The Student Room Group

Leaving medicine after 3rd year?

Is it true that you can do this and leave with a degree. I am considering medicine but do not know for sure whether it is the right choice
Original post by A*my
Is it true that you can do this and leave with a degree. I am considering medicine but do not know for sure whether it is the right choice

Yes, you can do your two years of preclinical medicine, study for an intercalated BSc (Hons) degree in the 3rd year, and then leave before the three years of clinical medicine.
Reply 2
How does this work if I change my mind about medicine?

What qualification do you get?

How does it work at Keele, Cardiff, Leicester?

Also what can you intercalate in? Would that help find a job after medicine if you leave the course?

Just interested as not 100% sure if medicine is for me. Thanks
Some Medicine programmes are automatically 6 years in length, and make the intercalated degree compulsory. Others, eg Keele enable you to do it as a year out from your degree. Look at the websites of the individual med schools.

You could even take your intercalated degree at another university. Use this finder intercalate.hyms.ac.uk to explore the possibilities.

One caveat: you would need to make a strong UCAS application for medicine, including setting out your motivation for becoming a doctor. Your motivation would also be tested should you be invited to interview. A medical degree is very worthwhile, but it also requires a strong sense of vocation.
So to elaborate: Intercalation can be either compulsory, optional but a guaranteed opportunity, or available via a competitive application process. It can be in third year, but it can also be in 4th year (UCL does that I think?) or variable within the med school. I would definitely look into this in detail, possibly including contacting the med schools if info is not on the websites, before applying.

You would graduate with some kind of medical science BSc with a degree grade (1st, 2.1 etc) and I would expect non-medical employers to treat it as similar to say a biology degree.

Applying to medicine when you have some small doubts is fine and natural. But it is a huge decision, with a demanding application that will mean you are less likely to go to the uni you want to versus applying for other subjects. Most medicine candidates have AAA+ and would be Oxbridge candidates if they were applying to any other subject. If you did decide you want to do medical research, then applying for medicine is generally not a good choice.
Reply 5
Original post by A*my
How does this work if I change my mind about medicine?

What qualification do you get?

How does it work at Keele, Cardiff, Leicester?

Also what can you intercalate in? Would that help find a job after medicine if you leave the course?

Just interested as not 100% sure if medicine is for me. Thanks


Also bear in mind that not all medical schools allow every student to intercalate. Cardiff for example only allow a small number of students to intercalate in 3rd & 4th year through a competitive process so you would have to do your research beforehand. As nexttime has said, you should contact the med schools directly. I also agree that Medicine is probably not the best course to have done if you do end up going into research.

Just out of interest, what is making you doubt yourself?
Reply 6
Great- thanks for your replies everyone. It is really appreciated. I already have unconditional medical offers- the doubts are just over whether I have the motivation to study that long and whether I want to give myself a ‘tough’ life compared to studying finance for example- where you earn more money with less responsibility and less exams for ages. I also want children and idk whether I’m overthinking but I am worried this would never happen as a female doctor because of the lack of work-life balance and not having time to juggle both.
Reply 7
Original post by A*my
Great- thanks for your replies everyone. It is really appreciated. I already have unconditional medical offers- the doubts are just over whether I have the motivation to study that long and whether I want to give myself a ‘tough’ life compared to studying finance for example- where you earn more money with less responsibility and less exams for ages. I also want children and idk whether I’m overthinking but I am worried this would never happen as a female doctor because of the lack of work-life balance and not having time to juggle both.


I think these are all understandable worries which a lot of people have. You can definitely have a good work-life balance in medicine. As a junior you will be working antisocial hours but medicine opens the doors to so many specialities that there will be something which will meet your needs.

The only other thing I would say is that often the grass can appear greener on the other side.

Anyway, congratulations on your offers.
Reply 8
Ahhh thanks. It’s good to find people who encourage me to do it rather than say “if you have a flicker of doubt then don’t”.

I’m a bit worried I won’t have the motivation and work ethic to get through because during sixth form last year it was draining. Think that’s partly because I spent 50% of my time thinking about what course I would do, thinking about how i didn’t even apply to medicine etc. and feeling pretty down about it. Won’t know until I try tho so think I will accept my medicine offers. Thanks again
Original post by Angury
I think these are all understandable worries which a lot of people have. You can definitely have a good work-life balance in medicine. As a junior you will be working antisocial hours but medicine opens the doors to so many specialities that there will be something which will meet your needs.

The only other thing I would say is that often the grass can appear greener on the other side.

Anyway, congratulations on your offers.
Reply 9
You say Cardiff let’s only a few students intercalate- can you go transfer to different universities to intercalate?
Original post by Angury
Also bear in mind that not all medical schools allow every student to intercalate. Cardiff for example only allow a small number of students to intercalate in 3rd & 4th year through a competitive process so you would have to do your research beforehand. As nexttime has said, you should contact the med schools directly. I also agree that Medicine is probably not the best course to have done if you do end up going into research.

Just out of interest, what is making you doubt yourself?
Original post by A*my
Great- thanks for your replies everyone. It is really appreciated. I already have unconditional medical offers- the doubts are just over whether I have the motivation to study that long and whether I want to give myself a ‘tough’ life compared to studying finance for example- where you earn more money with less responsibility and less exams for ages. I also want children and idk whether I’m overthinking but I am worried this would never happen as a female doctor because of the lack of work-life balance and not having time to juggle both.

Despite your own doubts, you clearly convinced the selectors that you are a good candidate for medicine. I know a large number of women who are doctors (both in general practice and hospital specialisms) and they are all mothers. Some had children before becoming consultants/GPs, others after, and the rest both before and after!

The profession is flexible enough nowadays to allow for both women and men to be committed both to their calling as doctors, and to their life path outside the consulting room or surgery.

It's ok to have doubts and worries. It shows that you're a caring person: caring for yourself, the people whom you will meet and treat in practice, and, God willing, your future partner and children.
Original post by A*my
You say Cardiff let’s only a few students intercalate- can you go transfer to different universities to intercalate?

www.cardiff.ac.uk/medicine/courses/undergraduate/medicine/intercalate

Write to [email protected], tell them you have an A100 offer, and ask them if intercalation is competitive at Cardiff, or if everyone who asks can take a BSc if they want to. I'm sure they'll be happy to help you.
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 12
You say Cardiff let’s only a few students intercalate- can you go transfer to different universities to intercalate? —— sorry this posted twice when my TSR refreshed- didn’t mean to. Ok yeah good idea I’ll do that.
Original post by Angury
Also bear in mind that not all medical schools allow every student to intercalate. Cardiff for example only allow a small number of students to intercalate in 3rd & 4th year through a competitive process so you would have to do your research beforehand. As nexttime has said, you should contact the med schools directly. I also agree that Medicine is probably not the best course to have done if you do end up going into research.

Just out of interest, what is making you doubt yourself?
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 13
Original post by A*my
Great- thanks for your replies everyone. It is really appreciated. I already have unconditional medical offers- the doubts are just over whether I have the motivation to study that long and whether I want to give myself a ‘tough’ life compared to studying finance for example- where you earn more money with less responsibility and less exams for ages. I also want children and idk whether I’m overthinking but I am worried this would never happen as a female doctor because of the lack of work-life balance and not having time to juggle both.


If you have unconditional offers presumably you are on a gap year?

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 14
Original post by A*my
You say Cardiff let’s only a few students intercalate- can you go transfer to different universities to intercalate? —— sorry this posted twice when my TSR refreshed- didn’t mean to. Ok yeah good idea I’ll do that.


When I was there they only let ten students apply for external intercalation. Basically the top ten students in the year (based on exam results) had the chance to do so.

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