What's Medical School actually like? (UK)

I'm a month into my A-Levels and I'm wondering what medical school is really like and is it as difficult as people say it is.

By this I mean, how much time is spent in classes/lectures, how much independent study/research do have to do and how how is the 4/5 year course structured?

Also what is the course content like (enjoyable/interesting topics?) and how do the exams work? Sorry if this is too many questions but this is a real grey area for me!

The reason I'm asking quite early is because my college is offering enrichment activities which support students wanting to pursue medical school so I want to make sure that I'm making right decision.

Any other feedback or experiences you'd like to also share are welcome also, thanks

Hi there, I'm a week and a half into UCL as a first year and things haven't been too bad so far. I'll try and answer some of your questions but I'm maybe not the best qualified person.

We have about 15 - 20 hours of contact time (time in lectures/small groups/labs) per week and then are expected to do at least 10 hours of outside work. It's not crazy busy but you do have a lot more than people on pretty much any other course.

The course at undergrad level is normally 5/6 years and is structured differently at different unis. Most start out as more sciencey and as the course goes along focus more and more on the clinical side and teaching you how to be a doctor. If you want more information have a look at some university websites.

The course content is kind of what you would imagine - mainly biology kind of stuff - anatomy, physiology, histology and biochemistry but also other stuff more to do with practising as a doctor like medical ethics and clinical skills.

From my experience (so far!) I would say it is hard work but if you're interested in being a doctor definitely worth it. Why not go to some of the enrichment activities and find out some more information? Try and get some work experience and see how you like it. If after trying things out you decide it's not for you you've got ages to read into other things and find a different subject you'd be interested in applying for.

I'm a month into my A-Levels and I'm wondering what medical school is really like and is it as difficult as people say it is.

By this I mean, how much time is spent in classes/lectures, how much independent study/research do have to do and how how is the 4/5 year course structured?

Also what is the course content like (enjoyable/interesting topics?) and how do the exams work? Sorry if this is too many questions but this is a real grey area for me!

The reason I'm asking quite early is because my college is offering enrichment activities which support students wanting to pursue medical school so I want to make sure that I'm making right decision.

Any other feedback or experiences you'd like to also share are welcome also, thanks

Thank you for your response, it's helped clear a couple of things up The course sounds interesting and you say ' things haven't been too bad so far', are you enjoying it or is it a lot of stress? I will try some of the enrichments but one in particular is called 'Pre-medical School' and there's an application to apply for it and it's meant for people definitely wanting to go to medical so it's not something you can just 'try out' as you have to be committed to it. Even if I do apply it's by no means guaranteed as there are limited places and lots of people apply.
I do Biology, Geography, Chemistry, what other courses could I actually do as I'm not sure if there's a lot else that seems as interesting because Medicine is such a wide field, which is why it appeals to me

Hi there I'm a couple weeks into Medicine at Cardiff. As you may know each medical school has it's own course structure and teaching style so it would be impossible to give you a generic answer. What I will say is that here in Cardiff it's a mix of Lectures (they call them plenaries), small group teaching sessions, Dissection from 2nd week for learning anatomy, Clinical skills and after Christmas we get to go on placements and begin Case Based Learning. Cardiff is only one medical school though and what you have to bear in mind is that all medical schools have different teaching methods e.g some have Problem based learning some do prosections and some may not have early patient contact etc.....


I think at most medical schools you have 2 exams at the end of the year which you must pass to proceed. These are really hard exams but are multiple choice and the pass mark is around 50%. There are usually mocks in January aswell which make sure your keeping up.

One thing I can say about medical schools is that it is very much independent learning in that your not really offered that same level of support as from A levels (i.e your not spoon fed as much). So you have to self direct your own learning.

Also what you also have to remember is that the top people from each school/college usually go into medicine and that means peer pressure is far more evident and it's much harder and close to impossible at times to know more than your classmates. BUT even though medical school is tough it is very manageable and should endeavour to play at least one sport to keep fit and healthy/socialise and take your mind away from medicine at times. Also you don't feel the pressure of getting into medicine whilst your a student but instead you feel the pressure of keeping up with the work which can be just as intense at times.

I wish you all the best of luck with your medicine application when you apply. It's an absolutely fantastic vocation.

Please don't hesitate to ask any other questions.

No problem, I am enjoying the course but it's been a bit of a shock to the system going from doing virtually nothing for 3 months to being back learning and having four hours of lectures. The workload isn't too bad though and once I'm into the swing of things it will definitely be manageable.

With biology, chemistry and geography you have quite a few options. Obviously you could study one of those subjects, but you could also look into biomedical science, biochemistry, environmental science/geology or even a neuroscience or genetics course. Look at the websites of some of the bigger universities like Manchester or Birmingham and see if any of the course titles catch your eye. You've got quite a few options with your A Level choices.

Thank you for your detailed response I have a few questions for you:
How difficult would you say the course is overall (out of 10) and how much harder is it than A-Levels (Biology/Chemistry)?
From what I've read the first couple of years is mainly book work but after the 2 years what actually happens in the clinical part of the course? So far would you say you've been stressed/burnt out or enjoying it? And what do you plan to do after your degree, It would be great if you could recommend some good specialities to do, because it would be nice to know what is out there
Thanks

You welcome
So far the jump in terms of Biology and Chemistry is probably similar to the one from AS---A2 but it is very manageable.
The main thing I/some medical students find hard is anatomy. We do full body dissections at Cardiff and learning the anatomy can be very difficult at times because it's like learning a new language.
Every medical school is different so it is impossible for me to give an accurate answer as I can't speak for how other med students are finding their course.

Tbh it is still very very early to decide what I want to do after graduating. I think many Junior doctors don't even know. Medicine is a very diverse field and around half of the output goes into General practice but apart from that you've got Surgery or even specialisation in anything really ENT/Neurology/Renal Medicine/Dermatology etc..........
That's the beauty of Medicine in that it really gives you that scope and autonomy to explore and dedicate your career to whatever interests you.