Popular Post Sandwich Posted October 7, 2011 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Okay after seeing a tonne of questions about getting into Medicine in the UK recently, I thought I'd just save everybody some time and make a questions thread with a little list of frequently asked Qs. Please read through these to see if your question is answered here!...and if it's not been answered already, please feel free to ask it on this thread so we can keep all the information together for future students so they can more quickly access the info they need.Frequently Asked Questions!Regarding subjects and IB scores...1.1 Do I need HL Chemistry?1.2 What if HL Chemistry is not offered at my school?1.3 Do I need HL Biology?1.4 Do I need HL Maths?1.5 How many points do I need?1.6 Do medical schools really like IB students?1.7 Do I have to do my Extended Essay related to Medicine?1.8 Do I do X subject or Y subject if I want to get in for Medicine?Regarding additional exams...2.1 Do I need to take extra exams?2.2 What is the BMAT and how do I prepare for it?2.3 What is the UKCAT and how do I prepare for it?Regarding picking where to apply to...3.1 Are all Medical courses the same?3.2 What criteria should I use to pick where to apply?Miscellaneous4.1 What other stuff should I do to maximise my chances of getting interviewed?4.2 How do I prepare for the interview?4.3 Can I do a different degree and THEN apply to study Medicine?4.4 Can start out on another degree and then transfer/convert to Medicine?4.5 What should I expect from the course?Q: Do I need HL Chemistry?A: Yes, you do. Only one or two minor medical schools in the UK don't stipulate HL Chemistry amongst their requirements. It's not a subject which you will find hugely useful when actually studying Medicine (actually HL Biology will probably help you a lot more!), but it is widely acknowledged to be a hard scientific subject and therefore people who can do well in HL Chemistry are likely to be able to handle the course. To double check that your Uni wants HL Chemistry, look on their particular website. The broad rule? You need HL Chemistry.Q: What if HL Chemistry is not offered at my school?A: Ring the admissions departments of the Medical Schools you're looking at and explain your situation. Their phone number can generally be found on the websites for those specific Universities. Often the Medical School will have its own admissions department, so make sure you check you're ringing the right place!Q: Do I need HL Biology?A: In the past, then as a rule, no. However for 2013 onwards several Universities seem to have made it into a requirement alongside Chemistry, for the somewhat understandable reason that a grounding in basic biology is somewhat assumed when you get onto the course. You will find it extremely useful to have done HL Biology, and if you're interested in Medicine one would assume it's the kind of subject you'd enjoy anyway, so I'd suggest taking it if at all possible! If you really can't take HL Biology, you should either check around and only apply to Universities which still don't require it, OR you might also want to have a shot at ringing up the admissions department and explaining it is not offered at your school. You can only find out for definite by trying Medicine IS Biology in many ways, so if you're not doing HL Biology because you hate the subject, you may wish to think deeply about WHY you hate Biology and whether you might not end up hating medicine the same!Q: Do I need HL Maths?A: No. Does it help? Maybe, but evidence suggests probably not. If you're good at Maths then go for it - also it's a hard subject so it's a respectable HL. Nobody knows the exact answer to this question, but the safe option is to do SL Maths unless you've got a particular motive to do HL. People can get in with Maths Studies, but as I only know one person who has done this (who had many better reasons to be allowed in) then I wouldn't recommend it as (assuming the admissions department knows the difference) it is a very easy 'soft' subject.Q: How many points do I need?A: The answer to this is simple - as many points as it says you need on the website of the particular Medical Schools you're looking at. Go to their websites and look, because they will all ask for different numbers of points! You need to be predicted at least as many as their minimum requirement, and they may also have other requirements such as particular scores in particular subjects. Go investigate.Q: Do I do X subject or Y subject if I want to get in for Medicine?A: The answer is that unless it's HL Chemistry (required) or HL Biology (pretty recommended!) it probably doesn't matter. Avoid 'soft' easy subjects but more or less pick whatever you want. The world is your oyster! I know of no subject combination which will put a shiny star next to your name because the IB by nature forces you to cover a lot of bases (an essay subject, a language etc.) so you'll never be lacking.Q: Do I need to take extra exams?A: Yep, almost all Medical Schools (except for a few such as Bristol) require you to sit additional exams to help them differentiate candidates. These exams are the BMAT and the UKCAT, and they'll ask for either one or the other. More explanation in the questions relating to those exams.Q: What is the BMAT and how do I prepare for it?A: The BMAT is an entrance exam currently required by Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and UCL. It requires problem solving skills, essay writing skills and a memory of basic (GCSE level) science. You can prepare for it best by going through past papers and reading preparation books (such as this one) AND also reviewing your GCSE science. My advice? Try and find the book in your local/school library or buy a second hand version - it's very good but also something people buy and use just once, so you can get it for cheap quite easily!Remember to book in for the BMAT early because it occurs only once every year on a particular date which you can find for your year via visiting this page.Q: What is the UKCAT and how do I prepare for it?A: The UKCAT is also an entrance exam, but unlike the BMAT it takes the form of a crazy IQ test and isn't done on paper but on computers at Pearson centres. Same as the UK driving test You book yourself in for a session whenever you like. The UKCAT is very popular with Universities (although it remains an unsubstantiated test as the first wave of people to take it are only just starting to qualify as new Doctors) and nearly all non-BMAT Universities will ask for it. You can see the full list of Universities here.Prepare for it by doing past papers is my advice. Going in blind is not a good idea! Another tip would be to make sure you finish as it's multiple choice with no negative marking, so the more you complete (even if you're just clicking at random) the better when you're running out of time. Anyway, I strongly recommend you attempt the practice test and past papers (but don't bother buying a book, it won't help you) which you can find here.Q: Do medical schools really like IB students?A: No more or less than they like other students. Being an IB student in itself doesn't give you an edge (outside of mythology), so make sure you still work jolly hard! Most people on your course will be A Level students from the UK and around the world. The IB is a definite minority.Q: Do I have to do my Extended Essay related to Medicine?A: No, you don't. It can be on anything - and it doesn't even have to be Biology or Chemistry! You'll not be penalised for doing it on an unrelated topic, so don't bend over backwards trying to make it relevant. Generally the only thing you achieve by doing that is getting a poor mark in your EE because it no longer fits perfectly into the category of pure Biology/Chemistry. On the other hand if you DO somehow manage to do your EE engineering viruses in a research lab or whatever crazy thing you might find, mention it in your personal statement and bring a copy along to your interview. If they ask you about it, you've got the ideal opportunity to impress them and it'll go down well Q: Are all Medical courses the same?A: Indeed they are not! Broadly speaking you can divide medical courses primarily by teaching method. PBL or 'problem based learning' is something all medical schools are required to do, but some medical schools are far more enthusiastic about this than others. It's important to consider because the teaching style is something which will hinder or help you massively dependent on your learning style. PBL is, more or less, that you're taught via scenarios ('problems') which you then have to solve and so simultaneously you'll study the physiology, anatomy, pharmacology etc. of that particular scenario. As I said, all medical schools have some element of PBL, it just depends on the quantity. To stereotype massively, think of it this way:Low PBL courses - heavy basic science, largely lecture based, lower patient contact in early years (Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL)High PBL courses - high patient contact throughout, low on basic science, problem based (Manchester, UEA etc.) Basic science referring to for instance the difference between having a general lecture on protein structure, as opposed to learning about protein structure as relevant to a medical topic which you are covering. It's kind of like a purist approach versus a practical approach.The majority of courses are high PBL. Personally I think it really depends on whether you're the kind of person who'd rather learn all the information and then extrapolate from your base of knowledge (low PBL) or whether you'd rather pick it up as you go along (high PBL). I suggest you go and seek people's views and opinions on Google to find out more and really decide what would suit you best. Ultimately all courses will be some mixture of both.Other academic differences between courses include the availability of dissection (some courses will offer full body dissection, others only prosections - make of this what you will, dissection is in my opinion less important than people make out, but it may be something which will help you a lot) and importantly the BSc element of a course. Many courses are 6 years instead of 5 and this is because you get to take a BSc in the middle. This means you have to study for an extra year, but it will make you more employable anddd you can also be a 'normal' student for a year and indulge any passions you may have for scientific research etc. so it's important to consider in your choice. In some places the BSc is compulsory (Imperial, UCL, Oxford, Cambridge) whereas in other Universities it's considered an optional year which a certain % will do and a certain number will just proceed without, effectively moving into the year above, passing GO and saving £9000 of tuition fees in the process...Q: What criteria should I use to pick where to apply?A: Apart from the academic ones (see question above) and league tables etc. you should probably consider the following...- How well have I done in the entrance exams? If you screwed up your BMAT/UKCAT or did especially well in one or the other, it'll maximise your chances of getting an interview or alternatively ruin them. As without an interview you have zero chance of getting on the course, it's important to consider these exams and, if you've no idea or haven't done them yet, make sure you consider Universities asking for both sorts of exam.- Where do I want to study? This goes for ANY course. Do you want to live on a campus (e.g. Nottingham)? Do you want to live in London? Small town (Cambridge), medium town (Oxford), countryside (UEA)? Big city (Manchester, Birmingham)? And so on.- How much cash do you have? London is a very expensive place to be a student, consider cutting it off the list if you're short on cash or don't fancy hefty student loans.- Do I meet the minimum requirements of all the courses I'm applying to? Check the websites of all the Medical Schools you're applying to!!- If you're into a particular sport or music or whatever, make sure you also consider the social side of Unis because you may want to consider these things if you're above amateur level.- How big is the cohort of students? Being 1 of 350 is very different from being 1 of 30.Q: What other stuff should I do to maximise my chances of getting interviewed?A: AKA what do I include in my personal statement, effectively! You'll find way more about this on other websites if you google it because this question is asked the world over, but I'll include a brief snapshot here. Medicine is a very competitive course and just meeting minimum academic requirements is not enough! Important things to look at are:- Work experience. There's no minimum or maximum amount of work experience to do, but you need to have enough that you can reflect on it in your personal statement, say what you learned, and most importantly that you've been sufficiently exposed to the world of work that you can safely say you're still interested in Medicine. They don't want to invest money in medical students who drop out! Try for at least a week of work experience. Also remember, it doesn't have to be in a hospital. Writing to your local GP is a good idea, or failing that even just volunteering in a hospital/nursing home.- Extra curricular activities. Try and do things which illustrate what an amazing person you are. Think of all the good personality traits people can have - commitment, leadership, enthusiasm, creativity etc. and then try and find activities which help you demonstrate which of those traits you have. If you're lucky, you'll be able to use these activities for CAS hours too.- Well-roundedness. This goes hand in hand with extra curricular activities, really, but they'll want to know that you're not one-dimensional and that you can cope with stress, so having some sorts of hobbies or things which make you interesting goes down well....and so on. Basically for the whole of the 2 IB years you'll want to bear in mind the sorts of things you can ultimately write on your personal statement and try to make sure you've done stuff like work experience in plenty of time. Work experience is vitally important! Also very hard to get hold of unless you've got a family friend willing to help you out. Apply for it early, write to the hospitals early and KEEP BUGGING THEM!Q: How do I prepare for the interview?A: If you're lucky enough to get an interview, firstly celebrate and then PRACTICE. Yes technically you should be able to go in and sit down and answer all their questions, but in situations where you get nervous such as interviews, it helps you a lot to have thought about what you'd say beforehand. A LOT. Also it stops you saying stupid things and cliches because hopefully you'll be able to bash those things out of yourself prior to going into the real thing!Generally they'll ask you some straight forward questions which you can predict quite well. Why do you want to do Medicine? Why at this University? What interests you about the course? etc., and these are all things you should think up some answers for. There are many better answers to "Why do you want to do Medicine?" than "I like helping people". Expand on it! Find a good way to express yourself in the time you have before the actual interview date.Then they are also likely to ask you some more 'off the wall' questions that you can't prepare for much, but they'll be things like current topics in the news relating to Medicine. So, read the news for a bit. You don't need scientific expertise but you DO need to be able to back up whatever you say (so if you start quoting statistics, make sure they're correct!!) and put forth an opinion. It's about being able to think critically and express yourself, effectively. Topics in the news tend to be stuff like latest discoveries, ethics regarding organ donation, abortion etc. and NHS related stuff - like how, with a finite source of money, do we decide where to allocate it? And so on. You need to be articulate and have actual reasoned opinions. Just reading the BBC website (or listening to the highly informative Today programme on Radio 4 in the morning as you get ready for school) should be enough for this, you don't need to go out and buy the student BMJ or a load of journals unless you really want to. Remember though that the BBC seriously dumb down/make a big deal/are generally not that great about science articles on their website, so try to also find the information elsewhere if a story seems interesting to you.In some interviews they might ask to discuss with you your BMAT essay which they'll produce from some hidden location and remind you of all the rubbish you speedwrote in the exam, so be prepared for this possibility. In others they'll give you data and ask you what you think of it - especially Oxford and Cambridge. Take your time, think through the basic science that you do know and if you've no idea, say it out loud. They want to hear you explain how much you do recognise/understand and then be open and honest about where you get stuck and ask them for help, because that's technically how the tutorial system (which they have at Oxford and Cambridge) will then work. Resist the IB urge to bull****! This will not go down well.Q: Can I do a different degree and THEN apply to study Medicine?A: Yes, and at certain Universities with compulsory BSc courses you can use your degree to exempt yourself from doing a BSc year (so the course goes from 6 down to 5 years). However graduate entry is extremely competitive, supposedly more so than undergraduate as there're more people per place available (there are not many places available for graduates) so you have to ace your first degree. The first degree doesn't have to be related to Medicine - it can be History, English, Biomedicine, whatever.Q: Can start out on another degree and then transfer/convert to Medicine?A: You CAN start out doing another degree and then go to study Medicine, but you can't convert or transfer. Effectively, you join the group of people who're in their last year of school who are also applying to study Medicine. Even if you do Biomedicine, there's no way to move from one course to another, you have to apply to enter in at Year 1. Most people who do this have started out doing a degree which they've realised is not for them. As a "Tactic" for getting into Medical school it doesn't really have many positives, because the net effect is wasting a year. Don't try and do this on purpose is basically what I'm saying - you'll gain nothing from it. For those who have suddenly decided that they want to change course after making a mistake initially, however, don't despair. I know somebody who got into Medicine this way after a year of Biomedicine - but as I said, they had to start from Year 1, so didn't gain anything from it.Q: What should I expect from the course?A: Obviously it depends on the Uni but by and large you're looking at a course with (relative to other Uni courses) a lot of hours and a SHEDLOAD of information to absorb and learn. It IS a demanding course and plenty of smart people struggle and either drop out or are chucked out. So I suppose what I'm trying to say with this is that you should feel in yourself like you'd be able to cope. Expect to be pretty damn stressed out If you're only just scraping your IB grades, think long and hard about whether you're really up for/capable of being academically massacred for a further 5/6 years! Especially on Low PBL courses because the quantity of science and stuff to learn will leave you reeling.EDIT: still adding to this list, please suggest questions if you have more! 12 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandoon96 Posted December 26, 2011 Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 The age requirements on some of the university websites caught my attention eg. Imperial, King's will only accept 18+ on first day of course in October, which limits younger people's chances of applying to the very best universities, who are just a few months younger and possible more mature than half of the students who are above the minimum required age.Do you know any background behind this?Any stretching the requirement?Or any other unis with this strict rule Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted December 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 26, 2011 Yeah, its a legal thing, not a maturity thing. You must be over 18. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandoon96 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 But why? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avan:) Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 lol, because after britain's youngst doctor graduated at the age of 22, all universities set up a minimum age rquirement. They did before as well but not all. She studied medicine when she was 16 at st georges uni in london, check it out: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1034371/Britains-youngest-doctor-start-job-aged-22-studying-medicine-years.html Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Avan how does that have anything to do with anything? Dandoon, email the universities if you want they may have more reasoning behind it. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandoon96 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 Then how come the number one university for medicine ( Oxford) doesn't care about your age as long as you show MATURITY as it clearly said on the website!! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 (edited) Then how come the number one university for medicine ( Oxford) doesn't care about your age as long as you show MATURITY as it clearly said on the website!!Sorry Mr I know everything about medical schools. You clearly aren't showing any if you can't be bothered to email the university and find out straight from them are you?Plus nearly every medical school is great they just teach in different ways. When it comes to medicine please get rid of the 'oxbridge is the best ever!!' because the competition for medical schools is extremely high.Furthermore, what's the point of getting angry at someone who's trying to help you? Edited December 27, 2011 by Award Winning Boss Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandoon96 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 I'm not angry lol, im sorry.. I was just a little dissapointed as some of the unis i wished to apply to are now out of the question A thousand appologies.. I agree, and as long as you graduate as a doctor with same degree.. any university will do ! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted December 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 I am not personally aware of the exact details re: what the exact legal obstacles are, but bearing in mind that you will be working with children and vulnerable adults (Safeguarding Children - bearing in mind that up to the age of 18 you yourself are considered a 'vulnerable adult/child') and handling human tissues (Human Tissues Act). Both of these are strictly regulated, and I suspect that it is one (or both) of these two, or indeed a similar type of issue which prevents them accepting under-18s. Alongside the simple fact that you do have to display emotional and intellectual maturity to enter the course. Some under-18s will be mature enough but many will not - indeed some 18 year olds are told to take gap years to get a bit more life experience under their belts before being allowed to undertake the course. This isn't just for Medicine either - if you're immature, you're not going to be able to handle it and conduct yourself properly! However maturity (whilst essential) is not the reason for the age barrier.Before the age of 18 you are considered a child and the University has to be extra-responsible for you as they have to act as your 'carer' to replace your parents in many ways up until your birthday when you are legally considered an adult. Anybody applying to University before they're 18 has to jump through extra hoops - Medicine is one of the few courses where you legally cannot complete aspects of the course before you're an adult.If Oxford really will allow under-aged students to enter the course, then they must have altered their course to have no clinical or anatomical (in the sense of dissection) elements for at least the first year, or allow you to somehow exempt yourself from certain aspects and complete them later. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahad Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Damn, and I was hoping to get in. However, I'll have just turned 17 two months prior finishing my ib exams. Do you know which univarisites accept underage students at all? 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiggsHunter Posted April 1, 2012 Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 The medical school of Edinburgh University accepts deferred entry applications from UK students who would like to take a gap year, provided that it is for some educational activity. This does not apply to overseas applicants, though.But then in Scotland up till 1929 a girl could legally marry at age 12, and a boy at 14. Today the minimum age is 16, but (unlike England) parental consent is not required at that age. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted April 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2012 The medical school of Edinburgh University accepts deferred entry applications from UK students who would like to take a gap year, provided that it is for some educational activity. This does not apply to overseas applicants, though.But then in Scotland up till 1929 a girl could legally marry at age 12, and a boy at 14. Today the minimum age is 16, but (unlike England) parental consent is not required at that age.Almost all medical schools that I know of (in England at least) accept deferred entry. However, they are going to interview you. Often they request that individuals defer even if they're old enough on the basis that they do not seem sufficiently mature in their interview. It would therefore be significantly more advantageous to wait a year instead of deferring. This will have the same effect in terms of when you go to University but you will be:A) more mature in the interviewB) able to talk about and make a big deal out of what you did in your gap yearC) best of all already have your grades to apply with, which is infinitely preferred as they're not having to take a risk on you for potentially not meeting your predictions.So overall I would advise anybody to take a gap year and then apply rather than apply a year early and have to defer, given the advantages the extra year will bring - and that the outcome will be the same! Alternatively you could use it to apply twice - once before and see if you can get in on deferred entry and once the next year in case you don't get in the first year. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibkiddingme Posted September 15, 2013 Report Share Posted September 15, 2013 I'm applying for medicine in the UK, and I take HL chem and SL bio. Although all the universities I'm applying to do not require HL bio and are okay with SL bio, do you think that they would favour HL bio over SL bio? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted September 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2013 I'm applying for medicine in the UK, and I take HL chem and SL bio. Although all the universities I'm applying to do not require HL bio and are okay with SL bio, do you think that they would favour HL bio over SL bio?Personally I think it would be beneficial to you if you've done HL rather than SL Biology. However, if the Universities haven't specified that they want HL and not SL Biology then I doubt it'll matter too much to them if you're doing SL. I mean, I do know people who got in having not done Biology at all, although admittedly this was for A Level As said in the above thread, Biology is a subject which is required to different degrees as a relatively recent thing and it remains largely optional.Having said that, big parts of the HL Biology syllabus may be useful when you get to Medical school. Respiration, the reproduction topics, further human physiology etc. are interesting and handy because you'll need to know all of that stuff. Having a basic idea of how it all works will help, and most of your peers will have taken Biology. So you just save yourself work later. Then again if your exams are in May 2014 it's too late to switch to HL really or you'll sink yourself with work now, so I'd chill out and just stick with what you've got. You can catch up on all that stuff later. The thing is, at school they'll coach you through respiration and dedicate hours of explanation to it, whereas at medical school it'll form a brief glimpse of a diagram on a slide for about 5 minutes and you'll be expected to understand it yourself, so that's why it's worth making the most of stuff you get to do very thoroughly and slowly at school. In my opinion! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibkiddingme Posted September 17, 2013 Report Share Posted September 17, 2013 Yup, it's definitely too late to switch. But perhaps I could take additional lessons after IB, if I get into med school, just so that I can catch up. Although I doubt that I would want to study after I finish my exams but I'll see anyways. Thank you so much! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhelof Posted November 19, 2013 Report Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hi. I have a question about work experience and medical voluntary service. Does anyone know any websites/organisations/whatever where I can apply and get work experience? Because I do not live permanently in England (I'm in a boarding school) and there is no way that they will let me work in a hospital or medical related institution in Poland... that's why I am searching for any way I could work and get place to live at the same time? Please, if you know something, let me know. I'm turning 18 next year, so age is not a problem. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daksh Saksena Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Hey guys.So i just finished my semester 1 exams and the syllabus I've covered for all my subjects is pretty meagre.That being said when should i give my BMAT/UKCAT,considering my date for applying is 15th Oct.Also, is it feasible to give both? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balazs Posted November 27, 2015 Report Share Posted November 27, 2015 Hi!I am considering to apply for medicine in the UK, and I found this post very helpful! However, I have one question about the "problem based learning". Does anyone know any universities with LOW PBL?? (except Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and Imperial i.e. those mentioned by Sandwich) I am the person who likes to know the facts before getting into "deep water", therefore I want to apply to universities with low PBL. Thank you! Cheers, Balázs Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bella Liu Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Hi, I want to apply the medical school in UK. I am just 17 years old after getting the diploma, so do they accept international students defer applying and do a gap year? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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