Failed Medical School, Re-apply/ Move on?

Hi everyone,

I do appreciate that this thread is somewhat similar to many others on this forum however please bear with me.

My current situation is that i have just been asked to leave my medical degree programme at UCL for failing my first year medical school exams. I'm presently in a horrible situation whereby i don't know where i'm going in my life! With the UCAS applications drawing closer in September i'm not sure how to procceed.

I'm considering re-applying to medical schools and hoping that by getting a good BMAT and UKCAT scores - which i have every confidence i can repeat and by writing a high quality Personal Statement that i can be considered by other universities. However, i'm uncertain as to whether or not this is the most advisable path for me to take now. The question i ask TSR, is how would my outlook look if i re-applied this september considering i've just been asked to leave? Would anyone even consider an application from me now to any other medical school having been kicked off a medical degree already?

I've got a pretty solid personal statement - loads of work experience etc, and have relatively good A-Level grades for a time when there were no A*'s:

Biology: A,A,B,A,B,B - A
Chemistry: A,A,A,A,A,A - A
English Literature: A,A,A,B,A,C - A
Physex: A,A,A,A,A,B - A

AS:

Critical Thinking: B,C - B

Many of those A's i attained would be considered A*'s now however there were a few resits amongst those grades.

The University has also said that they would write me a good reference to other universities and that they'd include my extenuating circumstances but to me this sounds as those it's rather unhelpful - a reference basically saying; ''he's good enough for you, but not for us.''

My other plan would be applying to study Law and maybe eventually postgraduate entry to medical school - however i'm reluctant to pursue this route as i'm certainly more passionate about medicine and would rather commit my life to becoming a doctor than (chances are) ending up a lawyer. I also really don't want to wait that long to become a doctor. Also before anyone suggests it, i don't wish to pursue these other biological/medical degrees such as Biomedicine/Genetics/Biochemistry as Graduate Entry medicine - being infinitely more competitive than undergraduate, i'd rather have a fall-back career which could have more potential if i was to be rejected postgrad applicant.

I'm concerned that with medical applications being as competitive as they are would i stand a chance at all applying as an undergraduate that's failed previously or would it be best for me to wait painfully for 4 years to apply again? I need to make a decision soon so i can prepare for an LNAT/UKCAT/BMAT etc.

Thanks for reading this rather large synopsis of my life i really did try to keep it succinct.

My current situation is that i have just been asked to leave my medical degree programme at UCL for failing my first year medical school exams. I'm presently in a horrible situation whereby i don't know where i'm going in my life!

You don't have to mention in your personal statement that you've already been to med school and failed. Definately don't mention this. They'll probably just assume your reapplying after getting good grades/missing first time.

Also if you do get back into med school you have to make sure you're not going to make the same mistake again. Look at why you failed? And if you definately want to do medicine again, make sure you do something different in your first year.

All this is assuming you want to reapply to medicine and not an alternative career.

Hi everyone,

I do appreciate that this thread is somewhat similar to many others on this forum however please bear with me.

My current situation is that i have just been asked to leave my medical degree programme at UCL for failing my first year medical school exams. I'm presently in a horrible situation whereby i don't know where i'm going in my life! With the UCAS applications drawing closer in September i'm not sure how to procceed.

I'm considering re-applying to medical schools and hoping that by getting a good BMAT and UKCAT scores - which i have every confidence i can repeat and by writing a high quality Personal Statement that i can be considered by other universities. However, i'm uncertain as to whether or not this is the most advisable path for me to take now. The question i ask TSR, is how would my outlook look if i re-applied this september considering i've just been asked to leave? Would anyone even consider an application from me now to any other medical school having been kicked off a medical degree already?

I've got a pretty solid personal statement - loads of work experience etc, and have relatively good A-Level grades for a time when there were no A*'s:

Biology: A,A,B,A,B,B - A
Chemistry: A,A,A,A,A,A - A
English Literature: A,A,A,B,A,C - A
Physex: A,A,A,A,A,B - A

AS:

Critical Thinking: B,C - B

Many of those A's i attained would be considered A*'s now however there were a few resits amongst those grades.

The University has also said that they would write me a good reference to other universities and that they'd include my extenuating circumstances but to me this sounds as those it's rather unhelpful - a reference basically saying; ''he's good enough for you, but not for us.''

My other plan would be applying to study Law and maybe eventually postgraduate entry to medical school - however i'm reluctant to pursue this route as i'm certainly more passionate about medicine and would rather commit my life to becoming a doctor than (chances are) ending up a lawyer. I also really don't want to wait that long to become a doctor. Also before anyone suggests it, i don't wish to pursue these other biological/medical degrees such as Biomedicine/Genetics/Biochemistry as Graduate Entry medicine - being infinitely more competitive than undergraduate, i'd rather have a fall-back career which could have more potential if i was to be rejected postgrad applicant.

I'm concerned that with medical applications being as competitive as they are would i stand a chance at all applying as an undergraduate that's failed previously or would it be best for me to wait painfully for 4 years to apply again? I need to make a decision soon so i can prepare for an LNAT/UKCAT/BMAT etc.

Thanks for reading this rather large synopsis of my life i really did try to keep it succinct.

Hi everyone,

.

AFAIK most med schools won't consider applications from students who have previously been enrolled on a medical degree elsewhere. Check the websites/email them...

You have to declare your full education history (i.e. all higher education institutions attended) on the UCAS form. If you don't declare that you spent a year doing medicine at UCL, and they subsequently find out, you'll be chucked out of any medical school that lets you in. By providing false or incomplete information you will have demonstrated a lack of fitness to practice and gone against the GMC's guidelines on probity. In short - don't lie, it's not worth it.

If you do want to carry on with medicine, then I think your best bet will be to appeal formally to UCL, and hope they let you repeat the year. A few of my friends at manchester were excluded at the end of second year, and were let back in after appeals.

Good luck.

Hi everyone,

I do appreciate that this thread is somewhat similar to many others on this forum however please bear with me.

My current situation is that i have just been asked to leave my medical degree programme at UCL for failing my first year medical school exams. I'm presently in a horrible situation whereby i don't know where i'm going in my life! With the UCAS applications drawing closer in September i'm not sure how to procceed.

I'm considering re-applying to medical schools and hoping that by getting a good BMAT and UKCAT scores - which i have every confidence i can repeat and by writing a high quality Personal Statement that i can be considered by other universities. However, i'm uncertain as to whether or not this is the most advisable path for me to take now. The question i ask TSR, is how would my outlook look if i re-applied this september considering i've just been asked to leave? Would anyone even consider an application from me now to any other medical school having been kicked off a medical degree already?

I've got a pretty solid personal statement - loads of work experience etc, and have relatively good A-Level grades for a time when there were no A*'s:

Biology: A,A,B,A,B,B - A
Chemistry: A,A,A,A,A,A - A
English Literature: A,A,A,B,A,C - A
Physex: A,A,A,A,A,B - A

AS:

Critical Thinking: B,C - B

Many of those A's i attained would be considered A*'s now however there were a few resits amongst those grades.

The University has also said that they would write me a good reference to other universities and that they'd include my extenuating circumstances but to me this sounds as those it's rather unhelpful - a reference basically saying; ''he's good enough for you, but not for us.''

My other plan would be applying to study Law and maybe eventually postgraduate entry to medical school - however i'm reluctant to pursue this route as i'm certainly more passionate about medicine and would rather commit my life to becoming a doctor than (chances are) ending up a lawyer. I also really don't want to wait that long to become a doctor. Also before anyone suggests it, i don't wish to pursue these other biological/medical degrees such as Biomedicine/Genetics/Biochemistry as Graduate Entry medicine - being infinitely more competitive than undergraduate, i'd rather have a fall-back career which could have more potential if i was to be rejected postgrad applicant.

I'm concerned that with medical applications being as competitive as they are would i stand a chance at all applying as an undergraduate that's failed previously or would it be best for me to wait painfully for 4 years to apply again? I need to make a decision soon so i can prepare for an LNAT/UKCAT/BMAT etc.

Thanks for reading this rather large synopsis of my life i really did try to keep it succinct.

For all the med packs I've ever had from unis when I've been called to interview I've had to sign a form confirming I have never started but not finished for any reason a medical course at another university. So I'm not sure how kindly other unis will look upon you, extenuating circumstances or not.

I'm guessing that's for GEM? I don't recall any forms like that, but obviously I couldn't have started and failed while still in school. Does that mean GEM courses wouldn't let someone like him start?