Over the hump!

Good evening!

It's been a silent blog for the past few days. I have been studying like crazy for my exams. Getting up at six o clock in the morning and going to bed at ten at night. If I'm not taking the test, I'm studying! Ouchies! Three exams over with now which means I am officially more than half way through! :D

Today was my worst exam. I really hope I scraped through, I'll be lucky if I did but I'm trying to be positive. I really am looking forward to Friday when everythings finished!

Then onto the GAMSAT! OH MAN!

Lol I feel like I am a permanent student. I never stop studying or learning something. Which is good I suppose, and part of the reason I am so attracted to medicine as a career. I like the idea of constantly being challenged and learning something new.

I am going to order the Gold Standard GAMSAT book of Friday. I have researched a good bit, and although it's not supposed to completely cover what you need to know, it's a definate start! It's not too unreasonably priced either.

Might look into the tutor situation next week. Am back to work for the summer! SOB! But my bank account will be happy once more!

Anyway I have got to sleep I am too tired to study tonight! Zzz...

:)

GAMSAT webinar!

Afternoon!

I haven't been feeling all that well for the past few days so my posting has been a bit off. I also have been really struggling with my exam prep so not being very productive at all.

Anyway something positive today: I attended a free GAMSAT webinar, from passgamsat.com. It was on how to approch the GAMSAT when you don't know where to start.

The first half of the webinar was quite good and motivating and then the second half was pretty much trying to sell their online course which like all other GAMSAT stuff is reallyyyy expensive!

Some of the useful things I did get from the webinar, included the following:

1) 80% of people who sit GAMSAT don't get into med school.

Eek how terrifying is that?! But good to know so you don't underestimate the challenge.

2) Make a visual reminder of what will happen if you don't pass the GAMSAT!

You might include having to wait another year, having to fork out more money, or having to settle for a career less fulfilling than you want.

3) Imagine your future if you do pass GAMSAT and get in!

This is a positive reminder about why you are doing all this prep. Get a clear and specific mental picture into your head of where you want to be and what you want to be doing.

The guy who runs the company who was hosting the webinar is offering a free ebook to download from their website called "How to Pass the GAMSAT". I looked at it briefly just now and it seems like it has a mix of helpful info and promotion of their course which is fair enough I suppose.

Just handy to have all the info you can.

Personally I'm still deciding how to approach my study. I think I might need a tutor or something like that for chemistry and physics because I have no basis in them, but not sure about a GAMSAT course, they seem pricey and I'm sceptical about how helpful they are...

Anyway I'm off to do yet more study (will exam period ever end?!).

Exam period kicks off and Exam tips!

Afternoon!

I didn't get a chance to update as usual in the past day or so, as I was studying for an exam. The exam period is two weeks and I have 5 exams in total. One this week and four next week. Today's exam went surprisingly okay I think! It wasn't that I did any extra revision because I just crammed yesterday and this morning! But I remembered a surprising amount of very specific information such as authors and years.

Could my choline and inositol supplement be kicking in? I hope so! :D

After the exam I went shopping and I picked up some books for my GAMSAT revison, chemistry, maths and physics for Dummies! Exciting stuff! :)

Anyhoo seeing as it's exam period I got to thinking about the way different people approach exams.

I wanted to share some tips from my own experience on how to survive!

1) Give yourself time for revision.

This means try not to cram (ha I know how hard it is not to) but if you have time, plan out your revision time as best you can. Set realistic targets for revision, and when revising a lot of material switch topics after a while to keep your brain fresh.

2) Eat Well!

Maybe I'm always talking about nutrition but you know it's reallyyyy so important! Changing your diet can actually cure illnesses such as depression or fibromyalgia so try keep a balanced diet heading up to exams. Avoid junk foods that cause blood sugar spikes. Opt for good carbohydrates, lean proteins, good fats and fresh fruit and veg. On exam day itself, make sure to have breakfast! Make it a good one too! Scrambled egg with wholemeal toast and a piece of fruit will give you energy and fill you so your tummy doesn't start growling like a whale in the exam! :p

3) Get a Good Nights Sleep

Don't fall into the trap of cramming late the night before, drinking caffeine to stay awake. This puts stress on your body and your mind. You probably won't learn all that much anyway, and in the morning when the exam comes, you're probably not going to be able to remember all that much anyway! So get some sleep and let your body rest. If you find it hard to sleep with anxiety the night before exams try a chamomile tea. Chamomile is a herb which is known for its relaxing and soothing properties. Try avoid sleeping tablets, even herbal ones as they can make you feel groggy in the morning.

4) Take Some Deep Breaths

This is a good tip I picked up somewhere along the way. Taking a couple of deep breaths allows more oxygen to get to your brain, allowing you to think more clearly. It also calms you down. So wherever you are take some deep breaths and just quieten the mind for a second.

5) Avoid The Post-Mortem Overload

The first thing most people do after an exam is ask pretty much everyone they know, "Sooo how did you do?", while not so harmful in itself, make sure not to go overboard with the post exam analysis. What's done is done at that stage. You can't change anything and going over each section with your friends will probably only make you (and them) realise what you forgot to do, or didn't do, making you feel terrible. Best to just draw a line under it and hope for the best.

Overall keep a positive attitude. Exams will be over before you know it, and if worst comes to the worst and you fail, it's not the end of the world. You always have options. So don't stress, just do your best!

:)

Stress Relief for Students

Afternoon!

Today I am talking about something that creeps it's way into everyone's life at some stage or another, and that is stress!

As my exams are looming I'm definately experiencing some right now. Generally I think stress is most debilitating before a particular event. We build things up so much in our head that small challenges can become magnified and distorted, and this can take a toll on our mental, physical and spiritual health.

I know from my own experiences I've fallen victim to this manys a time! Presentations in particular tend to cause me to panic, I spend weeks and weeks dreading it and building it up, only to find that the presentation itself goes fine and is over pretty quickly! Stressing over such things is truly a waste of time and energy!

For students learning to manage stress is very important. I would imagine that for med students it is critical!

So here are some ways that help you to release that buildup of stress:

1) Face Challenges Head-On!

This is something I need to work on. When we are faced with a challenge, many times the temptation is to run away from it, to avoid it as long as possible. One example of this for students would be assignments. If you put things off and procrastinate, you will only have more time to build up stress! Then, not only will you not have as much time to work on it, but the standard of your work may also drop as you become more and more panicked! So the best thing to do when faced with a challenge is not delay! Do it today so you can enjoy your tomorrow! :)

2) Diet and Exercise!

Having a good diet and keeping active is really important to manage stress! Exercise clears the mind and releases endorphins that make you feel better. Try to fit in a little bit of exercise whenever you can. Make small changes to become more active in the long term. Start with small things such as doing some yoga or going for a walk and as your fitness levels increase you can do more. Combining exercise with a good diet will help you not only stay in shape, but keep your body healthy and reduce stress! For more on having a good diet, see my post on Student Nutrition!

3) Get it out!

Stress is an emotion which causes all our muscles to tense up. It causes us to withdraw inwards out of fear. Therefore, you want to do things which let that tension out of the body! Talking is a great way to release tension. Seek out someone you trust and just let them know what's going on with you. Just let them know you need to vent. Pets are a great option for this I've found as they can't make comments back! ;) If you are really tense, try punching a pillow over and over, or hell even scream until you can't scream anymore! Just let that stress OUT! (You might want to warn people around you before you try that last one!). :)

4) Meditate.

Meditation is something every single person should be doing in my opinion. You don't have to be a spiritual or religious person to do it so there's no excuse. What you are doing is drawing your focus inward, usually on your breathing, and clearing the mind. This can take some practice but don't be discouraged it does get easier! Meditation not only reduces stress by calming the body and quieting the mind, but ut has also been shown to reduce rates of heart disease AND increase IQ! There are many different techniques so have a root around online for one that suits you and just go for it!

5) Take Time For You

We all have tasks that we have to get done in our lives, and sometimes this list can seem never-ending. Rather than letting yourself get dragged down by all the stuff you have to do, make time for something you want to do! Fit something into your schedule that is just solely for the purpose of your mental well-being. This might be meeting a friend, reading a book, going for a walk, putting on a face mask- anything you enjoy! Just be sure to make this time purely for you! Put a mental box around this time and don't let any of the stress from what you have to do spill over into your me-time! You will find that doing this on a regular basis breaks of the monotony of practical life and gives you something you can look forward to. That in itself can help reduce your stress levels!


I hope these points have been helpful, learning to manage stress does not happen over night, it takes time. But making small changes in your life on a regular basis will help you cut down the worry and the panic, and help you enjoy your life more!

I'm off to take my advice and face my study head on! ;)

Women, Life and Education

I decided to make this post about the challenges women face in their journey towards education.

I live in a country which legally ensures that all women are treated equally, and yet the reality of life on the ground is we are not equal to our male counterparts.

Research has shown that women are still consistently being paid less than men for doing the same job. I have had personal experience of this and it is the most sickening experience! I worked hard and cared about doing a good job, and yet I was getting paid less. It was only when I found out (through a relationship with a co-worker) and called my boss out on it, that my pay was equalised.

As we all know, education costs money, a lot of money if you want to do something like medicine, and if women are being paid less than men in the workplace this may add increased pressure to women who are struggling to cope.

It seems women still have not caught up to the financial security and power that is enjoyed by men in society. Much of this is due to social problems such as the aforementioned inequalities in pay, however I also believe some of this responsibility falls on women themselves.

It seems many women are waiting for the so-called "prince-charming" to show up in their life and take care of everything. They fail to educate themselves on what they need to do to survive in this world. Many women fall into the trap of getting comfortable letting their partner take control of the finances. This leaves them in a reliant and vulnerable position. All women need to take initiative, discard the fairytale images of life we were introduced to as children and get real. Knowledge is power, therefore if women really want to occupy a powerful position within society, they need to educate themselves.

It's not an easy thing to be a woman. I believe woman have always been at a real disadvantage from the get go. First it was physical disadvantage, and then alsodisadvantages of living in male-centered societies.

I believe women are caught in a struggle. Trying to hold onto their equality with men so strongly, that they are afraid of the penalties of being female. As women, our bodies do function differently to men, we struggle each month to varying degrees to keep going, pregnant women are under pressure to work as long as possible up until they give birth, and then to get back to the workplace as soon as possible.

The pressure on women to have it all cannot be understated.

While I was growing up it was my mother who worked full time while my father stayed home with the kids. I'm grateful that I had such a role model early on in life. Career has always been important to me and I believe that's where it came from. However, now that I'm older I am able to talk to my mother about what it was like to be a mother, a wife and a full-time employee.

She said the pressure was unimaginable. If she had her time again she wouldn't have had children because of the toll that it takes trying to have it all.

I wish that those in power could understand this pressure (although they are mostly men so maybe they just can't). Equality as I see it, is the bare minimum that should be required by society. But it's not enough. There should be some allowances made for women and their struggles. I think is not saying that one sex is better or weaker than the other, rather it is saying that we are different to men and that's ok.

If you added up the money spent by a woman on sanitary products for her life (nevermind the painkillers etc) it would add up to a whopping sum. Yet there is no allowance made for this, we just have to shoulder yet another burden.

Equality ensures that men and women get the same number of sick days. Even though, lets face it women could do with an extra few to get them through!

Constantly having to push, constantly trying to be "equal" to men is exhausting!In work I try do everything the men do (even if I struggle due to difference in physical strenght), sometimes I feel I have to just to assert myself. Yes I am a woman, don't dare underestimate me though. It does take a toll on me and my health, and that in turn effects my education.


Men have created societies which are catered to their needs. I hope and pray that as women educate themselves we can go on to create societies that are friendly not only to men's needs but to womens as well!

In the mean time, women like my mother and I struggle to keep up, and yet refuse to fall behind.

Off to study I go! :)

Precious time!

Morning!

I remember watching a kids show when I was younger called Bernard's Watch. This young boy had a magical watch which he could use to stop time. Everything around him would freeze and it came in very handy!!!

I wished and wished and wished for one but it never happened.

So one thing I struggle with is making the most  out of  my time during the day. I always find that my day goes so quickly and I just can't understand where it's gone! As a student, and a wannabe doctor I definately need to work harder on maximising my time!

If like me you struggle with time management, here are some things that may help:

1) Download a Site Blocker

My undergrad degree has a heavy emphasis on online material such as ebooks, which means I am on my laptop all day. I find I get distracted really easily by Facebook, checking emails, watching videos etc. If you're like me, fear not! There are free programmes that you can download to temporarily block sites for a certain period of time while you study.

2) Structure Your Day

Take a little time to examine what you do on a daily basis. You might find you waste time doing unproductive things like watching too much tv. If you can stick to them, making a schedule in advance is a good way to work all the things you need to do into your day.

3) Make Lists

Making a to-do list in your day planner, or keeping a list near your study area will help keep you focused on what you need to do. The more specific the things on your list the better!

4) Punishments/Rewards

Let's face it study can be a complete bore! When you find you just cannnot get motivated try setting a punishment or reward for yourself! A punishment is a penalty for not completing something in a particular time frame. Examples include: Giving a certain amount of money away or giving up a particular item for a week. I prefer to be positive though and stick with rewards! ;) Give yourself a reward for working through a particularly difficult task, or for completing exams. Examples of some rewards might be: going out with friends, buying something nice for yourself or even just making yourself a nice cup of coffee and taking some time out! Make sure that you don't over reward yourself though. Match the reward to the size of the task!


I hope these tips will come in handy to help you manage your time! :)

Today I am going to try and take my own advice and make sure I use my time more productively than I did yesterday! ;)

 My exams start on Monday and I need to really get some good study in! I started my day off in a healthy way with a good breakfast so I'm ready to rock!

Have a great day! :)

Study Fatigue

Evening!

It's a nice (relatively warm) evening here and it's stopped raining! Yay! :)

I have to be honest I had a ridiculously unproductive day today. I somehow sat at my computer and managed only to get 4 small questions covered...in 8 hours....yeah not good!

I'm really quite tired today. I've so much to do and so much on my mind I think it's wearing me out. I just ache all over! I got to thinking about study fatique. When you just hit the wall and can't do anymore, which is where I'm at right now!

I wanted to share some of my tips for getting through long periods of study:

1. Get up and move

 If your brain is switching off and you're starting to feel lazy then get that butt off the chair and get moving! I recommend dancing around your room! :) It's a fun way to wake up your brain! Otherwise you can shake yourself out, do some stretches- anything that gets you're blood going!

2. Make time for breaks

If like I am at the mo, you're studying for long periods of time, make sure to take a mini break every 30-40 mins or so. It will help give your brain a little rest rather than overloading it. I'm not suggesting a longggg break now so be good and keep it to 5-15 mins max depending on how tired you are ok? ;)

3. Ideal Environment

Take a bit of time before you study to create the ideal study environment, tidy your desk or find a clear table to work on. Try to make sure it's not a space with a lot of activity such as a kitchen as you will get distracted. Also make sure that you have some fresh air coming in, and that the temperature of the room is not too high or you will get sleepy!

4. Music

This may not be everyones cup of tea, but I find most of the time I study I need some sort of music in the background to just break up the monotony. I have an internet radio and I cannot stress how amazing they are! You can pick from thousands of stations of all different genres of music! If you can't get one not to worry, try creating a playlist on itunes of study songs. Study songs should ideally be played low, and not be too distracting in themselves. So no rock tunes! (unless you're on a break that is heheh)

5. Learning Personality

There are a number of quizes you can do to figure out your learning personality. You may be a kinesthetic learner, an auditory learner, a visual learner, or a combination of all three. Kinesthetic learners like to move around while they are studying and might fidget a lot. An Auditory learner learns best by hearing things out loud, and learn best by reading out to themselves. A Visual learner remembers things best by seeing them. Figuring out what type of learning style suits you will help you realise what techniques you should be using. For example, if you are a Visual learner you might want to make your notes visually appealing through colours and pictures.


These are just some tips to help you study. But my final piece of advice is if you are tired- REST!

If you are really exhausted take some rest or take a nap, and come back to your studies later or the next day with a fresh brain! Which is exactly what I'm off to do! Zzz....

 

 

:)

Student Nutrition

Morning! :)

As my exams loom I'm trying to watch my diet more and more. It's taken years of anaemia and  a whole host of other deficiencies to make me realise I need to keep an eye on those vitamin and mineral levels! Guess I'm a bit slow on the uptake! :P

I went shopping yesterday and made a beeline for the health food store. Picked up a new supplement to add to the collection. An inositol and choline supplement. Never tried it before so will let y'all know what I think of it!

I was doing research one day on supplements for med students (I research all things pre-med!) and came across them being mentioned over and over. I had never really come across them before, even though I have a certificate in nutrition! Oops!

They are supposed to help with memory function, so yes I had to have them!

I also am taking a multivitamin, iron tablets, an omega complex and sea kelp supplement. That's if I remember to take them all, which I have to be honest most of the time I don't! But I am trying and that's what important right? :)

I think nutrition is so important for students to maximise their potential in exams and throughout the academic year. We all want to do the best we can in the time we have in college and to do that we need to be in the best health possible!

A bloodtest at the end of the summer term will highlight any deficiencies that may have developed and will give you time to get yourself fighting fit for the next year.

It's so tempting when you are stuck at a desk studying all day to just snack on junk so it's worth doing a shop before you sit down and stock up on healthy nibbles!

I like fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, baked chickpeas with flavours and pickles!

Also if like me you have an almighty 3 pm slump, instead of just leaping towards the kettle to put on another coffee, try a fresh fruit smoothie instead!

1/2 a banana makes a good base for smoothies and will release energy slowly. Add in anything you like! :) I love strawberries, pears, mangos and raspberries! Then to give it an extra POW add in a bit of spinach or kale (you can't taste it, don't worry. It's just extra iron and vitamins). If you need to sweeten things up add in a little honey or stevia!

 

 

 

Healthy banana and chocolate smoothie with a wee bit of spinach :)

FREE GAMSAT help! :O

I'm actually shocked to find some free GAMSAT help, but I found this site earlier and wanted to share. I haven't had time to fully check it out, but it looks good! :)

http://e-gamsat.com/

Emotional Stress Day Monday!

Afternoon!

I started off my day with romantic stress. A sort of break up if you will and I lost someone whom I care about a great deal. Definately not a good way to start the day.

I felt that I needed to limit the amount to influence from my private life on my career goals. In other words I needed to prioritise. I'm sure I come across to others as cold hearted at times, but I must keep my focus in tact.

It got me thinking though...I'm still quite upset and it's distracting me from study for my exams. Imagine what it will be like in med school! You can't pause for a minute to cry or sigh over anything. You have to push and get through it. Push it away and get practical, which is what I'm trying to do.

I think I have let my emotional life get in the way of my studies a great deal in the past, and I just can't let myself do that any more. I don't have the time to be depressed or sad!

Happy I can do though! :)

I'm trying to catch myself when I say or do something negative. Ha I never realised how much of a moan I am!

This change could take a while!

:)

Scary!

I will face this if I apply to England. Scary stuff! :/

Sleepy Sunday zzz...

Evening!

Today I have been so exhausted! Got a fair bit done though so am happy that I had a productive day. I cleaned out my guinea pig cage, gave her a bath, sorted my phone billing out and then made food for my family and got in around 4 hours of study! :)

I had to push myself a bit. I didn't want to study. But I know that I will be studying for my GAMSAT (and then hopefully in med school) and I'm going to be tired and not in the humour of doing it, but I just have to do it. Keep my eyes on the prize and not slack off.

I guess what's been on my mind today is money.

Medicine is so expensive! I know that if I get into med school I will be applying for a loan, but I'm worried about everything that comes before that.

Everything related to the GAMSAT is so expensive! Books, materials, the test itself! Also if I am flying over to London in Sept, I'm going to need some money for that as well! Nightmare!

I also have to pay tuition for my final year in college which is ALOT!

I worked it out, and even if I work as much as possible, I can't afford to cover all the expenses I have this year, plus all that I had planned to do. I've abandoned the idea of a holiday. I guess I will have to abandon learning to drive as well, and that means I will have to reapply for my learners permit.

My minds just working on what to do to make and save money. I'm considering setting up an ebay account and trying to sell some of my stuff! Haha desperate times and all that.

I guess money is the first hurdle one must pass on the way to medschool. Sad that that is the first criteria for becoming a doctor, being able to shoulder the economic burden.

But it is what it is, and I won't give up. If I have to sell all I have, I will.

Except my bed...it's too comfy, and I'm off to dream now!

ZZZ

 

:)

Down and up again!

Good morning (for another 15 mins or so)!

Today is a semi-sunny Saturday here in Dublin. Today I am heading into work in the afternoon. So am going to try fit in some study now before I have to go.

After my entry last night, I have to be honest, I felt very depressed and discouraged about my being able to do graduate medicine.

It seems like I have not nearly enough time and I began to sincerely doubt my capability to actually pass the test and go on to med school.

I guess the fact that I have no real experience at studying chemistry and none at physics is what's getting me down. I am taking on two very challenging subjects from scratch this summer, while working full time and not only learning to drive but also getting fit and healthy both physically and mentally.

So I went to bed last night feeling really down. I wanted to talk to someone about what I'm going through but really nobody gets it. They don't get the passion and the willingness to work my butt off to do this. They think I'm just a hopeless dreamer....

What was I talking about...?

Ha no really it is frustrating facing something so terrifying alone.

I don't know if anybody reading this is spiritual or religious but I do believe in God. I don't know quite what I believe about God but I prayed last night and read the Bible (I don't consider myself a Christian I just like reading it, lots of reassurance and wisdom in it! ), and I just felt like this feeling of renewed determination came over me.

It may be difficult, it seemed to say, but if you want it you can do it. It will require a lot of changes on your part, but you can do it!

So I'm trying to focus on that positive feeling, and not on any self-doubt.

Well enough talking time to take action and go study for my exams!

Have a great day! :)

Ps. This is a quote from the Bible but you don't have to believe in God to apply it to your life. It's just about being positive and taking action. :)

Two tests or one?

I have read many Irish students travel to the UK to take their GAMSAT exam. I am wondering if I should try for the exam this coming Sept (scary!).

My fear would be that I will not be ready to take my exam that soon. But it would be good practice, and if I could do well in it, I would be able to relax and focus fully on my final year as an undergrad.

I found this very useful post about the lenght of time needed to prepare for the GAMSAT.

http://gamsatpreparation.blogspot.ca/2012/12/the-gold-standard-gamsat-study-schedule.html

Generally they say from 3-6 months.

I'm getting slightly nervous at the prospect of taking this so soon but it's something I need to consider.

I'm on the search for prep materials. I was looking into the Gold Standard but it costs a fortune and has not necessarily gotten great reviews.

Perhaps there is something better out there?

Off I go to do my research!:)

In the beginning...

Hi there!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Ali. I'm 23 years old and am a second year university student.

I decided to create this blog as I begin to prepare myself for applying to graduate medicine next year.

I have always wanted to be a doctor but I know that it is extremely difficult and gruelling. I don't have a lot of support at the moment. Most of the people around me doubt that I can or will succeed at following my dream. So I think a blog will be a good place to come and let out that frustration!

I'm also finding out how confusing the whole process is, not knowing how to prepare for the dreaded GAMSAT, or medschool itself.

I would like this blog to be a place I can share my experiences with others, as well as any information I find on graduate entry medicine that I think may be helpful to others.

I'm off to study for exams now so will post more later.

:)