The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

LatinMachine
I hate to be selfish and ask for experiences, but did anyone take the GAMSAT last week?

I was supposed to take it - registered, paid, even booked a room in London for the night before, but I bottled it. It was just too scary, going through practice papers and realising there was absolutely no way I could possibly pass Section 3. Doing it probably would've given me Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As it is, after two years of desperately wanting to do medicine, I'm now facing another two years of waiting. I don't think I'm going to be over it for quite a while. I've already started revising for next year - I see what people mean when they say you need at least 6 months to prepare.

So if anyone did it last Friday, I'd appreciate some words on what it was like, if anyone has the time :smile:

A very gutted latinmachine, signing out.


Whaaaaat?? You paid for it all and then didn't turn up to randomly tick some boxes?
They're not going to hold a bad mark one year against you :/ The worst that could have happened is you wouldn't have done so well...but you would have done better than not turning up at all... If nothing else it could have just been practice for next year.
Reply 81
What a great idea for a society - it will save me from hunting down "graduate entry" related threads in the search box all the time :smile:

I'm a final year Bioveterinary Science student, applying for Medicine 2010 and my choices are - Aberdeen, Dundee, Barts and Imperial GEP.

Although...I'm wondering if putting Imperial GEP down is such a wise decision, it seems like a big risk because I don't have a strong enough academic record, and I got 692 in my UKCAT but I reckon they want 700+

So I might change to Kings 5 Year...Oh god I have no idea.
Reply 82
Shockley
I'm a final year Bioveterinary Science student, applying for Medicine 2010 and my choices are - Aberdeen, Dundee, Barts and Imperial GEP.



Just out of interest what made you change your mind from veterinary to medicine? if you dont mind me asking!
Reply 83
I've started the application process so damn late.

Choices:
1. Oxford
2. King's
3. Barts
4. Warwick

Has anyone else had trouble getting references? I haven't had a tutor in a while, so nobody at my university department really knows anything about me or my medicine application. Besides, I have some serious doubts about their writing abilities.

That said, I'm feeling good about this. I've done so much for it, that if I do get a place, I'll really feel like I've earned it (at last! I've earned something!). I haven't done all that much work experience, but I've studied AS courses in parallel with my degree course and done the exams through cold turkey withdrawal to make this. Besides, I'm graduating with such a good (competitive) degree, that I'd be an absolute moron to throw it away unless I _REALLY_ wanted to do medicine.
Reply 84
brokenangel
Just out of interest what made you change your mind from veterinary to medicine? if you dont mind me asking!


I was originally going to do vet med as a second degree, but was never 100% sure, I always had this preferance towards human medicine. When push comes to shove, working with people and focusing on their welfare is what I'm more interested in.


blackice

Has anyone else had trouble getting references? I haven't had a tutor in a while, so nobody at my university department really knows anything about me or my medicine application. Besides, I have some serious doubts about their writing abilities.



Same problem with me, we have brand new tutors this year, so what I've done is organised a tutorial to discuss my plans, and I've handed in a copy of my personal statement for them to look at. That should give them enough to write about how serious I am about it all.
Reply 85
Heh, brokenangel, sorry about the delay on this (I've no idea when you put the application in); I've not been too well recently and have been shirking quite a few of my duties because of that, including soc applications.

I do have a teeny problem with it, though...bearing in mind that we already have a medics society on TSR, I'm afraid I just don't really see the point in adding a new soc which is so similar to that. I'll leave the application as pending for now and check back here in a few days or a week or something, but it really does seem to me like this is just meant to be a duplicate/rival thread to the existing medics soc.
icantthinkofacoolusername
Whaaaaat?? You paid for it all and then didn't turn up to randomly tick some boxes?
They're not going to hold a bad mark one year against you :/ The worst that could have happened is you wouldn't have done so well...but you would have done better than not turning up at all... If nothing else it could have just been practice for next year.

If it was as little effort as 'turning it up to tick boxes' I would have done it, but it involves going to London, getting to the test centre for 8am to do five hours of testing, and arriving back home late evening. Yes, I would have got 'more' marks than if I didn't go, but in my eyes, 0 marks and 45 marks are the same because neither gets me an interview. It would've just been a highly upsetting experience - getting to sit there with nothing else to think about for hours other than how I couldn't do the questions? Not really a great day out. I think I made the right choice, but either way the outcome sucks.

Dalimyr
...
Can I please make a case for this society? Perhaps it could be just a gradmed 'applications' soc or something, because there are a lot of issues that apply to us that just don't apply to undergrad medics, and it would be really nice to have a place to chat about them. Issues of age, issues of GAMSAT, issues of finance, degree requirements, I could go on. There are lots of threads springing up from GEP applicants, which actually get a bit irritating because they all ask the same questions! It'd be a good place for people to find answers to those questions.
Well yeah, I took it. I didn't know that much, but most of it you could have a stab at even if you weren't a hundred percent sure. I don't know, in some ways I wish they had cameras in the exam hal because the lack of common sense when it came to the cloak room and the number of people bottling it could have cut the number they interview in half right away, it was a bit funny really. I just think you're going to come across more stressful situations than maybe not knowing a few answers as a doctor. Maybe that's just me :dontknow: Anyway, completely your choice obviously.

I just noticed you work in the department of psychiatry, I work at the Warneford, you could have come with me :p:
Dalimyr
Heh, brokenangel, sorry about the delay on this (I've no idea when you put the application in); I've not been too well recently and have been shirking quite a few of my duties because of that, including soc applications.

I do have a teeny problem with it, though...bearing in mind that we already have a medics society on TSR, I'm afraid I just don't really see the point in adding a new soc which is so similar to that. I'll leave the application as pending for now and check back here in a few days or a week or something, but it really does seem to me like this is just meant to be a duplicate/rival thread to the existing medics soc.


It's not supposed to duplicate or rival a medics thread at all - the majority of people in the medicine forum are school leavers and the process of applying from school and as a graduate are completely different really. There's a lot of stuff I know I'd like to talk about that would be pretty completely irrelevant to 17 year olds, and a lot of things they need to discuss that's not at all relevant to us oldies :dontknow:
icantthinkofacoolusername
It's not supposed to duplicate or rival a medics thread at all - the majority of people in the medicine forum are school leavers and the process of applying from school and as a graduate are completely different really. There's a lot of stuff I know I'd like to talk about that would be pretty completely irrelevant to 17 year olds, and a lot of things they need to discuss that's not at all relevant to us oldies :dontknow:



Exactly, its not a rival at all- just for those taking an alternative route into medicine, im still making my mind up- and i'd gain a lot more from this society than the medics one
Reply 90
Come on be nice we arent trying to rival the medic soceity infact alot of us are members of it, however we have our own set of problem unique to us graduates and would like a thread to chat about these without clogging up the medics thread or the subforum
brokenangel
Come on be nice we arent trying to rival the medic soceity infact alot of us are members of it, however we have our own set of problem unique to us graduates and would like a thread to chat about these without clogging up the medics thread or the subforum

:ditto: We like undergrad medics, but some of the stuff we talk about is very different from theirs :frown:
Reply 92
Alot of people applying to warwick? I keep hearing competition is tough for the GEP this is frustrating!
Reply 93
I was going to apply for Warwick due to the fact they have the most places for graduates, but I don't like Coventry and I definately want to get out of the Midlands anyway, so thats scrapped..
Shockley
I was going to apply for Warwick due to the fact they have the most places for graduates, but I don't like Coventry and I definitely want to get out of the Midlands anyway, so thats scrapped..

Wait, Warwick campus is at Coventry?! I wanted to apply there too, for large intake and close to home location, but I bloody hate Coventry (I like Birmingham, but coventry is my least favourite city in england)
Reply 95
AutVinceriAutMori
Wait, Warwick campus is at Coventry?! I wanted to apply there too, for large intake and close to home location, but I bloody hate Coventry (I like Birmingham, but coventry is my least favourite city in england)


looks like it between coventry and warwick but ill leave it up to the local to figure out from these directions

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/about/location/
brokenangel
looks like it between coventry and warwick but ill leave it up to the local to figure out from these directions

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/about/location/

Actually, it wouldnt matter much, I would still be living in Birmingham and take train to the campus, so its not like I would be banished to Coventry, and I dont disilke the rest of Midlands, I love the area :p:
That would be far cheaper than living in say, London, or even any other city. Mind you, it means four more years of maternal tyranny :p:
Reply 97
AutVinceriAutMori
Actually, it wouldnt matter much, I would still be living in Birmingham and take train to the campus, so its not like I would be banished to Coventry, and I dont disilke the rest of Midlands, I love the area
That would be far cheaper than living in say, London, or even any other city. Mind you, it means four more years of maternal tyranny


Come up to Newcastle lol its so much cheaper than down south!
brokenangel
Come up to Newcastle lol its so much cheaper than down south!

Nah, you come to Birmingham :teeth: We will soon transform the population of Birmingham with our healing skills :p: And I have applied to Newcastle as an undergrad, and was rejected :frown: That wasnt much of surprise though :p: And even if they gave me an offer, I would have still failed to get in :frown:
Ah well, tomorrow to fresh fields...
Subcutaneous
ah A&E isn't all its cracked up to be, i spent a day there when i was like 16, was alright, but the medicine side of is is kinda boring, i prefered being with the nurses, with the wounds, stitches, observations etc, real nasty stuff..doctors just looked at xrays and it was a bit boring!

1 exam left of first year, then Im on elective orthopaedics for 3 months..Zzzzzzz oh well , guess it'll be good experience with wound care, surgical nursing, pain relief and all that..I just want second year to start now! Oncology, community, Iv's, advanced wound care, respiratory, sexual health- gonna be a good year! Im really looking forward to community work, and starting to manage patients etc, but second year looks like its gonna be good!

Work experience with the med team went ok..i guess, not 100% sure tho if this is what I wanted to do, i found myself ending up just falling into the nurses role without thinking so, maybe its what I'm meant to do :dontknow: my vocation lol We'll see, im still keeping options open, and am getting a book on the Gamsat, to see what its all about lol


What didn't you like about it?