Studying Medicine as a mature student.

Aurora Borealis

Are there many mature students in Medicine and how mature is mature?
Any mature med students on boards who could tell us a bit about their experiences or indeed any fellow post LC students who study with them?


Would be greatly interested.

Thanks,


A.B.

AlanSparrowhawk

Technically a mature student is anyone over 23. There are a number of graduate only routes into medicine, all of those applicants would be mature students. It's quite the norm elsewhere around the country for students to begin medical training in their mid-20s.

Chunky Monkey

According to UCAS, at the school I will be going to (Peninsula in Devon, UK), 22% of the students are mature. That's not bad considering there isn't even a graduate entry programme

I've talked to a few of them online and they're really happy with the course. One of them (a third year) is 47 with three kids and apparently there's a 51 year old on the course at the moment too. I've talked to loads of people online who are in their thirties and over and are only starting medicine now. It doesn't seem to be that unusual a scenario in the UK. I also know someone here who's a second year med student at RCSI and is 31.

eth0_

I think taking on med students in their 50's is really pushing it. It's such a mentally and physically demanding job, not to mention the fact such a student might not make it as far as registrar level before they retire....seems like a bad judgement call.

Traumadoc

I think that a 50 year old med student would be a good thing, They would not stand for the excessive, illegal working hours - like a 24 year old wanting to advance their career would.

I also think that the 65 year age limit may be gone in a few years when the pension crisis kicks in.

Aurora Borealis

Thanks for your responses guys.
Do you know of any who have gone back to do their leaving cert to do so?

eth0_

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Thanks for your responses guys.
Do you know of any who have gone back to do their leaving cert to do so?

Not sure what you mean? You have to already have an undergrad degree before you can apply for the 4 year graduate programs.

If you mean to apply for a 6 year course, i've heard of people doing this. It'd certainly be preferable to doing a 4 year degree to get into medicine

Don't forget theres a separate test that CAO applicants to medicine have to sit from this year to gauge communication and empathy skills. If you don't do well in that I don't think you can get into medicine that year regardless of points.

Chunky Monkey

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Thanks for your responses guys.
Do you know of any who have gone back to do their leaving cert to do so?

Yup! The fees are less so it would be a smart move.

Just checked the RCSI site. They used to have the fees up for mature non graduate students at around seven grand a year I think it was but they're not up any more so might want to check that out. You have to do the GEP there if you have a degree already.

northernpower

I've just applied as a mature student, i'm 28 and did my a'levels 10 years ago, i'm currently studying a biological sciences access course through QUB. Has anyone recently gone through a similar route, i.e. successfully applied to study medicine after so many years out and without a previous degree?