Choices, choices

[StudentMummy20]

I'm a mature student who has received offers from all choices to study Biomedical Science. I'm hoping to study medicine after this degree.

1. Kings College London
2. University of Southampton
3. University of Bristol
4. University of Surrey
5. University of Reading

Someone help me make a decision! Any experiences or knowledge that gives any of them an edge over the others?

If you're hoping for grad med (why not medicine now?) then pick the one that offers grad med as you'll be able to tailor your application better, and they know you.

First question. Are they all accredited?

I was going to apply for medicine but the course I did isn't widely accepted for medicine. Had I known Southampton now accepts it, as does Bristol (they didn't a couple of years ago when I did my research) I would have applied for medicine. My fault for not researching again. Both King's and Southampton offer a graduate medicine programme.

Also the option of applying next year I suppose.

@wantmorenow I've never really thought of that as it's not technically a professional qualification.

Personal opinion. Speak to Southampton & Bristol now. Think many courses, especially those that rely on international students may end up with spare capacity. This may work in your favour.

Just to note graduate medicine is far more competitive than undergrad medicine.

Biomedical Scientist is definitely a professional qualification accredited by IBMS and registered with HCPC. It is a profession for NHS scientists. You can also do a similarly named degree that doesn't confer this status.

Same cost, hugely similar content, different outcome. If you have a choice, go for accreditation. Opens up more potential routes. If your degree isn't accredited then more training and cost is involved to convert it later should you want to work in NHS.

@titchy I'm aware. I would also consider applying for standard entry.

@wantmorenow thank you, the universities out of my five choices are both a bit lower in the league tables but I guess the accreditation is an edge.

@wantmorenow when you say speak to Southampton and Bristol, what to do you mean? About medicine?

Yes. Speak to admissions. It's a whole new world. They may have a reserve list, nothing to lose. If many places have been offered to overseas students they may have a back up plan. I always work on, as long as you ask politely it's always worth a cheeky ask for something. They need students and their funding. NHS desperately need staffing.

It's not about league tables. It's whether they have designed the degree for accreditation and paid the fees for it. Can't post links. Just Google it, it's often the former polys who go this route as it's both academic and vocational. Often including work placement in NHS.

@wantmorenow I hadn't thought of asking about medicine with the current situation as I've not taken the UCAT.

I've not intention of working for the NHS with my biomed degree, I've the intention of going straight into medicine. Both choices that are accredited don't offer medicine at all. I've looked it up and it just says that the IBMS assess degrees from a non accredited courses if you want to registered.

OP, when you say " the course I did isn't widely accepted for medicine", do you mean an Access to HE diploma?

If you're certain that you have no intention of working as a biomedical scientist, then you're right that IBMS accreditation of the programme isn't important. However, you do need to have a plan B , as there is no guarantee you'll get a place for medicine as a graduate. I've never thought biomedical sciences is a very sensible choice for people who want to apply for graduate entry to medicine but don't want to be biomedical scientists. What do you think you'll do if you don't get a place for medicine?

@SirTobyBelch how did you guess . I am indeed studying a biology and chemistry Access to HE course.

I have no intention no, but I am open to it. I don't want to base my choice on just accreditation of the course when it isn't impossible to get approval from the IBMS from non accredited university courses. I may have to do an extra year or something but that isn't always the case. I've also thought of masters, employment outside of the NHS etc as I'm perfectly aware there is no guarantee of getting into medicine.

If you want graduate entry medicine then consider factoring in the cheaper places to live for first degree as you will have a further 4 years of study with limited opportunities to do part time work if you get into medicine.

Just to note, medicine degrees have a strict cap on international student numbers. If they can’t be filled, it will be relatively easy to fill spaces from U.K. UG applicants due to high numbers of applicants - so please don’t assume you can get a place now as numbers have dropped away.

@Gwynfluff I will be living at home, all but Bristol are within commutable distance. Even Bristol, I have family that I can stay with if necessary.

I won't assume I can get a place 🙄. I'm aware that medical schools are not short of applicants to choose from.

Sorry, more to the poster who suggested it than to you. As the threads are read by others. Also agree with you re not having taken UCAT or I assume BMAT

@Gwynfluff I thought it was a bit of wild suggestion as even if places do go in to clearing schools will have their pick of top class students who didn't get in before and you have taken either the UCAT or BMAT.

Not going to deny that before all this booted off I'd been hopeful that St Georges would go into clearing and I could take the UCAT test at the start of testing in July.

I'm still considering a year off and applying for med next year as I also have a fifth option as a back up. Really am kicking myself for not applying for this year. As for accreditation universities like Oxford aren't accredited for Biomed and if had applied for there and got and offer there would be no question that I would firm them. King's is a world class university, offers a year abroad in the likes of Aus, the US, Europe and Singapore which I can take my little girl on then I have the option for taking a sandwich year and doing a placement. I'm not that bothered about accreditation, I can get it later on if I want/need to.

Occasionally medical schools enter clearing. I can see the advantages of taking a year out and reapplying for next year and you can put Kings in again as your biomed choice. Only caveat is the sector is expecting large numbers of deferrals, especially if lockdown isn’t eased enough to let the Universities open again in September.

If you did get you UCAT early might be easier to look at your options then and if there are clearing places, you’d have it (as long as they would take a 2020 score).

Good luck with your decision. Would also recommend looking at Physician Associate courses as another PG option instead of medicine if needed.

DD is studying biomed at a university that is accredited by the biological society not the IBMS. She was told that IBMS accreditation only qualified you to work for the NHS, and not in research labs for other companies.

IBMS accredited courses have the same modules regardless of where you study them, whereas the content for other biomed degrees is more flexible.

Obviously, she won't know until after she graduates whether she made the right decision.

@Gwynfluff thank you, I have seriously thought about Physician Associate, my college pal has a place at Reading for it.

I'm struggling to make a decision and I must admit, going this year is my only real chance for the year abroad as my daughter will be at school the following year so deferring would be losing out on that chance. She's end of August birthday so I could delay her entry in to school but that would be incredibly selfish of me just so I could go abroad for a year.

@Ginfordinner yes, I certainly love the flexibility of King's and Southampton plus other opportunities that they offer in terms of experiences and a year aborad. My other choices don't offer those. I can say that none of the 'top' universities offer IBMS accredited courses. If your DD feels after graduating that she should have gone for an IBMS accredited course, she can still have her degree assessed by the IBMS and if necessary do an extra year. It isn't the end of the world.

abroad rather 🙄

To be honest, it sounds like you really like the sound of the Kings course and have a place on it and a plan. And it fits for you to start 2020-21. You’ve then got time and can apply to grad entry medicine or a PA course (or both as they are different entities) depending on what fits best at the end or you may have loved biomed and want to do something related to that.

@Gwynfluff I can imagine a lot will defer, I'd have more chance of this year . My thinking is that if I do just apply next year and don't go I'd have wasted a year and if I had just gone to King's anyway, then if King's reject my application (I was supposed to have an interview but that was cancelled, can't say I was too bothered ) then if I didn't get what I wanted through clearing I'd waste a second year and in turn could have gone to King's and had have finished by degree the following year, following that apply for UG/graduate medicine if that makes sense.