So you work well in a team? Get in line.
I actually have something really exciting to announce! I have started blogging for the BMA communities website, about applying to medical school!*
*British Medical Association
Here is the link to where my posts will be published and below is the thing I just posted.
phobia
ˈfəʊbɪə/
noun
noun: phobia; plural noun: phobias
an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.
I am scared of a lot of things. Injections (yes this is extremely unhelpful when wanting to be a doctor, we’ll come to that later), applying to medical school (once again unhelpful but seemingly understandable), spiders (this is definitely not a phobia as it is completely rational), sundried tomatoes (a crime against any tomato anywhere) and technology. No, wait, correction. Technology is scared of me.
This may seem like an odd thing to talk about on a ‘road to medical school’ blog forum but I’m going to turn it into a metaphor.*
*Yes, a metaphor! Brace. Yourself. Also, a side note to anyone who hasn’t read anything on my main blog and happens to love drawn out and confusing metaphors, check it out.
I ran into a few technological (that definitely doesn’t sound like a word) problems when setting up my account for this. Firstly, my email wasn’t being recognised and secondly, I couldn’t upload an avatar.*
*Does anyone else find it really hard to separate that word from the memories of watching Avatar for like 4 hours and being completely and utterly confused? No? Just me then.
So, my solution to these problems was to send loads of emails. Ever since I turned 16, I’ve been really into emailing. I know I should be more enthusiastic about Instagram or Twitter but as a 2
1st century child, email is way more indie and retro. Anyway, it was as I was writing these panicky emails that I realised there was some blogging gold in this dilemma.
The reason I included the (proper Oxford Dictionaries) definition to phobia was because I genuinely believe computers, phones and any sort of internet thing have some sort of irrational vendetta against me. Every single phone I’ve ever had (except my Nokia but not even I can break a Nokia) has eventually given up and died. This includes turning permanently mute, not letting me find WiFi, and even, in the worst circumstance, my phone deciding that the bottom of half of the screen was unnecessary anyway.
Can I just clarify that I have had phone cases on all my phones. Like proper, thick, rubber cases that actually give the phone an ability to bounce to heights of 20cm, maybe more. I take all the precautions. Phone cases, firewalls, screen protectors, not installing dodgy virus-ridden apps et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Whatever I do, these phones are determined to break.
Now, we’re finally getting to the metaphor. I like to imagine my battles with technology like the battle to get into medical school.
I call it a battle because it is. You wear the armour (grades, voluntary work, work experience), you wield your weapons (grade 8 flute, violin and piano, magical healing abilities) and you have opponents (every single other person who is applying to medical school). It is a battle.*
*Sorry for the unexpected metaphor.
No matter how much protection you wrap around yourself, let it be amazing A2 grades, 52 weeks of work experience or 17 years of voluntary work; or how many anti-failing software programmes you install, let them be compassion, empathy or The Ability To Work In A Team, there will always be obstacles trying to stop you getting there. They could be people telling you ‘you’re not the sort of person I can imagine being a doctor’ or perhaps UCAS forms that make you realise that there is not one single thing you have done that makes you stand out from anyone else. I’m sorry, but your avatar won’t load.
I don’t know much about applying to medical school. I have no idea whether I’ll get in. But whether I do or not, I am determined to learn something from this experience, even if it is just loads of amazing new metaphors.
hey! i'm an 21 year old medical student (currently intercalating in anthropology) living it up in east london! i spend my spare time playing dixie chicks on guitar (badly), attempting to do yoga and turning it up at my church.