also applying for masters and phd?

[BubblePop]

To speak the truth, a masters is really not necessary if you have/expect to gain a 2:1 minimum. Most universitites (with the exception of Swansea) do not state that having one confers an extra advantage, and it will be a lot of money down the drain for fees, accomm, etc, if you are not going to put it to some use.

What you could do instead is just to get a job on the back of your BSc or a HCA job, both of which would pay you and which could also give you the necessary experience that admissions often require.

I really only recommend doing an MSc if you have a 2:2 and want to apply to Kings or UCL. Otherwise, it's pretty useless.

If you do decide on a masters, I'm not sure if the type you choose matters. Although if you decide to apply to a PBL based institution, then one where you can demonstrate self-research (e.g. through doing a thesis) will help you when it come to talking about your strengths as a self-directed learner.

[LP77]

I am currently doing a masters and loving it, it is in the specialist field I want to go into hopefully after I qualify as a doctor and I would have to take this course after I had qualified if I was not doing it now.
A word of warning for those hoping to do MPhil, besides the stress of a PhD, most grad courses say they will not accept you if you are in the middle of a PhD and have to show that you have completed the PhD before the september of the intended year of study. That includes the thesis and viva. This is what I have heard from students applying to kings and imperial anyway.
Hope that helps.

[Delgado]

I'm also studying a Masters, and I'm planning to pursue a PhD if my attempt at medicine fails again. Would love to get one in London either at Imperial or King's. I have also been looking into the possibility of Oxbridge- though I have some doubt as to whether I would meet their standards!

[yazoo]

A word of caution for those considering an scientific career if medicine eludes them - from one who has experience of both.

I thought I enjoyed science and, in some ways, I do. But on an abstract level, only - I don't want to be a scientist. The day to day life is hugely different to that of most medics (academic medicine is more of a fusion). I actually don't like being a scientist. I like the uncertainty of medicine, the fact that no 2 days are the same, the people, the odd buzz of adrenaline, the team work.

I love medicine. If you paid me 5 times as much, I wouldn't be a scientist again. Studying science and being a scientist are two different things. Think about the job you will be doing at the end of the day.

But if you want to do a PhD/MSc for educational reasons, then that's a bit different. I did learn a lot from doing a PhD.

Either way, ignore the above as you wish