B.Sc.(Not my first choice)

Where to start... I guess you could say that at first medicine was not my first choice and I was slightly interested in other fields but as time went on I became more and more interested in becoming a doctor, by grade 10 I was set on getting into medicine, I worked really hard in grade 10-12 yet like thousands of South Africans I failed to get into medicine straight out of school, for those of you who don't know universities in south Africa receive around 9000 applications for medicine of which they can only take around 250.

                                                                       

Since my first attempt didn't work out it was suggested that I do a B.Sc. and try and jump into medicine within the first 6 months of university (the first 6 months of B.Sc. and MBCHB/MBBS are the same, so most universities use this to top up the class if there are extra spaces). My first week at campus came as a shock, when the head of the department asked how many of you are doing B.Sc. to get into medicine and about 800 of the 1000 students put their hands up I thought that there was no hope, never the less I was there and so I tried to do my best. My first year was tough as the adjustments of living alone away from home combined with the gap between school and university can be overwhelming. Apart from the downsides first year can have its good times like the great people you meet from different places, all enriching your life in some way.

After the tough first year I found my "happy place" and despite the harder work I started really enjoying university my marks went up and all was great, third year went even better. I guess this is partly due to the type of work you are doing in these years, the first year is very broad in B.Sc. for instance you will cover basic science and then in your second and third years you will specialize into the type of B.Sc. you have selected and in my case this was human physiology, for those of you who do not know medicine, especially your first two years is composed of physiology( how the organs and the body  function) and anatomy ( the structure of organs and the body).

B.Sc. is only a three year course and at the end of each year you can apply for medicine at the institute you are studying at ( important to note that other institutes will not accept students that are studying until there degree is complete) the chances of getting in after the first 6 months are nearly impossible as there are not many people that choose to drop out of medicine and the fact that universities will only accept you into medicine if you have a two year clean record-what this means is that your marks have to be really good for two years with no sups/50% or failed subjects and chances are that if you have good marks, you would have gotten in within the first 6 months.

Just some important points to highlight about B.Sc., the reason most people do a B.Sc. is to get into medicine the rejection letters that most universities give out often say that an alternative is to do a B.Sc. and try again in the first six months and as mentioned above, if you know you are unable to do extremely well in those first 6 months, then I would advise against this as most B.Sc. degrees are pointless without specialization. For those who are really trying for medicine but don't have the time or finances, I would suggest either doing a degree that is easier or is an alternative to medicine that you like and can use if medicine doesn't work out and trying to get into medicine with those marks. Universities will normally accept any post graduate student given that they have done chemistry, biology and math’s at university level ( this is my understanding... Please first check with each of the relevant universities before making any decisions.) The main difference is with a B.Sc. you can apply after the first six months. A B.Sc. also is a really good course to get into the medical field as it teaches you a lot of detail on parts of medicine, this may come as an advantage if you make it into medicine.