box with a hole that became an on going joke, while MK II has balloon breasts and a "vag".

We eventually went in search of dinner. Pubs were so expensive we lived off fish and chips. It was freezing that night so went to the pub with a small group. Met the owner who had yet to show up for him money and he was drunk off him face. He was tradional farmer and having moved from London to the South West I recognised that he was meerly a product of his background. However his bluntness grated with a few friends who promptly left the table after feeling insulted. Medicine always seems to create this image of drive and intelligence that people take very seriously.

When we headed back to camp, less than 5 mins later, the drama started. A friend collapased and was so cold it was crazy. She'd barely eaten and was unconsisous for about 30 seconds. We got her inside and when it happened again within minutes we got the ambulance out. They were great and luckily she didn't have to be hospitalised. We got her filled with sugar and then later some proper carbs etc.

The rest of the night was a blur due to panic from some people. Loved it though.

Friday
Leaving day. Shower. Pack up and then wait for everyone's lifts. For some reason that car I was going home wouldn't start, even though we'd had the engine on less than 10 hours ago. Eventually after repeated pushing across a field, we got the engine going and we were on our way. We did stop the engine once on the way home and all it seemed to need was some warming up. The journey back was exhausting and we all met up a pub for CHEAP food. Everyone was shattered but it was brilliant.

QUOTES are flying everywhere. Pictures are on facebook. Plans for the next one are already in place and I have never felt happier. Love it.

Family

I've always been grateful for parents who have stayed together. Most of my friends have divorced parents. In fact I can only think of 3 mates who live with their original parents. As much as I love them, it's not been a happy home all the time. I've never told anyone this but today has been so bad. They are both very strong willed people who can be very stubborn. My mum comes from two parents who were very controlling. She rebelled in her own way and as a result does not like to open up to people. My dad comes from similar controlling parents, who put him down and eventually separated when he was 17. He failed his A-Levels and never went to uni. It's affected both of them and as a result they have had to be strong willed people.

They've never touched each other but they can be very verbally abusive. They'll scream, shout, slam doors, break things and just generally argue. My mum believes we take her for granted. As I wrote this she came in my room to tell me "she's had it". That she does everything. That we do nothing. I just listened and then she left.

My dad is a control freak sometimes. He can talk down to my mum and she'll just fight back. They bounce off each other and it's crazy. I hate that they argue, it's something I've learnt to live with from such a young age but I deep down I know they still love each other. I don't know why I'm writing this. I don't think there is an answer. Whether a gap year or uni, I want to get out. At the moment I don't get on with my dad. He tries so hard but we always fight. I can't really talk to him. He wants me to go to uni so desperately that he pushes it all the time. I know it comes from his short comings but I will go. I've always wanted to go. I shouldn't really post this. If anyone recognised who I really was then it could cause so much trouble. But there is something therapeutic about writing this down. Something where I can just talk. I don't need anyone to listen. I don't have to have a response. Just put it out there for my own benefit. Have it somewhere I can look at and know that none of my family will see this.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

TSR, Facebook, Revision and all that Jazz

As I was procrastinating on TSR I discovered a new blog to read, Gillian's World. Turns out, she'd already found me and put me in her blogroll. I'm in a blogroll! Big news really. (Previously thought that only Harry, XE and Little Medic stopped by)

Anyway, exams are ever closer. For the first time I'm starting to panic. I've got 11 exams to take and need to plan for them: Chem 5, Chem 6, Chem 1, English Legal System, Criminal Law, Core Maths 4, Mechanics, Core Maths 1, Unifying Concepts, Environmental Biology, Foundation.

I'm confident that with the right planning and technique I can do this but it's just kinda overwhelming me at the moment. Plus I crazily agreed to camping (tues-fri) with about 20 friends next week. I know it will be brilliant and I know that I will regret not going but revision is such a massive thing on my mind. I might try and come home a day early.

Also the girl, well that ended properly about a month ago now. She's got a uni boyfriend who's at uwe so have to move on. Course she was kind enough to tell me by text before she updated facebook :/ Oh well. More fish in the sea or something like that...

Medicine is going to plan at the moment. This was a very likely outcome of my UCAS application. I've been rejected by all my choices and am now in limbo. My main decision comes down to results day in August. If I get AAAA then it's gap year and reapply. Anything lower and I'll enter clearing and reapply as a graduate for the 5 year course. I really don't want to do that route so will probably go knuckle down after this post.

I've also been considering my university choices next year. I've only told one of my friends this but I'm considering oxbridge. I went to an open day and 3A* is the minimum currently. I know i'll be up against much better GCSE grades but if I can absolutely wow them with my gap year then I'm going to apply. This is going to take some major decision making and gonna have to think long and hard about it.

Speaking of the gap year, I've got a good plan I think:
  • Get a job when college finishes
  • Get some more hospital work experience
  • Work till Christmas
  • Go to Peru for volunteer work for 3 months
  • When I come back volunteer with vitalise for a week maybe a month
  • Take part in Camp America during the summer
  • And get into a medical school at some point
I need to look at timing better because of interviews and stuff. Not sure how to deal with it. Maybe leave a note in my personal statement although doubt I'll have the room. I'll phone up Queens Mary later and ask them about it...

Wednesday 1 April 2009

UCAS Application

UCAS APPLICATION

2010 Application for Biomedical Science - UCAS FORM
Queen Mary - Unconditional
Awaiting Halls of Residences - 07/06/10

ABBB - Law, Biology, Chemistry and Maths


2009 Application Medicine - UCAS FORM

In Extra

MED SCHOOLS
Barts - Rejected - 09/03/09 (UKCAT)
Leeds - Rejected - 30/01/09 (GRADES)
Leceister - Rejected - 22/12/08 (GRADES)
Pennisula - Rejected - 04/03/09 (Unknown)

PARAMEDIC COURSE
St Georges - Rejected - 05/03/09 (PS)

EXAM RESULTS
JAN 08
Chemistry
Chem 1 - 57/90 (C)
Biology
Foundation - 47/90 (D)
Maths
Core Maths 1 - 66/100 (C)
Law
Sources of Law - 54/80 (C)

JUNE 08
Chemistry
Chem 1 - 52/90 (D)
Chem 2 - 35/90 (U)
Chem 3 - 75/120 (C)
Biology
Foundation - 43/90 (E)
Human Health - 54/90 (C)
Transport - 78/120 (C)
Maths
Core Maths 1 - 59/100 (D)
Core Maths 2 - 59/100 (D)
Statistics - 67/100 (C)
Law
English Legal System - 72/120 (C)

JAN 09
Chemistry
Chem 2 - 70/90 (B)
Chem 3 - 89/120 (B)
Chem 4 - 64/90 (B)
Biology
Human Health - 88/90 (A)
Transport - 91/120 (B)
Central Concepts - 63/90 (B)
Maths
Core Maths 2 - 82/100 (A)
Core Maths 3 - 68/100 (C)
Statistics - 67/100 (B)
Law
Special Study - 72/80 (A)