Graduate Entry Medicine: 2016 Entry

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Grants converted to loans and highest loan to be increased. Bad news for people doing their undergrad but possibly good news for us GEM if they will allow maintenance loans to be increased for us! Do you guys think it will apply for us?

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2016-2017 is when it's coming in, it works very well for GEM from the looks of things...

Reply 741

ruth_glasgow

Where can you find the funding info?

Reply 742

somethingbeautiful

I have long term care work! Finally, after 4 months of applications. Plus I did a work placement on another hospital ward this week. Things are starting to come together a bit. Gamsat is terrifying me. I think I'm going to work hard to get the 70 hours for Warwick and sit the UKCAT next month. Seems like my best shot for 2016. Hope everyone's UKCAT/GAMSAT revision is going well. How are people's personal statements coming along?

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Reply 743

Ooompalumpa

Original post by somethingbeautiful

Did that thing work out for you?

Reply 744

Absorbaloff

Original post by somethingbeautiful

Great news, well done :smile:

Reply 745

liam__

Also announced in the budget was that tuition fees are now linked to inflation (which is currently 0.1%, so drastic changes). I'm relieved there wasn't another big rise in fees, although I'm still wary it could happen at some point in this government.

Reply 746

somethingbeautiful

Original post by Ooompalumpa

Did that thing work out for you?

Unfortunately not - thank you for helping me though, I really appreciate it. They referred me back to their website to apply for roles and there were no hospital roles advertised even though on do-it.org there were so I literally went into the hospital and looked for people who were in volunteer uniforms for any organisation - asked one of the volunteers and then got an interview the next day and got my placement.

Online applications have been a total non-starter for me and I was applying for months and got tired of people saying there were no current vacancies even though there were when I applied. I'm so glad that it's finally sorted!

Original post by Absorbaloff

Great news, well done :smile:

Thanks very much!

Reply 747

tw781

I'm really struggling with the UKCAT. I have a LOT going on at the moment, so I'm finding it hard to find the motivation to keep going and practicing.
I also feel like everything for medicine is at a standstill. Although I have done quite a bit of shadowing and do have 6 months carer work it was in 2013- Feb 2014 so quite a while before application, I'm still struggling to get a HCA job since finishing uni last month. I got an interview for one in surgery but I was on holiday when it was so I'm gutted as I haven't heard anything else for 4 other applications. I just feel like I'm so behind everyone else :-/

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Reply 748

lcsurfer

Original post by tw781

You can do other jobs not just HCA... As long as you have some care experience/volunteering you can do any job and relate the skills to medicine.
Some uni's don't ask for dates of experience or references. Some people apply up to 10 HCA jobs before they get an interview.
Try care homes etc as they are often after care staff

Reply 749

tw781

Original post by lcsurfer

Yeah, but I don't want to work in a care home. I want to work in a hospital. I want to have experience of providing care in a clinical setting, as I have care home and I have shadowing. Working in a care home will be my very last resort.

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Reply 750

Ebuwa

Just had a look at the budget

'The[maintenance] grants will be replaced by loans, which will be introduced from 2016/17. They will have to be repaid under the same terms as existing tuition fee loans once a graduate earns over £21,000 a year. The maximum value of the loan will be increased to £8,200, but graduates will have to pay it all back.

Universities will also be allowed to increase £9,000-a-year tuition fees in line with inflation as long they are providing what Osborne described as “high-quality teaching”, further raising debt for graduates and opening the way for variable fees at different institutions.'

Reply 751

Ebuwa

Oops didn't realised it was discussed earlier

Reply 752

Brachioradialis

Meh. The vast majority of people don't pay off their tuition loans so it's still essentially free money. 25-30 years is not enough time for all but the highest earners to pay back the entirety of their loans.

Reply 753

Zorg

Original post by MJK91

I wouldn't say the highest of earners. Perhaps it is a small number of the population's workforce, but a larger proportion of graduates do have higher lifetime earnings and are likely to pay it off.
Being in the career path we are in, we're one of the few courses most likely to pay off our collective debts.

Reply 754

Rose256

Hey guys,
I know the UKCAT cut off scores change every year but roughly what's the minimum you can get to secure an interview?

Reply 755

Brachioradialis

Original post by Rose256

Hey guys,
I know the UKCAT cut off scores change every year but roughly what's the minimum you can get to secure an interview?

It's almost always circa 700 average (so 2800+) for Warwick. This year was slightly lower, and last year slightly higher. To be 'safe' (pending a catastrophically uncertain year) you'll need around 740 average (2960+) for other schools. Certain one's are notorious for needing higher scores, like Kings and Newcastle. Barts probably falls between Warwick and Newcastle somewhere.

In a nutshell, the fewer the places available the higher score you'll likely need to be competitive.

Reply 756

tw781

Original post by Zorg

I actually read an article a few weeks ago about research stating doctors are the least likely to pay off their student debts.

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Reply 757

adamphilpot

Original post by Zorg

Original post by tw781

I actually read an article a few weeks ago about research stating doctors are the least likely to pay off their student debts.
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I'd say that us, as potential graduate entry applicants we probably won't ever pay it off. I already have somewhere in the region of £30k debt anyway, that added onto another 4 years of uni...looking at maybe £60/70 in total if not more..

But it doesn't bother me, I'm already paying back my first loan at a rate of £80 ish a month, while that £80 would be nice to have its not breaking the bank and I'm not a particularly high earner at all.

Reply 758

Zorg

Original post by tw781

I actually read an article a few weeks ago about research stating doctors are the least likely to pay off their student debts.

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Link and/or reasoning....?

Reply 759

tw781