Notts & SGUL GEM Interview?

[Deagle]

As for dropping out - no-one has gone so far! And I think that about 6% of last year's cohort failed their end of year exams.
Hope that helps.

Just to add, last year they changed the end-of-first-year exams from being formative to summative. Before this the only thing you had to pass in first year was the portfolio - the first exam we had to pass was at the end-of-GEM after 18 months. So it may look like more people are failing, but in fact I think it'll just be the case that people that are failing are just doing so 6 months earlier. Plus I'd very much doubt there's any correlation between past degrees/GAMSAT marks and those not getting though. For the first couple of months it may feel a big disadvantage to have a 10-year-old degree in architecture as opposed to a doctorate in immunology, but things even up pretty quickly. The GEM staff put a huge amount of effort into helping out those that are struggling or have to re-sit.

As for people dropping out, I think compared with the undergrad course there are very few, and they are mostly for family or health reasons.

Best of luck to all the 2010 applicants!

[Jarve]

I don't have the source to hand, but I recall that the correlation between GAMSAT score and final degree mark is not as high as one would think. My opinion is that this is because medicine is still not a difficult intellectual degree: there is little critical thinking and development of analytical skills, but rather an emphasis on conformity and rote memorization. The GAMSAT is probably quite a good test of one's all-round intellectual ability. Thus, ones final mark represents how hard one works to memorize the quickly forgotten material and how closely one conforms to the educationalists' model. This is true in Europe as it is in England, but I think that England is worse.

Medicine is in a difficult time at the moment - antiquated learning systems need to change but at the same time educationalists have become predominant, and the typical educationalist comes from a background antithetical to science and evidence based medicine. Anyone coming into contact with junior doctors today will be familiar with the concept of 'grinning monkey' and condescending idiot. Medical schools still churn out fools who believe that homeopathy or acupuncture works and who are not capable of assessing a research paper. Lord, keep those fools away from me and my family.

[rustyblueyez]

Are you studying medicine Jarve? If so where?
You have some very strong opinions about medical graduates in Europe and some interesting and I feel frankly misguided ideas about what skills one learns studying medicine.

I would argue that one of the most important skills studying medicine has brought out in me is a critical and analytical approach. I am certainly not very good at rote learning but perform well on my course.
I think the skills one develops whilst studying are reflective of the individual.

[Remus]

Hi, guys. Has anybody received a date for their interview yet?

[terrified_tony]

Not me, waiting nervously tho!!!

[Remus]

yeah, me too. when did you send your work experience questionnaire back, if you don't mind me asking.

[terrified_tony]

around x-mas time!!!

[Remus]

yeah, i sent mine a few weeks back now. really wanted an interview date as i have some important travel arrangements to make which i will be fitting in around my notts interview.

[PRoberts]

Has anyone got an interview date yet?
Surely they will be given out soon as all the forms will have been handed in by now, sooo nervous, I really want to go to Nottingham!!

[terrified_tony]

I rang notts t'other day and was told that they expect all the question forms back by other day and then they got a few things to check and they told me that i should expect an interview date around the second week in feb. They said would deffo have over a month notice before the date of interview. So a case of being patient...