By Grace Waterman, 2nd year Graduate Entry Medicine at St. George's, University of London
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-waterman-242140195
(BSc Psychology, Development and Developmental Disorders 2018-2021)
Hello! I am a second-year Graduate Entry medical student at St. George’s University of London. I studied Psychology at Royal Holloway and graduated last year, transitioning straight to medicine after the summer. This blog will explore my choice to move to medicine, the challenges I faced, and how I overcame them.
First Thinking about Applying
I first realised that I wanted to explore the notion of studying medicine towards the end of my first year at Royal Holloway. I had had a fantastic year introducing myself to Psychology, particularly enjoying learning developmental psychology and psychopathology. I already knew I wanted to work within healthcare; I have a passion for helping others and genuinely enjoy giving back to my community; however, I didn’t think medicine was still an option for me, a 20-year-old not studying biological sciences.
I researched the subject and quickly learned about Graduate Entry Medicine, a pathway into medicine for those with a degree. I remember feeling excited at the prospect and yet, totally overwhelmed. I looked through 15 university web pages and created a spreadsheet of their admission requirements and application processes. It was much easier to understand the feat of applying to medicine once you see it all laid out in front of you, and something I recommend to all prospective students.
Work Experience
After my first year at Royal Holloway, I contacted the Undergraduate Medicine Office at St. Peter’s Hospital, where I applied for a short work experience shadowing placement. I was fortunate to be placed shadowing the paediatric team at the hospital, spending time in the wards and A&E. This shadowing was an invaluable experience; it taught me the day-to-day role of a doctor and excited me to want to study medicine.
In my second year at Royal Holloway, I learned of a Bank Healthcare Assistant programme that the St. Peter’s Trust started with the university to hire students to work within the hospital. From November 2019 onwards, I worked as a Healthcare Assistant in the hospital wards each weekend. I worked within the nursing team to support and ensure patients' dignity and comfort throughout their stay in hospital. Once fully engaged with the role, I learned how fulfilling clinical work was. I believe it is essential to gain clinical work experience wherever you can. It enables you to understand what working within the NHS is like, the challenges and the benefits, and to help you decide if this is what you really want from your career.
Preparing for Admissions Tests
I began preparation for the March GAMSAT exam in the previous July; I then started preparing for the September UKCAT promptly afterwards. The admissions tests are challenging, but this does not mean that you are not suitable for medicine. Although they are testing general aptitude, it is important to revise for them like you would for any other exam, for example, do not just skim the content for Section 3 of the GAMSAT whilst relying on your ability to succeed at scientific reasoning.
As someone that hadn’t done science for 5 years before applying to medicine, the GAMSAT seems incredibly daunting. However, science students often neglect the fact that all 3 sections are equally weighted, therefore if you know Section 3 (Scientific Reasoning) will be your weakest, further improve your Sections 1 (Humanities & Social Science Reasoning) and 2 (Written Communications). Section 2 is actually really easy to get a very high score in, yet a lot of students struggle with it. My advice for this would be practice your structure with the essays and learn a handful of useful philosophical quotes that could be used for various topics, alongside making sure to keep up-to-date with world events that can be used as examples.
My advice for the UKCAT is just practice, practice, practice. I struggled with the fast-pace of the UKCAT and found that my mathematics just was not fast enough to score highly. Make sure you are completing all the practice tests available to you within the time constraints set in the real examination.
The Interview
The interview can feel like the most daunting thing on your road to medicine, and some would argue that it is. I have heard multiple times that the hardest part of medicine is getting in. So, if you have achieved an offer for interview, just think how far you have come! For me, the interview was what I struggled with the most. When I was applying, everything was online, rather than face-to-face, which of course comes with its own challenges. I had to learn how to look into the tiny black dot that is my laptop camera, instead of looking at the individual’s face on my screen, feeling very much like a robot as I did. However, with practice, these small funny things became much easier.
What I found the most important during my interview preparation was practice. Practice questions repeatedly until I became confident in the words I spoke and the way I communicated my experiences. It was not a case of rehearsing a script, but rather getting in touch with the skills that I had and the things I had to talk about, in a manner which came across intelligent and well-thought. During the weeks before my interview, my partner and I would go for long walks around Virginia Water lake, where he would ask an interview-style question, and I would speak it out, in an environment that felt safe to me. Closer to the interview, we moved this practice to more formal interview style, but because I had practiced in a less formal setting, I had felt more confident in my abilities. My advice would be to modify this example to suit you, and become confident in your delivery.
Advice for Prospective Students
Do your research. Medicine may seem like a very attractive pathway; however, it is not for everyone, and it would be a shame to work so hard for something that is not right for you. That being said, you can never be certain that it is what you want, and there will be high and low times throughout the application period, medical school, and in the workplace. All you can do is your best, be true to yourself, and experience more. The more clinically relevant activities you experience before and throughout applying will not only benefit your application, but will ensure you are making the best decision for your future. I ummed and ahhed over whether or not to apply to medicine, and it has been the most challenging thing I’ve done yet, but if you are serious about the career and are excited by its prospect, do it, what’s the worst that can happen? Since my application, I really have enjoyed every second, even the difficult ones, and would argue that that is a consequence of my clinical experience making sure that medicine was the right choice for me.
Take your time. Make sure you have plenty of time to apply, this is a huge decision and not one that you want to rush. Prepare with months ahead of your admissions exams, and even start an outline of your personal statement before UCAS is open if you are able to. Even if you do not have an offer for an interview yet, start writing out your interview answers to some of the generic questions. Should you not get an offer for an interview this cycle, they are incredibly helpful for the next time you apply and can be modified for other work interviews too.
It is not the be all and end all. I faced rejections from 4 of the medical schools I applied to, this is part of the process of applying to study medicine. Remember that it is not personal, this stuff is incredibly hard, and you have done amazing for even submitting your UCAS application. Focus on yourself and your emotional reaction if you receive rejections and understand where these feelings come from. The way you handle rejection is through resilience, a desirable trait for medicine, so think how much of a better applicant you will be next time round!
Final Remarks
Applying for medicine is a marathon that comes with its own challenges and excitements. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn about yourself and to learn about a potential future career. It will be tough, but throughout the process, remember how far you have come and how hard you have worked.
Be proud of yourself all the way, and be your own number one fan, because you are amazing!
I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavours!
Helpful Resources
The Medic Portal is an incredibly useful resource, spend time going through it, as it will help you throughout each step of the application.
The Student Room is a helpful online site with dedicated forums, you can find ones for applying to GEM, and more specific ones for each University you apply to.
And if you want to chat, please send me an email!