Entry to Medicine

Help, I have 4 rejections for entry to Medicine this year-Dundee and St Andrews, after interview and Glasgow and Edinburgh. Now awaiting Advanced Higher results. In dilemma about my plans for next year- do I re-apply for 2015 entry, pending AH results or should I settle for another course and career? If I get the grades to re-apply- how should I spend my 'gap year', in order to improve my chances next year?

Reply 1

HN-95

I would say, pending you get 3 A's or better, reapply the following year. You can even phone universities on results day, if you get the grades, to see if they have any vacancies as roughly 100 students a year fail to meet their offer (according to a friend who did not get in this year) but you have to phone as early as possible as with it being medicine the places are taken quite rapidly. This, of course, is all dependent on you being 100% committed to studying medicine. If you feel that you would rather get on with a degree such as chemical engineering then go with that. In terms of a gap year do something productive, perhaps you could secure a place shadowing a GP every Monday for the year etc

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Reply 2

VoixSupreme94

Hey there, I am a RUK student, however I will be starting Dundee in September (so I have a vague idea of the scottish system). Providing you got to interview, you could be on the waiting list - I say this, as medical schools do not give out places on results day. It is purely done on a waiting list basis for all medical schools uk or scottish. So it may not be over just yet!

I would strongly encourage you to reapply. If medicine is truly what you want to do, then go for it! The Medical schools will appreciate that you stuck at it and tried again. For what to do on a gap year, you could just simply volunteer for the full year? Providing it is in a clinical setting or in an atmosphere that you can argue you have gained transferable skills that would benefit you in Medicine, it doesn't really matter what you do. Some more work experience never hurt either! :biggrin:

A big thing to improve your application could be just getting a better ukcat score. But ideally, you should contact each of your respective universities and inquire why you did not gain an offer, that way you can perfect your application and get an offer next year.

Reply 3

lamyers1

Some medical schools go into clearing - get your results, get out, and start phoning! (that's what I did - King's and Plymouth were in clearing).

It's 100% worth reapplying next year IF you are sure that medicine is what you want to do (which I assume it is!)

I started biomedical science and applied during my first year, got an unconditional offer and start in September :smile:

Reply 4

A-levelstudentRI

Original post by lamyers1

Some medical schools go into clearing - get your results, get out, and start phoning! (that's what I did - King's and Plymouth were in clearing).

It's 100% worth reapplying next year IF you are sure that medicine is what you want to do (which I assume it is!)

I started biomedical science and applied during my first year, got an unconditional offer and start in September :smile:

Did it appear on ucas or u knew it when u phoned them
And this was three years ago ? right ??

Reply 5

Asklepios

19

Original post by pmack

Help, I have 4 rejections for entry to Medicine this year-Dundee and St Andrews, after interview and Glasgow and Edinburgh. Now awaiting Advanced Higher results. In dilemma about my plans for next year- do I re-apply for 2015 entry, pending AH results or should I settle for another course and career? If I get the grades to re-apply- how should I spend my 'gap year', in order to improve my chances next year?

Assuming you still are 100% committed to medicine:
- AAA or better --> reapply
- AAB --> still worth reapplying but be careful with your choices
- ABB or less --> I wouldn't say it's worth reapplying and you should consider doing another degree then entering medicine as a graduate

How to spend a gap year: the main thing you want to be doing is acting on your feedback from the universities you applied to ie was it a low UKCAT, poor interview, insufficient work experience?

On top of this, they will also expect you to have done something worthwhile. This doesn't have to be extravagant like volunteering in a developing country, but just something that shows you haven't sat about all day doing nothing. Long-term regular volunteering or paid work are good things to do.

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