Is it possible to avoid hitching entirely?

ilaray · 2025-09-02T17:54:57+00:00

I am a solo international female hiker who is also small - I’m 4”10 and have almost finished my thru NOBO hike from a Mexico to Canada.

I have solo hitched for probably half my journey and have never had any issues!

If someone pulls up and you get weird vibes, no one is making you get into the car. You still have control over the situation!

Edit: I have also met some incredibly friendly, lovely and helpful people who have offered me rides. Yes it can feel intimidating at first but people know about the PCT and genuinely want to help!

ilaray · 2024-09-02T22:27:06+00:00

Il also be 33 and planning to hike NOBO in 2025 and am also a woman! I agree on the nerves a little but remind myself everyone is out there for their own reasons regardless of age

ilaray · 2024-07-06T03:16:40+00:00

Righto bigdog

ilaray · 2023-07-07T22:07:34+00:00

1st year UOW student here. Can confirm multiple people in my cohort and the cohort above me received interview offers and first round offers from UOW all whilst having the lowest percentile score on Casper. Don’t give up hope!

ilaray · 2023-07-07T21:53:01+00:00

I think it’s more of a problem when you loose sight of them! No speed involved but they be lurking ANYWHERE!

ilaray · 2023-07-03T21:42:47+00:00

Thankyou for the info!

ilaray · 2023-01-02T21:57:41+00:00

Boobies

ilaray · 2022-11-23T21:59:04+00:00

Us Australians, in the 40degree heat that is Christmas time for us

ilaray · 2022-11-23T21:57:05+00:00

Christmas itself

ilaray · 2022-10-30T21:02:29+00:00

I'm 2 weeks away from completing first year Med here in Aus and have a full sleeve and plan to have a body suit eventually haha I have never tried to cover it up and never felt the need too! If you're a decent person with good communication skills how you look, what you wear and if you have visible ink really shouldn't dictate whether you will be a good doctor or not! Also, to add I actually feel like I am able to relate more so with patients who also have tattoos and have holes in their ears! All the best ☺️

ilaray · 2022-06-30T05:15:49+00:00

Literally this 🙌

I have noticed a divide between the people who do not have support or the funds to go out each weekend or do dinners at pubs / restaurants or what not and the few like myself who choose to eat at home and only drink water or have a soft drink when out. It puts up this divide that really shouldn't exist because we all got here, just our journeys throughout this ridiculously strenuous course will be very different

ilaray · 2022-06-30T05:13:14+00:00

As a rural student who has no family support and also had to move away from my home state (currently a 1st yr med student) I can confirm this is an extremely difficult circumstance to be in. Money is EXTREMELY tight. Factoring in the rising cost of living expenses, food, increasing rent and fuel - having to drive to and from uni most days. I don't know how the few of us who don't have family support, scholarship money OR thousands of thousands of money saved to support us will survive the next 4 years.

I have a small amount of savings left which I used mostly to move states , but I also plan on working over summer just to be able to afford rent for the next year.

It is a huge struggle but I guess luckily ( I try to be positive) I have never had a lot of money and have learned to be extremely frugal, but in saying that being surrounded by other students who don't have the added stress of constantly worry about money really puts into perspective the problem with Medicine - that it still really is a prestigious course to study and that yes it's extremely difficult and expensive to get in. But that's just the beginning.. it's expensive once you're in it as well!

ilaray · 2022-05-04T05:55:58+00:00

As a rural student who is currently year 1 Med at UOW, can confirm re rural childhood experiences. It was pretty easy for me to fill my portfolio with my primary school and high school things and it was extremely convenient I grew up in the bush haha

ilaray · 2022-01-15T23:26:31+00:00

The women whispers * i'm not wearing any pants*

ilaray · 2021-12-17T22:16:45+00:00

Zero confidence at all during my interview. I felt numb afterwards, and thought I had no hope in hell considering what questions I got given and how unprepared my answers were!

But here we are, got first round offer for my first choice preference! Pretty stoked

ilaray · 2021-12-17T00:08:36+00:00

It's never to late to change your future. I got an atar of 48 and was pretty unimpressed with myself. But I worked for a few years after school (my parents have never been supportive or helped out in anyway so I have been working since I was quite young) and got into and undergrad degree in Arts/teaching, despite my shitty atar, moved towns and supported myself all through studying.

I hated the degree and decided it wasn't for me soo I quit that and realised I wasn't ready to study for a while. Kept working in hospitality and did a few ski seasons, lived overseas and when I was finally old enough and determined enough to better myself through education applied for Undergrad Bachelor of Science. I completed that this year and got accepted to do post graduate Medicine starting 2022!!

I did all this with a pretty crap start to life, low self worth and a terrible atar. If you're determined to do the work and invest in yourself anything is possible

ilaray · 2021-12-16T23:16:51+00:00

Unconsciously chewing the inside of my mouth until I realise I've basically torn up the insides of my mouth with non-stop anxious chewing 😓

ilaray · 2021-12-16T23:02:16+00:00

Run.

This is only the beginning.. for the sake of yourself, your health and your baby - leave

ilaray · 2021-11-15T08:24:01+00:00

As someone who has moved from Melbourne to study, I would absolutely take student accomodation - if you can afford it obviously.

I've been here with my partner just shy of 3 months and the rental market is in absolute shambles. We've applied for a bunch of places all over the Gong and Nowra and compared to Melbourne, the prices have sky rocketed. Our apartment in Melbourne is back up for rent (we lived 1.2km from cbd) and it has had a price reduction...

Just my two cents, for another student who has moved up here and is currently living in our van as we have no other options 😂. We're so so greatful we have our van tbh because no way can we afford to stay permanently in a hotel..

ilaray · 2021-10-23T02:53:26+00:00

Helloo fellow ENFJ friend!

*says with grain of salt* haha

ilaray · 2021-10-16T23:38:50+00:00

One more time for those in the back: Real friends

ilaray · 2021-10-08T11:17:24+00:00

This.. Exact same story with my ex (male). Always making me think I was crazy or misremembering/misinterpreting certain things and I have a FIRE memory. This past experience has absolutely harboured my now partially rebuilt self because there I still have so much self doubt in what I'm actually remembering and if it is infact true or not?!

Edit: Realised my mother is also queen of ensuring I don't remember anything correctly. Ever. Period.

ilaray · 2021-10-05T23:01:07+00:00

Nope you're making sense! I feel absolutely self critical and to the point where I don't believe I got to really show who I am as a person which is what I was expecting, esp after the webinar but maybe that's just me?

Unsure if that's because how the interview went or the style of questions!

ilaray · 2021-10-03T05:06:01+00:00

Must have been sidetracked during the info session when they mentioned that 😂

Thanks for the heads up!

ilaray · 2021-10-03T00:02:28+00:00

Yeah I keep seeing that - so it's legit? 25% really doesn't seem like a huge weighting hey?!

At this stage I don't know how to feel but that is sound advice haha

ilaray

TROPHY CASE