So since I have nothing really relevant to put down here yet, ( apart from my trip down Ranting Student Nurse lane) I thought it may be helpful to write a little on the process of getting into Medical School as a Graduate, as arduous as it is!
This will be a long post.... Essential Items Include: A Bucket of Tea and A Whole Packet of Bikkies.
I'm sure you can tell that I had my mind set on Medicine since day 1, but things don't always go that way.
I know that there are more and more students going into the Biomedical Sciences etc as Undergrads because either they didn't make the grade for Medicine as a school leaver, or it just wasn't their time, so I'm not actually that odd in taking this windy route.
First of all, let me say, if you want to go into Medicine as a Grad, then you had better be prepared to work your cottons off. There are to my knowledge only 3 Medical Schools (Peninsula, SGUL and East Anglia) that accept students with a 2:2 and they are then required to sit the
GAMSAT An entrance exam rumoured to be so horrible it is better imagined that described.
I had a look at the GAMSAT preparations and I knew right away that it was not an exam I had a reasonable chance of doing well in, so I set my sights for a 2:1 and that meant the entrance exam I took was the
UKCAT.Now, whilst the GAMSAT appeared insurmountable to me, the UKCAT was no picnic either.
To be honest, it was such a brain drain, that I cant remember much about the actual thing, and like most exams, I doubt if I sat down to do it now I could get a good average.
Have a look at the practice tests on their website and you will get a feel of what it is like. There is a practice book available too, I never used it, but some on
NMM (THE site for prospective Med Schoolers) sing its praises.
You get your UKCAT scores on the day, and so will know from then weather its Game On or not. It was rumoured that this year round Barts had a UKCAT cut-0ff 600 and that seems to be the benchmark for most schools, so my plan was to aim for 700 and I should land somewhere between there and 600. Thankfully that worked out and 667 was my final average.
I'm sure choosing where to go will depend on where you live, if you are a party animal etc etc, but I would say that for Medical School, it would be prudent to check if where you have your heart set on is in the PBL (or PBHell as
The Little Medic calls it) camp or not. PBL has been likened to DIY - Do it Yourself Medical Education, and I am yet to find a strong supporter of it.
I know it would not suit my learning style at all, and so I opted for the most Traditional Based course I could find.
The next step is your Personal Statement. No doubt you'll have had a crack at this the first time around, and this time it is 10 times as important.
Medical Schools have the cream of the crop applying to them, so you really need to make your PS stand on on your UCAS form. The School I am going to in Scotland told us on the open day that they have a marking criteria with so much set aside for the following:
Required Academic Standard (2:1 or higher)
Extra Academic Achievements
Relevant Work Experience
Good All Rounder - so plenty of solid Extra Curricular Activities here
Personal Achievements - Duke of Ed Gold, Grade 8 Piano, etc etc.
UKCAT Average for borderline scores.
I didn't have much of a problem with ticking those boxes, being a Kayaking Nurse! But I am told that for those coming from a straight science degree, or those who are not science grads at all, it can be difficult getting the right amount of volunteer/shadow experience to fill the gaps.
It goes without saying that its wise to get a scholarly type/someone in the know to read through it and make suggestions before you submit it, oh and be prepared for many re-drafts as the word limit is teensy, and I know I found it tough to get all the salient points to fit.
The next step after you submit your UCAS Form......
WAIT.
For Months.
and Months.
and Finally......
I applied to 3 courses, one 5 year in Scotland and two 4 years GEPs in London.
KCL GEP gave me a flat rejection and I found that out in late November.
I had my interview at the Scottish School in Mid February, and had my offer late March.
Barts GEP didn't interview until the first week in March, and I was emailed an offer mid April.
So the timeline is roughly,
Open Days: May/June '07, UKCAT: July '07, UCAS Form: October '07,
Interviews: Feb/March 08, Offers: March/April 08.
So for practically a whole year, you will be thinking non stop: What If? Am I Good Enough? Pleeeeeeeeease! It'll Never Happen. Stop Thinking About It! Its all Good, Chill. Yikes!
And other variations on that theme!
And, like me you could be working every waking hour in an effort to bag that all important 2:1 at the same time. I think I overcooked the working hard bit as I finished with a 1st - I was chuffed to bits but a 2:1 would have done lol.
As I had two offers, it was a bit of a dilemma as to where to go. I had started the whole process thinking it would be a trial run this year, as I had read of many people on their 3rd and 4th attempts on the application cycle, and so I was quite shocked to have gotten an offer never mind 2.
My offers could not have been from more different places. Both schools had fantastic reputations, but one was smack bang in the heart of the East End, and the other was in Rural Scotland. One was a Graduate Entry Programme so would last 4 years, and the other was a regular 5 year programme. Fees were different and accommodation/costs of living were also different, and being a BASICS/Pre-Hospital Junkie, the Chopper on the Roof at Barts had quite a draw. I had a lot of thinking to do.
I settled on Scotland (I'm not going to say where exactly I am going) because:
1) It is the regular 5 years, so I will not be cramming 4 years of study into 5, and hopefully I will have more time to focus on things like BioChem and the like, which for me may need a bit of work.
2) Because it is the regular 5 year course, I should have more time to fit some bank nursing shifts in - because don't forget, if you are going in as a Graduate, you may not be eligible for a Student Loan/Tuition Fee Loan (I'm still waiting to find out what I will get)
3) Its not London. 4 years in London and I had had enough, 4 more and I may have forgotten what Ireland's mountains looked like, so I had to get away.
Plus, your boogies turn black after an hour on the Underground - whats up with that?!
So I settled for Scotland and I haven't looked back. Roll On September!
P.S: I haven't commented on the Interviews at either institution, as at Barts we were expressly asked not to. Suffice to say it was a 5 hour marathon, but to go into detail would be unfair as it would give the game away.
Yikes, if you have read all that you deserve a medal. Any Questions that I haven't touched on, Feel Free to Comment and I will get back to you.
