On An Access to Science course but hoping to apply for Med.

[frangelico]

Hi.
I left education half way through my first AS year due to rushing into my choices, not enjoying sixth form and not being mature enough basically. I went through a lot of stress on my last GCSE year(we got evicted from our home) so I returned to education at 20 in the form of the Access course. I hoped to pursue a degree in Radiography.

I have now got an offer for Radiography but through learning more about the human body and spending a day in a hospital (in the Radiography department, but a hospital nonetheless) I have realised my true passion, Medicine.

2011 entry is way out of the window obviously and I am pessimistic even though I am well on the way to achieving a distinction on this course that it would be accepted by med schools so I am looking to go onto another Access course in September which would be Access to Medicine alone.

I will obviously complete this course and get as much experience between now and September 2012 as possible and I am seriously looking at spending 3 weeks in Ghana in the summer hopefully working in a medical setting where I hope to gain new experiences and relevant experiences to my chosen field.

I'm unsure how medical schools will view me taking two access courses but I would rather pursue my dream now than spend three years doing a degree that I was unsure about.

I am particularly nervous about talking to my tutors about my decision, has anyone got any advice regarding this?

Thanks for reading.

[kaodeve]

Would you need to do the Access to Medicine? Think you should email admissions depts and ask whether your Access to Science would be acceptable for entry in lieu of A levels. Using the year to gain health-related work experience would be great and if you had a full year to devote to that rather than another access course that would be great.

hth

[frangelico]

Would you need to do the Access to Medicine? Think you should email admissions depts and ask whether your Access to Science would be acceptable for entry in lieu of A levels. Using the year to gain health-related work experience would be great and if you had a full year to devote to that rather than another access course that would be great.

hth

Hey thanks so much for your reply.
I have emailed various medical schools(about 10 different ones) showing a modular break down and asking whether this course would be acceptable.
If not I am willing to take the Access to Medicine as I said, just hope I can get a place for this year.

[frangelico]

Also, I have poor GCSEs.
CC in Science
D in Maths(working towards getting an equivalent of a pass now)
English all B's and the rest B's and C's...hoping this won't affect me too much

[kaodeve]

Re your GCSE's - you just need to make sure you apply to those unis who do not look at them if you have higher qualifications. Again, admissions will be the best placed to tell you if yours would be problemmatic.

Good luck and I hope you can use your Science Access course for applying. Will keep an eye on the thread to see the outcome of your enquiries.

[frangelico]

just a catch up, i am applying for bradford clinical sciences now as well, although i have asked if they can accept a separate personal statement, doubt they will say yes but worth a shot!

wish i had some tutor support here, oh well, here we go!

[welcome1]

I was in the same position as you about 2 years ago. My GCSE wer not the best and my A-Levels were in Business Studies/Finance/Sociology. I wanted to go into science and find out about radiography. So, I did a foundation year at a university and got a 2.1. After my Fds, I got onto a Bsc Radiography course, which im doing now. My plan is to get ATLEAST A 2.1 and AIMING for a 1st in my degree. After that go onto GEP Medicine. Atlease then, I have a degree and a GARANTEE JOB as a Radiographer and still elagable to apply for GEP.

I also have the equilivant GCSE MATHS and gues what! Grad Entry dont even look at GCSE and ALEVELS! all they care is about experience, degree mark and you as a person!

Just dont let anything hold you down... Sometimes I look back and think, when I failed GCSE and ALEVELS, now getting 70+% in uni exams, and applying for medicine!

Your the only person holding your future!

[Mamba]

Hey Chief,

first of all.. Your GCSE's. You need to sort them ASAP. You HAVE to get an A in English and a B in Math minimum for ALL medical degrees. Also they will not accept GCSE equivelants at all.

I know people that are in medicine via ACCESS TO MEDICINE and ACCESS TO SCIENCE. By far the majority did access to Medicine. The one person that did access to science had already been in med school elsewhere and moved to the UK. He did the course to get A level equivelants to his home qualifications.

If you want the brutal truth, do Access To Medicine. Anything else is an expensive, time waisting gamble. Even with A2M most people don't get into Medicine.

It is better to spend 2 years doing this right anf getting into Medicine, than starting and ending courses. The Med schools will see you as indecicive and possibly a quitter. You really dont want to give that impression.

Start afresh. Go get tour GCSE's sorted, whilst doing that this year, apply for A2M for next year. Within 3 years you will be starting Medical School. Sounds like a long time, but it isnt and you will be greatful you listened. In addition to all of this you will have a better chance of survivng Med School.


As for people that say the Grad route is a good option. I am in Med School and trust me it isn't. Out of the 300 students I am with 3 that are grad entry. They are super clever and top of their class. Also they are as you would need to be...wealthy. Real wealthy! Once you have a degree in the UK you do not get ANY more funding for a second degree. No matter how long or short your 1st degree was. You get NO loans, NO grants for your second degree. The fees have just doubled in price and you would have to find about £20,000 a year. Remember you only get within 6-8 weeks off at summer and its a 40hr week in Med School. You pay in blocks every 3 months from day 1, so you would need to enter medical school with £20,000 in the bank for EVERY year of the 5 year degree.

That really is the no bullshit truth, I advise you to go check out everything I have said. Good luck, stick with it. Take the long route and come join us in Medicine. I took the long route, the years flew by and I could not be happier with my decision.



Mamba

[frangelico]

thanks for the reply, just a bit of an update really. I am resitting my Maths GCSE this year(higher tier paper aiming for an A). I have e-mailed various medical schools and from what I've been reading bradford foundation year is accepted at a fair few as well as entry into leeds(Hull York Medical School, BSMS, Glasgow perhaps...(they said they look at each application as an individual).
I am resitting my English next summer as I have two B's so having them as predicted and then achieving two A's is not going to be such a struggle.
Just signed up to a medicine day for 35 pounds at Liverpool university and Nottingham, just for the experience more than anything, looking at trying to get to Hull York and BSMS too, money permitting.

I have an interview for being an A&E volunteer on Friday and hopefully my shadowing will be sorted soon, also looking at volunteering once a week in a care home.
....
Think that's it :\

As well as Bradford foundation year I'm applying to CCN and COWA as back up options before entering Medicine.

[welcome1]

To: Mamba,

I could not disagree with you anymore. First, Depending on which med school u apply for, they enquire diffrent entry requirments. For example: St. Georges University of London, King's College, ect... all enquire a minimum of a 2.2 from any disapline! THEY DONT ENQUIRE ANYTHING ELSE APPART FROM YOU DEGREE LEVEL. SO NO GCSE, NO A-LEVEL, AND MOST FROM ANY DISAPLINE!

ie: For me im predicted a 1st, and my degree is in Health Care Sciences, which is a bonus, and with over 2 years of work experience in a medical enviroment.

2: YOU DONT HAVE TO BE RICH TO STUDY MEDICINE GRAD ENTRY! The NHS pay for your 2, 3, & 4 year of your tuition fee's and your able to apply for a monthly NHS Bursery which is FREE and non-repably. You can aslo apply for a means tested Loan, which is optional. For your 1st year, you would have to pay your tuition fee's your self, and can not apply for a STUDENT TUITION FEE LOAN, BUT CAN APPLY FOR A MAINTANCE LOAN which students use to pay their tuition fee's and work on the weekends, holidays or prev-savings to live on. There is HELP available!

You dont have to do a an Medical Access Course to enter onto medicine, there is always a grad entry point - which I have said prev, its a bonus because you already have a 1st degree u can use in the future.

Mamba, Home it makes more sence!