The Student Room Group

Is switching possible?/Second Thoughts

I applied for biochem and have offers from 2 target universities. I am seriously having second thoughts though. I picked it because I was unsure between econ and medicine. I think of someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but I see no scope of that with biochem. Is it possible for me to switch to either econ or med maybe after 1st year or can I switch now? My parents don't want me to jinx and think I'm being ungrateful as I have an offer from a top 5, but I would rather be in another university studying econ or maybe med. I'm just absolutely bewildered. Bio grads please tell me how satisfied you are with your
degree and if there is any entrepreneurial potential. Any help is appreciated thx :smile:
Original post by ayr18
I applied for biochem and have offers from 2 target universities. I am seriously having second thoughts though. I picked it because I was unsure between econ and medicine. I think of someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but I see no scope of that with biochem. Is it possible for me to switch to either econ or med maybe after 1st year or can I switch now? My parents don't want me to jinx and think I'm being ungrateful as I have an offer from a top 5, but I would rather be in another university studying econ or maybe med. I'm just absolutely bewildered. Bio grads please tell me how satisfied you are with your
degree and if there is any entrepreneurial potential. Any help is appreciated thx :smile:


You cannot switch to Medicine. That's just not possible. There are dedicated transfer schemes at some universities, but they are few and far between and they are conditional on you doing at least one year of Biomedicine anyway, and more often than not, the whole degree. You'll be able to do Graduate Entry Medicine after you finish your degree, but that's not ideal - ideal would be to take a gap year and apply to do Medicine.

As for switching to Economy, you won't be able to after first year. You'd have to stop Biochemistry and start an Economy degree from scratch. I'm unsure as to how you even thought that switching after first year was a possibility given that the overlap between Biochemistry and Economy is 0. Can you switch now though, before you start your degree? Maybe... some universities allow this, depending on how popular the course is, but it also tends to be between somewhat related degrees. Worth enquiring about this possibility with your university though.

It also sounds like you're incredibly confused as to what you actually want to do at uni so I suggest you take a gap year to really decide what you want to do :smile:
Reply 2
Thank you for the reply, I agree I am confused beyond a doubt. I am also applying to the US where they follow the liberal arts program where you can switch after a year or even 2 in some cases. This is where my confusion began, I was led to believe by my counsellor that the UK follows a similar structure or at least that switching is possible.
Reply 3
Original post by Scotland Yard
You cannot switch to Medicine. That's just not possible. There are dedicated transfer schemes at some universities, but they are few and far between and they are conditional on you doing at least one year of Biomedicine anyway, and more often than not, the whole degree. You'll be able to do Graduate Entry Medicine after you finish your degree, but that's not ideal - ideal would be to take a gap year and apply to do Medicine.

As for switching to Economy, you won't be able to after first year. You'd have to stop Biochemistry and start an Economy degree from scratch. I'm unsure as to how you even thought that switching after first year was a possibility given that the overlap between Biochemistry and Economy is 0. Can you switch now though, before you start your degree? Maybe... some universities allow this, depending on how popular the course is, but it also tends to be between somewhat related degrees. Worth enquiring about this possibility with your university though.

It also sounds like you're incredibly confused as to what you actually want to do at uni so I suggest you take a gap year to really decide what you want to do :smile:

The US also has a different structure for Med, where you do an undergrad in life sciences and then sit for an exam to become a doctor. Is it possible for me to go this route? GEM sound ok, but I'm not too fond of the idea of paying tuition for 7 years just for undergrad especially since I'm an international. Does a gap year look bad on my application? Here its looked down upon immensely + i don't think my parents will let me reject and offer from uni of Edinburgh
Original post by ayr18
The US also has a different structure for Med, where you do an undergrad in life sciences and then sit for an exam to become a doctor. Is it possible for me to go this route? GEM sound ok, but I'm not too fond of the idea of paying tuition for 7 years just for undergrad especially since I'm an international. Does a gap year look bad on my application? Here its looked down upon immensely + i don't think my parents will let me reject and offer from uni of Edinburgh


In the UK, Medicine is its own undergraduate degree that is open to school leavers, no need to have gone to university beforehand. GEM does work kind of like how it does in the U.S., in that you do a degree first (some med schools won't even care what degree you do) and then you do GEM, which is a 4-year course. But this isn't the standard way and GEM is much more competitive than standard entry Medicine - the competition rates can be as high as 36 applicants per place, which is obviously quite far from the usual 3.5 applicants per place that the standard Medicine programmes have. Standard Medicine is also a 5 or 6 year course, so it would save you a year or two of tuition fees.

In the UK, a gap year won't look bad on your application. It is often better too, because you're applying with achieved grades, so you're more likely to get offers, and bonus points if you do something in your gap year - work, get some relevant experience relating to your chosen degree, travel... :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by Scotland Yard
In the UK, Medicine is its own undergraduate degree that is open to school leavers, no need to have gone to university beforehand. GEM does work kind of like how it does in the U.S., in that you do a degree first (some med schools won't even care what degree you do) and then you do GEM, which is a 4-year course. But this isn't the standard way and GEM is much more competitive than standard entry Medicine - the competition rates can be as high as 36 applicants per place, which is obviously quite far from the usual 3.5 applicants per place that the standard Medicine programmes have. Standard Medicine is also a 5 or 6 year course, so it would save you a year or two of tuition fees.

In the UK, a gap year won't look bad on your application. It is often better too, because you're applying with achieved grades, so you're more likely to get offers, and bonus points if you do something in your gap year - work, get some relevant experience relating to your chosen degree, travel... :smile:

Thank you so much for all the advice, you've been very helpful and all the best to you :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by ayr18
I applied for biochem and have offers from 2 target universities. I am seriously having second thoughts though. I picked it because I was unsure between econ and medicine. I think of someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but I see no scope of that with biochem. Is it possible for me to switch to either econ or med maybe after 1st year or can I switch now? My parents don't want me to jinx and think I'm being ungrateful as I have an offer from a top 5, but I would rather be in another university studying econ or maybe med. I'm just absolutely bewildered. Bio grads please tell me how satisfied you are with your
degree and if there is any entrepreneurial potential. Any help is appreciated thx :smile:
I’m in the exact same position as you. I don’t want to do medicine anymore tbh and I’ve already applied but my parents r gonna make me take the degree if I get ma offer. I’m worried bc i wanna do finance now but I do bio chem maths and I heard subject combinations are important as well, life is hard

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