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!

Villiers Park - How did it help?

So I have been part of the Villiers Park scholarship programme since Year 10. I feel that being a Villiers Park scholar definitely set me up for my path into Medicine by providing me with the information and support I needed.

As part of the programme, everyone is assigned a learning mentor that will provide this information and support that I have mentioned before. Through one-on-one mentoring sessions, I would meet with my mentor to discuss my recent activities. I would explain to my mentor how stressful I’m finding things, how I’m worried I’m not going to get the grades and how I cannot find a balance. And by talking and development plans of actions, I knew I could cope for another two-three weeks before the next session. Everyone on the programme found the mentoring sessions as an opportunity to vent about our struggles but find solutions to them, whether it be crafting the perfect personal statement or researching different university choices.

The masterclasses allowed all of us to come together as one group and work towards given goals. But the objective wasn’t the task itself, but the personal and interpersonal skills we developed through it. As shown in our last Year 13 residential in March, we could confidently deliver a presentation better than we could in Year 10 residential. Through Villiers Park, we learnt about how to conduct research, how to process the findings and then present to an audience. These are skills important not just for university, but possibly for most of our jobs and careers in the future. I felt I developed and learned more specialised skills through Villiers Park moreso than I did in our normal PSHE lessons at school.

Villiers Park has helped with our career advice, university choices and personal statement construction. I feel my mentor sessions and the masterclasses provided helped me on track to making me a strong candidate for the degree I wanted to read at university, being Medicine. I was also a member of "MedSoc" which was our Medicine Society. Here, I heard guest speakers (such as paramedics and junior doctors etc) who pass on any advice. We also had interview preparation and help, where we learnt how to address our interviewer, how the MMIs are structured and even advice on current medical affairs and how to approach the ethics in medicine.

There was an opportunity as well for a one-week residential in Foxton that specialises in a subject we feel passionate about – whether it’s engineering, biology, English, politics or computing! I attended the course on Cell Biology and Cancer where I learnt about the different stages of cancer (from a genetic mutation in transcription to metastasis around the whole body). On the course I learnt even more skills, but this sparked my interest for oncology which then initiated my project in the EPQ (which was based on the biochemistry and physiology of cancer). These courses can be assessed by following this link: CLICK HERE. I would certainly recommend a biology/medical fuelled course as this will be of great interest and look super attractive on your personal statement to universities!

If you're still not persuaded to get involved, take a look at these photos:

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!