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Confused

Hi guys, im currently in S6 in Scotland. I was planning on applying to medicine but i got AAAAB in higher and got 1440 and band 4 in ukcat. I had a decent amount of work experience and voluntary work. But I thought my grades and my ukcat score would not be enough for me to get in so i did not apply. I applied to neuroscience and got unconditional but i am still interested in medicine. So is it ideal for me to study neuroscience for an year and then redo the ukcat this summer and apply to medicine again. I am really confused. PLEASE HELP GUYS and btw im doing AH chem, bio, maths and higher psychology this year.
Reply 1
Is it going to cost you £9000 to study neuroscience for a year? Also, can you transfer from Neuroscience to Medicine like that, do you not have to complete the degree?

If you can leave Neuroscience after a year and enter into Medicine, then go ahead and study it for a year (it'll prep you well for neurology in Med school), but if you have to pay £9000 and want to study Medicine then I suggest you take a gap year as otherwise it's not worth the debt.

Regarding UKCAT. I got 712.5 (Band 1) so I can give you UKCAT advice. I've also answered how to prep for UKCAT on this link. https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5521866&p=79401078#post79401078

Also, I commend you for not giving up on your goals. Keep working hard and I'm sure you'll get into Medicine with no problem. With your grades I have every faith you'll smash the UKCAT next time around.
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 2
Thank you soo much for your help, the fee isn't gonna be £9000 here because I'm eligible for the Scottish fee status and I'm not sure if I can stop after an year, I didn't think it that way. Would you rather do that or there's a third g called scotGEM which is a four year medicine program for anyone with a 2:1 honours degree in a sciency subject like neuroscience. Idk if I want to study 8 years
Reply 3
If you really want to do medicine I would take a gap year, make sure you do well in your advanced highers and spend the yr getting as much work experience as possible and working towards UKCAT. It can be done and is only a year which if you are just out of school is nothing.
Reply 4
I'm not sure about a gap year because my parents aren't ready for that and I accepted Dundee for neuroscience
Original post by annmaria
I'm not sure about a gap year because my parents aren't ready for that and I accepted Dundee for neuroscience


Maybe explain why the gap year is a better idea, I'm sure they'd understand if they knew you were committed to medicine. You could go through GEM but it's just as if not more competitive than undergrad admission, plus you've got to finish your degree first, you'd benefit a lot more in the long run by trying for As in your highers and reapplying if you get them
Reply 6
Thank you I'll have a think about the gap year with my parents
Reply 7
I agree with what’s been said above. That’s cool that you don’t charged the £9000, however I strongly suggest taking a gap year. Some people say say that doing that extra degree gives you an advantage, e,g. Biomedical sciences pre-exposes you to the knowledge, but it’s just not worth the time and effort. And Medicine, having almost completed my third year, I can tell you is a lot of effort. It’s not crazy hard as some make it out to be, but it’s quite draining. I too had an offer for another back up degree (biomedical sciences), but having done the 3 years at medicine, I’d hate to have taken up the biomed offer and think, ‘damn, I’m almost finished my first degree but now I’ve got another 5 years of intense studying to do.’

Gap year is the best option. Use it to do useful things, like work experience, or self reflection, but also time to relax, as the jump between A-Levels and Medicine is pretty big.

Btw, if you want, send me your email via DM and I’ll send you my personal statement. I also written a guide on writing the perfect personal statement for Medicine. And I’ll send you links to resources I used to prep for Medical interviews, not any secret stuff lol, but free very useful resources that most people probably won’t have found.
Original post by annmaria
Thank you soo much for your help, the fee isn't gonna be £9000 here because I'm eligible for the Scottish fee status and I'm not sure if I can stop after an year, I didn't think it that way. Would you rather do that or there's a third g called scotGEM which is a four year medicine program for anyone with a 2:1 honours degree in a sciency subject like neuroscience. Idk if I want to study 8 years
Reply 8
Ohhh thank you very much😊😊

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