Top tips before you apply for medicine at university
Deciding what subject to study at university is one of the most important decisions you will make during your teenage years. Making this choice can often be a daunting task and you may feel stuck with where you should begin.
Luckily, we have written a quick guide with our experts for those thinking about studying medicine. Hopefully this guide can help you think of some important considerations and provide you with some useful tips when making that crucial choice
1. Is a career in medicine right for me?
Medicine is an extremely competitive subject to apply to and you are often competing for a very limited number of places. Being able to decide if this subject is suitable for you is important before you embark on this application journey. It may be useful to note down some key points about the profession and see if your interests or personality fits. You should appreciate what the role as a doctor might involve. Daily tasks such as caring for patients, speaking to people of different backgrounds and problem solving are a few examples. This would require a lot of communication skills and being able to critically analyse data alongside a genuine interest in science. Additionally, are you someone that enjoys working with other people? Often as a doctor, you work with various hospital staff such as nurses and other doctors when treating patients. It is these types of questions you should ask yourself when deciding if medicine is right for you.
2. Grade requirements
Due to the nature of the course and the workload you can expect, entry requirements play a major role in your decision. Even for your GCSEs, having the best grades possible will strengthen your application as universities will look for students who excel in their academic studies. Most A-level grade requirements range between AAA-A*AA for entry (Please check the university website for other qualifications e.g. Scottish Highers, International Baccalaureate and other vocational courses for detailed information). Additionally, most universities require you to have biology and/or chemistry and most students complement this with maths or physics. However, having competitive grades will not guarantee you a place at medical school. It only forms one aspect of the application as there are many different factors that are taken into consideration by the admissions team.
3. Entry test
For most universities, you are required to sit an aptitude test called the BMAT or UCAT (previously known as UKCAT). This must be done before you send off your UCAS application so please don’t forget!
Making sure that you plan in advance to get a time slot to take the test and ensure you have enough time to prepare.
Top tip: Write out a detailed plan when you are planning to take the test, tailor your score to the specific university (UCAT: you will know your score immediately after the test!) and submit before the UCAS deadline on October 15th.
4. Deciding which medical school to choose
As part of your UCAS application, you are only able to choose 4 medical schools to apply to and your 5th choice being a science-related degree e.g. biochemistry. You should make your decision based on where you think you would enjoy the most and where can see yourself studying. Would you prefer to stay somewhere close to home or can you see yourself at a particular university because of what they might be able to offer?
Other considerations include teaching style the medical school has, the class size and tutor to student ratio. You should choose a school that fits your needs and one that you would thrive in the best.
5. Medical work experience
This is often a crucial requirement in most applications although it is not a must. Securing medical work experience can be extremely tough due to the limited numbers of spaces available within a busy hospital. The admissions team would find it favourable to see that you have explored the profession through shadowing work or even through a part-time job in a hospital. The main reason is that they can see you are taking this decision seriously and gaining exposure to what you might expect when working as a doctor.
An alternative is volunteering such as at charities or at care homes. These opportunities are much easier for students to secure and can similarly showcase your commitment and skills when helping people in society. Equally, the admissions team find this favourable to see as part of your application if you are unable to secure work experience in a hospital.
Overall, the application process to secure a spot in medical school is by far one of the most difficult stages to becoming a doctor. Many students struggle with starting the application process so hopefully these tips have made that process a little easier. You can found out more information about how our team can offer a fully comprehensive Medicine Admissions Consultancy service from experts studying at the top medical institutes in the UK.