Do you have to be top of the class to be a surgeon??

**saintgermain** · 16-08-2009, 08:01 PM

Coming top of your year could help in terms of winning prizes etc. This all adds extra weight to the CV. What I think the other posters are getting at is that it is not necessarily good value for effort spent. Other things such as extracurricular activities, intercalated degrees, publications, etc are at least as (if not more) valuable and are often easier to organise. You could commit your whole degree to coming top of the class and still end up in fifth place. Then you would have next to nothing to show for it. Even if you came top, you are unlikely to have all the other things needed to complete a strong CV. Only a small number can manage both.

**Gizmo says -** · 16-08-2009, 08:51 PM

who would want to manage it?

life would be dull as dishwater like that.
who would want to 'ang around wif a person like that?

**>Freak<** · 17-08-2009, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by saintgermain

Coming top of your year could help in terms of winning prizes etc. This all adds extra weight to the CV. What I think the other posters are getting at is that it is not necessarily good value for effort spent. Other things such as extracurricular activities, intercalated degrees, publications, etc are at least as (if not more) valuable and are often easier to organise. You could commit your whole degree to coming top of the class and still end up in fifth place. Then you would have next to nothing to show for it. Even if you came top, you are unlikely to have all the other things needed to complete a strong CV. Only a small number can manage both.

Don't you think it's a little unfair for those who cannot afford to spend extra money for an intercalated degree? I think it's obvious that even an average student could go on intercalating provided he/she has the money but to come top means the student has to be consistently scoring top marks in the year group. Taking all these into account, would an intercalated degree still be considered as superior to coming top?

**Gizmo says -** · 17-08-2009, 01:38 PM

no, its no more relevant than any number of other substitute studies, and in fact there are few bscs that even relate to surgery.

**TigerFeet** · 30-08-2009, 06:44 PM

Geezer, don't know if you'll read this, but just wanted to say a big thank you for that brilliant post. As a medic-in-waiting, I found it extremely valuable. I hope that things have worked out for you. You should try and get that post published somewhere (apart from here, I mean).

Oh, and as a 'mature' candidate, if anyone refers to me as 'girl' then at least I can ask them if they need their eyes testing!