Two years ago yesterday I gained a place at university, and it feels like the right time to finish this post, which has been in my drafts for months! Second year had its ups and downs, but I've made it out all right!
I started second year studying the physiology and pharmacology of the nervous system and completing employability activities for the BREES unit. Year in industry application deadlines were already looming; I missed the first one because it was so early, and the next company ended up cancelling the four placements they were offering. By mid October, diminishing confidence in my abilities and an increasing academic workload were taking their toll, so much so that I ceased applying for placements. I promised myself (and my personal tutor) that I would resume applications in spring, when Janssen in Belgium were expected announce their placement opportunities. Taking this weight off my mind allowed me to focus on my studies and as October came to a close, I made the laborious journey from the pharmacology lab to the O2 Arena to experience my first U2 concert! Finishing the Friday afternoon practical early, I arrived in London with plenty of time to spare and had an incredible time hearing songs that mean so much to me live. The experience was elevated further by Bono singing the elusive Shine Like Stars verse of With Or Without You, for just the 11th time this decade!
November was full of deadlines, but a very enjoyable three days made up for it. On Thursday 26th I had a lot of fun at the Angels vs Devils social, but still managed to sober up in time for the Friday afternoon practical, in which we drank more alcohol to investigate its effects on our reaction times, sensory discrimination and cognitive performance. On Saturday morning I awoke in a hotel room at 5 am ready to fly to Ireland for my second U2 concert. This time around we were on the floor two rows away from the e stage, and the incredible atmosphere resulted in another Shine Like Stars performance, as well as the classic "40" to end an unforgettable evening. Back at uni I had a few more lectures at the beginning of December before the Christmas holidays began. In January I sat three exams and achieved 85% in Neuropharmacology and 82% in Neurophysiology, grades that would really bolster my placement applications.
During the spring term, the BREES workload increased considerably, and on top of that I had to juggle three other units: Pharmacology of Body Systems, Integrative Physiology, and Molecular Cell Biology. Gone were the stay-at-home Thursdays, although Mondays soon freed up, once we'd finished collecting data on our saliva production for physiology. Janssen announced their placements in early February and I took my time writing my application, which I sent at 6:55 pm the day before the deadline. My diligence paid off: I was one of ten candidates selected for a Skype interview. Unfortunately, when the day came, technical issues rendered me invisible to the team in Belgium, but after a shaky start, I tried to make the most of my fifteen minutes face-to-voice with the head of the Neuroscience department. Disappointed, I at least managed to enjoy my first concert of 2016 (Patent Pending) later that day, but two weeks later I found out for sure that I wouldn't be spending my placement year at Janssen.
As the Easter holidays came to an end, it became clear that I'd spent far to much time fearing the outcome of my interview and left very little for other tasks, which included several outstanding assignments. I was alerted to the existence of one particular project just days before the deadline, but thankfully my partner and I managed to construct a half decent presentation in a fraction of the time I would usually take. Collaboration turned to reliance when it came to the BREES enterprise tasks, as I completed the bare minimum to avoid losing marks for lack of commitment. Thankfully I had kept up to date with the BREES research tasks, although I wasn't confident with my analysis for the exam dataset. As the countdown to exams reached single figures, I still had a lot of revision to do, so much so that I averaged about ten lectures per day. The BREES, physiology and pharmacology exams weren't too strenuous, but when it came to the MCB exam I had a crisis of confidence that almost prevented me from taking the exam. I'll be forever grateful for the phone call from my mum which snapped me out of it, because I actually found it pretty good! My results were far better than I expected, with 79 in Pharmacology of Body Systems, 76 in BREES, 73 in Integrative Physiology and even a first in Molecular Cell Biology (with exactly 70!)
Somehow as I was preparing for exams, I found time to apply for two more placements, one at a biotech company in Oxford and the other based at a university an hour's train ride away. While I heard nothing from the former, the latter invited me to an interview on the 6th of June. It was my first time visiting the city, and I was in awe of the beauty of the university grounds. The interview was a really positive experience, and a few hours later I met the other three candidates for a tour of the neurophysiology labs. I left feeling content, but it still came as a shock when, at 5:41 pm, I received an email offering me the placement! Last week I had my induction to the university, my accommodation is all booked, and from September I'll be in the lab trying to understand how brain cell firing changes in Alzheimer's disease. It still feels like a dream, but soon it'll be reality…
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