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Help! I want to study Medicine!

Hello,

I am currently in my 1st year at the University of Aberdeen studying Genetics. I did the International Baccalaureate and had 36 overall and a 5 in Chemistry, 6 in Biology and 6 in English (all Higher Level) and 5 in Maths, 6 in Psychology and 6 in another language (Standard Level). I don't want to get involved with research in Genetics and I want to get involved with it medically. But Aberdeen told me that they don't allow transfers... On the other hand I received an offer from the University of Edinburgh to continue my Genetics course there. What can I do? If I apply this September to Aberdeen and some other Scottish medical schools will they even consider me? Is it better to continue with the Genetics and then enter as a graduate? I know that my grades right now aren't great for entry into Medicine but I got my grades from the first year at Aberdeen which seem ok so far. Any ideas?! Thanks a lot!
Reply 1
Original post by phil2154
x


Howdy.
Please answer these questions...

- What work experience and volunteer work have you got?
- What are your GCSEs (Or equivalents)?
- Why do you want to study medicine?

Check this out, you can see most of the required IB scores for each uni here - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Where_to_Study_Medicine

Your dedication to medicine will be questioned if you're lucky enough to get an interview, so be prepared for that. They might even question you on why you dropped out of your current Genetics course.

Graduate entry medicine is more competitive than regular entry, you have to get at least a 2:1 I believe (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) and you have to consider fees as well, since it's a lot more expensive as a graduate entrant. Saying that, it is possible and a lot of people do it every year.

You have to be realistic about it, if you can't show dedication to medicine, or don't have relevant voluntary/work experience, or get a good UKCAT score, or write a kick ass PS or finally perform well in interviews, then you're not going to get in, and you have to be realistic about this. You have to bear in mind that a lot of academically sound candidates don't get in first time, the application process is (apparently) a nightmare and there is a good chance you will not get in first time. Once you have accepted this and are fine with the concept of maybe having to take a gap year, or two, or more, then you are nearly ready to apply for medicine. I say nearly because no-one is ever fully ready to begin the dreaded process, but you should be at a point where you believe your application will impress and be good enough for pursuing a career in medicine.


(I may have a LOT of things wrong here, so apologies if I am, it's ridiculously late :| )
Reply 2
Thanks a lot for answering! I don't really know my GCSE scores, I just know that I have 541 UCAS Tariff points which are barely ok for Medicine in Aberdeen. I have 3-4 years of involvement in volunteering events (Special Olympics, kids with psychological disorders and many others) and for the last year I have been shadowing doctors to observe what their job entails. I want to study medicine because I always wanted to help people but I thought that I should first pursue a genetics degree which was wrong cause I didn't know that this would lead mostly to research. Therefore, I want to study medicine and then specialize in pediatrics maybe so that I can get involved with children and genetic diseases. I have pretty much thought of my future... I hope that uni's want have a problem that I started another degree... Do you think that I should give them my 1st year grades as well?

Thanks a lot!
Reply 3
You need certain grades at gcse and a level apart from that I don't know what else to say.
Sorry I cant be much help good luck I hope you achieve your dream goal.
Reply 4
Original post by phil2154
Thanks a lot for answering! I don't really know my GCSE scores, I just know that I have 541 UCAS Tariff points which are barely ok for Medicine in Aberdeen. I have 3-4 years of involvement in volunteering events (Special Olympics, kids with psychological disorders and many others) and for the last year I have been shadowing doctors to observe what their job entails. I want to study medicine because I always wanted to help people but I thought that I should first pursue a genetics degree which was wrong cause I didn't know that this would lead mostly to research. Therefore, I want to study medicine and then specialize in pediatrics maybe so that I can get involved with children and genetic diseases. I have pretty much thought of my future... I hope that uni's want have a problem that I started another degree... Do you think that I should give them my 1st year grades as well?

Thanks a lot!


Your voluntary work sounds good, quality is better than quantity so as long as you can reflect on these placements reasonably then you'll be fine.

What I highlighted in bold above is a bad answer for wanting to study medicine.
I'm not trying to bust your ass but they will pick up on this and hound you, it's all well and good wanting to help people, but there are a lot of careers that do that.
Firstly they will probably say something like 'You want to help people? Why not become a fireman? Or a nurse? They help people'

Secondly they will question your dedication to medicine, 'why did you feel it was necessary to pursue a career in genetics? We understand that some people do not decide to do medicine until later on in their life, but what made you change your mind?'

How do you not know your GCSE grades? :s-smilie: They will ask for these on the UCAS form surely, and the admissions will want to know the grades you got for certain subjects, for example Maths, English Language and the Sciences. GCSEs are the first hurdle in a medical application, if you can't provide information on them your application is already seriously lacking. Find out what they were.

Are you aware of what the UKCAT is? Do you realise that if you drop out of your course for medicine you are not guaranteed to get a place in medicine?

Please answer the questions in bold, thank you. :smile:


As for giving them your 1st year grades, email/call the specific universities you plan on applying to and ask them?

Another question, what universities are you planning on applying to?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by lsaul95
Your voluntary work sounds good, quality is better than quantity so as long as you can reflect on these placements reasonably then you'll be fine.

What I highlighted in bold above is a bad answer for wanting to study medicine.
I'm not trying to bust your ass but they will pick up on this and hound you, it's all well and good wanting to help people, but there are a lot of careers that do that.
Firstly they will probably say something like 'You want to help people? Why not become a fireman? Or a nurse? They help people'

Secondly they will question your dedication to medicine, 'why did you feel it was necessary to pursue a career in genetics? We understand that some people do not decide to do medicine until later on in their life, but what made you change your mind?'

How do you not know your GCSE grades? :s-smilie: They will ask for these on the UCAS form surely, and the admissions will want to know the grades you got for certain subjects, for example Maths, English Language and the Sciences. GCSEs are the first hurdle in a medical application, if you can't provide information on them your application is already seriously lacking. Find out what they were.

Are you aware of what the UKCAT is? Do you realise that if you drop out of your course for medicine you are not guaranteed to get a place in medicine?

Please answer the questions in bold, thank you. :smile:


As for giving them your 1st year grades, email/call the specific universities you plan on applying to and ask them?

Another question, what universities are you planning on applying to?


Yes, you're right about the "I want to help people" thing! It's that I like solving puzzles, finding out what's wrong, making other people happy by saving their lives, changing the minds of people that live unhealthily and being able to explain, and maybe treat severe genetic diseases that other people might have and help them handle them in the best way possible.

I always kind of wanted to study medicine but when the time came to do my first applications I thought that since I didn't know what I would do after medicine, I should study Genetics, and after some time doing medicine. But at my first year here it occurred to me that we must never leave what we really want for later as it might be too late then...

I don't know about the GCSE's cause I'm from Greece... We have a totally different system in Greece (which sucks btw). But I know you mean my grades from when I was 14-16... yeah, they are really good... I can't give you an equivalent but they are good.

I am aware of the UKCAT and I am already practicing and hope to sit the exam in July. Yes, I do realize everything but I am ready to take the risk. It's something I really want. I won't give up easily.

Finally, I'm thinking of applying to: Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.

Thanks a lot for helping me out!
Reply 6
Original post by phil2154
x


See, that's much better. You stand off far better if you explain about wanting to use your scientific knowledge in diagnosing patients, etc. Then you could go on to explain about your interest in paeds and how that is relevant.

That's fair enough. Not everyone knows what they want to do afterwards when they go into medicine, but you do have 5+ years to decide. They may pick up on this so be prepared. Agreed with you on that, there's no point stalling unless you absolutely have to for other circumstances.

Apologies on the GCSE front, I shouldn't have assumed you were a British applicant. Fair one then, as long as you have some recorded data and scores the medical schools will know what to do with it. I'd advise emailing/calling the medical schools you plan on applying to and letting them know, they are the only ones who can advise you best on the GCSE front.

Good on you! Some people say that you don't need to prepare, but don't listen to them. Practise is vital for the UKCAT, especially with timing. You probably know the drill already so I wish you the best of luck with it!

Good choices! Make sure to learn about the different requirements for each university and play to your applications strong points. For example, if you get a high ukcat score, applying to universities with a high ukcat cut-off is a smart idea. Be sure to learn about the teaching methods and course structure at all your chosen universities for inevitable questions in the interview, if you're lucky enough to get one. (Fingers crossed).
Keep up to date with recent news in the NHS as well, and medical advancements in the past 50 years. :smile:

No problem man, best of luck with your application, I hope you get a place. Let me know how you do!
Reply 7
Original post by phil2154
Yes, you're right about the "I want to help people" thing! It's that I like solving puzzles, finding out what's wrong, making other people happy by saving their lives, changing the minds of people that live unhealthily and being able to explain, and maybe treat severe genetic diseases that other people might have and help them handle them in the best way possible.

I always kind of wanted to study medicine but when the time came to do my first applications I thought that since I didn't know what I would do after medicine, I should study Genetics, and after some time doing medicine. But at my first year here it occurred to me that we must never leave what we really want for later as it might be too late then...

I don't know about the GCSE's cause I'm from Greece... We have a totally different system in Greece (which sucks btw). But I know you mean my grades from when I was 14-16... yeah, they are really good... I can't give you an equivalent but they are good.

I am aware of the UKCAT and I am already practicing and hope to sit the exam in July. Yes, I do realize everything but I am ready to take the risk. It's something I really want. I won't give up easily.

Finally, I'm thinking of applying to: Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.

Thanks a lot for helping me out!


Check this wiki out:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_for_Medicine_Whilst_on_a_Different_Course

If the info is still correct, the only place out of those four that would consider your application is Glasgow. You ought to check with the other three but if they haven't changed their policy, you'll need to look at applying to three other universities that WILL consider you.

Also, email them to check that you'll meet the entry requirements in the first place. I very much doubt that your first year university marks will count for much (as long as you are getting a 2.1 or above) because you will not have completed the degree qualification - they will probably be most interested in your school grades since you will be competing with other school leavers.

Hope that helps :smile:

Edit: also, if you apply for 2013 entry you will actually be in the second year of your degree by then. You need to check with the universities but I think this will make it even less likely that they will consider you. You may well be better off completing your degree and applying for graduate entry.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by lsaul95


No problem man, best of luck with your application, I hope you get a place. Let me know how you do!


Hey! I got my results from my ukcat.

VR 590
QR 700
AR 500
DA 830

Do you think I stand any chance?

Thanks
Reply 9
Original post by phil2154
Hey! I got my results from my ukcat.

VR 590
QR 700
AR 500
DA 830

Do you think I stand any chance?

Thanks


Depends on the Uni's you're applying to :smile: 655 is a good score, just don't think about applying to UKCAT heavy uni's as the cut-offs for those will be extremely high (around 690+)

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