To think I can apply for post grad med school with a 2.2 in languages from 15 years ago?

[Changednameadviceneededxx]

Please be nice to me 🙈

Name changed but I'm a mumsnet lover.

I've been thinking about studying medicine. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor. But I just never thought it possible.

I've got an english language degree and by the time i apply, would (fingers crossed) have a c2 cert in French.

But i only got a 2.2 😔, and I haven't worked since a corporate grad job that I did after uni, and haven't worked for close to a decade due to raising dc.

I'm a single mum so would study around raiding dc. I can't currently get work experience whilst I raise them, but would be able to study.

How crazy am I to think that a med school, somewhere in London, would accept me, with these circumstances.

I don't have science a levels either, just languages.

Tia x

Reading through this, the answer is no but you can apply if you do something like an access course first www.sgul.ac.uk/study/courses/medicine-graduate-entry#entry-criteria

Graduate Entry Medicine would be possible, though most universities would require you to have at least a 2:1. An Access to Medicine diploma would also qualify you to apply to a medical degree afterwards. Whether universities would accept you is another matter: medicine is very competitive and no science or healthcare background, little experience of working full stop and a very long period of unemployment isn’t going to make you a particularly attractive candidate.

Your biggest barrier will be the DC. Medicine is very intensive as a degree and needing to be flexible around childcare will be very difficult.

i think a good start would be to do an access to higher education medicine can be done online
and study for gamsat get some work experience in a medical setting different med schools will have different entry requirements
good luck

It would be very difficult, and would you really want to?

Medical school involves anti-social shifts during your clinical years, how would you manage this with caring for children? Once qualified, the hours are long and the pay is poor as well.

Graduate entry medicine is extremely competitive. With a 2:2 you could look at a 5 or 6 year course, maybe with an additional access year, but you would need to do volunteering/work experience to make your application stand out.

Do you have the required GCSEs and A levels?

what are the requirements for the course you're looking at? I suspect that with a non-science degree and no work experience you'd not tick that many boxes. Logistically, raising children and studying full time for 4 (or more likely 5) years would be difficult without a very reliable support network and significant funds... and once you qualify it gets harder. Finally, it's a pretty rubbish career choice these days (after 20 yrs I'm done... there's no chance I'd be looking to start in medicine now). Honestly, I'd get some work experience, speak to students/recently qualified doctors and then choose something else.

You'd need to do an access course and your qualifications would cost you thousands (upon thousands) of pounds.

Totally unrealistic and incredibly unfair on your DC. In fact, I'd say totally impossible unless you also have 24/7 access to childcare.

As the previous poster the most likely answer will be that you cannot apply with your current degree and A levels. However, in my experience admissions departments are very helpful when discussing requirements with mature students who have a variety of backgrounds. Why don't you try ringing one and talking things through?

Chances are you will need to do all access course though.

You need to change your aspirations because you can't become a doctor with your current qualifications. There are lots of careers in Medicine, not just becoming a doctor. Paramedic. advanced nurse practitioner, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, radiographer, physician's associate etc

I hope you find something that is suitable with the qualifications you have, and fulfilling for you.

Why did you not do science A levels if you’ve always dreamed of being a doctor?

I also did language A levels, I don’t have the right aptitude/skills set for maths and science, which means I don’t have what it takes to be a doctor, even though I think it’s a pretty interesting job (I’m married to one, by the way).

wanting to do the job and having the right skills/intelligence level are two different things.

Thank you for this - it couldn't hurt to talk through my options so will set aside an hour one morning this week to try and contact st georges London. As I'm based in London, it's the only place I can study, which makes things even harder.

I think i read that Swansea take people with a 2.2

There are several other universities offering medicine in London. Why do you think you could only study in St George's?

I'm not upset with the réponses, nor the poll 😄, I need realism when I get like this

Its just been something I've always wanted to do - at school, I didn't take science gcse, which was bizarrely an option for us, so when I realised, i couldn't take science as an a level

George's have their entry requirements on the course website.

I was going to ask the same. UCL and KCL also offer medicine, off the top of my head. (Don't think UCL would take a 2.2 unless you had some study after that)

Why do you think you can fit in study around the kids if you can’t fit in work experience? I think you might not understand what is involved in studying medicine because a voluntary work experience role will be a walk in the park compared to a med degree.

What do you have to offer a medical school?
Why on earth would they give you a place when you have no relevant education or work experience compared with people who will have spent years making their CVs attractive to a med school with relevant A-levels and/or degrees at high standards, and work experience/voluntary service?

if medicine really is your dream then you need to commit a couple of years to making yourself competitive in that field. To do so you need to be reading the admissions criteria for your preferred universities and then make a plan to tick as many of those boxes as you possibly can. This will almost certainly include relevant work experience (not necessarily in medical fields - any teaching opportunities eg running an after school club; caring eg work in a care home or nursery; anything that shows you can interact positively with vulnerable people) and some education.

If you really want it, put the work in and make your CV attractive.

With a 2.2

I read somewhere that they take students with a 2.2, although now on their website I can't see that 😕

Honestly, no. Graduate medicine is very competitive, and there will be so so many recent graduates of assorted science degrees that will also be looking at the course. I think you may have to manage your expectation.

At the very least, I think you need to do an additional access course, especially as you've not got a background in science and have been out of education so long.

I'm aware of two people in my very extended friend (friends of friends of friends type of thing) circle who did graduate medicine. One did Nursing as a first degree, the other biomedical science, both got firsts in those fields.

Thank you - its sad that you'd never do it again 😢, but that's the government's fault for not supporting our doctors x

Its just been something I've always wanted to do - at school, I didn't take science gcse, which was bizarrely an option for us, so when I realised, i couldn't take science as an a level

Then surely you're never going to be able to do medicine?

Sorry, but I think you're being absolutely bonkers to even think about this. How will you do night shifts, evenings, weekends and BH's with children? Or placements at the other end of the country? It's just totally unrealistic.

Postgraduate medicine needs a first degree in a relevant discipline (biology, Biomedical sciences etc).

You could apply for undergraduate medicine courses, but you'd need an access course.

not necessarily.

My thinking, although I agree quite unrealistic, was that I'd study whilst dc is young to get the necessary degree, and then go into work once they go to uni

😬

Edit, I like reading and studying, I think i could fit lectures and studies in around dc. But agree that i couldn't fit in work whilst they're young

How? You'll need to be able to attend placements in hospitals and work nights, evenings and weekends. It's not just attending lectures

1. There are five medical schools in London, not one.
2. You do not have anything remotely near the criteria for Grad Entry or even non-Grad Entry for any.
3. 10 mins looking at websites would have told you that.

If you are applying for undergraduate medicine there isn't a limit on your degree classification, but you would still need relevant A-levels, GCSEs, evidence of recent study, and extra curricular activity.