*MEGATHREAD* - The GEM "Am I Good Enough?" General Questions & Advice Megathread

I've got a 2.1 biomedical science degree (from Kings College London if that matters), but I want to apply for medical courses designed for school leavers because I feel the competition may not be as intense...

Am I right in thinking this?

Please understand I'm not talking about "graduate entry courses" or "standard medical courses with allocated slots for graduate applicants" - I'm talking about "standard medical courses for school leavers"

This list has the courses I am referring to;

http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/index.php?pageid=78

Also, is it true that if you leave it longer than 3 years to apply for medicine after completing a degree, you are no longer eligible for either graduate entry medical courses OR standard medical courses? In short, you can never apply to medicine if you are in this situation?

Also, is it true that if you leave it longer than 3 years to apply for medicine after completing a degree, you are no longer eligible for either graduate entry medical courses OR standard medical courses? In short, you can never apply to medicine if you are in this situation?

Yes you can, but you won't get a tuition fee loan so you'll need to pay £9K per year for four years (fifth year is covered by the NHS bursary). And you won't be eligible for any SFE grants, just the maintenance loan. So, yes, you can apply for it, but the cost and lack of funding means virtually all graduates except those whose parents are aristocrats won't be able to afford it!

I'd advise you to apply for the GEPs. You have the right degree classification, if you can get a high enough GAMSAT/UKCAT score you should be able to land a few interviews.



This is definitely not true.

If you are starting your course in the academic year 2012/13, you will have to self fund the first £3,375 of your tuition fees in the first year. In later years, the NHS Bursary scheme will pay £3,375 towards your tuition. Throughout the course, a Student Loan Company loan will be available to cover the difference between £3,375 and the tuition charges of their universities, to a maximum charge of £9,000.

Hi im currently in A2 and thinking of doing graduate entry to medicine after completion of my biomedical science degree. Surely you would have to pay 9k for GEM anyway? How do people do it? do they take loan from some company and pay it back once they become a doctor? Isnt there a company apart from SLC to provide the finance? Thanks

Hello all.

As the title suggests I'm keen on applying to Cambridge for the Graduate Entry Programme. Obviously I'm aware of how intense the competition is in general for Medicine and Grad-Med and even more so for Cambridge.

but other than academics what exactly can I do to strengthen my application and maximise my chances of at least getting an interview?

Here's a little bit about me:

- 2:1 in non-science Bachelor's Degree
- AABb in A levels (including Chemistry, Biology and Maths).
- GCSEs; 4A* 4As annd 2Bs

-Work experience; extensive voluntary work over the years at a nursing home and over the last ten years at a local hospice which I still do regular work at.

Will be doing voluntary work at the Olympics this summer alongside a paid job at the Olympics and also an "Olympic Ambassadors" role.

Done extensive Hospital work experience over the years in Adult Medicine, Paediatrics and GP.

- Won numerous national awards for my voluntary work.

- Play American Football and Volleyball for city teams alongside other sports.

- Enjooy reading around the subject e.g. journals, general science books (e.g. The Selfish Gene).


Other than voluntary work I haven't done any clinical work experience of late and getting Hospital experience is seemingly tricky. I'm hoping to do some additional work with my GP and perhaps with a family friend who is a psychiatrist.


Can anyone offer me any advice on how I can strengthen my application and make it look impressive to the selectors at Cambridge?

Also I am hoping to be studying for a Master's in 2012/2013 before going onto medical school, in the States.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Soft Cat =^..^=

Here's a website regarding Cambridge http://www.societies.cam.ac.uk/cgcm/ProspectiveStudents.html
It does say 'Realistically, you'll need 3 As at A level ' but also that it's 'not in any way an official guide'.

Yeah I did read that on Wolfson's site. Problem is my B Grade is in Chemistry. I did have a chat with the Department directly and they said yes they would consider me but I will be writing to them and to both Wolfson and Hughes Hall for official confirmation.

I know the BMAT isn't required but it's optional for the GEM course. Would a good BMAT performance strengthen my case for an interview? I'm also thinking of applying to American Medical Schools so would be looking at sitting the MCAT too.

No idea, I'm afraid. You're better off asking the uni about such a specific question than TSR.

I guess so.

But in terms of making a strong application with regards to work experience and extra-curriculars, is there anything else I can do?

Long term experience/voluntary work is always good, but the general consensus is that it's all about what you gain from it rather than the sheer quantity of experience

Well I've been volunteering at my local hospice over the last ten years and also more regularly over the last 6 months whilst having to complete my degree and also working in London for LOCOG (Olympics Stuff).

I'm wary that quite a few of those givne offers did somethign out of the ordinary and usually something like a project abroad. I move to London in July and will be working there until September (Olympics and Paralympics). So if I'm going to do somethign abroad it would have to be right now hence after your posts and the link I'm now scouring the net for cheap lastminute volunteering projects.

I've never really done a HCA job I don't know if that's an issue? But yeha I've done an awful lot of volutnary work especially in palliative care and in events/hospitality and lots of hospital/GP work experience and also some in a care home which treats children with epilepsy.

I know you're probably the wrong person to ask I'm just so keen to get into Cambridge and Grad Med in general and want to throw everything at this to give myself the ebst possible fighting chance.

Hopefully might be going to the US to study in October if I get an offer (applying to UChicago and UPenn) so hoping an offer from one of those places would go some way to proving my academic credentials.

Argh so much to do so little time!.

I really wouldn't bother with the bit in bold. I personally don't really go in for voluntourism, and the universities know full well that most people can't afford to undertake such schemes.

Honestly, your experience sounds pretty good. To give yourself the best possible chance I'd concentrate on absolutely smashing the entrance exams; they can make or break an application.

Well Wolfson are adamanat I wouldn't need to sit the BMAT as they won't look at it. The clinical school were more like "yes sit it if it could help" and I've yet to speak to hughes hall. I'm in the process of writing the emails as we speak.

Yeah I see what you mean with the voluntourism bit and I agree it would confer an unfair advantage although saying that in the past 30 minutes or so I've unearthed some free projects abroad where I'd only foot the cost of the flights/visas. I guess I just want to do it to keep "my bases covered" and drop a name or two into the statement.

I mean if all goes to plan and the stars align I'm hoping my academics, a place at a decent US College for masters and the London 2012 tag along with experience and pasison for Medicine will at least make me stand out.

I'm sounding desperate aren't I?

Gutted just received an email from Liverpool (the only a101 I can apply too) saying that I don't fit the entry requirements for a101 or a100

They suggested the year 0 course! I'm far too old for that!!!

I'm so disappointed ... I'm not sure what to do from here


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Even so, the other places you apply to will require you to do well in the BMAT/UKCAT/GAMSAT.
There hasn't been any indication that projects abroad will give you an advantage over volunteering at home, as fair as I'm aware.

What masters are you applying for? Haha don't worry, it's good to be passionate about it.