ideas: medicine + gap year

Reply 20

17

As a general rule, medical schools like gap years provided that they're spent doing something you'll learn from.

"I never let my schooling stand in the way of my education"

Reply 21

Saffie

11

you should apply for deferred entry this year.
yes, you might not get in first time, but you haven't lost anything. The uni's won't suddenly like you in a year's time (unless you grow up immeasurably, yeah right) :rolleyes:

You're going to end up restricted on your gap year because you'll be waiting on UCAS all year, and having to be at the beckon call of interviewers. Sounds pretty **** to me.

& different unis are going to want you to do different things so there's little point asking us what they want, we don't know. How do you expect us to know? Just use some common sense.

Reply 22

Wangers

16

Visit many Egyption cities, to learn and learn from Scholers...

Reply 23

Helenia

20

Becca-Sarah

Surely you're more motivated to work having had a break from it? By this point, we've been in education for a minimum of 14 years - 12 months out isn't going to make you forget everything you've ever learnt or how to learn.

With stuff like Maths, I think the amount of technique etc you lose over a year makes them not happy with it. But with medicine they reteach you everything important anyway.

Just realised OP that you're not applying this year - if you can at all, you really really should. As Saffie says, it'll limit your plans a lot if you have to be available for interviews for the best part of 6 months. Plus, if you apply this year and don't get in, you can use this year to work on your application for next year and you don't lose anything!

Reply 24

Becca-Sarah

19

I agree that you should apply this year. If I'd got my act together last year, I'd be in Tanzania right now. As it is, I'm in Lincoln. Not comparable.

Reply 25

icapturethecastle

OP

16

Saffie

you should apply for deferred entry this year.
yes, you might not get in first time, but you haven't lost anything. The uni's won't suddenly like you in a year's time (unless you grow up immeasurably, yeah right) :rolleyes:

oh dear...it's a bit late to apply now ... :confused:

i really did want to apply this year but so many people warned me against it, including hear of year/teachers/careers advisor..mainly because my predicted grade are ****e...and i think especially with this year when they can see as unit grades and overall ums marks i really wouldn't have had a chance... i know how competitve + hard medicine is, so i thought it would be much better to apply a year later with my grades in hand

Saffie

& different unis are going to want you to do different things so there's little point asking us what they want, we don't know. How do you expect us to know? Just use some common sense.

thnaks btw for that... i phoned them up...and they pretty much said what renal did

whe u say it's good to apply this year...as well as next year, is it because of these reasons: the experience i gain from it will be worthwile, it will increase my chances of getting in??

don't many gap year applicants apply to medicine for the first time in their gap year and not the previous year ? i thought that they'd do this because this way they've got solid grades and they'd know whether or not they'd be good enough for med school requirements...?

(sorry for the longness of this...but ur advice is really useful right now :rolleyes:

)

Reply 26

Wangers

16

If thats the case work hard, next year you'll have AAA and be in a solid position.

Reply 27

icapturethecastle

OP

16

yep^ have been working my socks off....and all my mocks so far seem to be reflecting that....waaay better than last year's mocks

so right now i know where i went wrong last year... :rolleyes:

Reply 28

Helenia

20

tami*

oh dear...it's a bit late to apply now ... :confused:

i really did want to apply this year but so many people warned me against it, including hear of year/teachers/careers advisor..mainly because my predicted grade are ****e...and i think especially with this year when they can see as unit grades and overall ums marks i really wouldn't have had a chance... i know how competitve + hard medicine is, so i thought it would be much better to apply a year later with my grades in hand

don't many gap year applicants apply to medicine for the first time in their gap year and not the previous year ? i thought that they'd do this because this way they've got solid grades and they'd know whether or not they'd be good enough for med school requirements...?

(sorry for the longness of this...but ur advice is really useful right now :rolleyes:

)

In your case, if you think your predictions are really so poor you wouldn't get in this year, then maybe applying next year would be a good idea (though bear in mind how this will cut up your gap year if you have to be available for interviews)

I applied for deferred entry while I was still at school, knowing that if I didn't get in, I could do it again the next year. However, I was in a different situation in that I was confident of getting the required grades and was more concerned whether my PS/work experience was enough - and if it hadn't been, I could have worked more on that. I also felt it was easier to apply while I was still at school and had teachers and the careers adviser around and easily accessible instead of doing it the next year mainly independently.

Reply 29

Saffie

11

tami*

oh dear...it's a bit late to apply now ... :confused:

i really did want to apply this year but so many people warned me against it, including hear of year/teachers/careers advisor..mainly because my predicted grade are ****e...and i think especially with this year when they can see as unit grades and overall ums marks i really wouldn't have had a chance... i know how competitve + hard medicine is, so i thought it would be much better to apply a year later with my grades in hand

thnaks btw for that... i phoned them up...and they pretty much said what renal did

whe u say it's good to apply this year...as well as next year, is it because of these reasons: the experience i gain from it will be worthwile, it will increase my chances of getting in??

don't many gap year applicants apply to medicine for the first time in their gap year and not the previous year ? i thought that they'd do this because this way they've got solid grades and they'd know whether or not they'd be good enough for med school requirements...?

(sorry for the longness of this...but ur advice is really useful right now :rolleyes:

)

yeah I think you're too late now.

Even if your predicted grades were less than perfect, it still may have been worth applying, because as I said, you wouldn't have lost anything (well other than the £15 (?) UCAS fee)- But there was still a chance you'd have got an offer.

Most people who intend on gap years, apply while they're still at school, and then during their gap year as well if they didn't get in. It's the most sensible thing to do- you double your chances of getting in!

Ringing individual unis to see what they like their gap year students to do is the way forward. Hazarding a guess, you should probably do things that incorporate medicine and stuff that shows leadership and initiative. But it's all just common sense really- they obviously don't want you stacking shelves in Tesco for a year!

Reply 30

icapturethecastle

OP

16

i think my work exp. etc. is not too bad ...about 5 weeks over 4 years in gp practice, hospital and pharmacy...3 summer schools (st. george's/st. andrews/lse...all relevant to a course in medicine), and i think my extra curricular isn't too bad... so it really is just my grades booging me down

lol i know 110% tesco is a no no... i had never (ever) thought of taking a gap year, so after septamber when i realised i would be better off with a gap year, i started doing my research0 (including fervent posting on tsr)
this is so far what i plan doing :
- job in hospital...i probably will end up on the receptionist side of things, but at least there would be some sort of patient contact, and i would be exposed to med surroundings
- voluntary work in elderly care home... already got that one sorted
- extra a level in french...did an as...so i hope to finish it off
- some involvement in the charities; either amnesty int. or envision ...was involved in both during high school and 6th form
not sure what else...although i can't really travel as it might be too expensive...

thanks again for all the constructive advice :smile:

Reply 31

No Future

17

Becca-Sarah

An example of a badly-used gap year:

My friend is 'travelling', which conjures up images of backpacking, on a student budget, staying in hostels. However, she's actually just tacked herself onto daddy's business trips this year, so is visiting lots of places, but only seeing the inside of the local 5* hotel and first class BA cabin.

Sounds good to me! :wink:

ideas: medicine + gap year

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