From pharmacy to medicine

Hi,
I have been rejected by all 4 of the medical schools I have applied to, I am currently on an MPharm programme (due to start year 3 in a few months). I am always thinking of not being able to get in and that the best thing to do is a graduate entry (GEM)…though it’ll be a long way that will be quite costly. Whenever I get asked what I got for my A-levels, I get asked why I didn’t get in I feel regretful that I didn’t try hard enough and that I should’ve taken a gap year, but also when it came to that I was worried about my GCSEs not being good at all.
I would really appreciate some advice because when I try to think about GEM it feels quite hard and that I should be doing something else.

- My UCAT and BMAT scores were not competitive.

- My GCSEs are as follows:
Maths:6
English language:6
English literature:8
Biology:6
Chemistry:8
Physics:6
Geography:6
French:9
RS: 9
The rest weren’t that good
What worried me was my GCSEs :frown:

My A-level grades are:
Biology: A
Chemistry: A*
RS: A*
French: A*
EPQ: A*

Do you think it’s still worth thinking about it, or shall I just continue with the current degree and then do a GEM.

Thank you

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Megathreads
(Please read the first post, before then posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

2023 Applicants:
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2023 Entry
Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2023 Entry
Medicine Interview discussion 2023 Entry
2023 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread

Other application years:
Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2025 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

Upbeat8392

deleted this entire comment because I don't know how to read!
Read BELOW instead

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 3

TheMedicOwl

Medical schools will not usually consider you if you drop out in the third year of another degree (and you would have a headache with student finance if you did that as well - getting funding for a second undergrad could be troublesome if you've had three years' worth). At this point your most feasible option is to continue and then apply for GEM.

Reply 4

Dxtccjdsch

Thank you for your response, I honestly did not consider that aspect.
Any advice regarding GEM, for example, anything you think would be beneficial in preparation for it? and would you recommend it at all (considering that I am doing a 5 years long programme already).
Thanks again!

(Original post by TheMedicOwl):
Medical schools will not usually consider you if you drop out in the third year of another degree (and you would have a headache with student finance if you did that as well - getting funding for a second undergrad could be troublesome if you've had three years' worth). At this point your most feasible option is to continue and then apply for GEM.

Reply 5

AsianNerd:)

Hey, I just got 3 offers for undergraduate med myself but I assume the principle of getting in is about the same.

1. Research places you’d like to apply to and keep a note of if they look at your Alevel grades alongside your degree. I’ve seen that some places might do while some places only really need the 2:1 or above.

2. So you’ve looked at the universities that do GEM, now look at what entry test they may require. Some places may get you to do UCAT or BMAT while some require the GAMSAT - of course you have 2 years left of your MPharm but starting early for UCAT/GAMSAT (since BMAT will be replaced next year) especially if you didn’t do so well when you applied a couple of years ago will not hurt.

3. Work Experience - what exactly will show off that you’ll be a good doctor? You’re over 18 and could probably apply for a HCA/CSW post at your local hospital. You could also do extra research in labs, go to inaugural lectures or medicine specific lectures that may be open to the public or you can contact people who you do know on medicine courses. You’ve applied yourself so you probably know at least one person who did get in so maybe asked to shadow them - pick up what it’s like to be a good medical student as well as being a good doctor. There’s work experience abroad programmes you could do, you could volunteer for the NHS or with vulnerable people for a charity. Anything that shows empathy, compassion, leadership, teamwork that isn’t necessarily related to healthcare itself but in fact your interests, use to your advantage. Do a little bit of anything and everything!

4. Take this time to develop your interests outside of medicine. Lately, more and more medical schools are asking about how you de stress or what you do in your spare time. Take this time to actively take part in the social scene that your university has to offer so that if it does come up, you know exactly what to say.

5. By the time you apply, you’ll almost be finished with your degree in which case, you can talk about why having a Masters in Pharmacy would make you an excellent doctor. For interview preparation, go over your GMC, standard medical school questions, look at Uni specific videos online/on their website about interviews.

You may want to apply to undergraduate courses to study medicine (this may be easier to get into than GEM) however, funding this would require a lot of work.

There is a woman on tiktok with the username @hus.cuts who is a pharmacist but is now doing GEM. She has videos on funding and has an email you can contact on her page - since your situations are similar, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind helping you out. I know I don’t know much about applying to GEM but I do hope that the information I’ve provided will help you out a bit! Good luck with your degree and future medicine application, I’m sure you’ll smash it :smile:

Reply 6

Apachecow

If I were you, I'd get qualified as a pharmacist, work your arse off and save some money. Grab every opportunity you can after a few years (independent prescribing, further qualifications etc) and get a couple of years tuition fees saved up in the bank. In 4 or 5 years time of working in the health service, decide at that point if medicine and further study is for you.

The maturity, NHS experience and further qualifications will do a lot to support your application.

Reply 7

Dxtccjdsch

Thank you so much! your advice certainly is really helpful, literally an eye-opener to things I did not really think about...Best of luck with your degree.

(Original post by AsianNerd :smile:

)
Hey, I just got 3 offers for undergraduate med myself but I assume the principle of getting in is about the same.

1. Research places you’d like to apply to and keep a note of if they look at your Alevel grades alongside your degree. I’ve seen that some places might do while some places only really need the 2:1 or above.

2. So you’ve looked at the universities that do GEM, now look at what entry test they may require. Some places may get you to do UCAT or BMAT while some require the GAMSAT - of course you have 2 years left of your MPharm but starting early for UCAT/GAMSAT (since BMAT will be replaced next year) especially if you didn’t do so well when you applied a couple of years ago will not hurt.

3. Work Experience - what exactly will show off that you’ll be a good doctor? You’re over 18 and could probably apply for a HCA/CSW post at your local hospital. You could also do extra research in labs, go to inaugural lectures or medicine specific lectures that may be open to the public or you can contact people who you do know on medicine courses. You’ve applied yourself so you probably know at least one person who did get in so maybe asked to shadow them - pick up what it’s like to be a good medical student as well as being a good doctor. There’s work experience abroad programmes you could do, you could volunteer for the NHS or with vulnerable people for a charity. Anything that shows empathy, compassion, leadership, teamwork that isn’t necessarily related to healthcare itself but in fact your interests, use to your advantage. Do a little bit of anything and everything!

4. Take this time to develop your interests outside of medicine. Lately, more and more medical schools are asking about how you de stress or what you do in your spare time. Take this time to actively take part in the social scene that your university has to offer so that if it does come up, you know exactly what to say.

5. By the time you apply, you’ll almost be finished with your degree in which case, you can talk about why having a Masters in Pharmacy would make you an excellent doctor. For interview preparation, go over your GMC, standard medical school questions, look at Uni specific videos online/on their website about interviews.

You may want to apply to undergraduate courses to study medicine (this may be easier to get into than GEM) however, funding this would require a lot of work.

There is a woman on tiktok with the username @hus.cuts who is a pharmacist but is now doing GEM. She has videos on funding and has an email you can contact on her page - since your situations are similar, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind helping you out. I know I don’t know much about applying to GEM but I do hope that the information I’ve provided will help you out a bit! Good luck with your degree and future medicine application, I’m sure you’ll smash it

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 8

Dxtccjdsch

Thank you for your response. To be honest, I have heard of some newly graduating pharmacists who end up locuming during GEM. The only thing that is bothering me is the fact I will be quite old then :smile:

, and that I could have just taken a gap year...with that being said, despite the fact that it seems tedious, I would very much want to do medicine (idk if I am underestimating the difficulty of doing it all in 4 years, that's without the 2 foundation years and the specialising). I am really conflicted atm, because after every year of MPharm, I just end up regretting getting into a course without thoroughly thinking it through....But thank you for your comment once again, and you are right, a pharmacist's role is becoming more or less similar to that of a GP's, but it feels like something is missing at times... (Original post by Apachecow)
If I were you, I'd get qualified as a pharmacist, work your arse off and save some money. Grab every opportunity you can after a few years (independent prescribing, further qualifications etc) and get a couple of years tuition fees saved up in the bank. In 4 or 5 years time of working in the health service, decide at that point if medicine and further study is for you.

The maturity, NHS experience and further qualifications will do a lot to support your application.