Tian Chan – 3rd Year – Medicine – Intercalated Natural Sciences, PDN Part II.

 

7.30am: Wake up, and head for the shower to bring me to my senses. I’m not rowing this morning otherwise I’d be on the river by now. I eat my breakfast with my neighbour Matt and we chat about the day ahead over a mug of coffee.

9am-12pm: If I blitz King’s Parade and take the alley opposite the Eagle (that DNA pub) I can get to my lectures at Downing Site in 7 minutes flat. First lecture: Neuroscience. This year, I get to choose my modules but I’ve had to sit through dense preclinical science for two years first. I meet up with another Tit Haller taking the same modules and we write up notes/gossip/drink tea in the department tea-room before our second lecture of the day at 12am.

1pm: Get back for lunch in college and we meet up with friends. A big group of us met in college over lunch like this in first year and we still put up with each other now.

2-4.30pm: I set up with my laptop and lecture notes, either in the library or in my room. If I’m feeling adventurous there’s cluster of cafes in town I frequent just to keep it varied. Breaking up the work day, I drop past the college coffee shop for a drink. Next term, they give out free doughnuts to help relieve the exam stress – it definitely helps!

4.30-5.45pm: Head to the library to work on my dissertation, college’s library has a great view over the River Cam and most of the city. Medicine has a lot of supervisions and if this was last year I would have gone back for lectures, labs or a supervision. In my intercalated year I have a lot more self-directed time – it means I get to choose when I work.

6pm: Dinner in Hall. I live on central site so there’s not much cooking space but that’s made up for by amazing views and better company.

7pm: Get called in as a last-time replacement for a spotlight operator at the ADC student theatre. Another Trinity Hall medic James is a big-time actor on the theatre scene, and I make sure his grand entrance is all lit up. I’ve been part of a few societies, everything from photography to lacrosse.

8pm till late: Back on central site, Matt and I beginning setting up our shared living room for a friend’s birthday get-together that we are hosting. We try to do a couple big things together a week. Tonight, it’s pre-drinks, but in the past it’s been potluck dinners, films/board games, and once we made a full-blown blanket fort.