back home...

Hey guys,

It's now the end of term, and I'm back home... have had a pretty up and down term, so I'll try and sum up everything I've been up to in this post (this is going to be a long one).


Physiology:

It's been strange adjusting to doing Part II (the 3rd yr of our preclinical course at Cam) - remember this is the equivalent of the intercalated BSc done at most med schools - as it is literally down to you to plan your own work, decide which lectures you want to go to, and decide which topics you want to research further by reading scientific papers about. It's definitely a welcome change from 2nd year, as it's far less stressful (only have 6 lectures a week!).

However I'd say I still prefer 2nd year in terms of the fact that all us medics were doing the same subject, so we always saw each other in lectures/practicals. This year, because everyone is off doing their different BA subjects, so you do have to make a real effort to catch up with everyone!


Clinical School:

I finally made up my mind about clinical school and went for Oxford…! Completely contrasting to what I mentioned in my last post! I think I never really seriously considered Oxford because I thought it would be too much like Cambridge, and I definitely wanted a change after the 3 years I’ve been here.

I think the advantages of Oxford over London is the fact that it is a smaller med school, so you do get to know your year quite well. Also, from a financial point of view, London’s probably one of the more expensive places to live, in terms of food, accommodation and transport. I guess for the me the fact that I have lived in London all my life meant that I find Oxford a bit of a novelty.

Anyhow, we’ll have to wait and see whether I get in or not… I’ve put Cambridge as my 2nd choice, so hopefully I’ll get that if things go pear-shaped with Oxford.


Anyhow I’m glad it’s the holidays now, a chance to relax and not do much for a change! Also probably one of the last chances I’ll get enjoy a long xmas break as once clinicals start I’ll only get a few weeks off (or less) for Christmas!

As usual I’ll keep you posted with what I’m up to when I’m back in Cambridge in mid Jan… till then, have a cool xmas and best of luck for the New Year!


Kief