The Student Room Group

Medicine 2013 entrant hopefuls :)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 60
Original post by Hippokrates
When do people start their personal statements?

If you think you'll gain more stuff to put into it over summer I wouldn't start yet. What I would do however is have a think through anything you could put in it and make a list (of work experience, extra-curricular stuff, special 'why medicine?' reasons if you have any). Then once you've completed that list around August/September, you can start knocking off the poorer points and pick the ones you want to highlight in your statement and just turn the list into your PS. I would find it easiest to do that because you can group things together and decide 'these in the first paragraph, these in the second' and that way you have an idea of how much to write on each as you go through in order to fit in everything you want.

Edit: And oh! You're from Chorley. Hi from the Fylde. :biggrin:
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Hippokrates
When do people start their personal statements?


I didn't start my first draft until after the summer holidays, so mid-August. I think most people start throwing ideas together during the summer and after exam results come out.
Reply 62
What types or activities is everyone doing for work experience? i'm hoping to do some at nhs, but its just for 'nutrition assistant' so basically handing food out.
hey everyone

really excited about Medicine entry 2013 - doin as levels bio chem psychology and english lit which im going to drop

cud anyone suggest a back up degree for medicine which contains the LEAST CHEMISTRY coz i just cant deal with chemistry well and im finding it REALLY hard so im not going to do anything like biomedical nothing like that

please help :s-smilie: and also how much work experience hav u guys done ?
Original post by jenni00004
hey everyone

really excited about Medicine entry 2013 - doin as levels bio chem psychology and english lit which im going to drop

cud anyone suggest a back up degree for medicine which contains the LEAST CHEMISTRY coz i just cant deal with chemistry well and im finding it REALLY hard so im not going to do anything like biomedical nothing like that

please help :s-smilie: and also how much work experience hav u guys done ?


It depends whether you would rather settle for a science or clinical career if medicine goes out the window. For example if I got 4 rejections then didn't get the grades I would apply for midwifery but others would do a biomedical science degree. If I was you I would consider reapplying if you get four rejections first time instead of doing a 5th choice.
Original post by Hippokrates
It depends whether you would rather settle for a science or clinical career if medicine goes out the window. For example if I got 4 rejections then didn't get the grades I would apply for midwifery but others would do a biomedical science degree. If I was you I would consider reapplying if you get four rejections first time instead of doing a 5th choice.


that was my official plan but them speaking to my parents they seriously dnt want me to go on a gap year even though i would be getting more experience ,

they want me to at least be doing something at uni but i dnt know
if i shud use my 5th choice and do something like healhcare science at a good uni like erm..nottingham or shud i do the clinical sciences degree at bradford uni as after first yr if u get gd grades they choose 20 students to go to leeds medical school ?!?!
Original post by jenni00004
that was my official plan but them speaking to my parents they seriously dnt want me to go on a gap year even though i would be getting more experience ,

they want me to at least be doing something at uni but i dnt know
if i shud use my 5th choice and do something like healhcare science at a good uni like erm..nottingham or shud i do the clinical sciences degree at bradford uni as after first yr if u get gd grades they choose 20 students to go to leeds medical school ?!?!


But it's your decision not your parents, don't let them cloud your judgement. I wouldn't risk the bradford course because everyone on that course will be after one of those places so unless your IQ is 200 and you spend all your time working I would steer clear of them.
Reply 67
Original post by Hippokrates
But it's your decision not your parents, don't let them cloud your judgement. I wouldn't risk the bradford course because everyone on that course will be after one of those places so unless your IQ is 200 and you spend all your time working I would steer clear of them.

This, and you should point out to your parents that very few med schools will look at you if you want to apply while in the first year of another degree. Maybe that will make them see sense. :smile:
Original post by Ronove
This, and you should point out to your parents that very few med schools will look at you if you want to apply while in the first year of another degree. Maybe that will make them see sense. :smile:


good points :smile:

so do you think i wud have a better chance of getting in if i get rejections and then take a gap year but then what type of stuff can i do aprt from work experience i would try and get a job like erm.. healthcare assistant or something but its kinda hard these days to get a job like that

even work experience is hard to get and my parents wudnt give me money to travel arghhh so many decisions

how much wrk ex do yu need - ive got a 20 week placement on a renal ward as a ward assistant
and gonna start volunteering at autism youth club

for summer possibly a week in dentist and or pharmacy is that ok ?!?
Reply 69
Original post by jenni00004
good points :smile:

so do you think i wud have a better chance of getting in if i get rejections and then take a gap year but then what type of stuff can i do aprt from work experience i would try and get a job like erm.. healthcare assistant or something but its kinda hard these days to get a job like that

even work experience is hard to get and my parents wudnt give me money to travel arghhh so many decisions

how much wrk ex do yu need - ive got a 20 week placement on a renal ward as a ward assistant
and gonna start volunteering at autism youth club

for summer possibly a week in dentist and or pharmacy is that ok ?!?

The 20 week placement sounds very nice. If you take a gap year you've got loads of time to arrange more work experience/voluntary work/shadowing, whether it be before applying or arranged for the time during the gap year (though obviously before applying is better).

I know how hard it is to get a paid job in a relevant area but if you live in an area where they still recruit for HCAs it doesn't hurt to keep applying whenever a post comes up. Set up a notification thing on NHS Jobs for posts in your area. They no longer have an HCA bank where I live so there's no chance for me! :frown:

I don't think any uni would absolutely expect you to have a full-time healthcare job in your gap year with the job situation as it is. If you can keep up some regular volunteering and still be doing it when you reach interviews it will look good I'm sure. By the way, it's easy to arrange to spend a week or two at a Vitalise centre, volunteering with disabled people, so that's one more thing you could definitely get done between exams and October this year. Don't forget to look at jobs like portering or admin in hospitals/GP surgeries and similar and some kind of work in a care home. All of these types of things would be a decent substitute if you couldn't get a job as an HCA. They at least show you're focused on healthcare and will be getting experience of relevant environments.
Original post by jenni00004
good points :smile:

so do you think i wud have a better chance of getting in if i get rejections and then take a gap year but then what type of stuff can i do aprt from work experience i would try and get a job like erm.. healthcare assistant or something but its kinda hard these days to get a job like that

even work experience is hard to get and my parents wudnt give me money to travel arghhh so many decisions

how much wrk ex do yu need - ive got a 20 week placement on a renal ward as a ward assistant
and gonna start volunteering at autism youth club

for summer possibly a week in dentist and or pharmacy is that ok ?!?


I doubt that the vast majority of people's parents could afford to send them travelling.The placement sounds very good. I'd say some sort of long term volunteering in a medical related place is pretty important to your application. All I can say is revise really hard for the UKCAT because a good score practically guarantees your interviews at some places.
ahhhhhh ok :smile:

i totally agree with u guyss and thanks for the help and answering my questions, very much appreciated :biggrin:

i got this ukcat book and ill start revsing after my exams since i finish in may and im definately gonna get some volunteering down as well thanks oh and

one quick question - wud blogging like journals and stuff i read and like just documenting my experiences related to medicine and stuff wud it be worth doing and putting on personal statement coz im not a sporty person so i dnt do much outside of school :s-smilie:
Reply 72
Original post by jenni00004
ahhhhhh ok :smile:

i totally agree with u guyss and thanks for the help and answering my questions, very much appreciated :biggrin:

i got this ukcat book and ill start revsing after my exams since i finish in may and im definately gonna get some volunteering down as well thanks oh and

one quick question - wud blogging like journals and stuff i read and like just documenting my experiences related to medicine and stuff wud it be worth doing and putting on personal statement coz im not a sporty person so i dnt do much outside of school :s-smilie:

Whatever you spend your time doing is what you should mention, in my opinion. If you have a few things to choose from and not enough space, pick the ones you think will look/sound best or most relevant (in terms of dedication/people skills/whatever).

I don't think there's any need to feel pressured to have something 'sporty' or 'arty' just because many others have these things. Lots of people don't grow up with the money or the parental encouragement to try learning an instrument (let alone getting Grade 8 in multiple and going on school tours), etc.

Part of it is wanting to see you demonstrate skills through hobbies but I'd say more of it is about making sure you're not a workaholic and you have things you enjoy doing. Whatever they might be, they're not going to judge. Of course admitting to staying in and playing MMORPGs every evening during the week might not help your case, there are some things interviewers might not quite understand well enough to get the right impression of you. :p:
Reply 73
Just like to alert you guys to this thread for current year 12 hopeful medics! :biggrin:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1905992

ha, its been going since we've been in year 11, we're all so keen :tongue:
Original post by erniiee
Just like to alert you guys to this thread for current year 12 hopeful medics! :biggrin:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1905992

ha, its been going since we've been in year 11, we're all so keen :tongue:


Yeah, it seems a bit weird having two threads. Maybe it's just me? Haha, eager beavers. :h:
Reply 75
Original post by DarkAndTwisty
Yeah, it seems a bit weird having two threads. Maybe it's just me? Haha, eager beavers. :h:


Ha, no I get ya, would be nice to have some newbies on the oldies thread though :h:
Reply 76
erniiee
Just like to alert you guys to this thread for current year 12 hopeful medics! :biggrin:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show....php?t=1905992

ha, its been going since we've been in year 11, we're all so keen :p:

I'm a 2013 hopeful but I'm not in Year 12 so you can keep your thread! :unimpressed: :p:
Reply 77
Original post by Ronove
I'm a 2013 hopeful but I'm not in Year 12 so you can keep your thread! :unimpressed: :p:


Haha. Are you a reapplicant/gap year taker? :smile:
Reply 78
Original post by erniiee
Haha. Are you a reapplicant/gap year taker? :smile:

I'm an oldie who left her languages degree to pursue something different. :p: Medicine is Plan A. However I'm moving to Denmark first so all plans of action are made a little bit more complicated. :p:
Reply 79
Original post by Ronove
I'm an oldie who left her languages degree to pursue something different. :p: Medicine is Plan A. However I'm moving to Denmark first so all plans of action are made a little bit more complicated. :p:
Ah I see, I should've included more people in my post :tongue: ah wow, are you thinking of studying medicine there? Also I love your Ninetales avatar :biggrin:

Quick Reply