Final Year Project!

Hey guys!

Hope you’re all well! :)

I’m sure you will all be just as relieved as I am to hear that I’ve finnaalllyyyy sorted out my final year project this week! It all feels so real now that the dates for when I can go to labs and actually start collecting my data have been booked...I just can’t wait to begin!!!

I have been assigned a Biochemistry based project, I’ve been told to have had very little work done on in the past, so is all very new and exciting stuff in the field of Biochemistry! To explain it in short, the project focuses on the study of specific families of amino acids (i.e. amino acids as a single monomer, as a dipeptide and in their cyclic form) in order to gain a better understanding of their chemical properties and potential uses in industry. It involves a lot of new techniques I have never used before, such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Hot Stage Microscopy. As the project is heavily based on concepts in chemistry which are either very new to me or what I have learnt three years ago during my A levels (so bound to be a little rusty in) and involves techniques which I know I've already mentioned are very new to me, I do feel  completely out of my comfort zone! I am really lucky to have a wonderful project supervisor who will no doubt support me throughout the project and a good friend of mine who is currently doing her PhD in the same field who will be helping me in labs, so I know I'm in very good hands! I just need to stop being so nervous!

I haven’t quite decided on what the exact title of my project should be yet…but I guess I’ll be in a better position to think of the perfect title once I am well underway with it all. In the mean time, I better prepare myself for an exciting week of labs ahead...research  around the topic and the techniques involved a little more...and make a start on the intro of the actual write-up (the earlier the better right?)

Wish me luck! 

October

October is my favourite month of the year!!! Why I hear you ask??? Well… October is the month of many celebrations!!! My birthday for a start! And then there’s Navarthri…Diwali… Halloween… and so many more!  Last Monday was my birthday and turning 22 sure makes me feel reeaaallllly old! L My friends threw me what was meant to be a ‘surprise’ party (bless them for trying to keep it a secret but I’m sorry to say their Spielberg performance really wasn't up to scratch!) Who would create a whatsapp group entitled ‘surprise’ …include you…’The Birthday Girl’ in it by accident… and then delete you from the group??? But all jokes apart, I do know how lucky I am to have such amazing friends…and I really did have a great time…so thankssss guys!!! J

Aside from all the celebrations that have been happening this month, I’ve been trying to keep up to date with all the lectures and make a start on my coursework. We only have three lectures a week now, so there is plenty of time during the week to do all the work.  For Medical Biochemistry, I have been trying to find relevant journals to discuss current concepts and mechanisms of atherosclerosis (a risk factor of cardiovascular disease where the arteries become clogged with fatty substances such as cholesterol).  For Medical Microbiology, I have been completing regular online quizzes on topics discussed in the lecture and currently in the process of completing a case study based group project. As for Cancer Biology, I have yet to read and understand a journal set by the lecturer for an in-class phase test in mid-November. Not to mention the final year project, which I am still to be given…

I also volunteered as a STEM Ambassador at a careers fair held at the university this month. My friends and I set up a stall called ‘ Life as a Science Student’ in order to educate A level students about science degrees they can work towards, career options they will have once they obtain a science degree and university life in general. And what with all the freebies available only when the students answered the questions to our science-based card game correctly, our stall was busy busy busy from the minute we set up! As much as the students benefited from such a successful event, I too was able to develop many of my interpersonal skills (something I will definitely not forget to mention on my CV!)

Bring on the Third and Final Year!

I know this sounds so cliché but it feels like only yesterday when I was accepted onto the BSc Biomedical  Science course at the university, I was sorting out my student finance, I had moved into halls and I had actually started the course. And now? Well...I really can't believe I've just started my third and final year of university! Pinch me please...because this really doesn't feel real!

Last week was moving- in weekend, so  just like all the other students, I did some last minute shopping,  packed my suitcases and headed off to Medway. As always, the Resident Assistants at the university were very welcoming and helped us with the moving in process. Seeing all the first year students, some I must admit who seemed very nervous...others more excited, with their parents by their side and a car full of what must have been everything they  possibly owned, really did bring back memories of my first moving-in weekend! I was really lucky this year because I was able to choose the flat/room I wanted and who I wanted to share the flat with! And after spending a long time thoroughly cleaning my room and unpacking, I can now say I have officially put my stamp onto the place and finally settled in!

Induction day was last Friday and we were informed of everything wonderful (that was sarcasm...in case some of you didn't realise) in store for us this year! The timetable seems to be much more relaxed this year- I have a 9am-12pm lecture on Medical Microbiology and a 2pm-4pm lecture on Medical Biochemistry on Mondays and then a 1pm-4pm lecture on Cancer Biology on Thursdays- although I'm sure our arch nemesis... THE FINAL YEAR PROJECT... will pretty much take up the rest of the week. I have been assigned a lab based project on Biochemistry so I can't wait to get started on that! And as for coursework this year, well we've been hit with them already... our first piece of coursework is due in just over a week's time...I better get started on that soon!

So to end... for those of you who are in the same boat as I am,  I'd just like to share a few pearls of wisdoms  I've been advised of by several members of staff at the university...my family...friends...pretty much everyone I know who have completed their degree... " The third year is by far the most intense, difficult and important year of your entire degree. Take it seriously. Manage your time well. Keep on top of all your work (especially your final year project). And don't leave things until the last minute!" ( Is anyone else as scared as I am right now?)

Good Luck Guys!

And I almost forgot to mention...Team April came a respectable second place in the 'Theme your Team' competition...if only if it wasn't for Team Spencer who stole the glory of first place from us! ;)

Clearing and GOOOO Grease Lightening!!!

So it’s officially nearing the end of August… time really does fly by when you’re on holiday (well… when you’re not in term time anyway… as technically I’m not on holiday… I’m at work). It feels so good to be reunited with everyone in the Enquiry Unit at the university (I hope the feeling is mutual!) and of course to be working alongside the newbies that have joined us for the Clearing period! The office has been busy busy busy from the very first day of Clearing and the phones just haven’t stopped ringing since!

Clearing can be a very stressful time of year for students (especially for those who didn't quite expect to end up in Clearing and so didn't prepare themselves for it, like me). As daunting as Clearing may sound, it is a rather straight forward, pain-free experience (well…our university aims for this anyway). I've had a wide variety of calls over these past few weeks: from making Clearing applications, checking the status of applications, solving accommodation and finance queries and more recently, queries regarding online registration. Many people think that Clearing only runs for a short period of time, straight after the exam results are published, but in fact it is on-going until late September! So long as the course is available and the entry requirements to get onto the course are met, a place is pretty much guaranteed! Another common misconception people have is that they often think Clearing is only for students who haven’t met the grades required to be accepted onto their firm or insurance university choice.  From all the calls I have taken during the last two Clearing cycles, I can definitely say that yes…we do get a lot of calls from students in this situation but we also get calls from late applicants who didn't think of going to university until now, students who have excelled in their exams so are eligible for adjustment and students who want to transfer from one university to another. One thing I've definitely learnt from working at the Enquiry Unit is that you need to be able to think fast on your feet… every person ringing the office has a different query…it is our duty to understand their problem and solve it as best as we can… this can be really difficult when the office is exceptionally busy (like on results day)…

But I’m sure you’ll all be relieved to know…it is not all ‘blood, sweat and tears’ at the office…last Friday was our ‘Theme your Team’ challenge! This year’s theme was ‘A Night at the Movies’… so what other movie were my team ‘Team April’ going to do but GREASE!!! We decorated our bay with lights, records and pictures of the 50’s…and of course there was plenty of 50’s style food such as apple pie, popcorn, cola etc. And as for our team performance… there was a lot of dancing, singing , acting and plenty more food! There was some very tight competition from the other teams I must admit, but I’m still hopeful Team April have got this one in the bag! Fingers crossed and I’ll keep you posted on which team came out top real soon!

Goodbye Second Year!

Heyyy Everyone!!! :)

I'm soooooo glad summer has finallllyyyy arrived! I don't know about you but I've just been enjoying the sun as much as I can lately! I know I haven't written any blogs for absolutely agesssss now... I was just soooooo overwhelmed by exams in May and then was running around doing voluntary work/ work placements in June ( I'll tell you more about that later) that I just didn't get time to sit down and actually put down everything I've been up to recently onto paper!  So as you can imagine I have A LOT  to update you on! Let's get going...

As you all know, May was a month of intense revision and exams. The exams this year were pretty close to one another so we didn't really get much time to relax. Some would argue that it is better this way as you can get all the exams over and done with within a short space of time and then have a longer holiday to look forward to....but to be honest, I would rather have had them spread across several weeks so I could relax between each exam and have more time to prepare for them.  My last exam was on the 30th and by the end of it, I was just relieved it was all over! I felt I did pretty well overall, with the exception of one paper, which was sooooo difficult, I came out of the exam hall gutted...convinced I had made a complete mess of it...

To celebrate the end of exams....and the end of ( I can't believe I am saying this) THE SECOND YEAR... of course we all had a small party on the night of our last exam, but the very next day,  we decided to let of some steam in Thorpe Park as well. I myself am absolutely PETRIFIED of any rides which ...let me think...(deep breath)... go super-fast, super high,  upside down, backwards, have even one loop let alone a billion or involve any sort of drops!!! So why go to Thorpe Park if I'm that scared? I hear you ask. Well, as much as I am scared of those kinds of rides...I absolutely LOVE the Water rides!!! I would go on Tidal Wave, Loggers Leap, Rumpa Rapids and the very latest Storm Surge a 100 times if the queues weren't as long as they were and I didn't have to face such a long WET journey back home! But my friends did manage to somehow force me onto two of what 'I' would call the more daring rides...although I hated them for doing that at the time...now that I am sitting safe and comfortably in my home...I am actually rather glad that I went on those rides!!! And I hope they don't read this but maybe I CAN pluck up the courage to go another one next time!

The end of exams also meant that I had to pack up my things and move out of halls. It always seems to amaze me how many things I manage to buy/ collect over the year...so much things that just one EXTRA suitcase wasn't quite enough! And of course returning the huge pile of library books I borrowed from the Drill Hall library and paying off the library fines was another thing I had to do! I was really lucky to have had AMAZING flatmates this year so it was really sad saying goodbye and leaving them all, especially as they were all graduating this year so it was unlikely we would see each other as much next year :(

After leaving the campus officially for the summer holidays...there was only one thing on my mind...the results. And guess what??? I received them only a few weeks into my summer holiday!!! I couldn't believe I had got a FIRST overall for the second year!!! I had even done pretty well in the really difficult paper I was soooooo worried about!!! Hard work really does pay off in the end!!! :)

So all that is left for me to say is....GOODBYE SECOND YEAR!!! I'm sorry to say but I won't be missing you...but I am looking forward to what is in store for me in the third year! And I know I did say I would tell you guys about my voluntary work/work placements later on...but you'll just have to wait until my next blog to hear about them!

So until then...byeeeeee!!!

Revision!

Hey Everyone!

Exams are in less than two weeks now ( what else can you expect now that the summer season has arrived???)  and I'm sure you are all fully underway with revision!!! My bedroom, which is usually very tidy (I must admit) looks like a whirl wind has just hit it...what with all the mind maps and post stick notes stuck on the wall, books/folders stacked up on the table and bits of paper lying all over the floor. Why is it that time just seems to be flying past these days now that I need as much time as I can get to fit in as much revision as I can before the exams begin? It's just not fair!!!

So here are some top tips I thought I'd share with you all to help you keep your cool during the stressful few weeks ahead:

1) Plan the time you have wisely so that you have plenty of time to cover all the modules prior to the exams. There is no point panicking that you have left your revision too late and having a nervous breakdown a few days before the exam or even worse...the night before ( which I  can't even imagine doing) because you will be the only one to blame!!! Making a revision timetable may seem tedious but it is the best way of planning your time ( and trust me...it really does work)!

2) Experiment with various methods of revision  and find the best method for you! Some people, like myself, prefer to revise using mind maps and revision notes...others  like to revise in small groups so that they can test each other. Whatever method you choose, it is important that it is effective! Do make sure you attempt past papers under timed conditions nearer to the exam so that you get a feel of the exam paper and are able to complete the paper within the time allowed. If you are unsure of any questions, I am sure the lecturers will not mind going through them (provided you email them about it before actually turning up in front of their door).

3) Weird as it may sound, it is very important that you are not constantly revising. The revision that you do is much more effective if you spread your revision throughout the day and take plenty of intervals between.

4) Eat Healthily, Exercise and Sleep well so that your health is not affected during this stressful period of time and are able to focus throughout the day.

5) Never panic the day before the exam! It may seem that you don't know anything, but as soon as you enter the exam hall and read through the exam paper, I am sure you will be able to remember everything you have revised ( and I'm saying this from past experience). Look through the material you have revised, such as the exam papers, but don't try to cram revise new things, knowing that the exam is less than 12 hours away! And I know this may seem obvious but make sure and that you know where and when your exam is the next day and have all your equipment ready to take with you ( the last thing you need to worry about on the day of the exam is forgetting something really important like your university ID card or arriving late to your exam because you went to the wrong building).

6) Finally, on the day of the exam , go calmly into the exam room (drinking water really does help calm your nerves) and read through all the exam questions and plan the time you are going to spend on each question, before attempting to answer the questions. Do make sure you check your answers before handing your exam paper in. Once you leave the exam room, do not worry about what you have written in the exam, but take a break for a few hours and then move onto your preparation for your next exam.

GOOD LUCK and REMEMBER...

Entering Graduate Medicine

Hi Guys! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine now that it has finallllyyyyyy arrived... (I know I am!!!)

Last Thursday, I attended a GET Workshop at our university about entering Graduate Medicine and thought I'd share some of the important information that was given to us with all you budding Medics like me! 

Graduate Medicine, I'm sure you all know, is a four year course which is open to students who wish to study medicine after completing an undergraduate degree. It is a very competitive course to get into ( if Undergraduate Medicine is very hard to get into, there are much fewer Medical Schools around the UK who actually do Graduate Medicine and the number of places that are available at each of these schools is much fewer than for Undergraduate Medicine); and so a lot of preparation is required to ensure  we have done all we can to guarantee the best chance of gaining a place at our desired medical school.

Here are just a few things you should be aware of when applying for Graduate Medicine:

1. Research! Each medical school has a slightly different entry criteria, so it is important that you do a lot of research about each medical school in order to find the medical school which best suits you. Some medical schools require certain medical entrance tests, whereas others may not require any. Some medical schools  may focus more on your undergraduate degree and  your medical entrance test scores, whereas  others may focus on GCSEs, A-Levels and other similar qualifications, alongside your undergraduate degree. Most Medical Schools carry out interviews, however a few schools make their decisions by looking at your qualifications, the scores you obtained in the medical entrance tests and your personal statement. So with all these different selection processes, you have plenty to think about! Attend university open days, read through the university's' prospectus and visit the university's website to gain as much information about the university, the course and the selection process before making  your decision. REMEMBER: there are only four choices you can put on your UCAS form so it is really important to make the best four choices for you.

2. Medical Entrance Tests. There are three main medical entrance tests, the UKCAT, GAMSAT and BMAT, which may be required by the medical school you are applying to. Each of these three tests differ in their assessment methods and test applicants on their Science knowledge, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English (depending on which of the three tests you sit). All the important information that you need to know about these exams are on the UKCAT, GAMSAT and BMAT websites so it is well worth visiting! A wide range of books and special courses are also available to help you prepare for these tests as best as you can.

3. The Personal Statement. This is the place where you can really shine and sell yourself! As you have a limited number of words in which you can do this, make sure you emphasise your reasons for wanting to study medicine,  what you have learnt from any relevant work experience such as the work you have done in hospitals, GP surgeries etc. / voluntary work you have done in places such as  charity shops, nursing homes etc, any other outstanding achievements that you have done and your hobbies/interests.  It is very important that your personal statement shows that you are academically able as well as showing that you are a well rounded person!

4. Deadlines! This may be very obvious...but make sure you meet  deadlines!!! It is important you register for UCAS and submit  your UCAS application by the 15th of October 2013 ( yes applications for Medicine is much earlier than the deadline for other applications). And if the Medical School you have chosen requires a medical entrance test, make sure you apply for these before the deadline, prepare for the exams  in advance and sit the exam on time on the appropriate day.

5. The Interview Process. If you are fortunate enough to be offered an interview, make sure you go well -prepared,  dress smartly, adopt the correct body language and answer all the questions confidently, to the best of your ability. ( I previously attended an interview for Undergraduate Medicine and unfortunately wasn't offered a place at the medical school after my interview . I feel that the main reason for this outcome was the fact that I started to panic after being thrown off by one particular question which I didn't expect to be asked and so didn't answer most of the questions after this properly. So what did I learn from this??? Be prepared for the unexpected and never panic under any circumstance!!!)

6. An Alternative Choice.  Choose the fifth choice on your UCAS form wisely so that you have a back-up plan if you unfortunately don't get a place onto the Graduate Medicine Course. Alternatively, you may want to think about searching for a job in the field you have obtained your degree in ( in  my case, as I am studying Biomedical Science, I may want to think about finding a job in a research lab).

So all what's left for me to say is...GOOD LUCK!!! Applications for the 2014 cycle is just round the corner now!  If you continue to work hard, gain as much experience as possible and be well prepared, your DREAM of studying Medicine can become a REALITY.