US International Medicine Application
Hi, I’m currently applying for medicine through UCAS. I am applying to a mix of both US and UK universities but I would like to attend a UK university due to the direct entry into medical school. My main issue is that I won’t know if I meet the entry requirements for US applicants because of the difficulty to get 5s in chemistry and biology. I understand that in the UK you usually have until August to figure everything out and accept an offer, but here, you have to determine which school you’re going to by May 1. This is an issue because if I don’t meet the entry requirements, then I won’t be able to go to a UK school but the AP results are in July. Can someone give me so advice, especially if they’ve been through this?
I’m not sure I quite understand your query - would you not just be applying with predicted AP grades…? In the U.K. school leavers don’t have their grades when they apply to university and receive offers. Their offer is confirmed (or not) in results day in August when they get their A level grades. @artful_lounger usually has lots of advice on the US 
For medicine it’s also generally best to study where you want to work, FYI.
For medicine it’s also generally best to study where you want to work, FYI.
(edited 1 year ago)
We don’t really have any “predicted” AP scores because it’s honestly a gamble. I understand that teachers predict A levels there, but we don’t have any sort of system for that. That’s not my issue though. My main issue is that I won’t know if I can go to the university for medicine until after I have to decide on whether to stay in the US or not. Here, every offer is unconditional, which is why it’s so different. I just don’t want to go all in on a UK offer, not get the entry retirements, and get the offer rescinded.
I would honestly love to study medicine in either country, but I’d ultimately want to live in the US. The US just costs a lot more money and I want to get straight into studying medicine rather than doing an undergraduate degree here.
I would honestly love to study medicine in either country, but I’d ultimately want to live in the US. The US just costs a lot more money and I want to get straight into studying medicine rather than doing an undergraduate degree here.
Original post by trippm4
Hi, I’m currently applying for medicine through UCAS. I am applying to a mix of both US and UK universities but I would like to attend a UK university due to the direct entry into medical school. My main issue is that I won’t know if I meet the entry requirements for US applicants because of the difficulty to get 5s in chemistry and biology. I understand that in the UK you usually have until August to figure everything out and accept an offer, but here, you have to determine which school you’re going to by May 1. This is an issue because if I don’t meet the entry requirements, then I won’t be able to go to a UK school but the AP results are in July. Can someone give me so advice, especially if they’ve been through this?
If you get accepted into a US university can you reject the place without penalty before actually attending?
Original post by ageshallnot
If you get accepted into a US university can you reject the place without penalty before actually attending?
Yes, you typically get accepted into multiple universities. In early May, though, you pay a deposit. I’m not actually sure what happens if you do decide to withdraw.
Original post by trippm4
Yes, you typically get accepted into multiple universities. In early May, though, you pay a deposit. I’m not actually sure what happens if you do decide to withdraw.
If the deposit is small you could accept a US uni then reject it should you meet the grades for a UK uni.
Original post by ageshallnot
If the deposit is small you could accept a US uni then reject it should you meet the grades for a UK uni.
I would have to look into any policies. The issue with this is that we have student orientation and housing in June, which is also before the release of AP scores. What do y’all usually do if you don’t meet entry requirements?
Original post by trippm4
I would have to look into any policies. The issue with this is that we have student orientation and housing in June, which is also before the release of AP scores. What do y’all usually do if you don’t meet entry requirements?
Some get accepted anyway, some go to their second "insurance" choice, some go into clearing (a system matching vacancies to unsuccessful applicants), some try again next year.
Original post by trippm4
We don’t really have any “predicted” AP scores because it’s honestly a gamble. I understand that teachers predict A levels there, but we don’t have any sort of system for that. That’s not my issue though. My main issue is that I won’t know if I can go to the university for medicine until after I have to decide on whether to stay in the US or not. Here, every offer is unconditional, which is why it’s so different. I just don’t want to go all in on a UK offer, not get the entry retirements, and get the offer rescinded.
I would honestly love to study medicine in either country, but I’d ultimately want to live in the US. The US just costs a lot more money and I want to get straight into studying medicine rather than doing an undergraduate degree here.
I would honestly love to study medicine in either country, but I’d ultimately want to live in the US. The US just costs a lot more money and I want to get straight into studying medicine rather than doing an undergraduate degree here.
You can always accept an offer in the UK and US and just decline the US one if needed/wanted. You may lose a deposit of course for the US course, but that option is still there.
As above if you want to practice medicine in the US you should study there. Getting a residency post, especially in any remotely competitive residency, is much harder if you're an IMG (even if you're a US citizen). You would probably limit yourself to family med/psych/rural med/a few less competitive internal med specialties in less desirable areas (say hello to rural Idaho!).
Also with the UK medical school fees for international students, and the fact the degree is 5-6 years anyway, you are already approaching the length of time and cost that a US undergrad + medical degree would be (especially if you go for something like the PLME at Brown or similar).
Note also that medicine is much more competitive for international applicants in the UK because there are government imposed quotas on the number of international medical students each medical school can accept. Combine this with the fact that not all UK medical schools are equally recognised outside of the UK (despite being completely equivalent in the eyes of the NHS), and you are just making things unnecessarily hard for yourself.
Medicine is, to a point, jurisdictional. While the physiology etc remains the same, all the clinical processes, medicolegal issues, etc, vary between countries. A UK medical degree is preparing you to be a junior doctor in the NHS, not a resident in the US - and you may find it a lot harder doing the latter even if you are successful.
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