Medicine - my big mistake?

I am very scared at the moment. I worked my butt off to get a medical offer this year, and to get the grades I have. I have made it into medicine this year, but I am very scared it is not for me anymore.

I feel that throughout the whole application process I kept kidding myself that medicine was the career for me and that this is what I want to do. Now that I have an offer, and now that I am looking at moving to uni in the next couple days, I really feel like I have made a huge mistake...

See, it was always between medicine and law for me. I always had a fascination for both, but I now feel like law is more suited to me and more my path.

Is it too late to drop out of uni? Am I being irrational. I really don't know what to do, or who to even speak to!

Any help would be amazing!

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Ive had to use a throwaway account as I can't have this affecting my universities view on my competence and motivation as a medic
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Reply 1

JayAhm

6

It's not too late to drop out of uni.

The implications of starting medicine then dropping out in your first year would be the loss of a year of funding (but you have a gift year) and that if you ever did choose to return to medicine, you wouldn't be able to study in the UK.

Only you'd know what you feel comfortable with and what you feel comfortable doing. Medicine or Law. I don't think anyone can advise you on that.

Are you sure it's not just pre-uni nerves?

Although re-reading your post sounds like you've already decided that medicine isn't for you and law is. Think carefully about whether you could see yourself having a career in medicine and motivating yourself to succeed through 5 years of med school. Think about the reasons why you wanted to do medicine originally. Why it was a choice for you. What you liked and disliked from your experiences. Read about the course and what you'll be doing year to year. Does it excite you?

Talk to a parent or a sibling or a close friend. Maybe you just need to air these thoughts and get someone else's perspective to think clearly and make a decision.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Reply 2

Medicthrowaway

OP

Original post by JayAhm

It's not too late to drop out of uni.

The implications of starting medicine then dropping out in your first year would be the loss of a year of funding (but you have a gift year) and that if you ever did choose to return to medicine, you wouldn't be able to study in the UK.

Only you'd know what you feel comfortable with and what you feel comfortable doing. Medicine or Law. I don't think anyone can advise you on that.

Are you sure it's not just pre-uni nerves?

Although re-reading your post sounds like you've already decided that medicine isn't for you and law is. Think carefully about whether you could see yourself having a career in medicine and motivating yourself to succeed through 5 years of med school. Think about the reasons why you wanted to do medicine originally. Why it was a choice for you. What you liked and disliked from your experiences. Read about the course and what you'll be doing year to year. Does it excite you?

Talk to a parent or a sibling or a close friend. Maybe you just need to air these thoughts and get someone else's perspective to think clearly and make a decision.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Thank you for your help! What did you mean if I dropped out I would not be able to return to studying in the UK for medicine? Would I not be able to do it post grad, or just reapply as an undergrad? (Oh and what did you mean by a gift year?)

I do agree with that you said though! Thank you!

Reply 3

JayAhm

6

Original post by Medicthrowaway

Thank you for your help! What did you mean if I dropped out I would not be able to return to studying in the UK for medicine? Would I not be able to do it post grad, or just reapply as an undergrad? (Oh and what did you mean by a gift year?)

I do agree with that you said though! Thank you!

If you start studying medicine and then leave, you wouldn't be able to eligible to apply to almost all med schools in the UK again as the majority don't accept people who have previously studied/been enrolled on a medical degree elsewhere. That's what they advise. I take this to mean ever. So regardless of whether you've then studied law and want to do medicine or just think that you want to go back to medicine.

A gift year means that student finance will fund you one extra year to allow for resitting a year at uni or if you drop out and change degree. (It's not a gift in that it's free money :P)

As a rule, every student studying for their first degree is allowed the following student finance:

Length of course + 1 gift year - number of previous study years