How competitive is Medicine?

Hi, Just wondering how competitive Medicine is, I'm not old enough but I still would like to know. I heard that it's incredibly competitive, just wanted to have someone prove this.

Also, How long is Medical School + Foundation Training etc? ...

Thanks
Josh

Whats the ****ing neg rep for?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 1

AtomicMan

13

So compettitive that 60% get rejected from all their choices

Med school is 5 years, 6 years if you decide to intercalate (do another degree in a year, usually between pre-clinical and clinical years in a science degree), 9 years if you intercalate and do a PhD

There is no such thing as residency in the UK, however I hear that foundation training is 2 years, after that it varies depending on what speciality you choose and it gets a tad confusing from there :P

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 2

Beska

21

Original post by Josh_Dey

Hi, Just wondering how competitive Medicine is, I'm not old enough but I still would like to know. I heard that it's incredibly competitive, just wanted to have someone prove this.

Also, How long is Medical School + Residency etc? ...

Thanks
Josh

If you're talking about medicine admissions (i.e. getting into medical school), approximately 55% - 60% of people receive 4 rejections (i.e. the majority do not get in). It is very competitive.

Medical school is 5-6 years long minimum, plus a 2 year 'foundation training programme' in which afterwards you become fully registered with the GMC.

Read more here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine_at_University

Reply 3

TheKnowledge

It's pretty damn competitive. You will need to stand out and excel in a particular field, extra-curricular perhaps. Or just get a lot of work experience. And also make sure you are an "all-round" candidate with good academics, non-academics and good UKCAT/BMAT etc.

Reply 4

winter_mute

9

Residency is the training program in the US, in the UK it's called UKFT (United Kingdom Foundation Training) that lasts 2 years. Check Beska's link for more!

Reply 5

Josh_Dey

OP

16

Original post by AtomicMan

So compettitive that 60% get rejected from all their choices

Med school is 5 years, 6 years if you decide to intercalate (do another degree in a year, usually between pre-clinical and clinical years in a science degree), 9 years if you intercalate and do a PhD

There is no such thing as residency in the UK, however I hear that foundation training is 2 years, after that it varies depending on what speciality you choose and it gets a tad confusing from there :P

Is there any way I can stand out? Will volunteering for St.Johns Amblance help?

Thanks

Reply 6

01010000 01001010

11

Too competitive, you might as well give up now.

Reply 7

roar558

11

Original post by Josh_Dey

Hi, Just wondering how competitive Medicine is, I'm not old enough but I still would like to know. I heard that it's incredibly competitive, just wanted to have someone prove this.

Also, How long is Medical School + Residency etc? ...

Thanks
Josh

Very competitive, several people on tsr this year have either been rejected from all their choices already or are waiting for their last uni.

Reply 8

may bug :)

Not as competitive as veterinary :tongue:

Reply 9

xulander

The statistics said above seem to be true

The majority of people do not get a place at medical school during one admissions cycle

Medical Courses are 5 to 6 years long depending on whether you want to intercalate (i.e. do another degree to help supplement your medical degree) - this is followed by 2 years of foundation training

Competition is therefore huge for a place at medical school since numbers of applications always exceed the number of places by some quite margin

e.g. a typical medical school might have 300-400 places available, gives perhaps 500-600 offers but will receive in excess of 2400 applications

Reply 10

Bobs Your Teapot

Original post by Josh_Dey

Is there any way I can stand out? Will volunteering for St.Johns Amblance help?

Thanks

Yeah, that would look brilliant on your personal statement! Any form of volunteering is excellent. Just remember that it's not just about the action of doing it, make sure you keep a journal of what you learn from it (e.g. develop communication skills, learn to work in a team, etc). You should also look to show that you're a committed individual through your academics and any long-term voluntary work, so if you're thinking of volunteering for St John's, make sure to stick at it for some time and they'll adore you :smile:

Reply 11

winter_mute

9

Original post by may bug :)

Not as competitive as veterinary :tongue:

But much more necessary

(Yes I went there) :tongue:

Reply 12

Tan

You can stand out by being an all round candidate :smile:

i.e. get lots of work experience in a hospital, volunteering/charity work, sports teams, music societies. Also you need good academics of course, so aim to get all As/some A*s as A2 predictions, and all As at AS-level. You'll need an above average UKCAT/BMAT. UKCAT you can prepare for, BMAT you can but it's much harder :smile:

It's not impossible to get a place for medicine. Get lots of good stuff on your personal statement, and with that and your academics/UKCAT/BMAT you can secure an interview. After that, prepare well for your interview and you'll get that offer! :smile:

Reply 13

bacforever3

12

Original post by Josh_Dey

Hi, Just wondering how competitive Medicine is, I'm not old enough but I still would like to know. I heard that it's incredibly competitive, just wanted to have someone prove this.

Also, How long is Medical School + Residency etc? ...

Thanks
Josh

I wouldnt say its tooo bad if you are bright, but in my school 5 people applied (all A*/A grade students) and 3 got 1 offer, the other 2 didnt get any others.... :s-smilie:

Reply 14

girl_in_black

16

Original post by Tan

You can stand out by being an all round candidate :smile:

i.e. get lots of work experience in a hospital, volunteering/charity work, sports teams, music societies. Also you need good academics of course, so aim to get all As/some A*s as A2 predictions, and all As at AS-level. You'll need an above average UKCAT/BMAT. UKCAT you can prepare for, BMAT you can but it's much harder :smile:

It's not impossible to get a place for medicine. Get lots of good stuff on your personal statement, and with that and your academics/UKCAT/BMAT you can secure an interview. After that, prepare well for your interview and you'll get that offer! :smile:

Because no one else applying to medicine is all-rounded with lots of work experience, volunteer work and straight A/A*...

OP, realistically, it's very difficult to stand out. Good academic achievements are not going to impress anyone - they're a requirement. Volunteer work and work experience are vital, but it's not doing them that counts, rather what you write about them in your PS. No one cares how eyeo-pening your experience of working with orphans in some 3rd world country was, what matters is what you learnt from it and how these skills are transferrable to medicine.

Basically get the best grades you can (i.e. As), learn a bit about reflective writing, and you'll be fine.

Reply 15

Huw Davies

11

Original post by winter_mute

Residency is the training program in the US, in the UK it's called UKFT (United Kingdom Foundation Training) that lasts 2 years. Check Beska's link for more!

A US Residency would incorporate some UK Core Training\Specialist Training on top of this.

UK training is 5-6 years medical school, 2 years foundation, 3-8 years' further training beyond this to be a consultant (US attending).

Reply 16

Tan

Original post by girl_in_black

Because no one else applying to medicine is all-rounded with lots of work experience, volunteer work and straight A/A*...

OP, realistically, it's very difficult to stand out. Good academic achievements are not going to impress anyone - they're a requirement. Volunteer work and work experience are vital, but it's not doing them that counts, rather what you write about them in your PS. No one cares how eyeo-pening your experience of working with orphans in some 3rd world country was, what matters is what you learnt from it and how these skills are transferrable to medicine.

Basically get the best grades you can (i.e. As), learn a bit about reflective writing, and you'll be fine.

What you said is all true :smile:

but I know some people who were excellent academically but they didn't do many extra-curriculars and didn't have great examples of teamwork/leadership. These are things which an all round candidate would have, and what medical schools are looking for - someone who can cope at medical school, can work in a team, has good hobbies & yet is very good academically.

Once you get an interview, your communication skills are what matter, i.e. how you come across and if you can communicate your ideas effectively in a personal way.

Reply 17

spacepirate-James

18

Original post by Josh_Dey

Is there any way I can stand out? Will volunteering for St.Johns Amblance help?

Thanks

Lol residency. Someone watches american medical tv (I'm guessing). :awesome:

Em...frankly, it will help but it depends how you portray it. Lots of people will have done the St Johns thing so it's not a matter of whether X will help get you a place but what you got from X and how you described it in your personal statement.

Reply 18

infernalcradle

15

Original post by Beska

If you're talking about medicine admissions (i.e. getting into medical school), approximately 55% - 60% of people receive 4 rejections (i.e. the majority do not get in). It is very competitive.

Medical school is 5-6 years long minimum, plus a 2 year 'foundation training programme' in which afterwards you become fully registered with the GMC.

Read more here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine_at_University

I thought you become fully registered after F1....not after both F1 and F2....

Reply 19

limetang

19

Well typically each medical school has about 12 applicants per place although realistically each of those people is also applying to three other medical schools so in real life you have about 3 people per course generally meaning about 60% don't get in.

How competitive is Medicine?

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