Thick Letters

On Friday I got the very thick letter from Peninsula I’d been waiting for, and I was very surprised at how quickly it came, given that I had only firmed them Tuesday evening. I’ve been placed at Exeter. This means I’ll be in Exeter for the first two years and I will be a University of Exeter student for my five years of uni. I’m happy about this, I guess weighing up the pros and cons of Plymouth and Exeter, Exeter would def come out on top. Plymouth has a better nightlife, which would be good for my first year when I’ll actually have time to go out. Although, they do have a field hospital on Union Street where all the clubs are for all the drunk injured clubbers, which is a bit scary given I’m not really a loud party animal type. I do like going out for a dance, but I’m just as happy not drinking, I don’t really like the feeling of being drunk that much. I can have just as good a time sober, it’s much cheaper, and I know what I’m doing at all times, win-win, surely? One of the students on my interview day said Plymouth had better teaching for third year. Exeter has much nicer halls, living with medics, sports scientists and PGCE people, although I think I’ll miss not being on the main campus, especially since it’s one of the prettiest in the country. Apparently the St Luke’s and Streatham people don’t mix much, ah well, medics are cliquey; I just hope I can fit in. I’m going to have to be a bit more outgoing and less sit-back-and-observe-slightly-scared I guess. And here’s where I have to admit to a small snobbish side of me – another reason I’m happy I’m at Exeter is because it’s a top 10 uni at number 9 in the country, and I found out that Plymouth used to be a polytechnic. I know, I know, there are no such things as polys anymore but I just can’t get over it I’m afraid. There was a poly in Southampton - Solent Uni, and it offered such wonderful degrees as Football Studies and Stage Makeup. Now, I’m all for people going to uni, it’s a fantastic life experience and I’m happy they can find something they want to study to a higher level, but really, these things should not be a degree. A BA in History should not be held in the same esteem as a BA in Stage Makeup. Similarly, a BSc in Football Studies? I discovered something brand new and proved 10 years of study by proper academics wrong to earn my degree, what on earth can they do that’s similar in football studies? Sorry, rant over *bean hangs head in shame*. I’m a nice bean really!

My thick letter came with my student agreement that I won’t abuse patient’s trust and interestingly, I thought, I won’t cover my face when dealing with patients or in lectures unless it’s for sterile reasons. There was a very short kit list – stethoscope (got a pretty purple one picked out :) ), shorts and t-shirt for clinical skills practice on each other, a scientific calculator and no white coat. :( It’s a shame. When I was little, I didn’t really know what I would do when I grew up, but I was certain I would be wearing a white coat and doing something science-y. Now I’ve finally gotten here, they took the white coats away!

To make up for the very short kit list, there is a monster of a book list (around 4 sides A4), of which I’ve gotten 2 already from biomed - Pharmacology by Rang, Dale and Ritter and Albert's The Cell.  There’s a couple I already had on my wishlist, and I’ll look at reviews of the rest and maybe add some more. I know I won’t need all of them, and that they will be in the library, but I do like having books and being able to look at them whenever I like, without having to break my back carrying them back from the library, plus they’re well under half the price of my biomed text books, which is nice.

I was also told to email the accommodation office at Exeter uni to get my student number to start applying for halls, but they said they haven’t had the details over from PCMD yet and to try again in a week. There isn’t really much choice in the accommodation tbh: ensuite in Rowancroft (built in 09), or standard or enhanced at Rowancroft Court or Rowancroft Mews. Ensuite for me I think :) I had an ensuite in halls last time and it was good. I’m a bit of a lush addict, so I have a lot of stuff to put in a bathroom and I like to keep it nice and tidy. When we shared a bathroom in the house we moved into for years 2 and 3 I swear they had radios and would time it perfectly so they would all go in the bathroom one after the other when I was waiting. Surely that will only be worse if we’ve all got the same timetable.

It’s mr’s birthday soon and I have no idea what to get him. Apparently I’ve got the reputation in his lines of being a thoughtful, awesome girlfriend because they previous gifts I got him were so good, and now I have to live up to that and I have no clue! He’s so hard to buy for. He likes things that beep (being an electronic engineer), but I can’t afford them, and I don’t really know much about army life so I don’t know what would be useful. Any ideas people? I’ve asked him three times now and he’s helpfully avoiding giving me an answer. He’s coming to visit Wednesday-Monday and we have lots of exciting things planned, so maybe I can press him a little more then. I’m very excited, it’s been about 2 months since I saw him properly, not including Street watching him swim. I’d best leave it there, this has become a bit of an essay! Have a great week people :)