Holly Gabrielle

[schmetterling]

IN SUMMARY:
-she is going to take a step back from tutoring if she gets into a master's course.
-She's going to consider studying abroad if UCL reject her, otherwise take whatever she can get.
-She'd like to go into cancer research/oncology, but will change her mind if that doesn't work out.

I've saved you 10 mins.

• Don't forget: really gross food (sweet potato, unsweetened stewed apple and fruit yoghurt?!)
• Weird comment about having a two year gap between undergrad and MA. I was under the impression that whilst lots of undergrads do a masters straight away, admissions tend to look favourably on people who have reflected on their degree over a period of time and narrowed it down to the aspects that they really enjoyed/are excited to do research in. Also gives you more time to look at modules, professors, alum, further reading.

 

[not fussed at all]

Re: her last video - anyone else noticed that she went for a 30 min run, not a drop of sweat when she came back and she stayed in the same bra / t-shirt for some time?

If'm beginning to wonder if there's sth wrong with me as after a 30 min run, I'm at least a bit sweaty and there is no way I would not at least use a towel to clean myself and then change clothes.

Not an issue with you - could mean she's dehydrated, she might have an autoimmune disorder. But I'm sure that those who are underweight sweat less - might be wrong.

• Don't forget: really gross food (sweet potato, unsweetened stewed apple and fruit yoghurt?!)
• Weird comment about having a two year gap between undergrad and MA. I was under the impression that whilst lots of undergrads do a masters straight away, admissions tend to look favourably on people who have reflected on their degree over a period of time and narrowed it down to the aspects that they really enjoyed/are excited to do research in. Also gives you more time to look at modules, professors, alum, further reading.

I can only apologise, my mind must have blocked that really stupid statement about MAs out.

 

[quartzen]

• Don't forget: really gross food (sweet potato, unsweetened stewed apple and fruit yoghurt?!)
• Weird comment about having a two year gap between undergrad and MA. I was under the impression that whilst lots of undergrads do a masters straight away, admissions tend to look favourably on people who have reflected on their degree over a period of time and narrowed it down to the aspects that they really enjoyed/are excited to do research in. Also gives you more time to look at modules, professors, alum, further reading.

I assume the admissions tutors would assume that if you’ve taken a 2 years gap between BA and a masters that you’d have done something at least somewhat related to your subject in that time.... like working as a lab assistant somewhere, or doing fund raisers related to cancer research charities, not just travelling and tutoring?

 

[not fussed at all]

I assume the admissions tutors would assume that if you’ve taken a 2 years gap between BA and a masters that you’d have done something at least somewhat related to your subject in that time.... like working as a lab assistant somewhere, or doing fund raisers related to cancer research charities, not just travelling and tutoring?

Yeah, absolutely nothing wrong with taking time out. It's actually quite normal, no?

 

[emm]

• Don't forget: really gross food (sweet potato, unsweetened stewed apple and fruit yoghurt?!)
• Weird comment about having a two year gap between undergrad and MA. I was under the impression that whilst lots of undergrads do a masters straight away, admissions tend to look favourably on people who have reflected on their degree over a period of time and narrowed it down to the aspects that they really enjoyed/are excited to do research in. Also gives you more time to look at modules, professors, alum, further reading.

there are two options i think in terms of waiting for an MA, one is that you do it immediately, the other is you do something rlevent in between that helps you figure it out... she has done neither

 

[xekatinaz]

So many lost opportunities

 

[not fussed at all]

So many lost opportunities

For sure. It's come up before, but an Oxbridge education should open doors for you and help to connect you to people in your industry. I feel like she's wasted 3 years there by focusing entirely on her work and then wasted a year tutoring doing something that has no relevance to her supposed ambition to become a cancer researcher/ something in that area.

 

[Bellamerrell]

R.E the not sweating after exercise thing i wonder if there is a link between delayed puberty/lack of periods as dont most females, males as well start sweating during exercise at puberty, Holly has never mentioned periods and physically looks like a pre-teen who hasnt gone through puberty, although she loves to talk about how hairy she is so maybe not

 

[3calico3]

R.E the not sweating after exercise thing i wonder if there is a link between delayed puberty/lack of periods as dont most females, males as well start sweating during exercise at puberty, Holly has never mentioned periods and physically looks like a pre-teen who hasnt gone through puberty, although she loves to talk about how hairy she is so maybe not

It's likely to do with her history of eating disorders. They usually cause people to stop menstruating, affects hormone levels (which would stop her body changing etc.), and can cause lanugo (fine hairs on the skin) to grow more readily. Apparently sweating is also linked to puberty, so if her body hasn't properly gone through it yet, then it's understandable that she doesn't sweat much/at all - although it's not anything to boast about (which is how she talks about it).

 

[teflonpanda]

Honestly, Holly just doesn't seem passionate about becoming a cancer researcher at all? And cancer research strikes me as such an odd choice of subject for someone who just wants to do a Master's in order to do a Master's, if you know what I mean. I know people irl who are studying biology/pharmacy with the goal of doing cancer research someday, and they're all extremely driven and passionate about their studies, in a way that feels very different from Hollys "passion for productivity" and studying.

Though tbh I still think she deserves to get in, after all she's excelled during her undergrad at Cambridge and that has to count for something. It's just that I can't understand her reasoning behind pursuing this particular Master's degree. Feels like she's just chasing things that will look good on paper.

 

[whatshesaid123]

Honestly, Holly just doesn't seem passionate about becoming a cancer researcher at all? And cancer research strikes me as such an odd choice of subject for someone who just wants to do a Master's in order to do a Master's, if you know what I mean. I know people irl who are studying biology/pharmacy with the goal of doing cancer research someday, and they're all extremely driven and passionate about their studies, in a way that feels very different from Hollys "passion for productivity" and studying.

Though tbh I still think she deserves to get in, after all she's excelled during her undergrad at Cambridge and that has to count for something. It's just that I can't understand her reasoning behind pursuing this particular Master's degree. Feels like she's just chasing things that will look good on paper.

Holly doesn’t seem to be bothered at all about the subject - she’s just doing it for the sake of doing it. A real passion for a subject means you would read about it, think about a future related to it and look beyond what you learn in specific lectures at undergrad. In general Holly doesn’t appear to have any interests- she doesn’t read much, doesn’t watch tv, doesn’t keep up with politics or current affairs. It’s really strange to structure your life in the way she does - it’s not healthy to study and not have any other interests except for exercising. I think she’s not sure what she wants to do, like she’s changing her mind and not certain about anything and it’s reflected in how she’s gone about applying for this masters.

 

[not fussed at all]

Honestly, Holly just doesn't seem passionate about becoming a cancer researcher at all? And cancer research strikes me as such an odd choice of subject for someone who just wants to do a Master's in order to do a Master's, if you know what I mean. I know people irl who are studying biology/pharmacy with the goal of doing cancer research someday, and they're all extremely driven and passionate about their studies, in a way that feels very different from Hollys "passion for productivity" and studying.

Though tbh I still think she deserves to get in, after all she's excelled during her undergrad at Cambridge and that has to count for something. It's just that I can't understand her reasoning behind pursuing this particular Master's degree. Feels like she's just chasing things that will look good on paper.

If I was on the admissions team at UCL, I'd rather someone with a 2:1 who actually wants to do the subject.

 

[salmonsushi]

Not sure how it's like in the UK but if you're only doing a 1 year MSc, im assuming that its coursework based with only few months of research? She spoke about potentially getting a phd but with that little amount of lab experience she's going to struggle so so much. Good lab skills are essential in STEM research, she needs more lab experience than this. And it's a bit ironic that she wants to be a cancer researcher but hates lab work. Wonder how she'll react when she finds out many of her potential colleagues involved countless of lab animals for research data (going against her veganism).

 

[fwooper]

Not sure how it's like in the UK but if you're only doing a 1 year MSc, im assuming that its coursework based with only few months of research? She spoke about potentially getting a phd but with that little amount of lab experience she's going to struggle so so much. Good lab skills are essential in STEM research, she needs more lab experience than this. And it's a bit ironic that she wants to be a cancer researcher but hates lab work. Wonder how she'll react when she finds out many of her potential colleagues involved countless of lab animals for research data (going against her veganism).

To be fair BSc -> MSc -> PhD is a very common route for STEM students in the UK. Although there are postgrad courses which are more research focused and tailored to people who want to pursue a PhD (e.g. MRes), doing an MSc with the intention of doing a PhD after is still normal. And it's becoming increasingly common for the first year of UK PhDs to include a training programme that equips you with the lab skills you need, and generally those programmes aren't so much concerned with a portfolio of lab experience, but more with your academic performance.

But yeah a bit peculiar she is entertaining doing a PhD in cancer research when she doesn't enjoy lab work... that'd be a miserable 3 or 4 years. I'm not convinced she will end up applying. There are cancer research PhDs which don't involve lab work though, e.g. social science research, which might be more suited to her.

 

[salmonsushi]

oh that's interesting, didn't know that's how it works in the UK. I recently got a phd offer from a university in Australia and basically before you apply, you need to find a supervisor that is willing to take you on as a student first. Most of the time they will look into how much lab experience you have (grades matter too but not as crucial as experience). With minimal lab experience, I assume that it can be quite difficult to find supervisors interested in you (unless you find hard enough).

 

[holainit]

I get the feeling that Holly is not anymore passionate about biology than any other subject. I know she excelled in all subjects at school and she talked about how she enjoyed them all. I know it's definitely possible for people to do well all round whilst still being more passionate about one subject but I think Holly only pursued sciences due to pressure from her school. I know in my school they pushed high achieving students to pick sciences and maths for their A levels so...

Essentially Holly enjoys the act of studying and memorising notes, not the content of what she's studying. That may contribute to why she doesn't enjoy labs: labs are less about repeating info but applying what you know to a new situation - there isn't always someone there who will feed you the answers to regurgitate later.

 

[emm]

I get the feeling that Holly is not anymore passionate about biology than any other subject. I know she excelled in all subjects at school and she talked about how she enjoyed them all. I know it's definitely possible for people to do well all round whilst still being more passionate about one subject but I think Holly only pursued sciences due to pressure from her school. I know in my school they pushed high achieving students to pick sciences and maths for their A levels so...

Essentially Holly enjoys the act of studying and memorising notes, not the content of what she's studying. That may contribute to why she doesn't enjoy labs: labs are less about repeating info but applying what you know to a new situation - there isn't always someone there who will feed you the answers to regurgitate later.

It is so strange for someone not to have any real hobbies or interests, I really juist can't get over it tbh

 

[not fussed at all]

I get the feeling that Holly is not anymore passionate about biology than any other subject. I know she excelled in all subjects at school and she talked about how she enjoyed them all. I know it's definitely possible for people to do well all round whilst still being more passionate about one subject but I think Holly only pursued sciences due to pressure from her school. I know in my school they pushed high achieving students to pick sciences and maths for their A levels so...

Essentially Holly enjoys the act of studying and memorising notes, not the content of what she's studying. That may contribute to why she doesn't enjoy labs: labs are less about repeating info but applying what you know to a new situation - there isn't always someone there who will feed you the answers to regurgitate later.

I'm the same; I got good grades at school and now do a science degree at Ox. I also hate labs but love learning new information, hence why (with reflection) I know I would have been well suited to a social science degree. The difference is that I have ability to reflect on that where Holly maybe doesn't. I also don't want to do a PhD in a very labs-based subject. Presumably not all Cancer-based PhDs are lab centred, but it's such a competitive field that I'm not sure how picky she can afford to be. Not sure, don't come for me!

It is so strange for someone not to have any real hobbies or interests, I really juist can't get over it tbh

Even dance has fallen away for her now. She runs that stupid business, puts out 'productive day in the life' videos and seldom actually interacts with other humans. It's odd. She's also odd.

 

[emm]

I'm the same; I got good grades at school and now do a science degree at Ox. I also hate labs but love learning new information, hence why (with reflection) I know I would have been well suited to a social science degree. The difference is that I have ability to reflect on that where Holly maybe doesn't. I also don't want to do a PhD in a very labs-based subject. Presumably not all Cancer-based PhDs are lab centred, but it's such a competitive field that I'm not sure how picky she can afford to be. Not sure, don't come for me!



Even dance has fallen away for her now. She runs that stupid business, puts out 'productive day in the life' videos and seldom actually interacts with other humans. It's odd. She's also odd.

I mean as someone has said, if she has no interests what could she discuss if she met up with anyone? it would be the dullest conversation ever for the other person/people

 

[schmetterling]

It is so strange for someone not to have any real hobbies or interests, I really juist can't get over it tbh

It’s really weird! She’s obsessed with productivity but it’s so fruitless because she’s not having any fun or ya know, learning anything about herself, it’s just repetition repetition repetition. I’m a few years older than her and definitely lead a rather more hedonistic lifestyle (which isn’t hard I guess ) but my twenties have been lots of ups and downs and learning curves. She seems to just REALLY want for that to never happen.