APPLYING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL
Hi guys! Hope you’ve had a nice weekend. I’ve been super
busy this weekend - I have been going into lab everyday since last week –
literally EVERY SINGLE DAY… This lab life has no chill :(
Anywho, excuses aside, as I mentioned in my medical school story post, I will do a Medical School Series detailing some of the information
that I know which might be useful to some of you. This first post will be about
applying to medical school.
I know that all you budding doctors out there already
probably know most of what you need to do to get to medical school and beyond.
However, like me, I know that ANY bit of extra information/ getting the
information from different sources it is very welcome, so here we go.
GCSEs
If I’m correct, some of you got your GCSE results last week?
The first requirement in terms of grades to get into medical
school is a good set of GCSE results. When I applied, way back when, you needed
at least 6 grade A and above grades. Included in the 6 needed to be Maths and
Science.
A good set of GCSE grades really is just the start of the
path to medical school because in order to pursue certain subjects at A Level,
you need to have a minimum pass grade at GCSE.
Note: For my non UK readers – GCSEs are exams that school
children take when they are aged 15/16. They used to be called ‘O’ Levels.
A LEVELS
In the UK, 16-18 year olds either go to sixth form or to
college to do their A Levels – four subjects in the first year, three subjects
in the second year. For medical school, an A Level in a science subject is
mandatory. Some medical schools even stipulate WHICH science subject they need
you to have so do your research early if you know which medical school you want
to apply to.
Back in my day, there where no A* grades at A Level but now
there are. So no doubt the entry requirements have gone up significantly – when
I applied, my offer was for AAA.
My tip – pick subjects you like. A Levels are significantly
harder than GCSEs so at least if you’re studying something you like you are
more likely to revise and pass.
APTITUDE TESTS – UKCAT, BMAT, GAMSAT
As well as trying to pass your A Levels, there are
additional tests that you need to do. The UKCAT and BMAT are the most common
but for graduate entry medics, there are other tests that are needed e.g. the
GAMSAT, there are probably more…
There is no denying that you need to practise for these
tests. There are companies that offer weekend revision sessions, etc – but some
cost a lot of money. I bought a whole load of books and practised by myself. I
also Googled some free online tests that I could do here and there but keep in
mind that these may not be exactly the same as the real thing.
Aptitude tests are a way to streamline the selection process
because lets face it, everyone who applies to medicine will have pretty similar
grades. Some medical schools use these as a threshold to invite people to
interviews, so make sure you do well!
EXTRA CURRICULAR
This goes without saying! The only thing that will
differentiate you from the rest is that additional thing that you do besides
passing exams. Some people play instruments, some do sport, some write internet
code... Whatever it is that you do, make sure you’re pretty good at it. It also
helps if you have recognition for it e.g. a sporting award, playing at local or
national level, if you’ve passed certain grades in music…
On top of the things that show that you have an interest
outside of education, you need clinical experience. This does not have to be in
a hospital. It can range from working in a nursing home, volunteering in a
hospital ward, looking after a loved one with a chronic illness…
I dabbled in a lot of things – music, sport, research,
school responsibilities... Because of my gap year, I also worked in a nursing
home and a private hospital so I got my clinical exposure that way. I also
volunteered in a school for disabled children and in a charity shop.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
This is the thing that pulls everything together. This is
literally your moment to shine and to persuade the admissions tutor to pick you
over the next person. Please don’t be boring! Admissions tutors have to trawl
through literally hundreds of personal statements so a good personal statement
can spark their interest and make them want to see you in person, at interview.
Hope this is helpful! I’m aware that for medicine the
application deadline is in a couple of months so hope this post has come at the
right time for some of you! My next post
in the series will probably be about the interview process or how to choose a
medical school, unless you all want to read something else!
Good luck and see you soon!
Sam
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Tags:
MEDICINE
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