Happiness always comes when you least expect it.

Quick update to let  you all know how I'm getting on!

So I got results of my first year summative exams yesterday and I am very happy to tell you that I have PASSED all my exams!! :)

Can't wait for 2nd year :)

'And now, it's time to celebrate'.

Song of the day: Celebrate - MIKA

I'm finally writing again.

Hey guys, I know last time I was around I said I was moving to a new blog just because I am now a medical student!!!  but then with all the stress of medical school I didn't have time to get it all ready so for now I am staying on this one :P Guess it's better as you don't have to make the effort of going to another blog and checking it all out.


Medical School!
So I have now survived a 12 week term, which does sound like a very long one but it feels like yesterday when I was moving in to University Halls.

These 12 weeks have been stressful, interesting and most importantly fun. I have enjoyed a lot my first semester in Medical School and that's not just based on the social life :P

I think we have been given a very good insight into the course and I am more sure than ever than Medicine is what I want to go for.  As most of you will know, or remember, I am studying in Liverpool so my course is very very very PBL based. We have one hour of lecture every day, and I am very glad about this as I don't think I will be able to survive those 9-5 lectures that other medical students have to go to. PBL is something that I have found very difficult to  get used to but it slowly makes a bit more sense, basically you just have to do that 9-5 work in your own time in the library, making notes and learning the learning objective for the sessions which you cannot take notes/books to. That is a total struggle if you are in Halls and you are interrupted by everything and so you never get time to learn all that many things for PBL. Even though I am enjoying PBL, especially the food!, the best part of the course so far is Clinical Skills.

We have 2 hours a week and it's the most useful thing ever. I have learned a lot of things in the past 3 months from hand washing and taking blood to cardiovascular exam and even rectal exam (on a model, of course!).  The bad point of this is that when we get back to uni after Xmas we have an OSCE and I am a bit scared about it we are going to be examined in most of the skills we have learned and we have done a lot of things! Guess my family will have to be my patients during the holidays!!

Communication Skills in the third main part of the course and we also get an exam on this in January. At first I thought it was very challenging as we had  a patient simulated actor that was our patient and we were filmed and then we had watch back. However, we are now all used to that kind of thing and I really enjoy the session and hopefully will be helpful next year when we are  in hospital.

Basically medical school has been great so far and all we have to do is CELEBRATE that I'm finally en route to be a doctor. And for all of those who are still trying always remember to keep going, it's so worth it!


Outside of medical school, I am enjoying quiet a busy social life and I'm still looking for a job so  will hopefully get that sorted in the next semester. I have to say Liverpool is a great city for my liking and I think I can be here for the next five years... with a few trips to London and back home every so often of course :)

Looking forward to some comments!

Thank you for reading!

Beh

Much needed update: 'If you work hard, things work out, they have to'.

Song of the day: Read All About It (Part III) - Emeli Sandé 

I think you guys deserve a big update on what has been going on and what I'm planning to do ! 

Last time I wrote here I was kind of set in staying in Spain and doing Medicine here as I had a place at a med school which I liked and everything. However, results yesterday were a big surprise. 

I still cannot believe I managed to get an A* in Chemistry and an A in Physics (after a bunch of resits though), which means I have a place to study Medicine in Liverpool. 

This has made a huge difference and even though I'm not 100% sure on what to do next I am very happy about being able to choose. Going to the UK has always been my aim and dream, however, I have been convincing myself about staying in Spain for a whole year so that's giving me lots of second thoughts. 

Regardless of what I do my gap year will be over by September and I am happy because I always knew that someday somewhere it was going to happen and I was going to be at Medical School! 

As soon as I make a firm decision I will update and a new blog will follow (third one !) for all you who want to follow me around for a bit more! 

Thanks for reading and thank youu for all the support and advice you've all given me! I would not have done it without it all! :D 

Beh 

'How something is going to end can never be predicted'

Song of the day: Express Yourself  - Labrinth


Last time I posted here I was starting my revision for exams and was very confident on going to Liverpool in September to read Medicine. 


However, my life continues to be unexpected, and for the look of it, I won't be going to Liverpool because I got my Spanish MedSchool Admission Test results and I can choose any medical school in the country and do Medicine there. For that reason, I've already started to sort all the paperwork out and for now I will be staying here in Spain. That is the plan unless in August I get surprised (again!) with good enough A Level results to be able to go to Liverpool, then I will have to make a tough decision. 


I was always set on going to UK and study there and had never thought about staying here and now that I have done my research I actually like the course structure and all the opportunities you have. Most courses are divided into pre clin and clin and they take 6 years without any intercalation but you can do a project for a Masters if you want during that time. This means in 6 years I could finish my degree with a master, also they are recognised by the GMC so I could apply for FY1 in UK if I wanted to :) You also get to do a 11 months erasmus exchange and also an elective (kind of) which seems very nice. 


I won't be very far from home which would mean that if I ever needed anything I could just get on the car and go home. 


I'm currently very very happy about this all because now I know I am going to medical school, it may not be the medical school I've always dreamed with but it will get me where I want to go. 


That's all for now, don't really know what else to tell you guys... exams didn't go very well and all I'm doing lately is working and sleeping! 


Take care guys!


Beh 


@behrouzn

'All you need to know is where you want to go and how to get there'

Song of the day: Different -LidoLido 


About a month ago I posted to tell you all about the great news, that I had a second offer to start medicine in September! 


Well, today it's for something even better! Liverpool has lowered my offer so now I need an A in Chemistry A Level and 7.0 in the IELTS and then I can go there in September. This means I can forget about Physics even though I am taking the exams!!! 


I have now firmed Liverpool over UEA basically because I prefer Liverpool as a city to Norwich and both courses were very similar so there was not much of a choice in that aspect. Also I remember how when I was in Liverpool I felt like it was perfect for me and I could really see myself there so I it's my FIRM choice :) Accommodation has now been chosen as well and all I'm doing is revising and revising especially going over my exam technique to make sure I meet my offer this time round! 


If I don't, I have a PLAN B which I'm also very happy about!! 


Lately I've been meeting up with people from sixth form and they've all been asking about my gap year and stuff and I have to say it's been great so far and if I could back I would choose to have one! Talking to a friend I really realised how all you need to  have in your mind is where you want to go and who you want to be and then all you need to do is find out how to get there and eventually you will be there. 


I think that's what has happened with me. I always wanted to go to UK to do Medicine and with this gap year and a lot of thinking about it I've realised all I want to be is a doctor regardless of the place where I study and I know how to get to medical school so no matter how long it will take I'm confident that one day I will be a medical  student which is what counts :) 


Also, I'm looking for a second job for the summer! Going for an interview at Hollister in 2 weeks! 


Wish me good luck with exams and give me Chemistry tips :) 


@behrouzn

'It's not how it starts, but how it ends'.

Song of the day: We Are Young - Fun




We are the end of March now, so Liverpool have got back to me already. Those of you who follow me on twitter will have already read about the BIG news, if you haven't then that's okay :P I will tell youu again! 


A few days after tweeting about how you get a heart attack every time UCAS sends you an email, I got one. It was from track. I knew it was from Liverpool, but didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad one. By that time I was ready for either because I have a back-up plan sort of sorted out and it's not that, so I went for it.... I clicked on CHOICES and I saw CONDITIONAL !!!!

I am really happy about that, I have 2 med offers!! I only managed to get one last year. I guess that must mean they really think medicine is the right path for me. Also the conditions for this offer is much nicer, they want AA in Chemistry and Physics as I already have AA in Biology and Spanish. However, what was really weird and it is still not sorted is that I have to take the IELTS and get a level 7... I rang the other day to say that if I'm doing A Levels and have GCSEs I should not be required an English language test just because I do not live in the UK and my first language is not English. 


The woman on the phone really thought I had a point so she gave an email address to write to the Admission Tutor and then when a decision has been reached they will email me back. How bad is the fact I called them to complain about the conditions of my offer.... 


Any ways, now I have to choose between UEA and Liverpool and I really need to get at least AA... so please guys MAKE ME REVISE!!! 


Beh
@behrouzn

'One day you think you are nearly there, the next it seems like it's over'.

Song of the day: Chasing Cars (Grey's Anatomy) - Snow Patrol


Today has been a long day, not too long ago I wrote a blogpost about how happy I was about UEA's offer because I was finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.


However, today was results day. Even though I'm currently quiet ill with flu I decided I had to go to college to collect my results instead of finding out by phone. I was quiet confident I had at least achieved an A in Chemistry so was going to tell them that I was going to do some resits again to improve my grades and meet the A*A offer that I have. 


Unfortunately, I was wrong. 


I have achieved the same grades as last summer. I have only achieved by a few UMS so  I am at a grade B in both Chemistry and Physics. When I received my results and saw all those Bs I just couldn't even talk, I felt so empty inside, so surprised, it was just so unexpected. Not even a single A in one of the modules, nothing. So I just left, no one asked how I had done, all teachers must have known already. They must have thought that they were right in telling me that with my results last summer I had reached my full potential. 


Now I don't know what to do. I have two options. 


- I can resit again all my modules to try to meed the offer by August which is accepted by UEA, however it's a big risk because if I didn't make it in two attempts why would it happen in June? Also if I go for this, I will ask for my papers back and maybe get some remarks. 


- Concentrate on my Spanish exams to get a place at a Spanish medical school. 


Both exams require quiet  a lot of preparation and are both in May/June period so even though I really want to do both I am not sure if I should try and do both. I don't want to risk having to take another gap year.


I just feel frustrated right now because I think I really worked hard for these exams and I just didn't get the marks I deserved, which I did get on the past papers. 


There is a problem somewhere but I have no idea where it is.


Comments are welcomed :) 


Thanks for reading!
Beh
@behrouzn

The one with my heart stopping because something has changed on my UCAS application

Song of the day: Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine

We are in the first week of March already and I knew it was time for UEA to reply and give me a decision, however it was a big surprise when I received an email from UCAS to tell me that 'something had changed' on my application. I was at work at the time so didn't know if I wanted to open up UCAS  on my phone there and then because I had about 2 hours left of work but I decided to go for it.

I opened the UCAS app on my iPhone and while trying to remember my username, UCAS ID... it turned out it was all stored on my phone so it took me directly to the Choices section. I kept reading down all my choices, I had an Unconditional (from Aberdeen which I got a while back),  then two Unsuccessful (Southampton and Lancaster) and.... CONDITIONAL !!!

I was delighted with my offer and the only thing which surprised me were the conditions. They ask for A*A in chemistry and physics when I thought that they  only wanted one of them and not both, but it's good :P I'm (once again) an offer holder.

Next week is Results Day so really hoping that I can get at least one of the grades out of the way as I am allowed to resit again in June if it's necessary. Wish me luck for them :)

Well that's all for now, update again soon!

Beh

PS. Congratulations to all the other people with Medicine offers already :)

Sometimes you need to step outside of the person you've been and remember the person you were meant to be

Song of the day: Give It All Back - Noah And The Whale 


Lately I have been having some ups and downs, I got an interview from Liverpool and a few days ago now I got  a rejection from  Southampton. I guess it's weird that I feel down about getting rejected especially after what happened in August but I don't know I just feel there is a lower chance every time. Good thing now is that I know I won't hear from UEA and Liverpool until March and I have an interview to prepare for (Liverpool interview in 10days!). 


Every time someone asks me about doing something that's not medicine I really do go and research other careers that I could go for but, even though there are many other subjects in which I'm interested, it just makes me feel more sure that medicine is what I want to do. 


I'm back at work and I am currently tutoring 4 different people, which is entertaining and good for my bank account but it's keeping me way  too busy! Also, I find it impossible to even save up just because I always find things  I want to buy...


Well, that's all! Wish me luck for my interview :) 


Beh
@behrouzn 

You know when they say to always expect the unexpected?

Song of the day: Young Folks - The Kooks


I have not been  around much lately mainly because of revision but today has been my last resit exam and even though I am not sure if they have gone well or not I am just really glad they are over. 


During the exam period I got an email  which made me really happy, I got an interview from Liverpool! which was kind of unexpected given than Lancaster rejected me because of my personal statement. This has actually put my hopes a bit up on Southampton but I'm trying not to even think about it and I am just concentrating on the interview coming up later on this month. 


Someone did ask me which one would I choose, out of UEA and Liverpool, if I had offers from both and even though I didn't know which one  I like more, Liverpool asks for an A  for resits applicants while UEA wants an A*. 


I don't really know what is going to happen with the rest of my gap year as I have one month until results day in March, which will also be when UEA and Liverpool send out decisions. I need to get working on getting back on my routine and I think I will be back on my job this weekend and hopefully next week I can get back to my volunteering. 


Once I'm done with my antibiotics of this stupid respiratory infection I also want to go and donate blood and I was even thinking about donating plasma although I am not really sure how I feel about that since it's such a long procedure... has anyone done it? 


Also, talking about my Liverpool trip I would really like if anyone who has been there could give me some interview tips and also some suggestions of things to do and see, I've been to Liverpool once and it was mostly a shopping trip (which I would not mind repeating if I have to :P ). 


This would be my fourth medicine interview, so I think my nerves would be very calmed and I felt really confident during my UEA interview so I hope that plays to my favour! 


I guess that's all for now! 


Really hoping I did well on my resits to be honest! 


Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone who visits the blog :) 


Beh 


@behrouzn 


PS. The song choice is because of the latest Gossip Girl episode, the one with the wedding! 

Do you always start with the title?

Song of the day - None. I'm revising in silent today! 


The other day I noticed I have not updated the blog in a long time which is weird because I actually thought I was updating weekly ! 


Well, I've been for my interview at UEA and I really liked the place because everything was AWESOME so I really hope to get an offer from there. Worst thing is that they want an A* in Chemistry because I'm resitting and I don't think I'm there yet (and don't know if I will ever be!). 


Right now I'm in the middle of my resits, I've had one exam which was a Chemistry practical which I thought went well except for some stupid mistakes I had. Next one up is Physics, which is going okay and this is on Tuesday. I'm going to be busy with exams until the 1st of Feb then I will be back with all my normal activities ie part time job and volunteering. 


I'm waiting to hear from Southampton and Liverpool which I think I will hear from soon, and I will hear from  UEA around the end of February... so I'm preparing for the worst. 


Also, I want to apologise for how badly organised this blog post is but I just have no time to even think what I want to write about ! So take this as a quick update, proper blog post once exams are over. 


Wish me luck, 


Beh 
@behrouzn

You have to face your fears...or they will never go away

Song of the day: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall  - Coldplay


So it's been 6 days since we started the new year and I have to say the first new I get are from a university are not that good. This morning I got a UCAS track email telling me something had changed. I knew it had to be a rejection because I've heard already from my 5th choice and it's too early for Southampton to give out decisions. By the time I was opening the website I knew it had to be from either Liverpool or Lancaster and deep inside I really wanted it to be from Liverpool not Lancaster because when I visited both universities in October Lancaster felt as the perfect place for me. 


However, just because at times things appear not to work out for me the rejection was from Lancaster. They believe my personal statement was not as competitive as it should have been to receive an interview. 


I really don't know what to think. At first I just over-reacted because I really liked the place then I thought that maybe Lancaster was just not right for me but the worst feeling was when this whole situation reminded me of last August when I found out I had missed out on my place at Bham med school just because I didn't get the grades they ask for. 


Thinking about Birmingham was actually a relieve to the whole rejection thing because I just liked Birmingham sooo much when I went there (reason why I went twice!), the medical school was perfect, the course seem really good, people were nice, city was awesome... for me it just does not have any neg points. However, I missed out on my place but I survived I got over it even though by August I had already met many people who now are studying there, I had chosen my accommodation...  so now why is it going to be so bad that Lancaster rejected me?! 


Last year I got two interviews and two rejections (then turned into three...) and I knew in October that I could end up with four rejections this year because my application is not as a strong as it was last year so why am I wasting my time feeling so down about the rejection now (I really don't know). 


I only need one offer and I have an interview in less than a week which I have to ace. If I do well in it then I could end up being a med student at UEA which is also awesome! but I have to stop thinking about how good it would be to go UEA just in case I don't get the offer... 


Also my exams are soon so I have to get revising and just do well in them as that was what let me down last year. 


At least I know that if March comes and I don't have  a place to study Medicine in the UK then I can always study Medicine in Spain, many people do say we have the best doctors :P, even though there are sooo many things I dislike about the course structure here but what counts is that at the end of it I will  be a DOCTOR, no matter where I go and when. 


I really hope my next post is a much happier one!


Beh 
@behrouzn 

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 :)

'People don't change, you just get to know them better'

Song of the day: You Need Me, I Don't Need You - Ed Sheeran


I guess its time to wake up after the end of September, as whole it was a weird month. September meant going back to the Red Cross, starting new tutoring lessons, saying bye to friends that left university and also figuring out where I want to apply as well as what I am going to do if I don't get in. Yeah, September was not much fun. 


October, however, promises to be busier than last month. The UCAS deadline for my four medicine choices is in less than fifteen days, and I still have not decided where I want to apply. This new month also brings the new iOS (apparently?), a new iPhone (always exciting!) as well as Pottermore (yes, I'm a geek!). 


The one thing that I am looking forward the most in October is my trip to UK. I am kind of doing a UK tour where I am spending a lot of money just on travelling up and down. I will be there for a week and I will be visit London, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Crewe and Lancaster. I don't really have many things planned as of yet, so any suggestions are welcome! In London I will be visiting my best friends who are studying there and then I will be heading to Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster to see the universities. In Preston I am going to be with another friend so that should be very fun. I don't think I ever mentioned this but I have an interview for an HCA post in Crewe so I have to go there and do the interview hoping to get the job. Any tips for that?


One thing that I am a bit scared is going to see my friends who are at uni. I am really looking forward to seeing there (surprisingly!) but I don't know if they feel the same. They have met lots of new people in the past few weeks and they have been with them for a lot of time that maybe they just don't feel like having to have me for a few days there. I am trying not to worry so much about this though, I have made some good plans in London so that in case they are busy with other things I will have many things to do. 


On the 30th September I took the UKCAT, which did not go as well as expected. I had done a lot of practice, or at least what I thought was enough, but I still ended up with an average of 645. My maximum score in one section was 670 when in some of the practice tests in the 600Q book I was getting 750 so I don't know what went wrong there but I am starting to believe I just don't have any luck regarding exams lately. 


With that UKCAT I am not very sure of where to apply. My initial choice were Lancaster, Liverpool, Southampton and Peninsula. However, Peninsula had a UKCAT cut-off of 642.5 more or less so I think it would be a big risk to apply there when my UKCAT score is just slightly higher. As an alternative I have UEA. Norwich Medical School was one of my favourite choices but then they announced that they wanted A*AA for resit applicants which made me go for Peninsula instead. Now that I can't go for Peninsula I may choose UEA if they accept the A*AA in Physics, Biology and Spanish. I should be calling them on Monday.


My personal statement is more or less done, I should be doing the last changes today and then making sure its between the limits sometime this week. The rest of my UCAS  form is done, the only thing missing is my reference which my old school is taking ages to put in. I will also call them on Monday!


On Tuesday I am starting my volunteering work in a Children's Hospital which should be an interesting experience. I will update you all on that soon! 


I think that's about it for now.


Thanks for reading, 


Beh