Where do I start?

[1993sak]

Hi,

I am a first year Psychology student who truly wants to do graduate entry medicine ( like most of you )

But, I don't know where exactly to start?

- Should I do Chemistry A-level as I have an Arts background?

- When do I apply/take the entry test?

- Would it be possible to get accepted with only a predicted grade i.e. right after my 3rd year and if so, is it very rare?

Sorry, that was not just 1 question

Thanks

[kylelowe1990]

hey there, Firstly psychology could be considered a direct entry Degree, If not it would help if you looked into Access to Medicine courses around the country. They are 1 year courses that, if you get the top marks, are excepted for medical school entry and are made for us mature and graduate students. The best ones that i know of are Manchester college, Sussex downes, Perth in Scotland, and COWA in Kings lynn, norfolk. Secondly, A level Chemsitry seems to be a positive to have under your belt for medical school acceptance, and may even be handy throughout medical school as i WILL come up. You can do an evening course in A level Chemistry, which would help you having to go to college after your degree. courses: evening classes part time courses: undergraduate postgraduate courses
This website should help you find any local courses, from GCSE to Degrees in any area across the country, part time to full time!
Thirdly, i think the graduate entry test is called the GAMSAT however some Unis still like you to take the UKCAT. You can purchase the books online on amazon or anywere quickly and i think there are several threads and posts on both on newmediamedicine. Each uni is different and its worth looking on the entry requirements when choosing which ones you want to apply for to see if you need to take either.
Finally, it works the same as A levels, you apply the in your final year of uni, and if they want you they will give you a conditional offer of a certain grade. If i were you i would aim for a 1st class honours but i think they accept 2.1 and even nottingham accepts 2.2. Hope this helps

[Mr.J]

Hi 1993sak,

In addition to the first reply, check out

Medschoolsonline - Medical Course Guide for Graduates - Graduate Entry 4-Year Courses

for a really good resume of the 4 year Graduate Entry courses
and here

Medschoolsonline - Medical Course Guide for Graduates - Standard Medicine Courses

for a run down of the standard 5yr courses that take graduates.

Taking A Level Chemistry wouldn't hurt but isn't prerequisite. A small number of Med schools accept graduates with neither science degrees or A level chemistry, but you'll reduce your pool of choices to apply to.

You apply in the October the year before you want to start i.e. apply in October 2012 to start in Sept 2013. There are three entrance exams (BMAT, UKCAT and GAMSAT) - different med schools require different exams. Refer to the above websites for more info. The GAMSAT is a common requirement for the graduate entry courses that don't require A level chemistry. It runs in Sept, and you have to sign up in mid August. There are many other threads about it here and elsewhere on the web, and the official website is worth a look.

For your third question - I believe it is possible to apply prior to completing a first degree although didn't take this route personally. Your achieved class must come up to scratch, which is generally minimum 2:i except (I think) for St Georges London.

Finally, an unsolicited piece of advice, getting started volunteering/shadowing takes an inordinately long term. A good idea to start now if you haven't already - not only is it vital for applications I found it the most helpful way to confirm that medicine was the right career path for me.

All the best.

[suneela]

Hello there. Could anyone give advice pls. My situation is a bit awkward. I am a British citizen but basically from India and did most of my education there.My bachelors (compared to ordinary british bachelors-not honours) is in microbiology with 70% pass. Did a masters in the UK with just pass-not merit. But now, I serioulsy wantt o pursue medical career. Applied for 2012 entry and got all 4 rejections. Some say i havent got enough score in my qualifications and some say i havent had a formal education in the last 5 years. So i dont qualify.

Can i do anything that will help me apply again??? iam a mother with 2 kids( 4yr old and 6week old).work for the NHS full time as a Biomedical scientist in microbiology.Have to ge tback to work by this oct. as iam now on maternity leave. Too late for access courses i guess. Can anyone suggest anything atall pls. I am desperate.

[kylelowe1990]

Its NEVER too late for Medicine, and an Access course may be just up your street, as it is an alternative route for people with experience in the NHS or in the health care industry.

[suneela]

hi kylelowe1990, thanx for the reply. What do you mean by people with experience in the NHs? should i mention it to the med schools when i ring them to find out if i meet the entry requirements? and an access is a full time course isn't it? can i do an OU course, do u know? or any distance learning?

[Profanius]

Hi Suneela

The problem is that some foundation or access courses exclude graduates. Since you have a UK Masters Degree you may also be eligible to pay £9k tuition fees on any 5 year course and won't be eligible for a tuition fee loan under ELQ legislation. Even after a successful access course and university application, the medicine degree might not be affordable. Also, with your background in science you might find an access course very frustrating.

Nearly all GEM programmes require an honours degree (and many don't accept international degrees). Some will accept a Masters degree in lieu of an honours degree (Newcastle, SGUL...) but usually require a minimum of a 2:1 at Masters level. I might be wrong but I don't know of any GEM university that will accept your current blend of qualifications (e.g. Leicester require an honours degree, SGUL will take professional qualifications).

I've seen your query about international med schools in another thread, but this is very dependant on the languages you speak and studying abroad would mean very limited eligibility for any kind of state child support. Unless you are willing to leave your children behind or you have serious financial/family backing, this probably will not work.

My honest advice would be to contact the Open University and ask about transfering the credit from your existing degree(s) to an Open University degree. You could then top this up to an UK honours degree for about the same cost as an access course - and you can work while doing it. You would then be eligible to apply for GEM, and have evidence of recent study. Staying in the UK would mean you are eligible for child support etc. while being a student and applying to GEM would mean you qualify for tution fee loans and NHS tuition support and bursaries.

It might sound tough, but it's probably the best option for you.

[suneela]

Thank you very much for the advice profanius. I have rung OU just now and they say their credit system is changing and will only have info available from 27th march. But still there is a ray of hope. Thanx to you. I will keep an eye out for info. Also what course from OU would be apt if i try to transfer the credits?they mentioned quite a few-natural sciences,molecular and cell biology,psychology etc:

The thing about fees, i paid international fees for my masters.So i have no student loans taken out in the UK.Do you think this would make me eligible for loans?

[suneela]

Hi profanius
I have another question for you please. for me to transfer credits and do top up for getting a UK honours degree I can only start in oct 2012 according to OU. Would i still be able to apply for 2013 entry? coz by the time i apply in 2012 i would have just started my top up and only finish it may be by june or july 2013.

[new2newmedia]

Hi,

I am a first year Psychology student who truly wants to do graduate entry medicine ( like most of you )

But, I don't know where exactly to start?

- Should I do Chemistry A-level as I have an Arts background?

- When do I apply/take the entry test?

- Would it be possible to get accepted with only a predicted grade i.e. right after my 3rd year and if so, is it very rare?

Sorry, that was not just 1 question

Thanks

Slightly different advice to what you got earlier. If you want to enter graduate medicine then an access course will not make you any more or less eligible. It only makes you eligible for certain 5 year courses. Who knows what the fee situation will be in a few years time but as it stands graduates on undergraduate degrees pay 9k upfront - no fee loan. If you are in a financial position to apply to the 5 year places then there are several that can include a foundation year - Bristol, Liverpool, Keele, Dundee, Manchester, Cardiff (maybe more?) I believe - all do or did accept graduates. There are others but the extra year is to help those first timers who have the aptitude but aren't quite ready.

For graduate entry A level chemistry is generally not that useful Southampton want AS biology and chemistry or A level chemistry any grade and I think with your degree QMUL would want AS chemistry (grade B). Kings and Newcastle want evidence of recent study (doing a degree should be fair enough). Warwick should also accept psychology but I had all sorts of problems with them so I'd double check in advance that your degree is accepted. The places I have mentioned are all currently UKCAT universities and all expect a 2:1. Warwick is a good choice as it has lots of places comparatively.

If you take sciencey modules and get a first then Birmingham may consider you but would need to see your transcript and make a judgement call.

GAMSAT requires some scientific knowledge and a lot of general practice (UKCAT is a psychometric test and needs practice in my opinion but no specific knowledge). From what I've heard here A level chemistry isn't especially helpful and the best course of action is to learn the specific GAMSAT content. This is the test for SGUL, Nottingham, Swansea and Keele GEM programmes.

I think you can generally apply in your final year but some (like Leicester) want you to have your degree already.

In my opinion, as you are young I'd focus on getting as much experience as possible - especially long term volunteering as well as doing as well as possible in your degree.

Good luck with it all.