Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants

I do not want to sound harsh but at this point nothing anyone says on this forum can help you. This seems to be a problem at home and with the mentality of your parents not wanting to accept the facts that are presented in front of them for whatever reason. That reason is something you, as their child, need to figure out. For me personally, I am now most likely taking another gap year and will be doing my ucat in a few weeks. I ‘convinced’ my parents by saying that I want to do my ucat again and if I get a score I know will get me interviews I will re apply and if not then I won’t bother and am happy to possibly settle for something else. My parents were reluctant but were understanding when they realised how competitive grad entry/transfer schemes are and that another gap year was my best option if I still wanted to do medicine. From what I can see, your parents want you to look like you are doing something with your life by doing a random degree to very potentially get into med school later. But like I said earlier, it’s up to you how you go about it and there’s not much anyone on here can say. They are your parents and at the end of the day it’s up to you how you are going to handle it because none of us are going to be able to talk to them. You can try and say you are going to do the ucat again which is similar to what I’m doing, but you are also going to have to be firm in your ways similar to how they are being. At the end of the day , it is your life and your parents can only guide you, and when it comes to something they don’t have a lot of knowledge on from what it seems, you have to get through it yourself and toughen up and handle it. It’s not going to be easy and it wasn’t easy for me, but hopefully when they see how firm you are and that you aren’t going to back down they will let you do what it is you want to do. That’s the case with me at least. They can’t force you to enrol on a biomed course- it is only you that can physically do that. Also I noticed they said that even tho GEM is more competitive you will get on ?! Yet I’m assuming that the undergrad route hasn’t worked which is way less competitive to what’s to say this way will work ? A biomed degree with a 2:1 is literally a minimum entry requirement for grads to have- you are going to need a top decile ucat score along with extensive experience- something a non grad will not be expected to have. Also, 3 A’s at A level are by far a lot easier to achieve than a 2:1 and if you already have those then it will be easier then trying to get an extra very expensive degree that you don’t plan on using. Also another person mentioned it but unless your parents plan on paying for your medicine degree after biomed (if you get in which is very hard as a grad), then do whatever it is you want. They aren’t paying for it at this point and I would say unless they are threatening to kick you out or disown you then hold your ground. No one can physically make you enrol into anything you don’t want to.

I do not want to sound harsh but at this point nothing anyone says on this forum can help you. This seems to be a problem at home and with the mentality of your parents not wanting to accept the facts that are presented in front of them for whatever reason. That reason is something you, as their child, need to figure out. For me personally, I am now most likely taking another gap year and will be doing my ucat in a few weeks. I ‘convinced’ my parents by saying that I want to do my ucat again and if I get a score I know will get me interviews I will re apply and if not then I won’t bother and am happy to possibly settle for something else. My parents were reluctant but were understanding when they realised how competitive grad entry/transfer schemes are and that another gap year was my best option if I still wanted to do medicine. From what I can see, your parents want you to look like you are doing something with your life by doing a random degree to very potentially get into med school later. But like I said earlier, it’s up to you how you go about it and there’s not much anyone on here can say. They are your parents and at the end of the day it’s up to you how you are going to handle it because none of us are going to be able to talk to them. You can try and say you are going to do the ucat again which is similar to what I’m doing, but you are also going to have to be firm in your ways similar to how they are being. At the end of the day , it is your life and your parents can only guide you, and when it comes to something they don’t have a lot of knowledge on from what it seems, you have to get through it yourself and toughen up and handle it. It’s not going to be easy and it wasn’t easy for me, but hopefully when they see how firm you are and that you aren’t going to back down they will let you do what it is you want to do. That’s the case with me at least. They can’t force you to enrol on a biomed course- it is only you that can physically do that. Also I noticed they said that even tho GEM is more competitive you will get on ?! Yet I’m assuming that the undergrad route hasn’t worked which is way less competitive to what’s to say this way will work ? A biomed degree with a 2:1 is literally a minimum entry requirement for grads to have- you are going to need a top decile ucat score along with extensive experience- something a non grad will not be expected to have. Also, 3 A’s at A level are by far a lot easier to achieve than a 2:1 and if you already have those then it will be easier then trying to get an extra very expensive degree that you don’t plan on using. Also another person mentioned it but unless your parents plan on paying for your medicine degree after biomed (if you get in which is very hard as a grad), then do whatever it is you want. They aren’t paying for it at this point and I would say unless they are threatening to kick you out or disown you then hold your ground. No one can physically make you enrol into anything you don’t want to.

Thank you for your message. Yes you’re correct where my parents want me to do a random degree to make it look I’m doing something with my life in order to get onto medicine. I’m still considering doing the UCAT despite them not supporting me. When talking about the gap year, they said how a grad applying for the undergrad course will have a better chance of getting accepted then a home student who is a school leaver and having a high UCAT/BMAT score because the grad has a knowledge of medicine due to having a biomed degree…

You need to explain to your parents that you could be spending many more years “doing nothing with your life” if you decide to take the more difficult route. Rather, just take this single year of “doing nothing with your life” (Although I would not consider improving your skills and application a waste of time) and give it another good shot.

What do you mean that I would be “spending my life doing nothing” if I take the difficult route?

Thank you for your message. Yes you’re correct where my parents want me to do a random degree to make it look I’m doing something with my life in order to get onto medicine. I’m still considering doing the UCAT despite them not supporting me. When talking about the gap year, they said how a grad applying for the undergrad course will have a better chance of getting accepted then a home student who is a school leaver and having a high UCAT/BMAT score because the grad has a knowledge of medicine due to having a biomed degree…

im going to tell you about a friend I know who is a lot older than me haha. So she got the grades to re apply for medicine (3 A’s) but her parents really got into her head about taking a gap year and back then tsr was not as helpful. So she went to Bradford for the clinical sciences course hoping to transfer. It didn’t happen. She competed the 4 years ans by this time she was 22 and managed to get a 2:1- something she told me was very very hard for her as she hated the fact she wasn’t doing medicine despite learning similar content to medics she knew. Anyways she did the ucat the summer before her final year and got 2660. This score would have gotten her interviews if she was not a graduate but since she was, unis had a higher cut off and she had no interviews. Once she got her 2:1 she did the ucat again and got similar so did the BMAT. Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough experience compared to other grads and fell short at interview. So she was 23 and had no med offer. It also didn’t help that her friends who got on first time and took gap years were already qualified junior doctors or in their final year of med school and she was still trying to get in. She applied again and got some more experience- this time she applied to one dentistry course and only got 1 offer from the dental school. She then realised it was medicine and not dentistry she wanted to do and at this point she was fed up and decided to go to Eastern Europe for med. She was 24 and the course in Bulgaria was 6 years meaning she would be 30 when she was qualified and she also knew she would find it harder than UK grads to find jobs. Bare in mind at this time people around her that took a gap year and qualified or did 6 years straight after A levels were done with med school and earning which made her feel behind and lonely. So her plan was to apply to med school and do her ucat AGAIN in the summer yet also start med school in Bulgaria. I thought that wasn’t possible and she got 3 flat rejections because she already enrolled abroad. The only uni that interviewed her put her on a wait list and she just got an offer last week. She is now 25 and will be coming back to the UK to start med school as a first year- her 1 year in Eastern Europe does not count for anything and it was basically a waste of money in her words. My point is that yes, grads do get in and people do apply as grads. But it’s hard. It’s not easy and even with her ucat of 2660, 2750 and I think 2810 in her most recent cycle still did not help her they way they would’ve helped someone who took a gap year because she was a grad and standards are higher. She now is happy to start and can’t wait but regrets her undergrad and is still a bit sad that her friends have finsihed F2 and she’s only starting med school (even tho people start at all ages and stuff but it really affects her when she thinks about it too much). She even keeps making jokes how she will be 30 and an F1 when her friends will be consultants. It made her even more sad when her friend who is an F2 at 25 just got married but she has had to somewhat put her life on hold to focus on her career development. The point of the story is that taking one year out and doing the ucat will be better in the long term. So many people took a gap year or 2 and are lot more ‘ahead’ of her in terms of career progression. So it’s up to you then, are you willing to take the year out and get more healthcare experience as a HCA/carer and save money, or would you like to potentially not get in as a grad and have to take gap years when you are a lot older and people around you will be doing more ‘adult things.’ At least now your friends will still be in uni and studying, but when you are in your 20’s and people around you are starting families, buying cars, living alone and working, it will make you feel more behind than a gap year will. Most grads applying to med do feel like this even if they get in. The reality is that as a grad, you will have to accept that medicine may never happen and you will have to settle for a career you are not as passionate about. Even her parents now regret not letting her take the year out and doing the ucat again. And if it’s grades your worried about, I know someone who spent a year at college to retake and went from ABB to A*AA and applied to med schools that accept retakes- she’s now a medic at Sheffield and is entering her final year at 24. I’m mentioning ages btw because it seems your parents are worried about you being ‘behind’, but would you rather be ‘behind’ by taking a year out or ‘behind’ at 24 when it’s a lot less ideal ? Ofc med school is diverse with people of all backgrounds and ages but if this is a worry for you and your parents then think about it please. So many medics take gap years and my friend at BSMS has 2 people in her flat that took gap years, one that took two and 1 that is a grad who took 2 years out after her degree and wishes she just took a gap year at 18. Please think about your all choices and if you have to go against your parents so be it, they’ll come around eventually when you get into med school

This is what I fear so much…not getting in the first time as a grad. I swear if I end up taking my parents advice then regretting it in the next few years because I didn’t get into GEM then I’ll NEVER ever forgive them. By that time, if such things happen, they’re going to be there looking at me and feeling sorry for themselves while I’m suffering to get into GEM. The looks on their faces will be priceless…

Do you know any YouTube videos that talks about the cons of GEM?

This is what I fear so much…not getting in the first time as a grad. I swear if I end up taking my

parents advice then regretting it in the next few years because I didn’t get into GEM then I’ll NEVER ever forgive them. By that time, if such things happen, they’re going to be there looking at me and feeling sorry for themselves while I’m suffering to get into GEM. The looks on their faces will be priceless…

Do you know any YouTube videos that talks about the cons of GEM?

this makes me really sad to read because it happened to me, like I shared before. I’m now starting med school in September when my friends have qualified as GPs or are very close to becoming consultants.

I have no more advice to give. Just find a way to convince your parents. Do you have teachers other than this tutor who can talk to them? Other family members? Older siblings? Friends’ parents? Literally anyone else? Sometimes parents listen to others more than their own kids.

I'd be really interested in hearing what experience this tutor has with UK med admissions as it just sounds like they spew any old cobblers.

This is what I fear so much…not getting in the first time as a grad. I swear if I end up taking my parents advice then regretting it in the next few years because I didn’t get into GEM then I’ll NEVER ever forgive them. By that time, if such things happen, they’re going to be there looking at me and feeling sorry for themselves while I’m suffering to get into GEM. The looks on their faces will be priceless…

Do you know any YouTube videos that talks about the cons of GEM?

Just called my tutor and they basically said wait till results day. I suggested resit but they said that medical schools will not accept me because a med applicant doing a resit will look like they won’t be be able to handle the 5 year course.

I’m really sorry about your experience. How did you end up in this situation? Why didn’t you take the gap year route?

She is not associated with any UK med admissions.

Your tutor knows nothing about medicine.

I’ve mentioned this before in my replies. Basically my parents didn’t want me to do medicine. It was a very controlling, paternalistic environment and nothing I said made a difference. I was also classed as an international student at the time and wasn’t eligible for any funding at all. No amount of gap years could have helped me save for international student fees. So I was forced into what they wanted. It’s the biggest regret of my life - find a way to avoid it.

I am also in a similar situation. The reason why my parents are against me taking a gap year is because of international tuition fees and they think i need to be a HOME STUDENT to take a gap year. How else can i avoid this?

Your tutor knows nothing about medicine.

I’ve mentioned this before in my replies. Basically my parents didn’t want me to do medicine. It was a very controlling, paternalistic environment and nothing I said made a difference. I was also classed as an international student at the time and wasn’t eligible for any funding at all. No amount of gap years could have helped me save for international student fees. So I was forced into what they wanted. It’s the biggest regret of my life - find a way to avoid it.

I am also in a similar situation. The reason why my parents are against me taking a gap year is because of international tuition fees and they think i need to be a HOME STUDENT to take a gap year. How else can i avoid this?