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STUDENTS FROM UK who go ABROAD to study medicine

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Original post by alevelzzz
Does it? Its not that hard to get AAA if you're reasonably intelligent. If you were THAT determined surely you could get AAA?
And if you're not reasonably intelligent, should you be a doctor?

How do you know that these applicants don't get AAA and apply abroad? cause I'm pretty sure a lot of them did get AAA but there just are not enough places in the UK.
Original post by alevelzzz
Does it? Its not that hard to get AAA if you're reasonably intelligent. If you were THAT determined surely you could get AAA?
And if you're not reasonably intelligent, should you be a doctor?


but even if you are determined it doesn't mean you will get AAA. some individuals may be more determined and committed than others but may end up with lower grades because they are not as academically capable as others. But grades aren't the only thing that make up a good doctor - they may excel in other areas where more academically capable individuals may lack e.g. talking to patients and socialising.
Original post by Jaska
How do you know that these applicants don't get AAA and apply abroad? cause I'm pretty sure a lot of them did get AAA but there just are not enough places in the UK.


Well out of the students I know, none of them nor their classmates got AAA.
Why would they go abroad if they've got the grades? Plenty of medical/dental students reapply.
Original post by kazyami24
but even if you are determined it doesn't mean you will get AAA. some individuals may be more determined and committed than others but may end up with lower grades because they are not as academically capable as others. But grades aren't the only thing that make up a good doctor - they may excel in other areas where more academically capable individuals may lack e.g. talking to patients and socialising.


That doesn't take away from the fact you need to be reasonably intelligent.
Original post by alevelzzz
Well out of the students I know, none of them nor their classmates got AAA.
Why would they go abroad if they've got the grades? Plenty of medical/dental students reapply.

You know AAA doesn't guarantee you a spot in medical school? even if you re-apply year after year.. So people just give up and go abroad to study.
Original post by Jaska
You know AAA doesn't guarantee you a spot in medical school? even if you re-apply year after year.. So people just give up and go abroad to study.


Yes, Im very aware that AAA doesn't guarantee you a spot, but Im still relatively sure the vast majority in EU schools did not get AAA.
Reply 67
Original post by alevelzzz
Yes, Im very aware that AAA doesn't guarantee you a spot, but Im still relatively sure the vast majority in EU schools did not get AAA.


Does it really matter? They all still have to pass through medical school, many drop out due to this, only the best candidates make it through abroad... and if GMC recognises it, the medical course must be good enough
Original post by Hades_M
Does it really matter? They all still have to pass through medical school, many drop out due to this, only the best candidates make it through abroad... and if GMC recognises it, the medical course must be good enough


Not necessarily. EU pressure also is a factor to take into consideration.
As a medical student currently studying abroad having achieved AAA i find your views very distorted. I'm not studying abroad because i didn't get the grades, but because it was a great opportunity.
Original post by maria-z
Haha you obviously don't know the system, it depends on the USMLE score and btw people who graduated from this 'second world university' are currently practicing in UK, US, Germany and Dubai. So stop being so immature. Your attitude shows me that you would be a terrible doctor.

Posted from TSR Mobile


I wouldn't take any notice of the user alevelzzz, it seems like he has a reputation of trying to put people degrees down, for example in the pharmacy threads he goes on about how most people are failed doctors and its pointless to do because the jobs are saturated, he just really does seem like a spoilt and immature child. I admire how you set out to be a doctor and didn't let any set backs get in your way, it just shows your dedicated and motivated towards this health profession, unlike some uk med students i know who are only in it for the money. Wish you the very best in becoming a good doctor :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 71
Original post by alevelzzz
That doesn't take away from the fact you need to be reasonably intelligent.


hmmm this is interesting

would you agree then that those who fail to get AAA or above (NOT due to anything such as mitigating circumstances/ coming for an underpriviledge background/going to a poor school) lack the intelligence to become doctors in the eyes of the British medical schools and should probably choose alternative careers rather than going abroad to do something which the UK system has deemed them incapable of at the moment (i.e. if they get lower than AAA its impossible for them to do medicine as their first degree)
Reply 72
Original post by alevelzzz
The LARGE majority who go to bulgaria/romania etc go because they couldn't get in the UK - not due to competition, but because they simply couldn't get the grades.

Admissions for medicine/dentistry is a joke though. Completely biased to privately educated pupils. My school gives no help for admissions for medicine/dentistry, they don't give mock interviews, have no idea about the UKCAT.

A*A*A, 11A*s 760 UKCAT a kid in the year above got, he got rejected pre interview from two unis and rejected post interview from 2 unis for dentistry. He had to reapply and he got ONE offer.
He said when he went to interview there were people who had got 4 interviews with much lower academics than his, and they were talking about how their 'ucas tutor' pretty much wrote their personal statements(obviously privately educated)...


that's crazy he didn't get in first time with those amazing stats!
Reply 73
Original post by ChocInABox
hmmm this is interesting

would you agree then that those who fail to get AAA or above (NOT due to anything such as mitigating circumstances/ coming for an underpriviledge background/going to a poor school) lack the intelligence to become doctors in the eyes of the British medical schools and should probably choose alternative careers rather than going abroad to do something which the UK system has deemed them incapable of at the moment (i.e. if they get lower than AAA its impossible for them to do medicine as their first degree)

When you say deemed, do you actually mean rendered? Because a rejection from a UK med school is not necessarily them deeming an applicant to be incapable - it is often simply them responding to there being more impressive applicants.
Reply 74
Original post by Ronove
When you say deemed, do you actually mean rendered? Because a rejection from a UK med school is not necessarily them deeming an applicant to be incapable - it is often simply them responding to there being more impressive applicants.


oh yes I meant rendered


no I mean if they achieved lower than AAA then they cannot apply to any UK med school (providing they didn't go to a poor schol/ come from a underpriveledged background) so because they haven't met the requirements rather than going abroad for medicine wouldn't it be better for them to do an alternative degree as failing to get AAA or above means they may not have the intelligence to be a doctor.

I wanted to see if they agreed with the above
Been reading through this thread and it seems a lot of people put UK medical schools on too high a pedestal compared to other countries.. There's a reason why doctors after qualification and registration in their respected countries are able to practice anywhere in the world, and thats because regardless of origin all accredited medical schools are deemed to produce graduates capable of being good physicians. If you have it in your mind that doctors trained in other countries arent as good as UK graduates then you're going to have a very bad time in the NHS, because there are a fair few doctors trained outside who work in the UK (due to the excellent healthcare system we have here) and practice without fault throughout their working lives.
Also the belief that A-levels are the be all and end all and therefore someone who gets AAA is 'intelligent' enough to warrant a place at a medical school is false, universities have only upped their grades due to the large number of applicants who have or are predicted to get AAA at A level. Even with this however they do have to weed out those not suited to the profession so this is where interviews come in. I got AAB at A-level and a first at university, I have friends who got ABC etc (e.g. not AAA) at A-level and got 1st's at uni in science degrees so your A levels are most certainly not a measure of your intelligence. Someone who doesnt meet the requirements to get into a UK medical school but is able to get a place at a medical school abroad could also be capable of being a very good doctor regardless of their A levels so dont denigrate them for their choice
Original post by ChocInABox
hmmm this is interesting

would you agree then that those who fail to get AAA or above (NOT due to anything such as mitigating circumstances/ coming for an underpriviledge background/going to a poor school) lack the intelligence to become doctors in the eyes of the British medical schools and should probably choose alternative careers rather than going abroad to do something which the UK system has deemed them incapable of at the moment (i.e. if they get lower than AAA its impossible for them to do medicine as their first degree)


No.
I said this in response to somebody who said going abroad shows their determination.
I said if they were that determined, they would have got AAA. If not, they probably aren't reasonably intelligent - or they weren't determined.
Original post by Baronred
Been reading through this thread and it seems a lot of people put UK medical schools on too high a pedestal compared to other countries.. There's a reason why doctors after qualification and registration in their respected countries are able to practice anywhere in the world, and thats because regardless of origin all accredited medical schools are deemed to produce graduates capable of being good physicians. If you have it in your mind that doctors trained in other countries arent as good as UK graduates then you're going to have a very bad time in the NHS, because there are a fair few doctors trained outside who work in the UK (due to the excellent healthcare system we have here) and practice without fault throughout their working lives.
Also the belief that A-levels are the be all and end all and therefore someone who gets AAA is 'intelligent' enough to warrant a place at a medical school is false, universities have only upped their grades due to the large number of applicants who have or are predicted to get AAA at A level. Even with this however they do have to weed out those not suited to the profession so this is where interviews come in. I got AAB at A-level and a first at university, I have friends who got ABC etc (e.g. not AAA) at A-level and got 1st's at uni in science degrees so your A levels are most certainly not a measure of your intelligence. Someone who doesnt meet the requirements to get into a UK medical school but is able to get a place at a medical school abroad could also be capable of being a very good doctor regardless of their A levels so dont denigrate them for their choice


Well, thats complete *******s.
Reply 78
Original post by Baronred
Been reading through this thread and it seems a lot of people put UK medical schools on too high a pedestal compared to other countries.. There's a reason why doctors after qualification and registration in their respected countries are able to practice anywhere in the world, and thats because regardless of origin all accredited medical schools are deemed to produce graduates capable of being good physicians. If you have it in your mind that doctors trained in other countries arent as good as UK graduates then you're going to have a very bad time in the NHS, because there are a fair few doctors trained outside who work in the UK (due to the excellent healthcare system we have here) and practice without fault throughout their working lives.
Also the belief that A-levels are the be all and end all and therefore someone who gets AAA is 'intelligent' enough to warrant a place at a medical school is false, universities have only upped their grades due to the large number of applicants who have or are predicted to get AAA at A level. Even with this however they do have to weed out those not suited to the profession so this is where interviews come in. I got AAB at A-level and a first at university, I have friends who got ABC etc (e.g. not AAA) at A-level and got 1st's at uni in science degrees so your A levels are most certainly not a measure of your intelligence. Someone who doesnt meet the requirements to get into a UK medical school but is able to get a place at a medical school abroad could also be capable of being a very good doctor regardless of their A levels so don't denigrate them for their choice


If this was directed at me- I didn't say people who got into medical school here were more intelligent. I'm not sure how Ronove arrived at that conclusion as I did clearly write 'better in the eyes of the medical school.'
This was in response to a poster who claimed that 'top students go abroad because there isn't enough space here.' Implying that their applications are equally good as people who did get in here but they didn't get in because there wasn't enough space- but if they were exactly equally identically as good or better (for the last time in the eyes of the medical school) than candidates who did get offers then they would have gotten offers over them.
I expanded on this better in my second post.
I didn't say anywhere that A levels were the be all or end all- refer to my second post. I never said that foreign graduates made worse doctors either- there are plenty of excellent foreign doctors.
Original post by alevelzzz
Well, thats complete *******s.


How so? Ever heard of the medical brain drain?

Original post by ab192
If this was directed at me- I didn't say people who got into medical school here were more intelligent. I'm not sure how Ronove arrived at that conclusion as I did clearly write 'better in the eyes of the medical school.'
This was in response to a poster who claimed that 'top students go abroad because there isn't enough space here.' Implying that their applications are equally good as people who did get in here but they didn't get in because there wasn't enough space- but if they were exactly equally identically as good or better (for the last time in the eyes of the medical school) than candidates who did get offers then they would have gotten offers over them.
I expanded on this better in my second post.
I didn't say anywhere that A levels were the be all or end all- refer to my second post. I never said that foreign graduates made worse doctors either- there are plenty of excellent foreign doctors.


It wasnt directed at you, its just a general viewpoint I had noticed
And when it comes to top students going abroad, of course some of them don't actually make the grade and don't have the qualities necessary however they tend to also fall short - not in terms of admissions but some european universities that have low entrance requirements also have a 'cull' during the course whereby students who are not academically competent wont be allowed to continue to course further, though obviously some will get through. But in relation to applicants being equally qualified, it wouldnt be true to say if applicants A and B are the same then they should both get into said medical school. Sometimes it is all about pure luck from the entrance exam stage, to gaining an interview, to even gaining an offer.. yes you may tick all the boxes but still be rejected. what im trying to say is everyone who is rejected does not necessarily deserve to be, if your are rejected 4+ times then perhaps that assertion would be accurate

And my point about A levels was that if a person misses the illusive AAA they need, this doesnt mean they cannot hack medicine. It shouldnt be a stumbling block as its very easy to fall down when it comes to A level
(edited 9 years ago)

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