Category: Freshers

Rag Dash to Antwerp

MBBS Medicine

Before:

So I am writing this on Thursday 20th February before my Cardiovascular System Lectures this afternoon. My day so far has consisted of “morning after sports night” feeling, a brief meeting with Hall Staff about the bin cleaning schedule and a few bits of Rag Dash preparations.  I am SO EXCITED. Tomorrow some of the medics are off to Brighton then Antwerp, Belgium for the weekend… all in the name of charity. Having changed my pounds to euros and had a glance at my awful passport photo I am now in the process of being ready to leave. In the classic “Dictator Mala” style we (I) have organised a full day plan for tomorrow and everything is timed to the minute to ensure maximum fun. Our train to Brighton with the RAG DASH ANTS (AKA ANT-twerp girls up to their ANTics) leaves at 13.51. We will be meeting for light refreshments and pizza at 12:33. Gonna be a great Friday!

I have had such a problem working out what to take though. It seems that the older the medics the less they advise to take on Rag Dash. My fresher friends are discussing suitcases whilst 5th years have told me to take a toothbrush and a change of underwear only…decisions.

Anyway, what am I expecting? I have no clue, but I am so excited. One thing is for sure…lots of selfies will be taken. I am talking about a fully charged phone ready for a full album of #selfies.

After:

Back now. That was a bit of a weird trip. It was so much fun, but so odd. We Antwer-ked and we had our lives Bright-ened up.

Nothing really happened on it though. At all.

 

I BROKE SOME RIBS

MBBS Medicine

So a few days ago I began anatomy of the thorax…i.e. I took a trip up to the 14th floor and met the body my group would be working with for the next few weeks. It was incredible.

I have so much respect for people that donate their bodies to science and even after just one session I can see how useful it really is to have the opportunity to see. I was terrified though. Genuinely so nervous to have the responsibility of someone’s body in my hands only a term and a bit into my degree. However, it was incredible.

This was the first session so we were tasked with removing the outer layers of the body to reveal the organs. Luckily there was already skin flaps prepared. Walking up to the body I saw equipment like saws and bone cutters and just thought to myself..”what have I signed up to?!?” The session began with our instructor asking our B4 group ‘would any of the men like to start off with sawing the ribs’. That’s when my #strongindependentwoman kicked in. Even though I was so nervous, I was not going to let the guys go first out of principle. So I responded with ‘or the ladies? I could do it too’. The instructor apologised and I began to saw away somewhere near/at the manubrium…but nothing was happening. I tried to move positions but I was just (dare I say) too weak.

However, I did manage to break some of Jim’s (we named the cadaver Jim) ribs!! It was so fascinating and I’m so happy we have a chance to do this. I saw all of it from the pectoralis major muscle to the external intercostal muscles to the bits that I really didn’t know the names of.  One thing that did surprise me was how hungry I got during the session-apparently it’s to do with the chemicals they use in the room?!?!
So, the day after, I went for my first ever steak. It was good.

On a serious note though, Imperial really is not flawed in the opportunities they give with anatomy and dissection. It is a real privilege to get to dissect a real human body. Just being able to touch a lung or feel the muscle fibres was incredible. I know I probably sound like an over excited puppy but ahhhhhh anatomy.

Okay, that is all.

Disclaimer: Get consent before dissecting a body.

 

Image from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1547412706001046
Image from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1547412706001046

Formative Exams

MBBS Medicine

We have been getting results back from our formative exams/tasks over the past couple of weeks and I recently received this question:

“Dear Mala, I heard that every first year medic fails January exams at Imperial. Is this true because I don’t want to fail. Do first year medics even do any work?”

In short…the pass rate was around 58% in our year. For those of you that don’t know, formatives are basically “mock” tests that we have to gauge how well we are doing so far. They are supposed to give everyone a metaphorical ‘kick up the aorta’ and thus work harder. However, considering we are a month into the term it has been funny to see that this has just not been the case. The never ending excuses we all seem to find to avoid work have built up even though we all “promised we would work harder” this term.

I am sitting here right now procrastinating doing a piece of work that should in theory take me about 20 minutes to finish but has totalled up to over 2 hours so far because I keep getting distracted. This is probably my own fault. I have positioned my laptop in an ideal distraction position- to the left of me lies a box of Lindt chocolates which is perched next to a box of Belgium Marks and Spencer Biscuits. To my right is my nail varnish and the debris of post it notes from my game of post it note snap I played earlier…with myself.

I am also sitting on a swivelly chair…this is disastrous. I spin slightly in the clockwise direction and I am facing…the mirror. If my music is playing loud I may transform abruptly into a professional singer/performer when I catch myself in the mirror. If I swivel on my chair 180 degrees I can make eye contact with my pillow. If we stare at each other for a long enough time then taking a nap will only be a good idea. I also somehow have managed to accumulate a few newspapers that are great to read when you’re “not busy” (cause I can’t say no when Amrit the Metro Man offers me a Metro at Gloucester Road station).

So, anon, even if it may not sound like it… not every medic fails formatives. (I managed to pass formatives. I have even done some work too.) Getting a balance between working and having fun is hard so you should probably go shopping before you come to Imperial and grab yourself a box of post it notes too so that you keep working ‘interesting’.

…And maybe work in the library.

P.S. This was procrastination too.

Phrases we like to use

MBBS Medicine

There have been a few phrases that I have adopted since coming to University and they have been detrimental to my bank account balance and lifestyle choices. ‘I am treating myself‘ or ‘I deserve this’ have been absolutely awful. When I walk into Sainsbury’s and see a large Lindt bar on the shelf calling my name I manage to convince myself I need or deserve a treat…which is never, ever the case.

Another great phrase is ‘you’re only a fresher once’. Because…it’s true. It is an excuse to do pretty much anything ridiculous as you have the excuse that it is all part of a ‘fresher experience’.

However, this week for RAG Week I have had to confront a new phrase: ‘It’s for charity’. This one tugs at the heart strings and has led me to do some ridiculous things this week all in the name of charity.

‘Shall we go out tonight’

Normal reaction- I’m so tired and have important lectures tomorrow.. I can’t.

RAG Week reaction- It’s for charity…why not!

‘Go on stage and have a race to eat a burger covered with Gin with a stranger’

Normal reaction: eww no

RAG Week reaction- It’s for charity…why not!

‘Run around London dressed as a superhero and complete challenges (like interrupting a date and flirting with one of the people on the date).‘

Normal reaction: No, that’s not really acceptable human behaviour?

RAG Week reaction- It’s for charity…why not!

‘Shall we get on the circle line tube, but instead of having a destination we just get off at every stop and go to a pub…and let’s start at 10am.‘

Normal reaction: Do you need help, are you an actual alcoholic?

RAG Week reaction- It’s for charity…why not!

You get the picture… It’s been a great week full of fancy dress and outrageous events. It has been a week full of these ‘excuses’ to do things and I have noticed them more and more as I got to the final few days. I have come to adore and appreciate the phrases and will be sad now that the ‘it’s for charity’ excuse has gone.

However, just remember…if you think you do deserve a treat, you convince yourself you are doing something good for charity or you are just embracing the fresher experience you must be prepared to be in potentially very embarrassing situations (e.g. waking up drunk midweek and proceeding to send drunk videos…to everyone).

P.S. Below please find a Promo Video of a Hot Dog (my friend) being interviewed for Channel 5  during RAG Week…It was for charity.

http://youtu.be/I1P5nX2sowQ

#iloverag #slutdropforcharity #lolhashtags #strongindependentwoman

 

Imperial Medicine Interview- what I would have liked to know before my interview.

MBBS Medicine

So, interviews have started. Yipee!! We have seen lots of fresh faced applicants wandering around SAF and it has been pretty exciting. I was having a think about things that I wish I had known when I was getting ready for my interview and I hope that this will help you guys (this is only my opinion though!).

1)      Why do you actually want to do medicine? No seriously. We know you like people and that you hope the world will be cured by your skills…but that’s not a full answer. Come up with something original and really think about it. This question is a pretty important one and if you haven’t worked out a valid reason about why you want to study Medicine, why would anyone want to let you?!

2)      Keep hobbies to a minimum…really. Two or three hobbies is a good number. One of my friends discussed 13 clubs he wanted to join at University. Although this may show you are keen…it isn’t very realistic and to be honest I have only joined one of the 3 clubs I thought I would when I came to Imperial. Show interest but don’t go overboard and start wearing an Imperial hoodie to the Interview.

3)      EVERYONE AT THE INTERVIEW IS A GENIUS. No one has got this far into the process without having silly amount of A Stars and extra curriculars. Ignore the boasters. Some of the people there in your interview waiting room will have even gone to Africa and helped a 14 year old girl give birth to twins. Don’t let any of this put you off. You go in there with your one day of work experience at the local GP and you sell it better than the Africa Story. You make your GP day sound like the best day of your whole life. You can do this.

4)      Was your stressful situation really stressful…or are you just showing off? Here is an example of what I mean by this:

Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you were leading a team during a stressful situation”.

Student: “This one time on my gap yarrr I was climbing up a set of rocky mountains. I was leading a team of 12 walkers as I had the map at this time. Suddenly it got really stressful because we all couldn’t decide what to have for dinner. I took charge in this stressful situation and got my archery kit out and shot a passing deer. I was named a hero for the rest of the trip”.

5)      Bring some food/drinks to keep you going during the day in case there is a waiting time. If you have any extra chocolate after your interview please just leave it under a white table in SAF with a label saying “Mala” on. Cheers.

Good luck folks. You’ll be great. Sit up straight and just smile and nod if you don’t know the answer.

 

What happens on tour…

MBBS Medicine

I was absolutely delighted to have been given a place on the Netball (and Football) tour at the very last minute. This exciting sporting highlight was cleverly named Fetball Tour and was held in Bristol this year.

Coach

The coach journey entailed books being read aloud on the bus, medical students practising their history taking skills and all round pleasantness. Some of us were even able to do some acting on the bus- I found the plays very thought provoking. We were assigned groups which we would stick with during the weekend. I was delighted with my group and my pink accessories we wore! After all, what is better than matching pink whistles?

Sleeping

Sharing a bedroom with my fresher friends was a jolly experience. I absolutely loved to have our morning chats and it was like a massive, cute sleepover. A personal highlight was when everyone played “hairdressers” and got nice new hairstyles!!!

Activities

It really felt like a great bonding experience. The games like bowling and laser quest were so much fun and I was able to make new friends over a shared entertainment of these games. ( I thoroughly enjoyed our game of tour bingo!) It was just such a unique opportunity to meet so many people who had common hobbies- and to have some good-spirited competition between groups.

Evening

In the evenings we would indulge on great dinners like curries or buffets. Some of us would then go out in the evening (only if you felt like it though) as others would go to bed early and recover from a long day of merriment.

Breakfast

Breakfasts would be amazing! My day would start with final year students coming to wake us up with ‘breakfast in bed’ and they made sure that we were all excited for the day. We would head down to our favourite establishment to have a bit of a chit chat and indulge in our morning feasts.

I had an absolutely marvellous time on Fetball Tour. There are so many great bonding stories I have heard and have experienced.

One highlight from an anonymous fresher: “The craziest night of tour was definitely when we went to dominoes and couldn’t choose what to have so made our own pizza! We really branched out on this one: half meat, half veg (keeping it healthy of course), so many toppings that it came to 27 pounds!!” Crazy stuff.

The weekend went way too fast and it feels like it’s all a blur! Good natured, clean fun is always the best kind, and I can’t wait for next year!

Catch up!

MBBS Medicine

 

New YearI haven’t blogged all year so I thought I would have a bit of a catch up (that was definitely funnier in my head). The oven in ground floor kitchen has been fixed! Wahey! In other “new year news” that only I probably care about, my last (“Beyoncé-minded”) post got me up to a total of over 2,500 page views. Shout out to my mum for refreshing the page a few thousand times. A great cup of tea is heading your way.

Of course, a lot of those views were probably accidental clicks. Apologies to those of you that have stumbled onto my blog by accident and are a few seconds away from clicking the “x” button on your top right. It seems that my blog has been found ‘accidently’ by some peculiar searches on google. Some of the stranger searches that real people have done to get to my blog (thank you WordPress Statistics) include “Mala girls without dress” and “Mala in Christmas dress”.  Try googling those…it really does work.

Thinking about 2014 though, most of you reading this will receive offers and then probably start your courses at Imperial College this year (hopefully!). You are all probably extremely excited and nervous about the whole thing and what 2014 will offer. I remember that during January 2013 I was nervously awaiting an offer to go to University to study Medicine having been rejected after interview from 2 of my 5 Universities already. I had no clue whether I was going to get a place at University and that was a pretty nerve-racking experience. But I very quickly worked out that things tend to fall into place whatever happens.

I’m going to be honest though and say that 2014 has just been a tiny bit strange so far in these 2 days. I lost my purse on new years day which led to me having to cancel my cards, order a new ID and kick myself a lot. BUT, the rest of 2014 will be amazing. In fact, I have even been trying to detox this year and haven’t drank all year (except on new years day a little). I have a good 12 months ahead of me to make this year a great year. I don’t want it to be like 2008…Lord knows what happened in 2008. I have absolutely no recollection of anything interesting happening that whole year. We can’t afford another 2008!!!

So whether you are a future student, purse thief or have ended up on my blog by accident I hope you have an amazing and unforgettable 2014 at/near/with Imperial….and that all your new years false promises resolutions work out for you!

Mala Mawkin

P.S. Good luck to anyone that has exams this month! And…if anyone finds my purse can I have it back please? x

 

Survival Guide for Imperial Girls

MBBS Medicine

I joke a lot about the ratio here at Imperial. However, this week I caught up with a friend from Imperial who has given me permission to discuss her story in this blog. We will call this girl Amy for the purpose of the article.

Amy told me about how hard she was finding it adjusting to University life. I agreed with her that it had been quite an adjustment for me too and we chatted about what she was finding quite difficult in particular. She was getting quite down due to all the work and little free time she had. But, in particular, she missed having a central girl group that she could rely on for anything. In a hall full of boys she has struggled to find a good group of female friends who she can just hang around and do girly things with. Through all her friendship, work and boy stresses she has become quite down.

Having spoken to many of my other friends at Imperial after talking to Amy it was clear that she is not alone in her feelings. So what can be done- whether you are in this situation or are going to be coming to Imperial or another boy’s school University?

1)      Spend a few weeks aiming to be socialising more with girls. Consciously make an effort to form friendships with girls (even if that does sound like a strange thing to do). Making more girl friends will never hurt…guys will always be around! You should be the one to organise some fun girly nights and get to know each other more.

2)      Join girl clubs! I have found some of my closest friends at Imperial from joining netball. Even if you are rusty at the sport or have never played it’s just great to get involved and be a part of a girl “group”.

3)      Pamper yourself. Take time out to rest and recuperate when you are stressed. It is okay to spend 20 minutes for yourself in between revision just to wind down and de-stress. Have a long, hot shower, go for a walk or get dolled up- just have some “me” time and make yourself feel good.

4)      Boys.  I think we can all agree that there is a slim chance you will meet Mr Right at Metric. Quite a lot of girls I have spoken to have never kissed a boy and have now been thrown into Lad City. Don’t rush if you don’t feel ready and make sure you are comfortable with everything. You are a prize to be won by boys (I laughed typing that but it is true!). If you are confident in yourself and you love you then the right boy will come around.

5)      Remember there are thousands of people at Imperial. You can go and make friends with any one of them (well most…). If friendships aren’t particularly working just join another society or head down to Metric to make some new buddies and have a mingle.

6)      Talk to someone. Talking not only allows you to offload, it can also bring you closer to friends when you share bits of you that you had previously closed off.

7)      Drama. Amy was going through a lot of drama in her life and it’s so easy to get caught up in it all and lose focus on what is really important. If you find yourself getting stressed out with boys or friendship issues just try and take it with a pinch of salt, brush it off and don’t regret. It is so hard to enjoy yourself at University when you are constantly being critical of everything you have done and start fretting over it. Try to just move on and forgive!

8)      Indulge yourself in hobbies and interests- Bake some brownies or watch your favourite Harry Potter movie every so often. Get your friends involved and let everyone relax together!

9)      Take notice if someone else is having a rough time. Freshers should be on the lookout for freshers that need a hand. We are all in the same boat and you will never know how much your listening skills would mean to someone having a bad day!

10)   Organise your work. Seriously though, if you are finding the work load hard it’s time to prioritise and organise your notes a bit. This is especially true during this Christmas break. Millions of people have degrees and it isn’t impossible to get one if you put the work in and enjoy it. You were all clever enough and hard-working enough to get into Imperial…now it is time to prove yourself.

So just remember: You are a strong, independent woman. You can handle anything life throws at you. If you can’t… I have a great chocolate collection in my room for us all 🙂 xx

Mala Mawkin

P.S. I cringed too re-reading this…maybe I should start my own Teen Self Help Magazine…

 

Why Christmas isn’t for a Student Budget…

MBBS Medicine

The Christmas holidays are indeed a well needed break for everyone that has been working so hard this term. Coming home has given me the TLC I didn’t realise I had needed and the food my body has craved. However, I have come home absolutely broke.

I have zero money. These last few weeks of Christmas events have officially ruined my bank account. I have spent an excessive amount on Christmas presents for my family and I have splashed out on my “Secret Santa” presents. I guess this is something you would be expecting living in the richest area of London (Thanks Imperial!). The 9th of December will be a day I will never forget. That blissful Monday morning I awakened to find EVERY item that I had bought online had finally been taken out my bank account. I think that there may have been a glitch on my bank phone app meaning it all showed up on one day. My gifts and tickets to Christmas events all came out on one fine Monday morning. Disaster.

So what did I try to do? I tried to save money along with numerous of my hall mates. I stopped spending money on ingredients for dinner and we invested in 3 for £6 Waitrose ready meals (with our 10% off card too). We’d also wake up 10 minutes earlier for lectures and walk past Waitrose and pick up our free coffee, instead of having to buy milk for our coffees in halls. Pasta with butter (who has money for sauce?) was also the staple meal. In fact on the last two evenings our meals consisted of oven chips, soup, beans, rice and some salad! Yum.

I also really tried not to go out in the evenings. This failed miserably the day I came down to the common room in my dressing grown at 10pm exclaiming I couldn’t come out cause I really didn’t have the money. The response I got was “there aren’t enough girls, as one of 6 girls you have to come.” After a few minutes of me retaliating to their peer pressure, they all decided to pitch in change until they had enough money for my ticket to the club. I had no excuse then- so much for a night in.

So even though Christmas may be a really fun holiday where I can be back with my family, I have found that Christmas really isn’t for students. Long were the days I could give my Mum a folded paper Christmas tree I had made in Origami Club for Christmas and she would find it cute.  If I did that now I would not get the same reaction, at all. For now my ‘Christmas’ (Michael Bublé) playlist, the impressive festive Snapchats I’m receiving and seeing old friends again in their Christmas jumpers is keeping me thoroughly in the festive spirit despite my festive bank account balance.

Gotta love Christmas.

 

Xmas
Yes, I spent £30 on this outfit. Why? Who knows.

 

A typical fresher night out at Imperial

MBBS Medicine

Sometimes life can get a bit hard…like when you are told that you have to pay £45 for a halls dinner, or when you check the night bus times and see that you have to wait another 17 minutes for one to come in the freezing cold. Life can get especially hard when you have had a bit too much of the happy juice. Getting happy and then suffering certain problems has been quite common here and I thought I would give you all a template of a typical night out at Imperial as a fresher:

Start the evening. Happy juice is flowing in the common room or kitchen. The 3 or 4 girls that have decided to come out with the 30 imperial boys are still getting changed in their room, so currently it’s a cheeky lads pre drinks. Music is playing, aftershave is abundant and there is one quiet boy in the corner of the room writing down the journey everyone will be embarking on tonight to get to the club.

Girls arrive. The 4 girls have now turned the lad drinks into a real pardy. If you are lucky they may have convinced a girl from another halls to come along too…but this is rare. The girls sip on their ciders whilst the boys chug down their bottles of wine. It is then decided by one person in the room that it is, indeed, time to go. The mission to the venue has begun.

The boys are pretty rowdy as the happy juice has given them confidence to do pretty much anything. The girls are getting giggly and the world is just a generally happier place. You then get to the station for “topping up oysters”. The more happier of the crowd tend to strut through barriers, tapping in their oyster card in an inventive way. You are then greeted by several other friends from other halls (of course it’s more boys) who have brought everyone some more happy juice disguised as a bottle of water or coke -because no one will ever work that one out. Everyone drinks a little more and gets a bit more happy.

Arrive at the club and people are sobering up after your impromptu group performance of “Wonderwall” you gave the whole tube carriage. You head straight to the bar as a lad shouts “JAGER BOMBS” and that is when the night takes a turn for the worst.

This is where your night is decided. Which type of happy person you become will affect not only your night but everyone else’s night around you.

Choices:

  • The really friendly one- How do you even know so many people? You don’t. My hall friends have befriended so many strangers and homeless people on nights out that I have actually become impressed.
  • The flirty one- If you are a girl at Imperial this is a dangerous one to be. Keep your wits about you and your friends surrounding you or else you will have a fun walk home tomorrow!
  • The sleepy one- This one gets to the club and just falls asleep somewhere. They probably didn’t want to come out that night because they were too tired but fell into peer pressure and has now ended up asleep on the nearest available surface. Strong.
  • The emotional one- Alcohol affects your brain people! You can uncontrollably cry for 4 hours outside Reynolds if you drink too much! If you feel the tears coming for no reason you need to get yourself quickly to a surface to rest your head and become the “sleepy one”.
  • The temporarily rich one- They buy everyone drinks. They have all the money in the world that evening because they are confident that they definitely do. The next morning they most certainly won’t.
  • The dancing one- This one finds circles and jumps into the centre of them to show off their horrific dance moves. They grind, they shake, they robot. They may appear like they are having a mild seizure but they are just having a good time.
  • The generally weird one- This mainly is one set of boys here at Imperial who get happy and then become very, very weird. Some things just aren’t for blogging though.

Then what happens? You all lose each other and then regroup at the end of the evening. After the riveting mission of getting everyone home safely you convene in the common room for a debrief of the evening.

Nights out here may follow a certain routine but they are always full of awful stories for the next day. One thing for sure is that I will vow to take care of my liver for the next 6 years, even if happy Mala doesn’t want to!

•

P.S. Has anyone seen the pink cot/manger I left in Reynolds?

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