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Can I study Medicine?

dd
(edited 7 years ago)

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What about UKCAT?
Original post by tttt34mk
I can have UKCAT booked soon (tomorrow), so it's not an issue. Ofc I have to score highly, but no point in UKCAT if I don't stand a chance...


You definitely have a chance at places that don't look at GCSEs too much. Assuming you got the minimum GCSE requirements for most medical schools (Bs in English, maths and the sciences), there's no reason you cannot get into medical schools that don't use GCSEs to decide who to interview. Have a look at these links to help you decide:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15897-medical-school-gcse-requirements
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_to_Medical_School_using_your_Strengths

Furthermore, you need to book the UKCAT as soon as possible - tonight, if you can. The registration deadline is something like 20 September and the last date you can do it for this application cycle is 6 October and it may be that you struggle to get an appointment at a local centre, forcing you to travel further to sit the test.

You also need to start prepping for it right away because those universities that don't use GCSEs a lot tend to place more emphasis on UKCAT results and A-level results. As most applicants will have or be predicted to have AAA or better, you really need to smash the UKCAT to stand out. For prep, I recommend the 600Q book by ISC Medical (available on Amazon) and getting two weeks of Medify and doing timed tests to help you prepare. At the end of the day, the questions on the UKCAT are pretty easy if you had a lot of time to do them. It's being able to do them in strict time limits that requires a lot of practice.

I also recommend you start working on your personal statement soon as the application deadline is on 15 October, little more than a month away.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by tttt34mk
damn, thanks for your reply man! I have my personal statement almost complete/ I have bought the 600Q book and I just need to book UKCAT asap. I currently hold an offer to study pharmacy, through clearing. I thought I couldn't waste any more time (2 years longer than the average applicant). Do you think I should accept this offer or take another year off and apply? I understand that some medical schools will not consider your application if you have enrolled but I have checked a few that do.

Also, do you know any other medical schools that place less emphasis on GCSEs if you have achieved A levels? I know Queen's Belfast and Keele to do so.

Thanks again


You're right about Keele. They consider GCSE grades for most applicants but that's because they don't have their final A-level grades yet. Not sure about Queen's - I've always thought of them as a GCSE-heavy school because they score your best nine GCSEs and your UKCAT to decide who to invite for interview. The score that you get from them is out of 42, 36 of which comes from your GCSEs so unless you have 7 A*s or more at GCSE I would avoid applying there. Have a look here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_to_Medical_School_using_your_Strengths.

Are you applying through your school? If so, I think you should ask them to include your extenuating circumstances (the surgery that caused you to miss your A2 exams) in your reference. It might make the admissions tutors a little bit more sympathetic, it might not. But it's worth a shot.

If medicine is what you really want to do, I would say that you should take the year out and apply. There is a real risk that you might end up getting rejected by the universities of your choice but the alternative is pretty bleak: graduate entry medicine (GEM).

The total number of GEM places in UK medical schools is much, much less than the regular A100 places and the applicants maybe twice as many as for the A100 course, so the competition is intense. You get 25:1 ratios of applicants to places available in a lot of medical schools that offer it. On top of that, you're forced to spend at least three years doing a course you don't really want to do, the funding for it is shaky etc. GEM should generally be the last resort into medicine because it has only one pro (that you get into medicine) and way too many cons.

So it's your call really. It depends on how badly you want to do medicine and whether you're willing to do another degree for which you'll have to exhaust your student loans.
Original post by tttt34mk
Hello,

I just need some help/advice,

I went to a school below average for % A*- C at GCSE where I was not allowed to study GCSE triple science or double science but rather BTEC science. After I finished, I was not allowed to enrol at college to study A level Biology/Chemistry as I did not have additional science GCSE. So, I spent a year studying GCSE sciences.

After completing these, I moved on to Biology/Chemistry at A-level, I finished AS level with AACD (D in Maths). Just before my A2 exams (2days), I became ill & had surgery. This caused me to miss my A2 exams, so I finally sat them in the summer of 2015. I achieved AAA (Biology, Chemistry, Psychology) and A* (extended project).

I achieved AAAa* first attempt (without resits), medical schools have said A* in extended project would be acceptable instead of the fourth AS-level (maths). The GCSEs I have are 4As, 2distinctions and 5Bs (not great at all). I have confirmed with a few medical schools that it is ok for minimum (Leeds/Plymouth) and others consider the grades ‘less’ as I have achieved AAA.

I wanted to know, is it worth applying for medicine? What would you recommend? I have an offer to study another course.

Thanks!!


Not sure about the specifics but pretty sure that for QUB, achieved A levels AAA give you full academic points so I don't think they'd care about your GCSEs past the basic requirement. Not sure whether they need a fourth AS to a certain grade though, or whether they count EPQ as a fourth AS but definitely look into it!


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Reply 5
I just booked UKCAT for 6th October
Original post by tttt34mk
Queen's give you 36 points if you apply with achieved AAAa and then points for UCAT. Damn, I didn't know GEM was that difficult, I know a few people who got into medical school this year as graduates and they mentioned that it isn't too difficult.

I'm really confused as to what to do, I don't to lose my chance to study Pharm at a good university and be rejected for medicine, wasting 3 years. For GEM, is the course NHS funded? Thanks allot for your support


I honestly couldn't tell you what to do in this situation as it's purely a judgement call based on your own circumstances and how you feel about them.

About GEM: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15889-graduate-entry-medicine-a-guide. Scroll all the way down to the 'funding' section for details on funding. You are entitled to loans, apparently. But in the first year, you will have to pay something like £3 300 yourself. From second year onward you can have the whole £9 000 covered by a combination of an NHS bursary (worth about £3 300/year) and a student loan. You're also entitled to a maintenance loan. But you should remember that this funding could be axed at any time before making any decisions.
Original post by tttt34mk
I just booked UKCAT for 6th October


Nice one! Now get prepping! :smile:
Reply 8
Original post by tttt34mk
I just booked UKCAT for 6th October


at which test center? I am surprised you got one so late at this time!!
Reply 9
Original post by tttt34mk
Southampton-
Pearson Professional Centre

They have 8am available if you're interested


I already have booked one, but i wanted an afternoon session (not a morning person), but couldnt find any!!
Original post by tttt34mk
ohhh okay, GEM is risky in my position as much can happen in 4 years! I will take tonight to decide, ask a few other medical students for advice. It's very difficul to find a medical that would consider my application if a enrol onto another program and where I meet GCSE requirments.


The pharmacy course is four years long? Anyway, what I need to point out is that you should be very careful with what you're planning to do because, as far as I know, you can't get student finance if you've dropped out of a university course so I recommend not trying to do the whole one-foot-in-one-foot-out thing. It would be best to either go for GEM or take a gap year to apply to the standard medical course.

GEM isn't that bad, now that I come to think of it. If medicine is what you want to do, it'll get you there in a slightly longer time but that shouldn't be a hindrance provided the funding isn't cut. Just make sure you don't drop out, whatever you do, because that might make it very difficult to fund any further degrees.
Original post by tttt34mk
= Ohh, the student finance issue makes this allot more difficult. Damn, I'm really confused and I don't have too much hope in GEM, it could become more competitive and difficult in 3-4 years?


Not necessarily but it's a possibility. The problem with GEM is that so many people who didn't get the grades to go into straight medicine use it as a backdoor into medicine so you're basically competing with everybody who didn't get in for one reason or another from several different cohorts. The only thing that you can do to stand out in that situation is to graduate with first class honours if possible (as the minimum requirement is 2:1 or even 2:2 for a few universities) and do shedloads of work experience, voluntary work etc. It might help if you're able to get your work published in a journal or something as not many people can do that.

At this point it's just a judgement call on your part. If you're unwilling to risk losing any more years, just do GEM and hope it'll be alright (and it probably will).

You can get student finance plus and an NHS bursary for most of your four years in GEM, with the exception of the first year in which you'll have to pay £3 300 out of pocket. What I meant about being careful was that if you apply to medicine while on a pharmacy course and get accepted and have to drop out as a result, that may disqualify you from getting student finance as they're not very happy about funding people unless they're doing their first degrees although people have successfully managed to do so anyway, somehow.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 12
My only word of caution is that you need to check with individual Medical Schools that they will accept your extenuating circumstances, as although you have not resat, you have taken 3 years to complete your A levels and most of them specify that they must be completed in 2 years unless you have extenuating circumstances.
If you really want to do Medicine, then I would advise applying this year, rather than waiting and applying for GEM, as it is much more competitive and not even certain to still exist in 4 years time. As stated, most Med Schools will not accept people who drop out part way through another course, and this will also mess up your funding. Another year in the grand scheme of the rest of your life is not a lot. Good luck
Original post by tttt34mk
Yes, Masters in Pharmacy is 4yrs. I'm passionate about medicine but my issue is that it is very risky, given that I have lost 2 years and may lose another and this course. Otherwise I would have no hesitated taking time off to reapply.

Ohh, the student finance issue makes this allot more difficult. Damn, I'm really confused and I don't have too much hope in GEM, it could become more competitive and difficult in 3-4 years?


Hi if you saw my post, it seems like we are in a similar position. I would say just try to really ace the UKCAT, because by the time you have your score, will it be too late to start Pharm?
Original post by GANFYD
My only word of caution is that you need to check with individual Medical Schools that they will accept your extenuating circumstances, as although you have not resat, you have taken 3 years to complete your A levels and most of them specify that they must be completed in 2 years unless you have extenuating circumstances.
If you really want to do Medicine, then I would advise applying this year, rather than waiting and applying for GEM, as it is much more competitive and not even certain to still exist in 4 years time. As stated, most Med Schools will not accept people who drop out part way through another course, and this will also mess up your funding. Another year in the grand scheme of the rest of your life is not a lot. Good luck



Hi there, but what can't OP apply for undergraduate as a graduate. That's also an option?
Original post by donotstopme95
Hi there, but what can't OP apply for undergraduate as a graduate. That's also an option?


Some people do that but it's not always an option as some universities tend to be strict with it. After all, it's somewhat unfair to put somebody with a university degree in direct competition with somebody who doesn't even have their A-level results.
Reply 16
Original post by donotstopme95
Hi there, but what can't OP apply for undergraduate as a graduate. That's also an option?

Finances.
Original post by Hydeman
Some people do that but it's not always an option as some universities tend to be strict with it. After all, it's somewhat unfair to put somebody with a university degree in direct competition with somebody who doesn't even have their A-level results.


Yes that's true , hence why the score to get an offer from interview was higher for the graduates than for undergraduates for the a100 programme. I haven't found any unis that are strict with grads not being able to apply for a100 or were you making reference to being strict with what I said, about the score being higher etc?
Original post by donotstopme95
Yes that's true , hence why the score to get an offer from interview was higher for the graduates than for undergraduates for the a100 programme. I haven't found any unis that are strict with grads not being able to apply for a100 or were you making reference to being strict with what I said, about the score being higher etc?


The second thing. xD I meant that the odds will be artificially stacked against you purely because you have the advantage of having qualifications that the people you're competing with don't (through no fault of their own) so it's going to be harder for you to get into the A100 programmes than for a regular A-level applicant.

I imagine that you would still need to do all the things that those going for graduate entry have to do: lots and lots of work experience, paid and unpaid, voluntary work, reflection, wider reading etc. The lot. I mean, if this was a loophole through which graduates could get in without the usual grind of GEM preparation, everybody would be doing it. :biggrin:
Original post by Hydeman
The second thing. xD I meant that the odds will be artificially stacked against you purely because you have the advantage of having qualifications that the people you're competing with don't (through no fault of their own) so it's going to be harder for you to get into the A100 programmes than for a regular A-level applicant.

I imagine that you would still need to do all the things that those going for graduate entry have to do: lots and lots of work experience, paid and unpaid, voluntary work, reflection, wider reading etc. The lot. I mean, if this was a loophole through which graduates could get in without the usual grind of GEM preparation, everybody would be doing it. :biggrin:


I agree with what you say.

However, this raises a big point. A lot of graduates apply for A100 because they have the money whereas those who are unable to finance A100 go for GEM. So it seems like money is one big factor for graduates in terms of getting in to do a medicine course...

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