Thread: Foundation 2 Medicine

Hi Guys,

I got an interview for Jan 08 entry, and will be considered for MD or F2M programs.

Could anyone plz shed any light on the F2M?

I have a degree in Biomedical Science from UK but I am worried if I do only get a place for the F2M and not get the 3.2GPA(could anyone explain what this means?), I would have wasted four months and not got anything to show for it - even if I do get promoted into MD?

I am 21 next week and I really cannot spend Jan-Aug doing something with no recognition at all except a place in medicine and it seems to me to be a repeat of some of my degree - which seems pointless IMHO.

Thanks

Originally Posted by mcsarpanch

Hi Guys,

I got an interview for Jan 08 entry, and will be considered for MD or F2M programs.

Could anyone plz shed any light on the F2M?

I have a degree in Biomedical Science from UK but I am worried if I do only get a place for the F2M and not get the 3.2GPA(could anyone explain what this means?), I would have wasted four months and not got anything to show for it - even if I do get promoted into MD?

I am 21 next week and I really cannot spend Jan-Aug doing something with no recognition at all except a place in medicine and it seems to me to be a repeat of some of my degree - which seems pointless IMHO.

Thanks

Have you taken the MCAT? I think MCAT is required for all students admitted directly to the med program but if you go through the Foundations program you can evade the MCAT.

Regarding the GPA...GPA stands for Grade Point Average and is on a four point scale. An A is worth 4 points, B worth 3, etc... so to achieve a 3.2 you'll need one A for every 3-4 B's.

Regarding your age, at 21 you'll be one of the youngest students in the whole med program. I think something around 26 is the average age for first year med students.

i am doing this program starting later in the month.. i think it's more for people who have a low gpa/mcat to prove that they can handle the curriculum before starting the MD program (my gpa was low, but mcat was fine). i am looking at it as a kind of warm up to MD (a way to get back into school mode etc).

anyways, even if you did jan 08 start for MD, i think you would finish the same time as if you did foundations and then MD in august 08

[quote=GonnaBaMD7;650114]Have you taken the MCAT? I think MCAT is required for all students admitted directly to the med program but if you go through the Foundations program you can evade the MCAT. quote]


I have taken the MCAT while I was on Holiday in USA, just to see what it was like but I didnt score over 15 lol. However, good news is because Im british I dont need to take any standardised tests. I got told to write a letter to some professor because my degree covered subjects in 1st and 2nd year of MD like Neuro, parasitology, pathophysiology, Histopath etc etc. So I might get myself out the foundtion.

Yeah and the age thing lol, I just want to be done by 25 at the latest and Im having the midlife crisis a week before Im 21 lol.

there were younger and older students on the FOM programme, age isn't an issue but maturity might be. I was pretty stupid as I should have argued more with admissions about doing medicine instead of FOM. My friend (also from uk) had a similar problem with getting into vet school as they wanted her to do foundation to vet. she argued with admissions and got her previous uni to write a letter and she got straight into vet school.

I would def go that route if i were you. fom is not going to give you anything extra in terms of academics that you didn't get from your degree. might be different if you did your first degree years ago, but half of fom doesn't involve medicine related subjects per se.

good luck with your plight, sure it will all work out fine.

[quote=mcsarpanch;650463]

Originally Posted by GonnaBaMD7

Have you taken the MCAT? I think MCAT is required for all students admitted directly to the med program but if you go through the Foundations program you can evade the MCAT. quote]


I have taken the MCAT while I was on Holiday in USA, just to see what it was like but I didnt score over 15 lol. However, good news is because Im british I dont need to take any standardised tests. I got told to write a letter to some professor because my degree covered subjects in 1st and 2nd year of MD like Neuro, parasitology, pathophysiology, Histopath etc etc. So I might get myself out the foundtion.

Yeah and the age thing lol, I just want to be done by 25 at the latest and Im having the midlife crisis a week before Im 21 lol.

well...if they see the 15 on your record, they will def ask questions, and not good ones. To me that means two things. ...I will spare you from my guesses..
I was told that a really bad (no offense) mcat score may mean you have to take another test after you complete foundations. PSCME or something like that.
Of all the foundations to med i knew, they all scored almost 9 higher on thier mcat. some doubled your score. I was somewhere in between. The ones who had blah blah degree and no mcat were put into year 3.0..not foundation. This may not hold entirely true..but i didnt do a background on every one. I was freaked trying to get the 3.2. Trying to work concepts out with friends and stuff. I passed it last term, so i know all about it..just my .02..

Originally Posted by mcsarpanch

Hi Guys,

I got an interview for Jan 08 entry, and will be considered for MD or F2M programs.

Could anyone plz shed any light on the F2M?

I have a degree in Biomedical Science from UK but I am worried if I do only get a place for the F2M and not get the 3.2GPA(could anyone explain what this means?), I would have wasted four months and not got anything to show for it - even if I do get promoted into MD?

I am 21 next week and I really cannot spend Jan-Aug doing something with no recognition at all except a place in medicine and it seems to me to be a repeat of some of my degree - which seems pointless IMHO.

Thanks

well...youre 21..what is four months..really now. I would be more worried about the 20 grand or pounds equivalent someones going to drop on you. Dont get me wrong.. I was all worried when I started. And WAY older than you. Besides, you need to know the stuff from foundations because theyre going to TEST you on it.

yep, non American students don't need to sit the mcat, but it might look bad if you told them you took it and got a 15 (same if you took other exams like gamsat, msat, ukcat and got poor score). the people i know who were not from US took a prior degree and got onto foundations. if you did a degree in something not science, without a level science or equivalent, or long time since studying then they put you on pre med.

[quote=cudasrul;650500]

Originally Posted by mcsarpanch

well...if they see the 15 on your record, they will def ask questions, and not good ones.

Yeah, thats why I never included it in my application. I left that page blank

[quote=cudasrul;650500]

Originally Posted by mcsarpanch

well...if they see the 15 on your record, they will def ask questions, and not good ones.

Yeah, thats why I never included it in my application. I left that page blank