Graduate Entry Medicine: 2016 Entry

Hi! I hope you don't mind me posting. Does anyone have any recommendations of medical books to read? I am in year 12 but would like to find an area that I am interested in

Hi! I hope you don't mind me posting. Does anyone have any recommendations of medical books to read? I am in year 12 but would like to find an area that I am interested in

Is it just me, or is anyone else finding abstract reasoning ridiculously hard when there's a whole load of shapes and lines in the boxes? I hate the UKCAT 😭😭😭

Is it just me, or is anyone else finding abstract reasoning ridiculously hard when there's a whole load of shapes and lines in the boxes? I hate the UKCAT 😭😭😭

Just flag anything overly complicated and come back to it. Also, if there is an overwhelming amount of information in the box (e.g. lines, too many shapes), then it should be a relatively simple pattern.

Lines: do they cross over? don't they? do they form closed sections or not? are they mostly horizontal or vertical, or diagonal?

Sometimes you get ones were there are, say, 9 shapes in a 3x3 grid. Usually there will be a moving pattern amongst the shapes, or more than one than the others, or a different shade or colour assigned to a particular shape.

Just flag anything overly complicated and come back to it. Also, if there is an overwhelming amount of information in the box (e.g. lines, too many shapes), then it should be a relatively simple pattern.

Lines: do they cross over? don't they? do they form closed sections or not? are they mostly horizontal or vertical, or diagonal?

Sometimes you get ones were there are, say, 9 shapes in a 3x3 grid. Usually there will be a moving pattern amongst the shapes, or more than one than the others, or a different shade or colour assigned to a particular shape.

I've been trying to decide between Physio and GEM for the best part of a year and after a couple of weeks away from it all I think I'm going to apply for Physio and if I still really want to do medicine and it's still around as GEM, I'll apply in a few years (when I'm 30 :/). Anyone know of people doing med as a third degree? Feels like I'm making a crazy decision but in reality I don't think I'll get into GEM for a few years given my lack of work exp, lack of GAMSAT knowledge and my Arts degree so I may as well get a relevant degree (I know it's not necessary) and relevant knowledge over the next few years and have a career at the end of it (the most important thing!) in case GEM doesn't work out rather than spend 2/3 years working in min wage care roles, living with my parents and applying to GEM because if I don't get in within 3 years I'll be 30 with no career and living with my parents.

Mad, or sensible?

I've got until August for a GAMSAT refund anyway.

I've been trying to decide between Physio and GEM for the best part of a year and after a couple of weeks away from it all I think I'm going to apply for Physio and if I still really want to do medicine and it's still around as GEM, I'll apply in a few years (when I'm 30 :/). Anyone know of people doing med as a third degree? Feels like I'm making a crazy decision but in reality I don't think I'll get into GEM for a few years given my lack of work exp, lack of GAMSAT knowledge and my Arts degree so I may as well get a relevant degree (I know it's not necessary) and relevant knowledge over the next few years and have a career at the end of it (the most important thing!) in case GEM doesn't work out rather than spend 2/3 years working in min wage care roles, living with my parents and applying to GEM because if I don't get in within 3 years I'll be 30 with no career and living with my parents.

Mad, or sensible?

I've got until August for a GAMSAT refund anyway.

I've been trying to decide between Physio and GEM for the best part of a year and after a couple of weeks away from it all I think I'm going to apply for Physio and if I still really want to do medicine and it's still around as GEM, I'll apply in a few years (when I'm 30 :/). Anyone know of people doing med as a third degree? Feels like I'm making a crazy decision but in reality I don't think I'll get into GEM for a few years given my lack of work exp, lack of GAMSAT knowledge and my Arts degree so I may as well get a relevant degree (I know it's not necessary) and relevant knowledge over the next few years and have a career at the end of it (the most important thing!) in case GEM doesn't work out rather than spend 2/3 years working in min wage care roles, living with my parents and applying to GEM because if I don't get in within 3 years I'll be 30 with no career and living with my parents.

Mad, or sensible?

I've got until August for a GAMSAT refund anyway.

Physiotherapy is only slightly less harder to get into than graduate medicine. Do you think you have the necessary experience to look like the perfect physio candidate, because if you do you most likely will look like a good medical candidate as well. If you do get into the physio programme, you'll work alongside a lot of doctors and that will probably frustrate you. And that GAMSAT is done by people from totally non science backgrounds, and if they can do it and get a place for medicine then so can you. There were people at my St George's interview who studied English or Economics many years ago but still got to the interview stage, so I don't think you should let the difficulty of getting into the course turn you off.

I understand how difficult it is to be in limbo, working minimum wage jobs and not feeling you're going anywhere. But I don't believe you should settle either. In a few years GEM may not exist and you might regret not have applying. I would say get experience in both area's to really make your mind up, but I don't think getting physiotherapy or medical work experience is the easiest thing in your part of the world. Can I also point out, I've met lots of physio's and OT's who have really struggled to get a foot into the NHS once they qualify, sometimes they have to work privately or in similarly related jobs in the fitness world or healthcare. Allied professional work really depends on how the job market is doing.

Hi, on ucas..to apply for medicine..do I go on postgraduate apply?
as I will leave with a degree (biomedical science), therefore I no longer apply through undergraduate way right?

GEM is still an undergraduate course, so you have to apply the usual way through UCAS, just make sure you select the 4 year courses, the course code is normally A101/A102 instead of A100 for 5 year medicine, but they're all listed in the same place.

okay thanks, I am also going to apply for masters medical science in Newcastle, just in case I don't get into medicine.. would that be okay to apply the undergaduate way also? and are we not allowed to apply for the 5 year programme.

I'm not sure about the application for masters degrees, I think it may be done directly through universities?

You are allowed to apply for the 5 year courses, but there's no funding for tuition fees in years 1-4, so most people apply for GEM courses only, as the funding of a 5 year course is far from ideal.

Hmm, I though we could apply for a bursary to pay for the tuition fees?