The Student Room Group

Am I able to do Medicine?

I currently take Maths, History and Chemistry and I am looking at taking Biology AS next year, would I be able to apply for medicine for 2017 entry, or am I too late? I got good GCSE results
Yep, you're all good to apply to quite a few med schools that require chem and one of of bio/phys/maths which you have. Just make sure you know what the specific requirements are for each med school. Also, you're not too late to apply to med schools which want bio to at least AS, but it's best to email them an s check. Here's a useful list of the entry requirements for each med school:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15863-medical-school-a-level-requirement

Hope this helps 👍
Original post by TheMouseyS
Yep, you're all good to apply to quite a few med schools that require chem and one of of bio/phys/maths which you have. Just make sure you know what the specific requirements are for each med school. Also, you're not too late to apply to med schools which want bio to at least AS, but it's best to email them an s check. Here's a useful list of the entry requirements for each med school:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15863-medical-school-a-level-requirement

Hope this helps 👍


I have looked at the unis and found Manchester, Queen Mary, Leeds, Sheffield and Glasgow to be of interest.

How can I get started on my application to medicine then, and will the uni's reply to me due to the summer break.

Many thanks
Original post by maoism123
I have looked at the unis and found Manchester, Queen Mary, Leeds, Sheffield and Glasgow to be of interest.

How can I get started on my application to medicine then, and will the uni's reply to me due to the summer break.

Many thanks


Tbh I would've started working on your application earlier cos there's a lot that you need to get done for medicine. How are you doing in terms of work experience, volunteering, ukcat/bmat prep etc?
Original post by TheMouseyS
Tbh I would've started working on your application earlier cos there's a lot that you need to get done for medicine. How are you doing in terms of work experience, volunteering, ukcat/bmat prep etc?


I have a job which equals work experience, and I am looking to volunteer and get some work experience in a hospital in September, I haven't prepared for BMAT or UKCAT, could I alternatively train to be a doctor in the US or Canada if I don't secure a placement in UK?
Reply 5
My advice is that you should take a gap year, get work experience and find out if medicine is really what you want to do. Seriously, the minimum length of time will be 5 years of uni, 2 years of foundation training and then a minimum of 3 years for your speciality. 3 years will make you a GP. 7-9 for a surgeon.

So that is 10 years (minimum). Think about it.
Reply 6
Original post by maoism123
I have a job which equals work experience, and I am looking to volunteer and get some work experience in a hospital in September, I haven't prepared for BMAT or UKCAT, could I alternatively train to be a doctor in the US or Canada if I don't secure a placement in UK?

You need to do a undergraduate degree first before medicine in USA.
Reply 7
Original post by maoism123
I have a job which equals work experience, and I am looking to volunteer and get some work experience in a hospital in September, I haven't prepared for BMAT or UKCAT, could I alternatively train to be a doctor in the US or Canada if I don't secure a placement in UK?


Your job may not count as work experience depending on the setting its in. You will need to book and start preparing for the UKCAT pretty soon. BMAT isn't until the beginning of November so you still have time for that.
Studying in the us will be ally more expensive and take much more time. You'll have to do an undergraduate degree then medicine afterwards.

Also is the as in biology actually available next year? I know a lot of them are being phased out so you need to check if you can actually sit the exam next year. Applying for medicine takes a lot of work and planning. Start by doing some research yourself to get more information.
Here's somewhere to start:
http://www.medschools.ac.uk/Students/howtoapply/Pages/UCAS.aspx


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Original post by maoism123
I have looked at the unis and found Manchester, Queen Mary, Leeds, Sheffield and Glasgow to be of interest.

How can I get started on my application to medicine then, and will the uni's reply to me due to the summer break.

Many thanks


You may be a little late to start your application now, as medicine requires a lot of time and preparation to make a competitive application (65% of medicine applicants receive no offers so competition is very high).

You ideally need to book your UKCAT now, all the schools you have suggested except leeds require the UKCAT exam, so go online and have a look at booking it. I would leave yourself at least 3 weeks between now and the exam and gather some good revision resources (such as the 1000Q book and Medify online mocks which are pretty inexpensive) and then get ready to sit the exam.
If you want to apply to leeds you will be required to sit the BMAT exam, this is taken in november after you have sent your UCAS application away so my advice is only apply to 1 or 2 BMAT universities max.

As for other things, can I ask what your GCSE grades are like? Applying to medicine is all about applying to the universities which are likely to give you an interview because it is so competitive, so rather than looking at universities you like the look or sound of initially, make a sheet and cross off all the universities you will not likely get an interview from, with the ones you are left with then go through and see their websites/visit them and decide from there.

For work experience, unless you work in a care home, nursery, hospital, hospice, GP surgery or pharmacy it is very unlikely that your Job will be relevant work experience for medicine. You need to look at getting voluntary work in a caring role, and I personally wouldnt apply to medicine at all unless you can find some and start between now and october 15th as it will be a waste of an application.

I am unsure how you know so little about applying to medicine at this very late stage, most medicine applicants by now will have sat the UKCAT or be sitting it very soon and will have gathered lots of work experience and voluntary work to allow their application to stand out from the crowd in such a competative applicant pool. My advice to you is go away now and try to get your application on track, if you cannot do this by the october 15th deadline then have a look at taking a gap year and applying for 2018 entry as a more competative applicant.

Good luck.

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