age and cost another barrier to your dream career??

**ali** · 31-12-2005, 09:53 AM

sorry to butt in here

i dont think you guys should worry too much about age and money. i was in the same position as you. i did my BSc in biomed, then i started a PhD. i wanted to do medicine when i was doing A levels, but i didnt get the grades. although i was trying to forget about medicine all together, i couldnt. the negatives were that i was getting old, i would probably had to put my life on hold, and i would have ended up in a huge debt. but once u set ur heart on medicine, there is no going back. i finished my PhD and i didnt get any offers in the first year of applying which made it even harder! but i didnt give up and applied again the next year, and i am half way through my second year in soton now (i am 28). i think deciding to apply for medicine was the best decision of my life, and i really mean it. i absolutely love it. at some times when i am having a hard time learning some stuff i curse myself, but i know deep down how much i appreciate this chance that i have been given.

one other thing. i feel like i am quite different than a typical medic. a lot of the 'matures' or 'graduates' i know are the same. we are more of a chilled out type of people. we tend to take it easy, unlike many other people on the course who have come from A levels straight away, and work extremely hard and play extremely hard too. some of us matures just cant do that, and thats why i dont see myself as a 'typical' medic, and more of a scientist (if u have worked in research labs u would know what i mean

).

anyway, dont let things like age and money matter get to u. age doesnt matter really, and it doesnt matter if u end up with a huge debt at the end of it. u are more or less guranteed a job when u finish (foundation), and u have a good chance to get future jobs coz u already have another degree! and lets face it, u will have a pretty good salary too which is gonna help paying up the debt. but most of all, u will be doing something which u really like doing to.

**Dr.BuddyLove** · 31-12-2005, 01:33 PM

guys jsut wondering

can you make an application to a med school whilst your studying for the first year of your degree

so e.g. - say i go to St.Geo biomed next year - say i get AAB in my a levels - could i still go on the course and applying for medicine for 2007 entry??

probs a daft question but hey, u neever know! lol

**Leo2004** · 31-12-2005, 08:29 PM

Dr Buddylove,

The answer in general is a big fat No.

I can only do this cos the uni I study at has stop off points each year where they
give you a stand-alone academic award... Hence the program I have enrolled on each year is in effect over. Also, I alreagy have another degree and the ALevels....

hope this helps....

Leo

**batool** · 01-01-2006, 12:40 AM

hey

i thought it was only me stressing too much over the time and money it will take to get there. apart from that theres all the interviews and picking and chosing the 'right' university to study medicine for graduates. does anyone have any tips on which uni is more grad friendly and any interview suggestions would help aswell

BTW thanks alot every, was feeling really down by thinking about how i will ever manage. now knowing that there are others who have done a BMS degree and have gotton through has motivated me. just gotta get through these januray exams to ever have a chance.

hopefully it will work out for me & everyone else

good luck!!

**Dr.BuddyLove** · 01-01-2006, 06:15 AM

yeah about the finances

the way i see it - that the conomic benefits tof actually being a doctor will far far outweigh that of the inital cost besides if your stuck, you can get a graduate loan from a US bank and study in the US! Easy peasy, mind thats just the basics but eitherway talthough it costs more to go to a forgien medical school, at least you can et a kick ass loan for it unlie here!

...in fact IS there graduate loans in this country?theres gotta be, all those people doing PGCES and GEPs???

**DH2005** · 01-01-2006, 07:11 AM

Yes, there are graduate loans. I took one out to go to postgrad law school... that was an error, huh?

It may sound reckless of me, but I couldn't give a shit about the time and money it'll cost me to become a doctor. I know I'm right, for the first time in my life (that's a Crowded House lyric... Christ, I'm cheesy somtimes).

**AndreucciodaPerugia** · 01-01-2006, 03:54 PM

And as someone who's currently studying in the US I'd be careful to check when applying but most med schools that I know of in the US want you to have done at least a full year of undergrad pre-med courses at a US uni, and the MCAT. GPA is a huge thing in the US, and I've found it hard to transfer grades across the systems coz you lose out either way - GPAs go to 3 decimal points, and you can feel jibbed when trying to relate a GPA to the honors system here.

Also graduate loans need a US co-signer, unless you get it from the school. Pretty much only Ivies and top 15 schools will be generous enough to give you a loan for the full amount, and with the average US med student graduating with $250, 000 debt (according to all the US armed forces emails I've been getting*) good luck getting a US citizen to agree to co-sign a loan like that.

*The US armed forces have this program where if you score high enough on the MCAT and your GPA is good enough they cover all of your med school costs and give you around $1,200 a month to live on. It's really great money for a med student, I'll tell you that. They also guarantee you residencies in a wide range of specialties with the armed forces. But it means signing your summer away and like at least 6 years after med school to them. With this administration in place, I wouldn't count on getting out of it alive. Mercifully they stopped allowing internationals to do it (it was also a fast-track to citizenship) shortly after 9-11, otherwise my dad might have started getting ideas...

**Leo2004** · 01-01-2006, 11:10 PM

Hey AndreucciodaPerugia,

What kind of academic and experiences background have you got to get an offer for the oxford GEM?? It looks like a fascinating course with theheavy emphasis on science and clinicals from the word go.... I also like the idea of the pathology block and can just see you foning us some harrassed sho telling them blood fro 7504534 has haemolysed hehehe......

no seroiusly, I wouls love to get on this course at the ripe old age of 30 if I manage to get a 1st in Biomed and am not enrolled in med before then, so I d be interested to know what kinda profiles grab the selectors attention.

BEST OF LUCK IN THAT!

Also, has anyone considered studying med in one of the Euro med schools like Charles if they don't get a place here?? Its impressive that you get an eu med degree which is waht i want but the 11500US per year for tuition alone puts me off a bit, if only because I think the banks would tell me where to go.....

Maybe, i should ask that friendly Howard from the Halifax......... ;-)

**Dr.BuddyLove** · 01-01-2006, 11:27 PM

hold on although i was completley wrong <thank you connexions> about the us, prague cause its cheaper to live over there works out just as cheap as studying over in the UK - however u do have to learn the language :S

**AndreucciodaPerugia** · 01-01-2006, 11:37 PM

Hey Leo2004,

I have an old PM of all my details so I'll send that to you and save me some time.
And most ppl on the course last year (11/30) (see http://www.weblearn.ox.ac.uk/site/me...e1/courseinfo/
under "1M05Clinical.pdf")

had post grad quals. I'd guess that the average age of students on the course is 25-28 from those stats so I don't think you'd be out of place at all. At the open day one guy told me of someone who'd got in at 31 in his cohort, - I'd ask to make sure, but if you've checked it out, and like it's structure I would strongly consider applying.