Anticipating DD not meeting her grades for medicine, need information about graduate entry.

[Tressy]

Hopefully she will but am wondering about graduate medicine. Trying to help her if the worst comes to the worst and if it would be better to retake A levels or go through clearing.

Due to the fee increases is it possible to still do a 3 year standard degree then apply for 4 year graduate medicine. Is it covered by student finance?

Also would a degree from any university, e.g Leeds Met, in a science subject be good enough to apply for graduate medicine?

It can be done. My nephew did year one of a pharmacy degree and then transferred to medicine in London and has just graduated. Someone on my msc pharmacology course (back in 1992) graduated with a 2:1 and then did medicine..... But 5 years! However, a girl on my msc clinical pharmacology course didn't make it to medicine afterwards......

yes, as a PP said, be careful not only to many med school not accept resits, many 6th forms don't allow them either, and in fact many cannot get funding to provide them,

What is she interested in about medicine? If it is science, there are plenty of other degrees in science. if it is care, there are plenty of other oppertunities there too.

Google careers in the NHS, and have a look. medicine is not the only degree course that fulfills these aspirations.

Her sixth form do allow an extra year. Which is good because it leaves much to be desired and not many students will achieve good enough grades to get into top unis.

She wants to be a doctor, not for the money or prestige but for all the right reasons and will probably get there eventually.

Good luck to anyone else waiting to hear next week.

Check HER sixthform will allow HER to resit THIS YEAR, most schools will allow those they feel a "moral obligation" towards, to resit as a "guest" ( unfunded), but may have a very strict limit, in my school 8 guests are allowed per year, in a sixthform of over 600. You can sometimes get funding if you are progressing to the next level, but not to redo the same level, so year 12 isspent redoing year 11, year 13 is spent doing year 12, then the extra year is MOVING UP onto year 13 courses. However, this is not always allowed. It does change from year to year, so find out exactly what the current policy is in her school. It is sometimes possible to resit in a different borough.

I know at least 3 who resat yr 13 and more who resat year 12 so will be there an extra year too so it is possible but will check for sure on Thursday if it comes to that.

As for moral obligation, not sure what that means but she is not a slacker, has had excellent attendance etc so if it means that then hopefully she should be allowed back.

It's going to be a long week.

Just a comment on the info upthread - clearing offers and lists are likely to be massively different this year from last. The whole change in the fee regime has thrown everything up in the air - universities are very very nervous about making their control numbers. My own university ( which I'm not going to say) did not enter clearing at all last year but this year we are going in with everything on offer - this time last year we just didn't expect that to be happening.

So it may be a good year to not make your grades - there could be some great courses in really great places on offer.

But fingers crossed your DD gets her grades and all this prep is not needed (although I've twice previously had lists of clearing courses printed out before the A2 grades have come in so know exactly why you're doing it)

Gettingamedal, thanks, I realise it will be different this year and she will certainly look at clearing to check her options.

I think it will be another year at school though.

But most med schools won't accept resist results so confused as to why you think she should stay at school another year?

A v good book I wish I'd had at that age is "What Colour is Your Parachute?", might be helpful if she does need to rethink. With science A-levels there're loads of great study and career options.

Titchy, tbh she will probably need to get her grades up to do a science degree at a good uni. She is anticipating her A levels to be quite low. So she has a uni and course in mind already for next year.

Thanks Dozer, I think this would make a good consolation present :)

If she's not going to get the grades this time you've got no guarantee she'll get them next year either. What do her teachers think? Has there been illness or another reason why she hasn't made the grades?

TBH she may just have to accept that it's not going to happen.

She needs to have a realistic back up plan.

But fivecandles she's convinced the med school interviewers that she's worth an offer and that's an achievement in itself. Hopefully she's just a doubter and will sail through on Thurs. Do lots of med school applicants fail to get their grades? I thought the schools were pretty conservative in dishing out offers - might be completely wrong.

Does she need AAA OP, or is it an A* offer?

It's a long haul doing medicine through this route. It's a long haul through the conventional route as well. And, I'm not sure it's worth it.

My sister is a doctor. She has worked her socks off for years. She earns less (at the same age) as my dds reception teacher! She probably earns about 10k a year more than a nurse.

You daughter may - at 30 - be thinking of having children and if she's doing medicine as a second degree, she'll barely be at the point when she's experienced enough to work part time.

Why not nursing! - much less stress academically and you can do all sorts of things with it with similar financial reward.

I agree with Tansie!

She has considered nursing and would make a super nurse but wants to be a doctor. She has her heart set on it and it's nothing to do with the money. I think if someone wants to go into the profession they will find a route in even if this year isn't to be. She could look into doing a nursing degree, starting next year, work for a few years and train later in life.

Fingers crossed for everyone else waiting for results on Thursday.

Just to add to a +1 to the idea of Central european universities - my friend has just finished Vet Med at St Istvan private uni in Budapest. Chokka full of Irish, UK, Americans. Fees were around ?10,000 per year, and cost of living low. Degree fully recognised here, she has just taken up a post in the North of England.

My DD has graduated with a 2:1 in a science subject and looked into graduate entry. It is even more competitive than A level entry and she eventually discounted it as she would be 30 before qualifying as a GP and felt it was too long for her.

Has your DD considered applying to American med schools after getting a really good science degree? All med schools in the US take in is post BA students who have a good gpa and have passed the American MCAT which is very difficult to pass admittedly.

Advice for Irish graduates here on postgrad entry to medicine in the UK and elsewhere.

Info on studying in EU.

Has she considered midwifery or physiotherapy?

I hope she is not limiting her options to places that are close enough for frequent trips home.

Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. Fees are quite steep though and in Euros.

Is nursing ever in clearing I wonder. Guess she would have to apply next year. It's a serious consideration. Not only would a nursing degree put her in an excellent position for applying for medicine. There are no fees and she might want to stay in nursing for her entire career. It will also give her a clear insight to what is ahead.

Graduate medicine is 7 years study then 2 years F1 and F2 as opposed to 5 years undergrad. I honestly don't think it would put DD off is she doesn't qualify until the age of 30. If someone really wants something they will strive for it.

Just out of curiosity, how do students fund these American/European courses? If you have no money and afaik student finance is not available then it would be out of the question?

Yes nursing was in clearing last year. the year before had roughly the same places listed with vacancies. will pm you the list

Great thanks, will be worth looking at.

Problems for international students applying to med school in the US

Irish information site for study abroad.

Funding for neuroscience in EU and elsewhere.

Trinity College Dublin site on medicine in Ireland

No money and no green card in the US = huge problem.

can only speak for my friend, but in Ireland we don't have a student finance situation anyway so all loans are commercial bank loans. Lots of people fund their studies this way. She is starting the repayments now that she is qualified.

If she goes to study in an EU country, she is entitled to access the same financial support as local students. In many cases this will be cheaper than the UK. For example, study in the Netherlands:

www.studyinholland.co.uk/loans_and_grants.html?gclid=COyFv6bP67ECFTFItAodyHsA4w

Tuition fees are a lot less and there are grants available if you work 32 hours a month. There are medical degrees taught in English.

I hope she's done a lot better than she thinks anyway.