[dmz]

A year away from application, just curious to what kind of preparation people at this stage are making or should be making. What qualifications/experience do you have? which are you looking to gain and where are you looking to apply?

I'm currently a medical engineer, A levels AABB in chemistry, physics, maths and biology, almost 2 years healthcare assistant experience, but looking to add as much to this as i can over the next year, pretty much looking for suggestions or how i can make my application good

[Funky_Climber]

(Original post by dmz)
A year away from application, just curious to what kind of preparation people at this stage are making or should be making. What qualifications/experience do you have? which are you looking to gain and where are you looking to apply?

I'm currently a medical engineer, A levels AABB in chemistry, physics, maths and biology, almost 2 years healthcare assistant experience, but looking to add as much to this as i can over the next year, pretty much looking for suggestions or how i can make my application good

Is the HCA work paid? If it is then this makes you able to apply to Leicester for the GEM course.

What level did you get in your degree (or predicted)? A 1st is needed for Birmingham but the other courses generally take a 2:1 (some accept a 2:2). If you apply to Birmingham, Liverpool or Bristol you need to have the degree when you apply i.e a year out.

You should look at which places you want to apply and then make sure you have the right entry exam (UKCAT, GAMSAT ect). Keep checking Birmingham as they are considering adding the GAMSAT to their entry in the near future.

[dmz]

(Original post by Funky_Climber)
Is the HCA work paid? If it is then this makes you able to apply to Leicester for the GEM course.

What level did you get in your degree (or predicted)? A 1st is needed for Birmingham but the other courses generally take a 2:1 (some accept a 2:2). If you apply to Birmingham, Liverpool or Bristol you need to have the degree when you apply i.e a year out.

You should look at which places you want to apply and then make sure you have the right entry exam (UKCAT, GAMSAT ect). Keep checking Birmingham as they are considering adding the GAMSAT to their entry in the near future.

oh cheers, yea it is paid
so far i have a 2:1 but i've goofed around really cos it was first year so hopefully i can manage a first comfortably, it's the other aspects i wanna make sure i get a good grip on. Thanks a lot

[giraffe22]

I'm also thinking about applying for graduate medicine for 2014 entry. It will be a big change, as I'm currently studying History, but I can't get the idea out of my head. I don't have any science A levels, so am quite limited in my options. Just starting to think about organising work experience for the coming year, and getting to grips with what else is involved, i.e. ukcat/gamsat - that kind of thing!

[MJK91]

(Original post by giraffe22)
I'm also thinking about applying for graduate medicine for 2014 entry. It will be a big change, as I'm currently studying History, but I can't get the idea out of my head. I don't have any science A levels, so am quite limited in my options. Just starting to think about organising work experience for the coming year, and getting to grips with what else is involved, i.e. ukcat/gamsat - that kind of thing!

Your best bet is to do the UKCAT & GAMSAT and apply for Warwick & St Georges, and where ever else you can. These two schools accept non-Science grads and have a large number of places

[freehelphere]

(Original post by giraffe22)
I'm also thinking about applying for graduate medicine for 2014 entry. It will be a big change, as I'm currently studying History, but I can't get the idea out of my head. I don't have any science A levels, so am quite limited in my options. Just starting to think about organising work experience for the coming year, and getting to grips with what else is involved, i.e. ukcat/gamsat - that kind of thing!

whats up with people today? i mean studying history then medicine? how do you come up with such idea...WW2 HAPPEN IN 19XX WHILE CELLS WERE REPLICATING USING MEIOSIS. AS KIDNEY WAS EXTRACTING NA FROM BLOOD, AMERICA ATTACK GERMANY TO DESTROY WHITEBLOOD CELLS

[dmz]

(Original post by giraffe22)
I'm also thinking about applying for graduate medicine for 2014 entry. It will be a big change, as I'm currently studying History, but I can't get the idea out of my head. I don't have any science A levels, so am quite limited in my options. Just starting to think about organising work experience for the coming year, and getting to grips with what else is involved, i.e. ukcat/gamsat - that kind of thing!

i think only 6 odd uni's wants a medical related degree, bristol and a few others. I've heard of people doing medicine with a music degree

[giraffe22]

(Original post by MattKneale)
Your best bet is to do the UKCAT & GAMSAT and apply for Warwick & St Georges, and where ever else you can. These two schools accept non-Science grads and have a large number of places

Thanks. I'm thinking of applying for UKCAT universities next year, as I wouldn't be able to pass the GAMSAT well with my lack of science knowledge. And then if I don't get in, trying again having done some science A levels.

[giraffe22]

(Original post by freehelphere)
whats up with people today? i mean studying history then medicine? how do you come up with such idea...WW2 HAPPEN IN 19XX WHILE CELLS WERE REPLICATING USING MEIOSIS. AS KIDNEY WAS EXTRACTING NA FROM BLOOD, AMERICA ATTACK GERMANY TO DESTROY WHITEBLOOD CELLS

Lol. Well actually it's because I've been ill and had some time off uni, and it's sort of reopened a childhood dream of mine of doing medicine. Sounds lame, I know, but my experience in hospital has made me want to help others in the same way.

[Going_To_California]

Hi,

I've wanted to be a doctor since I was in school. My AS grades weren't good, so I applied for an alternative course. My overall A Level grades are quite good, just below standard medicine requirements.
I've been building up experience and skills, but I'd still like to gain some experience in a hospice (currently working in a nursing home in the summer holidays) and possibly some in a GP surgery.
I'm at Warwick at the moment, so I'm definitely going to apply there! I like the look of Barts and Southampton, but I'm desperately trying to avoid the GAMSAT!
OP - your qualifications and experience sound good! I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that being a HCA is a pretty steep learning curve... I've learned so much from working in the nursing home.
It's quite scary we'll be applying this time next year!

[charlottej22]

Hi all!

I'm hoping to apply for a grad entry course for 2014 entry. My A Levels are AAB in Psychology, Philosophy and Ethics and English Literature (not too relevant annoyingly!) and have just graduated with a 1st in Psychology.
During my degree I worked for a year in paediatric neurodisability across 2 central London hospitals, and since graduating have worked in a multidisciplinary chronic pain management service in another central london NHS trust. I have just got a job in a paediatric service in the South East (the only paid post of the 3!). Although all of these have been primarily psychological positions, they have all been in multidisciplinary settings or working with patients who have physical health conditions, and have re-ignited my childhood dream of working in medicine.
If I don't get into grad entry courses this year, I hope to do an MSc in Neuroscience or Neuropsychology and then re-apply!

I was just wondering if anyone knows if my experience and qualifications to date would be acceptable for grad entry courses, or should I be giving up on my dream?!

[KHannah]

I'm not applying for Graduate entry but I am applying for 2014 entry so thought I'd have a stalk of this page

I was planning on applying the October just gone but, my referee was a complete let down and I couldn't get my reference or predicted grades in time (Im a mature student)

Currently studying A level Chem and Physics on my own (!)
By October next year I will have the following experience:

Healthcare Assistant at my local hospital for 6 months
Donor Carer for NHS Blood and Transplant for 7 months (needles )
2 weeks shadowing consultant breast cancer surgeon
2 weeks shadowing GP
MEDLINK next summer
10 months as a volunteer for St John Ambulance
6 months as an A&E buddy at my local Hospital
9 months as a volunteer reading helper at a primary school for a charity
2 weeks volunteering at a hospital in Tanzania (got to deliver a baby!)
1 week at a summer camp for Cancer patients in UK
2 months Summer Camp for Disabled Children in Canada

It will be a long and hard hard year but I suppose If I want to be a Doctor, I can't argue with a bit of work!

[Witty Username]

(Original post by KHannah)
I'm not applying for Graduate entry but I am applying for 2014 entry so thought I'd have a stalk of this page

I was planning on applying the October just gone but, my referee was a complete let down and I couldn't get my reference or predicted grades in time (Im a mature student)

Currently studying A level Chem and Physics on my own (!)
By October next year I will have the following experience:

Healthcare Assistant at my local hospital for 6 months
Donor Carer for NHS Blood and Transplant for 7 months (needles )
2 weeks shadowing consultant breast cancer surgeon
2 weeks shadowing GP
MEDLINK next summer
10 months as a volunteer for St John Ambulance
6 months as an A&E buddy at my local Hospital
9 months as a volunteer reading helper at a primary school for a charity
2 weeks volunteering at a hospital in Tanzania (got to deliver a baby!)
1 week at a summer camp for Cancer patients in UK
2 months Summer Camp for Disabled Children in Canada

It will be a long and hard hard year but I suppose If I want to be a Doctor, I can't argue with a bit of work!

Don't bother with Medlink- save your money and time!

[good morning]

if you do the GAMSAT do the results get sent to universities which dont ask for it?

i just dont want to do bad and have it hinder chances at universities which dont ask for it....

[Zedd]

I'm predicting that I'll have to reapply next year, most likely to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, so I need to spend more time contacting charities, hospitals, and care homes to get more experience. What I'm wondering is what any fellow reapplicants plan on doing while they work up their medicine application? I need to get myself Highers, but if I'm honest I don't just want to spend a year working/volunteering and getting Highers... I'd like to get a postgraduate degree for in case my second application isn't successful. Is anyone else thinking along the same lines as I am?

[lucym911]

(Original post by freehelphere)
whats up with people today? i mean studying history then medicine? how do you come up with such idea...WW2 HAPPEN IN 19XX WHILE CELLS WERE REPLICATING USING MEIOSIS. AS KIDNEY WAS EXTRACTING NA FROM BLOOD, AMERICA ATTACK GERMANY TO DESTROY WHITEBLOOD CELLS

Hahahaha!! This literally brightened up my day!!


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[Jdsamo]

Hey,

Anyone else applying for 2014 entry? I know its a bit soon to start a thread but at the most recent Warwick open day a few weeks back, there were easily 80-90 people looking to apply! I'm sure I'm not the only one on these forums anyway

So what inspired you to study medicine and what are you doing now to help build your application? Also what Uni's do you intend on applying at?

Anyone who's tempted to apply at Warwick, KCL, Nottingham, or Newcastle speak up!

[MJK91]

UKCAT/GAMSAT pending I'm aiming for Warwick, SGUL, Nottingham and Southampton

[rifka_c]

I am also thinking of applying for 2014 entry.

I come form a non science background and therefore am thinking of applying to Warwick and KCL. To make my application stronger I am aiming for a high UKCAT score and am looking to gain some work experience.

GEP Medicine is quite competitive so I don't know if that will be enough :s

[MJK91]

(Original post by rifka_c)
I am also thinking of applying for 2014 entry.

I come form a non science background and therefore am thinking of applying to Warwick and KCL. To make my application stronger I am aiming for a high UKCAT score and am looking to gain some work experience.

GEP Medicine is quite competitive so I don't know if that will be enough :s

For Kings the emphasis is pretty much solely on a very high UKCAT (think >740), but Warwick will look for much more kindly on voluntary/caring experiences. Not to say you don't need any for Kings, you need some experience of what being in Medicine actually involves, but it's less orientated around that than Warwick