The Student Room Group

Which makes financial sense: BM4 in England, or BM5 in Scotland?

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(edited 7 years ago)
Maybe a third option of saving for a further year to have a safety net of money if you find you cannot get enough hours working or just can't manage the extra workload? Can you live with anyone during uni in Scotland that would be able to support you to some extent like family or a partner? Life might be more comfortable for the 4 years of English GEM but if you have the option to avoid huge student loans then take it. Ultimately though, your decision might be made for you if you don't get offers from both countries.
Original post by Quilverine
Maybe a third option of saving for a further year to have a safety net of money if you find you cannot get enough hours working or just can't manage the extra workload? Can you live with anyone during uni in Scotland that would be able to support you to some extent like family or a partner? Life might be more comfortable for the 4 years of English GEM but if you have the option to avoid huge student loans then take it. Ultimately though, your decision might be made for you if you don't get offers from both countries.


Thanks for the advice - I do have to say that I'm a bit loath to delay another year into medicine, given that I'll already be 30 or 31 when I graduate, but it's important to consider! My parents hate the idea of me getting into debt, and have said that they'd much rather I took money from them instead of a loan, so there is a bit of a safety net there. However, that would be useful if I run into trouble mid-fourth year, early on not so much.
Original post by prospectivemed56
Thanks for the advice - I do have to say that I'm a bit loath to delay another year into medicine, given that I'll already be 30 or 31 when I graduate, but it's important to consider! My parents hate the idea of me getting into debt, and have said that they'd much rather I took money from them instead of a loan, so there is a bit of a safety net there. However, that would be useful if I run into trouble mid-fourth year, early on not so much.


That's not so bad! I am 28 now! Looking at graduating aged 33 :-D there are plenty of GEM students in mid to late 30s and even 40s. The world is changing, retirement ages go up every year. The only problem would be if you wanted to be an armed forces medic as they have a cutoff age of 40. All other jobs would get a good 30 years out of you. For the best pension plans (if they still exist for our generation in a few years) need you to do 20 years service which is entirely enough time to reach the top of your game even if you graduate in your late 30s.

For what it's worth, the student loan is disregarded as a debt when applying for mortgages or other commercial loans. Think of it as a higher tax. Yes it's a big chunk of a high salary but you would likely still earn more as a senior doctor repaying a loan than in many disciplines that don't require any sort of degree or expensive professional qualification. This is how I am justifying the 88k of debt I will have by the time I finish studying!
Ive just turned 28 now and im a first year medic on a 5 year course - though paying english fees in scotland.

In the first instance OP - sounds like you have a tonne planned out which is great. I did rough budgeting to make sure in the short term i could do it, but you look like you really went for it. If you can do either option, then take whichever comes first.

I cant speak for the GEM course, though the 5 year is just the same as an undergraduate course. Ive no problem fitting in 15/16 hours at the weekend of work. The extra money is fantastic too. There seems to be a massive over estimation by school leavers that medicine requires 24/7 study, which it just doesnt - you can do plenty of stuff while studying.

Good luck man :smile:

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