Brain Surgery, Chapels, Cream Tea and Frisbees

With only a few days left of the session, the participants are handling more advanced material during their academic sessions and are working hard on their final projects due at the end of the week. The medicine students took a break from the books and donned their aprons and gloves to dissect a lamb’s brain. They used their knowledge from the last few days to identify key features such as the thalamus and the Arbor Vitae, or ‘Tree of Life’.

At lunchtime, participants visited the famous King’s college chapel, which is used as the symbol of Cambridge and has many impressive features from medieval stained glass windows to the world’s largest fan vault. Having been here for over a week, the participants have found their favourite cafes in the city, with one of the most popular being Fitzbillies, famous for its delicious Chelsea buns.

A Visit to the Real Grantchester

In the afternoon, a group of participants and mentors walked across the meadows to the nearby village of Grantchester, known to some as the setting for the UK TV drama ‘Grantchester’ starring the dashing Cambridge University alumni, James Norton. The participants made the most of the good weather by stopping to take a break at the Orchard Tea Rooms for cream tea and a game of frisbee. Meanwhile, other participants chose a different mode of transport and kayaked to Grantchester, where one of our very own mentors accidentally took a dip in the River Cam (twice!). Others chose to stay back and practice their acts for the talent show. With only 24 hours to go until the big night, many participants are putting the finishing touches on their performances. Rumour has it even the mentors are getting involved and planning their very own special act!

The medics engaged were led in a BMAT workshop to prepare themselves for certain entrance exams they might have to tackle during their application.

After dinner, participants opted to have a movie night, featuring the film ‘The Theory of Everything’. Since it was set right here in Cambridge, many of the participants were able to recognise streets they had walked along during the day in scenes from the film.