Perth College - Pathway to Medicine Access Course

[Wanna be Dr S]

Hi Alex, p.s everyone

I am seriously interested in joining Perth College for their Access to Medicine course but I was not sure if my qualification and age is considerate by the college, so would you just like give me a feedback whether I should apply or not.

I am more than happy to defer my year if places are fully allocated this year, as long as I know that I will be offered a place for 2010.

I am 23 years old. I have always wanted to study medicine. I came to the UK at the age of 13. So i completed half of year nine here and then did my gcse whilst learning English from scratch, since I only spoke Arabic at the time when i came to this country.

I didn’t do so well at school with my gcse's and achieved C's in Humanities, IT, Textiles, Religious Studies and an A in Arabic.

I then went on to complete this bridging course in Science which was equivalent to GCSE's and achieved 32 credits at level 2 in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and maths. At the same time I did GCSE maths and English and achieved 2 C's.

I struggled to get the best of grades because at the same time I was a career to my younger sisters, because my parent left us at very young age. So whilst learning English, looking after my sisters, helping being a good mother, I did my best to achieve the best possible.

I couldn’t go on straight then to complete my A levels because I had to become a full time career to my sisters.

When they were old enough to start college I went on to complete an Access to Medicine Paramedical and Humans Sciences course at City and Islington college, hoping that it will be a pathway to medicine for me, but that was not the case because they were more willing to support graduate applicants application to medicine because they would have more success rate than me. But I didn’t lose hope and worked very hard throughout the course and achieved distinctions throughout which were 66 credits at level 3 and 24 at level 2, the maximum available credit from the course. I did this on 2006/07

I did try my best to apply to medicine independently but have been unsuccessful. This year I tried to get more detailed feedback and Universities told me I need an Access course which is more accepted by majority of universities as Access to Medicine from City and Islington is not recognised.

I also have extensive experience within the NHS, ranging from Geriatrics ward, to Orthopaedic and currently working in the A&E.
I am a very determined person and extremely interested in medicine, my only worry is that Perth college wants students who have left school 4 years ago. For me it’s only been 2 years coming to 3 years. I am very confused but I also know this is what I want. Are there any suggestions. I would really appreciate all the feedback from everyone.

[giella]

Medical schools usually also require English and Maths at B or above. That might be where you're going wrong.
You're on the right track with Perth, but have you considered the College of West Anglia or City College Norwich? Perth is small and has a limited number of places available. I believe they also give preference to Scottish students, although I may be misremembering things from a year ago. Have a look at those courses. They have more places available and they're accepted just about everywhere.
Keep your options open. Apply to all three. From what I can tell, Perth seems to be somewhat flexible with the entrance requirements, so you might be on the right track.

[PTMNO1]

Hi Dr S,

I've passed your post onto the course tutors and they have given me the relevant information to ease your concerns regarding your eligibility for the course.

The courses you have done previously fall below SQA level 7 so there is no issue there, the other access course you did should prepare you well for this one.

As you indicated in the private message you are a UK eligible student, so you fall within the catchment.

To clarify what the "not been at school for 4 years minimum" rule is....... This is designed to ensure the applicants are over 21, as they are not allowed to stipulate an age requirement due to EU law. Again, you don't need to worry about that factor.

Medical admissions tutors enjoy interviewing knowledgeable candidates who show they are continually improving their educational pedigree, and you seem to have done that as well as your circumstances have allowed.

Overall it seems you would be a good candidate for admission. As long as you gave a good performance in an interview I don't see any reason why you couldn't get in (my opinion).

Any more questions are welcome


Alex

[Wanna be Dr S]

Hi Dr S,

I've passed your post onto the course tutors and they have given me the relevant information to ease your concerns regarding your eligibility for the course.

The courses you have done previously fall below SQA level 7 so there is no issue there, the other access course you did should prepare you well for this one.

As you indicated in the private message you are a UK eligible student, so you fall within the catchment.

To clarify what the "not been at school for 4 years minimum" rule is....... This is designed to ensure the applicants are over 21, as they are not allowed to stipulate an age requirement due to EU law. Again, you don't need to worry about that factor.

Medical admissions tutors enjoy interviewing knowledgeable candidates who show they are continually improving their educational pedigree, and you seem to have done that as well as your circumstances have allowed.

Overall it seems you would be a good candidate for admission. As long as you gave a good performance in an interview I don't see any reason why you couldn't get in (my opinion).

Any more questions are welcome


Alex

Hi Alex,

Thank you again for your reply, i really appreciate you doing this for me. I am definetly going to get in touch with the college on Monday. I hope i really hope I get through.

I will let you know how i get on.

Thank you.

s

[leemkule]

Hi Alex,

Thank you again for your reply, i really appreciate you doing this for me. I am definetly going to get in touch with the college on Monday. I hope i really hope I get through.

I will let you know how i get on.

Thank you.

s

Best of luck with your application Dr S. Just show how devoted you are if you receive an interview and I'm sure you'll be fine.

[leemkule]

Alex,

Quick question - do you remember how long after completing the course it took for you to receive your unconditional offer?

Simon.

[PTMNO1]

mmmm, good question.

I just remember being told I was in and to expect the conditional soon. Couldn't have been later than July as they'll want to sort all the PTM'ers out before the A-level results get delivered.

Feels good when it comes in though


Alex

[Lynsey Rachel]

Hi Alex, the access course at Perth has interested me and I have a few questions.

First of all, would I be too late to apply now? It is clear that there are only a few places available compared to somewhere like COWA or CCN so is it possible that all the places will be full up? Also, as I already have a degree does this mean I am not eligible to apply? (Although my degree is in history and is therefore not a science. I only have biology A level at grade C and my science GCSEs at grades AA in terms of science qualifications.) And lastly, considering I already have a degree does this mean I will not be eligible for any funding? You mentioned that students are allowed upto 7 years funding so that would cover the course and medschool, but as I already have a degree I am wondering if this means I won't be allowed funding because some places are like that. Also, I am English, so would I have to pay tuition fees or are fees covered?

Thanks!

[Zedd]

It is not too late to apply, I'm happy to be able to say. I just heard back from admissions so I think I will fill out my application and get to work on my personal statement. There is still a huge toss-up over what I will be doing come this September though :S

[PTMNO1]

Hi Lyndsey,

There are still places available as I think the max class size is 16; also the Perth course is relatively unknown compared to some of the more established courses.

However, you degree will probably render you unelligible for application as you have studied at a level higher than HNC before. It's not just the science thing, it's the fact you will have a clear advantage over other candidates who don't have the same study experience as you. Call Dr Boyd and ask (01738 877879), a choice in your Pathway is very important and I wouldn't feel comfortable giving difinitive advice.

Before the rules were tightened, a few people who pulled out mid degree were allowed in last year. I believe they're fees were covered for the HNC but they have to make a contribution to the St Andrews years. I think this is around £1000 but I really can't be sure. The other thing to take into consideration is that the NHS pays your fees for the clinical years so technically, only the first three years of St Andrews counts towards funding. Please check this information as I'm only advising this on my own limited experience of the SAAS system.

In regards to tuition fees, I'm genuinly not sure as this can be a complex matter. I know someone who avoided them as they lived in Scotland for 5 years.

I hope I've helped and good luck in your applications,


Alex