Five things to do before you apply to medical school

If you’re going to be finishing your A Levels this year and have your heart set on heading off the medical school with the hope of one day joining the medical profession, before you start pinging off those applications left, right and centre, take a look at these five things that you’ll need to do before you apply to medical school as it could significantly improve your chances of being accepted on to a medical degree course.

1. Take some time to think about your future

Medical degrees are all about fresher’s parties and social events, they are seriously hard work that will push your learning capabilities and time to its limits, so before you start sending off applications to medical school, take a few days to consider if a career in the medical profession really is for you.

If you’re still not 100% sure, you can always join our Doctor for a Day courses where you’ll meet qualified medical professionals and get some hands-on experience in basic medical tasks so you can get a real feel for some of the day to day responsibilities of the job.

2. Look into your preferred medical schools

As you are only allowed to make four applications to medical school per admission cycle, choose the four schools you are looking to apply to very carefully.

Think about the area you’ll be living in as well as the university itself as you’ll be there for a few years while you are studying and consider things such as transport links and distance from family and friends too.

3. Look into entry requirements

Most medical schools have different entry requirements, so don’t waste one of your precious four applications on a school that you might not be a fit for anyway.

You can find this information on the university website, so do a little homework before taking the time to apply.

4. Start thinking about work experience

All medical schools ask that their applicants have had some form of work experience in a medical setting before making an application. This can be very tricky to secure and very limited for those with little or no experience, so have a think about joining us on our Doctor for a Day courses. This gives you hands-on experience which you can use when it comes to making an application.

5. Personal statement prep

A personal statement can make all the difference between acceptance and rejection on a medical degree course, so it’s never too early to start thinking and preparing for your personal statement.

Take a look at our personal statement workshops and join us to get all of the insider tips and techniques on how to create a winning personal statement.