Looking back... no wonder you always get told to never do it

Song of the day: Paradise - Coldplay

I really wanted to do a last proper post for this year and I thought I was not going to have any time to do it, but it's finally here! I know I have been neglecting the blog lately  because I am very busy with work, revision and interview prep along so many other things I do so I am never on the computer anymore! I do know that some people do read every post I publish so I think I can't do anything less than wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

To all those of us who have applied to university this year, I hope we all start our courses next year :)

Normally  I am not a fan of these time of the year simply because we all start to look back at how the year have gone and for me 2011 has not been as good as it could have been. So many things have changed with all my friends, I messed up my exams and missed my offer and just so many things have happened that I just don't want to remember. However, I do have to say that I have had some unforgeable moments and I do think  that I have met some awesome people that I will never forget.

For the new year I want to try to worry less about what other may think and just do whatever I feel like doing. Right now I feel to be scared of saying what I think to people and just of giving my opinion which means that at time I am just not comfortable when I go to places with people because maybe I just don't want to be there, probably because we don't have anything in common and they just believe I am someone I am not.

This nye I am just going to have a quiet night getting ready for a double shift tomorrow at work and for all the revision I have left for January exams and interview prep!

I hope you all have a lot of fun :)

Happy New Year! Let's make 2012 so much better than 2011

Beh
@behrouzn

INTERVIEW!

Song of the day:  Daydreamer - Adele

This is just to say that I have an interview at UEA!!! :)

I could not be happier !!

Beh

'All I want for Christmas...

Song of the day: Not on the Guest List - Marcos Dos Santos


It seems like I am only posting once a month lately as my last blog post was back in November. This time last year, I was flying to Birmingham to have my first interview and later this month I was on two rejections! Good news is I have no rejections so far this year. 


However, the lack of knowing whether I am getting an interview or just a straight rejection is really not helping with  my revision. I know that all I need is one offer, that was what I got last year and I was never happier, but I just don't seem to get revising as much as I should do to make sure that if one day I hold an offer I can actually meet it. I know I should not repeat my mistake and I should learn from them like I've always done, but this done it is proving much difficult to forget about the waiting and just focus at what is coming in January time- EXAMS! 


I have spent most of my time volunteering and working in the café lately. Word AIDS Day was a huge success, at least at a personal level, because giving those talks to 400 teenagers over three days and getting to hear their opinions on the topic and how the talk had help them understand what the disease is all about was just amazing. I just can't find a word that will describe that feeling and I guess it should be similar when as a doctor you make a difference on someone's life. 


I've met a lot of people lately, most of them studying in my home country which has led me to research universities in my country and looking at it objectively it turns out it's not actually that bad if I have to stay and study medicine here. The course structure is the thing I dislike the most as it is very preclinical then clinical so you don't get any patient contact until like third year but everything else seems fine and I can always go abroad for FY1 if I feel like it. 


Lately I have been feeling a bit down so I am getting a Macbook to make me happier :P 


All I actually want for Christmas if for everything to work out, I know that's actually a lot to ask but that's just what I want. 


Merry Christmas :) 


Thanks for reading,


Beh
@behrouzn

'You don't know what you are missing!'

Song of the day: Shake it Out - Florence + The Machine

This is my first post in November, even though the plan was to do weekly posts every Saturday... I just have been too busy to blog and also its not like I had anything good to write about as lately I have been in a weird mood because I am just too stressed with my life in general.

More than a month ago now I submitted my UCAS application and even though two of my four chosen medical schools have already given out ( a lot of) interview invites I still have not heard. I was actually hopeful this year, which was why I applied but now I sooo regret not working as much as I should have (and could have) last year to get the grades that Birmingham asked me for!! I'm just way too angry at myself for this and right now I just cannot concentrate on my January exams because every time I try to revise I start to think how I should not even do retakes because chances are I won't get any offers.

I have been doing some research into Ireland and both TCD and UCD have told me that I have to do 4 subjects in the same sitting regardless of whether I resit or not which means that because I am only retaking 2 subjects this January I am not eligible to apply. I have also looked into Spanish universities and if I do well in the entrance exam I could get into a nice city one!

My gap year, on the other hand is just awesome! I have a part time job in a coffee shop which is a lot of fun and the costumers are very nice and also I continue with my position in the Red Cross which means that next week I get to go away for a weekend with all the members of the Regional committee. Also, I have the first aid and CPR exam next Thursday so I hope to hold the certificate soon!

 I will keep you all updated on everything!

Thanks for reading!
Beh
@behrouzn

'Just go on, never look back'

Song of the day: Closing Time - Semisonic

Last weekend in October and that means Halloween. I am still not sure what I am going to do for Halloween this year but I always leave it to last minute (literally!). October was nice: I got to travelled, my UCAS got sent, I received a job offer and most importantly it has been fun!

From November to March I should be hearing from my universities, but there are no news for now. I am going to be very busy this upcoming month because I have to get revising very hard to make sure I get the grades I need this January. I have five exams compared to thirteen I had last summer so I hope that will help... In November I am going to start working as a waiter in a café, which should be fun and will be a good break from  revision and just general university worries!

Two weeks from sending my UCAS, I have received my Welcome Pack which made it all very real and I have two acknowledgements having heard nothing from all the other choices. Lately I have been quiet stressed about my future life plans because I have no idea of what I want to do and I think its all because I am not sure of what I can do. Ideally I would really like to study in the UK, but if I am not given the option then I will have to go and study in another country. I would not really mind having to study medicine  in my home country as I can go to the UK for the foundation years but all I've always wanted is to study medicine in UK and I have been to close to succeeding that now I am quiet angry at myself and I deeply regret not working as hard as  I should have. I hope I get a second chance this year and I get to prove that I can do it and get the grades as many people have just assumed that I am just not good enough to go to medical school simply because I missed my offer.

I also have a dog now, which is supposed to be good for stressed people! It is like a new hobbie for me as it is the first time I have  a dog and I actually really like. She cares a lot for me and she likes playing all the time so I now have things to do whenever I need to have a break...

Word AIDS Day is here soon and I am preparing a campaign around local schools, we will be going to about seven schools throughout the week which should be nice. We are getting together a dynamic talk about STDs and AIDS so that we actually have an impact on teenagers, something that is a bit difficult lately.   With the Red Cross I am also planning to go on a night out with  a breathalyser, to show people the effects of alcohol and just as  a bit of game to discourage drinking and driving. I have spoken to my local council about this and they will be able to provide us with sufficient funding to forward with this idea which should be fun for me and my volunteers as well as for the people that participates as we will have games and give out prizes throughout the night!

The Red Cross is keeping me busy most of the time and now I need to start organising everything carefully to make sure that I still do all the things I have to with the NGO while I also revise a lot to make sure I get the grades I need in the January exams.

The weekend has been random to be honest. Yesterday I went to a Wedding Planning event with my friends where they gave you ideas of what and where to have your wedding so it was us in the middle of a lot of couples planning their weddings and today I got to bake some carrot cake which turned out to be very nice!

I will keep you all updated on how everything goes and remember to stay focused on your goal and you will get there!

Beh

'Don't try, just do it!'

Song of the day: Houdini - Foster The People


Time is flying by, not so long ago I was on holiday in Norway trying to forget about Results Day... and now, its October: new UCAS has been submitted, I have rejected an HCA job, I'm on a gap year and just so many other things are happening, its just unbelievable. 


This time last year I had an invitation to an interview in the University of Birmingham; by December I had an offer. It is sad to think about that and how I was at the doors of medical school and then I had to go back to stage 1. However, I am not that badly affected. I am hoping that in a few years I will look back and feel that the gap year was worth it. 


I am not supposed to hear from any of my unis any time soon, which is okay because I am not really that stressed about them right now. I am much more worried about something else. I have my exams in about 3 months and that's very nerve wrecking! I have to get an A at A Level Chemistry this time and I am not sure of how to do this... if anyone has any tips, then please let me know :) 


This weekend I should start to plan my revision schedule and then start working slowly until my exams making sure no cramming is necessary. 


Lately I am very involved with the Red Cross, something that will give me a lot to talk about if I get an interview as I am learning a lot about communication skills and team work and I have seen how important the work of social workers are, especially in the current financial climate.


I am not sure if I have talked about it before, but earlier this week I phoned up the hospital which offered me the HCA job and said that I was unable to accept it. My main reason was because it coincides with my exams and I don't want to be under the stress of settling in a new city with a new job at the same time as I do my A Level resits. I do have to say though, that getting the job and talking to the nurses who interviewed me did make me feel more confident about my application  as they seem to think that I could make a good doctor so I hope that Admission Tutors think the same. The rest is all up to me. Last year I got the opportunity and I wasted it by not preparing myself enough for the exams so I hope that if I am given a second chance I don't do the same. 


As I have said I am looking for tips on Chemistry A Level, so please let me know if you have any. 


I don't think I have much more to say today really, my social life is not very interesting at the moment and the weekend has just started so I will blog again next week! 


Thanks for reading :) 
Beh

'The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about'. - Oscar Wilde

Song of the day: The Scientist - Coldplay


Last week I was on the middle of my 'English' adventure, so I could not blog, but have no worries, I will tell you all about it now! 


I left to London last Friday and I was there for a bit more than a week. As a whole, it was an amazing week. I saw my old friends, I met new people, I ate new things, I saw new places, I went shopping... just everything I could have asked for. 


I went to visit the universities in Manchester, Liverpool, Norwich, Lancaster and London. I have to say UCL wins for 'most beautiful university' out of the ones I visited. Lancaster and UEA are my favourite choices this time round. Lancaster reminded me a lot of St Andrews, the atmosphere was very nice and it seem like a bubble which is something I like. Norwich was also amazing, the day I visited they were all queuing up to get Coldplay tickets! The uni was  much nicer than I expected because I thought it was going to be much smaller and its so green. 


Now that I am back home  I have to go back to 'normal' life tomorrow. I have a lot of red cross paperwork to catch up with before the end of this week and then I am also volunteering in the Children's Hospital which is always entertaining. Also, I have been advised (several times) to start doing some revision and I think I am taking the advice as this time I want to be very prepare for the exams instead of cramming for them. Tuesday has then been my chosen day to start with the planning of my revision for January exams! I have never started revising so early so if anyone has any tips on this matter please let me know :) 


Lately I have receiving some comments / tweets/ emails asking how did I stay so focused and determined and I guess its is just because I really want that place at medical school and every morning I wake up and think about it and what it would mean to be a doctor and that just gets me going for the day. 


Also, I have now submitted my UCAS application as the deadline was yesterday. I am not sure if I have confirm my choices on here already but I have applied to Lancaster, Liverpool, UEA and Southampton and I have already received acknowledgements from Liverpool and UEA which was excited. Sad news is that last year, on the 18th of October I received and invitation to interview in Birmingham and chances are this year it will take much longer to get any answers from medical school. I guess, I should get ready for the long wait, or as they call it: 'the waiting game'! 


For now my gap year is going pretty well, at least better than expected, even though you cannot compare to those who go volunteering in Africa or on a tour around Australia... but do remember this gap year was very spontaneous as in theory I should be in university already! 


Well I have heard that 'things happen for a reason' many times in the last few weeks so I think that by the end of next summer I will know if it actually happened for a reason or not! 


That's all for now, I will write again next week :) 


Thanks for reading ! 


Beh 


PS: Best of luck to everyone applying to university this year :)