1. Have a plan B
Let’s face it, most Biomed students aim to get into medicine. However, entry into medicine is very competitive, so we recommend having a plan B. What if you don’t get into your preferred clinical programme? Will you do another degree altogether or try for graduate entry? Students determined to enter medicine often pursue a Biomed or Physiology degree and apply again. GPA booster classes fill up very quickly. I knew many people (myself included) who planned their whole degree well before offers to clinical programmes were released. Suppose you think you might not get into your preferred programme from Biomed. In that case, we definitely recommend planning your courses and next steps!
Here at Clinical Outlook, we educate students on different clinical programmes. Picking a degree and a career is a big choice. Too many students pick a degree they don’t know much about!
2. Excelled in high school? Study!
Most people who study Biomed are probably in the top 10% of their high school. You may not be so special if you have multiple excellence endorsements and have won scholarships. Doing well in high school doesn’t always translate to doing well in Biomed. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the increase in difficulty! You aren’t guaranteed a spot in competitive clinical programmes because you did well in high school. Treat Biomed as a fresh start and develop new strategies.
The content starts from lecture one, and there is a greater workload. Don’t assume you will get an A+ by doing the same things you did in high school. This is why it’s important to be flexible in your study techniques and actively reflect on how you are doing. For study tips, check out this blog.
3. Don’t underestimate labs
Labs in Biomed can be challenging, especially for chemistry and Medsci. It’s easy to run out of time in chemistry since the tutors only do a few demonstrations. You are expected to know most of the procedures, so you must familiarise yourself before the session. In Medsci, your lab grade is based on 10 MCQs at the end of the lab. Take extra time to revise the respiratory and muscle labs because those are the two most difficult labs.
4. Study smart
This is something I wish I had known back in Biomed. In semester one, my study consisted of essentially handwriting the lecture slides onto Notion. Sometimes it takes me hours to do one Biosci lecture, and I was trying to make the notes look pretty. While it looked like I studied hard, I didn’t learn much. I was on autopilot, copying and pasting when I should have been doing flashcards or active recall instead.
In semester two, I made flashcards for medsci, but I always revised the easy concepts and the things I knew because they were easy. It’s not smart to neglect the concepts you find hard!
For the 2023 cohort, you can bring a cheat sheet for the Biosci and Chem exams. You may be tempted to cram every piece of information on the cheat sheet, but this is not ideal. It’s better to write the things that are hard to memorize and not concepts you have known since high school.
5. Prepare for the MMI and UCAT
During my time in Biomed, I’ve heard many times, “The MMI is not something you can study for”, or “I got 2900, and I didn’t even study for the UCAT”, and “It’s easy, bro, just YOLO it.” While some people may be naturally talented, you don’t want to enter the UCAT and MMI without any preparation. Together, the UCAT and MMI account for 40% of your entry into medicine, so this is not something you want to “YOLO.” There are plenty of UCAT resources online to help you get started.
We will launch our own MMI course this month with hot topics and custom questions related to current events. Stay tuned on our Facebook and Instagram!
