[scaryhair]

Hi,
I am looking at going on a four day course at Nottingham University called Medlink.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience of it, because I would like to know whether it was any good and/or worth the money. Did it help your application to Uni?
All experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly are welcomed!
Thanks
Em

[davidjones90]

yup i know now i pratically won a place to all the med schools I applied becuase I said I went to medlink

Well worth the money if you want to guarantee urself a place....

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/sear...archid=1848103



p.s- I may be sarcastic at times

[sunspoon]

Went last year - didn't really learn anything spectacular, but had a really good time with mates, made new friends, ate lots of 'Dinos pizza', got hardly any sleep and laughed at a particularly good lecturer.

The free stethoscope that they give you is almost good enough to take to a fancy dress party.

[sheena18]

LOL david! in defence of it though i'd recommend medsim over medlink - coz at medlink they talk at you through presentations and tell you things that you could gain from open days.

medsim however is completely practical so you'll gain lots of hands-on experience. i'd particularly recommend it if your work experience/volunteering isn't that strong and you REALLY can't arrange anything. but still, stick to the work experience - coz what you learn from that is what'll actually get u an interview.

[Democracy]

Here's an experience you'll get: blowing £300 on MedScam

I didn't go on it, and I dont think my app will be ruined.

It doesn't do anything for your application. Go do some work experience and see how real medicine works instead

[GregoryJL]

Don't go. You spend the days learning utterly nothing, dressing up as a doctor, and attending rallies in huge auditoria generally by people trying to fleece as much money out of you as they can (when I went, there were books, stephoscopes, PS writing reviews, interview practise, extra stuff like medsim, private unis - oh, and I almost forgot the quasi-ethical mercy tourism too.) Instead do something like getting actual work experience, reading stuff, brushing up your subjects - any use of time is better than this with regards to getting into medical school.

In fact, doing nothing might well be better than going to medlink. The later attempts to instill vast amounts of fear about your chances (which will be alleviated if you buy their overpriced cack, obviously) and tries to get you to justify to yourself any practise, no matter how underhanded, unfair or half-honest to give you the edge against your fellows because you want to be doctor and damn the fact that someone else with something resembling a moral spine might actually be a better candidate. It is a bad foundation for a caring profession.

P.S. I am a (one and a bit week old) medical student at Cambridge - Medlink was nothing more than a waste of a line on my PS.

[bright star]

i went on medlink because my head of year recommended it so strongly. i didn't even mention it on my ps in the end as it was so so useless.... seriously i wouldn't waste my money! although it is worth a laugh maybe jus for the motivational speech guy.... he takes himself far far too seriously!!

[Democracy]

The guys from MedLink/Sim/Six seem to be in some sort of partnership with medical schools abroad like the one in prague, and those ones in the carribean...no idea why...

[nnkuk]

(Original post by sunspoon)
ate lots of 'Dinos pizza',

Can I just big up Dinos pizza, I went to Medsim, GREATEST NIGHT EVER! They dont do stuffed crust, so dont expect it

[MaryMoo]

(Original post by nnkuk)
Can I just big up Dinos pizza, I went to Medsim, GREATEST NIGHT EVER! They dont do stuffed crust, so dont expect it

Hahaha, Dino's is awsome! I think I may still have the number somewhere. I've never eaten such a nice/cheap Pizza in my life! Although that may be because the food in the halls was complete rubbish. Medlink was great, I went with quite a few people from school, had a great time even though I decided not to apply for Medicine.

Just one piece of advice, if you have a shower DO NOT leave the bathroom door open after you've finished. Someone in our hall did that, which set off the fire alarm! Having to line up outside in the cold and wet at 5 am is not the most pleasant of experiences!!

[Renal]

(Original post by sheena18)
medsim however is completely practical so you'll gain lots of hands-on experience.

Having a **** is more relevant hands-on experience than anything you'll do like this.

[davidjones90]

Just one piece of advice, if you have a shower DO NOT leave the bathroom door open after you've finished. Someone in our hall did that, which set off the fire alarm! Having to line up outside in the cold and wet at 5 am is not the most pleasant of experiences!!

Nononono.....the firealarm which happenned twice was caused by a good friend of mine who set it off....on purpose

It's just not worth it...i went myself. but ye its good fun living as a uni student, but you will be having that kinda fun in less than 2 years time...good things comes to those who wait !!

Dino's was disgusting..did no one notice the grease on top of the pizza? You eat it and feel fine for 45mins, then you just feel bloaty and sick...there is a dominos there, ring up and ask for their best offers. Also on our last night, due to the sick food we decided we should go to nandos in town, us lot all excited rung them up reserved tables etc...we rung up a taxi company, they say no you can't come because the medlink guys said were not allowed! I was fuming, yes I am 16yrs old who want to go to the centre to get some proper food as I have been starved for 3 days. I have to come to shottingham to get a glimpse into the medical field, i have not paid £300+ to have a 4 day ticket to guantanamo bay.

Seriously though, its just not worth it...I would recommend applying to a summer school where you will have a medicine taster course...that would be some decent expereince!

[person 34]

Oh my God. Dino's saved my life. I got the pizza at 2 am to my hall, half an hour later on the dot. I was well impressed. Don't you ever speak badly of Dino'd again.

"There's grease on top of it". Well it's a frigging pizza, what the **** else do you expect?

[Helenia]

I will say I loved Medlink, even though I went like 7 years ago now. I learnt a fair amount, given that I knew almost nothing about applications at the time, made some good friends and had a good time.

It certainly wasn't the clinching factor in getting me into medical school, but it helped my get my head around what I needed to do and where I needed to focus. If you have the money spare, then do it. If not, don't panic.

[Wangers]

(Original post by Renal)
Having a **** is more relevant hands-on experience than anything you'll do like this.

Characteristiclly succinct of you Renal!

[sheena18]

(Original post by Renal)
Having a **** is more relevant hands-on experience than anything you'll do like this.

um chill out renal, im allowed to have an opinion too!

and oh my god, dino's saved me too! we were all pretty starvin after the emergency call-out (coz of the oh-so-crap food) and it was pretty late and everywhere was closed, but that pizza saved the day! looks lyk we've got a fan club here lol

[Renal]

(Original post by sheena18)
um chill out renal, im allowed to have an opinion too!

Oh of course you are sweetie and I'm sure your opinion of getting into medical school is more valid than mine...

[sheena18]

renal, im dumbfounded at your patronising manner and lack of maturity. and to think you'll be a doctor soon.

[work_til_failure]

(Original post by bright star)
i went on medlink because my head of year recommended it so strongly. i didn't even mention it on my ps in the end as it was so so useless.... seriously i wouldn't waste my money! although it is worth a laugh maybe jus for the motivational speech guy.... he takes himself far far too seriously!!

Lol, i know what you mean! i couldn't stop laughing during that 'edge' session

[bright star]

(Original post by sheena18)
renal, im dumbfounded at your patronising manner and lack of maturity. and to think you'll be a doctor soon.

renal's awesome!! i think the problem is that sometimes as an applicant you can get a warped idea of what's important. i'm sure we were all guilty of it once. but honestly, going on medlink/medsim/moneygrabbers may be fun but it's not going to help you get into med school.