As we are all now in full swing of the interview season, I thought I would share a brief overview of some of the tips that I have to ensure you remain focused, yourself and calm during medical school interviews.
While I did manage to succeed at interview and gain a medical school place when I first applied, do not take these tips as biblical. Different techniques work for different people and for different universities.
1. Remain yourself - do not try and be someone you are not. Medical schools will pick up on this and know that you are not being genuine. Although the process is daunting, they are real people as much as you are and are looking for you to be yourself and shine.
2. Keep calm. It can be easy to slip into a state of panic before what could be the biggest interview of your life, but it is important not to let this fear take over you. You will have (hopefully) done the prep and so there will be no need to worry. This is your time to really show what you have to offer to the medical school, so make it count|!
3. Do the preparations before-hand. Getting this far should mean that you have done many hours of work experience or voluntary work and from this, you should have learned so much about the career, the traits needed to make a good doctor and the pitfalls of medicine. Remember these - the work you did was not to get you into medical school, it was to make sure your motivation was genuine, to ensure you could cope with the requirements of such a career and an opportunity to learn what it is like to be part of such a multi-disciplinary team.
Look over the politics affecting the NSH and if you haven't already gauge an opinion on such, taking into account all sides of the issue. Keep up to date with new findings and recent publications, and be aware of the ethics surrounding medicine.
4. Practice - whether this be in front of a mirror, in the car with your parents, with help from your friends or in the form of a mock interview make sure that you have stimulated what the day will be like and you have an idea of the ways in which questions are asked and how you can answer them.
5. Plan the day.
- Ensure you have your outfit picked out and ready for you the night before - this may seem tedious but it can be overlooked and cause unnecessary stress on the big day.
- Look at the route to the medical school, any traffic problems and, alternative access if roads are blocked.
6. Think positive - you are a strong applicant that the medical school have seen something in. Remember this when you may begin to compare yourself to the other applicants around, or worry that you have not done enough prep. The medical school picked you from tons of applicants to invite to interview - this is an achievement in itself.
Best of luck to all applicants preparing for upcoming interviews - remember you are amazing!!
Holly x
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Medical school interviews - keeping your head
It's that time of year when nervous medical school applicants begin to hear back from their dream schools as to whether they have been given an interview. While this time is undoubtedly stressful, it can make you think about your life choices and whether medicine really is for you.
I have been lucky enough (some will say) to be in this situation twice now - the first time I applied I had an interview at St Andrew's and now I have two interviews coming up very soon for this round of admissions. For me, this is beyond exciting! I have been working up to this moment for such a long time, and I cannot wait to show the medical schools what I have to offer.
For those who are in a similar situation to me and are in the 'cloud 9' mood then CONGRATS! But a piece of advice - don't let it go to your head. This is not 'it', you have more hurdles to jump over before you can relax. Keep your head, stay focussed and continue to work as hard as ever so you can eventually say 'scalpel please' ;-)
It is the case in every round of admissions that some absolutely fantastic applicants will not be gifted with an interview. If this is you, do not despair. This does not mean the end - it can be the beginning of a very fun off-the-beaten-track adventure into medicine or it can open your eyes to other career options and opportunities beyond university. Do not let this battle take over you - you are the driver in your future!
I would like to wish the best of luck for all those students with upcoming interviews, and tell those without to carry on working hard - your dream will become reality if you want it that much!
H. x
I have been lucky enough (some will say) to be in this situation twice now - the first time I applied I had an interview at St Andrew's and now I have two interviews coming up very soon for this round of admissions. For me, this is beyond exciting! I have been working up to this moment for such a long time, and I cannot wait to show the medical schools what I have to offer.
For those who are in a similar situation to me and are in the 'cloud 9' mood then CONGRATS! But a piece of advice - don't let it go to your head. This is not 'it', you have more hurdles to jump over before you can relax. Keep your head, stay focussed and continue to work as hard as ever so you can eventually say 'scalpel please' ;-)
It is the case in every round of admissions that some absolutely fantastic applicants will not be gifted with an interview. If this is you, do not despair. This does not mean the end - it can be the beginning of a very fun off-the-beaten-track adventure into medicine or it can open your eyes to other career options and opportunities beyond university. Do not let this battle take over you - you are the driver in your future!
I would like to wish the best of luck for all those students with upcoming interviews, and tell those without to carry on working hard - your dream will become reality if you want it that much!
H. x
Friday, 21 September 2018
3rd year here I come...
As I pack the last remaining clothes, nic-naks and photographs of the summer ready to take back to uni with me on Sunday I am filled with overwhelming feelings. When away from home I miss my family and my home girlfriends like CRAZZZZYYYY (and this time I will be missing my favourite guy like maddddd), but I have the time of my life when I'm there and having not seen my bestie, house-mates and partying/shoulder-to-cry-on/agony aunt/not-so-shopping-friendly toon family I am reminded of how much uni life means to me.
Before beginning first year, and for the first few months I wished I was back at home all the time. I struggled to be away from my parents and found settling in so so hard. If it wasn't for the amazing friends I met, I would not be the person I am now, giddy to be making a come-back to the best city in the world for my final year of Biomed.
If the last two years in Newcastle has taught me anything it is to make the moments count. Whether big or small, make the most of every opportunity and don't waste a single second wondering 'what if'. Your time is now, so make it count. That goes for all aspects of uni life - from working as hard as you can from the get-go to making time to have a laugh with friends. Go to the library for an extra hour that day. Grab that drink you keep putting off with that friend you haven't seen in months. Watch an extra episode of Greys Anatomy or Peaky Blinders or GBBO with your house. Go for that internship at that fancy company. Take the long walk home. Make every second count, because if you're anything like me you'll be wishing that uni lasted forever.
As I say my 'see you at Christmas' line to all my close ones and spend as much time with the people that mean the most to me, I am reminded of how thankful I should be of what I have. Not only do I have the most wonderful family at home-home (Wigan) but I am blessed to have been chosen to be part of the most incredible family in Newcastle (you all know who you are)!!
If I can leave any message with my readers of this blog it would be to 'smile' and don't ever stop. You are blessed to have what you have, whether that be little or large!!
Lots of love
H. x
Before beginning first year, and for the first few months I wished I was back at home all the time. I struggled to be away from my parents and found settling in so so hard. If it wasn't for the amazing friends I met, I would not be the person I am now, giddy to be making a come-back to the best city in the world for my final year of Biomed.
If the last two years in Newcastle has taught me anything it is to make the moments count. Whether big or small, make the most of every opportunity and don't waste a single second wondering 'what if'. Your time is now, so make it count. That goes for all aspects of uni life - from working as hard as you can from the get-go to making time to have a laugh with friends. Go to the library for an extra hour that day. Grab that drink you keep putting off with that friend you haven't seen in months. Watch an extra episode of Greys Anatomy or Peaky Blinders or GBBO with your house. Go for that internship at that fancy company. Take the long walk home. Make every second count, because if you're anything like me you'll be wishing that uni lasted forever.
As I say my 'see you at Christmas' line to all my close ones and spend as much time with the people that mean the most to me, I am reminded of how thankful I should be of what I have. Not only do I have the most wonderful family at home-home (Wigan) but I am blessed to have been chosen to be part of the most incredible family in Newcastle (you all know who you are)!!
If I can leave any message with my readers of this blog it would be to 'smile' and don't ever stop. You are blessed to have what you have, whether that be little or large!!
Lots of love
H. x
Tuesday, 21 August 2018
The UKCAT
[APOLOGIES FOR THIS COMING LATE]
As the deadline for applications to medical school fast approaches, the hurdles needed to be jumped become more visible, including writing your personal statement, organising your UCAS application and sitting one of the dreaded admissions tests.
As I have always wanted to study medicine, I have become well aware of how the UKCAT works, having sat the test 3 times (soon to be 4). While I haven't applied to medicine 4 times, I wanted to sit the test each year leading up to this one, the one that really counts, in order to ensure I get the best scores possible and make my applications to medical schools more smooth. I chose to sit the UKCAT oppose to or in conjunction with other admissions tests because I preferred the style, but this is entirely an individual preference and can be determined based on the medical schools you prefer.
Although there is not a syllabus to which to follow in order to revise for the UKCAT, I am a firm believer (having sat it multiple times) that practice really does make perfect. Each year I have ordered a revision book from one of many publishers offering the best book on the market and each year I have seen huge improvements to the scores I have come out with, proving (if only to me) that making the most of the summer to home-in on learning the techniques needed to ace the sections really does make all the difference.
Summer is meant to be a time to spend time with the ones you love, see friends near and far and chill out having had a stressful academic year, but setting aside a few hours a week to work on the skills and timing needed to tackle each section of the UKCAT is doable and you will thank yourself once you receive your score sheet. Trust me!
The structure I follow for my revision is to work on my skills for each section before I master the timing. This way, you can begin to work to spot patterns and become used to the questions styles before you work on ensuring you can answer as many questions as possible in the limited time allocated to each section.
While the admissions tests can be a large deciding factor on whether you are offered an interview to medical school, they are not the only thing which the admissions teams look at and hence you should not make yourself ill with worry leading up to test day. Some medical schools rank their applicants and invite a certain threshold to interview, some only require you to have sat it but do not take it into account and some do not require any admission test to be sat.
While getting a good score is important, it is not everything.
Practice, prepare and perfect.
H. x
As the deadline for applications to medical school fast approaches, the hurdles needed to be jumped become more visible, including writing your personal statement, organising your UCAS application and sitting one of the dreaded admissions tests.
As I have always wanted to study medicine, I have become well aware of how the UKCAT works, having sat the test 3 times (soon to be 4). While I haven't applied to medicine 4 times, I wanted to sit the test each year leading up to this one, the one that really counts, in order to ensure I get the best scores possible and make my applications to medical schools more smooth. I chose to sit the UKCAT oppose to or in conjunction with other admissions tests because I preferred the style, but this is entirely an individual preference and can be determined based on the medical schools you prefer.
Although there is not a syllabus to which to follow in order to revise for the UKCAT, I am a firm believer (having sat it multiple times) that practice really does make perfect. Each year I have ordered a revision book from one of many publishers offering the best book on the market and each year I have seen huge improvements to the scores I have come out with, proving (if only to me) that making the most of the summer to home-in on learning the techniques needed to ace the sections really does make all the difference.
Summer is meant to be a time to spend time with the ones you love, see friends near and far and chill out having had a stressful academic year, but setting aside a few hours a week to work on the skills and timing needed to tackle each section of the UKCAT is doable and you will thank yourself once you receive your score sheet. Trust me!
The structure I follow for my revision is to work on my skills for each section before I master the timing. This way, you can begin to work to spot patterns and become used to the questions styles before you work on ensuring you can answer as many questions as possible in the limited time allocated to each section.
While the admissions tests can be a large deciding factor on whether you are offered an interview to medical school, they are not the only thing which the admissions teams look at and hence you should not make yourself ill with worry leading up to test day. Some medical schools rank their applicants and invite a certain threshold to interview, some only require you to have sat it but do not take it into account and some do not require any admission test to be sat.
While getting a good score is important, it is not everything.
Practice, prepare and perfect.
H. x
Thursday, 28 June 2018
A day in the life of a second year Biomed during exam season
While exam season is NOT the best time of the academic year (for most anyway), it is necessary. But that does not mean that you cannot have fun or are not able to spend time with your friends; it can be quite easy to plan your time during exam period so that you don't end up losing the will to live, or at least that is what I found this year.
An example of what became a standard day of revision during exam period was as follows-
7AM - wake up :-(
8AM - Breakfast before setting off for the library with my bestie (@sophiecowling you finally get an official mention)
9AM - Get to the library and try our hardest to get our favourite seats (when it comes to exam season this is one of the simple joys), grab a coffee and get on with revision
12PM - Lunch finalllllllyyyy
12.30PM - Back to the grind
3.30PM - Trip to Costa (perk of being attached to the RVI)
4PM - Revision again
6PM - More food
6.30PM - Revision (this time we might shake things up and change seats)
9PM - Home time
9.30PM - Little more revision
10.30PM - Shower and chill time with house mates
11.30PM - Bed :-)
This routine became my life, but with friends always in the library there was always someone to go and have a break with and make the day seem a little less bleak. Plus once I returned home I was able to catch up with the people I lived with, spend time on social media and catch up on some trashy TV shows that I was behind on. While exams are the most important thing in relation to your degree, being happy is also a huge priority. This is the reason that between sessions at the Walton I made time for brunch with the girls, the occasional shopping trip and with the fab weather I made sure I fit in a day at the beach.
While this time of the year is not exactly fun, it isn't the worst and once it is all over it gives you a very good reason to go out on the toon and have the time of your life to make up for months of turning down alcohol and a good time.
One thing that kept my motivation high was the want and need to succeed and live the dream I have always wanted to!!
H. x
An example of what became a standard day of revision during exam period was as follows-
7AM - wake up :-(
8AM - Breakfast before setting off for the library with my bestie (@sophiecowling you finally get an official mention)
9AM - Get to the library and try our hardest to get our favourite seats (when it comes to exam season this is one of the simple joys), grab a coffee and get on with revision
12PM - Lunch finalllllllyyyy
12.30PM - Back to the grind
3.30PM - Trip to Costa (perk of being attached to the RVI)
4PM - Revision again
6PM - More food
6.30PM - Revision (this time we might shake things up and change seats)
9PM - Home time
9.30PM - Little more revision
10.30PM - Shower and chill time with house mates
11.30PM - Bed :-)
This routine became my life, but with friends always in the library there was always someone to go and have a break with and make the day seem a little less bleak. Plus once I returned home I was able to catch up with the people I lived with, spend time on social media and catch up on some trashy TV shows that I was behind on. While exams are the most important thing in relation to your degree, being happy is also a huge priority. This is the reason that between sessions at the Walton I made time for brunch with the girls, the occasional shopping trip and with the fab weather I made sure I fit in a day at the beach.
While this time of the year is not exactly fun, it isn't the worst and once it is all over it gives you a very good reason to go out on the toon and have the time of your life to make up for months of turning down alcohol and a good time.
One thing that kept my motivation high was the want and need to succeed and live the dream I have always wanted to!!
H. x
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
I'm backkkkk
Having taken time to survive second year, and having made it without crashing and burning I am ready to jump back on the blog bandwagon and get back into writing about my life.
Second year has truly flown by quicker than I ever would have imagined, but I have loved every minute of it and I am already missing Newcastle and all my favourite people baaaaddd. I never thought before starting university that I would love it as much as I do, and I certainly didn't think I would have found as many amazing friends as I have done (you all know who you are). But more so I did not think that I would have been as happy as I am (especially with the rocky start I had at the beginning of this year). Yes, I have had ups and downs academically, with friends, with family and my 'love life' but I'm certainly not the only one, and it's only through these that I have realised what is most important in life - being happy.
Having found my happy place, I have been able to see clearly what exactly I want from life, and while studying medicine is still up there as number one I want more than a career which makes me happy. I want friends who are there for me no matter what and who I'm there for no matter what, I want to help others around me as much as possible even if only in the smallest way, I want to be happy in a relationship with someone that can like me for me and not want me to be someone I'm not and I want to be the best version of myself I can be every single day.
While it has been a huge journey full of good days and bad over the last year, it has been a journey which I cannot be more grateful for. I am finally in my happy place and have found myself. I am the Holly that I have always wanted to be.
I have been able to learn about myself and from this shape my future to be one which I cannot wait to jump into; something that I have been needing for a very long time.
Here's to the future!
H xx
Second year has truly flown by quicker than I ever would have imagined, but I have loved every minute of it and I am already missing Newcastle and all my favourite people baaaaddd. I never thought before starting university that I would love it as much as I do, and I certainly didn't think I would have found as many amazing friends as I have done (you all know who you are). But more so I did not think that I would have been as happy as I am (especially with the rocky start I had at the beginning of this year). Yes, I have had ups and downs academically, with friends, with family and my 'love life' but I'm certainly not the only one, and it's only through these that I have realised what is most important in life - being happy.
Having found my happy place, I have been able to see clearly what exactly I want from life, and while studying medicine is still up there as number one I want more than a career which makes me happy. I want friends who are there for me no matter what and who I'm there for no matter what, I want to help others around me as much as possible even if only in the smallest way, I want to be happy in a relationship with someone that can like me for me and not want me to be someone I'm not and I want to be the best version of myself I can be every single day.
While it has been a huge journey full of good days and bad over the last year, it has been a journey which I cannot be more grateful for. I am finally in my happy place and have found myself. I am the Holly that I have always wanted to be.
I have been able to learn about myself and from this shape my future to be one which I cannot wait to jump into; something that I have been needing for a very long time.
Here's to the future!
H xx
Friday, 22 December 2017
Reason for my MIA
Long time, no blog.
There is a reason for this, and it something I think I am finally ready to share with people.
Having gone through a really rough patch during the summer (something which I hid from even the closest people to me), I thought that beginning second year at uni would change this and I would be able to go back to myself. This wasn't exactly the case, and unbeknown to everyone bar the people closest to me I was really struggling. Having finally admitting to myself that there was a problem, I put my big girl panties on and braved going to the doctors all by myself (well without my mum- still took a very dear friend with me). It was then that I was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression. These are two words which I never wanted to have to associate with myself. Me? How could I be depressed? I had a good life. People that cared about me, people I cared for, studying (and partying) in the best city in the UK (an opinion favoured by more than just me). How could it be true? This was a question that bewildered me for months and was something that I was not willing to admit was true until a few weeks ago, when I shocked myself by realising that I was the happiest I had been for years. I was no longer fake laughing, had not a care in the world what others thought of me (something which for a long time was a big problem I had) and I finally began to feel like the real Holly. A Holly which after speaking with professionals I found out had not been present for an extreamly long time.
I am no where near being fully recovered but I am certainly making huge leaps in getting there. That is something I have a lot of fabulous people to thank for (you all know who you are)!!!!
With all this going on I have still made sure that I made the most of second year so far, and would not change one bit of it for the world. I have never laughed and had as much fun in my whole life than I have in the last 10 weeks, and I cannot stop smiling when I think of all the memories I have began to create with a 'me' that I am finally happy with.
Mental health is a topic many people find it hard to talk about, a feeling of judgement is cast before the words even leave your mouth. At least that's what I thought. How wrong I was. The people around me who have been incredible in helping me to rebuild the new me are an amazing group of people and ones who deserve the moon and stars. I was worried some of my friends wouldn't know how to act around me, that it would change the dynamic that we had but it only made our friendships stronger and that is something I will be eternally grateful for. Anyone reading this who is going through similar and is finding things difficult, I would like to say that although things may seem tough, they get better. A hell of a lot better. Just have faith, don't push people out and believe in yourself!
H. X
There is a reason for this, and it something I think I am finally ready to share with people.
Having gone through a really rough patch during the summer (something which I hid from even the closest people to me), I thought that beginning second year at uni would change this and I would be able to go back to myself. This wasn't exactly the case, and unbeknown to everyone bar the people closest to me I was really struggling. Having finally admitting to myself that there was a problem, I put my big girl panties on and braved going to the doctors all by myself (well without my mum- still took a very dear friend with me). It was then that I was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression. These are two words which I never wanted to have to associate with myself. Me? How could I be depressed? I had a good life. People that cared about me, people I cared for, studying (and partying) in the best city in the UK (an opinion favoured by more than just me). How could it be true? This was a question that bewildered me for months and was something that I was not willing to admit was true until a few weeks ago, when I shocked myself by realising that I was the happiest I had been for years. I was no longer fake laughing, had not a care in the world what others thought of me (something which for a long time was a big problem I had) and I finally began to feel like the real Holly. A Holly which after speaking with professionals I found out had not been present for an extreamly long time.
I am no where near being fully recovered but I am certainly making huge leaps in getting there. That is something I have a lot of fabulous people to thank for (you all know who you are)!!!!
With all this going on I have still made sure that I made the most of second year so far, and would not change one bit of it for the world. I have never laughed and had as much fun in my whole life than I have in the last 10 weeks, and I cannot stop smiling when I think of all the memories I have began to create with a 'me' that I am finally happy with.
Mental health is a topic many people find it hard to talk about, a feeling of judgement is cast before the words even leave your mouth. At least that's what I thought. How wrong I was. The people around me who have been incredible in helping me to rebuild the new me are an amazing group of people and ones who deserve the moon and stars. I was worried some of my friends wouldn't know how to act around me, that it would change the dynamic that we had but it only made our friendships stronger and that is something I will be eternally grateful for. Anyone reading this who is going through similar and is finding things difficult, I would like to say that although things may seem tough, they get better. A hell of a lot better. Just have faith, don't push people out and believe in yourself!
H. X
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