Graduate Medicine

Hi everyone, I'm currently a Psychology student going into second year at uni. But, like a lot of people who will be reading this, I have realised that my real passion is medicine. I am looking at the difference between the 4 year GEM (A101) route and applying to the normal 5 year courses (A100). So here are my questions:

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1. In terms of financing, what is the difference in cost between the 4 and 5 year courses and what funding options are available for each, in terms of loans and NHS bursaries etc.?

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2. Would I be able to apply in my final year of uni or would I have to wait until I've graduated? And if I can apply in 4th year, is there less of a chance of me being accepted than until waiting until I graduate?

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3. (Aimed more at Current Med Students or Med Graduates) Do you think the benefits of med school (ie. Career prospects, Salary) greatly outweigh the costs (ie. Finance, Large workload)?

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Also, anyone have a link to a website where you can take a practice UKCAT test?

Hi everyone, I'm currently a Psychology student going into second year at uni. But, like a lot of people who will be reading this, I have realised that my real passion is medicine. I am looking at the difference between the 4 year GEM (A101) route and applying to the normal 5 year courses (A100). So here are my questions:

---

1. In terms of financing, what is the difference in cost between the 4 and 5 year courses and what funding options are available for each, in terms of loans and NHS bursaries etc.?

---

2. Would I be able to apply in my final year of uni or would I have to wait until I've graduated? And if I can apply in 4th year, is there less of a chance of me being accepted than until waiting until I graduate?

---

3. (Aimed more at Current Med Students or Med Graduates) Do you think the benefits of med school (ie. Career prospects, Salary) greatly outweigh the costs (ie. Finance, Large workload)?

---

Also, anyone have a link to a website where you can take a practice UKCAT test?

1. I know that student finance generally pays for 4 years of undergraduate degree, but I'm not sure how doing a second degree works. The NHS Bursary will cover 2 years. I think you should really talk to student finance directly for information because this kind of thing is really tricky to get right without talking to someone who knows what they're on about. I mean, for a normal 6 year course, it'll go first 4 years student finance, last 2 years NHS bursary.

EDIT: having spoken to my friend, graduate medicine - you pay year 1 yourself, and the last 3 years is student finance.

2. You can definitely apply in your final year. I think you'll need to have references and first and second year transcripts, for predicted grades etc, but I know friends who are currently applying for graduate medicine this coming october and they will be in their final year of undergrad. I would, however, once again *check* with the individual universities - you'll be given conditional offers, as you would have done at A-level, and the likely conditional offer is actually a 2.i at most universities.

Student Finance pays whatever the length of your chosen course is + one year. You still get Student Finance support in the last two years of a six year medical degree, the NHS Bursary just replaces some of it (sorry, I'm thoroughly sick of people spreading this 'four year myth' just because most Bachelors are three years so in those cases it's three + one = four).

With GEM currently you only pay £3.5k of year 1 yourself upfront.




Not every GEM course will let you apply before having got your degree, last time I looked.

I wasn't aware it was a 'myth' because all the clinical students I've spoken to have said this to me so far. But this is good news means I may have more money than I thought I would've had. So yay.