Hello,

Term has finally started now, although I've only had one lecture so far. I had a great time in Cambridge at the weekend, looking round colleges as well as doing other important things like watching the new Wallace and Gromit film. There was nothing to put me off going to clinical school there but it does seem like it would just be extra trouble to change unless I have any particular reason that I would want to (which at the moment I don't). Not a huge number of Oxford preclinical medics go over to Cambridge for clinical school (the flow in the other direction is much larger) and from what the students there said at the open day, the Cambridge medics seem to stick with each other as they already have their own friends. Also, the slight differences between the preclinical courses might mean that the course is more geared towards students from Cambridge. None of which would be a problem if I had a great desire to change universities - but so far I don't. The Oxford clinical school open day later in term might help me to be more certain about that.

Yesterday I met my tutor to get my collection back and discuss my plans for the term. In my collection I had written about some articles I'd read over the summer on cerebral palsy, which I'd found interesting because I spent the summer working as a helper for a friend with CP. My tutor has now suggested that I write my extended essay (a piece of coursework) on CP, and given my the name of a neuropathologist to contact about finding a supervisor for the essay. So hopefully I'll be able to make a start on that soon. I'm hoping to get as much as possible of my research project and extended essay done as soon as possible because 3 out of 4 of the neuroscience themes that I have chosen to study in more detail are taught next term, so I expect to be busier then!