No matter what mind state you’re in, if you’re still doing you’re A-Levels, then do not give up.
Try to get the best results possible, you will thank yourself for this down the line.
This means don’t waste time by beginning to research other degree/career options, you will have enough time after your exams to do that.
At this point, the most important thing is getting your A-Levels over and done with.
You could possibly think of it as your first test of becoming a Doctor. How do you overcome adverse or negative situations? (A story you can tell your friends/patients once you become a doctor!).
Most people will be relaxing, and you should too, but at the same time you need to remember that your goal might be different to theirs.
You need to tactically make use of your free time so that you can slingshot yourself into success
We’ve made this article in three parts. You can skip to what’s relevant to you or read the whole thing.
I only want to Medicine and that’s it!
Medicine through Clearing
You can start looking for courses in clearing after mid-July. Do the typical email/call to each University asking if Medicine is going into clearing.
And just to be safe, have a quick skim through in the start of July on every university website on their Medicine page to make sure.
Any university that offers Medicine through clearing still require an interview. There will be just as intense competition, if not even more, to get the place.
If your UCAT wasn’t good, you could retake it in hope of a higher score so that your clearing application becomes stronger.
Each University will have a different application process for Medicine Clearing, some may require a form that you need to email to them, others will have an online application.
After submitting your details, you will get an email after a few days confirming your interview date. and offers will be given around a week after the interview.
What to do on Results Day
If you didn’t manage to get an offer through clearing – on results day you need to call all the universities you were interviewed at (if you had any interviews).
Although you may be on the ‘waiting list’, do not expect any university to call you.
All university hotlines will be absolutely overloaded with students. This means when you call you will most likely be very far down the queue.
If you can, try to have a few family members or friends call some universities whilst you’re collecting your grades from your school (if your grades are not emailed to you).
If you get through to the university, explain your situation and ask if there is any space for you on the course. Keep calling the same universities for a few days with the same dialogue.
Remember, Medicine is almost never offered through clearing. (Although in 2018 St George’s University offered a space through clearing).
Don’t waste your time calling random universities, stick to the ones that you were interviewed at.
Possibly try to get your exams remarked if you were close to a high grade.
But, if after a week they have still not budged and haven’t transferred you from the waiting list, then you will have to resort to taking a gap-year or studying a Medicine-related degree.
Taking a Gap-Year
It is highly recommended to take a gap year.
In the summer-holidays do the following:
- Have a CV and cover letter ready.
- Begin to plan the gap year by arranging work experience in different medical-related fields.
This will show your eagerness in pursuing Medicine when going through the application process again.
Don’t be afraid of getting rejections from private clinics, just focus on calling as many placements as possible.
Applying for Medicine-related jobs
Make a list of the hospitals around you – and don’t be afraid of venturing out of your city.
Once you have the list of hospitals, you can begin to email and call them.
Again, don’t be demotivated if you don’t receive a reply. Pester them politely until you get an answer.
If you can, dress professionally and physically go to see the clinics as it will increase your chances of being accepted. They will appreciate the effort and note that you are serious about the experience.
Also, they can’t hang up the phone if you are standing in front of them!
Gap-Year Abroad
If you can afford it, finding an international programme would be extremely advantageous when it comes to experience and when its time to apply again.
There are many programmes targeted to students who are taking a gap-year and want to become doctors.
Have a look at these links:
https://www.bestgapyear.co.uk/medical.php
https://www.gooverseas.com/gap-year/medical
Applying for normal jobs
If you haven’t found a job in a hospital environment or you have but still have a lot of spare time, then another goal is to earn some money.
Medical fees are expensive so if you manage to make around £15,000 in this year, you’ve done well for yourself.
A lot of medics and first-year university students find tutoring jobs.
If you can find a tutoring job in A-Level Biology and Chemistry, this will be perfect as you will be retaining knowledge that you will need to know in your Medicine degree – and at the same time you’ll be earning money.
Reading Medicine-Related Books
During this year, you should try to read 10-15 Medicine related books.
Below are the books that we personally recommend.
A Stitch of Time: The Year a Brain Injury Changed My Language and Life
Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing and the Human Condition
When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery
They will help you focus on your dream and make you understand if Medicine is truly for you.
It will also give you some great points to talk about in your interviews.
UCAT and BMAT
Don’t forget that you have to take the UCAT and BMAT exams again. Try your best to prepare for them as much as you can during your summer holidays. If you’re struggling with the GCSE Physics knowledge required for those exams, have a look out some of our Physics videos.
Personal Statement
Re-write your personal statement.
Of course, most of your experiences will probably be done after the summer holidays and most likely after the 15th of October (UCAS deadline) however writing your personal statement retrospectively is still useful.
Interview Technique
Once you have your interviews, make sure that you practice your interview technique.
Check out our article on How to do well in a Medicine Interview.
Remember – your grades, personal statement and all the work experience you’ve done has led to your chance for an interview. You do not want interview technique to let you down.
I don’t mind doing a Medicine-related-degree first.
If you don’t want to take a gap-year, you may prefer to do a medial-related degree.
This will enhance your ability as a doctor when you do eventually study Medicine.
The main Medicine-related degrees are Bio-Medicine, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, and Pharmacology.
There are two main options:
- You can transfer to Medicine during your degree.
- You can apply as a graduate through a GEM (Graduate Entry Medicine) programme.
Applying through UCAS during your degree.
Here is a list of universities that do accept undergraduate application and don’t accept undergraduate applications.
Do accept
- Imperial College London
- University of Plymouth
- Newcastle University
- University of Leicester
- University of St Andrews
- University of Oxford
- University of Southampton
- Cardiff University
- University of Sheffield
- University of Glasgow
Don’t accept
- Keele University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Leeds
- University of Bristol
- UEA
- University of Manchester
- University of Nottingham
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Cambridge
- Queen Mary University of London
Make sure to email Universities yourself whilst studying as its not written on their respective websites whether they definitively reject/accept undergraduate applicants and may change their stance from the time this article was written.
Another form is a “Biomedical Science to Medicine” scheme.
The following universities offer this:
- University of Newcastle
- University of Leicester
- University of Bradford
- University of Leeds
- University of Manchester
- University of Birmingham
- University of Cardiff
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Plymouth
- Anglia Ruskin University
This is a scheme whereby you do a year of Biomedical Science, then apply to transfer to Medicine internally.
Keep in mind that they are very competitive programmes. Newcastle University say on their website “In Medicine, 49 students applied for transfer in 2018-2019 14 were invited for interview and 7 students were given conditional offers (subject to Semester Two results)”
The other main way of getting into Medicine is through GEM (Graduate Entry Medicine).
This is when you are applying, having completed a degree in another subject.
Many UK Medical Schools offer GEM courses, check out the table we made below.
| University | Do they accept Non-Science Degrees? | Aptitude Test Required | Number of Places (for UK) | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barts (QMUL) | Yes | UCAT | 40 | +44 (0)20 7882 8478 Website |
| Birmingham | No | None | 60 | +44 (0)121 4146888 Website |
| Cambridge | Yes | BMAT | 41 | +44(0)117 928 7679 Website |
| Cardiff | No | GAMSAT | N/A | +44(0)1223 336700 Website |
| Dundee / St Andrews | Yes | UCAT | 55 | +44 (0) 1334 46 3619 Website |
| Imperial College London | No | BMAT | 45 | +44 (0)20 7589 5111 Website |
| King's College London | No | UCAT | 28 | +44(0)20 7848 6501 or +44(0)20 7848 6502 Website |
| Liverpool | No | GAMSAT | 29 | +44(0)151 706 4266 Website |
| Newcastle | Yes | UCAT | 25 | +44(0)191 222 5594 Website |
| Nottingham | Yes | GAMSAT | 93 | +44(0)1332 724622 Website |
| Oxford | No | BMAT | 30 | +44(0)1865 270542 Website |
| Sheffield | No | UCAT | 15 | +44(0)114 222 2000 Website |
| Southampton | Yes | UCAT | 48 | +44(0)2380 594408 Website |
| St George's | Yes | GAMSAT | 50-70 | 44(0)20 8725 5201 Website |
| Swansea | Yes | GAMSAT, MCAT (International) | 90 | +44(0)1792 602 618 Website |
| Warwick | Yes | UCAT | 193 | +44(0)2476 523723 Website |
Although some universities accept degrees that aren’t science-related, studying a Medicine-related degree will be more powerful when applying for the course – but more importantly during the course as you will understand and digest the information from lectures and the work in clinics better than someone who didn’t study one.
Different universities will want different aptitude tests. If they require UCAT, you will have to do the UCAT again. If they require BMAT, you will have to do BMAT again. There’s a unique test for GEM applicants called the GAMSAT which a few universities do require. Look at the table above to see which university requires what test (of course you don’t need to worry about them too much right now).
I don’t want to do Medicine anymore or I am unsure what to do.
Assuming that you have top-grades in you’re a-Levels as you are a medical candidate, but you were unfortunate at your interview stage, it would be a waste of your grades if you simply choose something out of clearing.
Rather, you should take a gap-year, re-apply with a fresh UCAS application specialised towards a degree which you will now have time to collect your thoughts and brainstorm on.
It’s too tempting to choose a degree in clearing from family or peer-pressures, but one year of your life is not going to change the grand scheme of your career path and as mentioned before, this is a year which you can turn into your advantage.
Of course, there are some degrees that are highly ranked, but the majority are not what the high-achievers would aim for and choosing a degree in a short amount of time after results day is dangerous as you may be in a frantic state-of-mind.
Final Word
After reading the article, you may be able to tell that our bias is towards taking a gap-year. We genuinely believe this is be the best route to take for all candidates who have been rejected.
To explore more things you can do in a gap-year, we highly recommend purchasing The Big Trip: Essential Guide for Gap Years. Its a guide you can use to plan your gap year to make sure you make the most out of it.
