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Duration at BRGS Sixth Form: 2000-2002 |
Previous
school: BRGS |
| University
you are at, why you chose this university,
and give one interesting fact about your university: |
|
| The
University of Manchester. I chose it because
it’s near home, has a great
reputation for both the course I’m
doing (medicine) and its general
life. It is (I think) one of the largest universities in Europe following the re-merging with UMIST |
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| Best things about your university city: | |
| The student life here is fantastic… Because there’s so many of us, nearly everywhere is geared towards students, from the clubs to the sports facilities. | |
| Worst things about your university city: | |
| Can’t think of much… traffic in the mornings is probably the worst thing – takes 1 hour to travel a mile… | |
| Social scene/nightlife in your university city?: | |
| It’s the best in Britain! Something for everyone. | |
| Popular activities at your university/ in your university city?: | |
| There’s
the usual football, rugby, basketball,
hockey etc then there’s martial
arts, trampolining, horse riding and
a host of more unusual sports. I personally
am a member of the Jitsu club, on the committee
of the riding club and a member
of the caving club. Societies exist within departments (such as Medsin – a nationwide medical students society) and within the university, including foreign students societies, the sci-fi society and various religious societies. The sports centres belonging to the universities have very cheap gyms and facilities for all sorts of sports. |
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| How
much on average per week do a) Halls of Residence,
b) Renting a house, cost in your university town/city? |
|
| My hall
costs around £78 a week – it’s
fully catered so well worth it! Renting is about £45+ for houses, though it can be cheaper depending on the area. |
|
| What is the accommodation like in your university town/city? | |
| There
are loads of places to live, and if
you have Manchester down as your first choice
on your UCAS form you’re guaranteed
a place in uni accommodation for your first
year. |
|
| How much on average do you spend on food shopping per week? | |
| I spend very little as I get two meals a day in hall and only have to supply my own lunch and tea at weekends. Probably about £10/week if I take butties in to uni. | |
| What is the course you are studying? - Was it your original choice when applying for university? | |
| Medicine. I only applied to do medicine. | |
| How many years does your course last? | |
| 5 years. | |
| What you enjoy most about your course/ what impresses you about it?: | |
| I enjoy the practical sessions and dissection. Manchester is one of the very few universities in this country that still teaches anatomy by dissection – it’s the only way to learn! | |
| What you enjoy least about your course, and what could be improved : | |
| PBL isn’t for everyone. There is a lot of work (although no more than anywhere else and less than some places) and sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what it is you need to be learning. | |
| How
do you rate the teaching standards on your
course, and do your tutors/lecturers/the university give you the right support for your studies?: |
|
| The tutors are great, and most of the few lectures are very good. The course has changed since I started and now first years have early clinical experience and go into hospitals from about week 4, so I can’t say anything about that. | |
| What A Level Grades/UCAS points did you have to achieve to be accepted onto your course? | Why did you choose the particular course you are studying? |
| Two
As and a B at A level minimum. You
also have to have an interview – no
getting through on good results alone! |
I wanted to be a doctor! I chose the course here partly because of the dissection. |
| Best thing about being at university: | Worst thing about being at university: |
| Freedom to do anything you want! No more ‘be back in by 11!’ | You have to sit down and work without someone saying ‘get your homework done’ for probably the first time. Its not an easy transition. |
| What do you plan to do after you graduate? | |
| You don’t have much of a choice in medicine really! There’s two years working as a pre-registration house officer after graduation before full qualification, then off into the system… | |
| Do you get homesick? If so, how do you deal with it? | |
| I did to start with, but not any more. I rang my mum and spoke to her, found some other people in my flat and went out. | |
| Do you think you made the right choice? Or looking back, would you have gone to a different university/started a different course? | |
| Now, I think I have made the right choice. To start with I wasn’t so sure because PCL is so different from school and 6th form, but now I love it. | |
| What have you achieved whilst being at university? | |
| I’ve
become a lot more independent and
outgoing. I’ve learned new
skills – both in uni and out
in the form of Jitsu. I’ve also made
many friends. |
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