Thinking of applying to GEM but not sure if I have much of a chance.

I’m thinking of applying to graduate-entry medicine next year, to start in 2027, as I believe that’s the next intake. I’ve had a bit of an epiphany and realised that I want to work in healthcare. As a biologist, the educational opportunities that come with training to be a doctor are highly appealing to me.

I’m 24 now (I’d be 26 when I start). I graduated with a First in marine biology and have A levels in chemistry, biology, and music (AAB). Over the past three years, I’ve been working in marine conservation and fisheries research. I plan on doing some volunteering after my next job to strengthen my application, but I haven’t found many examples of people entering GEM from a background like mine (unsurprisingly).

Is it too late for me to start?
Do I have much chance of getting a place on a course, given how competitive it is?
What can I do to increase my chances?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. :smile:

Reply 1

Scotland Yard

Universities Forum Helper

Original post

by Toby3031

I’m thinking of applying to graduate-entry medicine next year, to start in 2027, as I believe that’s the next intake. I’ve had a bit of an epiphany and realised that I want to work in healthcare. As a biologist, the educational opportunities that come with training to be a doctor are highly appealing to me.
I’m 24 now (I’d be 26 when I start). I graduated with a First in marine biology and have A levels in chemistry, biology, and music (AAB). Over the past three years, I’ve been working in marine conservation and fisheries research. I plan on doing some volunteering after my next job to strengthen my application, but I haven’t found many examples of people entering GEM from a background like mine (unsurprisingly).
Is it too late for me to start?
Do I have much chance of getting a place on a course, given how competitive it is?
What can I do to increase my chances?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. :smile:

Hello hello there,

It's definitely not too late to start, and you have a chance to get in, if you do what you need to do, that is! I'm currently applying for GEM myself so this is a little overview of the process as I've been experiencing it.

For starters, you need some work experience! You're working now, which is also valuable experience, but any volunteering you can get that is on a healthcare setting will be very good stuff indeed. You also need to read a couple of books about medicine so you can get a better idea of what you're actually signing up for and the state of the healthcare system in the UK. Ideally also read up on news article about the NHS and medical advancements because things are so dynamic in medicine and information changes, often! But books are a good place to start. There are lists floating around on this site and on the internet, they should give you a good idea of what books to read.

Secondly, you need to go off and decide where you want to apply. This is a deeply personal decision and you should consider teaching styles, location, costs, etc etc etc. You also need to look which places will actually accept you. You'll be able to apply to a great deal of courses with your marine biology degree, but not all universities will accept it. Some places also have some rules about A-level grades or limits on how long you've been out of education for. Everyone sets their own requirements, which are all over the place, but you'll still be able to apply to plenty of places.

When deciding where to apply to, you'll notice some places ask you to sit the UCAT, and others the GAMSAT. I'll let you do your own research on them, but you have to decide whether you want to sit one of them, or both, and obviously try to fit in revision for them in your life. It's your result in these admission exams that will largely determine your chances to get in. Every university uses a different system to shortlist people for interview, but the majority of unis will be guided partly (if not wholly) by the score you get in these exams, and so it is imperative for you to do as well as you humanly can in these exams. Also don't forget to apply via UCAS as you did for your undergrad. Have fun writing a personal statement again...

After that, come the interviews, which is your make-or-break moment. I haven't sat GEM interviews yet but I understand they're very serious affairs and you need to be as prepared as you can for them. The more read you are on medicine, the more competent you are and the clearer your motivation to study medicine is, the better it will be for you. And after that, with a little bit of luck, you'll be in...

When I write it like that, it sounds oh so simple and it isn't. It's actually lot. But if you're crazy enough to go for this, then bother all the difficulties and just go for it.