Begin again!

So my plans of studying chemistry, physics and maths while doing my undergrad degree did not work out!

I have just finished my final year and am absolutely exhausted.

But I have to start studying again now!

Good thing I love learning! Lol. :D

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?!).

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! ;)

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! :)

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.

:)