THE TRUTH ABOUT UK MEDICINE AS A GRADUATE STUDENT | KharmaMedic

Summary

In this video, the host, a graduate student at King's College London, shares his experience of entering the undergraduate medicine course as a mature student. He addresses concerns about age differences, the benefits of prior academic experience, and dispels myths about fitting in with younger peers. The host encourages other mature students to pursue medicine, highlighting the unique perspective and valuable skills they bring to their studies.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker is a graduate student in the undergraduate medicine course at King's College London, sharing their experience to help mature students considering this path.
• 🔬 The speaker had an undergraduate degree in immunology, biotechnology, and microbiology from the University of Toronto before applying to medicine in the UK.
• 👶 Concerns about being older than direct school leavers were expressed, but the speaker found that age diversity was common and not a barrier to integration.
• 📚 Having completed an undergraduate degree, the speaker could leverage prior knowledge and skills, focusing more on socializing and pursuing hobbies like sports or a YouTube channel.
• 🤓 A mature student can appreciate the journey to medicine more, being 'hungry for knowledge' and bringing a different perspective to learning.
• 📝 The speaker is familiar with academic rigor, having taken numerous exams and assignments, which eases the transition into medical school exams.
• 👨‍🏫 Younger students often look up to mature students for advice on studying and note-taking, which the speaker finds rewarding.
• 🚫 The speaker dispels myths about graduate students feeling out of place or unable to make friends with younger peers.
• 🏠 Living in graduate residences can ease the transition for mature students, offering a balance between integration and a study-focused environment.
• 🧠 While there is some relearning of undergraduate material, medical school introduces many new subjects and a broader overview of topics.
• 🌟 The speaker encourages graduate students not to be deterred by the path of applying to an undergraduate medicine course and to pursue their passion for medicine.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to share the speaker's experience as a graduate student in the undergraduate medicine course at King's College London and to help mature students considering this path by dispelling misconceptions they might have.

What were the speaker's initial concerns about being a mature student in the undergraduate medicine course?

The speaker was initially concerned about being significantly older than the students who went through the direct path after high school, and whether this age difference would affect social interactions and friendships.

What is one advantage of being a mature student mentioned in the video?

One advantage is that mature students have already developed skills from their previous undergraduate studies, allowing them to focus more on socializing, pursuing hobbies, and other interests while maintaining efficient academic performance.

Why does the speaker believe that exams don't scare mature students as much?

The speaker believes that mature students are less intimidated by exams because they have already experienced numerous exams and assignments in their previous studies, making them familiar with the process and better prepared.

What misconception did the speaker have about the age difference between students?

The speaker initially thought that the age difference between 18 and 22 or 23 would be significant and that it might hinder forming friendships and socializing with younger students.

How does the speaker describe the experience of living in a dorm as a graduate student?

The speaker suggests that living in a first-year dorm as a graduate student might not be ideal because younger students may prefer to party and stay up late, which could be disruptive to the graduate student's focus on studies.

What was the speaker's concern about relearning biomedical science in medical school?

The speaker was concerned that relearning subjects like biochemistry, biology, and chemistry would be boring and unengaging, making the first year of medical school uninteresting.

What was the speaker's strategy for integrating into the university community as a graduate student?

The speaker recommends considering graduate residences for mature students, which can help ease the transition into medical school by allowing integration into the community without being constantly surrounded by party-focused students.

What was the speaker's experience with the teaching approach in medical school compared to undergraduate studies?

The speaker found that medical school takes a broader overview of topics, focusing on surface-level details over a wide range, as opposed to the deep dive into specific topics experienced in undergraduate studies.

What advice does the speaker give to mature students considering applying to medical school?

The speaker encourages mature students to apply to medical school and not be deterred by the fact that many other students may be younger, emphasizing that the experience can be very rewarding and enjoyable.

What does the speaker look forward to in the upcoming years of medical school?

The speaker is excited about the clinical aspects of the medical school curriculum, such as spending time in GP surgeries and hospitals, which will begin in the following year.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Embracing the Mature Student Experience in Medicine

The speaker, Karma Medic, introduces his video aimed at discussing the unique perspective of a mature student in the undergraduate medicine program at King's College London. He shares his concerns about being older than direct school leavers and the benefits of his prior educational experience, such as being able to focus on non-academic pursuits and having a more efficient study method. He emphasizes the appreciation for the opportunity to study medicine, the reduced fear of exams due to previous experience, and the respect he gains from younger students seeking advice. He dispels myths about age differences affecting social interactions and the presence of a graduate student community, highlighting the ease of making friends regardless of age.

05:01

🏠 Navigating Living Arrangements and Academic Expectations

In this paragraph, the speaker addresses concerns about living in dorms as a mature student, suggesting that graduate residences might be more suitable due to the different social preferences compared to younger students. He also reflects on the apprehension of relearning foundational sciences, only to find that the medical curriculum introduces new and engaging subjects that balance out the familiar content. The speaker appreciates the broader overview approach in medical school compared to the in-depth study in undergraduate programs, making the learning process more manageable and less tedious. He concludes by encouraging graduate students not to be deterred by the age difference and to pursue medicine in the UK, looking forward to the clinical aspects of the program in the upcoming years.

Keywords

💡Graduate Student

A 'Graduate Student' refers to someone who has completed an undergraduate degree and is pursuing further education, typically at a master's or doctoral level. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the speaker's status as someone who has completed a degree and is now entering an undergraduate medical program, which is a unique path compared to the traditional route of entering directly from high school.

💡Undergraduate Course

An 'Undergraduate Course' is a university program that leads to a bachelor's degree. The video discusses the speaker's experience as a mature student in an undergraduate medical course at King's College London, emphasizing the unique perspective and advantages they have gained from their previous education and life experiences.

💡Mature Students

Mature students are individuals who return to education after a break, often to pursue further studies or change career paths. The video highlights the benefits of being a mature student in an undergraduate medical program, such as having a more developed study routine and a greater appreciation for the learning opportunity.

💡King's College London

King's College London is a prestigious university located in London, UK. The script mentions this institution as the place where the speaker is studying medicine, indicating the high standard of education they are receiving and the competitive nature of the program.

💡Immunology

Immunology is the study of the immune system, including how it functions and defends the body against pathogens. The speaker mentions having studied immunology, biotechnology, and microbiology, showcasing the scientific background that has prepared them for medical studies.

💡Study Skills

Study skills refer to the strategies and techniques used to learn and retain information effectively. The video emphasizes the speaker's developed study skills from their previous degree, which allows them to focus more on socializing and other interests while still excelling academically.

💡Exams

Exams are formal tests of a student's knowledge and understanding of a subject. The speaker discusses their experience with numerous exams during their undergraduate degree, indicating that they are well-prepared for the rigors of medical school assessments.

💡Social Life

Social life encompasses the social interactions, relationships, and recreational activities that are part of an individual's life outside of their academic or professional responsibilities. The video mentions the importance of balancing a social life with intense study schedules, highlighting the speaker's ability to manage both effectively.

💡Hobbies

Hobbies are activities done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure. The script mentions pursuing hobbies as one of the benefits of being a mature student with efficient study habits, allowing for a more rounded life experience.

💡Medical School

Medical school is the educational institution where students study to become medical professionals. The video discusses the speaker's journey and experiences in medical school, including the challenges and rewards of being a mature student in an undergraduate program.

💡Transition

Transition refers to the process of changing from one state or condition to another. The video addresses the transition into medical school for mature students, discussing how to ease this process and integrate into the community while maintaining focus on studies.

💡Biomedical Science

Biomedical science is the study of the biological processes that occur in living organisms and how they relate to medicine. The speaker expresses initial concerns about relearning biomedical science, but finds that the breadth of new topics and hands-on activities in medical school make the experience fulfilling.

💡Clinical Skills

Clinical skills are the practical abilities required for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients. The video mentions the upcoming clinical aspects of the speaker's medical education, indicating the hands-on experience and direct patient care that is a crucial part of medical training.

Highlights

The speaker is a graduate student at King's College London, sharing his experience as a mature student in the undergraduate medicine course.

Concerns about being older than direct-path students were addressed, with the speaker being 22 when applying.

Benefits of being a mature student include having completed an undergraduate degree, which allows for a focus on non-academic pursuits.

Mature students can appreciate the journey to medicine more, being 'hungry for knowledge'.

Experiencing exams and intense workloads in undergraduate studies makes exams less daunting in medical school.

Younger students often look up to mature students for advice on studying and note-taking.

Dispelling myths about age differences and the ability to mingle with younger students.

The speaker found that age differences were not significant in forming friendships and enjoying tutorials.

The presence of a significant number of graduate students at King's College London, with at least 60 known graduate students in a class of 450.

The speaker was initially worried about the age gap between 18 and 22, but found it less significant once in the program.

Living in graduate residences is recommended for mature students to ease the transition into medical school.

Relearning biomedical science was initially a concern, but new material balanced out the repetition.

Medical school takes a broader overview of topics, making it easier to recall surface-level details rather than memorizing deep details.

The speaker encourages graduate students to apply to medicine, emphasizing that the experience is rewarding and not to be deterred by age differences.

Looking forward to clinical aspects in the upcoming years, such as being in a GP surgery or hospital.

The speaker chose the five-year course as an international student to increase chances of getting into medical school.

Transcripts

what is up guys karma medic here and

welcome back to another dose today I

want to make a video talking about my

experience as a graduate student on the

undergraduate course of medicine at

King's College London hopefully this

video will help other mature students

who are thinking about taking this path

where this entry to medicines help them

make their decision or dispel a couple

of minutes or misconceptions that they

might have so I applied to medicine as a

graduate student after I finished my

undergraduate degree at the University

of Toronto over there I studied

immunology biotechnology and

microbiology and one of my biggest

concerns when applying to medicine in

the UK was I was gonna be significantly

older than a lot of the students who

went through the direct path after high

school now keep in mind I was 22 when I

applied I just turned 23 but there are a

lot of students who are in the 25 26

range and we even have some students who

are above 30 I want to start this video

by talking about a couple of reasons why

I think being a mature student on the

undergraduate medicine course is a

really really good thing also before we

get into the video make sure to follow

me on my new Instagram page karma medic

I'll post a link in the description and

put a video up here I'm posting some

content there that shows my life as a

researcher now in the summer and I'm

gonna be posting there a lot of things

regarding medical school once I get back

to the UK in September so the first

thing is that I've already completed my

undergraduate degree I've already gone

through so many sleepless nights of

really hard work I've already taken so

many exams I've already had to juggle

really intense workloads with exams

social life I've already developed these

skills and I can now use what I already

know in my undergraduate course I don't

have to learn all these things from the

very beginning which a lot of direct

school leavers are gonna have to do now

since I can do that I can really focus

my time on things that can be outside of

my academics or schoolwork for example I

can spend more time socializing I could

spend more time pursuing other hobbies

or interests of mine such as sports or

even this YouTube channel because I have

a very efficient way of studying of

harness not over for years and I know

what I'm doing when it comes to

academics and studying second of all I

can really appreciate what it is that

I'm doing sometimes it'll have been a

very difficult journey to get to

medicine if you don't get it as a direct

school leaver so now that I'm finally in

medicine I'm hungry for knowledge I'm

hungry to learn and to experience all

the dissections the

to me and I feel like it gives us a

different perspective as graduate

students when we learn all this material

another thing is that exams don't scare

me as much in my undergrad degree I

wrote approximately 40 final exams and

maybe even double that many midterms

I've also had plenty of assignments

plenty of essays to write and so these

are all routine for me now I know how to

research for an essay I know how to

write an essay in structure 1 I know how

to study for my exams I know how much

time I need and this really makes my

life a lot easier when I'm in medical

school and lastly kind of a side note

you'll find that some of the younger

students will look up to you and they'll

ask you for advice they'll ask you for

how to write notes how to study and I

find that kind of cool it's always great

to be able to give back or to show

someone how you did something in the

hopes that it might help them as well I

know when I was in undergrad I always

looked up to second year third year and

fourth year students and I really wanted

their advice I wanted their know how all

the little secrets of having been

through the experience and I was always

looking for them to help me if I could

now I just wanted to spell a couple of

myths that even I had when I was first

going to medical school in the UK coming

into the experience as an older student

and knowing that I was gonna be

surrounded by lots of school leavers so

one of the things I was worried about

was not all the direct school leavers

would be too immature or that we would

be in such a different place in our life

and in our mine state that we wouldn't

be able to mingle and get along and

become good friends but I've honestly

found that to be so untrue for example

in my tutorial group or a group of 12

there's two graduate students myself and

one other person and the rest of the

students are undergraduate direct school

leavers and we get along just fine we

have plenty of fun and tutorials we are

planning to talk about lots of banter

and on top of that you just you get

along well as you get to know the other

students a little bit better you find

that the age difference becomes

something that's not important and you

can get along well have a very good

conversation and have fun even when you

go out the second thing that I was

worried about was that there wouldn't be

enough graduate students was that we

would be such a small minority that it

would be hard to make friends within the

graduate circle but I found that to be

so so untrue and again it might depend

on which university you attend depending

on the class size and how many graduate

students they take but for example at

Kings were a class of about 450 students

and there's at least 60 graduate

students that I know of and so out of

all those graduate students you can meet

plenty

them a lot of them you'll get to me in

freshers week and some you'll pick up

along as you go through the year and

then you can decide who you get along

with best we don't get along with so

well

but my point is that there's plenty of

choice there's plenty of other graduate

students who you were able to meet also

I was quite worried about the specific

age difference between 18 and 22 or 19

and 22 so the age difference between 18

and 22 is quite large and you are in a

very different level but once you hit

that in 19 and 22 or 19 and 23 range

you'll find that the age gap really

isn't as important and on top of that

I'm I I was 22 when I joined KCl and I

hung out with plenty of people who were

25 26 27 and so it works both ways I was

a younger student to a lot of other more

mature students than me and I was a lot

older than other younger students and

honestly the age gap really isn't that

big of a deal as you get to know someone

you'll realise that it's really not that

important now when I was applying to

medical school one thing that I

considered was living on dorms in my

first year and I thought that would be a

very good way to get to meet other

students to integrate myself into the

University life so that you could meet

as many people as you can and make as

many friends as possible for a graduate

student living in a first year dominant

dorm I think that might be a terrible

idea

because a lot of the first year students

are just gonna want to party super hard

they're gonna want to have a really

great time always be out making loud

noise and staying up really late which

is totally fine I went through that when

I went to university and I was an

undergraduate student but now things

have changed for me and I'm kind of more

focused on my studies and hang out with

my friends and let's say more tame

settings so if you are a graduate

student and you're applying to an

undergraduate course keep in mind that

there are graduate residences

specifically for mature students and

that can really help ease the transition

into the medical school where you can

still integrate yourself into the

community but you're not gonna be

constantly surrounded by students who

would want to party every single night

another thing is that I was really

worried that relearning all of the

biomedical science all of the

biochemistry the biology even some

chemistry would be super super boring

and so my first year would be dry I

would be relearning a lot of things that

I already learned and I would just hate

and have a really annoying and not

fulfilling first year now it turns out

all that stuff about boring medical

and relearning some stuff that you

learned is true however there's so much

new stuff that you learned that it kind

of bounces that out for example we have

anatomy we have the sections we have all

the tutorials and workshops and a lot of

those hands-on activities were very new

to me and so it was really great to have

that balance down by the lectures and

it's kind of what kept me going

throughout the year making sure that you

really focus on and delve yourself into

the anatomy aspect the clinical skills

and all of those things will help take

you away from the boredom of relearning

a lot of the things that you've already

learned in your undergraduate degree

another really nice thing was that in

underground if we ever learned a concept

we would go into every single tiny

detail about it we would be expected to

memorize all of those details

whereas in medical school it takes a

much more broad overview it's a lot more

about surface level topics over a wide

range of things as opposed to a specific

topic going very very deep and so that

was really great because I'd memorized

all the details for some pathway whereas

now I only had to learn the surface

level details of it and so it was a lot

easier for me to recall that memory all

in all the point that I'm trying to get

across is that if you want to do

medicine and if you want to study in the

UK don't be shy or don't be put off by

applying as a graduate student to the

undergraduate course it honestly made

almost zero difference to my experience

I enjoyed it so much and I hung out with

all the other graduate students and some

undergraduate students as well and it

made for a very very good experience if

medicine is something you want to pursue

don't let this path be something that

throws you off and next year and year

two I have all of the clinical aspects

like being in a GP surgery or in a

hospital for one day each week and so

I'm really really excited for that

there's no more relearning all that BS

biochem BS chemistry and biology and

whatever so that's gonna be very

interesting to see next year starting

September so yeah honestly just go for

it the experience is great you're not

gonna regret it and all in all it's one

extra year compared to the gradual entry

course and the graduated course is a lot

more competitive as I'm sure you know

and for me for example I was an

international student I wanted to

increase my chances as much as possible

to get into med so I only applied for

the five year courses I didn't want to

apply to the four year courses and have

an even more competitive and difficult

time getting into medical school and

that's a guys just a short one really

focused towards the graduate students I

just

encourage you to apply to medicine and

not be put off by the fact that a lot of

the other students around you will be

younger than you so yeah guys that's it

for me make sure to LIKE this video if

you liked the content if you learn

something new subscribe see more videos

from me and also follow me on Instagram

on the new page that I made I think

you'll enjoy the content that I'll be

posting there too happy studying happy

applications and I'll see you in the

next one peace