1 week to go!

It's the final week before I move to university. The packing is done, all the online bits are done, and all the paperwork is done. All that's left to do is get through this week, load the car and move.

Strangely, the closer it gets, and the more ready I am, the less ready I actually feel. Last night I started to feel a little wobbly about it all. I guess because I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing. I just feel a little too old, like maybe I'm crazy to take it on now. Five years is a long time and, let's be honest, university is just the beginning of a medical career. I'm going to be a little way from home, from my family, my Dad, and my friends, and it's all just going to be strange and new.

I am looking forward to getting there though, and getting unpacked, and trying to make it feel homely. I just hope I can fit everything in the car, along with myself, my uncle and my Mum!! It's going to be a squeeze, that's for sure! And this is after I've condensed down my packing at least twice. I just own too much stuff!

This week I'm working two long days and three half days, and on Thursday afternoon I'm going to hang out with one of my friends for a movie and pizza night, which will be nice before I move. I'm hoping some of my friends might even bother to come and visit, but I won't be holding my breath! One of my sisters will probably visit at some point, which will be nice. And I'll be making regular trips home.

Freshers events are being advertised like crazy, and honestly I can't even be bothered to think about going out clubbing, but I may go to the occasional thing. There's a pretty good looking Halloween party that I like the idea of as I love Halloween! It's actually on Brighton Palace Pier which has a sort of theme park on it, with fairground stalls and scare actors. There's afterparties too but it's a weeknight so I doubt I'll be partying! There's a paint party and a UV party too which look pretty cool, but again they're on weeknights so it's unlikely I'll go, especially as all of the Brighton freshers events start after BSMS students have already finished our freshers and started class.

BSMS has their own freshers events but we don't know much about them yet. All we've heard is some suggestions for fancy dress we need to pack for certain themed parties... I haven't packed any fancy dress because I'm a bore... haha! I'm sure I'll have something in my suitcase that I can make work if I decide to go out.

We've also had a leaflet about a bunch of Students' Union Events which has some good looking things such as:
Rock and Roll Bingo
Powder Paint Party
Murder Mystery Evening
Quizzard: Harry Potter Quiz
Casino Night
And even a board games cafe and a mature students community cafe.
I think I'm more interested in these events than the clubbing!

My first weekend at university I'll be heading to London anyway to spend the weekend with my Dad and some other family and friends, and we're going to Warner Brothers Studio Tour, so that'll be fun! And the second weekend I'll be coming home to visit family and celebrate my Grandad's birthday, and work a shift on time and a half.

I've got a few other bits planned throughout first term. A few weekends home. Bonfire Night at Lewes. And possibly the Battle of Hastings reenactment.

I'll be home for Christmas before I know it!

Thanks for reading,
Katherine x

2 weeks to go!

Reading Festival - There was no update last Monday due to a trip to Reading Festival with Dad and one of my sisters. We travelled on the Wednesday as my sister was working and had to be there by Wednesday evening. Dad and I spent a night in a travelodge to make the most of an extra night of comfort and a decent shower! We did an Aldi shop when we arrived to stock up for the weekend. Wednesday evening we ate at Benny's Diner, which was great. Thursday lunchtime we took at taxi to the festival and pitched our tent. Then walked to the on site supermarket to grab bottles of water and a few other supplies. Thursday evening we just chilled out. On Friday the music started. Favourites from the weekend were Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Mike Shinoda, Skindred, Sum 41, Waterparks, Creeper, Pendulum, The Regrettes, and David Morgan. We also went to the signings for Waterparks and Sum 41 which were great, and Dad really enjoyed them! On Monday we were packed up by around 10am and had to queue for a shuttle bus back to the train station, but we were there before 12. The earliest I've ever managed to arrive at the train station in 6 years at Reading Festival!! 

Dad Update - At Dad's oncology appointment last week we were told that his new CT scan shows that all of his tumours are shrinking with the chemotherapy, apart from one which is slightly more prominent, but could be down to a recent infection. This doesn't mean he will get better, but it is the best news we could hope for at this stage. He continued his chemotherapy, starting cycle 9, on Thursday.

Work - I've been working late into the evenings at the end of this week, which meant I felt like I barely had time to do anything other than work and sleep! 

Bank - I had two appointments with the bank this week to try and open my student account, but the first time my driving license had the wrong address on, and when the new one arrived, it wouldn't let us open it because it hadn't been 30 days, so I'll have to come back to that one next month.

DBS - Once my address was updated on my driving license I could finally get my DBS sorted, so I got up early on Saturday to get the bus into the city and do that.

New uni outfit - While we were in the city my sister treated me to a new outfit for uni, which I absolutely love!!

Farmer's Jam - This weekend I've spent most of my time at the local dry slope as they had a competition/little festival going on, and one of my friends was competing, so that was nice. Both of my sisters came with me on Saturday and Sunday, and I was pleased to see the little one developing a similar interest in sports. The sun shined all weekend, perhaps slightly too much, the competition was great, and my friend won a new pair of skis, so an all round good weekend.

Packing - After I got home from the slope on Sunday I sorted through a couple more boxes and, I don't want to jinx it but, I think I'm practically ready to move, which is good because the 16th is fast approaching and I have to work every weekday! 

Thanks for reading,

Katherine x

4 weeks to go!

University is getting pretty close now. 4 weeks! Enrolment timetables and provisional timetables have been released, and I'm so ready to get started!!

From what I've seen the things we're learning in the first term should be a fairly nice start, after my first degree and 9 years in a GP surgery, there's nothing looking too intense, a few things I haven't covered before though, and I have to learn a brand new method for referencing, which I'm really hoping is easier than Harvard as I'm rubbish at that! But I'm looking forward to getting stuck in!

Last week I had to start back at work, which certainly wasn't in my plans, but student finance, after telling me earlier in the year I would be entitled to a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan, have now told me I am only entitled to a maintenance loan. This means I have to find £9250 a year to pay my tuition fees for the first four years (the NHS fund tuition fees in year 5). It's a hell of a lot of money to suddenly be told you have to find. But my parents are adamant that I've got this far and this close that I have to go. They are both going to loan me some money, hopefully I can ask my grandparents for my inheritance and fingers crossed I will get a bursary from the university. The rest I'm going to have to make up with working, and possibly a loan towards the end of my degree. So, I'm working all the hours I can get and should be able to put £1000 away before I move.

I'm also looking at part time work at university for the first two years of the course, before it gets crazy intense. There's student ambassador jobs, events reps, bar work, and phlebotomy and HCA at the local hospital, so I'm sure I can find something to do for a few hours a week just to help out. But my maintenance loan is pretty good. It covers my rent and I've budgeted the remaining amount and I can definitely live off it, so that's one good thing.

Apart from working this week, it was my 27th birthday. I'm feeling pretty old! Virtually all of my presents were practical for university - packet food, cleaning products, coffee, wine! But I did also get a cute succulent planter from my Mum, raspberry vodka from my Sister, an enormous box of sweets from my Dad, and a Japanese art colouring book from my grandparents.

And today I've been sorting the boxes to go to uni. It turns out I'd packed a few too many so I had to have a little rethink, but it hasn't been too bad! Still might have to take some of it another weekend, after moving day, but hey, I like my luxuries, and I've accumulated a lot of stuff over the years, and the places I've lived.

I'm definitely looking forward to a bit of freedom, I've been living with my grandparents for the last 5 years, and while I have my keys and can come and go as I please, and they don't mind if I have friends round (not in a group), it'll be nice to control all aspects of my life again. Even the little things like the food shopping will just be nice to do myself, and cook and eat what I want, when I want.

This week I'm off to Reading Festival as my Dad's P.A. so there won't be an update next Monday, but updates will return the following week.

Thanks for reading,
Katherine x

Boxes, boxes and more boxes!

It feels like I've been packing forever! I'm moving out of my current bedroom at my Grandparents house so my sister can move in. This means that everything I own needs to be sorted. Probably more than I need will come to uni with me, some has been binned or recycled, some has gone to charity shops, and some will go into storage in my Mum's shed! Trouble is, I already have some stuff in storage at my Mum's and at my Grandparents because I used to live in my own house, and when I moved out of there I had to store some of my things. So to make room for the new things to go into storage I also have to sort through all of the old things. It's a long job to say the least but today I finally felt like I was making progress.

Because of this, packing has been a bit disorganised. Instead of just neatly packing the things I need I've been opening each cupboard and deciding where each thing is going. So, I don't really know what I've actually packed for uni! This could turn out to be a nightmare!

For this reason, I won't be publishing a suggested packing list until I've arrived at uni and unpacked my things so I can see what is actually useful!

I'll definitely be glad when the packing is done, and I can't wait to get to university and unpack and see what I can do with my room.

You may have seen my earlier blog post about "Design Plans for my University Room" and seen that I've decided on a theme for my bedroom. It will be themed around nature colours, so greens, whites, browns and greys, with woods, but also metals, and some contrasting colours such as pale pink. I've been gathering various things for this theme and can't wait to see it all come together, hopefully without being too chaotic.

I've also since decided on a classic nautical theme for the en-suite and just have a few little themed bits to go in there, as I know it will be very small, so I'm looking forward to seeing that too.

Kitchenware I already had in a black and white (mostly) theme, and so I'll be sticking with that but some other things will be coming which don't fit the theme, but I'm less fussy about my kitchenware.

I mostly just want to make sure that my bedroom and en-suite are spaces where I feel calm and peaceful, where I can escape, where I can study, and so I've chosen my themes around colours which make me feel calm. Hopefully it will work!

Thanks for reading,
Katherine

P.S. Not all of these boxes are mine, my Mum is having a sort out too!

It's all go!

Over the last few weeks, messages from university have been trickling in faster than usual. Reminders about DBS checks, occupational health clearance forms, showing original exam certificates to the university, accommodation acceptance, and the phase 1 reading list! Just a few things to be going along with! I'm well and truly getting stuck into getting ready! Packing is well underway, and as I've got to move everything out of my current bedroom either to university or into storage, it's a big job! (My sister is moving into my current bedroom.) I also signed up to the British Medical Association because it's free for students to sign up during summer. This gives me access to an extensive library of ebooks for students to browse before I even get to university.

My last update was a couple of months ago now, and I keep meaning to try and blog more regularly and frequently but life has been wild. Since the last post at the end of May I've finished work, been to Download Festival with my Dad, spent three weeks travelling around Japan with my Brother, and been away on a family holiday - The Secret Holiday! Now I'm home for 3 1/2 weeks before I go off to Reading Festival with my Dad. So, I'll just do a few photos for this blog! If you want to find out what Dad's secret holiday was all about I'll post it up separately straight after this.

Download Festival

Dad was super excited that we were camped on the
second to last corner of Donnington Racetrack!

Dad with the Download Dog

Friday: Cloudy and Rainy

 

Our view of the main stage

Saturday: Cloudy and Sunny

Dad's first silent disco!

Sunday: Sunny!

Japan Travel Photos

Tokyo

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Station

Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo Disneyland

Sensoji Temple

Hayabusa Shinkansen - Fastest Bullet Train in the world

World's longest undersea tunnel -
Between Aomori and Hokkaido

Hokkaido

Hell Valley - Noboribetsu

Hell Valley hot spring - Noboribetsu

Ishiya Chocolate Factory - Sapporo

Otaru Aquarium - The first time
I saw a Walrus

Otaru Aquarium - The first time I saw an Octopus

Osaka

Universal Studios Osaka - The Wizarding World of
Harry Potter

P.s. If you like Harry Potter scroll down to the very bottom of this blog for the story of possibly the wildest thing that has ever happened to me! 

Osaka Aquarium - The first time I saw a Whale Shark

Osaka Castle

Osaka Aquarium - The first time I saw a Hammerhead Shark

Tennoji Zoo - The weirdest turtle I've ever seen

Tennoji Zoo - The first time I saw a Hippopotamus

Kyoto

Kinkakuji Temple - The Golden Pavillion

Bamboo Groves

Kyoto Imperial Palace

Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine

Torii Gate paths up Mount Inari

Fuji

Mount Fuji Subaru Fifth Station - 2305m

Back to Tokyo

Tokyo Tower

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter story!

Outside Ollivanders - Excuse the mismatched outfit, we flew
into Osaka from Sapporo that morning and were not prepared
for the heat!

So, we're at Universal Studios, Osaka, we're in The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, and there's a random queue with no sign, right near Ollivanders, so we ask what it's for and apparently its a magic show. Cool. We queue up for a few minutes and go in, except it turns out it's like the bit in the Philosopher's Stone film where Harry gets his wand, and guess who gets chosen to basically be Harry Potter... yep, me! So I have to try these different interactive wands and I'm messing up the shop, until I get the right one, and all the light and wind happens like in the film and so the wand has chosen me. I got the chance to buy it, and it came with a totally unique box, so of course I bought it! (approx £35, not bad) They also gave you a special map of the area with the spell points marked on it and the spells around the edge. So we went round the Wizarding World doing the interactive spells. There were eight spells you could do, but most of them there wasn't really much you could photograph but I will include the photos anyway! 

Wand, box, and map

Wingardium Leviosa - Levitated the Quaffle

Aguamenti - Made a water fountain

Arresto Momentum - Stopped the music box

Meteolojinx - Made it snow

Cistem Aperio - Opened the luggage

Thanks for reading!

Katherine

On The Interview Day

I mentioned this at the beginning of the previous blog but let me remind you that I will not be discussing any of the real questions I had to answer as candidates are sworn to secrecy about this. This is something the university takes very seriously. If you are found to have disclosed the nature of any of the questions you can have your offer of a place withdrawn, even if you have already accepted it.

Essential notes
Make some essential notes, bullet points, of the things you find hard to remember or are very important and take them with you to read on the way there and before you go in. Having something practical to read will likely also help to calm your nerves.

Be punctual
Make sure you plan your travel so that you will arrive on time. If you have a long way to travel consider staying somewhere local the night before. Do not plan to arrive at the very last minute or any delay will make you late for your interview.

When you arrive
Register your arrival, there will be people to greet you, likely student volunteers. You may be required to show your qualification certificates at this stage, if you already have them. You will be shown where to wait. Stay calm and read your notes. Eat something small and not too sugary, and remember to stay hydrated.

Information talks and campus tours
You may be given a short talk about your university and what to expect in your interview and you may be taken on a campus tour. This tour could be optional or compulsory. Especially if your tour is before your interview try to use this time to actually look around and ask questions. Could you imagine yourself living and studying here? Which halls would you like to live in? Are amenities conveniently located? What is transport like? Are there lots of societies and clubs to choose from?

In the interview
I had a mini-station interview so that's the only set up I can talk about. This set up is good because you move to a new station every few minutes and start fresh so if you feel like you've messed up one station it's easier to move on and not let it affect the rest of your interview. You get a minute between stations to have a breather and a drink. This set up is also very similar to the OSCE style of exams you will do as a medical student if you get a place so it is good practice.

First impressions
At each station you will have to make your first impression again so remember to smile, introduce yourself and shake hands with your interviewer.

Answering the questions
When you are answering the questions you need to consider the following:

• Am I answering the question they have asked me, not the question I want to answer?
• What skills or attributes are they looking for with this question?
• Where have I shown these?
• Where have I observed these?
• What have I learned?
• How could I use these as a student or doctor?
• The length of your answer.
• The structure of your answer.
• The vocabulary you use.

Remember

Your interviewers are there to help you answer the questions. If they can give you a hint or guide you then they will. If they do this it does not mean you are doing badly.

Your interviewer may cut you off in the middle of a sentence. This could be because what you are saying is not relevant, or you have already said what they want to hear and they want to move on. They may also come back to a question if they feel you have not answered it as well as you could.

Your interviewer may be very cheerful or very serious, this is not a reflection on you or how well or badly you might be doing, they are told to act that way. 

Remember to thank your interviewer and shake their hand as you leave their station.

And remember to relax. You will either receive an offer or you won't, but getting worked up about it won't help you to answer the questions to the best of your ability. 

Good Luck!
Thanks for reading.
Katherine

Preparation For Medicine Interviews

Let me make one thing clear before I begin, I will not be discussing any of the real questions I had to answer as candidates are sworn to secrecy about this. This is something the university takes very seriously. If you are found to have disclosed the nature of any of the questions you can have your offer of a place withdrawn, even if you have already accepted it.

But what I am going to do is tell you what topics I read up on to prepare for my interview.

About me
In this section be prepared to talk about something you're passionate about. Also think of 3 or so words you would use to describe yourself.

Why medicine?
In this section prepare to answer the big question "Why do you want to be a doctor?" Think about your motivation. Do you enjoy science? Do you enjoy helping people? What about leadership or problem solving? Has anybody influenced your decision to apply for medicine, and why? Think about why medicine instead of nursing. Nurses can specialise, prescribe and lead a team. So, why medicine?

What makes a good doctor?
Think about some traits and attributes of a good doctor, both academic and non-academic.

Attributes of a doctor
For the following attributes think about an example of a time where you have shown it and an example of a time where you have observed it.

• Empathy
• Conflict Resolution
• Communication Skills
• Dealing With Stress
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Resilience
• Limitations and Weakest Attributes

Changes in medicine

Think about a topic that interests you, and a topic you've read about or heard about recently. Think about the most important development in the last ten years, and the most interesting one.

Changes in NHS

Think about the biggest challenges of the NHS at the moment, look up NHS hot topics. Think about an issue you've read about or heard about recently. Think about the most important or interesting development in the last ten years. Also consider if there was one thing you could change about the NHS what would it be and how would you implement the change. 

Make sure you look up the NHS core values, the NHS constitution, the NHS seven principles and the 6 Cs of NHS values.

Think about the NHS five year forward view and the Wanless report. 

Make sure you know who the following are and what they do:

• DOH - Department of Health
• GMC - General Medical Council
• CQC - Care Quality Commissioning 
• NICE - National Institute of Clinical Excellence
• CCG - Clinical Commissioning Groups
• STP - Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships
• BMA - British Medical Association
• BMJ - British Medical Journal

Ethics, confidentiality and other notes

Look up the four pillars of ethics and use them when you answer every ethical question, and remember to give balanced arguments. 

Look up the eight principles of confidentiality and make sure you understand the meaning and importance of these.

Look up the stages of breaking bad news, you may be asked to do this in your interview. They do not expect it to be perfect, you will learn how to do this properly later but they are looking to see if you would have the ability to do this. 

Look up how to assess competency in adults and children, how to resolve conflict, and what makes a good leader.

Your university

Remember you might be asked why you specifically want to go to that university, so remember to research the university and be prepared to convince them that's where you want to go.

Thanks for reading.
Katherine