Yesterday I went to the Cambridge open day. It was AMAZING. I knew before we went that Cambridge was my top choice but its just in another league. I love the collegiate system, I love the city, I love the course, I love the way they teach it and I love the people there. Before we arrived my mum and I managed to get my college choices down to three; St Johns, Sidney Sussex and Pembroke. After the usual 'welcome to Cambridge' and the veterinary talk we went on a tour of each of them. The tours were done by current students (unfortunately none were by vet med students) and they were all so so nice. My original Cambridge misconception of the lucky-rich-kid student has been officially banished.
I'm going to do everything I can to get to Cambridge but I'm just terrified its too late. I worked hard but looking back I though I could've worked harder. But then I always think that.
I just hope hope hope hope that its NOT too late and I actually can make it to Cambridge.
I better get wishing :)
So its been about 3 weeks since my last blog - and a lot has happened since!! I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST! but apart from that the next most exciting maybe is that I finished my AS exams!! best day of my life (: I didn't think that any went particularly amazing, especially physics. I actually cried about that one. Finishing them was great but we were all back to school on the following Monday, no rest for the wicked!
Luckily me and 3 friends had booked a week away in Mallorca which was AWESOME. best holiday ever (also the first one without parents!) it was sooo good and we all really needed a break.
Only downer is now we're back at school and catching up A Level physics is no party. I've already dropped English - the school recommends you wait till results day to decide but I figure that all vet uni's prefer physics to english - especially Cambridge - and although my grade may actually be better in english than physics, I enjoy physics more so why wait?!
Some really really good news is my contact at the zoo nearby has got permission for me to help out in the primates section - I'm so happy about this because getting work experience there is normally impossible, they like you to be doing some kind of course (veterinary, zoology, animal handling etc) at uni or college and be at least 18 - neither of which I am.
People keep mentioning personal statements and CV's to me... but so far I'm being quite successful at pushing them to the back of my mind. I've made a little start, and to be fair my CV just needs touching up and updating but my personal statement is going to take A LOT of time.
The EPQ (extended project qualification) is getting into full swing now - I still have to properly decide what I'm doing but I'm pretty sure I'm going to focus on the human-animal interface in a certain situation - probably using my D of E African expedition to base it on... but maybe using the war in Afghanistan... I'm not decided yet.
I'd LOVE the summer holiday to be now, I'm going to be struggling through the last 4 weeks of school. I miss the long GCSE holiday! Instead I'm now back to catching up on quarks and leptons, on which I have a test tomorrow...
roll on the holiday!
Tomorrow is my last day of exams! Thank GOD - I'm so tired. Today I've had an hour and a half biology exam, 2 hours of English exam and then straight onto my physics tutor. My brain is fried and I only had 5hours sleep last night so I can hardly keep my eyes open.
Overall I'd say that exams have gone ok... not good and a long way from amazing, but definitely ok. Apart from physics. Physics was NOT good. and tomorrow I've got my final physics one which I really really want to do well in. I want to carry on with physics next year - after the english exam I've just done I never want to write again! well - possibly thats a slight exaggeration but not much. definitely not about Enduring Love or Robert Browning anyway. I just hope I've done enough to get to uni.
My exams tomorrow are physics and my Biology GCSE core, which I'm resitting after getting a B last year. Its stupid - I got full marks in the additional paper that actually requires you to know stuff but in the 'easy' paper I got a B! insane. so hopefully that can be rectified tomorrow...
I'm so tired and can't revise but I'm too scared that if I nap I won't be able to sleep which is what happened yesterday... a true dilemma.
OH GOD. chemistry exam in 2days. some kind of MIRACLE is needed ASAP. everything is crossed for just a paper of mole calculations and not a single definition. Of the 153 definitions that there are in total... I learnt about 10. uh oh.
study leave started last friday and I was bored of it by lunch-time on saturday. so instead of revising chemistry (which I really really really need to do) I'm off to see my best-friends new king charles spaniel puppy!! I've already told her I'm going to steal it.
But before I go- I AM going to do a past paper (:
Good luck to everyone who is doing exams!!
A few days ago the most awful thing happened - we arrived home to find the vet out in our field with the owners of one of the livery horses. Turns out 20 year old Breeze had gone down with colic. Because of her age and the severity of the problem she was sent pretty much straight away to a surgery to be operated on. Sadly although she made it through the operation, her condition deteriorated and she had to be put down.
Watching the vet trying to stabilise Breeze's condition and deal with the situation made me even more sure that this is the career I want to go into. Breeze was a one of a kind pony and everyone misses her.
I just wish I could hurry up and be a vet already.
Life is going soooo fast at the moment. my chemistry exam is in two weeks and a day. oh dear. I don't know why but I just can't revise- I just watch 90210 which probably won't get me an 'A'. The trouble is even though I know that, it doesn't make me revise any-more which is a shame (:
I know afterwards I'll hate myself, I just have to find the 'on' button.
So I was too late to book myself for RAVCs open day and now I just found I've done the same for Bristol. I tried the day after booking open!! Gahh whats a person got to do to visit a university round here. I rang the admissions person though and she said just keep checking, so I'm constantly just refreshing the page- another reason I'm not doing chemistry!
So the Port Lympne conservation thing turned out to be nothing which was kinda disappointing. Actually make that VERY disappointing. You have to be between 12 and 16 for a start, which I'm not, and it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be.
I think I've made up my mind on what I'm doing next year though - dropping English and carrying on Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as doing an EPQ which as well as head girl should keep me occupied! I'm looking into negative aspects of conservation and human - animal interface focusing on game reserves in Africa as a general area for my EPQ which will take advantage of my Duke of Edinbugh Gold expedition and is also an area I'm interested in.
Last week I did a practice-practice expedition for my D of E which involved camping at a nearby site and walking 35km over two days in the pouring pouring rain. It took me a few days to properly dry out. I've never been so glad that we're doing the real thing in Africa, where rain is pretty unlikely.
I s'pose I best do something constructive, hopefully involving revision...
wow - blogs are pretty good for venting stresses (:
Had my last sunday morning at the animal sanctuary today. Its weird but I think I'll actually miss it! Wasn't expecting that - early mornings and lots of cat poop. I know I'll miss Jim (the rabbit)! and the kittens that were born a few weeks ago have grown so much! (see picture) but they are still smaller than my hand. Everyone there was so nice, I'll definitely keep in touch.
Another day full of plans (revision) turned into setting up a Twitter account. I don't understand it (:
So 6 months at the animal sanctuary means only 12 months left to do for my Duke of Edinburgh volunteering section. What to do next? I might do weekends volunteering at a farm vets or there is a conservation thing thats being set up at Port Lympne and Howletts zoo which is near me - I'm not sure exactly what thats about - a teacher mentioned it to me in passing and I haven't seen her since. Need to find out more details.
This weekend has gone past wayyy to fast - with a week full of tests ahead I'd best do some revision....
After 3 days lambing things really quietened down so instead of spending a full week there I went to a dairy farm for a few days instead. It was great! The first day was spent doing general cow things like marking them, feeding the calves and helping with the milking which was all really good fun. On the second day the scanner came to check if the cows that had been AI'd (artificially inseminated) about 35-45 days earlier were pregnant. Most of them were which was good news. The scanner was really interesting; I'd been imagining a kind of giant screen but instead the probe projected the image onto glasses and I got to see a cow embryo! I'm going back to the farm on Friday and the vet is coming. It'll be good after my new found love for farm animals to see how a farm vet works and the differences between a farm vet and small animal vet.
Yesterday I went to the abattoir. It was definitely not a gory as I'd been expecting, everything was clean and sterile and very humane. I think its important to know where your food comes from and am glad I went. One of the most interesting bits was helping the meat inspector check the lungs and liver of the carcasses to check for tapeworm, liver fluke and pneumonia. I had to get up at 5.45am in order to be at the abattoir for 7am - I still haven't fully recovered!
I finally got into my revision gear and so far have done chemistry and physics. Its going.... alright. A lot more work is needed before my first exam in just over a month!
I'm 2 days into my week of lambing at a nearby farm and I love it! Even from my first day I was lucky enough to be able to get involved in everything; from feeding sock lambs to ringing the newborns to loading the truck to take them to the fields (harder and more exhausting than it sounds!). Today I delivered twins which was amazing (the ones in the picture). Gross and weird as it may be but since all the vets on the TV programmes I watched as a child always seemed to end up with their arms inside various animals I've been dying to have a go. And today was the day!
The family who own the farm and the shepherd, Jonathan, are so kind and the farm is beautiful, especially on sunny days like today.
I can't believe how close exams are. I HAVE to get back into work mode. I haven't finished the homework from 2weeks ago, never mind started any sort of revision.
And now I have to get the grades so I can become a farm vet!
Today I passed my driving theory test and have been appointed Head Girl of my school after a long interview process, so I'm feeling pretty happy! One problem is that I'm meant to be at the abattoir tomorrow but we're being introduced to the whole school so I'm not sure I can go... and they're not answering the phone!
Last weekend I went to Manor Vets on Saturday and had another amazing day. I saw a rectal prolapse which was pretty grim but is rare so I'm glad that I had the chance to see it. They didn't have a puppy party at the end of the day which was sad because the puppies are SO cute but it meant I finished a bit earlier than usual so had more time to do the insane amount of work I have piled up.
On Sunday I went to Lord Whisky, same as I do every week!, and had a good time. I'm in love with a rabbit. Its so cute but I'm not sure what to name it... Peter (Rabbit) seems a bit predictable!
Nearly time for the Easter hols which means LAMBING AND CALVING! I am a little bit excited for that! It'll also be good to have time to catch up with some revision - apparently we're already meant to have started revising for our AS Levels which I may not have, oops!
I had my first (of many) easter eggs today! I'm part of Interact and we had a charity event to raise money for Help for Heroes and there were a few eggs left at the end which looked unloved, I'm going to try and not eat quite as much chocolate this year as normal but things aren't looking too promising.
Have a good Easter!
Friday the 9th of March was my army interview and I think it went really well! They want me to go back after I get my AS results which just hammers home the fact that I can do all the planning I want but grades are still the most important thing.
I can't believe that my Easter holidays start next week! My first week is packed with lambing and calving but I think I will leave the second week for some good ol' revision - I'm really looking forward to that! Next Wednesday I'm going to J R Farm Meats abattoir which I'm still really looking forward to, everything is coming round so quickly!
I spent my Sunday marshalling one of the many Sports Relief miles and had a great time, some people dressed up amazingly, my favourite was some 118 guys with moustaches still intact after 3miles! After the event all the stewards got even a goody bag, in which was a prune?! Just one single wrapped prune... very intriguing.
This means that I now have 45 hours of the 50 that I need to complete my V50 Award!
Sorry its taken me a while to get round to answering your question OCICAT93: after a while of googling, I found the BMAT results, this is the direct webpage...
http://synergysolutions.org.uk/Workshop/Bmat%20Xmas%202009.pdf
Good Luck!
Last night I found myself at my schools Oxbridge talk. I'd never even considered Cambridge an option before I always just thought only true genius' or the exceptionally talented even thought about applying. but now all of a sudden... Cambridge is starting to look pretty nice. Its a 6 year course rather than 5 like the other vet unis which is because the 3rd is spent doing in-depth research on a certain area which I think is good. I like the sound of doing zoology.
well I'm now truly confused - I thought I'd finally managed to narrow down my choices to my final 4 (bristol, edinburgh, RVC and liverpool) and then cambridge came into consideration. when I was younger it was always my dream to be a vet and study at cambridge... It would mean a LOT of hard work.
I finally got round to checking the results of the BMAT test I took while at the Vet-Med Link course and turns out my results were in the top 25% which is pretty cool.
Last weekend I went to meet the farmer I'm doing my lambing and calving work experience with. I turned up on time Saturday morning and got a tour of the farm. some lambs had been born earlier that day and were so tiny and cute. I tried to impress with my (limited) sheep knowledge which was quite amusing but at least he knows I'm keen (:
can't wait till the easter holidays!!
Saturday at the Vets was really good fun. I forgot how much I really enjoy doing work experience there. I got several chances to see how to deal with clients; from an owner refusing to muzzle her staffie to a woman upset about having to decide whether to consider euthanasia for her elderly collie. Dealing with the owners is clearly as much a part of being a vet as making a diagnosis or surgery.
Sunday at Lord Whisky wasn't quite as good... mainly because it rained heavily the WHOLE time so I came home soaked and freezing. and of course it was the only time I've forgotten to take my gloves!
I spent most of Sunday night looking up university open days.
Its very scary that after researching all these vet things for so long its finally time for them to happen.
Recently I've been quite unmotivated at school. Its hard to put what I'm feeling into words but I think its roughly along the lines of 'I've worked so hard at school for 5 years, surely it must be time to actually live my life now.' If someone could just make me a vet without me having to go through another 6 years of education it would be much appreciated. Saying that though, I can't wait to go to university.
I spend so much time planning for the future (like the army), organising work experience, getting all the different uni prospectuses (whats the plural for prospectus?) that I keep having to remind myself that these are all going to be relevant if I get the right grades. Which at the moment I don't seem to be doing...
So skiing was amazing! Definately a serious contender for best holiday ever. I conveiniently forgot to take any work with me but at least that meant I had a totally relaxing week.
So first day back at school yesterday- it was awful. I seem to be going to a totally non caring phase at the moment, I want my life to start now! Enough with all this learning stuff.
Had my chemistry test today and it was possibly the worst exam I've ever done. I knew literally nothing but I got my Physics results yesterday and I got a B!! I'm so proud! I'm going to Manor Vets for a day this Saturday which will be great as I haven't been there in a while and then I'm back to Lord Whisky after a very long break on Sunday.
There is so much stuff I have to do - CV, personal statement, book my driving theory! not to mention the tons of homework I've got to catch up on.
I've written several lists but don't think I can put them off any longer, at some point I'll actually have to start doing something. But maybe that point doesn't have to be tonight...
I was totally prepared (well semi anyways) for my Chemistry exam today. And then the snow. The one track road outside my house was like a car park last night thanks to the police who sent everyone down it because of crashes on the main road it comes off.
So now I have to wait until after half term to have my exam. Not what I wanted - we're going skiing and I didn't want any exams hanging over me AND the chemistry exam will now be on the first day back and we will have gotten home about midnight the night before. Great.
I'm still waiting on the call from the farmer. I don't have their number, it was being set up by a friend of a friend but I may have to do some digging to get it because I really want to go!
Organised a time and date for my army interview!
Couldn't go to Lord Whisky last weekend because I had SOOO much work to do and I'm missing the next two weeks because of skiing... not good.
Through my school I found out about this 50 hours of volunteering award with V Inspired or something so have decided to do that, I can use my time at Lord Whisky and I spent a few hours last week helping with a Year 8 quiz. My team lost. By quite a lot.
Damn, just remembered I STILL have to write my CV to send off to Burnham House and Animal House vets. MUST do that soon!
Also over half term I think I'm gunna aim to make some kind indent on the scary thing that is my personal statement
Through Duke of Edinburgh I might get the chance to do this really exciting sounding outside kinda first aid course which would be great! Its just a matter of trying to fit it in over the summer because I am crazy busy.
Have a good half term everyone!
Well I've just done my physics mock... it went all right - I'm alive anyways. Bring on next week! I have a feeling chemistry may not go as well...
I've organised my day with J R Farm Meats abattoir! YAY! I'm weirdly really looking forward to that I think its going to be really interesting, only thing is I have to get there at 7am. wow. early.
I got a letter from my Army Careers Advisor saying I have to go and meet to discuss my 'whole range of options and discuss the way ahead.' Its scary I get to make such big choices now. I don't feel old enough!
Also booked in my work experience week at Animal House Vets in Herne Bay. They deal with horses as well as the odd small farm and the usual cats and dogs which will be great as I haven't seen large animal practice yet. Burnham House Vets wants me to send in a copy of my CV which I still haven't got round to writing - better try and fit that in between the revision this weekend. Talking of which I may have to sacrifice my Sunday morning at Lord Whisky Sanctuary for English revision :( that doesn't seem like a great trade.
I'm waiting on phone call from a farmer with 4,000 sheep to confirm I can go to the farm for a week in Easter to help with lambing.
That'll be fantastic because the other lambing placement I'd organised came at the end of that particular farms lambing season and the beginning of calving so I might not be that busy, but this way I can do lambing at Farm A for the first week then calving at Farm B for the second!
Is it sad how excited I get? (:
So as promised a post dedicated to my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. I started my Gold Award in October 2009 with the group Canterbury Gold. The best part of doing my award with Canterbury Gold is that we're going to Mozambique in South Africa to complete the expedition and residential parts of the award. I'm so excited!
The only slightly tricky part is that because of going to Africa there is a cost of over £2000 - that's a lot of cake sales! So far on the whole fund-raising front I've gone round local shops asking them to donate product that I'll sell at a boot fair as soon as I've got enough stuff. Most shops have been really good and C&H Fabrics, Shared Earth, Fudge Kitchen and Siesta have all donated products.
If anyone has any other ideas though I'd love to know!
While we're in Africa as well as walking 75-85km (!) we get to visit local schools and orphanages, swim with dolphins, go on a day trip to St Lucia and even dissect an impala! What more could a girl want?
Yesterday at school we had this talk on 'the whole UCAS procedure' the summary of which was the next six months will either kill me or result in me being in a good position to get into vet school. Me being the worrier that I am got home and immediately started planning MORE work experience and producing an edexcel spreadsheet showing the pros and cons of universities I'm looking at- slightly OTT some may say.
I've been trying to organise work experience at Pfizer for the past few weeks but their summer work experience week clashes with the Nottingham Uni Vet-Sim course which I really wanted to go on after having such a good time on their Vet-Med Link course last December. After much deliberation I think I'm going with Pfizer... simply because its a field of veterinary that I haven't looked at before.
Liverpool Vet course has the biggest work experience requirement list (10 weeks in total!) including 4 weeks at at least 2 practices. I'm in the middle of contacting Burnham House Vets to see if I can go there for a week in summer and Lady Dane is next on my list - I've already done 2 weeks at Manor Vets which I loved and am trying to fit in the odd day for me to go back.
Abattoirs are so hard to get work experience at! Thanks to that vet student who went in and videoed one no abattoirs want any work experience people, hopefully JR Farm Meats will let me come for a day!
Turns out the vet at Port Lympne is away in Germany until next Tuesday so I'll have to wait to find out about that one.
Fund raising for my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award is going well, I'll make my next post about that.
AND as well as all that stress we have mocks starting next week! I'm really not looking forward to them, I may have left starting my revision a bit late - cough, cough last night - but I really want them to go well as our predicted grades for A Level are partly based on them. Oh no. Needless to say I'm stressed.
Today I went to my local Army branch to find my ACAO- (thats army careers advisor officer to the non-military ones out there) and after filling in several forms, stepping on the weighing scales (a traumatic experience) and having my height measured, I found out that I'll be invited back within a month for an interview to decide whether or not I can join the RAVC and receive a grant towards my uni fees! Looks like I better brush up on my army knowledge.
wow, this is a bit scary - what to write!
well a bit more about myself... I'm 17 and doing my first year of A Levels (I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, English and Physics) and finding it amazingly hard. I've actually just got home from my physics tutor which I organised after deciding 3 U's (ungradables) were just a few too many.
I should apologise now for the awful spelling that those who (hopefully!) read this will be subjected too because although I am taking English A Level and read copious numbers of books I just don't seem to be able to spell. So, sorry guys.
I've always wanted to be a vet and love that I'm finally old enough to be doing stuff about it. Like work experience - I love it! Although what's with the 18 age limit on everything? HOW IS ANYONE MEANT TO GET ANY PLACEMENTS! Hopefully though I've got a family friend who is also a zoo keeper to get me a week at my local zoo, fingers crossed for that!
I'm a bit of a Planner in that I'm slightly obsessed with organisation. My life plan (this does change on quite a regular basis) is to go to vet uni, join the RAVC (Royal Army Vet Corps) and then maybe become a zoo vet. But I don't know how one does this? I've spent literally hours looking for somewhere, anywhere! to tell me in simple words how to become a zoo vet. I've so far deduced that you have to go back to uni and take another course... more research needed I think.
So this is basically me- hopefully someone out there will find this blog useful.
Thanks for reading!
