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Dropped out from nursing, applying for medicine?

Hey everyone, I just wanted to get your guys opinions on this.

For the last year I have been studying adult nursing but I dropped out two weeks ago for a few reasons. I tried to make good friends on the course but I felt that I didn't really relate to anyone aside for a few people. I made more friends outside of the course than inside. I was feeling really depressed and anxious all the time and it got to the point where I just couldn't handle it anymore. I used to wake up in the mornings feeling awful and dreading having to go into seminars. I talked about it to a few of my tutors and I didn't really get much help on the issue. However I loved working in the hospitals and caring for patients. Helping patients get better is something I am really passionate about. I was doing well on the academic side of things too and overall I do feel like I learnt a lot coming away from the course. Both in terms of hospital life and looking after others, and personally.

Now I am looking at my options again and I am wondering whether I should apply for medicine in September.

My A-Levels were A*AA in English, Biology and Chemistry (achieved in 2013), and my GCSE's are 7A's and 2B's. I know I would have to smash the UKCAT exam in order to stand a chance of getting an interview as I would imagine that dropping out would already hinder my chances at quite a lot of places.

Do you guys think it would be worth applying?
(edited 5 years ago)

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Reply 1
Hey there! I'm sorry to hear about your situation, it sounds like you've had a tough year! Unfortunately I'm gonna be quite honest and blunt and say that given your situation, your chances of getting into medicine for 2016 entry, in my opinion, are very slim. From what I can tell, the only route I could see you taking would be undertaking a different science-based degree and applying for postgraduate medicine. But I can't quote every university policy about this so I won't say this is definitely right, just my opinion! Whatever happens, good luck!
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by HighwayUnicorn
Hey everyone, I just wanted to get your guys opinions on this.

For the last year I have been studying adult nursing but I dropped out two weeks ago for a few reasons. I tried to make good friends on the course but I felt that I didn't really relate to anyone aside for a few people. I made more friends outside of the course than inside. I was feeling really depressed and anxious all the time and it got to the point where I just couldn't handle it anymore. I used to wake up in the mornings feeling awful and dreading having to go into seminars. I talked about it to a few of my tutors and I didn't really get much help on the issue. However I loved working in the hospitals and caring for patients. Helping patients get better is something I am really passionate about. I was doing well on the academic side of things too and overall I do feel like I learnt a lot coming away from the course. Both in terms of hospital life and looking after others, and personally.

Now I am looking at my options again and I am wondering whether I should apply for medicine in September. If I am being completely honest, I think I only applied for nursing because I was too scared of being rejected from medicine. Medicine has been my only ambition and I am so ready to take it by the horns.

My A-Levels were A*AA in English, Biology and Chemistry (achieved in 2013), and my GCSE's are 7A's and 2B's. I know I would have to smash the UKCAT exam in order to stand a chance of getting an interview as I would imagine that dropping out would already hinder my chances at quite a lot of places.

Do you guys think it would be worth applying?


I think you should give it a go and apply. See how it goes and take it step by step. What's the worse that can happen? You get rejected, doesn't matter. It's better to take risks, otherwise you don't know what's around the corner. You have great A level grades! Good luck, let me know how it goes :smile:
Original post by Riyaax
I think you should give it a go and apply. See how it goes and take it step by step. What's the worse that can happen? You get rejected, doesn't matter. It's better to take risks, otherwise you don't know what's around the corner. You have great A level grades! Good luck, let me know how it goes :smile:


I think I will start revising for the UKCAT exam and prepping for my UCAS application, but if it doesn't work out then at least I can say that I tried. Thanks :smile:
Original post by Niamh258
Hey there! I'm sorry to hear about your situation, it sounds like you've had a tough year! Unfortunately I'm gonna be quite honest and blunt and say that given your situation, your chances of getting into medicine for 2016 entry, in my opinion, are very slim. From what I can tell, the only route I could see you taking would be undertaking a different science-based degree and applying for postgraduate medicine. But I can't quote every university policy about this so I won't say this is definitely right, just my opinion! Whatever happens, good luck!


I feel so too, especially nowadays where competition is so high for medicine places. I think I will apply anyway and just see what happens but if it doesn't work out then at least I can say that I tried. I could always put a science-based degree as a backup and hope for the best.
Reply 5
Original post by HighwayUnicorn
I think I will start revising for the UKCAT exam and prepping for my UCAS application, but if it doesn't work out then at least I can say that I tried. Thanks :smile:


Exactly, no harm in trying! Better to try then never have tried. It's alright :smile:
Original post by HighwayUnicorn
I tried to make good friends on the course but I felt that I didn't really relate to anyone aside for a few people. I made more friends outside of the course than inside. I was feeling really depressed and anxious all the time and it got to the point where I just couldn't handle it anymore. I used to wake up in the mornings feeling awful and dreading having to go into seminars.


I don't see any reason why you couldn't apply. Just make sure that you've addressed the underlying issues that caused the above first. Do you understand why you might have felt like this and do you think you could prevent it from happening the next time?
Original post by Niamh258
Hey there! I'm sorry to hear about your situation, it sounds like you've had a tough year! Unfortunately I'm gonna be quite honest and blunt and say that given your situation, your chances of getting into medicine for 2016 entry, in my opinion, are very slim. From what I can tell, the only route I could see you taking would be undertaking a different science-based degree and applying for postgraduate medicine. But I can't quote every university policy about this so I won't say this is definitely right, just my opinion! Whatever happens, good luck!


Intrigued as to why you think this? The OP's A-level grades are excellent, and they clearly have some solid experience of working with patients. IMO they have some valid-sounding reasons for wanting to go into medicine rather than nursing, and as long as they address what went wrong with nursing and why they think it will be different with medicine, I don't see why they wouldn't have a decent shot. :confused:
Reply 8
Original post by *pitseleh*
Intrigued as to why you think this? The OP's A-level grades are excellent, and they clearly have some solid experience of working with patients. IMO they have some valid-sounding reasons for wanting to go into medicine rather than nursing, and as long as they address what went wrong with nursing and why they think it will be different with medicine, I don't see why they wouldn't have a decent shot. :confused:


I'm just speaking from experience to be honest, a girl in the year above me with at least 3 A's was in a similar situation as she entered into a biomedical degree but dropped out a few months later because she wanted to do medicine but was unable to get any interviews because the universities believed the fact she entered into a degree other than medicine showed medicine wasn't her priority. I'm just saying the OP shouldn't get their hopes up but obviously they have great experience and grades! Before applying I would email each university to enquire about their policies about this because they would be able to shed more light on it.
Original post by Niamh258
I'm just speaking from experience to be honest, a girl in the year above me with at least 3 A's was in a similar situation as she entered into a biomedical degree but dropped out a few months later because she wanted to do medicine but was unable to get any interviews because the universities believed the fact she entered into a degree other than medicine showed medicine wasn't her priority. I'm just saying the OP shouldn't get their hopes up but obviously they have great experience and grades! Before applying I would email each university to enquire about their policies about this because they would be able to shed more light on it.


Hm, AFAIK no university has a blanket policy against admitting people who have dropped out from another degree, though some won't accept people who apply while in the first year of another degree. It's possible that your friend didn't manage to put across her change of heart in quite the right way..? I agree that emailing universities would be a good place to start though. :smile:
Reply 10
Original post by *pitseleh*
Hm, AFAIK no university has a blanket policy against admitting people who have dropped out from another degree, though some won't accept people who apply while in the first year of another degree. It's possible that your friend didn't manage to put across her change of heart in quite the right way..? I agree that emailing universities would be a good place to start though. :smile:


It's completely individual basis and OP could be a stronger candidate and therefore might have a better chance! However, medicine is still one of if not the most competitive degree for places, even if you have the grades so I'm just trying to be realistic. I feel like the position OP is in now is both good and bad, bad in the sense they aren't applying as a gap year but as someone who undertook another degree and dropped out but good in the sense they have time now to get into contact with universitities and prep for UKCAT etc. The main thing I'm trying to say is that getting into medicine is extremely difficult no matter what the circumstances and if the OP applies for medicine without getting advice or information from any universities, I feel they would be severely hindering their chances. OP, if this is what you want to do then do it! But be prepared to email every university that does medicine regarding your situation, even just to know then which universities to apply to! I really do hope it works out for you!
Original post by Etomidate
I don't see any reason why you couldn't apply. Just make sure that you've addressed the underlying issues that caused the above first. Do you understand why you might have felt like this and do you think you could prevent it from happening the next time?


I think it's because I didn't take the opportunity to really get involved in uni life which I really regret. I really did try to make new friends on this course but I found that a lot of people on the course weren't that social. The conversations were really one sided and people would just stick to their own group of friends. I started feeling really isolated in university and I think this definitely had an impact on my mental health. People would make comments about me and I did get into arguments with people because of this which made more people turn against me. I really did not feel like myself anymore. Initially I thought it was just me but I clicked with people on the other courses like medicine and pharmacy. My closest friends that I made from university came from those courses. If I had joined more societies or volunteer groups, then I would have probably been more happier.

If I was given the chance to go back to university, I would really make an effort to get involved with everything the university has to offer to make sure that this would not happen again.
Original post by Niamh258
It's completely individual basis and OP could be a stronger candidate and therefore might have a better chance! However, medicine is still one of if not the most competitive degree for places, even if you have the grades so I'm just trying to be realistic. I feel like the position OP is in now is both good and bad, bad in the sense they aren't applying as a gap year but as someone who undertook another degree and dropped out but good in the sense they have time now to get into contact with universitities and prep for UKCAT etc. The main thing I'm trying to say is that getting into medicine is extremely difficult no matter what the circumstances and if the OP applies for medicine without getting advice or information from any universities, I feel they would be severely hindering their chances. OP, if this is what you want to do then do it! But be prepared to email every university that does medicine regarding your situation, even just to know then which universities to apply to! I really do hope it works out for you!


I agree with you 100%. It's probably the most competitive course in the world, and because of my situation I think the admissions officers would question my passion for medicine and whether I would be able to handle the course. But I really am passionate about medicine and I would work my balls off to make it work this time. The last year definitely was a learning experience and it will be put to good use.

I'm gonna email all the universities now to get their opinions. I'll update you guys about what they say.
Reply 13
I think you'll have to compare the differences between medicine and nursing more to explain why medicine suits you better.

What year of nursing did you get to? Most won't mind if you left in year 1 but year 2 might be a bit more tricky...

Get some experience for medicine under your belt ASAP. Take the UKCAT and apply for 2016 entry. Your grades are fine, just apply smart. Make sure you know every medical school's position on individuals who leave courses early
The only other consideration I can think of is that this may impact on your Student Finance funding if you are successful. Double check with them but you may not be covered for maintenance loans for the full 5 years as you've already completed a year of financing.
Original post by MJK91
The only other consideration I can think of is that this may impact on your Student Finance funding if you are successful. Double check with them but you may not be covered for maintenance loans for the full 5 years as you've already completed a year of financing.


Should be covered for the maintenance loans (you get a second maintenance loan for Medicine)... it's the tuition fee loan that may be a problem.
Reply 16
Original post by MJK91
The only other consideration I can think of is that this may impact on your Student Finance funding if you are successful. Double check with them but you may not be covered for maintenance loans for the full 5 years as you've already completed a year of financing.


Original post by *pitseleh*
Should be covered for the maintenance loans (you get a second maintenance loan for Medicine)... it's the tuition fee loan that may be a problem.

You always get the length of the new course + 1 year, so there really shouldn't be a problem here.
Reply 17
Original post by HighwayUnicorn
Hey everyone, I just wanted to get your guys opinions on this.

For the last year I have been studying adult nursing but I dropped out two weeks ago for a few reasons. I tried to make good friends on the course but I felt that I didn't really relate to anyone aside for a few people. I made more friends outside of the course than inside. I was feeling really depressed and anxious all the time and it got to the point where I just couldn't handle it anymore. I used to wake up in the mornings feeling awful and dreading having to go into seminars. I talked about it to a few of my tutors and I didn't really get much help on the issue. However I loved working in the hospitals and caring for patients. Helping patients get better is something I am really passionate about. I was doing well on the academic side of things too and overall I do feel like I learnt a lot coming away from the course. Both in terms of hospital life and looking after others, and personally.

Now I am looking at my options again and I am wondering whether I should apply for medicine in September. If I am being completely honest, I think I only applied for nursing because I was too scared of being rejected from medicine. Medicine has been my only ambition and I am so ready to take it by the horns.

My A-Levels were A*AA in English, Biology and Chemistry (achieved in 2013), and my GCSE's are 7A's and 2B's. I know I would have to smash the UKCAT exam in order to stand a chance of getting an interview as I would imagine that dropping out would already hinder my chances at quite a lot of places.

Do you guys think it would be worth applying?


Hey! I was just wondering what your reasons for not liking the nursing course itself are? I've just done my first year of pharmacy and didn't like it, then started working in a community pharmacy over summer and HATE it. All the pharmacists hate their jobs there too. I'm thinking about starting adult nursing (this is what I originally wanted to do before I considered pharmacy) in september because I can't see myself continuing with pharmacy at all.
Reply 18
Original post by cl0jc
Hey! I was just wondering what your reasons for not liking the nursing course itself are? I've just done my first year of pharmacy and didn't like it, then started working in a community pharmacy over summer and HATE it. All the pharmacists hate their jobs there too. I'm thinking about starting adult nursing (this is what I originally wanted to do before I considered pharmacy) in september because I can't see myself continuing with pharmacy at all.


Hi, know this is an old post but I was just reading through this thread and saw your post!! What did you decide? I left pharmacy for adult nursing but recently I've been questioning whether I regret it or not.
Thanks :smile:
Reply 19
Original post by cl0jc
Hey! I was just wondering what your reasons for not liking the nursing course itself are? I've just done my first year of pharmacy and didn't like it, then started working in a community pharmacy over summer and HATE it. All the pharmacists hate their jobs there too. I'm thinking about starting adult nursing (this is what I originally wanted to do before I considered pharmacy) in september because I can't see myself continuing with pharmacy at all.


I have done the complete opposite of you lol! Adult nursing got me really down it was dreadful, so I left back in 2012 and have worked in pharmacy since, applying for MPharm at Strathclyde for next year and I'm so looking forward to it! I definitely feel the 4 year gap helped me definitely decide what I wanted to do! X


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