Deciding on the career that’s best for you can be an overwhelming and, at times, confusing decision to make. After all, it’s going to affect your whole life and, with little experience of what jobs in different areas are actually like, you may find yourself torn between two choices, or totally baffled or, if you’re like me, a last-minute mind-changer. And I’m here to tell you that that’s okay!
Here are my top tips for getting a strong medical application in quickly.
STEP 1: Decide and Commit
Once I realised that YES, I want to be working in hospitals looking after unwell human beings for the rest of my life, I committed to it and made sure I was working towards that goal every day. After all, I only had four weeks to go and had to make the most of it and use my time effectively. Being a last-minute mind-changer means you need focus, determination and faith in yourself.
STEP 2: UKCAT
Prioritise this as it requires registration, preparation, practice and has a closing date! I gave myself two weeks to prepare for the UKCAT and registered my exam date for late September.
During those two weeks, I prepared every day, using all practice papers and question banks I had available to me and dividing my time between untimed and timed practice. I believe a Kaplan UKCAT course and accompanying Online Study Plan would have benefitted me greatly at the time, had I known about them! But remember to not overwork yourself! You do not want to be exhausted on test day. My revision plan consisted of half-days of preparation, with the rest of my time completely UKCAT-free.
STEP 3: Personal Statement
This goes alongside Step 2, not after! Personal statement writing is a long, arduous process and needs to be on-going alongside all other preparation. Thankfully my personal statement didn’t need massive changes as I had prepared a statement for Biomedical Sciences, the plan being to do a science-based degree of interest, followed by a PGCE teaching qualification.
Re-use what you can, adapt what you’ve already written, and add points that are more relevant to med school. Let your personal statement be an honest and accurate reflection of why you want to study Medicine and why they should pick you.
STEP 4: BMAT
This is where my plan didn’t work. As the exam was not until November, I left preparation too late. Bottom line, whilst two weeks preparation can be sufficient for the UKCAT if you work hard, for the BMAT it just didn’t seem to cut it. Being a more content-based exam and designed to be more academically-challenging, it needs more preparation time. I suggest at least a month or more of revision and practice!
Also note: BMAT now have a test-sitting available in September which most universities that accept the November BMAT Test also accept.
Final Tips:
Be focused and determined. Don’t be afraid to change your mind and go down a different career route. But be prepared to invest your energy and time into achieving your new career goals.
Do not overwork yourself! Take breaks, relax and spend time doing non-UCAS activities. Space out your preparation. Make a plan and stick to it.
Do NOT cram test preparation or personal statement writing into last minute evenings before deadlines. Space out your preparation. Make a plan and stick to it.
Amna Hussain is a 4th Year Medicine Student at Queen Mary University, BARTS Medical School as well as a Kaplan UKCAT & BMAT teacher.
