Starting in September as a History graduate - what to do beforehand?!

**Kelly1** · 09-03-2006, 02:43 AM

Hi All!

So here's my life story....I graduated from a good uni a couple of years back with a History degree and have been working in the city since that point but am chucking it all in and becoming a doctor - what on earth possessed me?! I've got an offer from UCL which is fab as it means I can keep living where I do now, so don't have all the trauma of moving house as well as the trauma of beginning my student days all over again!

My questions is basically that although I fulfilled the UCL criteria in that I have chemistry A level (my parents made me do this at school, little did I think I'd ever be thanking them!!) and biology GCSE, so don't have to get any more quals of any kind - my brain is still very much in essay-writing mode and I have not done anything scientific for ages.

I looked at some of my old chem notes last weekend and can hardly remember any of it. I found an A level biology textbook in Blackwells the other day and it is gobbledegook to me!!! How much of this stuff am I expected to know? What could and more importantly SHOULD I do before the start of term? How intense is it at first?

I don't mean to be arrogant when I say that I'm quite intelligent and can pick things up quite quickly but if the lecturers will be assuming a certain detailed knowledge already, let's face it, I'm screwed!!! Fortunately I still have a few months to cram as much knowledge as I may need into my brain so I don't end up the class dunce - so any advice as to any books, topics, subjects I should brush up would be MUCH appreciated.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and I really look forward to meeting lots of you in September

Kelly Martin.

**Josha** · 09-03-2006, 10:33 PM

Hi Kelly, I am in a similar situation. I graduated last year with a degree in physics but got in with my Chem A-level and Bio GCSE. I am quite confident with the Chem side of things (still in "know it all" physics mindset!) but havent done any Bio since I was 16!

I got hold of a Bio text book and my sister's old A-level notes (she is a 1st yr medic) and have slowly been sifting through it all. She said to basically ignore all the plant biology/ecology stuff and concentrate on the human/cell biology etc. This cuts down the amount of material by quite a bit. To be honest it doesn't seem to be much understanding involved, just lots of wrote learning. I guess that will be much of the medicine degree anyway!

Im glad to hear there is someone else who hasn't done A-level biology, I though I would be the only one! my previous experience at uni though suggests that the lecturers will go over (probably quickly) the main points in the introductory lectures so I don't think that we will be thrown straight into the deep end.

Good luck and see you in September!

**Spencer Wells** · 10-03-2006, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by jane2

At the end of the day we're not traditional freshers so hopefully the fact we won't (well I know I won't anyway!) be going out and getting disgustingly drunk all night every night

I think you've made a mistake Jane, you accidently wrote "won't," which is quite an error to make. Be careful, you may end up saying something silly and ridiculous.

Nick

**Josha** · 10-03-2006, 07:49 PM

I quite agree spencer, i mean fresher's week is designed for getting disgustingly drunk, no matter how conventional you are

**Spencer Wells** · 10-03-2006, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by Josha

I quite agree spencer, i mean fresher's week is designed for getting disgustingly drunk, no matter how conventional you are

I'll see you in the bar on the 25th of September.

**Spencer Wells** · 11-03-2006, 03:37 AM

But they've not been there and done that as a medic. An entirely different experience.

**Josha** · 12-03-2006, 09:29 AM

Exactly, I mean all the medics I know have a reputation for being light weights

So us experienced grads have to show them how it is done

**EmmieJ** · 15-03-2006, 02:27 AM

Hi!

In response to the first post- sorry i'm lazy and didn't read much further down- before coming to RUMS you really don't need to do anything but relax. But if you're desperate.... when you first arrive the first module is full of random A level bits ie.
chemistry : pH, zwitterions etc.
biology: translation/transcription (anything from molecular biology), any immunology, blood typing etc. as much as you want

Don't kill yourself trying to work.
Its not worth it.
Learn it when you get here!