would a PhD mean a higher success in getting in Med?

[biomed12]

Hello Everyone,

Just a bit of my background info:
I got:
GCSE 1A*, 7A's and 3Bs
A Level: A, B, B, C (Buisines studies, chemistry, biology, english lit respectively)
Degree: 1st class hon in Biomedical Science at Keele University

I applied to four postgraduate medicine courses last october (imperial, birminham, warwick and st georges) and i got rejected by all I did both the UKCAT and GAMSAT.
UKCAT: i got average of 640. All of my marks were above 600 appart from the maths part where i got 590.
GAMSAT: i didnt get the requirement to pass if i remember correctly i was 5 marks off in the science section!

I was obviously upset i didnt get in but now i think about it, it probably was tough applying for a post graduate course which is more competitive and also people i was competing with may have already got their degree whereas i was only getting a predicted grade.
After being rejected i have been offered to do a PhD at Keele, however it is a Chemistry one... an Inorganic chemistry one, which means very very little relation with biology or clinical relevance. However the reason why i didnt turn this down was because one of my lecturers reminded me that i may not get this chance again to study PhD and also its an insurance for my future career path in case i never get into medicine ever. Kinda demotivating hey.

I have just started this PhD, sometimes i do feel crappy knowing Im only doing this because i didnt get into medicine but i try to cheer myself up by telling myself doing a Phd would increase my chances in getting into postgrad medicine once i graduate Phd. (in 3-4yrs time!).

I would just like everyone to give me their personal advice or knowledge into whether PhD would help me into a future success in applying or would it be a waste of my time?

Any comment is better than no comment.

[zhangyuzhi]

hi there. I suppose for Imperial graduate course you have to fulfill their requirements in terms of the biology/physiology content in your current course (or the degree). There is a checklist which is downloadable from their website and you might wish to have a look. Also to my knowledge Imperial wants 2400 total with 600 in each section of UKCAT- maybe that explained why you didn't make it last year.

hope this helps.

[skittles87]

I honestly don't think doing a PhD is going to improve your chances of getting in but it wouldnt hurt . You already have a VERY STRONG academic background and most uni's state that they only consider the results of your first degree.

Did you get feedback from any of the uni's after you were unsucessful?
-->You were probably unsucessful because of the competition/some aspects of your application .... but it would prob be best to get feedback directly from the uni's you applied to

Were you unsucessful before or after interviews?

[minnako]

Hi, don't be discouraged, you're a very good candidate! You did really well at your degree, and your entrance exams were well done. Postgaduate courses often expect a lot more in terms of entrance exams, expecting a UKCAT above 700 normally. They are also extremely competitive, so just like people aren't advised to apply to all BMAT universities, it's risky to apply to all GEPs. That's in the past for you, so although it's tempting to worry about what you might have done differently, don't. Focus on the future, what you can do to make you an even better candidate.

PhDs are hard work. They take a lot of time, and get into detailed specifics, which would be a waste of time and energy if you are not genuinely interested in the specific field you choose, and it might be hard to get one in a field you like. That time and energy could be well spent doing volunteering, or working in a health field, as these are things universities value highly.

Universities normally state they only consider your first degree, so for most universities it won't be a huge benefit, and I don't know if they consider it at all. If you don't enjoy your PhD and it doesn't feel relevant, will you have the drive to carry it through? This is something only you can decide.

I sincerely hope you find the best choice for you.

[zhangyuzhi]

to my knowledge there are quite a few PhD holders starting each year in the graduate entry course, and the fact that Imperial is quite nice to morre academic applicants, so it is clearly a good idea to apply.

but check with the course requirements first. also if you quit your PhD training and then apply medicine, I am not sure if they are going to ask you on that during the interviews (if they do it would be a killer question).

[Philippa*]

Actually it may go against yo uas then you will need to show why you are changing career from research/academia to medicine which may be harder than in your current situation.

[agneishd]

I'd say it would help; high level academic qualifications can only look impressive I'd imagine.