What To Do If You Don’t Get Into Medical School

Not getting into medical school can be very disappointing, especially after all the hard work and time you put into the application process. Feeling sad, frustrated, and unsure of what to do next is normal. But remember, this setback doesn’t define your career track. You still have many options, including reapplying to medical school in the coming year, exploring other fulfilling careers in healthcare or different fields, or taking a gap year to gain more experience.

In this article, we’ll explore various paths and strategies to help you move forward and find the right direction for your passion and skills.

A-Level Grades Needed To Get Into Medical School

Many students don’t get medicine offers the first time due to how competitive the course is. It’s vital that you focus on achieving the grades needed for medicine to maximise your chances of future success.

First Things First: Remaining Positive Is Key!

Though easier said than done, staying positive will become the driving-force for your motivation to achieve the required A-Level (or alternative) grades for medicine. The required grades are usually at least AAA. Some universities have higher requirements, and some offer lower grade boundaries for widening access participants. If you achieve this, you can receive unconditional medicine offers soon after the next application deadline!

MedicHut helps gap year applicants succeed in getting into medical school each year. The main prerequisite for considering a reapplication is having achieved the required A-Level grades.

If you don’t meet the grades for medicine, you may consider resitting your A-Level exams. A-Level resits aren’t always accepted for medicine applications, so you’ll need to check each university’s entry requirements. You may need to reconsider your revision technique to boost your exam performance. An excellent resource for this is our one-to-one tuition with medical student tutors who can help maximise your A-Level grades!

Reapply

Suppose you have not received an offer from any of the medical schools that you had applied to. In that case, there are various options for you to consider in terms of reapplication to study medicine – both in the next application cycle and immediately after the results day through clearing.

Reapplying through Clearing

Clearing is a process in the UK through which universities fill any remaining places they have on their courses after results day. Candidates who do not hold any offers or do not meet the conditions of their offers are eligible to reapply through clearing. Course vacancies and further information on deadlines to apply for clearing may be found on the UCAS website.

To be prepared to apply through clearing, be aware of which medical schools participate in clearing and check any vacancies as and when they are released. You may also find it useful to contact medical schools directly to inquire about vacancies and to express your interest. We would recommend keeping all relevant documents ready, such as your exam results, personal statement, work experience details, and any references you may have. Furthermore, you should think about how you can frame your experiences in conversation to emphasise what makes you a good candidate despite rejection – highlight your strengths along with any new experiences or achievements.

Reapply to other schools

If you have not received any medical school offers, have not met the conditions of your offers, or haven’t managed to secure a place through clearing after results day, another option you have would be to reapply in next year’s application cycle.

If it is necessary to improve your grades, consider re-taking the exams for the required qualifications. It may be useful to get in touch with your academic institution’s admissions officer to get further information on how to go about this. MedicHut offers subject-specific tutoring sessions to support you including exam revision sessions too.

If you have matched the grade requirements for the medical schools that you are interested in applying to, it would be good to analyse the rest of your application and consider which aspects could be further improved. Pay close attention to your personal statement, seek feedback and advice, also participate in mock interview sessions and get UCAT tutoring if possible to ensure you meet all the requirements. Candidates generally find that getting personalised feedback from professionals in the medical field gives them the best opportunity to enhance their medical school applications.

Try related alternative degrees

If you decide that reapplying to medicine is not something you would like to do at this point in time, pursuing an alternative related degree will allow you to broaden your knowledge and skill set whilst keeping you aligned with your passion for science and healthcare.

Examples of related alternative degrees:

• Biomedical science
• Biochemistry
• Dentistry
• Nursing
• Pharmacology
• Physiotherapy
• Public health
• Neuroscience
• Radiography

These degrees can serve as a pathway to a career in healthcare, or enhance your application if you choose to apply for graduate entry medical courses later on, details of which can be found below.

Take a gap year

Taking a gap year is a good option if you feel as though the most beneficial thing for you would be to take some time to re-evaluate your options in terms of your course choice, engage in healthcare-related work experience, or even pick up a job to save money to go towards your studies and living costs should you decide to reapply to university in a year.

Having some time away from education may allow you to reflect on your motivation for studying medicine and ensure that you feel well-prepared to re-apply in the next application cycle.

Gap years are great opportunities to undertake meaningful activities, such as organising voluntary placements in health and social care-related institutions, participating in research projects, or completing self-directed learning around subjects of interest – this will further strengthen your application when you decide to reapply.

Graduate entry

If you have been unsuccessful in receiving a place after leaving school, you may take the option of completing a degree in a biomedical discipline or a subject you are interested in outside of medicine. In your final year or after you have completed your degree, you can apply for graduate entry into medicine programmes. An important point to consider is that there is high competition as most accelerated medical programmes have limited spaces. The entry requirements for graduate entry medicine differ depending on the medical school you’re applying to. Some universities would require science degrees and some would not so it would be a good idea to look at the entry requirements of each medical school in detail.

Apply to medical school abroad

Maybe a change of scenery is something that appeals to you! There are many medical school programmes in Europe and beyond that you could consider as an alternative to UK medical schools. If you know a second language, this may also be a good time to practice it in the real world! There are also many international medicine and science programmes taught in English. When considering studying abroad it is important to do extensive research on the universities you are interested in. Key areas that you should research include:

• The university’s style of teaching and whether the course is taught in English

• University requirements on whether you should learn the primary language of the foreign country you are studying in (e.g. patient contact during clinical years)
• The finances (tuition, accommodation, general spending)
• Availability of scholarships and bursaries
• If you are planning to return to the UK to practice medicine, it is important to find out whether the course is GMC-accredited

Become an allied health professional

You may decide to work in healthcare but not go through the medicine route. Just like doctors, allied health professionals (AHP) treat and help improve the quality of lives of patients. Allied health professionals include podiatrists, dietitians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, paramedics, radiographers, and speech and language therapists. AHP work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to help improve patient outcomes and prevention of ill health.

Try a different career

If you’re considering options outside of medicine, this is a great opportunity to explore other passions and interests. There are many rewarding careers you can pursue beyond medicine, including pharmacology, nursing, and psychology. To better understand these options, it’s helpful to gain work experience and reach out to professionals in your field of interest for insights. It’s also normal to reconsider your decision to pursue medicine, and it’s important to recognize the many related career paths available. If you still wish to work in healthcare, consider training for allied health professions such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, radiography, physiotherapy, or pharmacy—fields that are in high demand and can be equally fulfilling.

Another option is training to become a physician associate. Training usually involves completing a bioscience-related degree, followed by undertaking physician associate training. Physician associate training is two years. This career has many benefits, including relatively good pay and extensive clinical exposure. Physician associates work a very similar role to doctors and are in high demand across the UK.