So, after a summer of taking it easy(!) I’m back to making the 700 mile round trip again this weekend in my ongoing quest to qualify as an osteopath.
It’s funny, I’ve been in formal education of one sort or another for around 24 of my 31 years on this planet. And still, the first day of term feels much the same as it did when I was eight. There’s the fresh familiarity of being back. There’s the enjoyment of seeing friends and colleagues again and talking about what we did over the summer. And then there’s that feeling of amazement at having made it as far as the fourth year. It doesn’t seem like three years ago that I started, and I remember on one of my first days in clinic feeling overwhelmed by how much the fourth and fifth years knew, and how confident they seemed in what they were doing.
Looking round at everyone else, though, I can see how far they’ve all come since we started, and especially in the last year since we started treating patients. I hope I look the same way to them. We were discussing a point about hip joint testing this afternoon in a practical session and everyone’s asking questions, adding points, debating the relative pros and cons of different methods, showing alternatives, taking part, working things out, wanting to know more. At the same time, we’re having a laugh and there’s a bit of good natured piss taking going on. It’s a great group to be part of.
This year’s going to be a lot of hard work, but at the same time, there’s a lot I’m looking forward to. We were talking about research projects today, and it looks like I might get the chance to play with some biomechanical modeling. I’m probably rather more excited about that than is good for my social status, so I’ll stop writing now and put my inner nerd back in her box….
Yeah, first day at uni doesn’t seem to have changed much: first years looking to make as many friends as quickly as possible, while everyone second year and up tries to emphasise how infinitely more experienced they are by wearing university sports club hoodies. Particularly true in my case, as I’ve been at the same uni for the past nine years.
Though it should be a little weirder this time round, as not only is my gf returning to study there, but my little brother is coming here too, living in the same halls of residence I did back when I was an undergrad.