Applying to medical school - what unis?
Discussion
VS02 said:
When you were at university studying Medicine, were you able to keep a good work/life balance?
I was in medical school when Leicester city was in Europe last time round and you could watch a match from the top floor of the hospital.Medical school to be honest is like a holiday compared to life as a junior doctor, things are better for junior doctors but I caught the tail end of the 7 12hr nights shifts that ended on a Saturday morning and then you sleep for the whole of Saturday/Sunday so you could be at work 8am on Monday.
Students these days actually work much harder than we ever did (80p a pint made for some very late nights), I think the fees certainly focus the mind.
I wasn't one of these people that knew they had to do medicine as an embryo. I choose medicine as a degree because I was stubborn and wanted to prove my sixth form teachers wrong. I nearly dropped out of medical school at one point. But working all hours as a junior doctor made me grow up, and I'm now addicted to the stress and emotional reward that comes with job.
I honestly cannot think of a better job to do, and the more senior positions I gain the more thankful that the young version of myself choose to do medicine and tian stuck with it.
What other job can you do that you literally have no idea what challenges is coming next? I remember watching the news about the last Ebola outbreak on the news and then that week I was the most senior doctor asked to tirage/see migrants with a temperature+rash that fell out of a lorry that had arrived from a high-risk area.
H1N1, managing/trying to work out what to do with pregnant patients as ITU fills up, makes pretty much made every other problem I faced that year seem trivial. COVID ofcourse took it to a whole different level, first time I put on all protective equipment to go and help on ITU (pre vaccine) - not going to forget that for a long time, so who knows what's coming next??
It sounds like you are half way there with getting into medical school already, don't question your decisions, embrace the opportunity and make the most of it. Even if you don't end up being a clinical doctor a medicine degree will make you competitive at pretty much any other job.
Edited by gangzoom on Monday 24th January 20:51
Thanks OP for updating the thread from a couple of years ago. Interesting to read of your thoughts about epidemiology.
It forms only a small part of the medical school curriculum but requires a significant chunk of training for those doctors who choose after graduation to specialise in public health. The first year of higher specialist training towards becoming a consultant in public health is spent studying for an MSc or master's degree in public health and statistics and epidemiology form an important chunk of that. Further practical experience "doing" epidemiology follows over the following four years of specialist training. Public health intelligence - which is not simply collecting data but being able to analyse and interpret the story it's telling you and translate that into advice, recommendations and positive change - is the lifeblood of public health. It's been particularly noticeable during the pandemic with so much public discourse about modelling, vaccine efficacy, mortality rates, hospitalisation rates, R numbers and such like featuring on the news every day but most of the time it goes on quietly in the background assisting health service planning, effectiveness of new medicines, surveillance of risk factors and potential threats to health etc.
Doctors aren't the only people by any means who receiving training in, and need to use epidemiological skills. People who have a fascination for data can become health analysts, which requires the same skillsets along with more advanced computing skills than most medics would have using statistical software packages. There are plenty of opportunities in academia, charitable sector or pharmaceutical research that require these skills too.
Declaration of interest - consultant in public health medicine
It forms only a small part of the medical school curriculum but requires a significant chunk of training for those doctors who choose after graduation to specialise in public health. The first year of higher specialist training towards becoming a consultant in public health is spent studying for an MSc or master's degree in public health and statistics and epidemiology form an important chunk of that. Further practical experience "doing" epidemiology follows over the following four years of specialist training. Public health intelligence - which is not simply collecting data but being able to analyse and interpret the story it's telling you and translate that into advice, recommendations and positive change - is the lifeblood of public health. It's been particularly noticeable during the pandemic with so much public discourse about modelling, vaccine efficacy, mortality rates, hospitalisation rates, R numbers and such like featuring on the news every day but most of the time it goes on quietly in the background assisting health service planning, effectiveness of new medicines, surveillance of risk factors and potential threats to health etc.
Doctors aren't the only people by any means who receiving training in, and need to use epidemiological skills. People who have a fascination for data can become health analysts, which requires the same skillsets along with more advanced computing skills than most medics would have using statistical software packages. There are plenty of opportunities in academia, charitable sector or pharmaceutical research that require these skills too.
Declaration of interest - consultant in public health medicine
2 years after posting this thread, I flunked my A-levels for all sorts of reasons. Part of the blame on me I will accept but there was a lot of extenuating circumstances that I don’t want to go in to too much detail about
Not knowing what to do next… I had the option to retake Year 13 or study a foundation year in Biomedical Sciences and really knuckle down and try and get into Medicine. Had to try and get 70% in …
Well I’m glad to report the hardest task is over.
It’s not official yet (official manuscript hasn’t been published) but my results are in, and I managed to get above 70%!!!!!!!!! Thanks to a surprise fluke in my final chemistry exam! Hopefully I haven’t jinxed it but if my calculations are all right, (got three others to calculate it too exactly according to how I was told by head lecturer)
Over the moon is an understatement.
I now can take up offers from Sheffield to read Epidemiology, Manchester to read Public Health and Bath to read Sport and Exercise Science if I choose not to go to read Medicine.
Now for the next bit, to actually apply to the course. All of us who achieve above 70% have been guaranteed an interview to read medicine at the University of Sheffield.
There is one massive cock up I made that might undermine the whole situation, but regardless I am still pleased that I met the grades anyway. It makes up for my tragic A Levels and actually gives me a second chance academically. I genuinely think I would be dead if I went back to sixth form for another year as I really struggled in every way. Uni was fantastic in comparison.
The cock up was that
We were supposed to apply for *4* Ucas choices in January and then leave one place blank in the case we achieved 70%, so we can fill that space with the application to Medicine at Sheffield.
Stupid me followed those instructions, then completely forgot while drunk and alone in my room, then applied to a course I knew nothing about (Sport and Exercise Science) for a laugh. Seriously you can’t make this up, to say my mum was fuming at me was an understatement …. I don’t think anyone could have been more idiotic in their life ever. Unforgivably stupid !
Luckily for me (My mum would never let me hear the end of it otherwise), I had applied to Sheffield for another course. I now have to pray that the admissions officer at Sheffield takes pity on me and allows me to change my course to Medicine. Because otherwise, I don’t think I could even look at a bottle of Tanqueray ever again.
Now, once the manuscript is here, regardless of whether I got in to medicine or not, time to treat myself to that 330i I always wanted because I did it!
Not knowing what to do next… I had the option to retake Year 13 or study a foundation year in Biomedical Sciences and really knuckle down and try and get into Medicine. Had to try and get 70% in …
Well I’m glad to report the hardest task is over.
It’s not official yet (official manuscript hasn’t been published) but my results are in, and I managed to get above 70%!!!!!!!!! Thanks to a surprise fluke in my final chemistry exam! Hopefully I haven’t jinxed it but if my calculations are all right, (got three others to calculate it too exactly according to how I was told by head lecturer)
Over the moon is an understatement.
I now can take up offers from Sheffield to read Epidemiology, Manchester to read Public Health and Bath to read Sport and Exercise Science if I choose not to go to read Medicine.
Now for the next bit, to actually apply to the course. All of us who achieve above 70% have been guaranteed an interview to read medicine at the University of Sheffield.
There is one massive cock up I made that might undermine the whole situation, but regardless I am still pleased that I met the grades anyway. It makes up for my tragic A Levels and actually gives me a second chance academically. I genuinely think I would be dead if I went back to sixth form for another year as I really struggled in every way. Uni was fantastic in comparison.
The cock up was that
We were supposed to apply for *4* Ucas choices in January and then leave one place blank in the case we achieved 70%, so we can fill that space with the application to Medicine at Sheffield.
Stupid me followed those instructions, then completely forgot while drunk and alone in my room, then applied to a course I knew nothing about (Sport and Exercise Science) for a laugh. Seriously you can’t make this up, to say my mum was fuming at me was an understatement …. I don’t think anyone could have been more idiotic in their life ever. Unforgivably stupid !
Luckily for me (My mum would never let me hear the end of it otherwise), I had applied to Sheffield for another course. I now have to pray that the admissions officer at Sheffield takes pity on me and allows me to change my course to Medicine. Because otherwise, I don’t think I could even look at a bottle of Tanqueray ever again.
Now, once the manuscript is here, regardless of whether I got in to medicine or not, time to treat myself to that 330i I always wanted because I did it!
Edited by VS02 on Wednesday 8th June 01:50
QuickQuack said:
That's a great result, well done! Have you managed to sweet talk the admissions officer at Sheffield? Do let us know!
I'm sorry I missed the epidemiology question, I only drop into this forum very occasionally. I'm glad others answered though and feel free to PM at any time.
Well, sort of. They gave me an ultimatum; I can choose to take up a Public Health offer and not do medicine, but be safe;I'm sorry I missed the epidemiology question, I only drop into this forum very occasionally. I'm glad others answered though and feel free to PM at any time.
Or forego my offers to apply to Medicine through a special process called UCAS Extra (if you decline all offers, you can apply to 1 course of your liking). If I fail the interview or the UCAT (last time round, I did well enough), then I am screwed and have nothing.
I took a risk and I went for the second choice. Just handed in my medicine application a few hours ago. I am guaranteed an interview. Binned off searching for a car, a holiday and getting plastered with my mates for a little while; time to go full study mode for the next month and concentrate on getting a solid UCAT score, and honing my interview skills.
Spoke to admissions officer; there are 20 places or thereabouts to distribute between the Biomedical/clinical science students from the 2 partner Universities, Sheffield Hallam where I “went” (studied pretty much everything online) and Bradford. Spoke to my course leader. Apparently there are 8 students from FY applying and 2 from first year, so assuming there are more from Bradford competition will be high.
I wasnt motivated before as I thought I would fail but I’ve done the hardest part now so I just need to be confident and then I can reach my goals.
loafer123 said:
Yep, I use medify, excellent resource VS02 said:
I took a risk and I went for the second choice. Just handed in my medicine application a few hours ago. I am guaranteed an interview. Binned off searching for a car, a holiday and getting plastered with my mates for a little while; time to go full study mode for the next month and concentrate on getting a solid UCAT score, and honing my interview skills.
...
Spoke to admissions officer; there are 20 places or thereabouts to distribute between the Biomedical/clinical science students from the 2 partner Universities, Sheffield Hallam where I “went” (studied pretty much everything online) and Bradford. Spoke to my course leader. Apparently there are 8 students from FY applying and 2 from first year, so assuming there are more from Bradford competition will be high.
I wasnt motivated before as I thought I would fail but I’ve done the hardest part now so I just need to be confident and then I can reach my goals.
Well done, good choice! ...
Spoke to admissions officer; there are 20 places or thereabouts to distribute between the Biomedical/clinical science students from the 2 partner Universities, Sheffield Hallam where I “went” (studied pretty much everything online) and Bradford. Spoke to my course leader. Apparently there are 8 students from FY applying and 2 from first year, so assuming there are more from Bradford competition will be high.
I wasnt motivated before as I thought I would fail but I’ve done the hardest part now so I just need to be confident and then I can reach my goals.
You're using the right resources for preparing for UCAT. If you want to talk about how to be, or at least appear to be, more confident in the interview, how to discuss the topics they've listed, how to demonstrate what they're looking for, and how to frame your experiences in the best possible way to fit what they want to hear from a candidate, I'd be happy to do a few coaching sessions either online or in person if you're not too far.
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