Medicine
I only managed to get 1 medicine offer this year, and it is at a good university. (St Andrews)
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
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The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.
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The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work
2023 Applicants:
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2023 Entry
Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2023 Entry
Medicine Interview discussion 2023 Entry
2023 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry
2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread
Other application years:
Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2025 Entry
Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.
Original post by SnoopFrog
I only managed to get 1 medicine offer this year, and it is at a good university. (St Andrews)
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
You didn’t ask a question.
Original post by SnoopFrog
I only managed to get 1 medicine offer this year, and it is at a good university. (St Andrews)
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
Keep an open mind. The Fife coast is a beautiful part of the world and it's only for three years - after that go elsewhere in Scotland, Manchester or London.
It's also not that far from Edinburgh or Dundee (14 mins from Leuchars by train).
You'd have to be a bit dopey to reject your offer tbh.
Just to add, just because it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects, doesn't mean everyone will be like that - I sure you'll find your people!
It would be risky to reject your offer. The acceptance rate for medicine has hovered around 16% for the last few years, and the difference between successful candidates and those who are rejected is often wafer-thin - there's no guarantee you will find yourself in that 16% another time. You've done extremely well to get in, and if you want to be a doctor, you'd best take the opportunity.
Keep an open mind. Democracy is right. St Andrews is a really beautiful place, and you'll be spending half your course in a much bigger city anyway. From a medicine point of view, that might give you some interesting insights into the difference between rural and urban practice. From a social point of view, it can be nice to experience different things, including things you might not have discovered otherwise. You may find you really like it in Fife! Yes, there are stereotypes associated with certain universities, but stereotypes work like magnifying glasses - they exaggerate certain characteristics while preventing you from noticing others. Around a third of St Andrew's students are Scottish. They have an incentive to choose Scottish universities because they get free tuition, and as you can imagine, this is particularly appealing for those from less affluent backgrounds. So it certainly won't be the case that everyone you meet is rich. It's also a popular choice among international students, meaning you're likely to meet people from all over the world.
As for the expense, overinflated rents are a major problem in many university towns. I don't think you'd save significant amounts of money if you were studying elsewhere, unfortunately. I'd stick with your offer.
Keep an open mind. Democracy is right. St Andrews is a really beautiful place, and you'll be spending half your course in a much bigger city anyway. From a medicine point of view, that might give you some interesting insights into the difference between rural and urban practice. From a social point of view, it can be nice to experience different things, including things you might not have discovered otherwise. You may find you really like it in Fife! Yes, there are stereotypes associated with certain universities, but stereotypes work like magnifying glasses - they exaggerate certain characteristics while preventing you from noticing others. Around a third of St Andrew's students are Scottish. They have an incentive to choose Scottish universities because they get free tuition, and as you can imagine, this is particularly appealing for those from less affluent backgrounds. So it certainly won't be the case that everyone you meet is rich. It's also a popular choice among international students, meaning you're likely to meet people from all over the world.
As for the expense, overinflated rents are a major problem in many university towns. I don't think you'd save significant amounts of money if you were studying elsewhere, unfortunately. I'd stick with your offer.
Original post by SnoopFrog
I only managed to get 1 medicine offer this year, and it is at a good university. (St Andrews)
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
My problem is, the location is so far away from literally everything and it has a reputation for rich oxbridge rejects (not really my crowd).
It's also really expensive, the accommodation and cost of living.
I want to either go forward with the offer, or reapply next year and move out for a gap year so I can get a better UCAT, BMAT and some clinical work experience
There are a lot of rich students, but there are also a lot of people from normal backgrounds. My son is doing Medicine at St A, went to a comprehensive, not at all elitist and has a complete mix of friends. They also have very ling holidays for the St Andrews years, which isa very nice!
No guarantee that you’d get an offer next cycle. Pointless to reject unless it’s financially infeasible..
Hi, I know you posted this quite a long time ago but I was just wondering if you ended up attending st Andrews? I have 3 offers for medicine including St Andrews and I am really struggling to pick which I want to firm and insure. I have very similar concerns to the ones you expressed, being from a rather normal, not particularly affluent background and wanted to see if you potentially have any more insight?
Original post by RubyJ06
Hi, I know you posted this quite a long time ago but I was just wondering if you ended up attending st Andrews? I have 3 offers for medicine including St Andrews and I am really struggling to pick which I want to firm and insure. I have very similar concerns to the ones you expressed, being from a rather normal, not particularly affluent background and wanted to see if you potentially have any more insight?
Hi, unfortunately I missed my offer but they did offer me a neuroscience BA on results day which I didn't take either but I'm sure you'll find your people there. I talked to a few people after I posted that and it's not as intimidating as it may appear online, just for me I wasn't pulled towards living in a smaller town/city
Original post by SnoopFrog
Hi, unfortunately I missed my offer but they did offer me a neuroscience BA on results day which I didn't take either but I'm sure you'll find your people there. I talked to a few people after I posted that and it's not as intimidating as it may appear online, just for me I wasn't pulled towards living in a smaller town/city
Thank you so much for replying and for your advice! I hope you are enjoying what you are doing now and get to be where you want to end up!
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