I have a letter! From Southampton! Telling me that my application is being kept for further consideration. After a little bit of digging around TSR I have found that 2 letters are being sent out. One like mine, and one rejection after interview letter. Not very many rejection letters are going out from what I can gather so not getting too excited just yet. Should be hearing at the end of March (seems like an eternity away).
Exams went ok. Results are out at the beginning of March so will see how this goes!
Drove up to Southampton this morning. It seems really nice! Got there far too early but at least I wasn’t late. There were loads of us there, and someone said the numbers were at around 1000 applications, and 200 interviews. There are 30 places! The odds are against me but oh well. I just keep on thinking “someone has to get in, why not me?”.
I wore a white shirt (Japanese style collar) with a v-neck jumper (sleeves folded up of course) and black pinstriped trousers. There were a few people in suits so hopefully I wasn’t too underdressed!! Hair was in a grippy thing all tied up and hands were in my lap (except when I was waving then about and gesticulating which I did try to keep to a minimum, somewhat unsuccessfully).
I was called in my a very nice gentleman, and was lead to a room with himself and another lady in there. They introduced themselves but I can’t remember who they were, I shook their hands, and from then on is pretty much a blur. I remember at one point, talking so fast that I wasn’t finishing the last word of a sentence before moving onto another. I remember telling myself not to say “fabulous” which is a word I use a lot at the moment, and instead found that I said “sort of” making me seem very indecisive.
I recall being asked ‘why Southampton?’, ‘why BM6?’, and examples of learning independently. There was a question that I had to ask to be clarified about what sources I used, and I waffled on about the internet for a while before going on about how it can be unreliable but backed up by other sources. At one point the chap writing down notes on his little yellow form stopped and looked up at me, nodded a lot, smiled, and carried on writing which really worries me. It was either “omgshuttup” or “omg you’re amazing”… hoping it was the latter!
Other than that I don’t remember much. It definitely didn’t seem 20 minutes long, but we shall see! On the way out the lovely lady at the front wished me well and said she hoped to see me in September which was nice!
Long drive home – definitely not going to commute that. Am going to have to think of something else.
Southampton had no spaces, and I failed anyway. BBCC is not enough! Although my AS grades are now a pretty AABB. My bio syllabus is not offered any more either so I have January to resit, and then it is over.
Reapplying is going to suck. UKCAT again, personal statement again… references, predicted grades…. Gah!!!
BUT! I WILL do it. This is a small hiccup in the rest of my life. No worries….
Ok, so UCAS has told me that I have 4 rejections. Except So’ton have said I am on their reserves! I am not completely untrainable! Totally wishing that this had come sooner. Totally unprepared for my exams but will do my best. Looks like I will most likely be reapplying next year anyway.
Received some postcards and letters from all but BSMS so far to say thank you and that they have my application. BSMS don’t send these out so DO NOT PANIC like I did!
It’s starting to get tough now. People at college are receiving offers and I am not. It’s difficult, but you just got to stick with it. It’ll be worth it in the end. I personally don’t have a “back up” choice as well which I don’t think helps!
Revision time now, and should really knuckle down but what with coursework, work, housework, volunteering and anxiously checking UCAS there is not much room for doing it! I’ve got a timetable and when I stick to it, it is really helpful:
Blocked out time slots for each day.
Got small multicoloured post-its that fit in the holes.
Each colour represents a subject, and then there are pink ones for things like work, volunteering, relaxing etc so I can be flexible each week as long a I have x number of blues/greens/yellows/purples for my revision!
MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR TUTORS! Their references are quite important, especially when you’ve had some time off with a chest infection, otherwise your attendance will be “satisfactory” and your university will be told that you are “working on it”.
Writing a personal statement is harder than it seems! What do you include and what do you leave out?
I have talked a LOT about my work experience and tried to include what I learned from the experiences but that doesn’t leave much room for much else! It’s the bit I am most proud of at the moment so I guess I’ll just stick with it.
It’s a bit cheesy but I’ll leave it here to perhaps inspire someone who is stuck!
As a mature student, I took the time to find a career that would challenge me. I sought academic rigour in an interpersonal environment with a foundation in science. At 16 I left education for two years due to financial constraints, but during this time I focussed on what career I really wanted to pursue and gained valuable life experiences. My fascination with the complexities of the human body grew when I joined a team setting up a new clinic called the Musculoskeletal Clinical Assessment Service (MSK) on behalf of West Sussex Primary Care Trust. The project gave me insightful experience of working in a specialist orthopaedic team and my passion for human anatomy and biology was reinforced with the variety of cases presented. It was here that I decided my return to college would be to strive for medicine.
Working for the MSK developed essential communication and teamwork skills. As a small group, we relied on each other to ensure a smooth progression of each referral from GP, potentially to trauma and orthopaedics at any Sussex hospital. This complicated process relied on the communication between the team across three sites spanning a large and varied demographic area. My role demanded an extended medical vocabulary and the ability to interact with a diverse range of people. This was useful when working in reception of an Accident and Emergency department and my first patient could not speak English! With the careful use of basic sign language and diagrams, the problem was established, the patient reassured and the correct medical care provided. This ability to find simple solutions to presenting problems is an advantage in the emergency department.
Within accident and emergency, the demand for efficient prioritisation is vital, especially with the constant flow of different and often difficult cases ranging in severity. It was here that my skills for prioritising flourished, managing patients, phone calls and maintaining hygiene. I learned how to take a detailed yet concise history of the patient’s condition, key in the triage process and in ensuring the right level of care is provided at the right pace. The variety and complexity of the cases, dealing with both patients and staff and the pace of work was an environment in which I flourished and enjoyed. To widen my experiences of the hospital surroundings, I have undertaken roles in the Radiology and Medical Records department, fulfilling a range of clerical roles. In the last year I have volunteered on wards and soon a children’s hospice.
Recently, I took part in MedEx at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. This gave me the unique opportunity to sample the medicine course and participate in a human dissection session. I also took the opportunity to learn clinical skills, including taking blood pressure, historys, and heart exams. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and it has helped develop my sense of what lies ahead in the path to medicine. Learning clinical skills and being able to partake in a dissection has reinforced my choice to study medicine fervently.
I have lived independent both physically and financially from my family home for three years, successfully maintaining a self supported lifestyle whilst juggling college, volunteering, and an active social life. To unwind I enjoy exercise, participating in holistic classes at my gym, and also making and selling various craft items such as handmade cards and jewellery. Running an independent lifestyle has its own demands, including managing an often tight budget and maintaining a household. Overcoming these challenges has developed me personally, giving me an increased level of maturity and self-determination. Medicine has already become a large part my life and I will not stop until I get there.
Well my March results weren’t too bad so only have a few resits to do in June but this is not my reason for writing!
I realised that my blood donation sessions are worth more than a fuzzy good feeling and a cup of tea. It’s another way of getting to know another side of medicine and chat with the care staff. Just gave my 5th donation and got chatting to a doctor about how it is used and stored etc. It’s an amazing process. They don’t just use whole blood, but split it up into components – red blood cells, platelets, plasma (to reverse the effects of anticoagulants like warfarin) and white blood cells and they can use each bit separately to help different people. The bag is rocked back and forth and mixed with an anticoagulant to prevent it spoiling.
It’s a great feeling to know that you can be helping so many people by giving such a small gesture. 5th donation also means I get my new swipe card and this one is in blue! Awesome.
So, I’ve made the enormous decision to go back to college and to aim for the stars – medical school. Taking Law, psychology, human biology and chemistry I am feeling very nervous as I have been out of school for nearly 2 years now. But all I can do is try and see how it goes! Wish me luck!