Oxford Personal Statement Flashcards
Mensa Magazine: Are fat-free foods making us fat?
1) Replacing fat with something worse -> Minimise actual calorie difference
• Glucose -> High GI, Carbohydrate-insulin model, Snacking
• Fructose (due to fall in prices of HFCS) -> Processed entirely by liver, which can lead to fat deposition and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Lepting resistance and increased ghrelin, Intermittent access to sugar leads to neurochemical changes akin to substance abuse
• Sweeteners -> Affect taste (stevia is 300 times sweeter than table sugar)
• Fat substitutes -> Not viable, Stop absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K
2) Psychology of fat-free
• Cornell University study showed low-fat label on M&Ms caused participants to underestimate the calories by 48% and increase serving size by up to 25%
3) Fat isn’t bad always -> Makes up 60% of brain, Used in cell membranes, Allows absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, Polyunsaturated fats
4) Imbalanced diet -> Effect on microbiome, Mediterranean diet
Medic Mentor: Microbiome sequencing: The new cool kid in town?
- Importance of bacteria has been misunderstood
- Commercially available options to sequence your own microbiome
- Bacteria have been associated with multiple different chronic illnesses
- Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis), Autism, Irritable bowel syndrome, Obesity
- Also, mental health through vagus nerve
- 25% of cancers are preceded by chronic inflammation, although some cancers are directly caused by e.g. H. pylori
- https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/disease/
- Dysbiosis is a problem -> Some bacteria are simply useful in taking up space from more harmful bacteria (commensal)
- Some bacteria are mutualistic -> Help with digestion, etc.
- Microbiome is so changeable due to diet that, for healthy people, sequencing is unlikely to be useful. However, serious conditions such as metabolic syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease are likely to produce a very abnormal composition, which is much more useful.
TeenTech: Tectonic Tiles
- 11 million people in the Uk have a disability, of which the most common ones are those affecting mobility, carrying or lifting.
- Over 1/4 of disabled people say they do not have frequent control over their daily lives
- 2.8 million have a manual dexterity impairment
- Project targeted at easing ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) in elderly and manually impaired people
- Used some JavaScript to code Microbit, built an app, created a website
- Developed a working prototype along with a Scratch demonstration of how it would control actions
- Researched IoT
Myers-Briggs Test
1) Introversion/Extraversion
2) Sensing/Intuitive
3) Feeling/Thinking
4) Judging/Perceiving
Has multiple drawbacks:
• Over 50% of test-takers get a different score the second time
• Self-reported
• No sufficiently bimodal (most test-takers fall in the middle of each spectrum)
My type:
• Introverted - Prefer to re-energise alone and tend to enjoy building deep, long-lasting relationships.
• Sensing - Pragmatic and strong habits. Focus on what is happening.
• Feeling - Sensitive and socially expressive. Less focused on competition.
• Judging - Organised and decisive. Prefer strong plans to keeping options open.
Mastectomy
- Bilateral mastectomy that was nipple and skin sparing
- Cosmetic outcome was hugely important for young lady
- First had a lumpectomy to remove lump, as well as sentinel node biopsy, which came out clean. She had chemotherapy to stop distant metastasis for 4 months.
- After this, she would’ve had radiotherapy to the local area, but blood tests in the meantime showed that she had the BRCA 1 mutation.
- Therefore, it was better to remove the breasts entires (prophylactic, i.e. preventative). This is since the lifetime risk is 80% of breast cancer and 40% of ovarian cancer.
- The operation was 5 hours - removing tissue, stitching mesh and placing expanders.
- Surgeon needed to show both physical and mental skill to support the patient into the best choices.
Physics department planning for chemotherapy
- Shows the diversity of care as part of an MDT
- Are responsible for arranging and planning all X-rays, MRIs and other scans
- They can then help with diagnosis using the results of these scans
- They are also needed in research and teaching
Why Oxford?
1) Strong pre-clinical base -> Traditional course means you get a comprehensive understanding of theory before entering clinical setting -> Anatomy is taught just before clinical starts (i.e. at the end of 3rd year)
2) Tutorials + Prosection -> Small-group learning suits my learning style -> Enjoy debating
3) BA in Medical Sciences in 3rd year -> Allows research skills to be developed -> Enjoyed research through my EYP + TeenTech projects -> e.g. Metabolism and respiration
4) College system -> Fantastic student satisfaction + can interact with wide range of different subjects
5) Over 400 clubs and societies -> Oxford Union and college teams
6) Elective in final year
Oxford course
PRE-CLINICAL
• First 5 terms -> Organisation of the body, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, some medical sociology, pathology, psychology, nervous system -> Examined in 2 examinations
• Last 4 terms -> BA in medical science
• Principles of clinical anatomy
CLINICAL
• Year 4 - Focus on honing clinical skills -> GP, lab, hospital, surgery
• Year 5 - Focus on specialist clinical areas -> 8 week blocks in different specialties, from paediatrics to public health
• Year 6 - Consolidation of skills and prep for clinical practice -> Medicine and surgery rotations in Oxford and district hospitals + 10-week elective
Why Corpus Christi?
1) Small college -> Around 250 undergraduates -> Allows strong relationships to be built up
2) Wide range of students -> Strong Classics presence gives it a unique atmosphere and chance to meet very different people
3) Two large medical endowments -> Corange and Handa Funds allow motivation in terms of academic prizes and travel grants
4) Medical society meets every term
