Overall, those born in the year of the Dragon are said to be confident and enthusiastic. They are not afraid to take risks, and often prefer to work alone, to rule out the possibility that they end up being governed by somebody else. Dragons can be magnetic and mesmerising, in both their appearance and their personality. However, they quite like their own company, which can sometimes come across as arrogance. This is usually not the case, it’s simply that they’re not afraid to strike out on their own. One thing to note about the Dragon is that legendary temper, which can flare up without warning.

Dragon people are thought to enjoy careers where they are able to lead and be independent. They’re generally creative beings, so any job that manages to combine the two traits is ideal for them.

In relationships, Dragons are considered to be particularly compatible with people born under the sign of the Rat or the Monkey, as these folks possess qualities that keep the fiery, independent Dragons on their toes.

Much of how a Dragon’s character comes across depends on which element accompanies it. This year is a Water year, therefore the fire in Dragons born now is calmed, and the personality is more balanced clear-headed. The table below highlights the stand-out traits for each element.

Are you celebrating the dawning of the year of the Dragon this week? If so, why don’t you show us what you’re up to, by posting your photos on our Facebook page.

Chinese New Year is right around the corner and since around 50% of INTO UK students are from China there’s bound to be something fun happening in your INTO Centre! And whether you’re Chinese or not, you can join in the fun – here are some ideas to get you in the festive spirit.

Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it’s called in China, is a traditional Chinese holiday which marks the end of winter. This year is the Chinese year of the dragon, with festivities beginning on the 23rd January and lasting for fifteen days. The end of the Chinese New Year is celebrated with the Lantern Festival, when people hang paper lanterns on buildings and in streets.

Decorations

In China, people traditionally decorate their houses with flowers, fruit, lanterns and scrolls displaying messages of good wishes and fortune. Red, orange and gold are popular decoration colours.

Eating and celebrating

Families will gather together on new year’s eve for a reunion meal and eat a range of traditional cuisine including fish, chicken and sticky rice cake. Children may receive a present of Lai See – a red envelope containing money – to bring good luck. Cities around the world will host parades featuring a dragon, a sacred symbol of strength. There may be fireworks and firecrackers – although many regions in China have had to ban firecrackers due to safety concerns.

UK festivities

Major cities often have celebrations taking place in local Chinatown regions. Parades will be taking place in London, Manchester, Exeter, Newcastle, Belfast and events will be held around the UK, so all INTO students should be able to enjoy a taste of China whether they’re Chinese or not!

How are you going to be celebrating? We’d love to hear your ideas, so leave a comment and help inspire other students. Why not try cooking some Chinese food or making some paper lanterns? Don’t forget to share your photos with us on Facebook!

As a 4th year, I am on clinical placements (each lasting 6 weeks). This is an example of a week on my psychiatry attachment in Richmond:

Monday – I spent the morning with a consultant psychiatrist meeting patients treated for depression, bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia. I then spent the afternoon with the social workers on the team learning about the different types of financial, housing and social support these patients need.
In the evening I hit the library and read up on some of the cases I had seen.

Tuesday – Another morning in the Richmond clinic with the consultant, he quizzed us in between patients about what we had learnt the day before. In the afternoon we went on a couple of home visits to check up on socially isolated patients. In the evening I finished my psychiatry essay and caught up with my housemates.

Wednesday – Lectures at St George’s in the morning. There I learned about drug treatment for psychosis and personality disorders! As always, I have the afternoon off for sports, this means a quick cycle to Chiswick for a couple of hours of rowing on the Thames with the SGUL boat club!
After all of this I spent a well-earned evening with the boat club in the SU bar.

Thursday – Psychiatry presentations in Tolworth hospital in the morning. It’s interesting to hear Consultant psychiatrists present difficult cases, how they diagnosed and then treated these patients. Then back to Richmond with our consultant for an afternoon clinic.

In the evening I had to catch up on Students’ Union business, so I took a quick underground ride into central London for a meeting between the St George’s Students’ Union and the other four London medical schools. Once business was over we all headed out for curry.

Friday – I taught clinical skills in the morning to first years, it’s fun and George’s pay me to do it! In the afternoon I have a scheduled visit to the addiction center at Springfield hospital as part of my psychiatry attachment. Later in the evening I worked a shift in the SU bar to earn some extra pocket money.

Saturday – Up at 6am to drive to Cambridge with the rowing team. I Raced in Cambridge winter head with 350 other university crews and then headed back to Tooting to celebrate/commiserate with the George’s teams in the Trafalgar arms (one of the local student pubs).

Sunday – Time to relax!!!”

Getting up at 0700 is perhaps alien to most students; however, that is probably the most important point of all: medicine is a life, not a course. After a power shower to wake up, a brisk breakfast and wrapping up warm, I hotfoot it to the hospital. Tuesday is ‘consultant ward day’, which requires a good night’s sleep, a touch of reading and a little preparation.

London has already sprung into life, because it never actually sleeps to begin with; I thrive off the energy. The beauty of St George’s medical school is that you are very likely to live a maximum of just twenty minutes away by foot, and even if you choose to live that little bit further, there a more buses, tubes and cycle routes than you can ask for. Once I arrive at the place, which I can happily call my second home, it is time to stash everything in my locker, grab the essentials (stethoscope, notes, Oxford Clinical Handbook and my brain) and hit the ward.

Wards – the frontline, your classroom – and at times an adrenaline rush, are something you can expect right from the start. Real patients, real decisions and real life are qualities you will not find anywhere else and in any other profession. St George’s medical school IS a hospital, and what better place to learn? I am expected to speak to patients, become familiar with their medical history and be competent in performing clinical procedures. All of this tells me one important thing: that I am an extended part of the healthcare team, not just a student.

After a re-write of a patient’s notes, it is time to present them to the Consultant, and in many cases my observations are relied upon, as the patient may be new. You superiors will take care of you along the way and the bedside aspect of a ward round offers ample opportunity to learn from real doctors and patients.
The diverse nature of the course means that days offer excitement, first-hand experience, teaching from some world experts, and the reminder all medical students hope for: that this is definitely what you were meant to do in life.

Working hard is balanced with playing hard; there are a multitude of sports teams and societies to join. Every extra-curricular activity is catered for, and they provide a great way to relax, exercise, and expand your friendship circle.

Tooting offers cuisine from around the world, healthy nightlife, and is the gateway to one of the best cities in the world (and all your friends that live in it). For those who are perhaps slightly more intimidated by coming to such a big city and undertaking the considerable commitment that is medicine, St George’s provides a ‘Mums and Dads’ scheme, whereby senior students are assigned a new student to look after. This is great for ensuring that you are taken care of, are made to feel part of an adhesive community and able to fully enjoy the experience of London, Tooting, Medicine and University life.

I am Aileen O’Brien, a senior lecturer in psychiatry with a job that is part time at the medical school at Georges and part time at the psychiatric hospital in Tooting, Springfield Hospital, where I’m a Consultant. I’m also one of the two admissions tutors at St George’s; I mainly look after the graduate (MBBS4) students.

I’ve been here at St George’s a very long time! That’s because I trained here myself so spent six years here as a student, left to work for a few years as a junior doctor in general medical training and came back to do my postgraduate training in psychiatry. Six years ago I became a Consultant and I specialise in intensive care psychiatry.

I’ve always been interested in research and teaching and so have mixed clinical psychiatry with both of these. This means I have a lot of variety in my week, and the teaching and research keep me up to date with clinical psychiatry whilst the things that happen on the ward I can use in my lectures as examples. I’m also lucky as a senior lecturer to work with a real variety of people, academics and clinicians, doctors of all speciality and people of all types of background who work with the students.

I think St George’s has a lot of advantages as a medical school. The local population is very mixed both socially and ethnically which means you get to see many different conditions. The hospital is a good size; it’s not so big that you don’t get to know people but it’s big enough that you see a range of different problems.

I think St George’s deserves its reputation for friendliness as a medical school. The Student Union has always been really active here; I was on it myself years ago and I’ve seen it grow enormously.

The way students are taught has developed over time, moving away from lots of lectures to more small group interactive sessions, clinical and problem based learning, and more use of e-learning. It’s a much more interesting way to learn than the hours of memorising students were asked to do in the past. It’s also really important to integrate the theory with practice and to get exposure to patients. In psychiatry we give lectures from the start but combine this with clinical demonstrations, expert sessions with patients and later with time spent at psychiatric hospitals. We’re also trying to develop more e-learning opportunities for students in psychiatry.

Has Aileen’s blog made you thirsty to know more about studying at St George’s, University of London? Is so, you can find out all you need to know, including information about upcoming events where St George’s staff will be in attendance to talk to you in person, here.

I graduated from St George’s, University of London in 2006, having completed the five year undergraduate course in Medicine (MBBS). I have always been fascinated by the biology and psychology of humanity as well as the challenges and rewards of being a doctor. I wanted a career which is demanding and diverse, requiring the ability to learn quickly, to make difficult decisions and to work well in teams; a career as a doctor requires these and much more.

The practice of medicine necessitates complex interactions with patients which require skills that are as much an art as they are a science.

St George’s was an excellent place for my undergraduate training. The teaching and clinical experience was of an extremely high standard and there were also ample opportunities for extracurricular activities. There are many clubs and societies and during my time I took part in shows such as musicals and the St George’s Revue (including performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) as well as raising money for charity through dance shows and running the New York Marathon. I also joined St George’s Summer School as a mentor to promote higher education and careers in healthcare to teenagers.

Later in my undergraduate training, I left St George’s for one year to complete a History of Medicine BSc at University College London. I found that although St George’s is a smaller institution than other universities, this contributed to its supportive communities and friendliness where students could still work hard and play hard.

St George’s has an ideal learning environment where the wards, the library, the canteen and the bar are all within a few minutes of each other. This is important as studying medicine is not only about book-work but requires a work-life balance and a focus on patients. Seeing patients, examining and taking clinical histories are the basis of medical practice which improves through repeated exposure. Having the hospital integrated with the medical school meant these clinical and communication skills could easily be developed through multiple patient interactions on the wards where knowledge can be put into practice.

After graduating I spent my first year working at St George’s Hospital and also studied for a Post Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Education. After completing this, I have been returning to St George’s as an Academic Coordinator for the Summer Schools. In terms of my career, I am completing my training to become a GP and I have extended my final year of specialist training to become a Darzi Fellow and study for a Post Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management and Leadership, which involves a one-year part-time programme to develop myself and to work on areas of clinical improvement projects for the NHS whilst also practicing as a GP in central London.

The work I do now is rewarding, challenging and varied; General Practice is a specialist field in itself, requiring a breadth of clinical knowledge and excellent communication skills which provides a unique and privileged doctor-patient relationship.

Doug

You can find out about some more about the student community at INTO St George’s, University of London on the Facebook page.

Life at the finest medical school in the land!

I’m Luke, a 4th year medical student living and studying in Tooting. I moved to London for university at the end of my gap year, this was the first time I had ever lived in a city. I’m now a keen rower, act on stage for the medics revue and work for the Students’ Union in my free time. Oh and I love my course!

Living and working in Tooting is great! The family atmosphere at SGUL, combined with the small but diverse community in Tooting means you’re never far away from your George’s friends. There’s plenty to see and do here with a massive range of pubs, bars, restaurants and markets. The local rental market is full of affordable accommodation, you will find yourself living not just on the doorstep of the hospital, but next to your fellow students as well. The best bit about it is that if you ever get tired of Tooting ‘village’ life or want to do something different, you are literally a stones throw from central London!

Studying in South London is brilliant because your experience isn’t limited to just Tooting, you move all over studying in hospitals and community placements across the south of London and Surrey. The course involves a mixture of teaching in lectures, small group sessions, student selected projects and clinical placements. There’s so much happening and so much to learn, there really is no time to get bored! The course itself is divided into three main areas: two ‘pre-clinical’ years with focus on lectures and teaching; the ‘Transitional’ year, with a mixture of teaching and clinical experience; and two final ‘clinical’ years based entirely on wards/placement.

St George’s puts as much influence on fun as it does studying. Extra-curricular studies will make up a big part of your life here. Before university, I really didn’t get involved much at school, but doing the bare minimum at St. George’s really isn’t an option, nor should it be! There are sports clubs, societies, the Students’ Union and opportunities to develop skills outside of medicine and pursue extra academic projects.

Later in the week I’ll show you exactly how a week in my life as a St. George’s student looks, so don’t miss it!

Lists. We’re big a fan of lists. Write down everything you’d like to achieve in the year ahead. And if you love lists as much as us, you could create sub-lists, stipulating the steps you’ll follow to reach your targets. Maybe we’re getting a little list-crazy…

Enlist a ‘resolution buddy’

Find a friend who wants to achieve the same thing as you and work together to spur each other on. It’s much easier to drag yourself to the gym or say “no” to dessert when you have a friend to share the pain with.

Plan some treats

Booking a weekend away or a fun event for some time in the near future means you have something to look forward to, and it will help you keep on track with the less-than-fun New Year tasks. You can call it your reward for good behaviour.

Have a clear-out

There’s nothing more satisfying than sorting through and throwing out all of the clutter you’ve accumulated over the past year. It’s almost like resetting your mental batteries and making room for new things to come into your life in the year ahead. Which you can then throw out in next year’s de-clutter!

Take up a new hobby

That thing you’ve always wanted to try? Do it. Do it now! Whether it’s painting, cycling, karate, drama club or flower arranging, you’ll be learning a new skill, meeting new people and having fun all in one go. What could be more motivating than that?

It was born in 2008 and raised by INTO staff, INTO students and the wider community alike. Registered charity INTO Giving partners existing educational projects in impoverished and disaster stricken countries to improve the lives of young people. And this Christmas, alternative rock band, Trails, who boast INTO’s very own Adam Rains on drums and vocals, are directing the spoils of their new single at the charity. The quartet have recently released a Trails-esque spin on 80′s classic, Africa, originally released by Toto, and all proceeds from the release will go to INTO Giving, who are happy to join the list of charities that have benefited from Band Aid’s revolution of the charitable record. The Christmas cover of Africa also comes complete with a fantastic parody of the original video, which makes it easy to see why in recent years Trails have received positive acclaim from national magazines such as Kerrang! and Rock Sound.

You can download the single and donate at the band’s website. And if you like what you hear and want to catch the band in person, Trails can be seen live at INTO Giving’s next fund raising event, a Christmas charity gig at The Hope in Brighton, on Friday 16th December. The band will be headlining the night, which plays host to various bands and solo artists, a raffle and a DJ. Kick-starting the line-up will be Brighton’s Lewis McKale, a good humoured acoustic folk guitarist who will have you singing along and enjoying some entertaining tributes to the Christmas jukebox. You can download Lewis Mckale’s debut EP ‘My Father’s Son’ for free here.

Keeping the acoustic vibe alive will be Guildford’s Tree House Fire. The band’s guitarist and vocalist Sam Rothon will be playing a set of cheeky Christmas covers and Tree House Fire songs, wrapped in acoustic reggae and pop. Check them out here.

Liverpool’s indie-rock boys We Walk in Straight Lines take to the stage next. Highly acclaimed by the likes of BBC6 Music, this band is guaranteed to offer an explosive show. See them in action. Paving the way for our headliners is Shoreham-by-Sea’s Laura Ward and the Risen Road, whose bluegrass roots and enchanting vocals will definitely get you dancing; and to ensure that proceedings run without a hitch, the night will be compered by comedian James McDonnell.

So ho, ho, ho, this is an unmissable show! Jolly on down to The Hope you go.
This Friday. 16 December. Brighton..

With December fast approaching, we’re seeing outdoor ice rinks popping up in cities across the UK, as Brits embrace the festive season. Not only is skating a fun way to embrace a winter tradition while you’re in the UK, it’s also great for bonding with your newfound friends. After all, what better way to bond than by falling into a tangled heap on a cold ice rink together?

At least ten ice rinks have popped up around central London in the past couple of weeks, and our favourite is the beautiful Somerset House rink, which featured in the film Love Actually. Or if you like it extra bustling there’s also a pretty spectacular rink at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.

In Newcastle, you can combine a turn on the rink with an educational trip to the city’s Science Centre, which is right next door, on Times Square. Or if you’re slightly further north in Scotland, Glasgow’s George Square ice rink is open from 10am – 10pm, which means there’s plenty of time to fit in a quick skate between classes.

Manchester is hosting Spinningfields ice rink in the city’s Hardman Square; meanwhile over in Belfast it becomes an all round more serious affair, with an Olympic sized rink for those who have the energy to take it on. And Exeter’s ice rink, set in Princesshay Square, opens on 12 December and will form the festive heart of the city’s main shopping district – complete with Christmas tree in the centre.

Have you been ice skating at one of the rinks near your INTO Centre? If so, we’d love to see photos – post them to our Facebook page and let us know whether you managed to stay on two feet!