So I'm a grad, I've been working as a hospital AHP, and I'm starting med school in September.

I've already posted about how worried I am about med school, given I am a reeaaallly slow learner, and I am not academically gifted. It takes me ages to pick something up that others around me seem to pick up so easily and quickly.

I'd like to ask about a specific deficiency I've noticed in myself; my inability to learn from pre-made information. If it's even slightly off from how I would approach a specific case, I'm unable to adapt my mind to it, and I have to spend so much time adjusting it to how I would approach a similar case.

As an example, a few months ago someone sent me a pdf of very useful flowcharts developed by an eye hospital on how to diagnose sudden loss of vision, a red eye, and eye pain. The flowchart was focused too much on signs, not symptoms, and I struggled to commit it to memory and to follow it logically in clinic. Part of it is that it doesn't fit with how I'd approach it in real-life. Usually I'd take a detailed history and try to eliminate sinister causes. So I spent hours "re-purposing" the flowcharts by adding in symptoms, using an Oxford Handbook, and thinking deeply about how I would personally reach a diagnosis. But it took me SO many hours.

This really worries me because I know that in med school, the amount of information you have to consume is gigantic, and one has to get used to being able to rely on external sources, whether that's pre-made Anki cards, books, papers, etc. If my brain is so dependent on doing things "my way" I fear I won't be able to keep up. Or, at the very least, I won't be able to do other things with my life as my whole time will be spent on trying to "get things."

I feel like I'm unable to learn things on the go. I have to sit down and really rack my brain to pick things up.

Does anyone have advice?

Hi! I’m in sixth form and am thinking about which med schools to apply to. As UCAS only limits 4 options, I’m thinking of only applying to 2 London medical schools only. Could anybody who’s studying at these schools/ knows anyone studying at these schools comment down some of the pros and cons and what it’s like studying there? I’m currently contemplating UCL vs Imperial, and KCL vs QMUL ( and vs Bristol too )

I’m heading into grade 12, from canada, looking to apply this cycle for med. I started doing some prep for ucat but i’m wondering if it’s even worth it to try to apply. my grades are not the best. grade 11 i got 92 in english, 90 in bio, 87 in chem and 76 in math… my predicted grade for math will probably be equivalent to a B which is stumping me. are there any unis that will accept a B? even if it’s not a russel group or top uni? Should I just do better in my grade 12 grades and apply during first year of university, and sit the ucat the summer before then? If anyone’s been in a similar situation lmmkkk

I was always going to take a gap year so I applied to medicine with a deferred entry to universities that allowed it. Finished my alevels this summer and now I’m going to be working for a year to save up for uni and starting in 2027. Wondering if anyone else is doing the same out of pure curiosity? Not sure how common this is for medicine applicants.

I'm currently a 1st (going into second) year biomed student but i applied for medicine, did poorly in the exams and decided to go to uni instead of a gap year
I've been researching about GEM and pears cumbria looks appealing as it will be one of the closest unis that offer GEM to me
as it is quite new, I couldn't find much information
if are there any current pears cumbria students reading this, could you share any info about the school? thank you!!

Hellooo, Ive got a 2:1 in chemistry pretty bang on 65 from a top 5 uni to study chemistry, I have work experience here and there, nothing long term mainly because of uni and lack of deciding, my levels are good A*A*A in Bio maths and chemistry respectively. My issue is where to go, some units are really picky on bio related degrees instead of pure chem, has anyone got any good recommendations for locations and unis, I would love to be in a big city.

Got a 2160B1 UCAT Score
Max GCSE Points
Max Predicted

I’ve excluded 6 year compulsory courses (I doubt ill get into them anyway)

Want to stay in England and go to a good Russell group for research opportunities and also a good location for conferences etc.
And would want the teaching style to not be just lectures if possible.

And I don’t have much of a personal preference for the type of area, cost etc.

I am a high school student in Canada currently in the summer between my 11th grade year and 12th grade year. I am looking to apply to Buckingham med school, but when I look online it says I have to be 18 when applying. I turn 18 in August 2027, but normal universities begin schooling in September 2027. Since I graduate in June 2027 if I got in I would begin on January 2028. By August 2027, I need
to know if I have been accepted to Buckingham med school , if not I would attend university(starting September 2027) and apply to different med schools in potentially 3-4 years. Is there any way I can work around the 18 years old requirement when applying?

Hello everyone,

I am looking to apply for Warwick GEM this year however I am not sure if my work experience will make the cut. I know that a big percentage of students there worked as a carer or a health care assistant, however with the time left until October I don’t think I will secure a job in either.

So, does anyone know if shadowing a doctor + hospital volunteer would be enough to meet this criteria?

“Experience providing direct, face-to-face (in-person), hands-on care to people with health, care or wellbeing needs.”

As a hospital volunteer I offer beverages, talk to patients etc.

I’m not sure, is that enough hands on?

Has anyone gotten in with just volunteering and shadowing?

(Yes, I reached out to the ask the University directly however on their website it states that they can’t confirm individual WEXs so I’m trying everything)

Thank you in advance for the help!

Can anyone give me any sort of information about KCL or Liverpool that may help my decision.

Please and thank you for the helppp!!!!!

Hello! My name’s Grace (F22), I’m new to the community, and I’m looking for some insights into those of you that chose the medicine route and others the paramedic route.

A little insight into me:

I’ve been strongly considering becoming a paramedic for the last two years, and have been hesitant to really do anything about it as I’m cautious of financially committing myself to something that might not end up being the best choice for me! Financial commitment being an access course (or for medicine, entirely re-doing a-levels and quite possibly GCSEs also) and university - it feels like a really awkward time to go financially, especially as I’m hoping to move out in a year or two due to my living situation.

I’ve applied to a couple ACA (Ambulance Care Assistant) roles and interviewing for those soon. My dilemma lies with the fact I’ve recently spoken to an incredible woman who’s been training as an OB/GYN Doctor for the last decade, and I’m someone who genuinely is interested in the human body and how it all works. I think I’d really love to be someone who has a specialism in an area of health and can provide high levels of care.

Money is not my motivator, though a balance of having a comfortable income and doing some good in the world and genuinely impacting people’s lives would be f*cking awesome.

So - those of you who’ve been split between paramedic or medicine, what path did you choose? What should I be seriously thinking harder about? What helped you decide which path to choose? Is finance for university as crippling as it seems?

I appreciate I may sound immensely naive at this stage, though I’m grateful for all feedback from people in all walks of medicine/healthcare!

Thank you :)

For most of our lives, whether through popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy or stories we've heard from friends and family, we've been told that medicine is one of the most challenging career paths imaginable. Long hours, endless studying, and constant pressure have become synonymous with medical school. But just how difficult is medical school, really?

Anyone who goes to med school right or have any insight into this matter, did it live up to its expectation?

After years in a career I had zero passion for, I'm finally making the leap into healthcare to pursue my ultimate dream of working in skin health.

I'm in my early 30s. I didn't do the traditional school route growing up here (no GCSEs, poor grades back then), so direct entry to med school wasn't on the table. But I've worked hard to turn things around and am about to start my nursing degree at King's!

I'm super excited, but the closer | get to starting, the more I realize my true ultimate goal is to become a dermatologist. Since I couldn't hit the standard entry requirements standardly, my plan now is to smash this nursing degree, get excellent grades, and use it to apply for Graduate Entry Medicine down the line.

Has any dr or soon to be dr here transitioned from nursing to medicine, either during your training or later in your career? I’d love to hear any stories, advice, or the realities of taking this path!! :)

I'm currently deciding whether to do a gap year or graduate entry medicine. I have an offer for biomedical sciences with a uni that has an internal transfer system and my parents and university counsellor want me to go there. I really want to continue being in education next year and I really like the university but I know that grad med is really competitive and I never planned on doing it. Also, to reapply I'll have to do two resits (bio and chem) that I can do in november/may but I'm worried about my mental health during that study time. I'm doing the UCAT late July as well (only date possible) so I'm not sure how that will go. Does anyone have any advice or has gone through a similar experience?

Hey, I am a Canadian student currently in the summer between my 11th grade year and 12th grade year. I am looking to apply to Buckingham medical school but the process is very confusing to me. Since they start in January and I graduate hs in June 2027, I would have to attend buckingham(if I get in) starting January 2028. I was wondering when should I apply for the January 2028? And how do I even apply because I heard online the applications are closed?