Was this woman right in saying this?

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Reply 20

Democracy

Original post by T-Toe

I preferred biochemistry and it's career prospects :dontknow:

What did you study as an undergrad?

The one which doesn't involve faffing about with arcane theory :wink:

Besides it was a light-hearted remark - hence the " :p:

Reply 21

crazycake93

Original post by T-Toe

A Nigerian delivery lady came to my house, I started the small chat and she briefly said: 'what course are you studying, I said 'biochemistry'. She later said 'what do you plan to do afterwards?', I said 'probably medicine, hopefully', she said 'why are you doing biochemistry? Why don't you read medicine? you're wasting your time, I studied microbiology and I was 35 when I started having children, you're a grown up, time is ticking'. After her lecture I told her, I fell short of the grades however I did have one medicine interview but sadly didn't get in. I'm not going to take loads of gap years, I'd rather try my luck as a graduate. She said 'you should have got a tutor, you're wasting your time, just think about it'.

Her comments have sort of disheartened me a little, this isn't the first time someone's said this to me. Hers was the most blunt.

Well, i doubt she is in a position to tell you that you're wasting your time.

She's delievering packages.

Reply 22

Organ

Original post by crazycake93

Well, i doubt she is in a position to tell you that you're wasting your time.

She's delievering packages.

Reply 23

Besakt

Original post by Yawn11

You already know she wasn't right...

She obviously wasn't listening when you said you fell short of the grades, suggests to me she doesn't really get how the system works.

If you were wasting your time, does that mean that all the other individuals who got in through post graduated wasted their time?

Is anyone who didn't make it into medicine and chose alternative pathways wasting their time?!

Success is by perception not others. It worries me that people feel so pressured to be on competitive courses, and don't realise the time and commitment it places on their life as a career not just the period that they are studying.

Honestly, if truly whole heartedly wanted to pursue medicine something like that shouldn't have really phased you.

I agree a lot of doctors today don't realise how the system works and how much more competitive the course has become since they applied.
I've had to explain how the system works and how competitive it is to almost every doctor I met whilst on work experience the only one I never had to explain it too was a professor who was part of the GMC.

Reply 24

ViceVersa

Original post by Broderss

She's Nigerian. They don't even go to school where she's from. Africans don't even have hospitals anyway so how does she know about medicine? I don't think she quite understood what you were saying. Keep holding on to your dream it still may happen you never know.

I'm extremely offended by this comment, its incredibly generalising and borderline racist.

and OP it was an unnecessary thing to put in your post.

Reply 25

House MD

Original post by Broderss

What are you talking about? :lolwut:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Nigeria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Nigeria

How ignorant.

OP: Do what you want to do :smile:

Reply 26

Alanine

This made me laugh.

Relax OP, as other people have mentioned it'll only take you one extra year to be an F1 (3 + 4). Just make sure you're choosing medicine-y options where possible, get a med-related diss, and you'll be fine. I really wouldn't recommend getting career advice from a delivery woman.

Reply 27

DJkG.1

She's got a point.

Depends how you take it and what you want from your own life. I know loads of people doing chemistry / biological natural sciences at Oxbridge who would scoff at the idea of doing undergraduate medicine (and would have got in to medicine with less effort than their Oxbridge admissions without a doubt).

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 28

508836

Original post by DJkG.1

I guess it's what they enjoy more and prefer. I've been told medicine is very overrated. There are other science-related professions that reap far more benefits than medicine. Pushy (sometimes 'backwards') parents tend to persuade their children to go for traditional, worldly recognised professions such as law and medicine, little do they know there's a world beyond these two professions :tongue:

It doesn't surprise me that TSR is swimming in medicine hopefuls/apps/under/grads.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 29

508836

Original post by House MD

What are you talking about? :lolwut:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Nigeria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Nigeria

How ignorant.

OP: Do what you want to do :smile:

Vague advice but thanks.

Reply 30

silverbolt

Original post by Someone123123

Is this necessary info'?

Of course it wasnt it was a poorly disguised attempt to be covertly racist

Well done eagle eyes you :rolleyes:

Reply 31

Forget that

All i'm saying is that you are lucky it's not your own parents who are deterring you from higher education.
My mum doesn't want me to go to uni so badly she asked the school if i could re-take the year when i got AAAC for AS levels.
They said no.

Reply 32

508836

Original post by silverbolt

Of course it wasnt it was a poorly disguised attempt to be covertly racist

Well done eagle eyes you :rolleyes:

I'm Nigerian myself, I had no intention of stirring racism. I didn't think racist comments would arise, and here's me thinking TSR was full of decent, smart, level-headed people. I also said she was a delivery lady but nobody said that part was 'unnecessary'.

Reply 33

508836

Original post by Forget that

Your mum is off her nut. Your mum should be encouraging you rather than putting you down. Your grades are fantastic, you should be proud of yourself and keep up the good work :smile:

Reply 34

middlj

Original post by T-Toe

A Nigerian delivery lady came to my house...

Original post by Someone123123

Is this necessary info'?

Oh, give it a rest with this crap will ya!?

Reply 35

catman7

Original post by House MD

What are you talking about? :lolwut:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Nigeria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_Nigeria

They are made of dung and straw though.

Reply 36

Forget that

Original post by T-Toe

Your mum is off her nut. Your mum should be encouraging you rather than putting you down. Your grades are fantastic, you should be proud of yourself and keep up the good work :smile:

Aww thanks lol, yeah she really should be encouraging me more, but in all honesty i think its the money issue rather than anything else. We don't have much cash at the moment and those £9,000 fees are daunting :erm:

Its all good though. Seriously go for what you want- there's no point wasting your time and money on a course you will not enjoy and do well in. Just because one person says don't do it doesn't mean they are right. The only opinion that matters is yours.
(And the uni admission tutors)

Reply 37

Sprockette

Original post by T-Toe

I won't say anything as blunt as her but I would advise you not to put all your hopes on getting into graduate entry medicine afterwards just in case you don't. I'm not saying you won't but I would have a back up plan too. Could you see yourself working in Biochemistry if you didn't? I don't know much about getting into medicine, I know that but I'd just be wary of basing your future all on that. What year are you in? Good luck!

Reply 38

508836

Original post by Sprockette

I have a back up plan. I'd be content with being a biochemist but medicine (as well as acting, but that's an entirely different story) has been something I've been passionate about for a long while. I have three years of undergrad study so my thoughts might change? :tongue:

I've just come out of my gap year. I'm 19 years old.