Second Year in Review

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…

First year was a great time, second year...

...will hopefully be a blast!

After a very relaxed summer, I'm now only a couple of weeks away from the start of my second year at university. First year was wonderful, and I'm really excited to get back to the grind of daily bus journeys, 3 hour practicals and 6:00 am starts (ideally not too many of them). This year I only have two proper units during the first term, neuropharmacology and neurophysiology, which should ease me into level 5 study. However this time round I'll be juggling my studies with writing and sending applications for the placement year I'm hoping to do in 2016/17. I'm working on my first one at the moment, the deadline for which is mid October, as well as trying to formulate a general cover letter and CV to get a head start on subsequent applications. I know very few placements will be available, but if I'm unsuccessful I can still look into alternative ways to get experience, such as a summer internship.

Freshers Week: Expectations vs. Reality

One week ago today, I was experiencing a typical lazy Sunday and enjoying my last day with no uni obligations. During the day I tried to quell my apprehension about meeting brand new people, which I would go on to do that night at the Icebreaker Predrinks event, exclusive to non-halls dwellers. I didn't even know what the Icebreaker was at first; when I found out I had no interest in attending, but still made myself go to the meet up. The first of many buses during the week turned up fairly promptly, but I had difficulty finding the pub. Eventually I made it there, but couldn't find the group, so I sat with some second years for half an hour before making contact with them via Facebook. I chatted with the intended group for about an hour, but I didn't even get a drink. We did, however, agree to meet to walk to our induction talk the next morning, so that was something. Oh, how it's developed from there! Here's a retrospective list of the things I expected, plus what really happened.

Expectation #1

I would meet up with the home-dwellers once, go to the folk night alone, and do nothing for the rest of the week.

Reality #1
I went out every evening between Sunday and Friday, and went to the comedy night on Monday instead, which was probably a better decision. In addition to that, I went to the Archery Have-A-Go session yesterday!

Expectation #2

I'd make small talk with the people at the first event and one or two people at my course meetings, but not really get to know anybody.

Reality #2
I've acquired eight new Facebook friends and four phone numbers, as well as getting to know a good group of people!

Expectation #3

I'd have one small alcoholic drink per event.

Reality #3
I drank a pint of Guinness and most of a bottle of beer on Friday... enough said!

Expectation #4
I'd avoid clubs at all costs.

Reality #4
Seven of us went to a club on Tuesday night, and it was actually a pretty good experience!

All of this actually happened, plus more, and it's got my uni life off to a great start! With under 12 hours until my first lecture starts, I'd better finish off here, with the hope that uni continues to be this fun!

Awesome August!

In less than half an hour it will be September here, so I thought I'd do a quick post to herald the end of the marvellous month of August. I've had painted nails almost every day this month, but only two different designs:

I've also spent about a third of the month on holiday; between the 10th and 13th I was in Derbyshire, and yesterday I came back from a week in Weymouth. Highlights of the past 31 days include being accepted into university, receiving another retweet and favourite from Sebalter [x], and seeing a shooting star - I really hope the wish I made comes true! By the end of the coming month, I will be a fully fledged uni student, which is both an exciting and daunting prospect. The preparations have already begun - today I chose my optional units. The overarching mood is eagerness to get started on this new chapter of my life, something I hope will be documented on this blog in the future!

Post title

Why won't my drafts save on the blogger app? I almost finished a post on Thursday or Friday, but now it's nowhere to be found...
At this moment in time I am about to commence thorough, timetabled revision for my A2 exams. I will soon complete my chemistry coursework practical (finally), and I am also preparing my Exposé for the German oral exam. One week ago today Muse Watson retweeted my tweet, which was delightful! Midweek I ventured to Cardiff again to check out the university, and I was bowled over by the brilliance of the Students' Union complex. This uni decision is harder than I anticipated, and it's becoming a question of what I want most: freedom or family. (Incidentally, both of these options are also titles of  NCIS episodes.)