Original post by khoooooaaa
I completed my Biomedical Science degree with a 1st this year and I've got offers to do a masters in Clinical Neuroscience at UCL and King's College London this September, however, I can't decide where to go.
Initially, I wanted to go to King’s because I plan on going to graduate medical school after the masters and King's is my first choice for Medicine. My medical school choices are quite limited because my A-levels and GCSEs aren't very good, but King's only asks for a 2:1 in Biomedical Science in terms of grades. I also thought I could make connections with the lecturers (most of which are clinicians) which would help with my Medicine application. Also, I want to go to medical school in London and like the King's campus.
However, after speaking to more people, I'm now gravitating towards UCL. My friends have told me it's really highly ranked worldwide and I would be crazy to turn down the offer. I would also still be able to apply to King's for Medicine after and I would be able to study at both institutions.
The issue is that the UCL tuition fees are £16,000 whereas for King's they are £13,380. I can just about pay the King's fees with the help of student finance and my savings, however, the only way to afford the UCL fees is to defer for a year so I can work and make the money I need.
But is it really worth it deferring for a year? Should I just stick with King's since it was my first choice initially?
Initially, I wanted to go to King’s because I plan on going to graduate medical school after the masters and King's is my first choice for Medicine. My medical school choices are quite limited because my A-levels and GCSEs aren't very good, but King's only asks for a 2:1 in Biomedical Science in terms of grades. I also thought I could make connections with the lecturers (most of which are clinicians) which would help with my Medicine application. Also, I want to go to medical school in London and like the King's campus.
However, after speaking to more people, I'm now gravitating towards UCL. My friends have told me it's really highly ranked worldwide and I would be crazy to turn down the offer. I would also still be able to apply to King's for Medicine after and I would be able to study at both institutions.
The issue is that the UCL tuition fees are £16,000 whereas for King's they are £13,380. I can just about pay the King's fees with the help of student finance and my savings, however, the only way to afford the UCL fees is to defer for a year so I can work and make the money I need.
But is it really worth it deferring for a year? Should I just stick with King's since it was my first choice initially?
go to kings. you'll need the money saved for grad med. for applying to med as a grad noone cares where you went. all they care about is that u got a first
Original post by ajj2000
Why not just apply for medicine and save the money?
true... unless they dont have wex/volunteering yet
Original post by khoooooaaa
I completed my Biomedical Science degree with a 1st this year and I've got offers to do a masters in Clinical Neuroscience at UCL and King's College London this September, however, I can't decide where to go.
Initially, I wanted to go to King’s because I plan on going to graduate medical school after the masters and King's is my first choice for Medicine. My medical school choices are quite limited because my A-levels and GCSEs aren't very good, but King's only asks for a 2:1 in Biomedical Science in terms of grades. I also thought I could make connections with the lecturers (most of which are clinicians) which would help with my Medicine application. Also, I want to go to medical school in London and like the King's campus.
However, after speaking to more people, I'm now gravitating towards UCL. My friends have told me it's really highly ranked worldwide and I would be crazy to turn down the offer. I would also still be able to apply to King's for Medicine after and I would be able to study at both institutions.
The issue is that the UCL tuition fees are £16,000 whereas for King's they are £13,380. I can just about pay the King's fees with the help of student finance and my savings, however, the only way to afford the UCL fees is to defer for a year so I can work and make the money I need.
But is it really worth it deferring for a year? Should I just stick with King's since it was my first choice initially?
Initially, I wanted to go to King’s because I plan on going to graduate medical school after the masters and King's is my first choice for Medicine. My medical school choices are quite limited because my A-levels and GCSEs aren't very good, but King's only asks for a 2:1 in Biomedical Science in terms of grades. I also thought I could make connections with the lecturers (most of which are clinicians) which would help with my Medicine application. Also, I want to go to medical school in London and like the King's campus.
However, after speaking to more people, I'm now gravitating towards UCL. My friends have told me it's really highly ranked worldwide and I would be crazy to turn down the offer. I would also still be able to apply to King's for Medicine after and I would be able to study at both institutions.
The issue is that the UCL tuition fees are £16,000 whereas for King's they are £13,380. I can just about pay the King's fees with the help of student finance and my savings, however, the only way to afford the UCL fees is to defer for a year so I can work and make the money I need.
But is it really worth it deferring for a year? Should I just stick with King's since it was my first choice initially?
Making connections is not really a thing, the application process is very centralised so if that's one of your main reasons I would reconsider.
If you're planning on doing graduate entry medicine I would be tempted to keep your savings for that instead of a technically irrelevant postgrad degree. Same goes for deferring for a year, what's the point?
Original post by hoohoohaahaa
true... unless they dont have wex/volunteering yet
So - year out and work as a healthcare assistant?
Original post by ajj2000
So - year out and work as a healthcare assistant?
yhhh
Honestly I would not do the master’s now. If you’re going into medicine it would be difficult to quantify any advantage it would give you at this stage, unless you planned on going into academic medicine. If you are set on medicine, you don’t need the master’s to get in and - apart from academic medicine - you’ll not be in many situations where that knowledge will benefit you directly.
Given that you do seem to be putting medicine off it does make me wonder what you have actually been doing to prepare for medicine during your degree. Are you treating it as something of a given that will go into it? If so, what clinical experiences have you gained to help explore and test your motivation for medicine.
Cleaving to academia if you’re wanting a highly practical career does not send the best signals that you’re ready to commit to medicine. A masters will do little to prepare you further for it, regardless of whether it has clinical in the title. It’s a huge amount of money and time to commit to something that you may never use. If you’re planning on applying to medicine this autumn, this will not impress graduate entry medicine admissions who are looking for evidence of commitment to medicine. Unless you have a lot more that you’re not telling us, they would be potentially looking askance at the person who appears to be zigzagging.
Be cautious with this. And do examine your own motivations as well. If you’re chasing prestige, medical schools don’t care. If you’re wanting to study clinical neuroscience, do you really want to do medicine? A master’s is a commitment in itself and one you can’t take back later. You may regret using up your master’s funding now if you did pursue a medical career and find that another one would have been better suited to you. I think you need to make up your mind.
Given that you do seem to be putting medicine off it does make me wonder what you have actually been doing to prepare for medicine during your degree. Are you treating it as something of a given that will go into it? If so, what clinical experiences have you gained to help explore and test your motivation for medicine.
Cleaving to academia if you’re wanting a highly practical career does not send the best signals that you’re ready to commit to medicine. A masters will do little to prepare you further for it, regardless of whether it has clinical in the title. It’s a huge amount of money and time to commit to something that you may never use. If you’re planning on applying to medicine this autumn, this will not impress graduate entry medicine admissions who are looking for evidence of commitment to medicine. Unless you have a lot more that you’re not telling us, they would be potentially looking askance at the person who appears to be zigzagging.
Be cautious with this. And do examine your own motivations as well. If you’re chasing prestige, medical schools don’t care. If you’re wanting to study clinical neuroscience, do you really want to do medicine? A master’s is a commitment in itself and one you can’t take back later. You may regret using up your master’s funding now if you did pursue a medical career and find that another one would have been better suited to you. I think you need to make up your mind.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Pivoting into other subject for masters.
- Masters in Economics
- Course selection
- what masters are a good choice after BSC biomedical sciences
- Masters Student Loan
- Masters funding
- Placement Year/Masters?
- Conversion master's courses are confusing, please help.
- Placement Year/Masters?
- Career options after graduating in chemistry with BSc
- Unveiling My Journey into Engineering: Seeking Your Valuable Input
- Advise for masters
- Can i go into quant finance if im not going to a "top 5" university?
- Masters in Aerospace abroad!
- Postgraduate Master's Loan - 2
- Apply to Oxbridge for undergrad or post grad?
- PhD Physics Application Help
- psychiatry through psychology
- Funding for a second masters
- Choosing a suitable course for master's degree
Latest
Trending
Last reply 4 weeks ago
opinions on laptops/tablets which will be good for med school/uni in general?Last reply 2 months ago
Going abroad after studying at a UK medicine universityLast reply 2 months ago
Unsure on medicinary/dentistry or computing science fieldLast reply 2 months ago
Unintentional 'Gap Year' After Graduating Medical SchoolTrending
Last reply 4 weeks ago
opinions on laptops/tablets which will be good for med school/uni in general?Last reply 2 months ago
Going abroad after studying at a UK medicine universityLast reply 2 months ago
Unsure on medicinary/dentistry or computing science fieldLast reply 2 months ago
Unintentional 'Gap Year' After Graduating Medical School
