Reapplying for medicine

I'm not sure exactly how applying in your first year of a different course works. I imagine some unis wouldn't mind, but I think other would prefer you to finish the course you'd started.
Your grades are great, so would you consider taking a year out and applying for medicine in your gap year? It sounds like you still feel medicine is for you, and many people get in upon their 2nd application.
Pharmacy places will still be available next year if you're still interested in it.

Hi Alex, congratulations on your exam results! There is many things you need to consider. First of all, some medical schools do not accept applications from students who are already at university. Secondly, there is some financial implications. If you start with pharmacy but don't go on to complete the course you would be basically paying for a wasted year. Also if you would go on to finish the degree and then decide to go into medicine via the graduate entry route, you won't be eligible for full funding. If you REALLY want to try for medicine and can make a strong application, i.e. get good admission tests results and have a strong personal statement, I think your best option would be to take a year out and apply for medicine, putting down pharmacy as your fifth choice just in case the medicine application doesn't work out. The thing is, you would need to decide quickly between pharmacy and medicine as you may have trouble booking admission tests if you leave it for too late. Perhaps you could book a date for UKCAT and then cancel the test if you decide to take the pharmacy offer?


Posted from TSR Mobile

I was thinking after my rejections that pharmacy is something I could definitely see myself doing and did not expect to get the grades for medicine so didn't even think what if. I am going to contact the unis soon to see if I have to drop out of my course if i want to apply for medicine. Perhaps a gap year to solidify my career path will not be a bad thing at all.
Would pharmacy schools reject me considering I dropped out before starting the course?

Thanks for the helpful advice!

Hi all, this year I got rejected from all my uni choices for medicine but now having received my results I achieved A*AA. I am currently due to start pharmacy at Cardiff University which is a course I have looked into and can see myself doing. However now I have achieved the grades medicine is something I am reconsidering and was the course I always and originally wanting to do.
Would it be wise to continue the first year of pharmacy to see if it is the course for me, and reapply for medicine for 2016 this October?

Any advice given is greatly appreciated!
Kind Regards
Alex

I don't think it would count as dropping out before you even start, it's more like you never took the place in the first place maybe when emailing the university to tell them you no longer want your place, you could ask them?


Posted from TSR Mobile

I think the other posters have covered it already. There are very few places that will accept applications from those in their first year of another course so you would be limiting yourself massively.

But importantly, have you really looked in to studying medicine? Have you gained work experience? Have you looked at doing the UKCAT and BMAT? If not, this is a lot to organise in a short space of time. So you need to decide what you want to do.

Okay I will give them a ring as soon as I know exactly what I'm doing and explain the situation!

Thanks!

Hi there, I have considered it of course! I did biomed work experience and hospital work experience. Ive also volunteered at my local residential home. I am thinking possibly to try and add more medical voluntary work?

I did UKCAT last year but achieved just under average scores but was unprepared as it was last minute thing

Cheers

Hi there, I have considered it of course! I did biomed work experience and hospital work experience. Ive also volunteered at my local residential home. I am thinking possibly to try and add more medical voluntary work?

I did UKCAT last year but achieved just under average scores but was unprepared as it was last minute thing

Cheers

If you've got a good idea of what a doctor does, and why you want to do it (and can reflect about it in a ps) then you shouldn't need any more. You can reflect on the skills and experience you gained at the residential home.

There is no reason you can't apply this year. But if I were you, I would decide if you really want to. If you do, let your pharmacy offer know and let go of it. Sit the UKCAT and research 4 strong choices (applying with good, achieved grades should help you). Apply to pharmacy as your fifth choice.
This way you're not narrowing your choices and adding on extra debt. Instead you can gain more experience, by getting a job, earn money and have a bit of a break from full on studying.

Hi all, this year I got rejected from all my uni choices for medicine but now having received my results I achieved A*AA. I am currently due to start pharmacy at Cardiff University which is a course I have looked into and can see myself doing. However now I have achieved the grades medicine is something I am reconsidering and was the course I always and originally wanting to do.
Would it be wise to continue the first year of pharmacy to see if it is the course for me, and reapply for medicine for 2016 this October?

Any advice given is greatly appreciated!
Kind Regards
Alex

Hi there, congrats on getting in to uni! I think others have advised you on the issue of starting ur first year and then applying (probably not a good idea) so I would like to advise on the other points.

First of all, you say you got rejected from all ur medicine choices. Did you put down four choices? Can you tell us a bit more about where you applied? Were they UKCAT entries or BMAT? This is all relevant because as you probably know the chances of getting in again are much slimmer than the first time.

Also your A levels, while very good for most courses, are quite standard for medicine. For example, it only just meets the criteria to get into UCL (where I study) etc. Which A levels did you take, and which one was the A* in? The thing is, if you reconsider that you really want to do medicine over pharmacy then you would have to build up your application in your gap year which requires a lot of work. You would probably have to spend the year working in a healthcare related job (not easy to get mind you) or volunteering for a charity, care home etc. Are you prepared to do this?

Finally, of course there is the option of doing your pharmacy degree, seeing if you enjoy it/ like where your career is going and then think of applying for graduate entry then. I know loads of people who have done this. One factor is how long is your pharmacy course: 4 years or 5?

Best of luck in whatever route you take and I hope I can be of some help

Hi! I applied to Bristol, Keele and Liverpool for medicine as I got just under average UKCAT score (Unprepared for and taken late September)

I took Chemistry, Biology and Maths stats. With A* achieved in Biology.
I have done 2 medical related work experiences and volunteered in my local residential home. Would you advise on taking a gap year and adding more voluntary work?

By maths stats, that's not the normal maths A level is it? I'm sorry but your A levels aren't gonna be a factor very much in ur favour if you were to reapply again. You will be competing with 7-8 other people for ur place, who will each be doing at least 4 a levels with at least A predictions. But fortunately, as you know, grades are only a small part of the selection criteria. You will of course need to do the UKCAT again, but you can't apply to the same unis which is a shame since they are perhaps the less competitive ones. Did you get any interviews?

With regards to voluntary work, yes you will need more. You need to demonstrate your complete dedication to being a healthcare professional so what you do in your gap year will matter a lot, and you will be asked about it. On the other hand, you probably don't need more work experience since this is not usually that important other than showing you know what being a doctor is like and that you still want to be it.

You didn't answer about your pharmacy course. Have you considered applying as a graduate? In terms of maximising career prospects, this would be a better route than taking a gap year however this comes at the cost of additional student loans.

Firstly, the majority of medicine applicants will not be continuing 4 a-levels. The OP has A*AA, which is better than the standard offer of AAA.

Secondly, he can apply to the same universities again, unless he was rejected post interview. But it would depend on whether these four choices still reflect the strongest choices for him. (and there is no such thing really as 'less competitive'. Although the ratios vary slightly, every school is competitive to get in to).

Lastly, graduate medicine is a last resort. If they can get in as undergraduate they should take every opportunity to do so. Doing GEM is not going to maximise career chances. What is so wrong with a gap year? A gap year can be an excellent choice: it gives people life experience, time to get further work experience and the chance to save money.

Hi there, you didn't introduce yourself. It seems you disagree with my advice to OP which is fine by me, however I will answer you so OP doesn't get confused.

1) I didn't say the majority continue 4 A levels. I said on UCAS it will give 4 A level predictions. The fact OP has 3 A levels that meet the requirements is not much in his/her favour. In addition, grades are not that important in the application process (if OP had straight A*s it would be different advice).

2) OP has not said if he/she got any interviews. It is true all med schools are competitive. If you read my post fully I said there are around 8 applicants for every place. Getting rejected from Bristol, Keele and Liverpool is not the same as from UCL, Oxford and Kings don't deny it.

3) Graduate medicine is not a last resort. Tell that to people on the course and see how they react (assuming you have even met these people and know as much as I do). Undergraduate is 5 or 6 years, GEM is 4 or 5 years. Again I did not say GEM maximises career chances. I said doing the pharmacy degree first and then seeing options does. OP may find better options and may be a stronger applicant then if medicine is still on his/her mind.

4) A gap year is a last resort. Yes of course it has benefits but in terms of career it is the worst option. However, if OP has just decided that he/she really really would do anything it takes to do medicine then this might be for him/her. But as it stands, OP is still considering doing pharmacy so telling him/her to do a gap year is not necessarily correct.

x