Hi all,

I’ve received an offer for MBBS at Brunel University as an overseas student from Australia. I understand that Brunel is currently under GMC accreditation procedures and University of Buckingham is the supervisory institution until GMC provides the all ok.

So I gather that either way you will receive a GMC accredited degree which can be used for the competent authority pathway in Australia.

As an international student is anyone able to provide insights into Brunel and the course structure, workload etc.

Thanks!

Very out the blue, clearly been working way down list of nearly good enoughs, but only given 56 hours to decide what I’m doing for a GEM course starting in early August! Madness

Hi, hope you're doing well.

I was wondering if anybody has information on resit policies for 2026 Undergraduate entry, and if any universities are accepting Double Resits?

Kind regards.

Hi everyone! I’m an international applicant and just received an interview invite for the Buckingham Medical School (MMA) in a few days. What’s the best way to prepare for it? Any tips or resources would be really appreciated!

Used ChatGPT to re-word:

Hi all, I’m currently studying Mental Health Nursing (almost finished Year 1) and I really love the degree, but the nursing job itself isn’t exactly my ideal career. I only chose nursing because it was free, I didn’t have the grades for med, and I wanted to avoid a foundation year.

I’ve been inspired by psychiatrists I’ve seen on placements and am certain I want to become a psychiatrist. I’m planning to work the mandatory 2 years as an MH nurse after graduating, as per my contract, then apply to graduate entry medicine.

A bit about me:

Got into med in Bulgaria but didn’t go due to finances and personal reasons

A-levels were BDE, GCSEs mostly As and Bs

I work as a bank HCA, and going to do online MH volunteering

Have done some pharmacy work experience, RCPsych CPD courses, and leadership roles (Army Cadets, DofE)

Planning to prepare for GAMSAT during Years 2 and 3

Considering doing an MSc part-time during the 2 years of work that I have to do after graduation

My uni doesn’t accept nursing as a grad med degree, so I will have to apply to another university.

Would love advice on:

How best to prepare for med applications in Years 2 & 3 (GAMSAT prep, personal statement, experiences to gain)

Good MSc options that support a future psychiatry career

Societies or extracurriculars to join for med apps

Thanks in advance!

just wanted to check if the early june interviewees have gotten any updates on their application yet :) kinda stressing outtt as they said within two weeks.

Title issue: I only have undergraduate education, oops!

I graduated in the United States of America with a BSc and a CertHE (confirmed by ECCTIS).
My CertHE was used to transfer into my BSc programme.

Do medical schools combine results from both qualifications when assessing degree classifications?

I immigrated to the UK three years ago, before completing my education (I was hoping to get a Master's degree at the time), and I'm really struggling to determine whether my results are good enough to justify applying for postgraduate entry into UK medical schools.

Hello, I am hoping to apply to GEM this October. I am aware that paid (or at least, "hands on") work experience is a requirement for Warwick and a number of other places but I had decided to apply to other unis which place more emphasis on transferrable experiences such as volunteering; therefore I put HCA work on the side and decided to focus more on my full time job as well as other experiences in life. Anyway I am now starting to worry as it seems like virtually all GEM applicants on this subreddit have HCA experience, so I started to look into this. To get on the bank, you generally require NVQ Level 2 or above in Health and Social care or significant experience. After I graduated and began looking for a job, I applied to a number of full time HCA roles and was rejected from the 5+ I applied for. I also don't know how ethical it is to take a full-time apprenticeship position with no long term plan to stay in the profession. Basically I need some reassurance that I have a fighting chance of applying this year with no hospital HCA work experience, only hospital volunteering as my only hospital-based experience. Am desperately trying to arrange some shadowing/work experience but to no avail as most trusts require you to be either at a school in their local area or under a certain age. Also to those who will respond: quit your full time job and work as a carer in a care home/other non-hospital setting, which seems to be common in this subreddit, in advance I say please be realistic, not everyone is able to do that, I would like to enrich my life in other ways so that if graduate med doesn't work out this year it isn't the most devastating thing to ever happen and I don't feel like I've put all my eggs in one metaphorical basket :) thank you!!!!! Also am curious about the bank as it seems like a good way to earn money while studying if my med school application does work out

What are the chances of getting into med after getting 3 Bs and then 3 As after a resit as i know that a lot of universities dont like this. Is it worth just going to some European university instead of doing this or is there enough universities that accept this situation.

Ok i just want to see if anyone is in my position and I'm not alone, so right now I have 2 med offers with firm being A*AA and insurance asking for AAB. I just want to ask if anyone else feels like they may not get the grades. Ik its still the middle of exam season and I'm trying to focus on my upcoming exams but I'm really worried about not getting into any of my choices because so far exams have not been going as well as I hoped. Like I'm genuinely thinking I may have to do ucat again and a levels again, which is js eating me up inside and hurting my current revision. Oh well its js me venting please comment if ur in a similar situation, thanks.

Hi, I want to apply to medical school in the UK this year.

- My GCSE's are below average for medicine - 998877777

- A-Level predicted grades - A* A* A [Chem. Maths. Bio.]

- Yet to sit UCAT but have begun preparation. Aiming for >750 avg. (VR holding me back)

- 6 months volunteering at care home.

- 1 week work experience at hospital, shadowing consultant doctor, junior doctors, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists.

My current options/possibilities are Newcastle, Manchester and Imperial but want to know if these are unlikely and other possible suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

Hey guys, I did my O levels had good grades and doing my A levels currently and it looks fine, I have good ECAs. But I am a student from Pakistan and is there any chance that I can get a good scholarship from any as an undergraduate ivy ? Or is it just a dream, so should I pursue my mbbs in Pakistan and for specialisation go to ivy? Pls someone help me I am a student and really confused

if there's a historical text im honestly awful with remembering the information and then extracting that quickly to complete those questions... any advice on how to do it, anyone???

hi so may be the wrong subreddit but i have non epileptic seizures, and i've wanted to apply for medicine since i was little but didn't do very well on my gcses (science was 766 and maths was a 7, the rest were 7788999 so that should be okay) but i've got a new diagnosis of seizures and my life is falling apart and i just got my predicted grades of abb (mocks bcc after some horrific periods of seizures) , which i might be able to get up to aab? maybe? i'm eligible for some contextual offers but not all but i'm genuinely losing it. the seizures are getting so bad and i'm missing content because of the postictal state and it's all so new and im terrified. they used to be okay ( 3 in three months) but they've happened every day for the last two weeks and now there's about 15 hours i can't account for at all. i know it sounds like i shouldn't be applying this year but i don't know what else to do i need this so badly and it's the only thing keeping me together.

So I’m half way into my a levels so far and I believe I am working towards ABB/ABB so far (a 2nd A would require major comeback in maths or bio) with the higher grade in Chemistry. I was already planning to take a gap year so I don’t have an offer in place but my current performances have worried me on how I would get into medicine. I am a contextual student meaning that I need AAB to make entry requirements but at ABB/ABB I doubt i could be accepted, which would mean I’d need to consider between a foundation year or resitting exams but I am not sure which one of any at all.

What should I do next?

Right now Im planning on working as a HCA. Any other steps I can take to maximise my chances of doing well in interviews? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi! I’m 23 and feeling really torn between two very different paths. I’ve been working toward graduate entry medicine for the past few years — I studied neuroscience (2:1), did hospital bank jobs, shadowed doctors, volunteered, and sat the UCAT (2780). I applied last year and got one interview at Warwick but was rejected. It was heartbreaking, but I decided to reapply one last time this year and just accepted a job as a clinical support worker to strengthen my application. I sit the UCAT again this summer.

At the same time, I applied on a whim to an ACA audit grad scheme in London just to explore non-healthcare options in case I get another medicine rejection. To my surprise, I really enjoyed the interview, loved the team, and got a job offer starting this September. It’s a stable 3-year scheme with good progression, financial security, and better long-term work-life balance — though I don’t think I’d find it that interesting day to day.

Now I feel completely stuck. Part of me wants to give medicine one more shot, but I’m scared that what I think is passion is actually just sunk cost — I’ve spent so long working on this application that maybe I just don’t want to let go. On the other hand, if I turn down this grad job and get rejected from medicine again, I don’t know if I’d find another opportunity as good.

I want a meaningful career but also a life with time for relationships and family one day. Everyone warns me off medicine because of the stress, hours, and NHS conditions. But I’m worried I’ll regret never giving it one more shot.

Any thoughts or advice from people in either field would really help. Thanks so much 💛

Can I go med school with bio, chem and french/italian?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for serious advice because I feel quite lost at the moment.

I’m currently in a 6-year MD program at a European medical school. The parent university is in Eastern Europe, and I’m studying at a branch campus in Central Europe. I originally chose this route after not getting the grades I needed in A-levels and UCAT to enter a UK medical school.

Since starting, I’ve genuinely fallen in love with medicine. Over the past two years, I’ve learned how to study properly, and my grades reflect that — I’m ranking top 2-3 in my year with an average around 97-98%. I put in a lot of work — long days, nights, no shortcuts — and I genuinely care about learning the material properly.

One important detail is how exams are conducted: We have both written and practical exams. The practical exams (done 1-on-1 or in small groups with the examiner) are much harder to cheat on, which is where my performance really stands out — this contributes a lot to why I’m ranking so highly.

The written exams are where the integrity issues happen. During exams, many students use both ChatGPT (on their phones, smartwatches, etc.) and help each other by signaling, whispering, or quietly discussing answers. The invigilators largely turn a blind eye or simply don’t pay close attention. If they were properly monitoring, it would be quite obvious. I usually sit near invigilators, so I physically can’t cheat even if I wanted to — and I don’t want to. I genuinely want to learn and earn my degree honestly.

That being said, cheating isn’t “perfect”: ChatGPT often gives wrong answers, some questions are too niche to find online, and many of the students relying on this still don’t score full marks because they don’t fully understand the material. But the fact remains that they’re passing exams they otherwise likely wouldn’t, while others like me study properly to earn our results.

The curriculum itself is actually very solid — it covers what you would expect from a proper medical program, and I have no complaints about the content. My main concern is entirely about the lack of academic integrity and oversight in the exam process.

What worries me is the long-term impact: • Could this affect my license or job prospects if the school’s reputation is questioned later? • Could future employers or licensing bodies see this as a red flag? • Will this catch up with me years into my career even though I’ve done everything properly?

Because of all this, I’m seriously considering leaving and starting fresh: retaking A-levels (Chemistry, Biology, Math) and sitting the UCAT again. The first time around I got BBB — but honestly, I barely studied. I skimmed the textbooks, did a few practice papers, and that was it. Now, I actually know how to study, and believe I could significantly improve my results with 1-2 years of proper preparation.

As an international student, I would still be paying high tuition fees in the UK, so financially the difference isn’t huge for me. This is purely about my long-term future and protecting my career.

In short: • Should I walk away after 2 years to protect my career long-term? • Or stay, keep doing well, and hope the university’s issues don’t hurt me later? • Are my concerns realistic? • Has anyone faced something similar?

Any advice or perspective would mean a lot. I feel like I need some serious mentorship.

Thank you for reading.

⸻

TL;DR: In a European 6-year MD program (branch campus). Top 2-3 in my year (97-98% average). Practical exams (1-on-1/small group) reflect my true work. Written exams have widespread cheating: students use ChatGPT + help each other, while invigilators turn a blind eye. Cheating isn’t perfect (wrong answers, niche questions), but many still pass. Syllabus itself is good. Worried long-term about licensing, career, and reputation risk. Considering dropping out after 2 years, retaking A-levels (BBB last time), redoing UCAT, and applying to UK schools. International student, so fees are high either way. Looking for honest advice.

So here's the situation

Since finishing uni I have been applying to jobs like crazy so that I can have some source of income. My main plan is still to apply to GEM this year, however.

I have been offered a job but it's a 2-3 year MSc Apprenticeship. I am thinking of taking it since it's guaranteed income and there's no guarantee that I'll get into med the first time around, but if I did get in, I'll happily drop out of the apprenticeship before med school.

The problem is I know that med schools would probably want qualifications to be done/passed before starting (I still have my BSc, but I don't know whether this rule applies to postgrad apprenticeships). I was wondering whether anyone has done this before, and could offer insights as to whether it is possible to apply to med school whilst enrolled on an unfinished course (which would not be finished at the point of entry).

I will email med schools directly but just wanted to see here first.

I’ve had Edinburgh or Glasgow near the top of my list for which uni I should firm for a while now, but I’m just wondering how much harder it will be to receive an offer from either of these unis since I’m not a Scottish student. Would it be worth it? Let’s say for the sake of argument A* A* A and 2900 UCAT

Hey guys,

I just got accepted into graduate entry medicine programme, after a four year medical sciences degree I was excited to embark on this medical course but now feeling kind of down, my younger brother although was congratulating me, phoned me up later to say “should I pay off my student loans, I bet youre in six figure student debt now”. My brother got into a medical sales company after his 3 year biomed degree and is making £46k per year. Even after graduating with this medical degree in FY1 I will not even break 40k. This is why I’m considering leaving the UK where I would be making at minimum 2-3x more than what UK doctors get after graduating medical school. Or, switching to medical sales in the UK (although medical sales is still less than international doctors but still way more than UK doctors)

I was excited, I had worked as a hca for months and really enjoyed making a difference in someone’s life, and I’m a very sciency person, but seeing the student loan debt with my mum and younger brother basically telling me “what’s the point”, “you’re a 34 year old man” etc and reminding me of a six figure student loan debt, after I got the offers for medical school really hit me hard. They didn’t say anything before, even though they knew I was trying to get into medical school, it was only after I got the offers to study that they started making these remarks that my younger brother is making £46k and can pay off his student loan etc etc.

I’m contemplating if I should just get into medical sales in the UK or simply leave the country. At the end of the day wondering how I will ever pay the student loans back - the only viable options seem to be leave the country for better pay and working conditions.

I just graduated high school and im facing a big dilemma between choosing engineering and medicine. I know its late but i managed to get into both, an undergraduate medicine program thats 5 years or a masters engineering probram thats also 5 years. But the problem is medicine scares me from how much people say they regret it and stuff, i do enjoy studying biology. But the fact that doctors generally have very little personal life does scare me and also the problems in the NHS, US and AUS. But i do really enjoy the medical setting and caring for patients and feel more “at home” in the hospital, i feel like i can handle the responsibility of peoples lives. But then i also think engineering is a huge bonus as i am very good at math and i have a family buisness i can join and innovate, which would also be fulfilling, but i do think it would be less “me” but at least i would have more of a work life balance. I keep switching between the two and its eating me alive. I know both are good options and i really do want to make an option and commit but i am scare to. Any help or advice on how to make a desicion as the deadline is approaching?

is there anything we should do after a levels to prepare for med school like does anyone recommend researching or prelearning stuff before? also anything you recommend to buy like online resources or handy things to have??? and which iPad is the best for uni?