#intercalated degree

[quilavastudy]

I'm a UK medical student who is considering Intercalation, but I can't decide what to study. I'm caught between a clinical science MSc or an iBA in Humanities. As an F2, with all your knowledge and experience, do you have any rare insider knowledge about the benefits of what type of intercalation one does? How do I make up my mind if I like them both?? Part of me wants to just forget it and focus on passing final year, but I wonder if we students romanticise the life of a working FY1 too much.

So yeah firstly, I would definitely recommend intercalating, I know some people just do it for the points but I think it’s really worth doing in itself. If I hadn’t intercalated, I wouldn’t have realised how much I like research and I wouldn’t be going down the path I am now. It also gave me such a nice year to relax more and have hardly any lectures and all that! I definitely needed that ‘break’ from medicine. This is why I’m going to do an F3 too, what’s the rush. 

But I honestly don’t have that much knowledge on the different types I’m afraid. My uni only offered Masters of either education or clinical research/sciences, so I did the research one. Masters usually gives you more points for foundation or specialty training, but again I don’t think you should choose just based on points (also I think I heard they’re no longer using points from extra degrees for the foundation programme?). 

So yeah I personally think the main thing to think about is which you’d enjoy more, and/or which would help your career interests more. And whether you’d rather do it to help your career, or more do it for fun/make you a more well-rounded person.  Sorry I can’t be more specific or helpful! x

[studiousmedic]

Just had my place on my masters changed from conditional to unconditional and have confirmed my attendance, still doesn't really feel real that I'm going to be spending the next year in research, just want to get started now! And mildly terrified that I've underestimated the course and overestimated my abilities and that I'm not going to be good enough for it. Also I think I am going to try to instagram a photo every day of my masters just for the memories, probably using the hashtag #sarahdoespostgrad or something like that

[quilavastudy]

I passed my masters, guys! Got 76% in my dissertation, which I am pretty damn pleased with (the marking in this masters is HARSH, no one got above 80%).

I’m now Hallie Surname MRes! Now it’s time to go get that MBBS 💪🏻

[quilavastudy]

One of the good things about doing this Masters is that although I enjoy it and all the free time it’s given me, it’s made me miss medicine! So I think I’ll go back fresh and excited to start, whereas I bet if I’d gone straight to 5th year from 4th year I would have felt burnt out.

While I sometimes feel a bit jealous seeing a lot of my friends become doctors this year and get excited for their jobs, I’m glad I took the time out. And yes I’m writing this post to procrastinate from doing my dissertation.

[quilavastudy]

Why should the NHS pay for you to intercalate?

It’s not strictly that they pay for us to intercalate, it’s that they pay tuition fees for the years after your 4th year of study. For some people who are on a 5 year course and don’t intercalate, that means the NHS will only pay for your 5th year (your last year). If you’re on a 6 year medical course or deliberately choose to intercalate, you’ll have your last 2 years paid for. 

I’m pretty sure this is because it’s a long course and we’ll be racking up a lot of debt - the NHS paying our tuition fees even just for 1-2 years will help lessen that. They don’t want to put people off medicine because of ridiculous debts. And as for why should they help out - why shouldn’t they? Most of us are going to be working in the NHS for the rest of our working lives. The NHS needs doctors. Most of us will definitely end up giving back to the NHS more than we took.

Also, intercalating, for many people, deepens their expertise in a specific field. As I’m intercalating in gastroenterology research, I’m now more inclined to do gastro research in the future, which again could benefit the NHS. So I doubt they want to put people off intercalating, and especially since so many med schools are 6 year courses now with a built-in intercalation year. 

[quilavastudy]

Part 1-Hiya! So I'm in 2nd year and we were told that in year 2022/23, they'll be introducing the MLA to the final years. If I don't intercalate, I won't do the MLA. If I do, I'll have to do it and we will be first one to do it. We were recommended to intercalate after 3rd year. The thing idk anymore if I should intercalate or not as I'm worried about the MLA and being behind from everyone (as a lot of my course mates are getting putting off)

Part 2-I get it’s ok to be ‘behind’ but idk why this makes me feel at unease (I didn’t go to uni straight from school). So my question is: why are people are getting put off by the MLA and not wanting to intercalate. And do you think I should intercalate or not? Like Does it give me a disadvantage if I don’t intercalate? And what do you think I should do and any advices you have? I understand you might not know about the MLA but I really need some advice as I feel worried :( and idk why i am

//

I have never heard anything about this MLA, I’ve tried googling as well and ??? What is it? I’m assuming some kind of standardised test?

Thing is, even though I don’t know much about it, if they’re going to get every final year to do it, then it should be something that you can pass - just like finals, the PSA etc. So I don’t think you should let something like that put you off intercalating. It might be an added stress in finals year, but honestly we’ve already got so many tests and deadlines in final year I doubt it’d make much difference. 

If you want to intercalate, you should intercalate. I’m SO glad I did - it’s giving me extra points for applying to foundation, it gives me an extra edge when applying for academic foundation, and also hopefully for when I apply for specialty jobs. Above that, I really enjoyed it and now I’m thinking of having a career in that field. And trust me, you catch up SO quickly when you go back into final year, and I’m sure there will be lots of other people in the same boat, as so many people intercalate these days! 

From the recent stats I’ve seen about the foundation programme, it looks like over half of medical students have an extra degree now, so in a way you would be disadvantaged if you don’t. However, it all depends on what you want and where you want to get to - and you can potentially do a masters or whatever later on. It’s up to you! x 

[quilavastudy]

How did you apply for an intercalated degree like what did you have to do and were there any requirements they asked for?

Hi! I did mine at my own uni, so the application process wasn’t as long or tricky as it would have been if I’d applied to do one at another uni. My uni basically lets anyone do it as long as they aren’t failing. I think it would’ve been harder to get into if I’d applied to do one in London or something.

But for mine, I just needed to send in a personal statement going on about why I wanted to do MRes, and a short proposal of what research I planned to do, along with an application form with my details etc. That was pretty much it! x

[stilettosandstethoscopes]

Module 2

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