Mature student, OU into med school?

Hi guys,

I'm new here as you can probably tell. I've been researching a lot in this forum over the last few months.

I'm 24 years old and left my home country Germany when I was 18, to move to Australia. I'm still working towards PR. And because of the cost of studying in AU as an international student, I had put studying aside until now.

I've had some major things happen recently which made me realise that regardless of my residency status, I should pursue my goals now and not later. (PR is still not guaranteed and won't know more for another 15-18nonths)

Due to horrible family circumstances, I didn't quite make it in school in my younger years. I'm not whinging or blaming any one else. In a nutshell; school drop out with the goal to become a doctor.

I've been looking into the Bachelor of Health science through OU and have emailed a few universities in the UK asking if the BCs through OU would be recognised and allow me entry as a postgraduate into medicine.

Most Unis have come back saying
"Werequire a 2.1 or first class honours degree in order for a graduate to be eligible to apply to the MBBS programme. We would not look at or take into consideration any previous qualifications gained. Having a masters or a PHD would not change this requirement."

Does this mean if I complete the BCs through OU with a good grade and the honours in the end, I would be eligible to apply?

Looking forward to hearing from you about the above or any other idea you may have for me to turn my dream into reality.

Thanks a lot!

Reply 1

theresheglows

If you did an OU degree that is a BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) with a 2.1 or above then yes you would be in a good place to apply to a graduate entry medicine programme, especially if you do something science (biology/chemistry) related. Medical schools do not care where you got your degree from, the most important thing is that you have one and the classification you get - as well as work experience, UKCAT/GAMSAT score etc

You could also look into Access to Medicine courses as these are designed for people who have been out of education for a while, but some of them require GCSEs I think. They are designed for entry to normal 5 year courses, but only a few med schools accept them.

Do you have any qualifications from Germany?

Reply 2

korraandhooch

Original post by theresheglows

Thanks for your reply theresheglows. I enrolled yesterday and the course starts in October this year. I'm kind of nervous as I have been out of school for a while now, but I'll give it my all.

"Between you and I" .. I have a school leaving certificate, that's it. I missed too much of school to be given marks. I was always good at school, but I never attended. So I'm hoping that the BCs hons and work experience allow me to make up for my that.

Reply 3

theresheglows

Original post by korraandhooch

No problem :smile:

Sounds like OU is a good choice for you then. Lots of people do OU after being out of school for a long time and they have specific opening courses to help ease you back into studying.
There are UK medical schools who will only look at your degree, UKCAT/GAMSAT and work experience/personal statement and disregard how you did in school, so those are the ones to look at for when you graduate from the OU. As long as you work hard and get a 2.1 you have as good a chance as any other graduate applicant; good luck!

Reply 4

korraandhooch

Original post by theresheglows

No problem :smile:

Thanks so much! Would you know which medical schools would be best to apply to, based on what you've mentioned above?

Newcastle sent me a lengthy email explaining their entry requirements and I think that you can apply to medical schools two years before you complete your degree right? And it says that they only look at your academic history when you submit your application, and that they do not consider any further degrees once you've applied, right? So anything that I "Aquire" after I've submitted my application, won't be considered? Is that correct?

Reply 5

theresheglows

Original post by korraandhooch

Thanks so much! Would you know which medical schools would be best to apply to, based on what you've mentioned above?

Newcastle, Nottingham, St Georges, Swansea, Warwick
If you do a science degree then Kings

Original post by korraandhooch

Newcastle sent me a lengthy email explaining their entry requirements and I think that you can apply to medical schools two years before you complete your degree right?

No. You apply the year before the year of med school entry you are applying for; for example if you apply in october 2017 then this would be for september 2018 med school entry.
Therefore for graduate programme entrants it is possible to apply in the final year of their degree - for example to apply in october 2017 for september 2018 entry if academic year 2017/18 is their last year of their degree, and they will graduate with their degree in June 2018. In this case the med school gives a conditional offer, so they have to get e.g. at least 2.1 in order to meet their offer and get into that med school.
It is also possible to get your degree first and then apply for med school. The OU is a bit different in that you complete all the modules needed for your degree, and as you can do this at your own pace your graduation may not necessarily be in the summer. You need to complete your degree before the med school start date, usually by the August before (as this is A-level results day which is when unis finalise places).

Original post by korraandhooch

And it says that they only look at your academic history when you submit your application, and that they do not consider any further degrees once you've applied, right? So anything that I "Aquire" after I've submitted my application, won't be considered? Is that correct?

They will only consider a degree that you have already done, or if you are doing a degree and applying in the last year of your degree, they will consider that degree as you have already started it and will finish it before med school entry.
However if they said this is response to you asking them about an OU degree they may be saying that they require you to finish your OU degree before applying as an OU degree does not have a fixed finish date. Different unis may have different views on this, so it would be best to contact them individually.

Here is a guide to applying to graduate entry medicine which will be helpful to you
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15889-graduate-entry-medicine-a-guide

Reply 6

korraandhooch

Original post by theresheglows

Newcastle, Nottingham, St Georges, Swansea, Warwick
If you do a science degree then Kings

No. You apply the year before the year of med school entry you are applying for; for example if you apply in october 2017 then this would be for september 2018 med school entry.
Therefore for graduate programme entrants it is possible to apply in the final year of their degree - for example to apply in october 2017 for september 2018 entry if academic year 2017/18 is their last year of their degree, and they will graduate with their degree in June 2018. In this case the med school gives a conditional offer, so they have to get e.g. at least 2.1 in order to meet their offer and get into that med school.
It is also possible to get your degree first and then apply for med school. The OU is a bit different in that you complete all the modules needed for your degree, and as you can do this at your own pace your graduation may not necessarily be in the summer. You need to complete your degree before the med school start date, usually by the August before (as this is A-level results day which is when unis finalise places).

They will only consider a degree that you have already done, or if you are doing a degree and applying in the last year of your degree, they will consider that degree as you have already started it and will finish it before med school entry.
However if they said this is response to you asking them about an OU degree they may be saying that they require you to finish your OU degree before applying as an OU degree does not have a fixed finish date. Different unis may have different views on this, so it would be best to contact them individually.

Here is a guide to applying to graduate entry medicine which will be helpful to you
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15889-graduate-entry-medicine-a-guide

Ahhhhh. Thanks a lot theresheglows! I will check out the link you posted.

Thanks, I really appreciate that you took the time to reply and explain all this to me!