So...Where Do I Start?!

Towards the end of my second year of Uni I had a spare evening, I sat at my desk and thought HOLY CRAP WHERE DO I START I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO FOR MED SCHOOL. Rang my Dad, ranted for a little bit, then made a beast of a list of things I had to do by the time I had finished my second year exams. 

1- Come up with a definitive list of my med school choices

I'd always wanted to go to Warwick and Kings (tied top place) so they were going to be in the list, and after spending my undergrad times in Loughborough, I've actually grown to really like the Midlands area (I'm from a little town in Cornwall so anywhere seems more exciting than home!) It took me quite a while to decide where I wanted to go.
 Take a look at how they teach the course. Nottingham's med course places a big emphasis on PBL (problem based learning), other courses like Leicester ask for a years paid work in a health related field before you even think about applying! So always looks through all the course requirements, some take your A-Levels into account, others don't. 

2- Work Experience for the Holidays

This is a huuuuuge part of applying for med school. They all ask for qualities in applicants such as the ability to empathise with patients, organise and problem solve,work well as part of a team, and they expect this to come from a significant amount of work experience/volunteering. So get looking on your local volunteering website, the local paper, e-mail groups that you know of within your area that might be looking for volunteers, tell them a bit about yourself and let them know your interest in becoming a volunteer with them. An obvious piece of advice is do something you are interested in! (duh) So this summer I looked into gaining volunteer work in working with young adults who are on the Autistic Spectrum, as well as volunteering with people suffering from Dementia. You have to be really proactive when looking for work experience and volunteer work, send out emails, make yourself available and learn from the experience! Take notes, record your experience, so you are able to talk about it in your interview when your asked about it. 

Getting work experience in a GP's surgery or hospital is difficult due to the massive amount of people wanting to get placements there. So let them know you are interested early! I've managed to gain experience at a GP's surgery for a month, sitting in on consultations, minor ops, diabetic clinic etc, as well as a Hospice. So I'm looking forward to the holidays! 

3-Looking Into the Monies
I'm a student, I'm always poor! Haha! Obviously as an undergraduate (in the UK) you are eligible for a loan from Student Fiance, and a grant based on your household income which is a massive help at uni. You may also be eligible for an additional bursary from the Uni based on your household income. You are also able to get a tuition fee loan from Student Finance for only PART of your tuition fees I think as obviously the fees are now £9000 a year :(. I still need to do a bit more research on the whole monies side of things! (put that back on my to do list) 

4-Entrance Exams
MORE EXAMS YOU SAY!? Oh hell yeah. Depending on what med school you apply to, they will ask you to either sit the UKCAT or the GAMSAT, your score will then be used to assess your application and whether or not you will be called in for an interview. Make sure you look into what these exams involve and the prices, but I'll do another post on entrance exams because exams are super fun....

  "IVE GOT SO MUCH TO DO FACE"