The Student Room Group

Graduate Entry Medicine- Arts Degree Applicants 2016 (2017 start)

Hello,

Firstly, sorry if this thread already exists but I couldn't seem to find one specifically for BA graduates. Just wondered if there are any of you out there who are also mad enough to be trying to apply for GEM with an arts degree?

I have a History degree and am aiming to apply for GEM this year UKCAT/GAMSAT dependent obvs.

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Reply 1
Yes such people exist and have been successful. When I attended Notts GEM open day they stated at least 40% of their current first year students were non-science based.
Reply 2
Original post by Marathi
Yes such people exist and have been successful. When I attended Notts GEM open day they stated at least 40% of their current first year students were non-science based.


I didn't realise it was as high as 40%, that's good. Are you applying this year then? What's your degree in?
Reply 3
Original post by abcd13
I didn't realise it was as high as 40%, that's good. Are you applying this year then? What's your degree in?


Yes hoping that the third time is the charm. BA graphic design and an MA which i am due to finish this summer.
Reply 4
Ahh cool, do you have any science A levels? I decided against taking them but I'm wondering if this was the right choice...
Original post by abcd13
Hello,

Firstly, sorry if this thread already exists but I couldn't seem to find one specifically for BA graduates. Just wondered if there are any of you out there who are also mad enough to be trying to apply for GEM with an arts degree?

I have a History degree and am aiming to apply for GEM this year UKCAT/GAMSAT dependent obvs.


I'm a classics graduate and current gem 1st year student :smile: sensible applications and acing the admissions tests is key! For reference, in my year of 40, probably 10 of us have arts or non-life science degrees (eg physics) so it's really not an issue :smile: any questions do let me know :smile:


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Original post by abcd13
Hello,

Firstly, sorry if this thread already exists but I couldn't seem to find one specifically for BA graduates. Just wondered if there are any of you out there who are also mad enough to be trying to apply for GEM with an arts degree?

I have a History degree and am aiming to apply for GEM this year UKCAT/GAMSAT dependent obvs.


Hello,

Lots of people do! One of our student bloggers studied an arts degree, and at the age of 27 has decided he wants to study Medicine. He just got an offer from Warwick.

You can read his blog on his experience here!

Hope you enjoy it!

The Medic Portal
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by JenniB22
I'm a classics graduate and current gem 1st year student :smile: sensible applications and acing the admissions tests is key! For reference, in my year of 40, probably 10 of us have arts or non-life science degrees (eg physics) so it's really not an issue :smile: any questions do let me know :smile:


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Hi Jenni,
I saw one of your posts from 2014 or so, where you said you were an Oxford BA Grad with straight As at A-levels. It’s very sweet of you to cheer us all up and say “anything is possible” but sadly not all of us are Oxbridge grads with flawless academic record...

I’ve got a first class BA from a crappy uni in the UK, and A-level equivalents from one of the EU countries. A-level equivalents and grades (or percentages, to be more precise): History (61%), German (78%) and English Language & Lit (90%.) I contacted Warwick and they said my EU A-level equivalent qualifications wouldn’t be a problem.

But I worry that everything else will… I am reading here about people with Biomed masters who still panic over having too little experience or such minor issues, whereas I’m worried about being fundamentally not good enough for this.

I am really committed to trying though, and thus planning to take A-levels in Maths and Chemistry and UKCAT this/early on next year. I’ve been doing the soup kitchen for the last two years, and shadowed my mother back home (she’s a GP.) I’ll have a year off from work so will be able to commit fully and also take on more volunteering work. But then I worry that all this will just be a massive waste of time considering my mediocre performance at A-levels initially and a degree from a former polytechnic :-/

Jenni, I wonder if there is anyone in your year who perhaps was not as stellar humanities candidate as yourself and managed to overcome this barrier through hard work? Also I would appreciate if you could shed some light as to how to even go about doing A-levels as a mature student who has never taken A-levels in the UK.

Please let me know what you think, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings or anything… I’d be much more hurt if a spent a year or more working really hard only to realise it was all a pointless exercise…

Thank you.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Shalo
Hi Jenni,
I saw one of your posts from 2014 or so, where you said you were an Oxford BA Grad with straight As at A-levels. It’s very sweet of you to cheer us all up and say “anything is possible” but sadly not all of us are Oxbridge grads with flawless academic record...

I’ve got a first class BA from a crappy uni in the UK, and A-level equivalents from one of the EU countries. A-level equivalents and grades (or percentages, to be more precise): History (61%), German (78%) and English Language & Lit (90%.) I contacted Warwick and they said my EU A-level equivalent qualifications wouldn’t be a problem.

But I worry that everything else will… I am reading here about people with Biomed masters who still panic over having too little experience or such minor issues, whereas I’m worried about being fundamentally not good enough for this.

I am really committed to trying though, and thus planning to take A-levels in Maths and Chemistry and UKCAT this/early on next year. I’ve been doing the soup kitchen for the last two years, and shadowed my mother back home (she’s a GP.) I’ll have a year off from work so will be able to commit fully and also take on more volunteering work. But then I worry that all this will just be a massive waste of time considering my mediocre performance at A-levels initially and a degree from a former polytechnic :-/

Jenni, I wonder if there is anyone in your year who perhaps was not as stellar humanities candidate as yourself and managed to overcome this barrier through hard work? Also I would appreciate if you could shed some light as to how to even go about doing A-levels as a mature student who has never taken A-levels in the UK.

Please let me know what you think, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings or anything… I’d be much more hurt if a spent a year or more working really hard only to realise it was all a pointless exercise…

Thank you.


I can't comment about your suitability to handle the academic side, but what I would point out is that the vast majority of universities that offer graduate medicine do not look at your a levels and do not give a hoot where your degree was obtained as long as you got a 2.1 or higher. You have a first, so you're in a strong position! There are people on my course who went to Oxbridge and had straight As, yes, but there are others who have mediocre a levels and went to ex-polytechnic universities. There's no disadvantage appearing between those two groups and I don't believe that our backgrounds will dictate how well we do at med school, or as doctors, in any way.

What's more important is that you have good work experience, that you apply sensibly and according to your strengths, that you do well in the entrance exams you choose to sit, and that you prepare properly for interviews when you get them.

Why are you doing a levels? Have you contacted other universities to ask if they will accept your with equivalent? Because I would guess that most will, and you only need to apply to 4! Probably more important to study for and ace the GAMSAT to open up your options (as you can only apply to Warwick and Newcastle with an arts degree and no science a levels).

Anyway, I take your point about my background, but just because other people worry doesn't mean you have to. And just because I have good academics doesn't mean I didn't have to do anything to get in. I was working full time in London while volunteering and self-studying for a chemistry a level, because I wanted to go to Southampton. If you want it enough you'll work for it. Just get on with it! Screw everyone else. We all have our own issues to conquer, as long as you know what you have to work on you'll be fine.

And of course I'm not going to tell you that you can definitely do it, but I will tell you that if you don't try you definitely WONT do it.


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Hi!

Thanks for this post, it's very helpful.

For someone that has not studied science for a while, would any of you still suggest sitting GAMSAT? I understand that it tests undergrad level science and so I'm hoping to sit it but have my concerns.

Has anyone sat this exam before or are considering sitting it this year? If so, what materials are you using? I have heard of the gold standard... anyone know if it's any good?

Thank you!
I am an Econ grad (2011) applying to GEM. I am taking my UKCAT on 1st July, and will be doing GAMSAT. I did 3 sciences at A Level (I applied for medicine at school and got canned, and somehow ended up doing Econ and working in the City - don't ask), but this was 10 years ago and I literally remember nothing...so I'm pretty nervous about my chances at GAMSAT.

I have an older edition of Gold Standard with the DVDs etc, and am hoping a summer of nailing those will help. I've heard that Griffiths GAMSAT Review is really good if you have some science familiarity and are looking to spend less cash.

What are the backgrounds of everyone here in terms of degree classification, work experience etc? I'm so nervous for this, finally worked up the courage to apply and scared of getting rejected again!
I won't lie, reading all of the replies on this thread has seriously made me doubt if my application would even be taken seriously.
I didn't sit A Levels, I did a National Diploma in Art, and my 2:1 degree from a mediocre university is in Photography seems pretty pointless now.
I've worked in various care environments for the past 4 years since graduating, applied and accepted onto a nursing masters in 2014, but dropped out because I realised that Nursing (no matter how much an amazing career it is) wasn't for me, and Medicine was. I'm sitting the UKCAT next month, and I'm working what feels like 8 days a week fitting in voluntary work around my paid job.
I spend a lot of time self teaching relevant things, and have finally worked up the bottle to take the plunge and start applying.
I guess I'm just looking for some pep talk, any current students know anyone with my kind of background?
And good luck to everyone else!
Original post by Canongon
I won't lie, reading all of the replies on this thread has seriously made me doubt if my application would even be taken seriously.
I didn't sit A Levels, I did a National Diploma in Art, and my 2:1 degree from a mediocre university is in Photography seems pretty pointless now.
I've worked in various care environments for the past 4 years since graduating, applied and accepted onto a nursing masters in 2014, but dropped out because I realised that Nursing (no matter how much an amazing career it is) wasn't for me, and Medicine was. I'm sitting the UKCAT next month, and I'm working what feels like 8 days a week fitting in voluntary work around my paid job.
I spend a lot of time self teaching relevant things, and have finally worked up the bottle to take the plunge and start applying.
I guess I'm just looking for some pep talk, any current students know anyone with my kind of background?
And good luck to everyone else!


Hey Canongon!

So, in short...myalevels are less than desirable. Due to a difficult personal issue a few years after my a levels I met an inspirational Nurse Consultant and consequently found myself on a BSc Nursing. However, I knew by the end of first year that I wanted to do medicine instead (I had wanted to do it whilst at school but abandoned it for several reasons) despite being sure I would be happy in nursing and did all I could to ignore those medicine thoughts. Anyway, I stayed on the course as there were lots of things about nursing I still liked and always the option of taking it further if I wanted to...plus, whilst on it it made sense to finish the degree - at one point in my life I never thought I'd get a degree, so this was a big deal to me :smile:

*I did well on my course so I guess I was on a good path as a nurse but still couldn't shake the feeling...I started looking into grad med at the end of 2nd year again and realised my degree would count as admission to the graduate entry courses. Still, I stayed in nursing hoping that I may feel more settled and happy with my choice in nursing once I was actually qualified. Got a job in a tertiary specialist centre in critical care, but nope, the feeling was still there... So here I am, applying for medicine. With terrible a levels.*

I guess that's my roundabout way of telling you that I know what it's like to know that something isn't right for you...also to be worried about Alevels. But don't worry - as far as academics go, your 2:1 is fine for entry to some universities, if not most.....just double check the Alevel requirements for some of them, some do specify, others don't, thats your research to do and see which uni' feel good for you. Some don't want or even look at Alevels or equivalents obtained at all. I'd advise sitting the GAMSAT too to open up options for more universities to apply to as some of the uni 's which want the UKCAT entrance exam instead have changed their entry requirements to now wants either a science only degree or Alevel chemistry. It's completely up to you what you do and where you apply to, but there are universities that will accept you with your current set of qualifications! So don't worry :smile:*

A big point is working on the work experience side of things but it sounds like you've got that in hand. Awesome!

Ok, so that was a pretty rubbish pep talk, but I hope it helped even just a little bit :smile: *
(edited 7 years ago)
Canongon, I got a 2:2 in an arts degree (one everyone calls a mickey mouse degree...) at a uni no one's heard of and BCC at A level, and I managed to get in this year. Relevant experience, a decent UKCAT/GAMSAT, any 2:1 (or even 2:2 for that matter) and a positive attitude will make you a strong candidate.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 14
Original post by Canongon
I won't lie, reading all of the replies on this thread has seriously made me doubt if my application would even be taken seriously.
I didn't sit A Levels, I did a National Diploma in Art, and my 2:1 degree from a mediocre university is in Photography seems pretty pointless now.
I've worked in various care environments for the past 4 years since graduating, applied and accepted onto a nursing masters in 2014, but dropped out because I realised that Nursing (no matter how much an amazing career it is) wasn't for me, and Medicine was. I'm sitting the UKCAT next month, and I'm working what feels like 8 days a week fitting in voluntary work around my paid job.
I spend a lot of time self teaching relevant things, and have finally worked up the bottle to take the plunge and start applying.
I guess I'm just looking for some pep talk, any current students know anyone with my kind of background?
And good luck to everyone else!


Hi Canongon,

Have you seen this blog https://graduatemedicineapplicant.wordpress.com/about-me/

This girl is obviously making it work and she doesn't have a top oxbridge degree etc. I think, as people have said, good work experience and a high UKCAT score/Gamsat are key to getting an interview. Once you've got an interview they're obviously serious about having you on the course and it's down to you to perform on the day. So keep going and give it a shot, what have you got to lose? Can I ask what your day job is- are you still doing care work?
Reply 15
Original post by DrProspective
Canongon, I got a 2:2 in an arts degree (one everyone calls a mickey mouse degree...) at a uni no one's heard of and BCC at A level, and I managed to get in this year. Relevant experience, a decent UKCAT/GAMSAT, any 2:1 (or even 2:2 for that matter) and a positive attitude will make you a strong candidate.


Hi, do you mind if I ask where you got accepted to this year? And were your A-Levels science ones/how much prep did you do for the UKCAT/GAMSAT?
Thanks
hi , i have a question.
can you tell me if i should give ukcat or gamsat as i am applying for GEM for 2017 and i am bit confused which one should i give .
i am planning for
leicester , kcl, barts , warwick and st george.
please help
Reply 17
Original post by nisha devi
hi , i have a question.
can you tell me if i should give ukcat or gamsat as i am applying for GEM for 2017 and i am bit confused which one should i give .
i am planning for
leicester , kcl, barts , warwick and st george.
please help


Hi Nisha Devi,

The best thing to do is to go on the individual websites for the universities/courses. I think KCL, Barts and Warwick all require the UKCAT and St George's requires the GAMSAT. Leicester are no longer running their GEM programme. Hope that helps.
Thankyou for your reply.


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Original post by abcd13
Hi Canongon,

Have you seen this blog https://graduatemedicineapplicant.wordpress.com/about-me/

This girl is obviously making it work and she doesn't have a top oxbridge degree etc. I think, as people have said, good work experience and a high UKCAT score/Gamsat are key to getting an interview. Once you've got an interview they're obviously serious about having you on the course and it's down to you to perform on the day. So keep going and give it a shot, what have you got to lose? Can I ask what your day job is- are you still doing care work?


Currently I work in an emergency gas service centre, and volunteer at weekends in a care home. I've only recently moved home to my tiny town and currently don't drive so jobs aren't that easy to come by!
Got some hospital work exp in the pipeline though, and a few interviews coming up for HCA positions.
Just trying to articulate how much I want to study medicine is difficult at the moment!

Thank you all for the words of wisdom, means a lot!

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