how, please may I ask what a levels you took for medicine? I'm taking chemistry, biology, pyschology and I'm unsure of what 4th one to take - someone said applied science maybe good to keep options open but I am really stuck on what to do?:-(

Hi! I wrote a long reply (twice!) that got lost due to my crashing internet. So I will try to be succinct. You submitted this to my comic blog dxmedicalstudent, but unfortunately I try to keep that site for my comic only, so I will eventually delete this post and archive it on my other tumblr, dxmedstudent.I did Biology, Chemistry, English literature and Classical Civilisation. I found the essay subjects complemented sciences nicely, and brought a different kind of analytical skill to the table. I was certainly grateful for them by the time I got to writing essays and dissertations in university! But you need to do what you enjoy, and which subjects you think you can do better at. Biology and chemistry are nearly always essential for medicine, the other subjects depend on multiple factors.  I know people who did all sciences, and people who had one or two humanities choices and still got into medicine; there is no hard-and-fast rule. But you have to check which universities accept the type of subject you choose; some only accept 3 sciences and others actually prefer a non-science third subject at A-level. Confusing, right?I actually didn’t know that there is an Integrated science A-level, and I can’t find anything on google on it, so make sure your school offer it, as it may not be around since the O-level days. Some elite universities look down on non-traditional ‘soft’ subjects like integrated sciences and psychology, so do your research - the best way is to make a table and check the prospectuses of each medical school. Or phone/email them and ask. Not easy or fun, but essential.Advice from others about A level subject choices:

If you are considering keeping your options open, remember that for most degrees, you don’t need to do the A-level equivalent of it. In fact, it is sometimes frowned upon by more prestigious universities. Hence you don’t need to do engineering at A-level to study it at university. Same with psychology, or accounting, for example. Biology and chemistry would let you apply to the subjects most people use as a backup option, like biomedicine and biochemistry (qualifies you to do analysis work in a lab, or go into research), or pharmacy (trains you to be a pharmacist). If you can stand physics or maths, they will widen your options much further into the other sciences, however they are not necessary to study medicine at all universities. Whichever subjects you pick, make sure you check that any university you apply to accepts them; you don’t want to waste a place on a university that would never accept you!Thinking about the distant future and applying through UCAS, it’s worth remembering that when you are applying, your personal statement must be geared 100% to medicine, and go through all the hoops if you wish to stand a chance. Some people choose a contrasting subject as a back up, but then you also have to ensure you have any subjects that this second degree needs. Some subjects are willing to accept a cover letter explaining why your personal statement is all about medicine, and will consider you despite that. Because many degrees have lower expectations of applicants than those required of med school applicants. However it is by no means a given that they will accept you, so if this is your plan you will have to do even more emailing and asking all the universities. I know it sounds horrible and daunting (I’ve called/emailed all 32 medical schools in the UK, myself; it was a tedious process), but I cannot emphasise enough that you have to take responsibility for your application and be proactive if you want to succeed. This is my one most important piece of advice: do your research.I have written about the medical school application process here, however there are also plenty of other resources out there that you should read.  Good luck in your choices and future applications!

Hey! I'm trying to get into med school in uk. Any tips for preparing a good personal statement, ukcat?

Hello! Where are you from, btw?Are you intending to go into medicine as an undergraduate, or a postgrad?

Ooh. It feels like such a long time ago, when it’s only been like.. a year.

Anyway.

Personal statement:- I went with all the stuff they put up on the UCAS website, as a general starting point. (I had no idea what I was doing at first, lol)- Googling random PS tips online helps too!- List down the things that you think are interesting enough to be put into your PS, and then sort them according to groups; e.g.: extracurricular activities, community service, work attachments, etc- Make sure to pick out skills / experiences that you think makes you look good. Don’t get carried away explaining about your experiences too much, rather elaborate on what you learned from them, how they changed your view on things… stuff like that. Less descriptive, more reflective.- If you’re stuck, just write anything out and see how it goes.- For the first few drafts, there’s no need to be too worried on grammar and smart phrases and whatnot. Save it for your final drafts, where the contents of your PS are all already written down.- Make sure to have a second, third, fourth opinion on your PS. Improve yourself based on the criticism.- It’s ok to have tonnes of drafts before your final one. I had like… 14 drafts or something before I submitted my final PS. (I even tweaked a few things moments before submitting!)UKCAT:- Familiarise yourself with the questions. I think the official UKCAT website has something that gives you an idea of what an online UKCAT test is like, since we’ll be taking the test on a computer after all~- Practice practice practice!- Purchase one of those decent UKCAT books you can find online. I can’t remember where I bought mine from, but it’s one of those 500 UKCAT questions or something like that.- At the beginning, just jump into it, even though initially you really have no idea what you’re doing. (I did horribly during my first attempt at the questions. XD)- Make sure to time yourself! Most of my friends panicked on the day of the test, and ended up not having enough time to answer some of the questions.- Practice practice practice! (Can’t stress this enough!)

Hmm… I guess that’s all at the back of my mind as of now. :-\Having my exams next week. Really nervous.Hope you do well for your applications! :)

Hi. I'm going to be applying to med school undergraduate in the uk in oct. Any tips for my personal essay and interview (fingers crossed)

I don’t know about what UK admissions folks are looking for (any medblrs from across the pond please chime in), but here are some general aplication essay tips useful for probably everyone:

1. Don’t say the words “I want to help people”. Duh. You should or else you wouldn’t be getting into this madness (and if you don’t want to help people find a different job, there are a bajilllion easier ways to make money). Find another way to phrase it, because it is an important sentiment.

2. Don’t start off or end with a quote. You’re an adult now and can use your own words.

3. If there is a prompt try to come up with two outlines and ask a friend who reads a lot of literature/is a writer which one sucks and don’t use that one. Don’t consult your friend who majored in writing papers in size 12.5 font the night before they were due but is on reddit like all the time and cares about grammar a little too much.

4. Drink a huge thing of coffee or a beer or something that will relax you (aka the Ernest Hemingway method) and take a stab at writing it in one go. Save it. Close the computer. Walk away. DO NOT SUBMIT. Then, come back at it the next day and evaluate what you wrote. Edit as necessary.

5. Try to take out “is” and its horribly boring relatives am/are/was/were/be/being/been wherever possible. The English language contains SO MANY verbs and wonderful. Restructure your sentences if you have to. Plus, I think it makes your writing look more sophisticated.

6. Also take the axe to “I” wherever possible. Yeah, this essay is about you, but fewer things are more stale and repetitive than every sentence starting with “I”… unless you want to be dull and sound like the least exciting person ever.

7. Make them laugh, but do so appropriately. Curse words are inadvisable, but if you can incorporate humor they will remember you, and you want them to remember you.

8. Stand out. Stand out from the stories about how they or someone they loved battled illness and now they want to practice medicine. Stand out from the stories of people whose parents were doctors and they remember going to work with Mom or Dad blah blah blah. Stand out from the stories of people who have wanted to be a surgeon since they were 7. It’s old. It’s boring. No one wants to read ANOTHER of those stories. If that crucially plays into your essay fine, whatever, but make it a theme instead of a major one.

9. Use compound sentences, for the love of holy tacos. Seriously. Check out how to correctly use commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes, and then make your sentences beautiful works of structural magnificence. Like the Chrysler Building or something.

10. Oxford comma or perish, mofos.

11. Find that delicate balance between highly formal boring writing and conversational informal writing. You need to sound professional and polished, but also friendly and someone they’d like to meet. It takes some effort if it’s not something you’re used to. I suggest starting off with contractions (ex: I’m instead of I am) because they can really dress down an otherwise completely formal piece of writing. Remember: You are not not just a study machine, you’re a person who has hobbies and shoes and a favorite color pen.

12. Take your finished product to your university’s writing center and let the pros prune your work. Don’t take it personally if they say something is resundant or needs to be revised.

13. Read for pleasure, and read a variety of styles/genres/authors/eras. You will absorb how words sound when strung together various ways, and how to communicate tones and feelings. It will also increase your vocabulary! Nothing will make you a good writer like being a reader.

Hope this helped! Good luck to everyone applying!!

Heya :)) okay I don't mean to sound like a complete Buffon so don't hate on me I'm purely just interested aha. So you know the whole thing about vaccinations and how people says they cause autism but that's a bunch of bum because like only one study out of lots came to that conclusion. I understand that. But aren't some CONTINUED ON ANOTHER QUESTION AHA

Hey Greyface! Believe me, you don’t sound like a buffoon. And I try not to hate on people, ever! (I assumed you wanted this answered on anon, since your first half was anon and your second wasn’t? Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me!)

It’s true that when a vaccine is first developed, there is a lot of speculation about side effects and efficacy.

But keep in mind that when a vaccine, or any other drug/medicine, goes on the market, it’s already been tested in the lab, and in studies.

In the US, we have the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), and NIH (National Institutes of Health), all of whom have strict rules about the process vaccines go through in order to reach the market. The FDA basically gives the seal of approval, so a lot of people in the US will only take meds or vaccines that are approved by the FDA.

My mom made me wait for the HPV vaccine as well. I ended up getting it only because I’d have to pay for it after I turned 18, even though it was known to have the fun “dead arm” side effect. And heck, I totally got that side effect. I went to work and fifteen minutes after I left the clinic I couldn’t do anything with that arm.

I do believe that the good outweighs the bad when it comes to vaccines. Even if they haven’t been on the market forever- after all, even vaccines that the majority of people get were once in that “brand-spankin’ new” stage. I can understand some people’s hesitations about getting a newer vaccine, or one with scary side effects. Before I went to Bolivia, I had to get the yellow fever vaccine. I was terrified. Luckily, I didn’t get any of the more ominous side effects (just a very sore and bruised arm), but I know that if I had skipped it and gotten yellow fever, I could have died. And then there is the concept of herd immunity. Say I skipped my flu vaccine because it was a new one for a new strain. Even if I managed to avoid presenting the symptoms of this new bug (swine flu, anyone?), I could very easily carry it home, to my 80 year old grandmother, to my infant cousin, to my immunosuppressed friend. By getting that vaccine, no matter how scary, I prevent others who can’t access those immunities from getting sick.

So to sum up, dear Greyface, vaccines are good. Even when they’re new, they’re good. Vaccines don’t cause autism and only some of them even cause weaker versions of the illness they prevent (chickenpox, etc).

If you’d like to look further into US vaccine policies, as I don’t know much about the UK system, please follow these links: CDC  FDA History Vaccinations. Or check out the National Health Service websites!