so for my online surrey interview the other day i just wore a nice shirt, but i saw some of the other guys were wearing suit jackets and ties. is this more appropriate and not over the top? my st george’s interview is in person so i feel like dress is more important. i was planning on wearing a shirt + jumper, not a jacket/tie. what does everyone think?

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but I’ve gotten offers for 2025 entry and I’m a bit worried about what I need to be learning and reading up on before I actually go to med school. Are there any topics I need to be covering or anything else I need to do? I’m especially afraid to know way less than what is expected of me bc I didn’t take A-level Biology, only GCSE, so please let me know if I need to be familiar with that course. Thanks in advance!

Hi! I’m a grade 12 student with an offer from st Andrew’s this fall. And i am a social person and hope to be with friends and travel as much as i can. However I understand med school is med school, and is definitely insane. Btu i was wondering how many hours a day people spend studying? Revising? Doing research? On top of like 6-7 hours of classes a day??

Also are there ever week long breaks that aren’t associated with summer break or Christmas break???

Thanks!

I got AAAA - bio, chem, maths and FM on my A-levels last year. 4A*’s are great but I actually felt so low because at this point most of my friends were getting ready to go get to their final year to graduate uni and I couldn’t even get the right grades lmao. My friends also tell me how much they hate their courses and how they basically felt forced to go to uni by our school (I think it applies to many students tbh), and how they are basically gonna be in debt and stuck with a very pointless degree. That has always been my biggest fear which is why when I failed my first a level resit I vowed to get the grades no matter what. My biggest fear is doing a course at university just for the sake of it. Anyway fast forward to now, I never dreamt of pursuing medicine like everyone else, it’s only once I started volunteering at my local children’s hospital and community centre I realised my true passion was being a doctor. But again, I’ve had 4 years of prep time compared to many undergrad students with only 2 years of prep time. Medicine is highly competitive and the odds seem to be against me even though I got the grades. Because the whole point of medicine applications is that it’s supposed to be fast paced balancing the ucat, work experience, a levels, interviews/applications all at once. And I am obviously missing out on the entire essence of med applications because I’m taking a very slow paced approach which means I am more prepared. I feel like most uni’s won’t even look at my application once they see my grades. I scored CCEU the first time round and CDEU the second time round. Is it worth it, or am I just doing wishful thinking.

Just wondering is it true that people who are not offered a place will automatically be on the waitlist?

I have already done a physio degree and received student loans. Would I be able to get more student loans if doing a medical degree (2026)?

Hey all,

Looking for genuine feedback on how feasible GEM in London based colleges with the following grades might be in 2026.

• Applying as a home student!
• 1.1 BSc in Biochemistry (2023)
• Have A level Chem, chemistry is also waived for a lot of colleges with the Biochem degree - I think.
• 2 years experience in a research lab at cancer research UK
• 80 hours doctor shadowing; oncology focused.
• 80 hours volunteering in SNICU.

I know GEM is so competitive and this is my first year applying so I would really really appreciate feedback on if these are reasonable hours and grades or if I’m wasting my time even thinking about things.

A lot of people are getting offers 1-2 days after their interviews and I had mine a week ago but I still haven't heard back. They said to wait till mid March for responses but im stressing. Does anyone know if they only give offers a few days after or can I also hope to hear back later.

I see and hear about lots of poeple who do medicine with like all 9s, 8s and 7s so I feel a little cooked. Like I’ve looked into minimum requirements for a lot of unis and I don’t meet a lot as I only got 5 GCSEs 6 and above and didn’t pass English language, so is it really worth pursuing medicine or have I just got to prove my ability in other aspects? Looking for advice. Edit: I did pass English sorry but not at 6 or above.

I was wondering if anyone else has an offer from Chester and is considering accepting?

I have a BSc (first) in physiotherapy. AAB (biology, PE, English language).

Is there anyway I can study medicine in UK with these qualifications and where? Thanks

hi so i’m an canadian student with offers from aberdeen and st ands and waiting for dundee and qub and was wondering what everyone thought of them??

st ands has a specialized canadian program but is 6 years and i’ve heard the night life is bad. but also have 3 years i go to edinburgh where it is perfect

aberdeen is 5 years but isn’t as pretty and the school isn’t as social as st ands, it’s also far from glasgow and other major cities

pls help me pick 🤓

Has anyone gotten an offer there ?

i achieved ABC in a-levels last year for medicine in biology, chemistry and physics. it was the lowest point of my life and i had no support around me. the plan was to sit the ucat in september but i was so depressed i just refunded my application. now here’s a really stupid choice i made. from the way it sounds i am obviously on track to taking 2 gap years. and again dont judge this dumb choice i made. my original plan was to retake biology and physics ++ psychology and maths to look more favorable and because i really enjoy studying. the problem is that 1. uni’s don’t allow resits without extenuating circumstances 2. there will be a two year gap between the year i got my results and the one where i sat my alevels. this obviously looks unfavorable to many uni’s as it implies i have 4 years prep time to sit biology and physics again - but only 2 for psychology and maths. my life genuinely feels as though its over - what do i do? my school couldn’t let me resit privately with them so that means i have to do it privately in a test centre

shaking

Does anyone have any experience with the GEM programme in Ulster University? I've just interviewed for their 2025 intake and I'm trying to find out some more information regarding the course's reputation, placements, typical class sizes etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Hi all, I (28, F) have been a qualified paediatric nurse for 6 years currently working in the emergency department. I have always wanted to do medicine but the commitment to the f1/f2 rotation and the 5 year degree just wasn’t something that was financially possible for me as a care leaver even with all the help in the world so I have needed to work the past few years as a nurse to build up enough income that I can spend the next 7/8 years earning pennies to work every hour under the sun (… why do we do this, hey!). Nonetheless, this is such a passion of mine and something I continuously come back to, I love being a nurse but I am always envious that I can’t take that next step in diagnosis/research etc. Some have suggested the nurse practitioner route but that doesn’t appeal to me for reasons I won’t bore you readers with!

For context: I’m planning to do undergrad as postgrad/gamsat is way too competitive! My (relevant) qualifications are GCSE’s: Maths (A), Biology (A*) and Chemistry (A), all the rest of my GCSE’s are a mix of A/B except from English lit which is a C and Physics which was a D. I then did an access to healthcare course where I scored distinction in every element of every module (course was made up of psych, sociology and biology). Then I got my nursing degree 2016-2019 and scored a first class honours (valedictorian of my whole course). I’ve previously sat the UKCAT (years ago out of curiosity and I scored in the top 27%) But we all know medicine haha and I’m sure this isn’t enough to even be competitive as I have a couple B/C/D’s at GCSE and my access course didn’t contain chemistry/maths/physics!

I suppose my questions are: have any of you ever made this change? How much do you think my relevant work place experience will benefit me? I’ve seen a couple unis (e.g. Cardiff) have offered 6 year undergrads where the first year is basically a science access course… has anyone done this/recommend this route? Also, any tips or just discussion are very welcome as all my nurse friends think I’m crazy!

Tuition and other costs probably. What kind of support can you get?

I’ve come down with a vomiting bug (thrice in the past 2 hours) and my interview is literally today.

Has anybody here cancelled their Brighton interview, and if so were they allowed to reschedule?

This is literally my nightmare scenario and I’m terrified that I’ll call and won’t get another date. Especially since my date is at the end of interview season. Thanks!

Hi all,

Has anyone retrained to become a doctor later in life? I’m looking into it, and I’m not sure what way to go.

For a bit of background, I am 32 and I’ve been a firefighter in London for 10 years, and have always been in awe when seeing HEMS doing their job. It’s incredible.

I was at one incident, and something clicked for me, the fire service part of the incident had concluded, and HEMS took over, and all I could think is that was what I wanted to do. I have looked into various specialties, and emergency medicine/HEMS is absolutely the goal I am aiming at.

I’ve seen that mature medicine students seemingly happen all the time, and I think I’ve worked out I would have to take an access to medicine course, and possibly re do my GCSES (I only have Cs)

Has anyone undertaken this pathway before? And especially those from an emergency service background. I’ve got the ball rolling in terms of my own personal learning, and have bought some anatomy and physiology book, with the aim of getting back into a learning mindset, and increasing knowledge on the human body.

What else am I able to help myself move forward? Can the access to medicine course be done via distance learning? Or would I be better off getting A levels? Thanks in advance!

If you guys got offers from both which one would you choose?

Anyone heard of them being scheduled?

I’ve just turned 25. I’ve contacted the GEM program at Surrey who said they are still taking in applications from internationals for this year’s intake. I just need to sit the GAMSAT.

If I don’t get in, I’ve got a list of unis to apply for in the next application cycle and I’ll be sitting A Level Chemistry in June to help with that. If I get in then I’ll be 26.

I know medicine is a long path but I do genuinely have a passion and interest for it. After some work experience in different fields, I realized I’m a highly logical person who loves people interaction, constant challenge and dynamic work, but also structure/routine. I wanted to do it at 18 but made a series of dumb decisions because I was unfocused and unserious. I know the average age of med students in the US is 24/25, so I’m not that far off. But, at the same time I can’t help compare myself to friends who will probably be well on their way to settling down and making a decent living from their careers by the time I’ve finished med school.

And also selfishly, I do care about money. I know medicine is not the best or quickest path to money, especially in the UK (I do plan on completing my specialty training elsewhere potentially maybe the US or even my home country Lebanon where I want to practice). But I just feel like if I take another career path I’m not going to be as happy on the long term, even if I make more money immediately.

Is it too late? Am I thinking too much about money? Could I potentially find the time during med school to continue to make money and save up? I’m just a bit lost right now and don’t know what to do…

I would like to apply for GEM 2026 but I am seeing a lot of people taking multiple years to get in. Do many people get in first time especially with low GCSEs (all B's) and does anything else help the application? I didn't do A levels, I did an access course instead. My GCSEs are likely lower due to personal/family issues during my school years meaning I had very minimal attendance and undiagnosed dyslexia.

I have a life science related undergrad, currently doing a PhD finishing next year. I've also got NHS clinical experience in two areas (I'm a registered AHP) but much more experience in management and private practice. I've also presented at lots of national and international conferences, will have 7 primary author publications plus more as co author, and I have some published books - does any of this actually help an application or is it all based on GAMSAT/UCAT and interview performance?

I always wanted to do medicine but thought I wasn't good enough. I'm now at the top of my field in my early 30's, I love learning and want to expand my learning from just my AHP area. I feel like the options are nursing, PA or medicine, but if I did PA I would always just want to do medicine, I also like to achieve and feel like PA would be limiting. Nursing feels like a step backwards and also it's more about the care of the patient than the deep A&P understanding and knowledge and science. Medicine is low pay for a long time but I have a passive income that I've built up so I'm not as concerned as I would be otherwise.

If I don't do medicine in the new few years I probably never will, but I expect I'll be feeling unfulfilled like this for the rest of my life too.

Awh man… welp 🤷‍♂️

It’s my first time applying to medical schools in my life, and I thought I am a fairly empathetic person until recent conversations during the application cycle. I have the tendency to go for absolute reason rather than emotionally supportive language when I am not astutely aware of the situation needing my sympathies, and that makes me feel uneasy. I’m uneasy because once I had committed to reason, any empathetic statements would come out very insincere, and even I can feel it as the speaker myself.

I think this is something I have to work it out in my mind but I’m just curious if there are ways to help me in this regard? Thank you very much to you all.

Interviews are starting to be sent out!

I’m 22 and I feel like I’ve messed up my life / on a lost path

I did my alevels and achieved ABC which is of course not enough for undergrad Medicine, so I was planning on studying Medicine abroad that same year but due to mental health and family issues I couldn’t and since then I have been working on and off and honestly sort of lost in life

However after lots of thought I know for a fact Medicine is what I want to pursue, and I want to get back on track as soon as possible!

My plan is to enter a undergrad course this year… I know UCAS deadline has passed but I’m hoping to get something in clearing? Is this plan realistic or even advisable? Also any tips you have for getting success in the GEM route would be so grateful ( I will of course read previous threads) thank you

A lot people i know and a lot teachers say that extracurriculars are really important, but i was wondering how important are they because growing up my immigrant parents never put me into any extracurriculars as doing extracurriculars wasn't a concept for them as they prioritised grades more, so i dont have anything interesting to write about with regards to extracurriculars?? Would being a mentor at school count??

Was just wondering if anyone has done or been invited to interview for medicine at Aston, thanks.