I got a 2.2 from King's in classics, and want to go to medical school, but have to wait, as have to do UKCAT/GAMSAT, and dont have the science a levels.

to bolster my science credentails i pplied for and got turned down by ucl in an archaeology msc. i was confident, until the interview where i was told how competitive it was.

now ive got no idea what to do. any ideas?

Hmmm. If I were you, while you wait I would get some serious work experience done in the care sector. You going to have one hell of a job convincing people that you are up to changing to a science-based degree. You need to show people that you are commited to medicine and the only real way I think you can do this is to look at the care side of it. There's tonnes of stuff you can do.

How do you know you're up to scratch with the science? If you haven't done any since GCSE you'd have a bit of a shock, and it might be a struggle. Most medical schools ask for a-level chemistry, because you NEED to be at that level to cope with the work.

Why do you actually want to go into medicine? Four/five years is a long time to commit yourself to a course in a field that you have never studied beyond the most basic of levels.

Plus, to be fair, I don't think an MSc in Arc from UCL is just something to be used as a "bolster" for science credentials. I don't mean to sound overly negative, but if you couldn't convince them that you were up to the change (albeit a less drastic one than to medicine)in direction, then its going to be a lot tougher for medicine. Its all about work experience I think!

well it was skeletal and dental bioarchaeology, which was examining human remains and anatomy, rather than a conventional digging up arch course.

and ive also done a few weeks shodowing in croydon, hwere i got to sit in/provide support in operations and help out the ward etc.

thanks for your help, can you suggest particular ork experience, ie HCA'ing. i tried to be a paramedic but can'tdrive so that's out.

Rather than spending fortunes of an MSc that you're not particularly interested in, wouldn't it be easier just to take a couple of science 'A' levels? You can sit them in November can't you still?

I also don't see the point in a demanding and expensive masters when what you really need are good (and I mean very good) science A levels. Concentrate on those. I have come across people who have retrained in this way - it's tough - butit can be done. Good luck.

try st john ambulance. i did the first aid course, and volunteered with them for a year or so. when i went for an inteview for medical school at imperial i think it helped. and also shawdowing doctors at hospitals and observing operations, gave me something to talk about in the interview.

they offered me a place, but i had to get a B in chemistry. i got a C :( but then got an A in biolgy. the points were the same, but they really wanted the B in chemistry. so then i did a degree in biology instead. and i am glad i did! because medicine is tough! i'm so glad i didnt go to medical school. i dont think i would have been able to hack it. it's very tough.

I'm in UCL's archaeology department.
That course is highly over-subscribed, especially as it didn't run this year as they were rewriting the syllabus, etc...
So far as bolstering your science is concerned, having had a friend who did this course in its previous form a couple of years ago, I very much doubt it would be any use. There is no such thing as a 'none digging' archaeology masters at the PhD. You would have HAD to do archaeological theory, etc...
So if you wrote what you have on here on your application I'm not especially surprised. Graduate medicine entry is HIGHLY competitive. I think you ought to consider whether that's what you really want - your application for an archaeology Masters suggests you're not really sure what you want, a 2.2 won't get you onto (much less competitive) programmes.
I hate to be negative, but have a good think before you set your heart on this one.

dont worry, i've thought about thsi for last couple of years, i loved shadowing.

im currently trying to volunteer with the rnli, hoping that will help.

and the skeletal one was pretty much pure research, but yes, there was a general module for arch theory, stuff ive got from by BA already.

It's not that heavily research weighted, it's exactly the same as the other taught masters at the institute. 3 units taught + 1.5 research.
xxx

Bloody hell, none of what you wrote made sense!

None of what I wrote?

Well I don't understand two things:

first what's archaeology got to do with medicine and as you don't have science A levels you probably would have no chance of getting accepted onto a MSc anyway. If you're want to do medicine so badly, why even bother with archaeology? :S

Second: If you know why you can't study medicine, why don't you just take science A levels or the equivalent (like a foundation year or access courses). Looks like you're looking for a quick fix and there obviously isn't one!

I wonder if you realise I wasn't the original poster?