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01/07/07 - Pretty dry for a white guy:

The thing that struck me most about the interview day was walking out of Whitechapel tube station, standing on the pavement opposite the Royal London Hospital and realising I stuck out like a saw thumb.

I was wearing my black pin stripe suit, polished new shoes, smart shirt and Debenhams silk tie. My hair waxed to perfection, polished glasses and cleanly shaven. There I was, a skinny white guy in one of the most diverse places in London...

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02/07/07 - Vindicated:

I received my CRB check today so if there was ever any doubt:

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02/07/07 - It's going to be a long year:

The medicine machine closed in on me yet again as I came across next year’s timetable online...

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04/07/07 - Missed The Mark:

I received my degree breakdown today. It’s bitter-sweet, to the extreme. I can’t work out whether to be pleasantly pleased or unbelievably pissed off. I knew I got a 2:1. What I didn’t expect was to come 13th in the year out of 120. Those of you who read my final COABS blog post will know that in my year only 12 people got firsts.

So here it is - the borderline for a first class degree is 70.00%.

My final average – ...

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05/07/07 - Tribute to a photograph:

I was 6 yeas old when my class did a project on the ancient Egyptians. In my mind, it was the most interesting topic we ever studied and one I’ll always remember fondly from my childhood. One autumn afternoon we were told all about the...

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07/07/07 - Riddle me this:

A man is dug up from a glacier, he has been perfectly preserved despite being frozen for many thousands of years. Then it dawns on you, this man is in fact, the first man - it is ‘Adam’. How can you tell this?

Hint: It has nothing to do with fig leaves.

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See comments for the answer!

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14/07/07 - Pictures from the open day:

Apologies to my small readership for the lack of posts this week. I have been busy in London meeting up with various people, and visiting various places one of which was the Barts medical school for an open day. As promised I have a slew of photos for your pleasure.

10:55 – Arrive at Whitechapel tube station:

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12/07/07 - On living in halls:

Having applied for first year accommodation in the halls of residences, I’ve begun reminiscing about the last time I lived in halls 3 years ago. Back then I was a young, impressionable and bright-eyed teenager. There were a couple of finalists also in the halls, who were noticeably less energetic. Granted, this was right at the beginning of the first year with many of us young 18yr olds living away from home for the first time.

I have been considering how I will feel, being one of those...

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09/07/07 - Open Day:

This may surprise some, but I am yet to actually look around the medical school I’m starting. Why the hell would someone accept a place on a 5yr course without even checking out the place? Let me explain…

I didn’t expect to get called up for an interview there; it was in my opinion the most competitive school I applied to. So when I did...

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08/07/07 - Empathy Issues:

Mother: “Harry,” *exaggerated whine* “I’m ill…”
Me: “Oh, well I guess you should take it easy”
Mother: “Come here and feel my forehead, I’m burning up”
*flaps her arms around in a vain attempt to cool her down*
Me: “…no it’s okay, I believe you”
Mother: “I’ve been sick already, actually sick”
Me: “Right…”
...

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16/07/07 - Quick Round-up:

The good news:

My ex-housemate (aka arsehole housemate to those of you who read my old blog) has finally...

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17/07/07 - Thinking way too much:

Since getting into med school, a lot of my friends and family have been asking “What sort of doctor are you going to be?” In short, I have absolutely no idea. Much of my work experience has been at a GPs surgery, and although it can be very interesting and quite an attractive career path I don’t think it’s the one for me.

It’s a long time...

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20/07/07 - The original wet weekend:

Ha-ha my little 14yr old brother just finished school for summer, walked home and got completely drenched by the rain. Oh how I’m glad I have nothing to do some days!

More constructive post to follow…

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20/07/07 - Overgradute:

Harry BSc hons - Can you believe it?




The ceremony was pretty awesome, and quite intimidating to walk into a room to have 500 people staring at you as you slowly process up and down to collect a cheap generic scroll (we don’t get our actual certificates till later this year). Also let the family loose in front of my friends, although on the most part they behaved themselves.

I was pretty tired getting...

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22/07/07 - Verbal Diarrhoea:

Something I’ve always hated in my education is this execu-speak lexicon utilised by ‘learning professionals’ (aka ‘teachers’) in this ‘new age of information and application’ (aka ‘today’). Words such as ‘active learners’, ‘study skills’, ‘learning spirals’ and ‘integrated curriculum’ I find particularly offensive, as their meaningless rhetoric is often used to...

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27/07/07 - Accomodation Situation:

So it turns out I’m not going to be living in Mile End this year, but instead at Barbican. That’s shit-hot zone-one central London in my books. I was pretty pissed off to start with, as not only had I requested Mile End accommodation as my first, second and third choice, but...

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29/07/07 - So you want to be a doctor?

After spending the past year hurtling round the UCAS carousel and thankfully getting off after one application cycle, I’ve learnt a few things about getting into medical school. Those of you who may have read my old blog will have an insight into what I went through, and what thousands of other people go through every year in their bid to gain a place at a medical school.

I have decided that as a substantial portion of my readership are in the same position I was when I first started blogging, that I shall give a crash course in applying to med school, so buckle up.

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Why do you want to be a doctor?

There is no single correct answer to this question, but it requires real consideration. Medicine is a life-long career; training is incredibly long and expensive to both you and the tax payer. Motivation is of huge importance for the duration of the course and beyond. It is physically and mentally demanding, as well as ethically challenging. You don’t want to waste your life.

Think long and hard about it. Don’t think it is glamorous, don’t think it’s like ER, Scrubs or Greys Anatomy. You need mature, considered, truthful reasons. Don’t just think of the advantages, one of the questions at my Bart’s interview was “How would you dissuade someone from medicine?” Think about it.

Bear in mind that when it comes down to comparing an applicant who has 15 A*s at GCSE, 7 A’s at AS or A-level and perhaps even a first class degree depending on their situation, that they will not necessarily have any advantage over another candidate who has met the academic criteria for applying with fewer outstanding qualifications. By that I mean academic qualities, although important make up only a small part of the application process and will not get you into medical school alone. You need experience, personality and the ability to prove this in an interview.

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Types of degree

Firstly, and most obviously you must find a suitable course to apply for. For the majority of applicants this is a...

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