The End of The First Round: Shortlist to Interview

For the universities I've applied for at least, shortlisting for interview is complete. I think it's good to reflect back on the process and learn from what has gone well and what hasn't.

Firstly, I think it's okay to be immensely proud of myself in surviving this stage. So many people, some amazing applicants fall at this hurdle, and I was almost convinced that I would be one of them, so now I would be picking up the pieces and prepping myself for a 2015 entry application cycle. I'm not at this stage yet.

So far I've had 1 rejection, from King's College, London. If I'm completely honest with myself, this was one of my favourites, so I was a little bit gutted to hear this (you can read about this in my post: 'Rejection'). But they were very clear with me, so I completely understand their reasoning. My UKCAT wasn't quite high enough, so I didn't get in based on my mini-panic attack in the exam, causing me to screw up my quantitative reasoning section and miss out 13 questions. But these things happen, and despite this, I'm still doing well.

I had an interview in November at Imperial College, London. I love Imperial as a university, and it's always been one of my favourites. The university has such good standing, and the course looks absolutely fantastic, and completely in tune with my method of learning. The interview itself was strange, and looking back at it now, I wasn't entirely prepared, which is majorly because I didn't really know what to expect. I think some questions I answered really well, others I got flustered and could have answered much better (the kind of answers you consider half an hour later whilst sitting on the tube!). So I guess my standing in comparison to the other applicants will determine if I get made an offer of a place. I should find this out within the next month, which is both incredibly frightening, but also exciting.

Last week, I got an email notifying me I had been shortlisted for interview for the graduate scheme at the university of Warwick. Warwick also looks absolutely amazing, the campus looks so pretty, and the fact that the scheme is entirely for graduates is really appealing. The selection process is a selection day, completely opposite to my experience at Imperial, however I'm hoping the competitive side of me will come out enough for me to appear charismatic, without seeming too overbearing. I have longer to prepare, therefore after my exam, I'll have time to properly research the process and mentally prepare myself for the process, to give myself the best possible chance.

So the day I found this out was absolutely amazing, so to add to my excitement, I got an email from Barts and the London, informing me that they were also considering my application, based on my performance at the selection centre at Warwick. This is amazing. For those who know the medical school selection procedure, Barts and Warwick work together to select candidates to offer places to, however, you only get considered by both, if you are shortlisted by both.

From going from being convinced that I wasn't good enough, 3 of the best universities, and 75% of my choices, have disagreed with me enough to want to take me further. This is really exciting.

The next stage is the interview stage. I'll keep you updated as I go along, and hopefully I'll make it past this stage!

XOX

'Invitation to Selection Centre'

These keep coming when I'm in public places :D
The rise of modern technology means that you can check your emails anywhere, and I very much struggled to keep it cool when reading this over my lunch today.

Yes, I have a second interview, which is amazing, because despite myself not think I'm good enough or that I've done enough to get into medicine, not one but 2 medical schools think differently enough to take my application to the next stage. This is absolutely fantastic. I'm trying not to get really excited, but my dream is feeling closer than ever, and I'm really happy about it. I have a bit more time to prepare this time too. I have over a month until the date so I'm feeling much more relaxed about it than the one I had before. It's a completely different situation this time, I have to go to a selection centre, rather than just sit in front of a panel and talk. This has good and bad points. I always dread these kind of interviews, I hate the not knowing what to expect. However, taking what I can from the group interview I had for my job, seeing my 'competition' motivates me to really try hard to show the assessors my worth. I'm hoping this is what will happen this time. I'm also feeling more confident based on the fact that I've already had an interview, I know a little bit more about what to expect, and I can draw from what went well and what didn't go quite as well to really tailor my performance this time. I'm in a pretty good position.

Anyway, before I can even stress about this, I have exams to pass!

Busy, busy month!

XOX

Rejection

I found out a little while ago that I got rejected from one of the medical schools I applied for. Now this isn't down to anything I did, I just got out-competed, and there wasn't really anything I could have done about it. I got an explanation: My UKCAT wasn't high enough. I had a really good UKCAT, but due to the amount of applicants, I was just below the cutoff, an extraordinary high 772. The downside is, that out of all of them it was my favourite, so I guess you could say I'm a little but gutted about it.

So how did I react? I read the email, remained completely emotionless and didn't tell anyone for about 3 weeks. I've still only mentioned it to one person.
I didn't really expect this, I'm doing okay, I just thought on the inevitability that this would happen, I would feel somewhat different. I thought I'd be more upset, and definitely much more vocal about the whole situation. People keep asking me about how my application is going, and I've just been replying with I haven't heard, not necessarily a lie, I'm still waiting to hear from 2 of my universities, but also it is in this case.

I've coped by focusing my efforts on my uni work, I need to do well, because, as far as I'm aware I'm still a viable candidate for 3 out of my 4 choices. To get into any of these, I need to maintain my high grades, which means copious hours spent in the library and trawling over my coursework, reading countless journal articles and reading for my project.

I'm also continuing volunteering. I'm back at the health clinic tomorrow, and I'm genuinely excited, I've really missed it. I also have my first safespace shift of the year lined up, which is something else to look forward to. I'm lining up a new potential volunteering role as well, working for a scheme that monitors standards of healthcare in the local area and works on patient feedback, which would help me learn so much more about the workings of the NHS, this is potentially really exciting.

On top of this, I'm working on applications for my back up - an MSc in Cardiovascular Science, which is offered by 4 universities in England. Surprisingly the application process for this is more detailed and stressful than going through UCAS for medicine!

So how would I recommend coping with being rejected from a medical school?
Firstly it's important not to see it as the be all and end all of everything. It's gutting to get rejected, but it's a normal part of the application. You have 3 other choices to focus on, therefore work hard and learn from the experience, to better display yourself, should you get an interview for any of the others. If you get rejected from all 4, then look at the feedback given to you by the medical schools to enhance your application next time. If it was your UKCAT, work harder to improve your score. Do more volunteering, more paid work, anything to give you a wider idea of what medicine entails. And remember to apply to your strengths. Different medical schools have different selection criteria, therefore apply to the schools that look for aspects of your application that are particularly strong. Try not to be discouraged.

I hear from the medical school I got an interview for next month and the other schools should give me a decision as to whether or not I get an interview in the next couple of weeks.

Wish me luck!

XOX

New Year and New Beginnings - Reflections on a Not-so Terrible Year

I'm procrastinating from my cell pathology coursework by writing a blog, but seriously I wanted to round off this year. I've gone through the last couple of months thinking this is one of the worst years I've had so far, so in that instance, I'm going to be really glad to see the back of it. But whilst I'm being reflective, this year has bought so much and I've learnt so much from it. Firstly this year has bought the most changes since the year I left home and moved to Brighton, and although I've been so focused on the bad, this year has also given me some absolutely amazing experiences. The major one of these is travelling to the other side of the world entirely alone. I went to Thailand, a truly beautiful country, and definitely one of my favourite places, and working in a hospital, we'll I couldn't have done anything better. I saw surgery, travelled around, learnt about another culture. If it could change anything about the experience the only. Thing I could think of is that I would go for longer. I also went to Spain, and instead of just sun soaking, I got to interact with locals (in Spanish of course!) learn about the local area, and see it as more than just a place with a beach and heat, and actually appreciate how great Spanish culture is. 

This year is also the year that I really got to know myself and what I wanted out of life. Travelling bought ith it a lot of self discovery and widening by understanding of what I could do, as well as giving me a more realistic perspective of what I've got imprinted into me what I already wanted to do. But most of this actually came from realising what I don't want as well. I'm not content with just coasting through life and doing exactly what's expected of me, I want something extraordinary. I started this year volunteering in a project for homeless people, and this in itself was absolutely amazing. I then built on this with more volunteering experiences, working in a family centre and as a first aider for one of the most influential organisations in the world. With this I get to work with different people, experience scenarios that I couldn't have imagined, and spend my Saturday nights doing something other than vegetating in front of the television. I wouldn't have it any othe way. Anything I write down couldn't accurately describe the value of volunteering, therefore if you don't do it already, I'd encourage you to try! I ran 10 miles for charity back in October too, which was absolutely fantastic. If you know me, you'd know I'm not the most active person, therefore this was a massive achievement for me just to finish it, as well as raising over my target for the British Heart Foundation, an absolutely amazing charity. 

This year is the first year I've properly felt like an adult, my decisions (on the most part) have been much more responsible. I've also learnt that sometimes it's okay, and completely necessary to put myself first. I've also learnt it's important to take what you want out of life, there's absolutely no value in sitting on the sidelines, and I haven't regretted any of the decisions I made, to do something maybe slightly insane! (Particular reference to bungee jumping in Thailand!) I've gained so many amazing memories, things that I'll always treasure. 

In terms of new experiences, I applied for medicine this year. This is something I've been planning (and dreading!) for a long time, and I'm really excited I'm actually doing it, even if I don't get in, I'm going to learn so much from this experience, and in that scenario, I'll be bringing in next year in the same situation, hopefully whilst also studying for a masters degree, living in some city somewhere, of which I don't even know where it is yet.

This year has also been great in terms of friendships, not only have I met some amazing people and made some amazing new friends, I've also been able to deepen my friendships with some of the people I was already friends with. I've really learnt this year to appreciate the people around me and I feel really content in this aspect of my life, because I know whatever happens, they have my back. I'm really lucky to have all of them. 

So what does 2014 bring?

I'm starting 2014 in a great position, I live in what is the most beautiful city in the country, studying for a degree in a subject I'm passionate about. I'm starting this year single, for the first time really since 2007, but I'm surrounded by absolutely amazing people, so I'm not at all feeling lonely. I have a job, which allows me to talk to people and get money for it, and I'm still volunteering, meaning I get to continue building on these amazing experiences. This year I'll find out if I get into medicine, and graduate as a biomedical scientist. This year I'm going to move to a new city and gain new experiences, meet so many new people. I want to travel more this year, with going to Dublin at Easter, going away this summer seems a likely possibilty too. I'd like to finally get to Germany this year, visit the Christmas markets in Berlin (drink lots of jäger :D). I want to visit Iceland, see the northern lights, I wouldn't mind visiting Asia again either. I also want to sit on a beach somewhere abroad (pebbles in Brighton are great, but not quite the same thing!). I know that I probably won't do all of this, but I like the ability to dream about it. I'll also be doing the nuts challenge in March, an army style assault course, so will be training for this! 

Last year I made a list of resolutions to keep to, I'm not going to do the same this year because in reality I just have one:

This year I'm going to be happy.

(And maybe get fitter, take more photos and better control of my finances etc. :D)

I hope you all have a fantastic 2014, and bring 2013 out with a (metaphorical) bang!

XOX

Getting Back to Basics for a Slightly Unusual Christmas

Anyone who's seen me in the last few weeks will know exactly how much I've been dreading Christmas this year. I didn't decorate the house, give out cards, I bought all of my gifts horrendously last minute, I didn't feel at all festive and all that Christmas songs managed to achieve was making me cry, which isn't the greatest reaction when they're played on loop from a speaker above your head at work. This year is the first Christmas in 5 years that I've been single, and with the two before that being so upsetting (I barely even remember 2006), this one was different to any I've ever experienced. 

Firstly what I realised is that over the last 5 years, whilst focusing all of my energy into a relationship, I missed out on all of the things that my family do, that have always made Christmas so great. My mum was really excited, definitely more so than me, and she woke me up at 8.30. Then we opened presents. We always wait and open them all together, each doing a present at a time. My mums partners sister always gets someone something that's so obscure we can't work out what it is, without fail every year, which adds to the entertainment. There's also always the relative who makes a present almost unopenable by use of copious amounts of Sellotape. Then the cooking starts, and of course the drinking (something I couldn't partake in this year due to driving!). Paul always tries to cook something obscure with varying degrees of success, and this year didn't disappoint with a sausagemeat and stuffing concoction wrapped in bacon which was actually pretty good. We usually have some relatives stop by. It's so nice to see people who you don't see regularly and just catch up on their lives, how things are going. It makes the family feel closer, something that my family in particular is bad at. Mid morning we usually collect my grandmother, she's in her eighties now and in a nursing home, she also has an almost child-like persona, of which an element of which is that she gets really excited about Christmas. Every year without fail she'll come through the door and proclaim she's home, which is lovely. Then, with the mandatory cup if tea in hand, she'll demand her presents, and it's so nice to see how excited she gets. Then we all have dinner together, eat turkey and pull crackers. My nan always insists on watching the queen at 3, and I think this was the first year that she actually managed to stay awake for it. Then we take her back, and she'll join the others, who have returned or didn't get to spend Christmas with their families this year, and we head home and spend a chilled evening watching Christmas TV. 

This year I didn't spend my Christmas afternoon with a boyfriend, but I have so many other memories that I will cherish. Watching toy story with my parents, making me incredibly nostalgic for my childhood, sitting in front if the wood-burning fire, holding my 81 year old grandmothers hand whilst she tells me she loves me, joking about needing L plates whilst crashing a wheelchair, attempting to get said wheelchair into a small hatchback, with little success, laughing in the kitchen about cooking techniques and my hidden chocolate. This year also bought something new, not wanting to spend Christmas dwelling over the past, I drove to Wales, spending two and a half hours alone in the car, just so I could spend a few hours with two of the most special little men in my life. They caught me when I pulled up and ran to the car, immediately begin searching for presents, and help me into the house. We opened presents together, and they began fighting the cuddly smurfs I got them. I got to read them a story, of which I laughed far too much at for a children's book! And put them to bed. However this ended abruptly. Christmas 2013 will now always be the year that Ben fell out of his bunk bed and broke his wrist. But what is Christmas without a little bit of drama? 

This year I'm feeling incredibly thankful for what I have, and not dwelling over what I don't have anymore. If I'd known this beforehand, I would have probably been excited!

Happy Christmas! 

XOX

Interview Day: Highlights

Today wasn’t quite a normal Wednesday, I got up and put on a suit to start, which is completely unusual, I've never worn a suit before and although this one came with a pencil skirt it still counts! The day started well – I realised I couldn’t walk in the shoes that I’d bought for my interview, and had to stagger down Elm Grove in my teeny-tiny heels, wishing with each step that I was wearing my vans, even to the extent where I was staring at someone’s feet for a while with complete shoe envy until I realised what I was doing. I got really strange stares walking through Brighton in a suit at 10am, particularly through a muddy park (really didn’t think this through!) and I had (still have) my trademark fringe scraped back in order to look a little more professional, and although it’s nice to not have to scrape my hair out of my eyes at every given opportunity, I feel self –conscious. I got to London at around 11.30am. This was over 2 hours before my interview therefore, resisting the urge to pay a visit to the science museum, I went to Starbucks to do some last minute research. All of which was pretty useless. I was so nervous, I actually forgot to remove my coat. Literally, I just took my scarf off then stopped. I think I sat correctly, I remember giving it thought when I sat down. My interview lasted 25 minutes, 5 minutes over the allocated time, so I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not and it was in front of a panel of four. Now the most useful preparation I did for the interview was preparing my technique, the questions asked were pretty okay, nowhere near as bad as some of the ones I prepared for. I held my wrist, as on the advice of the careers advisor, to slow my pulse rate and calm my nerves. Whilst saying the questions were okay, I unravelled a little on the ethics question. Of course coming out of the interview, my brain’s kicked in and I now know exactly what I should have said, but obviously I can’t do anything about it now. I think I’ve had this at every single job interview, so I really shouldn’t expect this one to be any different in that aspect. I spoke fast as well, I couldn’t help it, not super-speed, but I was aware of it. At least I managed to keep it flowing, I didn’t stop after every few words, which I was also extremely conscious of.

All in all the experience wasn’t amazing, I’m not coming out of it thinking I definitely have the place, but it also wasn’t bad, & I don’t think I screwed it up by any means. It was also nowhere near as bad as I was expecting from a medical school interview, which is positive.  The only major thing that has come out of this experience so far is the confirmation that I really, really want this.

So what am I doing right now? I’m sat on a bench in Hyde Park, typing away, because they bought up my blog in the interview, and I didn’t want to neglect it on a day as momentous as today. Plus I’ve never actually been to Hyde Park before, I completely forgot about winter wonderland being here, but aside from that being absolutely massive, there’s still a large amount of open parkland here too, it’s beautiful. I really love London. I can picture myself here, I can picture myself being so happy here.

So I need to head back to Brighton and finish off my literature review for my project, it’s just nice to have the opportunity to remember exactly what I’m working so hard for.

I’ll keep you updated, no matter what the outcome is,

XOX

Post-application: the view from the other side

As you'll know if you've been reading my blog, or have applied to/ know someone who has applied to medicine yourself, almost a month has passed since the application deadline. Now being me, I typically left this until the day of the deadline, to give myself enough time to master that personal statement, which in all honesty was one of the most challenging parts of my entire application. I found it so difficult to fit in everything I'd done into 4000 characters, and I failed at this in that I had to sacrifice writing about some of my less relevant experiences in favour of the more clinically related ones. 

Anyway what have I been doing since then? Well I've started to progress on my final year project, experimenting and writing some of the all important literature review. As much as I love my university, access to some of the papers I've wanted has been somewhat challenging to say the least! I'm producing a drug-eluting stent, for use in coronary arteries in patients presenting with atherosclerosis. This is an exciting area of research, and due to my love for all things cardiovascular, I'm actually really looking forward to progressing it. With it also being something that hasn't been done before at the university, it'll be great to see how far we can get. I've been progressing through third year. There's a lot more work this year, and it's involving significantly more library time, but I feel relatively on top of everything, which is nice! Hopefully this will minimise the whole 'going crazy at exam time' thing.

I'm also continuing volunteering, which has been enjoyable. In my role at the family centre, I'm gaining more responsibility, which is really helping to develop my confidence, so I feel pretty great in that aspect also. Getting back into the society at uni is really making me feel like I have more of a purpose for this year, and I intend to make the most out of my final year here. 

In terms of my application, I've not been quite as cool as I would have hoped. Its because of the amount I want it, but as not to set myself up for disappointment, I emotionally readied myself for 4 straight rejections without interview, this hasn't stopped me panicking slightly every time I get an email on a weekday (I get the notifications on my phone as well, it's been pretty rough!) in case it's a reply from a university, or an update from track. And this had been entirely unnecessary, until today when I actually got my first reply. 

A month of waiting, feeling apprehensive and hoping, the first university that got back to me offered me an interview. 

Now this is amazing! It's such an honour to even be shortlisted down from so many people, and it makes medical school feel more like a reality. It means that a medical school has liked my application enough to consider me for a place. I know that this could lead to nothing, but even to get this far is motivation enough to really put my all in, not only my preparations for this interview, but also in terms of my course. 

Wish me luck!

XOX