Getting rejected from medicine after a gap year

Universities Forum Helper

You're going to have to decide how badly you want to be a doctor. Not everyone who'd like to has the skills or aptitude - you might apply ten times and never get in. I know different universities look for different things, but neither your GCSEs nor your A levels are great in that context. What do you have that goes beyond "I meet the bare minimum requirements", and, more importantly, what would you do in your second gap year to build on them? "I think I could do better in the interview next time" isn't likely to be a big factor because universities will be expecting that from someone who's now two years older than the average applicant and has done it twice before.

Also definitely worth considering that there are vast numbers of medical careers other than "doctor", and almost all of them are much less competitive to get into.

Reply 3

Hotheaded

19

Original post by skylark2

You're going to have to decide how badly you want to be a doctor. Not everyone who'd like to has the skills or aptitude - you might apply ten times and never get in. I know different universities look for different things, but neither your GCSEs nor your A levels are great in that context. What do you have that goes beyond "I meet the bare minimum requirements", and, more importantly, what would you do in your second gap year to build on them? "I think I could do better in the interview next time" isn't likely to be a big factor because universities will be expecting that from someone who's now two years older than the average applicant and has done it twice before.

Also definitely worth considering that there are vast numbers of medical careers other than "doctor", and almost all of them are much less competitive to get into.

“Neither your GCSEs or A levels are great in that context”- both meet the requirements for a lot of medical schools if you apply strategically, I’m at a medical school with worse GCSE grades them OP and a lower UCAT score.

OP also got 2 interviews meaning, his A levels and GCSEs both were fine for those medical schools, and it was the performance in the interview that was their downfall

Getting rejected from medical school doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have the skills or aptitude, it’s just ridiculously competitive, especially this year due to the after effects of last years grade inflation.

That being said I do agree that OP should look into medical careers other than a Dr, however there are people out there that have been rejected in multiple cycles who still managed to get into med school via alternative routes it’s not always due to not having the “skills”

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Hotheaded

“Neither your GCSEs or A levels are great in that context”- both meet the requirements for a lot of medical schools if you apply strategically, I’m at a medical school with worse GCSE grades them OP and a lower UCAT score.

OP also got 2 interviews meaning, his A levels and GCSEs both were fine for those medical schools, and it was the performance in the interview that was their downfall

Getting rejected from medical school doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have the skills or aptitude, it’s just ridiculously competitive, especially this year due to the after effects of last years grade inflation.

That being said I do agree that OP should look into medical careers other than a Dr, however there are people out there that have been rejected in multiple cycles who still managed to get into med school via alternative routes it’s not always due to not having the “skills”

Thanks for the advice, I do know that my stats aren’t super amazing compared to some off the people that get 4 A*s and 12 9’s at GCSE lol, but like you said I was still able to get interviews which I wasn’t able to do first time around. Also I have looked into quite a few alternate career paths such as radiography and optometry but none appeal to me that much and I can’t see myself doing them for the rest off my life the way I can see myself doing medicine. Also my plan is to kind off continue on doing what I’m doing in my first gap year (working as a carer as well as at a medical diagnostics centre). I know my downfall was my interviews because I did underestimate the difficulty and even after doing them I realised I could have done so much better which is so annoying in hindsight.

Reply 5

PAR2MED

15

Original post by Vanqueef

My question is should I take a second gap year and try again ?

Yes, if you still want to be a doctor it's your best chance.

I have an offer at Newcastle for biomed with a possible transfer after first year (slim chances I know) but I really want to to med and considering I kind off know what went badly in my interviews I want to try again. Would it be wise ?

No. Chances are you won't get in, options are very limited, and if you don't then you're stuck in a degree you don't want to do. Unless you want to be a biomedical scientist, don't do biomed.

Reply 6

OP

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Hotheaded

To me it seems like you want to try again, so I would advise you to try again. Relying on transferring courses is a bad idea, I wouldn’t advise you to do a degree with the sole aim of transferring, you may end up having to do a degree you don’t enjoy, and graduate entry is more competitive vs undergrad.

Take the feedback, again more experience, try again, it seems like you really want to do medicine, I’d give it one more shot.

Also since your at med school do you know anyone that’s taken 2 gap years or is it kind off not a thing ?

Reply 7

JonGeo1152

6

Original post by Vanqueef

So I just received my final medical school rejection from Liverpool. I applied to med first time around in year 13 but got 4 pre interview rejections (it was a very bad application with so many mistakes). I then got AAA (2 9’s 6 8’s and 2 7’s at GCSE) and applied again and got 2 interviews from Liverpool and Southampton and got rejected. I got 2830 and band 2 in my UCAT this time around. I have asked for feedback but Southampton have said they can’t give it and I am still waiting for Liverpool. My question is should I take a second gap year and try again ? I have an offer at Newcastle for biomed with a possible transfer after first year (slim chances I know) but I really want to to med and considering I kind off know what went badly in my interviews I want to try again. Would it be wise ? I’m scared off the same thing happening again and med schools looking down on it. Has anyone done this and it been successful ?
I would also have to convince my parents it would be a good decision too since I know how competitive GEM is even if you apply to undergrad courses.

Not a medic here but just thought I would give my 2 cents. Medicine is already 5 years long and with a second gap year, you have pushed back the point at which you can earn by another year. Also, you will end up paying more of your student loan if you apply next year (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-60498245.amp). If you are alright with the biomed course, I would suggest going with that.

Original post by Vanqueef

considering I kind off know what went badly in my interviews I want to try again.

Looks like you’ve made your decision, go for it. Same thing wouldn’t happen again if you change how you approach interviews :no:

I don’t think most medical schools will look down on it, in fact some actually encourage students to reflect on their mistakes and try again. It shows resilience and willingness to improve. From the top of my head, I think the only issue you might have for some medical schools is if your A-level grades pass a certain time period that it was achieved in. Research this. Good luck.

Reply 9

username5637224

20

I’m far from an expert on the medecine thread but a frequent visitor to the vet med posts. Some applicants do three or even more cycles in order to get a place for the reasons explained by . As for not having «*top grades*» I know that if schools have offered you interviews then your grades were sufficient, and as you have stated, it’s the interviews that let you down. So get feedback if you can, get as much interview practice as you can, continue with your wex and reading around current affairs and give it another go. Another gap year is just that, but regrets last a life time!!

Reply 10

Hotheaded

19

Original post by Vanqueef

Also since your at med school do you know anyone that’s taken 2 gap years or is it kind off not a thing ?

At my med school there’s a lot of people that have taken a gap year, and it isn’t unheard of in general to take 2 gap years or even more! I recommend watching a video by a YouTuber called Faye bates just search “Faye bates, I was rejected 4 times” and it should come up :smile:

don’t give up!

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 11

GANFYD

Original post by skylark2

You're going to have to decide how badly you want to be a doctor. Not everyone who'd like to has the skills or aptitude - you might apply ten times and never get in. I know different universities look for different things, but neither your GCSEs nor your A levels are great in that context. What do you have that goes beyond "I meet the bare minimum requirements", and, more importantly, what would you do in your second gap year to build on them? "I think I could do better in the interview next time" isn't likely to be a big factor because universities will be expecting that from someone who's now two years older than the average applicant and has done it twice before.

Also definitely worth considering that there are vast numbers of medical careers other than "doctor", and almost all of them are much less competitive to get into.

OP's A levels meet the requirements for more than 80% of med schools, this year. And they have 8 A* 2 A equivalent GCSEs. There are only 5 med schools where this would not score full marks (if the 7s are not key subjects). They also have a top 12% UCAT score and missed an offer in a year where offer numbers have been more than halved at most med schools.
I don't know whether they have the skills and aptitudes needed for medicine, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with their grades and UCAT, and I would be more concened that they did not apply strategically enough, as they should have had 4 interviews with those stats!
It is a ridiculous myth that you need A*A*A*A* A levels and 12 A* GCSEs to study medicine. AAA and 6 A/Bs at GCSE will give you 4 reasonable choices, with a decent UCAT/BMAT.
"I think I could do better in the interview next time" is absolutely the key thing here, as people on gap years are not scored differently to those applying as school leavers, unless we are on multiples of more than 2 years out, and given OP's stats, it is the interview that is the deciding factor, and they maybe need to look at med schools that decide offers based on academics/UCAT, as well as interview performance, if interviews are their weaker element (and I am not sure we have enough information to say even that, at present, lack of strategic application seems to be the biggest issue)

Reply 12

OP

Original post by GANFYD

OP's A levels meet the requirements for more than 80% of med schools, this year. And they have 8 A* 2 A equivalent GCSEs. There are only 5 med schools where this would not score full marks (if the 7s are not key subjects). They also have a top 12% UCAT score and missed an offer in a year where offer numbers have been more than halved at most med schools.
I don't know whether they have the skills and aptitudes needed for medicine, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with their grades and UCAT, and I would be more concened that they did not apply strategically enough, as they should have had 4 interviews with those stats!
It is a ridiculous myth that you need A*A*A*A* A levels and 12 A* GCSEs to study medicine. AAA and 6 A/Bs at GCSE will give you 4 reasonable choices, with a decent UCAT/BMAT.
"I think I could do better in the interview next time" is absolutely the key thing here, as people on gap years are not scored differently to those applying as school leavers, unless we are on multiples of more than 2 years out, and given OP's stats, it is the interview that is the deciding factor, and they maybe need to look at med schools that decide offers based on academics/UCAT, as well as interview performance, if interviews are their weaker element (and I am not sure we have enough information to say even that, at present, lack of strategic application seems to be the biggest issue)

Thank you for the encouraging words :smile:

I have decided I am going to re do the ucat this summer and take it from there. I could have 100% applied more strategically I feel. It’s also worth mentioning I did the autumn exams for A level Maths to get an A and my school didn’t even attach my predicted grade for maths properly resulting in an automatic rejection from Manchester pre interview (who didn’t care even after I sent an email explaining what had happened which is understandable). This time around I feel that without having to worry about any errors in my ucas and with a similar if not higher ucat score than last year I will have a good chance. Also do you know which med schools look at ucat and grades when handing out offers as opposed to solely interview performance ? I know East Anglia and Leicester do but I’m still struggling to figure out where to apply this time round.

Reply 13

GANFYD

Original post by Vanqueef

Thank you for the encouraging words :smile:

I have decided I am going to re do the ucat this summer and take it from there. I could have 100% applied more strategically I feel. It’s also worth mentioning I did the autumn exams for A level Maths to get an A and my school didn’t even attach my predicted grade for maths properly resulting in an automatic rejection from Manchester pre interview (who didn’t care even after I sent an email explaining what had happened which is understandable). This time around I feel that without having to worry about any errors in my ucas and with a similar if not higher ucat score than last year I will have a good chance. Also do you know which med schools look at ucat and grades when handing out offers as opposed to solely interview performance ? I know East Anglia and Leicester do but I’m still struggling to figure out where to apply this time round.

Come back when you have all your stats, and I will happily take a look and advise, but it depends a lot on what your grades, UCAT and SJT are, as well as if med schools change admission criteria based on the issues of this year!
But Leicester currently would guarantee an interview (I think, check they are OK with Oct results), though they then use interview performance alone for offers. Aston use UCAT and academics as 75% of post interview score, UEA use UCAT as 50% and SJT as a small amount, Birmingham used SJT as 1/6 of scoring and a numeracy test for 1/6, HYMS used SJT as 10% and various others used it as a virtual MMI station. Edinburgh and Aberdeen also use pre-interview scoring, but like A*s at A level and Edinburgh has needed >3000 UCAT and B1 SJT, so for most people, is not a good choice.

Reply 14

OP

I started this thread nearly a year ago when I received all my rejections after my second application to med school. I have just received my offer from ARU after going forward with another gap year and just want to thank everyone here for the help and support. I wouldn’t be here today without the help from you guys. Thank you very much :smile:

Reply 15

GANFYD