Wednesday 3 September 2008

Dilemma Part 2

Merys has made a very good point in the comments from my last post. Will this extra "thing" I'm thinking of doing actually give me any advantage when it comes to F1 applications and beyond?

Part of me thinks that it will. I get a diploma if I pass the exams, which means a couple of extra letters after my name and the acknowledgement that I have a fairly good knowledge in the subject at hand. This particular diploma aims to give everyone who passes it a good enough knowledge of the subject to lecture others in it. Surely that can't be a bad thing.

On the other hand it is a little abstract. It's not particularly sciency, although it is directly related to medicine. Will this make me look a bit flakey?

I know that the tasks set will allow me to improve my confience, and mix with new people, many of whom will be actual doctors as opposed to just students. However I'm sure I can gain most of the same skills from special study modules at university. The main advantage to this diploma is that it will allow me to study something I have a personal interest in at a greater depth than my university could ever offer.

Does anyone know if additional diplomas gain extra points in MTAS? Part of me wonders if it is even worth asking that question as probably in 3 years when I graduate everything will have changed again.

Advice is welcome... (or more exactly needed because I can't make up my own mind)

3 comments:

madsadgirl said...

You really need to ask the right people whether it will help gain extra points for MTAS. But you also need to ask yourself why, when it is something that that you are really interested in and will give you an extra qualification, you are being so negative about it.

I understand your concerns about your relationship and how this course of study may affect your boy time, but you also need to think about your future career and making sure that you do all that you can to benefit that.

I hope that you manage to sort out the dilemma soon, so that you can concentrate on the things that matter.

Rooshin said...

Goddam sod the relationship, imagine the opportunities and the synaptic plasticity you will gain. I'm sure the relationship will accommodate a few missed Saturdays without each other, if it's strong. Besides you can also skip a few lectures and have a lie in :)

Anna said...

Yes, a diploma will give you extra points on your Foundation Programme application. A whole 1 to 3 points depending on the level of qualification. On one hand, its the same as the difference between quartiles, on the other, its a piddling percentage of approx 55 points up for grabs from the answers to seven somewhat false questions. The power of bullshitting will earn you so much more.