09 November 2008

Resits vs MTAS

The way I see it, this post could potentially lead to arguments. My facts may be wrong, but it's time for me to get back to where I started with this blog: writing about my course and medicine and less about my personal life.

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I've done two years of medical school so far and had a resit in each year.

Going to check the resit results always surprises me, as the people who are also waiting for results are never the people I expect to be there.  They aren't the students who repeatedly skip lectures, PBL, placement sessions.

They're the students who throw their heart and soul into medicine and extra curricular activities. The students who work hard voluntarily, who have families, who have jobs, who are on committees etc.

What worries me is that for me, I'm becoming involved in committees and voluntary work not just because I want to, but because I am aware that it could benefit my MTAS application at the end of medical school.

What worries me more, is that people are more concerned about applying to deaneries than actually getting the grades.

In the fifth year we are ranked into quartiles based on our academic progress through medical school.

As I understand it (and this could be wrong) our rankings count less than our supporting evidence on MTAS.*

Should it really be this way?

Comments welcomed...

*Please let me know if this is right.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As i understand the differences between the quartiles are now two points a piece, which in an application scored out of something around 100 (not entirely sure) quartile rankings count for squat.

And so they should in my opinion, as rankings can bring out fierce, unbridled competition that can destroy the ethos of medical school.

As I understand, the real competition begins for ST-training which is far more centred around which specialty you are applying for, what you have done in the past to show interest towards that specialty and what you've accomplished during your foundation years training.

MTAS rules regarding quartiles and weightings changed last year, and will probably change again before we come to apply via MTAS.

Future Doc said...

From what I understand, there is still to much weigh given to washy questions while academic achievement and other activities suffer. A complete overhaul is needed, returning to a CV based system but without the old boy's club.

Anonymous said...

"rankings can bring out fierce, unbridled competition that can destroy the ethos of medical school."

Oh dear. if someone is cleverer than you, knows more and has worked harder why shouldn't that be recognised? Not sure sure what you feel the ethos of medical school is but it isn't encouraging mediocratity

Unfortunately unbridled competition is something you are going to have to deal with for the rest of your career.