Why I Chose Not to Intercalate
Hello! My name’s Caitlyn and I’m a 4th year medical student at King’s College London. I also run the medic/studygram @medi_cate_ and am the Stage 3 representative for KCL GP Society.
I made the decision not to intercalate this year, instead going straight into the third and final stage of my medical degree. For anyone who isn’t sure what intercalating is, it is an additional year added onto your medical degree, offered by the majority of medical schools in the UK, and an opportunity to study a specific area/field of interest. For KCL, it can be taken between years 3 and 4 of the MBBS course, but this can differ between universities. It is also worth noting that for certain universities it is compulsory, for some it is ‘opt in’ and others it is ‘opt out’. Depending on the medical school you intercalate at, you can complete a BSc, BA or even a MSc. In this article, I would like to discuss why I personally decided against intercalating, weighing up a few ‘pros and cons.’
When I started my medical degree, I actually spent my first few years certain that I would intercalate when it came round to it, sure that I would do it in women’s health, anatomy, or another one of my favourite topics. It was only during 3rd year medicine that I realised that it simply wasn’t for me! A large part of this was that as part of 3rd year, we had a research module called a ‘Scholarly Project’ which involved a literature review. After trawling endlessly through PubMed and Google Scholar, spending hours analysing data and figures for my project, I had the revelation that I just really don’t like research. Therefore, the realisation that intercalating would likely involve a whole host of scientific essays, articles and research was a realisation that I probably wouldn’t immensely enjoy intercalating! However, if research is something that interests/excites you, then an intercalation year is the perfect opportunity to build your portfolio, gain skills, and try out a different career avenue!
Another thing that switched my thinking in 3rd year was the huge news that UKFPO were no longer allocating additional points towards EPM (Educational Performance Measure – our ranking when applying for foundation training) for a previous degree or intercalated degree. When I heard about the change, I unexpectedly felt massive relief and realised that a large part of my reasoning for intercalating was in fact the points, which isn’t (in my opinion) a good enough reason to dedicate a year of your life to something! I would however like to add that particular specialty training programmes do still look very favourably upon intercalated degrees, especially the more competitive training programmes, such as surgery specialties.
In terms of practical, logistical considerations, intercalating does add another year of studying onto an already hefty degree. For me, a student on the extended medical degree programme at KCL, my degree is already 6 years long instead of 5, meaning that to intercalate would mean 7 years of university. This might appeal to some, but personally the idea of graduating in 2025, rather than 2024, was extremely off-putting. Another practical consideration is that degrees aren’t cheap, and intercalating costs an extra £9250 in loans, plus further in costs of living, and accumulating more student-debt was something that I was acutely aware of and wanted to avoid if possible!
Finally, a lot of medical students intercalate to take a break from medicine itself, and all the demands of the MBBS curriculum. For me, I genuinely love clinical medicine and placements - I couldn’t wait to progress from 3rd to 4th year and I didn’t want to delay becoming a doctor if I could help it!
Overall, I believe that this decision is a big one and it is entirely individual, based on various personal circumstances and preferences. There are so many advantages and disadvantages to either choice, and much to consider. Only you can know what the best decision is for you!