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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

So, You Want a Career in Defence? Part 2

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To read Part 1 of this blog, describing minimum entry requirements, go here.

Airforce:  The Airforce offers opportunities for a broad range of young people from those who will complete apprenticeships in things like welding and electronics, through to those who will become Pilots and Officers.  To apply, you should look for advertisements in the newspaper or go to the SAAF website  in January – March after you have completed Matric.  Like our other defence units, you join as a volunteer for two years training with the Military Skills Development Unit beginning with 6 months of basic training.  Each mustering in the SAAF, also known as occupational class in the public service and trade in the technical environment of civil aviation, has requirements for specific education qualifications, additional personal attributes and a willingness to serve under the working conditions of that particular mustering.    Read more

So, You Want to be an Engineer?

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Engineers are problem solvers. To solve problems, they use scientific and mathematical principles as tools.

To be an engineer, you must have a strong aptitude for problem solving, mathematics, chemistry and physics, physics is probably the most important tool. You must be interested in applying these scientific principles to the real world.  If you are interested in building, understanding, and making things better and more efficient, engineering may be right for you. Read more

Medicine careers illustrated by doctor

So, You Want to Study Medicine and Be a Doctor?

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You might be drawn to medicine careers if you are people-oriented and you love science.  You might want to be a doctor because the pay is great and it is a prestigious career.  The sad reality is that there many people loving, science loving teens out there and most of them don’t get to be doctors.  What does it take? What can you do if you don’t have what it takes but you wish you did? Read more