Missed out on Medicine but still want to be a Doctor?

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Getting into medicine is hard.  There is fierce competition for spaces with universities only offering 200-250 medicine places each year.  Successfully completing medicine is even harder with seven very demanding years of study ahead.  Fortunately there are plentiful other opportunities in the health sector.  These are easier to access than medicine and still offer fulfilling and well paid careers.  If you want to explore other health science options have a look here.  There are also options in health support, information here.  However, if your heart is still set on being a doctor and you are willing to work hard, here is what you can do.

Ways into Medicine Degrees

  1. Take a science degree and transfer to medicine.

Several universities offer you the opportunity to transfer to medicine from a science degree.  You must still as meet minimum entrance requirements based on your matric results.  You also must be one of the top performers in your degree.  Stellenbosch University (SU) allows transfers from a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology at Stellenbosch at the end of first year.  The University of Pretoria (UP) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have similar offers. Read more

TVET Colleges

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TVET  Colleges (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) are public tertiary institutes offering a wide range of practical training options for people with or without matric.  Funding is available for TVET courses through the government NSFAS scheme.  Courses  are practical and relevant to the community making participants highly employable.  Read more

How to Apply for NSFAS

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Contact NSFAS:  Facebook message    Tel No.: 0860 067 327   Email: info@nsfas.org.za

Contact Khetha for online help: https://www.careerhelp.org.za/ or SMS “phone me” to 0722045056

Recently a young person contacted me saying “Can you help me apply for NSFAS?  Make it simple.  What do I need to do?” I responded:

Applying for NSFAS is not simple!

It’s best to be up front about that.  However, there are some things you can do to make it less painful.

How to Apply for NSFAS Online

1. Open an email account.  Make sure you save your user name and password in a safe place.  Your phone is not a safe place.

2. Download the consent form  Read more

Funding Your Study Through Tertiary Bursary Programs- South Africa

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A tertiary bursary is awarded for study after high school at TVET colleges, Universities of Technology and Universities.  There are several different types of bursaries awarded for selected reasons.  These reasons may include academic excellence, special talent, categories of people – racial, religious categories, gender or disabilities and financial need.  It is important to read carefully the type of person the bursar is looking for.

Bursaries are provided by charitable organisations, wealthy individuals and companies.  Companies such as Nedbank provide bursaries because they want to see more young people graduate into their sector.  These organisations are spending their own money so they get to choose the type of person or study field that they want to spend it on.   Read more

Building a Career if you Failed School

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When you look at the kids sitting in a Matric class, the class does not look half empty. But the numbers show that of the class that started school 12 years ago, only half are currently sitting in a Matric class. Half will have failed school and dropped out of the system before they get to the end of Grade 12.

How many of the kids that started school 12 years ago, will have a degree three years after they complete Matric? The most recent research shows that it is 9,9%. Read more