Summary of Year 1

Let's do an overall summary of Year 1...

• I arrived at university and met my flatmates. I had to make all new friends from my course and my student accommodation, who thankfully remained by my side throughout the whole year!
• I did house viewings and decided on my accommodation flat for next year!
• I learnt soooo much! From anatomy, to law, to sociology, to ethics, to histology, to biomedicine to biochemistry! There has been so much content on each individual system in the body which you can't help but feel excited to turn up to lectures.
• I have handled a lot of cadaver specimens and have been exposed prematurely to death. I have also taken part in shadowing a pathologist during a post mortem.
• I have taken part in clinical shadowing at GPs, where I did some clinical skills and did individual home visits. Here, I learnt how important communication is when it comes to talking to patients.
• I have also shadowed doctors at Southmead Hospital and have been taught by both patients and the teaching fellows about body systems and some clinical skills - such as taking blood pressure, blood glucose levels, auscultation and palpation.
• I completed an essay project, as well as an art project. This is based on medicine being both a science and an art.
• I have worked as HCA as part of the course, where I worked four shifts of 7 hours and one 12 hour shift.
• I loved being a HCA so much, I then went on to apply for a job as a healthcare assistant in Bristol. I went for the interview and then received my job offer. I then attended the training and now awaiting some shifts to sign up to!
• I have completed my exams, January and Summer and passed to progress into Year 2!

I can't believe how much I feel I know ever since starting just less than a year ago!

Year 1 has been filled with some very exciting moments and I have enjoyed every second of university life. You are so independent and have so much fun which is incomparable to any other experience I have ever had! I would say I would love to do it again, but I'm really excited to go into Year 2!

I hope all of your exams go well and you receive the results you both want and deserve. Have a great summer, and I will speak to you in September if not before!

Term 2 Done, One to Go!

...and shot to that!

That's another term completed, with just one more to go! This year is going so fast, I thought the teachers in my sixth form were exaggerating when they said it'll go this quickly.

This term has been full of the more sciencey anatomy body stuff which has made it 10 times more interesting and gripping! The labs have got more interesting definitely with an extension on the histology content, looking at how the epithelium of the bladder allows it to expand and return to its original shape etc.

This is what the typical student kitchen looks like - piles of washing up that "will be done tomorrow, I promise"

I have somehow survived on the amount I've drank and the fact I've probably eaten twice my body weight in pasta and jarred tomato and basil sauce. But one day I did cook for myself and my flatmate by surprising her with my steak-cooking skills!

The steak meal in discussion - including the homemade peppercorn sauce that sounds revolting on paper but tastes and smells perfect in person.

I made my own peppercorn sauce out of Vodka, gin, pink lemonade, ground pepper, baking powder, gravy, milk and butter - and it tasted like it had been made in a top restaurant (if I say so myself). If anything, it was very peppery and if it wasn't eaten fast enough, it would solidify and slide off your steak! If you want the recipe, just private message me!

I gave a talk to aspiring medical students for Villiers Park based on my experiences.

I've had the honour as well to be invited back to my school to give a talk regarding future aspirations post-18. Before this though, I was invited back to give a presentation to aspiring medical students at Villiers Park (in MedSoc that I was once part of) and explaining what it's like to be a first year medical student, how to get in and if medicine does seem what I expected! The students that attended (30+ I think!) asked some great questions throughout the slides and I can't believe that this time last year I was sat in their seats listening to a guy give a talk in MedSoc.

I recommended they read this blog, so they could be viewing this article with you!

Until next term, have a great Easter!

Birthday Blues - away from home!

All of the cards I got to open on my 19th birthday at uni.

I don't know whether you guys are in the same boat as me, but I am a March baby. Therefore, just like other years, my birthday has always fallen in the centre of a school term so I'm used to having to spend the day at school before I come home and celebrate my birthday. But for the firs time, I was actually away for my birthday at university!

I was dreading it, but my flatmates made my birthday great! I enjoyed every second of it! They threw a surprise party for me when I got home from university with presents and a collection of photos of us all and they also posted embarrassing photos and videos of me on social media for my birthday!

I video messaged my family from my halls, which wasn't the same but as good as it gets. I took all of my cards to uni so I could at least open something from home, but I really did enjoy spending my 19th birthday with great people.

I love fish (and am a fishkeeper myself) so my flatmates made me a sea themed cake! And it tasted amazing!

We then went out, dressed as the Spice Girls for the themed night at the student nightclub. My birthday was a Monday, so it's student tradition (like a religion!) to go out and we celebrated my birthday! My flatmate, who has never gone to a club before and doesn't usually drink alcohol, came out especially for my birthday which made it even better!

What's harder than searching for the phrenic nerve? Searching for a house for next year!

This is something very crucial that, I feel, was very masked from all my Year 1 preparation for university! You must be prepared to start house viewing, basically from November.

Yes, you read that correctly. You will start university in September. You will enjoy the beginning of term, all the way through to October. Then in November, you should be getting prepared to start accommodation hunting ready for Year 2!

This is my flatmate, from Year 1 and now Year 2, signing the tenant forms and confirming our house for next year!

This is because all of your peers and other students at university will roughly be looking all at the same time. The student letting agencies will be releasing properties slowly, but will be turning them over very very quickly.

Here is my little nifty guide to help prepare you for this, because house hunting was everything but enjoyable (to an extent!) and easy!

1. From September/October, this is the perfect opportunity to start flatmate-hunting! You should be using this time to work out who you should and shouldn't be living with next year. This is crucial stuff, because it's ridiculous how you're house hunting so early yet you're not sure whether or not these people are still wearing their "first impressions count!" masks and could actually change as the year progresses. Personally, I feel living with your current flatmates is a safe option as you can address problems fairly early on (eg. "Please can you start washing up after you've cooked?" or "Please don't use my tray if you're not gonna wash it?" etc) ready for next year.
2. Some people do choose to keep medic-orientated. So if you've made some great friends in the course, or even across other courses, then maybe consider living with them next year! Either way, I have found in my city that finding accommodation for a larger house (ie. 6/7 people) is a lot easier than a smaller house (ie. 3/4 people).
3. Book as many viewings as you can in different properties - don't go by the photos! This works in two ways: don't judge a property by it's naff photos because the 'small' bedroom photographed could turn out to be the best in the house and the one you want! And, don't judge a property by the way it looks in the photograph without seeing it for yourself. If I'm honest, I didn't practice what I'm currently preaching as this is what I've done. I have put down a deposit and paid the agency fees to a house I haven't seen, my flatmates went to the viewing whilst I was on placement so I haven't seen my house!
4. Booking as many property viewings will educate you on what you should be looking for: mould, condensation, cleanliness, washing facilities etc. Make a list of things that are important to you, such as en suite bathrooms or a living space, and help this to refine your searches when booking different property viewings.
5. If current tenants are in the property as you are viewing, use them as accurate reviewers of the landlord! Use it as an opportunity to ask questions for honest answers, like how quick are repairs done and what are the catastrophic disadvantages of living here? Like neighbours that hate noise or a leaky roof in the winter may not be highlighted in the paperwork or leave the estate agent's mouth whilst she's giving you the viewing. It's also the perfect time to ask about how much the bills are for the property as you will need to factor this into rent.
6. Review your estate agent that you're using to buy the property before you go ahead. We did this after - just to find that our estate agent is currently rated 1/5 stars because of their inconsistency, poor professionalism and reliability. For example, the tenancy agreement that was emailed to us was full of awful spelling and grammar mistakes.
7. Have your deposit and the agency fees at the ready. Be prepared to make a payment of around £1,000 in the November-January period if you have currently secured yourself a property. I had to pay £500 in agency fees, and then the deposit of around £485. Obviously this was the greatest shock, because I did not have £1,000 ready to transfer towards the beginning of my first year in university!
8. Finally, you need to be quick. My flat were fairly quick on the ball. We started searching in November and got the house sorted in January/February. My friend however only secured their house towards the end of March, he was very worried he wouldn't have a house for next year! But also, you will be viewing the property alongside other students who are viewing at the same time. In every property, I feel I was viewing houses with three other groups. In one property, we were looking at the larger bedroom and walking downstairs when the estate agent then told us that the other group had already signed the paperwork and had just bought this property and she 'apologised' we were too late.

You have been warned! Make sure you are prepared to go house hunting, and have £1,000 (roughly) ready to be able to put a deposit down on the next house for Year 2. And of course, make sure you choose the right flatmates to live with!

If you can't, and find yourself struggling, my social media at the moment is full of people advertising for new flatmates. For example, someone who has had to dropout of university for unseen circumstances, and is looking for a new flatmate to replace them. So if you do miss out, or can't find the suitable people to live with, keep your eyes peeled on the social media platforms!

Happy New Year!

Luckily, it snowed which made Christmas even Christmassier! Mine involved a lot of bubbly, cheering, a sore throat (thank you to whoever gave me the Winter's cold!) and of course revision.

Thank you Mum and Dad for buying me so many medical instruments! I'm so grateful for my manual blood pressure monitor because I can now practise that dreaded clinical skill that I am far from perfecting. I would recommend asking for those fairly pricey necessities you need for birthdays and Christmas!

The best thing about living in a flat, you get to have an amazing Christmas dinner that you cook yourselves without any parental influence! We felt so grown up and ... merry!! And believe it or not, but that is the starter I prepared for our meal! That definitely makes an improvement on the burnt oven chips.

My holiday so far has consisted of finishing all of my anatomy notes in preparation for my exam at the beginning of the term, but also reading over and condensing all my other topics for next week.

So I am approximately 14% (or whatever) a doctor now! Thank you for following my journey, and I hope to keep you posted throughout 2018.

I hope you had an amazing Christmas and New Year!

Week 11-12

So the end of term is here, and it's all about placements. During my time in term 1 at university, I have had the privilege of doing two types of experience, being the GP and the hospital.

GP:

• Completing placement at the GP has allowed me to witness the doctor-patient relationship from a front row seat, and see how a GP communicates with the patient, but also how a patient communicates back.
• I've taken part in some clinical skills, such as dip-sticking urine, using a blood glucose machine and manually taking blood pressure.
• I've observed and heard the stories of different cases from an array of patients. I have been introduced to a patient with MS, arthritis, different heart conditions, dementia and other different conditions.
• After greeting a patient and learning of their conditions being presented, my GP will then explain to me the physiology and the social side aspect of their conditions for my understanding. For example, what a bursa is and how this is presented in patients with arthritis. 

That is some spray-on snow on the mirror in case you were wondering! We have decorated the flat for Christmas!

Hospital:

• When I return in January, I will be working on a hospital ward for a week, this is to be confirmed.
• I took part in all the induction and training exercises prior to my placement, where I learnt how to handle patients but also other clinical skills (like the dip-sticking and using glucose monitors).
• I also learnt basic life support training, which includes basic first aid - like CPR, CPR modifications for children, choking, drowning, wound dressing etc. Thanks to my training, this qualified me to become further first aid trained for my part time job back at home at weekends.

After completing my January placement, I will keep you updated on how that went, any challenges I may have faced and my overall experience.

As for the student life, cooking has been quite an interesting thing! My flatmate was able to put together a 'cupboard masterpiece' which basically was him sorting through his food and whacking it all into a saucepan to prepare a glaze for a massive gammon he had bought. Another fun fact, your nearby grocery will reduce foods close to their expiry date towards the end of the evening, so it's a perfect time to go shopping. I think he bought it for around £3 for a massive gammon. He put together plums, blackcurrent cordial, honey, salt, sugar, lemon juice, white spirit, a splash of water and other in-the-cupboard-opportunists to make actually the best glaze/jam ever! Everyone in the flat wanted a bit it was that good!

He has also put together some other fine dishes, such as the one below.

And then there's me... who can't even cook oven chips.

Week 9-10

There is nothing too interesting I need to put across concerning the last two weeks. All that I can say is that it is now December and I have completely decorated the flat in Christmas decorations, much to their dismay! Decorations hang from the ceiling from tack (because we aren't allowed to poke holes all over the flat), the windows are sprayed snowy white and I wake the flat up most mornings with Christmas music blaring through the speaker in the kitchen.

We have finished the beginning module of Year 1 of medicine! Through the term, we have explored aspects of biochemistry of respiration and nerve conduction, the sociology aspect of medicine, the art of medicine and the statistical side.

This came to a shock for me, so I'll go into further detail:

Sociology:
There is quite a lot of sociology to medicine, which I didn't realise because I have never studied this topic at GCSE or A-Level. In these tutorials, we have looked at what a doctor-patient relationship is, and the different types of consultations. In lectures, we have explored what makes a good consultation for a patient, and what doesn't. This was particularly interesting because we did look at role play and acting situations out during our tutorials!

Art:
This is really interesting! It's amazing some of the art pieces that have been created through medical inspiration. I would recommend you looking at some of the artwork that is available online that has been done by medical professionals and students, that are sometimes inspired by real cases or emotions they feel while working in the hospital. This helps with that common conspiracy question: is medicine a science or an art?

Statistics:
If you haven't done maths, you may struggle at this stage. I did Maths A-Level and I am finding this extremely difficult and confusing. This is studying prevalence and incidence and how these two differ. This is about studying the difference in pattern of particular health conditions depending on location, ethnicity and socio-economic status which is obviously very important for a doctor to know.

We have also been introduced to the structure of our first exams in January, which you can already imagine I'm worried about. This is testing our histology, anatomy and all of the other points I've highlighted above.

For my next blog post, I will be discussing the placements I have been part of.

Week 6-8

One bit of advice my teacher gave me during Summer 2017 before I went to university, was to read over all of my A-Level notes on chemistry and biology. Therefore, when I wasn't spending time with my friends or working in my part time job, I was reading about the mitochondria or learning again about the chemical functional groups of different compounds.

If I'm completely honest with you, I wouldn't do that. For the past seven weeks now, the lectures have mainly been about bridging this gap between those medical students who have completed Biology A-Level, and those medical students that hadn't. In a "put your hand up" kind of situation in one of the biology lectures, I would say around 60% of medical students at my uni have got a Biology A-Level. Therefore, this beginning unit has concentrated on making sure everyone is aware of the same biological processes that occur in the human body.

Respiration, genetics, cell organelles - all of that, you don't need to go over necessarily prior to joining university. Obviously do it for your own knowledge and understanding, but it's not a necessity as you will cover it in those initial lectures. I'm all mitochondria-ed out now!

It's also my final time in the anatomy lab for this year which I am quite gutted about. I really did enjoy learning about anatomy through the use of prosected cadavers. I would recommend that before you enter the lab, I would take along any clinical diagrams or anatomy labelled images that would aid your learning in the lab. For example, whilst learning the digestive tract it helped to take in a diagram of the gastrointestinal system to work out the distribution of different organs. It's crucial to say that the organs do not appear exactly in the same way as they do in diagrams, so it does make it harder to identify. But sometimes, learning the function of an organ can help moreso than learning its actual anatomy and actual location in the body.

You also need to ensure you get your lefts and rights the right way round! Remember, it's THEIR body and not your way of perceiving, so the heart is on the LEFT side of the body, despite it would be your "right" as you're viewing them! This took me forever to grasp.

And back to the social side of university...the nights out are amazing. I would definitely recommend you do make an attempt to go out because you will have the opportunity to widen your friendship circle and develop many strong relationships. Obviously the last main night out was Halloween which was cheap on a students' night, but I made the mistake of plastering myself in facepaint that I did struggle to remove despite all of the soaps I used in the shower. It did mean I did turn up to my lecture with a green neck, that thankfully only lasted the day!

Week 3-5

This week has involved even more lectures. This time, more in depth with biochemistry and physiology.

Lectures are quite interesting, because they are a completely new style of teaching I would say - unless of course you're postgraduate.

You're in a hall of around 200+ students, all facing the lecturer below. They have a slideshow, usually, that is displaying all of the content. Luckily for me, our university posts all of the forthcoming lectures up prematurely which means we can print them or read ahead before. That's my method of learning to be honest, I'll print the lectures out at the beginning and take them with me to annotate.

That's how I've been filing all of my notes. I've bought larger lever arch folders for each topic, and will stick into them my annotated lecture notes. Any lectures I've missed, I will catch up online by annotating the lecture slides and then filing them away appropriately.

My friends have different ways of learning, such as taking their laptop into the lecture and typing up their notes as the lecturer is speaking. This is another common way of learning in a lecture hall.

However, bare in mind this is very university-dependent. My friends who are attending other universities and not doing medicine, they say that all of their lectures are not recorded and available for catch up at any time. So, if you miss a lecture...you miss a lecture. Bare this in mind whilst you're doing your research.

Another item I would recommend you buy whilst your packing for university... a portable charger! Oh my gosh, I couldn't have lived without it in the beginning of this term! You're constantly using your phone for maps or social media so please make sure you pack one as you don't want to be caught in the middle of your city centre with a dead phone.

And of course, going to the pub is amazing. Especially drinking from a plastic cup haha.

Freshers' Week - Social Side

Reflection then of my very first week at university, otherwise (popularly known) as "Freshers' Week!" For some people, this is what they were looking forward most to coming to university, but I myself was not 100% eager.

In this article, I am discussing about the social side of Freshers' Week, so I am covering the fun side of the week!

You will eat loads (because you have loads of food in the cupboard that screams "Eat me" when you're bored). Take this as a chance to cook, but don't drink too much. I will probably write an article in the coming weeks about diet whilst at university.

With your free time (with basically no lectures), do take this time to explore your city! Catch the bus and work out routes to the lectures, 

Now, Freshers' can be regarded as the most messiest week at uni by the media. There were many opportunities to go into town to visit every single nightclub and bar open at 11pm and shutting at 3am. It is a very sociable week that gives you the opportunity to try and meet new people, but you can do this in a variety of ways.

At the beginning, you have your flatmates (or people you share your accommodation with). I feel very lucky and grateful to have such great flatmates where we feel comfortable around each other, share the same interests and share the same humour. I worried about who I would be living with the most, but I feel so relaxed knowing I was just overthinking. Don't get anxious and shut yourself away, go and introduce yourself and start a conversation. One of my best friends now (who is in the flat) is probably the coolest guy I know for playing the guitar, singing, surfboarding and skateboarding. I never thought I'd get on with someone who has those interests as I for one don't have any hobbies, so deemed myself quite boring. But the flatmates are who you should hold closest to your heart as you're going to be living with them for the next 40-odd weeks and they'll see you every morning and every night.

I am not exactly a 'go-ey out-ey' person, so I didn't use Freshers' Week to exhaust my alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes in my liver cells to breakdown all the alcohol I consumed. I did go out on my very first night here to make new friends, but made sure I went out with my flatmates so we could develop that initial bond.

The nightlife is great. Loud music and alcohol seem to be the perfect mix and (although you may regret it in the morning) it does feel like the best sensation ever. You don't think anything could go wrong, as you're just out to have a good time. I would recommend maybe going out at least once just to try it, and as an opportunity to meet new people who may be doing medicine too.

Now the boring safety stuff. With going out though, you do need to be wary as I'm sure you are already aware. Just be cautious of who you are approaching (or who's approaching you) and what is going on around you. Spiking of drinks is very common and is an opportunity for you to become vulnerable to the people who decide to commit to this act. It is dangerous. Please ensure you never accept drinks from strangers, never take your eye off your drink and maybe look away/walk with your hand covering your glass/tumbler/cup. Keep to a crowd of around three as well, and look after your mates as they look after you. This will lower your risks.

And I'll be honest, you will be subjected to drugs. You will be around people doing it, and might even see it yourself (Eg. loads of nitrous oxide canisters on the road). Just be aware that the industry you're entering and the course you want to enrol onto does require a DBS check. If you fail this, you may be deemed unfit for practice and lose your chance of studying medicine. Do you really want drugs and you "experimenting" to stop you from following your dream? But I'm sure you won't even consider the risk anyway, so don't do drugs!

Keep that portable charger at hand because you will probably require two charges a day in Freshers' Week! Why? You'll be using your phone constantly for navigation, but also to add your new friends on social media. You'll be exchanging names and adding before you know it. Your battery could also be draining as you take loads of selfies and group photos with your new friends, or your phone will be working overload to cope with the notifications of that group chat of 200 medics you decided to join.

Either way, the social aspect is amazing. You will meet many people and have a great time. For someone who feels unsafe going out into town for a good night, I did really enjoy myself and did go out a few times this week. Some of my friends did go out every night - but I'm not that hardcore. But with situations like this, just look after yourself.

Freshers' Week! - Academic Side

Reflection then of my very first week at university, otherwise (popularly known) as "Freshers' Week!" For some people, this is what they were looking forward most to coming to university, but I myself was not 100% eager.

In this article, I am discussing about the academic side of Freshers' Week, so I am covering what the contents of the lectures I attended were and whether I packed the correct stuff to bring with me to university.

In my first week, we had a handful of small lectures (just 5 hours!) that introduced us to the course structure which provided us with all the information we needed prior to start studying next week. A few learning points that I picked up from these sessions were that lectures lasted 50 minutes (as do the tutorials), that we would be learning basic medical knowledge from now until Christmas (for the first term) which will help us to build on our knowledge from the remainder of the year.

It was quite nice actually that Freshers' Week was not too intense, and the lecturers themselves said it was so that we can adjust to our new ways of living. What you need to remember is we are now completely independent, some of us have moved far away from home whilst some of us have moved different countries to study at my university. Therefore, you should use Fresher's Week to begin to sink into your new lifestyle.

An update on what I packed, I have made some adjustments! You'll be proud to hear that I have used everything I have packed, so I didn't pack excessively. However, there is two things that I really do believe are important essentials!

Firstly, a printer. Although you read online about universities providing printing facilities, I feel they are quite expensive and for me, inconvenient. I am a 25 minute bus journey and five minute walk from the university library where I can print, so if I want something printed now, it takes a lot of effort. If you can deal with this, maybe you wouldn't need to pack one! But I am one of those people that can be up until midnight finishing work, creating posters to tack to my wall or annotating notes I have typed up - so I need to print straight away from my room!

Secondly, a portable charger. For the first week, you'll literally be using your mobile phone so much for navigation, it's unbelievable. You'll be using it to plot the route from the bus stop you're at now to your lecture hall and grunting the ETA is 9:08am when the lecture starts at 9am. You'll also be using your phone to add loads of people and new friends you make on social media (read my Social article if you want to find out more!)

So I hope this has helped explained the more academic side of Freshers' Week. If you're interested in the social aspect, I recommend you read my other article!

PS. My room did stay tidy the whole week! :)

Arrived at University!

So, I have literally just turned my laptop on after finally finishing my room. I arrived here at 10am and unpacked all of my stuff from the car into my room with the help from my girlfriend and family.

My room is perfect for me, really. It's not too large (otherwise that's more to clean!) and it's not too small either. I have a huge desk that I'm sat at right now typing, with loads of drawers that I've been able to fill with paper and pens and more stationary! I have unpacked all of my clothes into the cupboards and drawers, as well as changing my bedsheets and putting out my new bed-set.

In the kitchen, I made a tea where I bumped into my first flat mate who seems very friendly and similar-minded. She's studying languages. I then met my other flat mate (both of them are opposite my room!) who is studying biology. I quite like the idea of course diversity because we can talk about different things, and I'm especially interested in hearing about the biology course because it did sound very advertising on the open days!

For the rest of the evening, there is a meal planned with the rest of the residence, so I'm hoping to branch out and make even more friends. Hopefully more flat mates will arrive also!

But, I just thought I'd update you that I did make it here alive! So far, it seems like everything I've packed is going to be suitable for my needs. The girls have decorative plants and fairy lights (which really isn't me) so I'm not regretting anything I've packed.

My room is really tidy at the moment and I'm hoping it will stay this way!

PICTURES OF MY BEDROOM

Here is the final outcome after around one and a half hours of unpacking. I just hope I don't lose my key!

Preparing for University - The Buying!

So ever since I received my results in August, I had quite a short time frame to get together essentials that I will need to take with me to university. I had to read all of the university accommodation's terms and conditions, such as the rules to living there. The online induction informed me of everything, from the security on site to what to do in the event of a fire. There were safety elements and regulations that have to be obliged, such as no cooking appliances or drinking alcohol in the rooms!

I haven't actually discussed a lot about how I selected accommodation because this will definitely differ from person to person. For me, I wasn't really interested in having my own en-suite bedroom because I would rather be more sociable in my flat and I couldn't really justify spending another £1200 on the luxury of having my own toilet - but I know people would argue the money is worth it! So I am staying in a self-catered residence with a communal toilet, meaning I will be sharing a shower and toilet with another five students in my flat. I will keep you updated on what this is like!

One word of advice I got from one of my amazing mentors at Villiers Park: go for self-catered! Self-catered essentially is where you have to cook and prepare yourself food throughout the day. Catered residences will have a kitchen that will prepare and serve you food at certain times... a lot of parents love this idea because they then know their son/daughter is eating properly while at university. It costs an extra (almost) £200 a week, so it's quite an expensive way of feeding yourself while at uni. But why Villiers Park recommended self-catered for me, is that I don't know what time I could be finished in my day. I could be on a ward until 5pm, or even 8pm. Where the nature of the career we are interested in is so unpredictable, I may want to stay on in the evening to witness the treatment of a patient I may have been dealing with, who in the past hour may have taken a turn for the worst. But this means I miss out on my dinner for the evening, so I've wasted more money because I've had to cater for myself on the way home. So if you can, I recommend go self-catered - it's cheaper too!

Reading the online induction for my accommodation, I learnt what will be provided for me:

• A desk
• Curtains and mirrors
• Toaster and kettle (with kitchen set-up: so dining table and chairs, fridge, freezer, microwaves)
• Bed frame and mattress (*no bedding though, or sheets)
• Wardrobe for storing clothes and bookshelves

From the list, I then began searching online for different lists of essential university items that you should bring with you. I had written a full list, which I then went to buy with my mum in different shops.

I have bought:

1. Two large storage containers - one for food and one for drink (maybe alcohol, but probably just mixers!) They are 80L and stackable, so I can save on space.
2. Two large shorter containers - I will use one for storing books and work, and one for storing all of my kitchenware. They are short (equivalent to the height of a Tea, Sugar and Coffee pot) so I can push them under my bed when I get there.
3. Photo frame (so that I can keep photos of my friends and family in my room)
4. 4-way extention cable in case there is a plug shortage!
5. Bedding - this is a duvet cover, pillow cases, a cushion and I bought two fitted sheets.
6. Pillows and duvet
7. Kitchen utensils: cheese grater, tin opener, bottle opener, wooden spoons, spatulas, strainer, large chef knives, vegetable peeler and a set of four chopping boards (depending on raw meat/veg etc).
8. Eating: I bought three plates and three bowls, as well as a full cutlery set.
9. Cooking: I bought a set of three cooking deep pans and a set of three frying pans of different sizes. I also bought a vegetable steamer that could be placed in the microwave. I bought a sandwich toaster as well because at the moment I have an obsession with cheese and red onion toasties. Mmmm. Furthermore, I have a smaller Wok that will cook for one person (that I can stick vegetables into for a stirfry). I also have a small rice steamer.
10. I recommend buying a small baking tray (mine is smaller an A5 sheet of paper!) so that you can cram your cooking into the side of the oven shelf if someone else is cooking.
11. Kitchen foil and cling film.
12. Basic stationary: pencils, pens, books, folders, highlighters, Sticky Notes, tack for the walls etc.
13. Cleaning: I bought a dustpan and brush, loads of disinfectant wipes, cloths, kitchen roll, washing up liquid, cleaning brushes, teatowels, bin bags, scourers, sponges.
14. I bought a washing up bowl so that when I had finished using a cup or a bowl, I could place it in the bowl on my floor which will give me the motivation to go and wash it up.
15. Three tumbler glasses, one pint glass, two smaller glasses and three mugs. My pint glass is actually made of plastic so it won't smash if I dropped it. I also bought some plastic tumblers for beer pong just in case.
16. Pack of toilet roll.
17. Alarm clock.
18. Tea, Coffee and Sugar pots so I can keep it in my room.
19. Fan (in case it gets too hot at night or in the day when I'm working)
20. Batteries and bulbs, with a desk lamp.
21. Suitcase.
22. Towels - a large set: with two large towels and two smaller towels.
23. Food: I've bought and prepared loads of dry stuff that I can keep in my container. I've bought boil in the bag foods, "Just add water" pasta sachets, instant hot chocolates, biscuits, tortilla wraps, pasta, jars of sauces, tins (like tuna, sweetcorn, beans, tomatoes) and also different sauces (egg mayonnaise, tomato sauce etc).

This is everything I have packed for university.

A zoomed-in photo of my kitchen box - look how small the baking tray is!

One bit of advice I read online: go for obscure items so you know what is yours. For example, you can see my cutlery has yellow handles which makes them more distinct so I can tell what's mine! I've heard pretty floral things disappear fairly quickly! And, who's gonna steal those ugly knives and forks?

Being protective, I have the slight inclination to keep as much of my stuff in my room as possible. This is why I have bought so much storage. I don't want to leave my stuff in the sink in case it got lost, stolen or broken, so I will keep it in a washing bowl until I clean it. When cleaned, I'll place it back in the storage container in my room. And it's why I'll keep my coffee, tea and sugar in my room, just in case it goes!

At the moment, this is all that I have! I'll keep you updated about how my recommended list changes - whether it be "Actually, you don't need to buy this!" or "I can't believe I forgot this!".

I move Sunday 17th September... watch this space! I'll also take a photo of my room for you!