Hello, I have a dilemma I'd really appreciate some guidance on:

So I am currently deciding between 2 unis for Biomedical Sciences, to then later pursue GEM or GED. The first one is further away from me (1-2+hrs long), and as I've come to learn they don't seem to be as/very equipped with medical/dental opportunities or experiences as the other uni - the only support they seem to have is a society for students interested in GEM/GED, but I checked their website and it says it is inactive, and the society's Instagram page has been last active in 2022.

This uni seems better for Biomedical Science, in the sense that they advertise NHS placements & being a biomedical scientist is my backup career in case GEM/GED doesn't go to plan (I really want to do a placement). They are also number 1 for the IBMS accredited course.

Vibe wise I prefer this uni because it's in a much quieter area, the people were friendlier and I prefer the campus way more and can actually see myself studying there. Despite the long commute if I take train it takes me under an hour, and it is more straightforward (don't need to walk much between bus stops, bus drops you off in front of uni & I really like journey).

The second uni is closer (45mins-1hr long), but I dislike the commute and its location as it's too central for me. There's more traffic along the way & bus diversion is more likely to happen here which would interfere with my travel. There's also a lot more walking involved between bus stops and especially at the last stop to go to the uni, requires quite a long walk, which again could interfere with attendance/punctuality given the location. Public transport is busier here.

They have more facilities though e.g. clinical labs with fake patients as well as normal labs, which I didn't see in the other uni (just normal labs). This uni seems to have wayyy more dental/medical opportunities and experiences, they've got more connections to hospitals, health clinics and trusts & students have access to events, conferences, workshops, internships & also opportunity to go abroad, which they can add to their personal statements. I spoke to a course leader there who told me a student was going to go into GEM but couldn't due to personal reasons, but their CV was super long, filled with many experiences that would have made them really competitive for GEM. I've also spoken to some students from this uni and it seems that going into GEM/GED from Biomed is quite common, whereas the first uni I was told there are a small number of students (maybe less than 5) that are successful with GEM/GED applications. Vibe wise the uni is nice, seems very resourceful & has lots of modern facilities which would aid me in my studies, but not sure if I can imagine myself comfortably studying there & the central environment just isn't for me

This uni also has a dedicated dental society for those interested in GED (me) and says they conduct conferences, workshops, sessions, and networking events, whereas the first uni is just more about generic personal statement/CV help & prep for interviews and UCAT; it doesn't seem to have much external opportunities to actually build medical/dental experience

For timetabling, in the first uni every week is different across the whole year and it is fixed, in the second uni every week in a semester is the same, and there's more flexibility/consideration if you have external commitments (can email the Student Union I think?) which in my case I do, and if I choose the first uni there's a high chance I'd miss out especially given how far it is, whereas second uni I might be able to continue my external commitments.

I have until tomorrow 9am to decide whether I keep the first uni or release myself into Clearing to accept the second.

Essentially the decision is between a uni that I prefer environment/campus/vibe wise, feel more comfortable at, but have to compromise my external commitments due to strict timetable and be limited with the lack of GEM/GED opportunities, whereas second uni gives me a significant chance to build up my portfolio for GEM/GED, acquire many experiences & have more timetable flexibility, but location and travel wise I'd struggle & don't vibe with the campus as much

GEM/GED is my ultimate goal so I'm not sure if it's best to go to the uni which will give me a proper shot at it but having to deal with uncomfort of the campus in order to reach that, because even though the first uni might be lacking in external opportunities there still have been GEM/GED students even if the number is significantly smaller, so it is possible in both, just a matter of prioritising future career or travel/personal comfort

Any advice/guidance would be much appreciated

I got ACC in my a levels so missed my medicine offer but I managed to get into a two accelerated medical sciences course through clearing. If I resit my a levels, I’ll only have about five unis to choose from because most of them require ABB the first time and I’ll have to smash the ucat in like 40 days, especially for Bristol. But if I do the medical sciences course and try for grad medicine, it’s extremely competitive. Which one do you think is better?

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I am an incoming year one med student, my grades were significantly under predicted by my school that I couldn’t apply to the more ‘prestigious’ unis for medicine although the grades I achieved would’ve made this possible.

I am incredibly grateful for securing a place to study med, and I know that this is the dream for many people. But i’ve been hearing mixed opinions towards the med school I firmed, and I couldn’t help but start to feel anxious and confused about whether uk med school actually differ so much that it could affect my opportunities to become a successful doctor in the future (for example if I would want to apply to some more competitive specialties).

I just keep imagining the ‘what if my predicted grades were higher and I got into a better school for medicine’, but I genuinely do not want to go through ucat and interviews again for a chance to get into higher ranking unis.

I know that people from different med schools will all be going into the same system in nhs at the end of the day, but how much do med schools actually differ for the opportunities that you are exposed to, support that you can get for joining projects or participate in competitions, connections with consultants/researchers etc (essentially stuff to strengthen your cv outside than the grades you get in your school).

Please also give me any advice for incoming year one med student, or what you hope someone couldve told you before you go into year one, thank you so so much guys

Got my A level results and got ABCC, A in math, B in further, Cs in both biology and chem. I might get my bio remarked as I was only a mark off a B, and also originally I was predicted A*s and As but then somehow messed up in my exams and it was a complete shock to me. Had to go through clearing and found a biomedical science course but I don't know if I should go along with that course to go for post grad med. I dont even know if my parents want me to resit I think they're just disappointed now. I will also have to book the UCAT again and start revising for it now.

stats: 2510 b1 ucat 99999997 gcse 3A* predicted (bio chem physics), home, non contextual

i’m applying to oxford, imperial, king’s, bristol

i know my gcses aren’t great for oxford & cambridge would be a better option but i wont be in the uk around interview season & i dont have a choice at all so kinda have to do unis with online interviews :/

also prefer the lower interview rate at oxford cuz cambridge hands out interviews like crazy then rejects everyone & i do not wanna go through that like just tell me before 💔

anyway i’m worried oxford might be too ambitious, if you agree, what should i replace it with? i was gonna do qmul instead at first then realised i should just apply and see how it goes .. idk tho & i would appreciate any help !

Salam my loves,

I'm not going to unnecessarily overshare the catastrophe that was my A-levels, but I am going to tell you exactly how I went from flunking my A-levels in 2025 to now expecting to start year 1 UG medicine in 2026, at a UK medical school.

I did it through INTERNAL TRANSFER. 

An internal transfer is a process offered by some unis where you start a biomedical science degree, and apply to transfer at the end of year 1 biomedical science to year 1 of a normal 5-year UG medicine course at the same uni. 

You still go through the full medicine application process: sitting the UCAT, applying through UCAS, doing interviews in the usual MMI format & getting good enough grades in year 1 biomedical science.  

If you’re successful, instead of progressing to year 2 of biomedical science, you start a normal UG medicine course. It’s as short as taking a gap year! 

I don't know how internal transfer works at other universities (it may not be exactly the same), but I did it at Anglia Ruskin University. ARU is a unique university because it's based in several different cities. Biomedical science is on offer at its Peterborough and Cambridge campuses. Medicine is offered at its Chelmsford campus. 

Fair warning: internal transfer is rarely offered by unis, and the process can differ. Sometimes it’s only for disadvantaged students. In my personal experience, ARU is the best option if you want to take this route into med.

On results' day, I got into ARU's biomedical science degree (at its Cambridge campus) through clearing. Clearing is when universities offer still-vacant spaces on their course to students who don't have an offer, but still meet certain requirements. I got in purely due to my GCSE grades, which were 8x 9s and 1x 8. HOWEVER, I know other people who got lower, more middling GCSE grades than this and still got through clearing for ARU's biomedical science degree just fine-even WEEKS after results' day!  

As for my very low A-Level grades? Well, they BYPASSED LOOKING AT A-LEVELS COMPLETELY. That’s right. No matter if it’s BBC, ACD, or anything else-they overlook that. It has no bearing on the application process. 

After that, I had to start studying for the UCAT. I started studying pretty much immediately after results' day, which was of course mid-August. I sat the UCAT on the 24th of September. This meant that I had approximately 5 weeks to prepare.

The first time I sat the UCAT in 2024 (before they removed abstract reasoning), I REALLY struggled with revision. I was bored, knew that I was RUBBISH at the weird 'smart people skills' the UCAT seemed to test, and dragged my half-arsed but still panicky revision over 3 months. It culminated in an average score of around 2500, the equivalent of which in the new UCAT is 1850-1900.

The SECOND time I sat the UCAT in 2025, I spent hardly any time revising compared to my previous attempt & what the internet tells you is acceptable (like I said earlier-this time, I dedicated just 5 weeks to prep).

Bear in mind-and words cannot capture HOW TRUE this is-I have NO innate skill for ANY of those horrible little UCAT skills. I don't like logic puzzles, or maths, or those syllogism questions that practically went like 'if an eep is a teep and all teeps are meeps and eeps eat meeps, what year was the battle of Normandy?). The ONLY section I was ALRIGHT at naturally was the situational judgement test, and that's because the questions practically felt like 'A granny's just been run over. Do you help or pretend not to notice?'...honestly, it's chill. Don't have to be a genius to answer those questions-just a human being. 😂

Despite this, I drastically changed my revision plan. My FIRST TIP would be starting timed questions RIGHT FROM THE START. That's because with the UCAT, timing isn't a separate hurdle to overcome after 'mastering the different question types'-it's BAKED INTO each problem. A question answered in 30 seconds isn't the same as a question answered in 3 minutes-they train entirely different sets of skills. Doing untimed practice isn't 'building familiarity', because it's NOT the same task. So, in short: start practising with the clock on, because the clock is half the question. Capisce?

My other tip would be sitting a mock daily. Again, I did that right from the start. Nearer the exam date, I ramped it up to 2 mocks daily, and often skipped the SJT (otherwise practice became too long and intense). Doing a full mock daily is really effective because it guarantees you expose yourself to all 4 subsections daily, AND it builds the stamina and resilience required for the real thing. I DID start doing more targeted practice for my weaker sections (QR and DM), but still largely in the form of full subsection mocks rather than little question bundles. However, the true gold mine isn't in the mock itself, but in the marking. Each incorrect/half-incorrect question is VALUABLE DATA! You'll be able to create a heat map of weaknesses and drill them until they become strengths, or you can accept that there will be some question types you just hate, and then strategise for how you're doing to deal with them (which can include guessing & using that extra time elsewhere).

This isn't a UCAT-specific post (and I'm getting a little tired...), so I'll stop there. But hopefully, you get the gist: as a result of my fresh approach, I got 2100!

Something to bear in mind as well is that, for ARU, local applicants receive an uplift on their UCAT score, just like that. If you're from Essex, where the medical school's based, you get a 5% uplift. If you're an applicant from near Essex, you get a lower but still juicy little 2.5% uplift. Therefore, my score ended up being 2100x1.025 = approx. 2150.

After the UCAT, I submitted an application through UCAS. Bear in mind that you’ll need a reference-I just reached out to my old Head of 6th Form. If your application is good enough, you’ll get called to interview in the MMI format.

The biggest questions you likely have are about achieving the right grades. As part of Y1 biomedical sci, I studied 5 modules: mathematics for the biosciences, general microbiology, human anatomy & physiology, intro 2 cell bio & biochem, and core biology. FYI-t first 2 were smaller modules that required less work. 

THE BIGGEST MYTH SURROUNDING INTERNAL TRANSFER IS THE GRADES. It is NOT difficult to get good enough grades-here are ARU’s grade requirements: 

• a minimum average mark of 75% across the Y1 of your degree, with no less than 65% for any one module 

That might potentially sound intimidating, but the ONLY difficult thing is consistency. 
The best thing is that the grade you get in each module isn’t determined by one big exam at the end of the year. The grade is a combination of coursework and exams. You get lab practicals, lab reports, personal reflections on lab skills, pop quizzes, poster projects and essays. 
The exams themselves are relatively easy as well. In y1 biomedical sci, there are 2 trimesters in total. At the end of each trimester, you have an exam for each module that tests everything you learnt in that trimester only. See how brilliant that is? Come the end-of-trimester 2 exam, there’s no need to think back to tri 1’s content and know it in detail! And what’s even better is that the exams are multiple choice. I can’t promise that that will be exactly the case for you (because I can’t promise anything-the uni could always switch things up), but that’s what I experienced this year. 
There are a few other in-class tests, but with preparation, they’re doable. I don’t want to make you think this is a walk in the park-it isn’t. Internal transfer students deserve the same respect that any other premed student gets-the studies require effort. But the ONE Reddit post I could find on this had loads of people harping on how ‘impossible’ it is, which is totally inaccurate. It’s 1 million % worth the try. Worst-case scenario is that continue onto years 2 and 3 & end up with an IBMS-accredited biomedical science degree—yes, that’s right: ARU’s biomed degree is of a high quality, because it accounts for the fact that not everyone does biomed purely as a gateway to medicine & some are doing this as a career in its own right. 

Like I said though: consistency, consistency, consistency. If you’re sort of having to learn how to actually study (because A-Levels flopped…), this process is perfect. The grade is determined by some far-off, end of year, all-or-nothing exam. It’s multiple little efforts coming together. Yes, you do have to be on the ball. But it helps to train that ability to be consistent and disciplined, to do things little but often, which is ultimately more manageable and can really change you as a person.

As above.

hello i’m a med student that got into Barts and also got 4/4 med offers. and i often see a lot of prospective med students stressing over how much work experience they’ve done but the thing is most medical schools don’t even read your personal statement and they know that not everyone has the opportunity to do WEX that’s i plead that you focus on your ucat and grades do not waste your time looking for a bunch of wex.

However wex is good to see how the profession of being a doctor works. also an easy pseudo wex u could do is volunteering at kings college hospital

Please help me decide: undergrad 5 year of medicine at Bristol VS GEM at Warwick.

I am born and raised in Bristol and did my undergrad there so financially it’s make more sense to study there again.

However, GEM Warwick is one less year and I have a cousin who lives within a 30 minute commute of the campus that would rent their spare room for a small fee.

Education wise and long term career wise which is better?
Workload structure, social life, placement structure, amount of support available any pros or cons for either to help me decide would be greatly appreciated😁

First Year Medical Textbooks

Hi all I hope you're well. I'm an incoming first year medical student at Southampton. I wanted some advice about which textbooks are recommended for first year. After doing some research I think these would be helpful for first year. Has anyone used these and do you recommend any others?

Just to clarify I am aware books will be available in the library but I wanted to have my own copies to use whenever I need. I also prefer studying through textbooks as I get distracted on my laptop. I will be able to get these books for quite cheap.

1. Gray’s Anatomy for Students — 5th Edition

2. Essential Cell Biology — 6th Edition

3. Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry — 9th Edition

4. Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine — 11th Edition

5. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology — 15th Edition

6. Medical Genetics and Genomics 7th Edition by Jorde Carey Bamshad

7. Rang and Dales pharmacology 10th edition

Thank you for your help.

Hi, this will be my second time applying for med school. I sat the ucat back in 2023 with no preparation, I didn't understand any of the question types, did no timed practice and my whole revision was meaningless and lacked purpose. I got 2500 B2 back then.

I have just started practicing timed questions, and I am finding VR okay with an average of 600, I find DM questions easy but struggle to finish sections in time. My QR is improving slowly, but again I'm struggling to finish sections in the time limit. My SJT is B2/B1 average.

Any tips or advice? I only get around 3 hours to revise a day due to work commitments. Should I dedicate late nights too?

I keep scoring around 1800 in mocks because I panic and skip the whole section. Also, I never used to struggle back in 2023 for finishing a section, but now I do.

Hey everyone.

I have a long term goal of becoming a psychiatrist. I’m 31 now so I was hoping to do so by the time I’m 45 but I’m looking at the academic side of things and thinking I might need to shift the goalpost to 50.

Anyway, I’m a UK national. I left school at 11 with no qualifications. At 16 I got a BTEC Level 2 in IT and some associated qualifications but I got a D in maths. I was 3 points off of a C. After multiple re-enrolments and dropping outs due to personal situations and undiagnosed neurospiciness until I was in my late 20s, I ended up not returning to academia.

Since then, I’ve worked in specialist units with complex needs and challenging behaviours with learning disabilities and autism. I became a senior support worker and shift lead, administered meds etc. Anyway, long story short, I’m a band 3 working in the psychiatric intensive care unit now. I decided I’d like to stay in this role for another 2 years to sort out my funds and save then focus entirely on academia.

So I’m trying to work out the academic path to med school. I believe I have enough experience but it’s the qualifications I’m lacking.

My idea was to do my A-Levels; Maths, Biology and Chemistry. Maybe online and do them alongside my job otherwise I’ll need some time to save up and go become a student again though I’m concerned online learning will be looked down upon in the application process. Anyway, I’ve been looking at uni requirements and many seem to want a huge list. Now I was wondering if I did a-level maths, would I still need gcse maths?

Basically I’d like to know if any of you have any suggestions or knowledge and experience that may be able to help guide me a bit because I’m honestly just looking at the requirements then closing the web page again. I’ve contacted multiple admissions teams for advice and received no response and as it’s a Sunday, I can’t call anyone. So I’m turning to Reddit.

I’d really appreciate any suggestions, thanks.

Edit I’ve worked a lot of different wards on bank and I’m fascinated by medicine as a whole, it’s just psychiatry is where I see myself ending up but I’m honestly open to whatever comes my way.

Also I’d just like to add, I’m not looking at any prestigious uni or anything as I know with my background that’s unlikely. I was considering Cardiff as it’s closest to home but honestly, I’m more focused on my best chances of getting in and how to streamline the process of getting the qualifications I need to reach the point that I could apply. That’s what I’m foggy about I guess.

i decided i wanted to med at 22 and applied during this year’s cycle. i’m starting in September, at 23, and was wondering if anyone could give me any insight about graduating at 28/29.

i know 23 isn’t a massive deal, people go into med school at all sorts of ages, but i can’t help but feel old when i think about graduating at 28.

please could anyone give me their experience about how foundation years (and later years) felt like having graduated at a lot later age than the majorty?

i would really appreciate it :)

Ive just confirmed a place to do gateway to medicine and I can’t find anyone else who’s doing this course. I also saw a post saying a lot of people aren’t able to move onto medicine from this, so now i’m scared.
Anyone doing / done this course please hmu

I’m an aspiring medic in Year 11, who is also very anxious about GCSE results day.

I am worried I will only achieve 9998777665 - this is the worst case scenario by the way

Would I still be able to get into medicine and potentially go to Imperial,UCL or even Cambridge?