Mathematics or Medicine

Oh okay so do I have to apply for that if I decide to do Mathematics at Uni? Thanks x

Hey Everyone,

I'm in college and have nearly completed all my exams . I love studying Mathematics and also teach it at two jobs as I work and volunteer with children. My passion for Mathematics grew from a very young age and I was always very enthusiastic about the subect. I'm currently on an A for Mathematics and hope to further my education in the subject.

My dream from a very young age is to study Medicine and become a paediatrician (Children's doctor). I have loved studying sciences and really want to become a doctor, I'm very motivated to study Medicine and I know that I have the will - power to do so. I love working with children at my job and have had work experience from GP clinics/Great Ormond Street/Hospitals abroad. I love helping others and want to be able to treat patients.

Now, I am facing a dilemma between Mathematics and Medicine. I love them both equally but am finiding it very hard to choose. I know both of these subjects are very strong and especially Medicine as it is roughly 6 years then F1+F2 at the end, I just don't know which one to choose. I don't want people here to to think I'm not comitted that I'm second guessing Medicine, I would never do that...I'm just wondering is it for me? I have good results/do swimming to a national level/play the piano. I'm just not sure if this is really my dream or if it's my mother's, I want to know if I really want this. What can I do?

Thankyou in advance for all the feedback/advice x

This can be impossible to decide properly when you're just 17. I applied for med last year but for maths this year - although the decision was partly made by the fact I ****ed up chemistry, lol, I'm happy about it. If you don't really mind the thought of not becoming a doctor, I'd say go for maths and try GEM once you have a better capacity to decide... though it would potentially be a lot more costly (in both money and time). Alternatively, ask yourself why keeping maths as a hobby wouldn't be enough. If you're as enthusiastic about maths as you say, would you not be satisfied by learning more maths by reading through books/lecture notes? Or do you want to go into academia?

I'd sort of gone off the idea of medicine by the time we had to apply in year 13, but it was all I'd wanted to do since I was a child - and I couldn't make myself go back on it, particularly given the tacit expectations of those around me. Given your questioning over whether it's your dream or your mum's, perhaps this could be the issue? Anyway you still have some time to think about it. Try to look into what uni maths is like as well, since it's significantly different from A level

No, although I'm planning on trying for some this summer.

Thankyou Mr Muffin Man Ahaha aww okay, how is it different? x

GEM is a 4-year course, but some graduates still apply for the normal undergraduate 5-year course (presumably because it's slightly less competitive) though not all unis allow this, I think. It would also be a lot more expensive

I think the key thing here is not the subjects but the job at the end. You want to work with kids? Then do a medicine degree as it will allow you much easier access working with kids. A maths degree will only allow you to work with them as a teacher and that isn't great pay compared to a doctor.

As mentioned, you can always do an intercalated degree in maths.

Or, after you are a qualified doctor you can do a maths degree via distance learning so you can study in your own time for fun

maths.

Hey Everyone,

I'm in college and have nearly completed all my exams . I love studying Mathematics and also teach it at two jobs as I work and volunteer with children. My passion for Mathematics grew from a very young age and I was always very enthusiastic about the subect. I'm currently on an A for Mathematics and hope to further my education in the subject.

My dream from a very young age is to study Medicine and become a paediatrician (Children's doctor). I have loved studying sciences and really want to become a doctor, I'm very motivated to study Medicine and I know that I have the will - power to do so. I love working with children at my job and have had work experience from GP clinics/Great Ormond Street/Hospitals abroad. I love helping others and want to be able to treat patients.

Now, I am facing a dilemma between Mathematics and Medicine. I love them both equally but am finiding it very hard to choose. I know both of these subjects are very strong and especially Medicine as it is roughly 6 years then F1+F2 at the end, I just don't know which one to choose. I don't want people here to to think I'm not comitted that I'm second guessing Medicine, I would never do that...I'm just wondering is it for me? I have good results/do swimming to a national level/play the piano. I'm just not sure if this is really my dream or if it's my mother's, I want to know if I really want this. What can I do?

Thankyou in advance for all the feedback/advice x

Thankyou so much Yeah but I think it's kind of hard to do a medicine degree then just decide to do a Maths degree as you are 100% guarenteed a job so it would be weird. I think this Summer is going to be long thinking about this. I liked the idea of an intercalated degree in Maths, can you explain more about that? x

Okay thanks ahaha I think nearly every Chemistry student does at some point :P Erm not to sound snobbish but my Mummy and my 'trust fund' stuff from a close family member's death is there so no need to worry about money I hate reading about Maths, I don't mind it, it's just that I love solving things and plus I have a short attention span when things bore me Okay thanks anyway x

Thankyou so much, if you didn't tell me about this I probably wouldn't have known for a very long time. I think this is what I'm actually going to do..need to research x

Hey Everyone,

I'm in college and have nearly completed all my exams . I love studying Mathematics and also teach it at two jobs as I work and volunteer with children. My passion for Mathematics grew from a very young age and I was always very enthusiastic about the subect. I'm currently on an A for Mathematics and hope to further my education in the subject.

My dream from a very young age is to study Medicine and become a paediatrician (Children's doctor). I have loved studying sciences and really want to become a doctor, I'm very motivated to study Medicine and I know that I have the will - power to do so. I love working with children at my job and have had work experience from GP clinics/Great Ormond Street/Hospitals abroad. I love helping others and want to be able to treat patients.

Now, I am facing a dilemma between Mathematics and Medicine. I love them both equally but am finiding it very hard to choose. I know both of these subjects are very strong and especially Medicine as it is roughly 6 years then F1+F2 at the end, I just don't know which one to choose. I don't want people here to to think I'm not comitted that I'm second guessing Medicine, I would never do that...I'm just wondering is it for me? I have good results/do swimming to a national level/play the piano. I'm just not sure if this is really my dream or if it's my mother's, I want to know if I really want this. What can I do?

Thankyou in advance for all the feedback/advice x

I know exactly how you feel. I've always loved maths, it was my favourite subject at school and the one I was best at. I always had medicine in mind as the subject I wanted to do at uni, but towards the time to apply I realised that i would really miss studying maths and began to consider it instead of medicine.

Despite this I made the choice to opt for medicine instead of maths as I thought that although I loved studying maths no job really interested me using maths and whilst i didn't think the medicine course would be as interesting the actual job appealed far more.

I am now going into fourth year of med school and have so far loved the course. I still really miss maths and wonder what studying it would have been like, but alas I'll never know.

With respect to intercalating in maths, I always thought that would be cool, but untill this year my uni did not allow maths to be one of the intercal degrees so i did immunology instead. Having done an intercalated degree i don't know if I would have coped well doing final year maths having not done any since school

So essentially as someone else has said I would look at the job at the end and decide which you prefer. Don't listen to people who say if you doubt medicine don't do it as being at uni i always find myself doubting it and then loving it, it's just the nature of the beast.

Also what aspect of maths do you enjoy as there maybe areas of medicine that can incorporate this.

Have you made plans to take the UKCAT or BMAT (or whatever is specified for yours universities of choice) if you pick medicine?

You hate reading about maths as in general/recreational maths for the layman, or proper textbooks? If it's the latter and you couldn't be bothered to learn lots of concepts through reading, then I imagine you'd struggle to enjoy a maths degree.

If money isn't an issue then doing maths first would probably keep options open a bit more. As you said, I can't imagine someone would finish a med degree, then take 3/4 years out to do a different degree, then go into their foundation years as a junior doctor - you'd have to check how feasible that might be. Distance learning from somewhere like Birkbeck/OU is an option but I think a doctor would be too busy for that.

IIRC most 6 year med degrees only let you intercalate in something biological/medical - e.g. immunology. I think Cambridge and UCL allow more variety, stretching into the arts even, but I think Cambridge maths in 1 or even 2 years would be nuts/not allowed. Again, phone up the respective departments and ask

I've never understood people that say its their dream to study medicine, what's so good about being a doctor, my mum wanted me to do medicine but I think being a doctor would be boring and there's also no room for promotion and there is no competition.

Why do you like medicine?

Wow this is a wide question. I'm going to make this short so please don't judge me by this Well to begin with I've had a passion for science since I was little and I always admired how doctors help others and treat them to make people better and not for their benefit but for people like you. Personally I value the quality for people's lifes and health and I think medicine will suit me as I am very intrigued how drugs are made and how they can affect one's life. I also feel that it is unlike any other field, it provides the opportunity to help others by also working with them, I want to provide for my patients to my full most outer potential and want to make them better. I know that there will be hard times/emotional times but I'm ready to face the challenge. x

P.S. I don't see it as promotion, I feel good seeing other people happy and healthy and I'm pleased that there is never any competition as life is not supposed to be about that. We all mke sacrifices and I think the best thing doctors can do is to help and provide support (whether it be physical/emotional etc.)

I think it depends on what you want to do in the future and who you want to become, it's different for everyone. I'm sure whatever you do in life will make you very successful and that competition isn't for jobs like doctors but maybe in something that interests you.. x

Fair enough, I was expecting a stupid answer and I was just going to put you down but you've given a good reason.

When you say it like that, it kind of makes me want to do it too but I feel I do need competition in my life, its the only thing that would make me get up in the morning.

If I was you, I think I'd do medicine then, you seem to be pretty passionate about it and you havent really said what career you'd want to go into if you did do Maths.