Parent's Guide: My Child Has Been Rejected From Medical School

How can I help my child if they’ve been rejected from Medical School?

Although there are a range of practical options you can help them with (such as registering to resit A-Levels or seeking out further work experience), the most important thing to remember is that the rejection will likely be very difficult for them. The best thing you can do now is to give them emotional support.

Give them your support

Receiving rejections from Medical Schools will be tough for your child, so they’ll need your support.

Remind them that the Medicine application process is incredibly competitive, with application numbers currently rising each year and only a limited number of places available, so lots of other applicants will be in the same situation.

Just because they have been rejected this time, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t good enough. Assure them that they still have plenty of options available to them.

Talk through their options

If your child didn’t get into Medicine this year, there are several options available to them. You can find out more in this blog.

Their options include:

• Taking a year out and reapplying for Medicine next year
• Studying a different degree instead, such as Biomedical Science, which could allow them to transfer to Medicine (at certain universities) or apply for Graduate Entry Medicine later
• Applying to study Medicine abroad
• Considering an alternative career, e.g. in Allied Health – remember there is more to working in Medicine than being a Doctor!

If your child received an offer to study Medicine but missed out on their place because they didn’t achieve the required A-Level grades, you might want to look into UCAS Clearing.

Help them to come up with a plan

Once you have gone through the options with your child and they have decided what they would like to do next, help them to come up with a plan.

For example, if they want to take a year out and reapply for Medicine next year, think together of some ways they can boost their application and become a stronger candidate. If their grades let them down, they may need to resit A-Levels. They could use their year out to gain more work experience, do extra UCAT prep/BMAT prep, and fit in plenty of interview preparation.

Support them throughout the year

If your child has been rejected from Medical School, they don’t just need your support now – they will need it in the coming months.

Regardless of what they decide to do next, make sure you are there to support them and reassure them that it isn’t the end of the world that they missed out on Medical School.