Medicine, MUSE and me.

[shahana]

Well hello everyone,
I have wanted to start a blog for quite some time now. I thought the best time would have been when I began Medicine, and then I could write how that was faring for me...but alas I never got down to it and laziness overtook me. But what better time now that exams are LOOMING and I am quite far behind with revision/essays...I have decided to start a blog.

Shahana: 0 Procrastination: 1

So let me tell you a little about myself, most of you will know I am a first year medical student at the (amazing) univerisity of Leicester. I love MUSE. Erm...I'm 5 ft 4", but I think I may have shrunk 3" or thereabouts as no-one believes me when I tell them

Hmm...not a very intresting blog thus far, hopefully it'll pick up when I am not overwhelmed with work...

I am going to get on with Cardio now, as I'm meant to be finishing that module today if I have any chance of doing well in upcoming exams...

Adios Amigos!
xx

[shahana]

I'm 5 ft 4", but I think I may have shrunk 3" or thereabouts as no-one believes me when I tell them

Okay reading it back, that makes it sound like I become shorter whenever people don't believe me, I can assure you that is not that case. Instead, people give me a strange look as if to say ''You look a lot shorter'' but I'm not that short. Okay my height is not really an issue, I think its normal..? and I do not decrease due to peoples opinions, okay this is a weird conversation I've gotten into with myself.

Also needless to say I did not finish Cardio *cries* which I am doing now as I speak, why oh why am I being so behind...this is not me normally I think I like the thrill of leaving it til the last minute...and then working superfast? Hmm...nope.

Anyhow, I wonder what is the best way to lead this blog...shall I continue as my course develops (thats if it isn't cut short due to me taking too long to make notes) or shall I begin from the beginning as where I applied and such...

I think I'll give a brief history of how I applied, interviews etc as it may be helpful to some lost soul who is looking to apply..and then probably talk about how medicine is going and what I'm up to (generally)

Well good night for now, I shall return later.

xx

[shahana]

Okay well I keep my UCAS history short as I dont want to bore you (and I'm not feeling so cheerful, but dont want to neglect my blog)

So here goes:

I applied for the 2008/2009 entry, I sent my application on 16th October (the last official date for medicine) but it wasn't my fault (well..) that it took so long. Changing sixth forms in the middle of my A-levels might have something to do with it, and the fact that yours truly forgot to put her UKCAT scores on the first time...and then it was sent..and then pulled back...yes, my life is just one big conundrum of excitement and chaos. :/

Well anyway my initial choices were:

Leicester
Manchester
Leeds
KCL
Warwick (Biomed)

...Then on 23rd October, I decided to change my options from Manchester to St Georges as I then looked on Manchesters prospectus and learned that wanted AS grades on the form...which I hadnt filled in :/ so...I thought 'oh no, immediate rejection' and then I changed my option.

Of course, this left me with a risky situation, as SGUL received my application on the 23rd Oct...would they consider it given it was 7 days after the deadline...but I would have gotten a definite interview as they wanted about 7/8 A's in GCSEs which I fulfilled, so it was a no win situation either way...or was it?.


Well 2 months later I received a phone call...but from which uni...? Thats something I will reveal next blog update (or alternatively with a little bit of NMM stalking...you'll know or you just wont care.)

Peace.

[shahana]

Well hello again,

To continue the story...it was actually St Georges who called me to ask if it was okay to attend a certain Thursday, which I thought was:

Astonishing!!...As this is the medical school that I send my application LAST and AFTER the deadline...yet they are the first ones to give me an interview :O and although the interview went unbelievably terrible (I had only 4 days to prepare :O but I didnt want to ask for a later date as hell its an interview ) and well there were 4 interviewers...which was scary i tell you!

But even though this was truly a terrible experience for myself, and well to be honest, I wouldnt apply there again as lets say the area is not so aesthetically pleasant...but would I then have succeeded at my Leicester interview had it not been for St Georges, as they had scared me and well seeing as I screwed up that interview it made me more determined to pass my second one and I had real experience of a med interview so my Leicester one would be less nerve racking. So in a way, I have them to thank for making that interview absolutely ghastly...so the Leicester one seemed perfect in comparison (although I did cry after my Leicester one as I thought I had been rejected)

Anyway, argh I have too many things to write and it's all coming out muddled...


I'll come back later...when I can think a bit more carefully (and when I have finished one of the modules I should have finished by tonight).

Goodbye!

[shahana]

Well today I'm in a rather good mood
it's like the feeling you get when you had no idea what the lecturer was talking about for the last couple of weeks...and then you learn it by yourself and understand it all and wonder what all the fuss was about. Maybe because that is what happened

Well written ESA's are in a week :O :O :O
so scared? yes
nervous? yes
well -prepared? no

Dont have many interesting things to say so far, except i have finished semester 2...and now am no longer a first year medic
Seems like it was only yesterday I was nervous and wondering if I would meet some nice people to hang out with and wondering if I could find anyone to share my love of MUSE with (still looking...).

I can't believe first year is over really, and I guess 5 years isn't all that long and I am rather glad medicine is a long course because I love it (oh and imagine the work load if it was 3 years...)

Oh and I am also now president of 'Pharmaware' at the Leicester Branch now (yay) which is *very* exciting and I need to start planning exciting freshers weeks socials for all you new Leicester Freshers (nothing which i shall reveal here...).

Hmm, must dash off to revise some more now.
Take care readers

[shahana]

Hello all,

I do apologise for the recent lack in blogging but been busy avec exams and other shenanigans (there's a word I haven't used...since ever).
Well...written exams were ambiguous, some parts were undeniably easy. I mean for one question...we got a diagram of a replication fork, and told to label it. And also told WHAT the labels were (e.g. lagging strand) I mean why make it so easy? We didnt need to be told what to write in the gaps, I would have preferred them to just have a blank space and told to draw and label a replication fork. So some of it was unbelievably easy and other bits were ''OH MY GOD, WE ARE FIRST YEARS FOR HEAVENS SAKE!! ''So very VERY hard.

And there was SO much interprofessional questions not not happy at all. I felt as if I wasnt sitting a medical exam, but one on roles in healthcare *sigh* and more than a sixth of the second paper accounted for things like roles of other professions (e.g. nurses) and who to get involved in some cases, and what would they look for. NOT HAPPY. And there wasnt even half as much as cardio as I hoped *sniff*

So if I do badly in the written, I wont be so upset as even with more revision, questions like the above would have gotten to me. And like 'name 4 causes of inequalities in healthcare'. :|

But the OSCPE went well oh I was quite happy with that, but again have no idea how I've done but I enjoyed it a lot

Well get results this Thursday so will know whats happened. Eek.

Will write more later.

Adios amigos

[shahana]

Got my results......


AND I PASSED

I did do better in the OSCPE (Leicester have a physical examination part of it too) but that was expected as I prepared more for the OSCPE and well I prefer practical exams to written anyway.

[shahana]

Okay just for the record...if you want advice please pm me, but dont write in my blog. The rules were clearly stated in the first page of this sub-forum.

[Gizmo says -]

tis pity i am blind in me ol age....o.k., macca.

[shahana]

Hello all again,

Sorry havent been on here in a little while, just been a tad busy on catching up on sleep, watching TV, reading non-medically orientated books and so on. And it has been good

I am definitely excited for Semester 3 to begin! And my motivation may have stemmed from the day beginning at 2pm rather than at 9am like Semesters one and two.

But then I guess I shall be finishing later, and then will get home later (remember I commute...) but I work better in the evenings so it looks good!!
I was going to write something blog-worthy but cannot remember, hmm.

Take care all, will write soon