Not getting in to medical school can feel like the whole world is against you, it can feel like you're never going to be a doctor, and it can make you feel terrible.
BUT IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD! And most importantly, you are not alone. There are loads of options available to you. You need to sit down and talk things over with your parents, a good friend, teacher or careers advisor, or even discuss it on one of the many forums out their for medical students (newmediamedicine.com and Admissions forum (links open in new window)).You will almost certainly find there are others in the same boat as you, and talking about this together may help you to realise this.
Hopefully the information below will help you focus your ideas on what to do next. Most people who take GAP years (either planned or unplanned) come to medical school a lot more prepared than those straight out of school. If you ask most of them they will nearly all say that it was a good experience and that they're glad they didn't go straight into medicine. You'll soon realise that a year in the scheme of things doesn't really matter that much.
The best thing to do now is think rationally, talk it through with someone you know and trust, and get some ideas together of what you might like to do nex. Remember, you are not on your own!
All four rejections without interview?
If this is you, then the best thing you can do is to write to the universities for feedback on your UCAS form. Not all will agree to do this, but its worth checking if they will. See where you went wrong and do something to put it right for next year. For example, if they said you did not demonstrate good communication, make sure you have something in your form next year to show you have good communcation skills. In the mean time work hard for your A. levels or degree (if you are a graduate student). If you apply again next year you will still need the correct grades.
If you decide to re-apply for medicine, remember no university will know that you are applying for a second time. If you want to, you can even apply to same ones again, without them knowing you have applied there before.
Please note, that if you start another degree, it is unlikely that you will be able to reapply to medicine half way through it. This makes the medical school think you are uncertain about your career intentions.
At this point there are a number of options available.
- You could embark on another degree. If you don't already have offers from non-medical degrees you could apply somewhere else or go through clearing. Think long and hard about this, as this means spending three years on a degree you may not necessarily like and then applying for medicine on a normal five-year course or four-year fast track course, which are very competitive. However this option does have its benefits... it'll make you much more mature and able to cope with life as a medical student a lot easier. If you did this and then a graduate entry programme to medicine this would total seven years (which is only one more than if you do five-year medicine and intercalate). However graduates at the moment will not get help with tuition fees, so it could cost you quite a bit.
- You could take a year out and get a job to save for university, gain more work experience or voluntary work to improve your personal statement. You may want to get a job in a care home or a health care assistant, which will make your application look much better! You could even go travelling for a year. You can then apply again a year later.
- Clearing. Places on medical degrees through UCAS clearing are very rare, although not unheard of.
- You can withdraw from the other two courses you applied for (if applicable) and go through UCAS extra. See the UCAS website for more details.
Don't pass all the entry requirements
If you have one or two offers to study medicine and you don't meet the requirements then read below. By 'not meeting the requirements', it could mean grades (e.g. A. levels or degree), health requirements, police checks etc.
At this point there are a number of options available.
- Look for medical places through clearing. It is rare that any places will be available, but it's worth a try.
- Try to gain entry for another medical-related subject (e.g. biomedical sciences). This way, you will still go to university with all of your friends and you can apply for medicine as a graduate.
- Take a year out and re-sit the A. levels or modules you didn't do too well in. You could use this opportunity to get a part time job, gain more experience, do some voluntary work or even go travelling for a time.
- If you think that the grades you received weren't right, then talk to your teacher (or Student Union's Advice Centre if you're a graduate) about appealing. It may not be enough to help you this year, but it'll save you re-sits next year.
