Graduate medicine chances and advice

Hi all!

I'm looking at applying for Grad medicine over next couple of years and was wondering if any one could offer any advice on what to do next, and my chances.
I am currently in my third (and final) year of studying Pharmaceutical Sciences, most likely going to get a 2:1, but a 1st is quite possible. I have 5 A's, 5B's and 2 C's at GCSE. Unfortunately at A level I didn't do so well due to since resolved health and personal issues, I got B,C,C in biology, chemistry and psychology respectively.

I am a qualified healthcare assistant in a pharmacy, with 5 years experience dealing with medicines, patients and assisting with general health issues in said environment. I have plenty of voluntary experience and have more lined up, and am looking at getting Hospital/Surgery placements via contacts and other avenues.

Provided I achieve good UKCAT ect scores, what are my chances of getting in? Will redoing A levels be necessary? Also does any one have any advice for anything else I can do?

Thanks guys!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1

Quilverine

Is there a particular university you're interested in? Quite a few grad programmes only look at your degree, your UKCAT/GAMSAT and your personal statement for experience. My A Levels are in Art and English and Drama and the only rejection I have had was scoring too low in one section of the GAMSAT for St Georges. You're fine for St Georges, Swansea, King's, Leicester, Nottingham, Warwick, Imperial and Southampton.

Reply 2

0sam0

Original post by Quilverine

The universities you mentioned are all of the ones I've been looking at applying to. It sounds like you got some offers - may I ask what kind of work experience, ect you have?
Also, how did you find the physics in the GAMSAT? As that's the subject area I'm not very confident in.

Couple more questions:

- Will my healthcare experience from working in a commercial pharmacy be beneficial - is it worth mentioning, as its not exactly clinical hospital experience. I'm worried they may not view it as relevant.
-I finish in May next year, will the time between then and the UCAS closing date be long enough to gain extra experience/volunteering?
-What are the best wards to work in if I manage to get a hospital placement - Intensive care, A&E ect?

Thanks :biggrin:

Reply 3

DoctorInTraining

Original post by 0sam0

There are a few things I would suggest...

1. Work your arse off and get that 1st! It will make you application so much stronger! Grad entry is so intense!
Which university are you at? Could you get your work published/presented at a conference??

2. Yes - all healthcare experience is really positive - shows a well rounded application who has considered other careers allied to medicine.

3. May to October is loads of time!! But use this wisely - you want a board range of experiences - a mixture of community placements like GP with hospital placements like surgery and assessment units (acute medicine). Ideally see if you can shadow both consultants and junior doctors - this will show you are considering the career path.

4. As a grad you will be expected to have more on your CV than a sixth form applicant. Team work? Leadership? Public speaking? volunteering? Can you show that you have gained or developed this skills recently - not just when at school!

Reply 4

0sam0

Thanks for the ideas DoctorInTraining :smile:

I'm at Kingston University, which unfortunately isn't very prestigious :frown:

. There is the possibility of getting some of my work published although unlikely. One of my modules is a literature research project/meta-analysis, so I think I will speak with my Prof's about this.

I am confident in being able to display teamwork skills and having volunteering experience, however I am not sure how I would go about getting leadership experience or public speaking. Is there anything you can recommend that would help with these aspects?

Reply 5

PurpleZoombini

I looked at graduate medicine at Newcastle University and this is what they said under entry requirements for their accelerated MBBS course.

"Please note: A Level and GCSE results for graduate applicants will have no direct bearing on the decision to interview or offer a place. This also applies for Masters qualifications."

I'm sure there will be at least one other university who feels the same way so you definitely have a chance.

Reply 6

0sam0

Original post by PurpleZoombini

Quilverine mentioned several Uni's that don't look at A levels or GCSE's, and these are the ones I shall be applying to :smile:

Another question - Although I have every intention of getting a First, if I somehow mess this up and get a 2:1, how drastically reduced are my chances of getting into a med school with graduate entry being as competitive as it is? Is it worth bothering?

I am more than willing to put as many years as is necessary to get in, but would like to know if there is a point with only a 2:1. For example, would an applicant with a 2:1 and fantastic UKCAT/BMAT/GAMSAT scores and brilliant experience/personal statement still have a realistic chance?

Reply 7

PurpleZoombini

Original post by 0sam0

Quilverine mentioned several Uni's that don't look at A levels or GCSE's, and these are the ones I shall be applying to :smile:

If you look at the applicants stalking pages on here then you'll see that the graduate offers have been given for 2:1s. I haven't seen any who offered for a first. If work and UKCAT is good then you should stand a good chance.

Reply 8

Quilverine

No offers yet for me, still waiting on King's, Swansea and Warwick.

My current degree gives me a lot of experience in hospitals around the country (medical photography) and from these placements I have had quite a few opportunities to make contacts and network. As a freelance photographer and makeup artist, many of my professional skills are transferable but recently I have tried to only take on jobs that relate to healthcare, so working on documentaries and charitable community projects. I have quite a lot of experience doing peer support for charities both directly at community support groups and from home with crysis phonelines. I also worked with Riding for the Disabled and have things like being a prefect and Head Girl at my school to show a history of being a respectable sort of person (where's my halo?).

I also put things into my PS that demonstrated why I don't want to go down certain career paths. I did a Nuffield Bursary placement with biochemistry PhD students and I work with imaging science researchers now and I can categorically state I am not interested in a career in research, I love to learn but I need to be around people in a really dynamic environment.

Prep for the aptitude tests. If you have time, really get into it. I chose being with my daughter and having the most chilled out summer ever and subsequently didn't get stellar results from UKCAT and S3 of the Gamsat (other 2 sections were fine with zero prep but I'm a wordy sort of person). If you do well in those tests your application will be looked at. Don't run the risk of missing cut offs and having a strong application binned off for the sake of a few hours.

Final piece of advice: get to know the person writing your reference. Make sure they understand why you want to study medicine, support you and write something that builds on what you wrote in your PS. It seems like several people on here had references from lecturers that didn't really know them and subsequently probably had quite impersonal, generic references (good student, achieving good grades, glad to recommend them for your programme) whereas a reference that shows you made an impression (positive) on the staff at your institution would be stronger. I imagine admissions would rather an exemplary or interesting candidate over a mediocre one. Obviously the benchmark for all applicants is high academically, that is expected or you wouldn't be applying to medicine, so try find elements of your character or experience that stand out.

Reply 9

username474976

Original post by 0sam0

I am more than willing to put as many years as is necessary to get in, but would like to know if there is a point with only a 2:1. For example, would an applicant with a 2:1 and fantastic UKCAT/BMAT/GAMSAT scores and brilliant experience/personal statement still have a realistic chance?

As far as I can tell, you are describing the majority of successful GEM candidates. For most places, the entrance exams and personal statement seem to be most important for getting an interview. I would rather have a very high UKCAT than a 1st class... having both is ideal of course.

Reply 10

Don'tMessThisUp

Original post by maskofsanity

This, exactly. As a GEM student, they're looking at you as a more rounded human being, rather than academic only as a sixthformer. You basically have to prove you can compete and finish the course (with a GAMSAT or UKCAT score, and a decent degree) and then have proof of interest in the course.

That being said, there are some highly competitive courses; if you want to go to Imperial, you're going to have to get a 1st, if you want to go Exeter/Plymouth/SGUL, it's less focused on degree grade.