Mature friendly London med schools?

[donutz]

Could anyone provide me with info or personal insights as to which of the London med schools are mature/graduate student friendly?

I know making the right decision as to which choices you make on the UCAS form is vital to trying to getting into med school, so I was hoping if anyone could share anything, I'd be most appreciative!

I've been looking at: IC, UCL, KCL (both 4/5yr), SGHMS (4/5yr), QMUL Barts (4/5yr).

Aside from the 4 year GEP courses, which of the 5/6 year undergrad courses are most mature friendly?

Many thanks.

[spk76]

Well, UCL doesn't have a GEP but the standard course seems to be very mature friendly, and they let you off the intercalated year, so it's 5 years not 6. Am I right in thinking that Imperial doesn't let graduates off of the the intercalated year, so matures have to do six years regardless?

[spk76]

From the IC web site:

Total expected intake: 326

Graduate and mature applicants
Up to about 25 places will be offered to outstanding graduate or mature applicants, although a strict quota system is not operated.

Graduate applicants

Graduates are normally expected to have a least a 2:1 Honours degree, in addition to the normal A level subject requirements (minimum grades CCC). Graduates are not normally exempt from any section of the MB BS core course or examinations. To find out about exemption from parts of the BSc degree component of the course, they should email School of Medicine Admissions at admitmed@imperial.ac.uk. Graduate applicants will be required to commit to financing themselves for the duration of the course. For details of current fees, please email School of Medicine Admissions as above.

Mature applicants

Mature applicants are normally required to have three A levels in accordance with the entry requirements given above, in addition to other qualifications which may be offered.

[spk76]

From the UCL website:

Approximately 30% of applicants (around 800) will be selected for interview each year for 330 places.

Although we do not have a specific quota of places for graduate students, approximately 40 students are admitted to the Medical School annually.

Please note that graduates and those expecting to graduate are normally interviewed during the month of January.

Graduates:
We consider graduates or students in their final year of degree studies who have or are expected to obtain at least an upper second-class Honours degree. A Master’s or Doctor’s degree does not override the requirement for an upper second-class achievement in the first degree. Degrees awarded by universities outside the UK are not acceptable. Science and non-science graduates are considered equally. However, applicants must offer A Level Chemistry. Biology A or ASub Level must also be offered if a candidate has not achieved at least a grade B in single science Biology at GCSE Level. Should a candidate not be able to meet these requirements, full details of any Biology or Chemistry modules studied at undergraduate level should be submitted. These will then be considered as possible alternatives. Please note that graduates are normally expected to have achieved grades of at least BBC at A Level.

Graduates and those expecting to graduate must apply to the medical degree programme both through UCAS, and by direct application to UCL. Those intending to apply are strongly advised to give careful consideration to the financial implications of embarking on the medical programme.

BMAT:

All candidates applying to read Medicine in 2004 and subsequently will be required to sit a written test. Please see Selection Procedure for further information and refer to www.bmat.org.uk for sample questions and details of how to apply. Online BMAT practice with feedback is now available at www.ucl.ac.uk/lapt/bmat.htm.

Does the Medical School consider mature applicants?

Although we do consider applications from mature students who meet the minimum entry requirements, few students are admitted over the age of 30 due to a number of concerns. Chief among these are the ability to cope with the demands of a rigorous six-year course, and the subsequent disadvantage that those 35 and over are likely to experience when applying for jobs after qualification. The number of working years which a doctor can contribute to the profession is often a determining factor.

[smiley]

From personal communications with the London med schools, UCL and IC were the unfriendliest of them all. IC said they would not consider me due to my age (28 at the time!) whilst UCL said it was "unlikely" an application would be successful because of my age. On the other hand, Barts, KCL and Georges were all very positive saying that my age wasn't a barrier at all. I'm a non-grad so maybe that was another factor in UCL and IC's decision to say to not bother applying to them at my advanced years!

[donutz]

Hi there,
I'd just like to start off by saying that I have done my share of research into the topic, and did read all the material from the respective university websites. I've already started to make contact with them as well.

I was hoping to see what personal insights people had as well, thats all.

But I appreciate your efforts, thanks alot. I am just making this post so people don't think of me as someone who makes a post on the forum and expects everyone else to go and find out everything for me while i sit on my arse!

Cheers...

[spk76]

My own experience of UCL was very positive. I'm a 28-year-old biochemistry graduate.

UCL seems to be increasingly keen to recruit graduates into medicine and I certainly got the impression, although based on no tangible evidence, that if you got through to interview, you stood an extremely high chance of being made an offer - was it something like 80 interviews for 50+ places?

IC, on the other hand, appeared to be rather unfriendly to graduates, despite it being my old alma mater - perhaps it's more friendly to nongrad matures.

KCL seemed very keen but then cocked up with the organisation of the GEP in advising graduates to apply to it in preference to the 5-year course and that unsuccessful applicants for the GEP would be considered for the standard course, which appears not to have been the case (I think it may have turned out that only people who got through to interview were then considered for the other option). It was a waste of a UCAS choice for me, and I would have stood a much better chance for the normal course.