For students at some medical schools, such as Nottingham and Imperial, taking an intercalated degree is not a choice, it’s compulsory. With the average doctor qualifying with 37k pounds in debt and the economy looking shaky, it may not seem a sensible time to intercalate. More and more medical students, however, are choosing to do so.
There are many reasons for intercalating. Interest in a particular subject, learning generic research skills, fondness towards a particular professor, delaying graduation for a year. With the legal guarantee of a job as a doctor having evaporated, perhaps it pays to have a longer letterhead.
Hull York Medical School produced Intercalate.co.uk, a site designed for students from any UK medical school to search for intercalated degrees by subject or area. It currently focuses on bachelor’s degrees, although there are plans to expand its scope in future. Medical schools offer the opportunity to taking master’s degrees and even doctorates during their course.
There is one vital piece of information I think the database could benefit from. What is that many people after their student years regret not doing more of while they were younger? What do many people plan to do after graduation? What do many people do for a year between sixth form and university? With five UK medical schools now offering International Health, it makes sense to ask what the options for travel are. Different medical schools offer varying amounts of time and reimbursement for costs.
If you are thinking about intercalation, the best source of information is students who have intercalated. If you don’t know any, ask a member of staff to give you some names. Intercalation is a great opportunity, but it’s not for everyone. If you do want to do it, great, if not, don’t feel forced into it. It’s your time and your money at the end of the day.
Tags: intercalation
- Dom
