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....
