[lucieeee]

Does anyone on here have a problem with people taking a second degree in Medicine and/or Dentistry?
Do you see it as a waste of time and money?

A friend of mine who is a final year medical student said something along the lines of how they don't agree with people who've already done degrees applying for medicine and dentistry courses and that they think it's a waste of time and money. Obviously I'm a potential graduate applicant and felt slightly uncomfortable hearing this, as well as feeling that it was a slight dig at me.

Are there more people out there who think in the same way?

[Gridiron-Gangster]

Erm well firstly you have to be a graduate to apply for a 4 year programme so I can't see how there be a problem with that.

Secondly it's a well known fact that Medicine is extremely competitive to gain admission to both at undergrad and postgrad level. Some people don't study at undergrad either because at the time they didn't have the grades or resources etc to go to medical school then and perhaps at the time didn't contemplate sttudying the degree or being a doctor. not everyone knows what they want to do at 17/18 heck some people have career changes in their mid 30s or 40s. If it's what they want to do it's their choice, their time, their money, their life....who are we to criticise.

Your friend is most probably in a minority and even then it's not like his/her opinion matters as medical schools continue to administer graduate-entry programmes and accept many graduates/mature students year after year and will continue to do so.

In the US you need to do a 3 or 4 year bachelor's degree first before going onto medical school which is another 4 or 5 years. Students in Germany don't finish high school until they're 20. Age is nothing but a number.

And if people want to do more than one degree I'm all for it. It shows commitment to higher learning and there's nothing wrong with the pursuit of academia.....or so I'm told.

[lucieeee]

(Original post by Gridiron-Gangster)
Erm well firstly you have to be a graduate to apply for a 4 year programme so I can't see how there be a problem with that.

Secondly it's a well known fact that Medicine is extremely competitive to gain admission to both at undergrad and postgrad level. Some people don't study at undergrad either because at the time they didn't have the grades or resources etc to go to medical school then and perhaps at the time didn't contemplate sttudying the degree or being a doctor. not everyone knows what they want to do at 17/18 heck some people have career changes in their mid 30s or 40s. If it's what they want to do it's their choice, their time, their money, their life....who are we to criticise.

Your friend is most probably in a minority and even then it's not like his/her opinion matters as medical schools continue to administer graduate-entry programmes and accept many graduates/mature students year after year and will continue to do so.

In the US you need to do a 3 or 4 year bachelor's degree first before going onto medical school which is another 4 or 5 years. Students in Germany don't finish high school until they're 20. Age is nothing but a number.

And if people want to do more than one degree I'm all for it. It shows commitment to higher learning and there's nothing wrong with the pursuit of academia.....or so I'm told.

I think they said this because they partly feel that the profession of medicine is their's and they don't want any of the other friends to do it and be as successful.

[Helenia]

Most people really aren't bothered. Though on occasion there are some tensions between "normal" undergrads and those on a grad programme, it's not for the reasons you're describing.

[Gridiron-Gangster]

(Original post by lucieeee)
I think they said this because they partly feel that the profession of medicine is their's and they don't want any of the other friends to do it and be as successful.

Then simply put it they are not worth having as a friend. They sound rather jealous and selfish if you ask me.

[Democracy]

Some grads have a reputation for being gunner ****s or keenos, but I would say that some school leavers are like that too.

I like the fact that we have a mixed system of both GEPs and A100 programmes.

(Original post by lucieeee)
I think they said this because they partly feel that the profession of medicine is their's and they don't want any of the other friends to do it and be as successful.

Sounds very insecure tbh.

[lucieeee]

(Original post by Gridiron-Gangster)
Then simply put it they are not worth having as a friend. They sound rather jealous and selfish if you ask me.

I thought that too, but surely we should be jealous of her rather than the other way round.

[Gridiron-Gangster]

(Original post by lucieeee)
I thought that too, but surely we should be jealous of her rather than the other way round.

Nope, not at all. Because at least we can both sleep well at night without having a chip on our shoulders or our minds beset with resent and bitterness.

[scaphoid]

Hi OP- I think your friend’s opinion is very much in the minority. When I was a medical student, the overall impression I got was that most people just accepted others and tended to get on with it…I had students straight from school who I worked with, they tended to be curious about what I had done prior to starting medicine, asking lots of questions, but I never got any negative comments (unless these were behind my back!)

Quite frankly, I couldn’t give a toss what others thought of me doing medicine as a graduate, whether it’s a waste of time or money etc. It’s what I wanted to do to fulfil my ambition of becoming a doctor and that’s enough justification for me.

In the USA (and many other countries) you need an undergraduate degree to enter medical school, nobody goes straight from A-levels.

You have raised an interesting point though…this could be controversial- I think with some ‘straight from school’ medics there is perhaps a feeling of superiority over their schoolmates who didn’t get into med school, that the prestige is in gaining a place on a super competitive course and the whole image of being a medical student.

Perhaps they see anyone coming in at a later stage is somehow not worthy as they were not ‘chosen’ at the age of 18 while doing A-levels. Who knows, these are just my rambling thoughts.

With most of my graduate friends, there wasn’t that mentality at all, especially among those who had given up careers, homes, lifestyles etc.
They were utterly certain that it was the right thing for them and definitely not a waste of time and money. You should do the same OP, who cares what anybody else thinks!