Advice for getting into Medicine?

I really want to study medicine and become a cardiovascular surgeon and I have done all the necessities took the right a levels work experience started preparing to write my personal statement etc but I feel like I'm not doing enough and I would really appreciate if anyone else in my situation or any medicine uni students could offer me some advice
It will be greatly appreciated

Check out this forum.

don't say stuff like 'a cardiovascular surgeon' it makes you seem stupid and people will get irritated by your lack of insight

I really want to study medicine and become a cardiovascular surgeon and I have done all the necessities took the right a levels work experience started preparing to write my personal statement etc but I feel like I'm not doing enough and I would really appreciate if anyone else in my situation or any medicine uni students could offer me some advice
It will be greatly appreciated

Sounds like a good start. Have you done any volunteering?

Im currently looking into it but havent had any luck yet as all the places ive been to request 18+

Explain please?
Because I know that you can specialise in many units in cardiothoracics including general thoracic surgeon and cardiovascular as well as many other units such as neurosurgery etc. So your comment has confused me.

Yeah, so that's something to work on. Personally I wouldn't start writing your PS until you've actually got all this stuff under your belt so you have something to reflect on.

What work experience have you done so far?



It's just a bit early to be commiting yourself to a specialty (let alone a sub-specialty) and sixth formers wanting to do cardiothoracics or neurosurgery is basically a cliché at this point.

I understand that it seems cliche but I've always been fascinated with the circulatory and respiratory system due to my own health issues and i have done private research on things in that area specifically. I also like the idea of surgery due to the precision and technical ability you have to have as well as thinking on your feet if theres a complication. I wouldnt necessarily mention it in an interview but it is something I have in mind and a goal to strive for.

Work experience wise it's all booked one for 2 weeks time and one in July in 2 different hospital environments with different learning types (eg the one in 2 weeks involves technical skills such as learning to suture whereas the one in july is very in depth hospital environment and exposure to actual patients rather than predominantly case studies for the first w/e). I also understand why you've said to wait about the PS because i just went to a UCAS convention and they said (especially the more difficult unis to get into like oxford and cambridge) that less is more on the PS and they prefer in depth detail about hands on experience rather than lists. I am still looking for volunteering as well dw

That's fair enough but if you mention in an interview that you have a single specialty you are aiming for, then they don't tend to like that. They want you to go in with an open mind and ready to experience all the fields. This is hard to do when you have a goal in mind before even starting med school. I'm pretty sure most people change their minds when they're in med school and even after that.

Definitely hold off on writing your PS until you've done all your w/e so you can pick the best experiences.

Hi! It's great that you know what you want to do!
If you want to go into cardiothoracic/neurosurgery, then it is quite important to start early, as these fields are highly competitive.

In terms of medical school,
Volunteering/Work experience: quality > quantity. The interviewers will want to know what you've learned from the experiences, not how many doctors you've shadowed.

UKCAT: try your best, but don't be disheartened if you did not get the score that you wanted. You could always try BMAT and see which one you score higher in, this might influence your UCAS choices. It is important, but not that important.

PS: be genuine and avoid cliches such as I love sciences or I want to help others. Be confident but not arrogant.

Interview: in my opinion, this is the most important step in the application process. Interview really is an opportunity for you to prove it to the interviewers how much you want to do medicine. Don't rehearse interview answers, it will look rehearsed and unnatural. Don't be nervous, just be honest and genuine.

Others: I highly recommend medical journals such as student BMJ as you would get a better picture what medicine is like and you will know what to talk about during your interviews. (BMJ should pay me

Med applicants vary a lot - some are very naive - whereas others are seemingly all knowing. Just be yourself and tbf a lot of us, myself included, don't know what we're getting ourselves into - tbf the problem is medicine is still all about the job at the end and not the degree (and that's not how it should be). Just work on ur PS (if the uni's u apply to even read it) and make sure u have a good base knowledge of medicine. U say u want to be a cardiovascular surgeon, as people have said don't focus on a single specialty but having this interest is also good, as u develop ur knowledge of this topic u learn more about medicine as a whole and come ur interview u lead the interview rather than the interview - u may most likely find that u are more knowledgeable on the topic than the interviewer/s

Thank youuu
I know I have to do both BMAT and UKCAT as the different unis i want to apply for require different tests to be taken (2 of them BMAT and the other 2 UKCAT). Also I do agree that the interview is one of the most important steps as it gives the interviewers to see who you are and your personality.
I do think I'll be quite nervous though because I am quite socially anxious and I always feel like I'm going to mess up. Any advice for this?
Again thank you for the tips I am going to look at BMJ soon

I know it is quite awkward being unsure of what will happen post med school and I do hope I will be able to show off some of my knowledge and explain how I feel about the different areas of medicine and how different hospital units work in tandom for the patients benefit. I dont think I know everything infact I know very little compared to many but I do know the core values and how I am passionate and willing to learn. I guess I'm the most worried for the interview if anything...