Snow in Spring

The British weather this year has been absolutely crazy!!! Snow in Spring? Who would have ever imagined it!!! Just when I thought we had escaped another episode of snow for this year, it started to snow again this week, making my usual commute back to the Medway campus from London early on a Monday morning soooooo difficult, I just hope it doesn't snow again until next year!!! :(

The end of term is in touching distance now which makes me wonder just where time has gone??? It feels not so long ago when we came back from the Christmas holidays and now the second term is nearly over!!! Reality really did strike when I realised the timetable for the summer 2013 exams  was finaaalllllyyyyyyyy put up on the portal!!! I just can't believe how terrible the exam period looks!!! All my exams are one after the other on the 13th, 15th,16th, 17th, 20th and 30th of May and are each 2 -3 hours long. As I am  pretty bad at coping with stress during the exam period I know I have to plan the time I have now wisely ( i.e draw up a revision timetable and start revision as soon as possible!!!) I find that the best method of revision for me is to look back at my lecture notes and create mind maps on large A3 pieces of paper which I can refer to when I have a moment of panic (usually a few days prior to the exam or on the day itself when I suddenly manage to convince myself that I have forgotten everything I had ever learnt about a particular topic). This method not only acts as a very useful reference when I am in panic mode, it also helps me learn and remember all the key points and allows me to link various concepts to each other to gain a more in depth understanding of the topic (and of course looks visually good on the bedroom wall!!!) I also tend to give myself plenty of time to complete past paper questions so that I can familiarize myself with the format of the exam paper and the variety of questions which may come up. Having group discussions is another good way of revising, particularly closer to the exams when you can really put each other on the spot and test each other's knowledge on a particular topic. Similarly, teaching someone who is completely new to the concepts being taught by you is another great way of revising- you can be sure you have learnt the topic well if you are able to explain these concepts in a simple way, a way in which that person can get to grips with the topic easily.

I'm not going to call the next few weeks ahead of us a holiday as I know most of you will probably relax for the first few days and then head straight for the books (I know I will!!!) But in case I don't get a chance to write again before then, I wish you all the best of luck with revision!!! Revise Hard!!! ;) 

Heart dissection

The past few weeks have been a busy few weeks. Lectures have been getting much tougher, there have been more lab sessions per week than normal and the March deadlines are fast approaching! I am finding myself in the red zone of the Drill Hall library more often nowadays than I had ever imagined was possible! If the second year is like this, I don’t even want to imagine how the final year will be! I will probably end up making the library my permanent second home if I could! The hope that I will be able to graduate with a first next year if I keep all this hard work going is my only motivation right now…

Last week, during the Physiological Systems and Regulation lab session, we were lucky enough to carry out a heart dissection on a sheep’s heart. As the cardiovascular system has always been an area of science that I have been interested in from a young age and an area which I had always hoped to specialise in (should I get the opportunity to study medicine in the future) I was very eager to get underway with the dissection the minute I entered the lab! I had carried out a rat and sheep’s eye dissection when studying Biology during my A-levels, so I was quite confident with the dissection procedures in the lab and knew exactly what to expect (some of my friends on the other hand who had never done any dissections before felt very queasy…. one friend in particular had to leave the lab for a while to get some fresh air because it was too overwhelming for her).  I found the lab session very valuable as it gave me the chance to actually apply the things I had learnt about the cardiovascular system in lectures and in various textbooks in a practical way, giving me a better understanding of the heart, such as all its anatomical landmarks and the way in which they function. I was so surprised just how small the atria were in comparison to the ventricles and just how strong the condrinae tendinae were! Although I managed to locate all the anatomical landmarks of the heart relatively easily, I was disappointed I couldn't locate the sinoatrial node (the pacemaker of the heart) – although I was reassured by the lecturer that it was very hard to do, after all the effort and time I put into trying to locate it, it would have been really satisfying if I had actually managed to succeed…

Apart from that, I have been busy trying to find voluntary work and summer placements I can apply for.  I recently found a really good opportunity to volunteer in schools, through an organisation called STEMNET, which allows its members to teach the subject they are studying/ specialise in- I've sent my application off and keeping my fingers crossed for that. But as for summer placements… that is a whole different story. I have searched and searched but still not found one! If anyone has any ideas where I can find a placement in the health/ research sector it will be much appreciated!

Here are some pictures from the heart dissection I thought I’d end this month’s blogs with…

Working hard

It's been just a few weeks into the new term now and second year is really beginning to prove just how different it is from the first year.  We now have lectures from 9am every Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and usually about two lab sessions on alternate weeks.  We have also been given various assignments to complete before the end of February and have been informed about several phase tests (which are practically like small unit tests) that we need to complete as well. The content we are covering in the second term (Pharmacology, Pathobiology, Metabolism and Disease and Bioanalytical Techniques)  are topics  that we have never covered before and are completely new to us, so a lot more hard work is required to understand the concepts taught in the lectures and really get to grips with answering practice questions on them. I have been trying really hard to review each lecture and make notes/ research around the topic as we go along...before the next lecture is taught... so that I don' t fall behind (so far so good....let's just hope I keep this up for the rest of the term and not get too lazy!

The Refreshers Fair was held last Wednesday for those of you who missed the Fresher's fair during Fresher's week. It was a huge success as usual with many societies participating, large crowds of students attending, freebies being given out, raffles/ mini competitions being held and much more! And it was a particularly special event for us Biomedical Science students as it was the launch of the Biomedical Science Society, set up by a group of Biomedical Science students on the course, who hoped it would be a great way of sharing our passion for science with other students by discussing various topics covered in lectures, inviting guests with a scientific background to give presentations about their profession, organising trips etc. And as expected, the launch was a success, with around 40 new members signing up for the society on the day itself! (For those of you who didn't get an opportunity to attend the Refresher's Fair, fear not! You can still sign up for the society of your choice or even set up your very own society through the SUUG/ UMSA website.)

And before I forget, I thought I'd just remind those of you who are thinking about living in halls next year that the application for 2013/2014 are now open. Although I would really like to rent a house with some of my friends next year, I have got used to living in halls for the past two years and find that it is much more convenient to stay in halls next year as well. I sent my application off a few days ago and I know my friends have too... so if you guys are also thinking of living in halls next year, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible!  I just really hope I am given a place!

Happy 2013!!! :)

Happy New Year everyyyyyoneeee!!! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas/ New Year and just about ready to face everything the second term of uni has in store for us!

As you all know from my previous blogs, the Christmas holiday was one holiday I've been waiting for for a loooooooong time (not just because of the stressful month of coursework/exams we had to face in December...but also for the festive fun, new year celebrations, amazing food, catch-up sessions with family and friends, Christmas movies, massive sales  all over London and everything else that happens around Christmas & New Year!!!) In fact, as weird as it may sound, I much prefer the colder winter weather compared to summer, so this really is the perfect time of year for me!

As the term ended quite late for us compared to everyone else, I only had the weekend to buy Christmas presents for my family and friends (wrapping the presents was an absolute nightmare -  no matter how hard I tried..I just never managed to master the art of tying the ribbon around them!!!) Christmas day itself was the usual ( opening presents, enjoying Christmas dinner with the family, watching the Christmas special of Dr Who and other programmes on tele etc.) but it was still really nice!!!!) Boxing Day of course means sales shopping and that's exactly what I did with my friend in Westfield! Although it was a mission trying to get through the large crowds of people just to get inside at least ONE shop, it was well worth the trouble as I managed to buy a Guess Bag in the sales (something I've wanted for a long time!) And as for New Years Eve, I spent most of the day with my friends in China Town and then with my family as the countdown into the New Year began. New Years day itself involved going to the temple for New Year Prayer and visiting more family. My friend from New Zealand, who I hadn't seen since Year 8 had also come for a visit, so it was really nice spending the rest of the holiday with her and catching-up with some of my other secondary school friends who I hadn't seen for a while either (Winter Wonderland was A-mazing!!!)

So after two weeks of fun, I'm sooooooooo glad we've got a week left before we start the new term. I'm definitely going to spend pretty much most of the week finishing off my lab book and lab report which is due in when we get back and also reviewing some of my lecture notes to refresh my memory on last term's work. I recently had a look at this term's timetable and I was sooooooooo shocked to see the four 9am starts I've got this term...  each day consisting of at least one lecture and IT/practical lab session...the only day I have free is the Wednesday! :( So I guess my new year's resolution would have to be waking up early for these 9am lectures (and of course...losing those extra pounds I've gained over the holidays...) What's YOUR new year's  resolution???

Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner now and I’m counting down the days until our holidays begin!

I did hear from a lot of people studying at the university that second year is pretty difficult and requires a lot more work….which is how I imagined it to be….but I never realised just how much work they would give us to complete in such a short space of time until now! December has been all about finishing off coursework and handing them in on time. The Immunology Practical Case Study report was the one piece of work I was dreading, but once I had completed my practical on it and done some research around the topic itself, I really did begin to enjoy it! (Strange it may seem…but it’s true!) I really got into the swing of finding the differential diagnosis for each patient based on their clinical history and the lab results obtained from my practical work. It also gave me an opportunity to better familiarise myself with medical terminology and the various clinical aspects involved in diagnosing a patient which I know will help me in the future for sure! The other pieces of coursework set were also based on case studies but weren’t as long as the first one (* she sighs with relief*). I have a statistics project to hand in later today....leaving me with one more coursework to complete for next week  before the Immunology exam next Thursday. (And after that… I promise I will not talk about coursework, exams and deadlines in my blogs for a while!)

Uni finishes next Friday and I just can’t wait for the holidays to begin!Last Wednesday, my friends and I organised a Christmas party over at my friend’s flat. It was really nice to catch up with everyone and have some time to just relax and have fun. The food was great and the music was great! Everyone had a fantastic time (I know I certainly did) and we partied away for most of the night (luckily we all had a day off the next day so we didn’t have to worry about waking up early in the morning)! We also thought it would be really nice to do Secret Santa this year! Ever since we picked out a name from a hat a few weeks ago…we had all been speculating who our Secret Santa would be… and it was all finally revealed at the Christmas party! My Secret Santa was one of my good friends Shelly! She got me a beautiful bracelet (which I absolutely loved) and a portable iPhone charger…something I really needed!

So what’s my plan for the holidays? Well… I’m hoping to relax for a couple of days, watch some great movies being shown on tele, celebrate Christmas and New Year with the family and revise all the work covered this term. And let’s just hope that at least Christmas 2012 will be a white Christmas… the freezing temperature we’ve been experiencing lately certainly gives us hope!

CHRIS HEMSWORTH In Greenwich!

Hey guys!

I’m sure you will all be glad to know that I’m fully recovered and back to my normal happy self again (phew)! Now all I have to do is catch up with all the work I’ve missed,  finish off the various assignments that are due shortly and prepare for my exam at the end of December (something I’m not looking so forward to that’s for sure).

And I’m also sure all of you who study on the Greenwich campus are aware that CHRIS HEMSWORTH, Yes CHRIS HEMSWORTH, and the rest of the crew from Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World, directed by Alan Taylor, have been filming various scenes for the film in the very centre of OUR campus recently (sounds unbelievable I know but it’s true!) As I am permanently based on the Medway campus, I wasn’t able to follow the filming on campus on a regular basis.  However last Friday I was lucky enough to visit the set whilst on my journey home for the weekend! Although I didn’t get a chance to see Chris Hemsworth himself ( L), I did manage to see three takes of his stunt double in action (better than nothing I guess)! There was a lot of standing around in the cold and the actual filming of the scene was over in no time….but it was well worth the wait! Now I’m just looking forward to seeing the movie complete! It is expected to release in cinemas on the 8^th of November next year… I just can’t wait!

Now about uni work. Labs this year have been totally different to last year. As I mentioned before, we have a lot less labs this year… so far it’s only been based on Immunology and Physiology… however the practical’s we’ve had to do have been much more challenging! Last week, I had my first ever physiology lab for this year. Although the experiment we did on that particular day was not as challenging as usual, it was really embarrassing as it touched on a subject which usually raises people’s insecurities- Measuring Body Size and Estimating Body Composition!  It involved measuring our height and weight in order to calculate our BMI and then measuring various locations of skinfold on our body such as the sub-scapula, supra iliac, triceps, biceps, Mid-auxiliary, abdomen, thigh and calf to calculate our body density and the percentage of our body fat.  Today’s physiology practical was a continuation of last week’s practical but one which was a lot less embarrassing! We were investigating the effect of body composition on blood pressure and lung volume by measuring our blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer and our tidal volume, vital capacity and forced vital capacity using a spirometer. I found this particular practical very interesting as I was given the opportunity to gain some valuable information about my health and use equipment which I had never used before. Next week’s practical schedule is about the effect of exercise on heart rate and involves using the Electrocardiogram. 

Anyway, I better get back to my work now… I’m planning to go to the library and stay until midnight to get as much done as possible. Wish me luck! J

Second year is going fast!

The last couple of days have been the worst few days I've experienced in a long time! I've officially been struck with some sort of virus which has made me throw up constantly and has forced me to stay in bed with a high temperature and a really bad headache. Apparently a few of my flatmates were also ill last week... and I've heard from a few others that they too experienced something similar so I guess it's been going around...I just hope you guys don't catch it too...

Second year is going just as fast as the first year, if not faster! I can't believe that there are only a few weeks left before the end of the first term and the beginning of the Christmas holidays! Then before you know it the second term will have also been over and the summer term full of exams would have begun! So far this year, I am finding the content covered in the lectures much more interesting than those covered in the first year mainly because they are either topics we have never covered before or topics that we have previously studied but in much more depth. We have a lot less labs to get through this year too but the amount of coursework we have been given is a lot more. Last Friday was the last of my immunology labs, which I thought was great because I would have Fridays off again to study all the lectures covered that week and complete my lecture notes...but the downside was the fact I now needed to do a long lab report discussing and drawing conclusions on the results I had obtained in the lab.

Labs and lectures aside, something new that we have been recently focussing on is clinical based case studies. This involves reading a brief report about a patient, trying to find out what is wrong with them based on their previous medical history and the symptoms they have reported, thinking about how we can investigate the problem further and identifying any treatment we could possibly offer them. Although I did find the problem solving side of things quite difficult at first mainly because I had not looked at any case studies like these before, after learning how to tackle such questions in the lecture and doing a few practice questions by myself and then discussing it as a group, I now feel a lot more confident working through them. I would strongly recommend all you Biomed students who are working on clinical based case studies like I am  to have a good look through the following book : Understanding Clinical Investigations: A Quick Reference Manual by Susan Ski. It is such an amazing book...I've lost count of the number of times I must have renewed it from the library!

Anyway, I better go and rest now. I hope you all take care of yourselves and wrap up warm. If anyone has any suggestions on good books that will keep me occupied whilst I'm recovering please do let me know...I'll be most grateful!