The Ultimate Guide to Applying for Graduate Entry Medicine in 2024
What is a graduate entry medical course?
Some people have always known that they want to become a doctor, and are keen to begin medical school as soon as they can. However, other people may not realise that medicine is for them until later in life. There may be other subjects that they love, and want to study at university. Or they may encounter barriers or challenges that can get in the way of training: perhaps a disappointing exam result, or a change in personal circumstances. Luckily, there are lots of different routes into medicine. It is important to make sure you know about these different routes, so that you can make a fully informed choice about the best option for you.
In an undergraduate medical degree, you will go straight from school to studying medicine at university. Most people are aged around eighteen when they begin the course, or a little older if they have taken some time out (for example a gap year). It then takes an average of five to six years to complete the course, after which you qualify as a doctor, ready to begin work!
By contrast, a Graduate Entry Medical (GEM) course is completed in four years. To begin the course, you must have already completed an undergraduate three-year university degree. For many people, this first degree will be in a topic related to medical or biological sciences: for example, biomedical sciences, microbiology, or neuroscience. However, others go into a GEM course after a humanities, art or languages degree. It is important to check the entry requirements of the specific graduate entry medicine course that you are interested in, as some programmes require your first degree to be in a particular subject (for example a science subject) while others are open to any degree subject.
An undergraduate degree is a minimum requirement for a graduate entry course: many people will have also spent a number of years working in an alternative career. This may be in a healthcare setting, such as nursing, or in a totally unrelated field such as finance or management. This means that your cohort will generally be more diverse than in an undergraduate course: both in terms of age, which may vary widely, and also in terms of backgrounds and past experiences.
It is a national requirement for all qualified doctors to have covered a full medical academic curriculum, and to have obtained enough patient exposure through clinical placements to become confident and competent at their job. A GEM course is said to be accelerated in the sense that it contains all of the medical learning of an undergraduate course, but is completed in a condensed time period of four years. Although you may have covered some of the content already as part of your first degree, a GEM course is a steep learning curve and requires a considerable amount of independent study. It is therefore important that you enjoy it!
What are the benefits of graduate entry medicine?
Many people feel that beginning medical school when they are a little older allows them to focus more on becoming a more mature, competent doctor. Whereas in an undergraduate course, you may be balancing the demands of medical school with learning how to live independently for the first time, as a GEM you will be used to the day-to-day realities of student life
If there is another subject that you love as well as medicine, a GEM course can give you the best of both worlds! It is also a chance to experience two different universities and two different locations, if you choose to apply to a GEM course at a different university to your first degree. Developing interests outside of medicine is healthy, and will make you more well-rounded as a doctor
Depending on what career path you choose to go down later in your career as a doctor, you may be credited in job applications for having a previous degree. It may be particularly beneficial if you have been able to carry out any research, or have won any awards or prizes during your previous degree
If you aren’t yet 100% sure that medicine is the career for you, a GEM course allows you to explore other options prior to committing to medicine. Alternatively, if you are now sure you want to be a doctor but have already committed to e.g. A Levels that are incompatible with an undergraduate course, GEM presents another route into medicine
Some GEM courses will place less weight on factors such as GCSE or A Level performance when allocating places, compared to an undergraduate course
You will have experience of writing a personal statement, and perhaps sitting an entrance exam or attending an interview, from your previous degree. This may make the process seem less daunting, and may boost your performance
You will have more time to gain relevant work experience, that will boost your application and will also help you decide whether medicine is the right career path for you. Turning eighteen often gives you more opportunity to get involved in different work experience and volunteering projects, which may not be open to those under eighteen. Many universities will have societies that carry out voluntary work, e.g. work with children, volunteering in a local hospice or elderly care home. You may find that it is easier to get experience in these areas through a GEM route
What are the drawbacks?
Although there are many advantages to a GEM course, this is not the best route for everyone.
If you are eager to become a doctor as quickly as possible, the course may not be for you. You will be delaying entry to medical school by a minimum of three years, and often longer. In particular, if there are not any courses other than medicine that you are interested in doing, the three years it takes to complete an undergraduate degree may feel like a very long time. However, be open to discovering that you enjoy other subjects more than you first thought!
Entry onto graduate entry medical courses is competitive, and some people find they have to apply multiple times before they are accepted
The accelerated nature of the course means that it is academically challenging, and it is important that you feel able to take on a high workload
University is expensive, and completing two separate degrees will increase these costs. It is important to plan carefully and think about your finances
How to increase your chances of being accepted onto a graduate entry medical course
As mentioned, entry to GEM courses is highly competitive and it is important that you think carefully about how to put together an application to maximise your chances. Planning ahead can be very helpful!
Research the entrance requirements of the specific GEM course you are interested in ahead of time, and only apply to those with entry criteria that are suitable for you. For example, if you have an undergraduate degree in a humanities subject, don’t apply for a GEM course that requires a science degree
Work experience. Again, the specific requirements will vary depending on the GEM course you are interested in, but generally this includes direct work with patients (for example in a hospital or general practice setting) or in communicating with other people (for example volunteer work at a residential home)
Showing your interest to medicine. This may be through your work experience, or through any reading or research projects you have been involved with. It may also be achieved through your undergraduate degree. For example, if you do an undergraduate degree in History, there may be modules exploring the history of medicine, and important medical advancements. If you do a degree in Psychology, there may be elements of neuroscience, or scope to explore social psychology and its link to doctor-patient interactions
Aim for a good score in any required entrance admission tests. Again these will vary between GEM courses, so make sure you are aware of what is required
Practise your interview technique. Through your first degree you are likely to have improved you communication with others, and your ability to think deeply and critically about a topic. Have a think about how to put these skills into practice during a medical interview
How to write a GEM personal statement
GEM personal statements are broadly similar to those used for undergraduate medicine. It is important to discuss your motivations for studying medicine, and to highlight why you are a good candidate with reference to your experiences (both academic and extra-curricular). However, you will have three (or more) years of additional learning to draw upon, so it is important to make the most of this. Talk about why your undergraduate experiences are useful. If your degree is in a related discipline, the relevance may be more obvious. However, it is still helpful to pick out specific modules or projects that you have enjoyed, and to explain how this relates to your future academic aspirations. What did this module teach you about human physiology, pathology, or the process of conducting medical research?
If your undergraduate degree is in a completely unrelated field, there is still a lot of scope for showing how useful it is. A humanities degree may have taught you creativity and problem-solving skills, or the ability to think broadly and draw out patterns from within a large amount of information. These skills are important in coming to a diagnosis when a patient presents to you with a wide range of symptoms. Your course may have contained a lot of group work, allowing you to develop vital team-working skills. It may have had a large essay-writing component, requiring a logical structure to your thought processes and an ability to gather information independently, as required in a GEM course.
Remember, your experiences from your undergraduate degree do not just have to be academic. You may have had the chance to participate in sport, charity work or academic research projects while completing your studies. This may have given you leadership skills, aided your decision-making ability, time management and organisational ability, or your academic vigour: skills that will be of great value to you at medical school and beyond.
It is also important to incorporate your previous degree when talking about your motivations to study GEM. If you state that you have wanted to study medicine from a young age, but then chosen to study an unrelated undergraduate degree first, it can be helpful to explain why. It is okay to say that you once lacked certain qualities (for example confidence or leadership skills) but throughout your undergraduate degree have been able to develop and enhance these skills so that you are now ready to study medicine. You may have needed to delay medicine due to your physical or mental health: thus showing an ability to recognise and act upon your own needs, which is vital for a career in medicine. If a particular life experience or academic module sparked an interest in medicine, or changed your mind about any negative views you may once have had, put this into your personal statement. Being as specific as possible can help your application stand out, and shows a genuine degree of thought and reflection upon your experiences.
Interview tips for GEM
The main difference between undergraduate and GEM interviews is that you will be older, probably better practiced in engaging in academic discussions, and will have had more opportunity to gain life experiences both within and outside of medicine. Make sure you make the most of this during an interview. It can be helpful to write a list of some of the key activities and experiences you have had, and spend some time thinking about how they are relevant to medicine, as it can be easy to forget even the most useful experiences when they occurred several years ago; especially when thinking under pressure! Remember, you can still discuss older experiences, for example activities you were involved with when you were in school or college, as well as those from your first undergraduate degree. These may be academic, for example research projects, group work or prizes, or extra-curricular such as work experience or previous employment, sporting activities or other hobbies.
As in your personal statement, you should also be clear on why you have chosen to study medicine through this route, and how your first degree has been useful. Be prepared to explain, if asked, why you did not study medicine at undergraduate level. You can be honest about your reasoning: if, at first, medicine did not appeal to you, talk about how you came to change your mind about this, and any particular experiences you had which led to this. Having a realistic understanding of the more negative, as well of the positive aspects of a career in medicine is valued extremely highly by medical schools, and suggests you are more likely to be suited to the career in the longer term. If you had wanted to study medicine at undergraduate level but were not accepted onto a course or were not able to attend for other reasons, use this experience to show how you have developed resilience and perseverance: qualities that will be invaluable during the course and your future career. Take some time to reflect upon your own experiences, and how they have shaped your current skills and aspirations.
There is a great deal of variation between medical schools both in how the interviews are structured and their focus. Some have a more academic focus, discussing scientific principles and physiology. This may be in a ‘one to one’ or a panel interview. Other are based more around communication skills and your ability to reflect upon your experiences, often carried out in a ‘multiple mini interview’ (MMI) style. It is therefore important to thoroughly explore your university’s website prior to interview. Other useful resources for medical school interviews more generally include the Royal College of Surgeons (https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/careers-support/applying-to-medical-school/interview-questions/) which offers a good range of sample questions, as well as U2’s blog on preparing for medical applications and Medicine Interview Preparation Guide, which is written by U2’s team of Oxbridge-educated medics, including a number of Grad Med students. To see all the ways U2 can help you gain entrance into your dream medical school, see our Medical School Applications page!
Below are some example interview questions that are particularly relevant to GEM interviews. Remember that other questions, as seen in undergraduate interviews and discussed in the resources mentioned above, are also relevant in a GEM interview.
Why did you choose a graduate entry route, as opposed to studying undergraduate medicine?
What are the advantages of a graduate entry medical course?
How did you choose your undergraduate degree?
What was your favourite module from your undergraduate degree?
Tell me about a module or subject that you struggled in. Why did you struggle, and what did you do about it?
Why is medical research important for doctors?
Tell me about an interesting research paper that you have read.
What career would you choose, if not for medicine? Why?
Why did you choose this medical school? How well do the specific teaching and learning methods suit you?
The tips discussed above should help you to think about answering these questions. However, each answer will be personal to you, so it is helpful to take time to reflect on the questions and perhaps come back to them later on. Being open and honest in your thought processes is helpful both at interview and for your own benefit: if you are confident that GEM really is for you then this will show through at interview.
Are you looking for a Graduate Medicine tutor?
U2’s Grad-Med tutors have a close insight into what admissions tutors like to see in a graduate’s personal statement, and can help students to convey their skills, motivations, and long term goals, in order to stand out amidst the hundreds of other graduates applying. We have a large team of Oxbridge-educated Graduate Medicine tutors, the majority of whom have either attended Oxbridge for their undergraduate and applied for Graduate Medicine elsewhere, or who have attended another top Russel Group university for undergraduate and successfully applied to Oxbridge for Grad-Med. We cover all aspects of the application process, including:
Personal Statement Support
The statement should be the candidate’s own work, but our mentors will provide direction and guide you through the process of content building and writing. Our tutors will give you an insight to the course, which will help you talk about your characteristics which make you suited for the course and career. We offer offline drafting as well as tuition sessions.
Admissions Test Support
Many Grad-Med courses require applicants to take the BMAT - Our customisable BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) course is five sessions of two hours each. N.B. This can be customised to the student depending on the level of support required, but gives an indication of what preparation with a BMAT tutor can involve/ how it would be structured.
Frequency of sessions can be decided between student and tutor. Honing the skills necessary to succeed in the BMAT test can begin early in Year 12. When the student and mentor run out of past papers, they will work through similar questions curated by the tutor. We offer BMAT practice online or in-person in London.
See Example 1-1 Course Outline
Interview Preparation
Our Graduate Medicine tutors have experience preparing students for both traditional and MMI interviews. Our tutors are experienced at tasking students with realistic interview questions and teaching techniques to help students tackle each format of question.
Individual sessions from £70/h.