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Original post by BabyLadDarren
Damn relax guys lmfao

Funny how worked up some people are getting over this
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
I will ask one last time, what else is there to medicine, apart from rote learning and memorisation?


Afaik, EVERY degree I can think of is largely memory based, except for mathematics. Could you name me one degree that requires more intuition than memory during the non practical years? No? Then why are you getting yourself so worked up over medicine?
Original post by CharlieGEM
I know enough to judge.

Hilarious comments. The fact remains I took the UKCAT at the age of 33 and would have no doubt got an even higher score at 17, since if you look at the stats, performance drops off sharply with age, reaching a peak in the early twenties.

I also got a great score in the GAMSAT, both while working more than full time and volunteering. I think if I had been the typical grad med early twenties from a wealthy family on a gap yah I would have done even better.

I also have better A-levels than 99% of doctors as well just in case you wondered.

I'm not a snob far from it, but when those that work as healthcare assistants consistently score better than your doctors in aptitude tests, there is something a bit amiss in your society. I'm sure the interviewers disliked me but more for the reason that I look like I belong in prison more than anywhere else. I suspect class bias more than anything else.


You're in denial buddy.
Original post by Quilverine
Shhhhh every career I have explored has seen its salaries shrink alarmingly. I had hoped I might actually get off housing benefit once (if) I qualify, don't go ruining my chances.

Ps. mensa mind, prisoner looks is a winning combo imo. Like DC villain in real life.


OK, I'll be quiet 😉

If you think it's bad in medicine: it's worse in a lot of other careers. In finance the starting salary for a top quant in 2005 is the same as what some quant directors are now paid (10+ years experience), in programming, a top developer could get 55k after 2 years experience, now those kind of salaries are reserved for senior roles. It's all become a bit of a joke really, especially given the cost of living is heading towards twice what it was in 2005.
Original post by CharlieGEM
I will 😉. All I'll say is it's got to be pretty embarrassing if you're a doctor and the healthcare assistant has got a higher UKCAT/GAMSAT than you.


I can't imagine for one minute that any doctor would care less what a HCA (or anyone else, for that matter) scored in their UKCAT/GAMSAT, unless they were a friend/relative they were advising on their application.
Original post by hopefuldentist10
Afaik, EVERY degree I can think of is largely memory based, except for mathematics. Could you name me one degree that requires more intuition than memory during the non practical years? No? Then why are you getting yourself so worked up over medicine?


Physical chemistry, physics, engineering etc etc
Original post by GradeA*UnderA
Physical chemistry, physics, engineering etc etc


Looool do you seriously think they aren't 95% memorization too? Or are you kidding?

Even maths is memorising a set of principles then finding ways to apply them. In fact, maths from ages 5-19 is essentially learning, repeating a type of question over and over again, then looking at past papers to familiarize yourself since you know they're just going to reword the questions next year.
(edited 7 years ago)
Philosophy
Original post by BioStudentx
Law. Lol at my friends going to Lincoln to study law, thinking they're going to become a lawyer. They're in for a nasty shock. At least people who study medicine can actually get a job as a doctor.


Very true. medicine is hard to get into everywhere, but easy to get a job when you graduate. Whereas law is easier to get into at most universities but hard to get a job
Original post by A-LJLB
Although I'm planning to do it, Psychology

It seems far too many take it just because they don't know what to do or "enjoyed it at A Level". I've wanted to do it since I was 14 and have my entire career planned. You can be extremely successful in Psychology and earn a lot of money, but it's hard work and not many people make it, I don't think people realise this.


What career in psychology are you planning on getting into?


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Original post by lucabrasi98
Looool do you seriously think they aren't 95% memorization too? Or are you kidding?

Even maths is memorising a set of principles then finding ways to apply them. In fact, maths from ages 5-19 is essentially learning, repeating a type of question over and over again, then looking at past papers to familiarize yourself since you know they're just going to reword the questions next year.


The only reason I managed to do well at maths at GCSE and A-level was because of past papers :tongue: without them I'd be ****ed. I learnt C4 by doing past papers and learning from my mistakes and mark schemes
Original post by lucabrasi98
Looool do you seriously think they aren't 95% memorization too? Or are you kidding?

Even maths is memorising a set of principles then finding ways to apply them. In fact, maths from ages 5-19 is essentially learning, repeating a type of question over and over again, then looking at past papers to familiarize yourself since you know they're just going to reword the questions next year.


GCSE/A Level maths isn't the same as a maths degree. Same goes for physical sciences.

I suppose that research project they undertake is all memorisation too(even when there's no source material to memorise from).
Original post by Pinkberry_y
Philosophy


I tried to avoid the obvious pun answer. Nonetheless, why?
Original post by hopefuldentist10
Afaik, EVERY degree I can think of is largely memory based, except for mathematics. Could you name me one degree that requires more intuition than memory during the non practical years? No? Then why are you getting yourself so worked up over medicine?


Accounting. You are taught the principles of accounting and then are expected to be able to figure out when and how to use them. Every year there are complaints that "stuff came up in the exam that we didn't learn" because people tried to memorise examples rather than understand the underlying assumptions. It just can't be done.

The problem for most people is often that we will be shown examples of how to account for a particular type of transaction and then something else entirely will come up in the exam. The "something else" is usually something that has similar properties and is accounted for in similar ways to things we have seen in class, but with a bit a of a difference that draws from somewhere else in the course. You are very much expected to realise that you can't be taught how to account for every single event/transaction (it's just not humanly possible) but you can be taught principles and should be using your problem solving skills to figure out how and when to apply those principles.
English.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by lucabrasi98
Looool do you seriously think they aren't 95% memorization too? Or are you kidding?

Even maths is memorising a set of principles then finding ways to apply them. In fact, maths from ages 5-19 is essentially learning, repeating a type of question over and over again, then looking at past papers to familiarize yourself since you know they're just going to reword the questions next year.
You maybe right about the 5-19 thing but at university Maths, Physics are abstract. Where is the abstract aspect in medicine? Please don't compare the level of memorisation in STEM degrees to Medicine. It looks like you're insinuating that STEM subjects are easy. SMH

Ps - Don't lie about them being 95% memorisation.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by NHSFan
I can't imagine for one minute that any doctor would care less what a HCA (or anyone else, for that matter) scored in their UKCAT/GAMSAT, unless they were a friend/relative they were advising on their application.


Depends if we're talking about the ego too big to fit through the door type of doctor of which there are plenty. I believe some of the replies on here are a good illustration of med students well on their way to this.
Original post by CharlieGEM
I know enough to judge.

Hilarious comments. The fact remains I took the UKCAT at the age of 33 and would have no doubt got an even higher score at 17, since if you look at the stats, performance drops off sharply with age, reaching a peak in the early twenties.

I also got a great score in the GAMSAT, both while working more than full time and volunteering. I think if I had been the typical grad med early twenties from a wealthy family on a gap yah I would have done even better.

I also have better A-levels than 99% of doctors as well just in case you wondered.

I'm not a snob far from it, but when those that work as healthcare assistants consistently score better than your doctors in aptitude tests, there is something a bit amiss in your society. I'm sure the interviewers disliked me but more for the reason that I look like I belong in prison more than anywhere else. I suspect class bias more than anything else.


Not possible to get higher than 99% when a lot of doctors get all A*s...c'mon mate
Original post by RomeoSantos
Not possible to get higher than 99% when a lot of doctors get all A*s...c'mon mate


Most doctors don't get all A*.

In fact, a lot of doctors in practice don't have any A* , as it wasn't available to them.

Out of those that did have it available, I estimate probably 1/10 of them do - at the most.
Original post by RomeoSantos
Not possible to get higher than 99% when a lot of doctors get all A*s...c'mon mate


I got 6A's back in the day when there were no A*. Joint highest total of grade A A-levels in the country in one sitting that year.

3A's (standard med school applicant)<4A's<5A's<6A's see how that works?

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