Journeying to Success
Many members of the TAMS team have come together to write this week’s blog, to encourage those of you who are beginning your applications. Each of us faced a challenge which made us doubt our abilities. But we overcame these and so can you. Here are our tips on how we successfully did so.
“Getting my GCSE grades was a bittersweet feeling. Although I felt proud of the work I had put in, at the same time I felt disappointed as I hadn't secured any of the A* grades that everyone else applying to Medicine seemed to have. I had a lot of doubt whether I'd be able to get into Medicine. This was not helped by various teachers (who weren't fully clued up on the process) saying 'you need at least 7 A*s at GCSE'. I decided to do extensive research on places I could apply to. Although this was limited, there were medical schools which only wanted the minimum requirements and didn't care whether you had multiple A*s at GCSE or not. Long story short, I applied and got in! My tip for anyone in my position is just apply smart and be flexible! Apply to places which give credit to your strengths. Seeming where I could apply was limited, I decided to do the BMAT as well as UCAT, so I could apply to medical schools which valued things other than GCSEs. As long as you meet the minimum entry requirements, you still stand a chance. Work hard at your A-Levels/admissions tests and believe in yourself!”
“Receiving rejections from two universities (including my first choice) before receiving an interview or anything near positive news was a difficult hurdle to overcome. It made me question my abilities, especially as I observed other aspiring medics in my school receiving interviews from my dream university! At that time, I felt like my future plans were falling apart. Little did I know, I would be writing this blog as a first-year medical student! My advice is to remain positive. It’s not over till it’s over- remember that you only need one offer out of four, so even if you get three rejections, there’s still hope. If you are religious, pray! I believe all things work out for our good, and now I wouldn’t trade studying at my current university for any other! Talk to family and friends so they can encourage you when you reach a low point. Crying and tantrums are fine, so long as you pick yourself back up promptly.”
“A challenge I faced was thinking, am I really good enough? Applicants from lineages of doctors, students who smashed BMAT, UCAT, had triple A* predictions were all lining up to claim medical school places, where did I fit in amongst so many great applicants? No wonder I fumbled through my responses to ‘Why should we choose you?’ You can imagine that I didn’t feel very great about myself when I received the dreaded emails stating that unfortunately I hadn’t been offered a place in medicine. It was tough, but I pushed on, hope was not lost, there were A levels to focus on. If I did well, the door would be open for reapplying. When results came, good A levels spurred me on to pursue a gap year and reapply to medicine. During the beginning of my gap year, I used the free time to focus on getting good UCAT and BMAT results and secured a job as a medical secretary. Work assured me that I had what it took to go the distance in Medicine. That gap year saw me get 2 affirmative medical school offers. For anyone doubting if they’re suitable, take your eyes off everyone else, don’t compare yourself to others – having a gap year removed me from the school environment, gave me time to find confidence in myself and see myself in my own race.”
“Upon getting a UCAT score of less than 600, I simply wanted to give up. I thought no university would even look at my application. However, I am glad I pushed on. After the initial shock passed, I realised what is the worst that can happen? You cannot let fear of rejection be the only reason you don’t even try. Although I knew I couldn’t apply to the universities I had previously planned to, I still decided to apply- just smartly! I looked at what each university focused more on and applied to ones that put more emphasis on personal statement, interview and grades. And guess what… I got in! You never know what can happen. You just have to be adaptable and resilient.
We want to reassure you all, that if you have the desire to do medicine, you ARE suitable; you CAN make it; you CAN do it; it’s YOUR race and YOUR race only; run it and don’t let anyone hold you back.
TAMS is here to support you on your journey so reach out to us when necessary.
Best of luck.
TAMS Team (Nathan Anorson, Omolade Dada, Yemi Talabi, Natalia Dul)