Question list for a new US applicant to the UK

[bucknasty]

If you have answers to any of these questions, or some constructive tips, I would greatly appreciate it. I am a non-traditional student with pretty good US stats and looking to go to a UK med school in 2007.

Please don't start with the negativity about the UK system for a US citizen. I've heard it before, and I appreciate it, but right now I just want to concentrate on getting in first.

1. I'm not too sure how to go about selecting my 4 schools to apply to. Any thoughts on strengths of schools, or some kind of ranking or tiering of them?

2. It looks like I will apply to 4-yr or 5-yr programs. Any comments on one vs. the other will be appreciated.

3. I will probably have to take the UKCAT within the next couple of weeks. Any tips or suggestions for this? Any tips for the other entrance exams? Do any schools accept the US MCAT as a substitute?

Thank you for your help!

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[Scottish Chap]

If you have answers to any of these questions, or some constructive tips, I would greatly appreciate it. I am a non-traditional student with pretty good US stats and looking to go to a UK med school in 2007.

Please don't start with the negativity about the UK system for a US citizen. I've heard it before, and I appreciate it, but right now I just want to concentrate on getting in first.

1. I'm not too sure how to go about selecting my 4 schools to apply to. Any thoughts on strengths of schools, or some kind of ranking or tiering of them?

2. It looks like I will apply to 4-yr or 5-yr programs. Any comments on one vs. the other will be appreciated.

3. I will probably have to take the UKCAT within the next couple of weeks. Any tips or suggestions for this? Any tips for the other entrance exams? Do any schools accept the US MCAT as a substitute?

Thank you for your help!

1. Unlike the U.S. all British medical schools are pretty much on level ground without offfical ranking - it does not matter where you go. Ranking in the U.S. depends largely on NIH research funding; it's not that way in the U.K.

2. You'll likely have more success applying to the 5-year programmes. The 4-year GEP was designed to alleviate the physician shortage in the U.K. As an international, there's very little chance of staying there for residency without citizenship (recent laws)...read about that here:http://www.newmediamedicine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21097 . The admissions commitee knows that most internationals who attend British medical schools don't intend to practice there; this goes against what the GEP was designed for and it's unlikely (though not unheard of) for an international to gain admission. Oxford has taken a few North Americans in the last couple of years, though.

3. The UKCAT is still in it's infancy so there is not much more information available outside of their website (http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/home/). Like the MCAT in the U.S., it's pretty much non-negotiable. The MCAT won't help you much in the U.K. Edinburgh is the only school that I ever heard considers it. In the past, they asked for scores no lower than: 9, 9, 10 in the three sections.

If you plan on practicing in the U.S., you're really making things harder for yourself by going overseas for your medicinal education - especially since you mention that you'd be competitive in the U.S. Good luck!