Siddharth Mohan Roy | Senior Admissions Consultant
I am reflecting on a point in time when all my students are deep into the application cycle, but together they are focused on doing so many other things at once: predicted grades, UCAT, application logstics, essays, LORs, school selection, all at the same time. At a point when everything is approaching, you are also trying to make it to the finish line.
The Overload: Why It Feels Like Everything at Once
Essentially, imagine you’re go-karting with laps. You finish the first lap of prelims, the second lap of UCAT, the third lap of personal statements, the fourth lap of finishing school studies, and then you’re on the fifth lap, losing steam and essentially back to a lap with no energy left. But wait, the final lap of A-levels or IB is still pending, and once that lap completes, oh, there are interviews. The laps just keep going, and it never really ends until May. And here’s the thing: these laps don’t actually happen one after another like it sounds when you say it out loud. You’re doing UCAT prep while your personal statement is still half done, and your school assessments don’t care that your test date is next week; they’re happening anyway. So really you’re not on one lap at a time; you’re on three or four of them at once, and that’s the bit that makes JC2 feel so different from just having one deadline to deal with.
Faded dots: energy dips can hit at any point, not just once./ Dotted line: what most assume is the finish./ Dashed loop: the real route through interviews.
Unfortunately, you can’t really pull the laps apart, but you can decide which one gets you at your best. If prelims/mocks and personal statement are both going at the same time, figure out which one gets your sharper hours in the day, and let the other one get whatever’s left. Also, where you’re just losing steam, that’s not you falling behind; that’s basically everyone at some point. A proper night’s sleep or just taking a weekend off actually does more for you at that stage than trying to grind through it on willpower.
How to Get Through It: Prioritize, Rest, and Ask for Help Early
If you’re struggling, I empathise with you, and I wish more students luck and encouragement as they are trying to do their best! Laps are so difficult, but keep acknowledging the laps and how far you have come! However, do ask for help before you’re already losing steam! Whether that’s someone looking over your personal statement, helping you figure out a UCAT plan, or just helping you sequence your weeks so it doesn’t all hit at once, asking early makes a real difference. The laps keep coming till May either way. But once you know which lap you’re actually on, and you know that running out of steam somewhere in the middle is normal and not a sign you’re behind, it’s a lot easier to just keep going till the last one’s done.
Oh… and the profile, the exposure to healthcare, the motivations, the reading of healthcare systems, all of that is happening too, in the background of every other lap. We all have our own laps to cover. Refill! Re-energise! And keep going!
No Quick Fix, Just Keep Moving
I am not going to give you a solution. Sadly, the solution is not to eliminate a lap or simply try to do one faster. Success lies in acknowledging the pressure and dealing with things as they come. Early preparation can certainly help you. But I also believe that things can change right up until the last moment. A drop in a grade can make you sad, and then an unexpected increase can make you happy again. There will be ups and downs, and you cannot always control when they happen. What you can control is how you respond to them. So, create your own laps and move through them at your own pace. When you finish one, take a moment to pat yourself on the back and acknowledge what you have accomplished. Then, get ready for the next one.
I am ending on a philosophical note, but you do not need to have the entire race figured out. You just need to keep moving!
What’s Next
In Part 2, I’ll be talking about the students who decided to do things differently, the ones who chose to just focus on one lap and take a gap year. Losing steam and recognising that you can only run one lap at a time is its own kind of lesson.
