What to do before I start medical school

[faithrl]

Hi everyone!
 

I have a bit of a unique situation and was hoping for some opinions from people in medical school or have finished. 

I plan on attending medical school in the UK. I've recently gotten married to an English dude, and will be getting my visa shortly. Once I've lived here in the UK for 3 years, I pay home student tuition fees, so that's what I'll be doing. 

I'm 20 years old, and currently work as an office manager for a psychology company full time.

So I have these 3 years before I can even start medical school - which is a 5 year undergrad program in the UK. What would you do if you were me in these 3 years? I know the work experience is great, and I was thinking about starting my studies. However, I've heard it can be bad to study for that long before the knowledge is even used, as I likely won't remember, and might struggle re-learning?

I see it as I have three years to really learn and get some more life experience and fun in before starting a life long career of learning and long hours. But I'm also not the type to sit around and do nothing. While I sometimes enjoy not being in school at this age, it's also extremely strange for me. 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this <3 

[JohnGrisham]

13 minutes ago, faithrl said:

Hi everyone!
 

I have a bit of a unique situation and was hoping for some opinions from people in medical school or have finished. 

I plan on attending medical school in the UK. I've recently gotten married to an English dude, and will be getting my visa shortly. Once I've lived here in the UK for 3 years, I pay home student tuition fees, so that's what I'll be doing. 

I'm 20 years old, and currently work as an office manager for a psychology company full time.

So I have these 3 years before I can even start medical school - which is a 5 year undergrad program in the UK. What would you do if you were me in these 3 years? I know the work experience is great, and I was thinking about starting my studies. However, I've heard it can be bad to study for that long before the knowledge is even used, as I likely won't remember, and might struggle re-learning?

I see it as I have three years to really learn and get some more life experience and fun in before starting a life long career of learning and long hours. But I'm also not the type to sit around and do nothing. While I sometimes enjoy not being in school at this age, it's also extremely strange for me. 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this <3 

Have you done the relevant UK medical school admission test for the school you are looking to attend?  I would prepare for that, and do all the research you can into various UK med schools so you have a smooth process to your application once you get your residency status. 

What do you mean about "starting your studies" - do you mean study something else in the next 3 years, until you can apply to medical school? 

Do you have any post-secondary education at the moment?  Or just finished high school? What have you been doing since graduating high school?

I would try and figure out what things youre interested in, and also figure out what your work-status will be in the UK for the next 3 years. Also remember, you might not even get into medical school right away, or at all, so you need to really do your research to know the process inside out, and have back-ups. You can't sit idly - unless you're independently wealthy of course. Getting a job, work experience, and real world experience is the way to go. Get involved in community work, volunteering and make some "homes" within organizations so you have transferable skills development. 

[faithrl]

46 minutes ago, JohnGrisham said:

Have you done the relevant UK medical school admission test for the school you are looking to attend?  I would prepare for that, and do all the research you can into various UK med schools so you have a smooth process to your application once you get your residency status. 

What do you mean about "starting your studies" - do you mean study something else in the next 3 years, until you can apply to medical school? 

Do you have any post-secondary education at the moment?  Or just finished high school? What have you been doing since graduating high school?

I would try and figure out what things youre interested in, and also figure out what your work-status will be in the UK for the next 3 years. Also remember, you might not even get into medical school right away, or at all, so you need to really do your research to know the process inside out, and have back-ups. You can't sit idly - unless you're independently wealthy of course. Getting a job, work experience, and real world experience is the way to go. Get involved in community work, volunteering and make some "homes" within organizations so you have transferable skills development. 

Hi John,

Yes there's a specific school I'm interested in which only requires an 85% high school average in science courses - University of Manchester. It's much simpler, they only require an aptitude test - nothing like the MCAT.

I just mean self-studying, using khan academy and other online resources to be more prepared for medical school. 

I completed one year at McMaster in Psychology, I took 2 biology units as well. I didn't feel it was a school or program I could thrive in, and wouldn't have been able to achieve almost perfect marks while working full time. That helped me make the decision to take a different route. 

I'm lucky enough to have a virtual job which allows me to work around the world. So by the time I apply I'll have had 5 years of full-time work experience in a somewhat medicine related career (psychology/therapy). In this time I'm raising a young child, building my home life, practicing my hobby's and interests. Although I'm not currently In school, I still need a very demanding, organized lifestyle to thrive, which is why I'm confident I can handle the intense workload. I'm definitely looking into backup careers in the STEM field, and would still be happy if I had to go down that route instead if I couldn't get into medical school. However, it would take a good amount of rejections for me to give up on medicine completely haha. 

[erhiayfvhd05789]

20 years old, married, with a child, and soon med school. Wow, I commend you.

[faithrl]

On 12/5/2019 at 12:59 AM, tyler1 said:

20 years old, married, with a child, and soon med school. Wow, I commend you.

Haha no child yet, but it's on the way! Thank you

[Chels1267]

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 4:25 PM, faithrl said:

Hi John,

Yes there's a specific school I'm interested in which only requires an 85% high school average in science courses - University of Manchester. It's much simpler, they only require an aptitude test - nothing like the MCAT.

I just mean self-studying, using khan academy and other online resources to be more prepared for medical school. 

I completed one year at McMaster in Psychology, I took 2 biology units as well. I didn't feel it was a school or program I could thrive in, and wouldn't have been able to achieve almost perfect marks while working full time. That helped me make the decision to take a different route. 

I'm lucky enough to have a virtual job which allows me to work around the world. So by the time I apply I'll have had 5 years of full-time work experience in a somewhat medicine related career (psychology/therapy). In this time I'm raising a young child, building my home life, practicing my hobby's and interests. Although I'm not currently In school, I still need a very demanding, organized lifestyle to thrive, which is why I'm confident I can handle the intense workload. I'm definitely looking into backup careers in the STEM field, and would still be happy if I had to go down that route instead if I couldn't get into medical school. However, it would take a good amount of rejections for me to give up on medicine completely haha. 

Those are their minimum requirements, but they accept a total of only 28 international students. So unless you're planning to wait until you can apply as a UK resident it sounds like it might be a bit too competitive to just assume you'll get in first try?