Tag Archive for: medicine

Use your summer wisely – get work experience!

The summer holidays are here, you’ve worked really hard at school and you’re looking forward to a break – perhaps you have some travel booked. But if you are thinking about applying to university in the UK, the holidays are an important time to get work experience, internships or volunteering that will contribute to a more competitive UCAS application, not to mention enhance your career opportunities.

Assume that admissions receive more applications than there are places on the course and that everyone who applies has met the academic entry criteria – what is going to make your application more compelling than the next? What you have done outside your studies that will win you a place on an oversubscribed course?

Universities favour work experience as it shows that you are serious about your future and are able to pursue multiple interests. It doesn’t necessarily need to be directly related to your studies (unless you are applying to Medicine, Veterinary or Law).

Why is this important?

  1. Work experience, internships and volunteering will give you a whole range of skills that are desirable to universities, such as commitment, self-motivation, time management, team working, negotiation and organisational skills, not to mention role-specific skills. These skills can all be applied to enrich your studies.
  2. The experience you gain will prove invaluable in the classroom, helping you to connect academia with the ‘real’ world. It can add context and insight to your studies and a different perspective.
  3. Work experience helps you to form realistic career expectations and goals which universities like to see in their prospective students. It also allows you to try out certain sectors and roles to see if you like them before making big decisions about your career.
  4. Having some professional experience before you graduate will help make the transition from studying to working easier and will increase you chances of getting the job you apply for. Universities love employable alumni – it reflects well on the university and improves their employability stats. The Careers Centre at your destination university will offer a great deal of support including: compiling your CV, application letter writing, gaining the competitive edge when it comes to beating the opposition!
  5. You can get ahead in building a professional network that you can call on for career support and job opportunities after you graduate.

How do you get work experience?

There are many ways you can secure work experience and volunteering work. It depends on what you are interested in and where you live but an obvious place to start is in your local area. Reach out to local businesses, organisations, public services etc to see if they have opportunities. You may be able to use family connections or friends to help you secure informal experience. It’s great if you can get practical experience but even the chance to shadow a member of staff will give you some insight into your chosen role/sector – it’s better than nothing.

UCAS recommend several resources to get you started – so get exploring and get ahead of your peer group!

www.ucas.com/alternatives/internships/internships-and-volunteering

UK Study Options supports students with enrichment activities that boost their profiles and enhance their applications to university. We also offer services such as CV and cover letter guidance and proofing, as well as, conduct mock interviews and more to prepare students for internships, university and beyond! Read about our services on our University Application Support webpage.

What makes medicine applications different (2)

In the second blog of this series we consider some of the course related factors that need to be considered by prospective medical students.

Course length and qualifications

The standard medical course (for school leavers) is usually five years long. There are over 30 UK institutions offering standard courses, which lead to a variety of primary medical qualifications – MBchB, MBBS, BMBS, MBBCh, MBBChir, BMBCh. While this variety can appear confusing, students can rest assured that these qualifications are all variations of ‘Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery’ and are all validated by the GMC (General Medical Council).

At some universities (Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and Imperial) an extra 6th year of study leads to an intercalated or additional degree as a compulsory part of the course. This extra qualification is optional at many more medical schools, although it is worth noting that selection for the intercalation programme may be competitive and only open to the top ranking students in the year.

For students who have high academic achievement but who don’t hold the science subjects required for entry to a Standard course there is the option to apply to a six-year ‘Medicine with a Preliminary Year’ course. These are either Standard Entry courses with an additional year at the start, or sometimes the preliminary year is taken as a standalone one-year course. This is not an option for students who haven’t achieved the required grades to meet the entry requirements of Standard courses.

Cost

How much a medical course will cost you in tuition fees depends on whether you are classed as a Home/EU fee payer or an Overseas fee payer and on the institution you apply to. The difference in fees for Home and Overseas students is substantial (for more information read our ‘fee status’ blogs) and to further complicate matters there are different fee systems in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The universities will assess each student’s application for Home/EU fees on their own merits. Home/EU students are responsible for their tuition fees in the pre-clinical years but the NHS pays the tuition fees for years 5 and 6 in full.

Type of course

 Although all UK medical schools adhere to standards set by the GMC each course is different and each uses different teaching methods. It is therefore very important that applicants think carefully about the type of learning that would suit them best. Courses can generally be divided into:

  •  Traditional pre-clinical and clinical – as practised by Oxford and Cambridge. These courses start with 2 years of mainly lectures and tutorials covering science based modules. These are followed by three years of a clinical course which will include GP placements and hospital work in addition to subject based lectures. This course structure often appeals to students who wish to have a solid grounding in the science before much patient interaction.
  • Integrated – this method is now practised by the majority of medical schools and combines theory with patient contact from the very start of the course. In contrast to the traditional courses, scientific knowledge is taught by topic rather than discipline. Integrated courses can be further subdivided into those that specialise in Problem-based learning (PBL), Case-based learning (CBL) and Enquiry-based learning (EBL) all of which may appeal to the student who is a good independent learner and proactive in their approach to  study.
    • PBL is practised by Manchester, Glasgow, Queen Mary, Peninsula, Sheffield, Keele, Hull and York, Barts and East Anglia. Here the emphasis is on peer-to-peer teaching, small group learning and problem solving. Different medical schools use PBL to a greater or lesser extent, some teaching entirely by PBL with others using the method only occasionally.
    • CBL is offered by Liverpool, Cardiff and Glasgow. This is very similar to PBL and uses virtual ‘trigger’ cases to prompt learning of a particular area of the curriculum.
    • Enquiry-based learning (EBL) as practised by Birmingham.  Again this is similar to PBL but learning starts with the posing of questions, problems or scenarios.

    As well as differing in terms of teaching style, structure and patient contact, UK medical schools also differ in their methods of selection. Research is key in order for students to fit themselves to the school that best suits them and we will consider some of these differences in the next blog.

Home tuition fees for expatriate Medical/Veterinary students

UKStudyoptions.com offers a Fee Status Appraisal specifically for expatriate families based overseas to prepare students and their families BEFORE they apply via UCAS. By completing a brief Fee Status Form we can assess the strengths and weaknesses of your case and offer you tips and advice to maximise your eligibility for Home/EU fees.

  • International student fees for medicine and veterinary reaches £300,000 (five years)
  • Home/EU fees in England totalling £45,000 (five years)
  • Scottish/EU students pay just £9,100 (five years) RUK pay £45,000

Many expats don’t realise that they are at risk of losing their eligibility because they have been based overseas on a succession of ongoing ‘temporary’ contracts. The rules and regulations governing Fee Status decisions are for guidance only and they are open to interpretation. It is therefore incumbent on each institution to decide on acceptable criteria and the basis on which they decide whether a student should be categorised as a Home or Overseas fee payer.

In addition, although the rules and regulations governing Home/EU fees versus overseas have not changed, there is a new immigration law in England that has recently come into being. This will, in due course, impact upon the length of time a student is able to be temporarily out of the UK without losing their rights for Home/EU fees and a student loan. This new law currently states that a student should be in the UK half their life or seven years, whichever is the greater. This law is currently being adopted in England and is expected to be rolled out to other UK countries.

Many expat families are confident in obtaining Home/EU fees without realising that they are at risk of losing their eligibility quite easily by not being proactive in maintaining their ‘ordinary residence’ in the UK by returning to their ‘home’ regularly (for extended periods of time as a family) and keeping track of the evidence they need to support their case.

Maintaining eligibility for Home/EU fees is particularly crucial for medical students as the difference between being admitted as a Home/EU student can amount to £250,000 with no student loans available for international students. In addition just 7.5% of places are allocated to international fee paying medical students due to the tie in with the NHS.

We conduct Fee Status Appraisals for potential students in order to prepare them in advance of their application – contact us at hello@ukstudyoptions.com for details.

What makes medicine applications different?

Students applying for places at medical schools in the UK need to be aware that a medicine application differs from most UCAS applications in a number of important areas: early deadlines, number of choices, entry tests, competitiveness, interviews, work experience, degrees awarded, funding and costs, course length, personal statement, type of course, intercalation etc.

This is the first in a series of blogs looking at these factors, how they impact on students and the preparation needed to make a competitive application.

Early deadlines

In contrast to most applications (which have a deadline for home students of 15 January), medicine applications have to be sent to UCAS by 15 October (along with Dentistry, Veterinary and Oxford and Cambridge applications). This means that medicine applicants must be ahead of the game, be organised and start writing the personal statement early.

Number of UCAS choices

Instead of the normal 5 course choices, medicine applicants are only allowed to apply to 4 medicine places on their UCAS form. The fifth choice can be for a backup course, usually in a related subject. Most students choose to add this insurance choice option – even if they later reject an offer made for this alternative course.

Entry tests

Nearly all medical degrees use an additional admissions test as part of their entry requirements. There are 2 tests for undergraduate medicine courses and applicants can sit either or both, depending on which medical schools they intend to apply to. This is in contrast to the majority of UCAS applications, which do not require additional entry tests.

UCAT – an online test used by 26 Medical Schools. Applicants must register and sit the UCAT before the UCAS application is made, giving details of the scores on the application. This means that students have a good idea of how well they have done in the test before applying and should use this knowledge to influence their choice of medical schools.

BMAT – a ‘paper and pencil’ test used by 5 Medical Schools. Applicants must register for the BMAT before they send off their UCAS application but the actual test is taken after this at the beginning of November. The score is then sent automatically to the relevant medical schools. In other words, students apply not knowing how well they have done and should consider carefully the number of medical schools requiring BMAT that they include in their application.

Competitiveness by numbers of applicants

The number of students applying to UK Medical Schools far exceeds the number of places, with more than 17 UK/EU students and more than 40 international students applying for each undergraduate place at some universities. In contrast to most UK courses (where the number of students that can be admitted to courses is determined by each university), the number of home/EU medical students is set by the UK Government. The number of international students is also regulated, with most UK Medical Schools being allowed to take only a small number (7.5% of the total). However, there have been recent developments of interest to international applicants in that:

The University of Central Lancashire, UCLAN’s MBBS programme only accepts international students.

The majority of places at Aston University’s Medical School are reserved for international fee paying students.

The University of Buckingham’s Medical School has no cap on international student places.

Competitiveness by grades

Entry to Medical School is also highly competitive in terms of grades. Students will need a minimum of 3 A-levels (or equivalent) at grades AAA minimum (with 8 standard entry medicine courses quoting at least 1 A* grade for 2017 entry).

This is different to most subject choices simply because it is not possible to ‘shop’ around for courses that offer a range of entry grades. Applicants will  need predicted grades that match or exceed the quoted entry requirements.

Competitiveness by subjects

Many university courses are flexible over the subjects that a student must have already studied whilst at school in order to be accepted onto the course. For medicine this is much more restrictive. The primary subjects that are required are Chemistry and Biology and many prospective medical students take a third or fourth A-level science, either Physics and/or Mathematics. Some Medical Schools have a preference for a contrasting subject e.g., a language, an art or a social science subject so it is therefore important to study the course requirements of each university you wish to apply to.

These are just a few of the basics of a medicine application.  Success will depend upon the effort a student is prepared to put into an application, the depth of research and the dedication demonstrated through work experience and volunteering.  For individual advice and guidance on your medicine application speak to a member of the UKSO team.

Plan Ahead with your UK university choices: Pre Personal Statement Tips and Ideas!

Get ahead of the competition – Personal Statement 1

As a Higher Education specialist I help many students who are considering applying to either Oxford or Cambridge or to a competitive course such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary, law or economics. There are two important UCAS application deadlines:

  • October 15th 2016 for Oxford OR Cambridge – this means you have to get your application in if you are applying for any course at all at these institutions for 2017 entry.
  • October 15th 2016 if you are applying for medicine, dentistry and veterinary at any university in the UK for these subjects for 2017 entry.

The second deadline January 15th 2017 is for all other subjects for UK and EU nationals (except Art and Design). Technically international students can apply up to the 30th June in the year of entry but this is not advisable as your application will be stamped LATE and the institution may not have any places left by the time you apply.

The other thing to bear in mind is some subjects are extremely competitive to get into in all the universities. Economics and Law are two competitive subjects that spring to mind. It is better for international students if you get ahead and prepare to submit your UCAS application at least by the end of October and by the January 15th deadline if you possibly can.

So, where do you start? ….

…Bearing in mind that there may be as many as 12 applicants, all with the specified grades for each place. You have to really stand out and:-

  • Decide on the subject/s you are most likely to succeed at and enjoy studying for three years or more.
  • Start reflecting upon what it is about the subject/s that really fires your passion.
  • Think about your natural preferences in your studies and potential careers.
  • Think about the skills you gain by studying each of your subjects at school.
  • Go to the UCAS website AND the Departmental Website of your shortlisted courses – check the Eligibility Requirements to make sure you are a good fit and have the required subjects.
  • Make sure you also have the right number of subjects and grades at GCSE or equivalent.
  • Look at the Application Process on the Departmental Website – see if there are any other requirements to be fulfilled such as Admissions Tests, Interview or Supplementary work to be submitted.
  • Have a look at the Course Modules on the Departmental website: There will be a lot of information for prospective students to help you gain momentum with your preparation.

Many universities have pre-study reading or recommended books listed on their websites. Why? Because up to 25% of students drop out of their course each year because they were not aware of what the course and subject entailed. Student selection in competitive institutions is a very well-tuned process. It is all about student retention! It’s important to select the right students and that the students know exactly what is expected of them. All this advance preparation will certainly give you the edge with that all-important Personal Statement.

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