Straight-As student may be forced to move to ROMANIA to study medicine after being rejected by four British universities



Promising teenager got top grades in chemistry, biology and geography

But Miriam Bourne failed to secure a place at any of her university choices

The 18-year-old is planning to move overseas to pursue her doctor dream



But first she needs £60,000 to pay for her course at Ovidius University

A student who achieved three A grades in her A'Levels may be forced to move to Romania to study to become a doctor after four universities in the UK turned her applications down.



Miriam Bourne, of Bodmin in Cornwall, achieved As in chemistry, biology and geography, but was denied a place at all of the universities she had applied to, including Keele and Manchester.

This is despite other students from Bodmin College being offered places to study medicine, even though their grades were not as good as Miriam's.

Devastated: Miriam Bourne achieved top marks in her A Levels, but was rejected to study medicine by every university she applied to

Forced overseas: The 18-year-old is hoping to secure a place at Ovidius University in Constanta, Romania

The 18-year-old said: 'Studying medicine is so competitive and there are only a limited number of places available, I know, but it has been my dream to become a doctor for quite a few years now.

'I did have interviews at Manchester University and Keele University but didn’t get in, which has been really disappointing.'

Miriam, who has two GPs within her extended family, now faces the prospect having to move to the Romanian city of Constanta, where she will be able to pursue her ambition at Ovidius University.

The qualification they offer is recognised by the General Medical Council and other countries across the world.

Counting the cost: Miriam will need to find £60,000 to pay for her course

But if she does decide to move overseas she will need to raise £60,000 to pay for the six-year course at because she will not qualify for the usual student grants or financial help open to other under graduates in the UK.

She said: ' I attended a medical student conference at Nottingham University that mentioned the Romanian medical school, and it does appeal to me because it is a very practical course, but with the tuition fees, accommodation, food and travelling expenses it will cost about £10,000 per year.

' Although I do have some savings, I don’t think I will be able to get enough money on my own to go there, but it’s something I am considering.'



Miriam originally had ambitions of becoming a midwife or nurse but was encouraged by her teachers to aim higher and become a doctor after they saw her potential.

Her mother Jackie said: 'Miriam was devastated to get rejected from the four universities, particularly Keele, where she thought she did well.

' It is so frustrating when some of her friends did get places to study medicine even though their results were not as good as Miriam’s.'

A spokesman for UCAS, which handles applications on behalf of universities, said if a student failed to get into the university of their choice this year, they could apply again next year.

He added: ' Securing a university place is competitive, and although students may miss out on the place they hoped for, other universities are likely to make them an offer.

' There are still thousands of courses with vacancies in clearing, listed on the UCAS website. If an applicant has their heart set on a particular course that isn’t available, one option is to apply again next year.'



Rejected: Manchester University was among the four UK institutions that turned the promising student down

Sadly Miss Bourne is not the first hardworking student to fall of the exacting standards enforced by many top flight universities.

Last week Alastair Hernon found himself in the same situation when he was rejected from Oxford despite getting seven A*s in his A-levels.

But the teenager from Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland was more than consoled by the flurry of offers received from across the Atlantic.



Having secured top grades in biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, Latin and Classical Greek he was offered places at both Harvard and Princeton.



But he decided to accept a place at Stanford, one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions in California, where he plans to study chemistry from September.

The most famous incident of this kind came in 2000 when northern teenager Laura Spence, hit the headlines.

Her rejection from Oxford university ignited a national rows about elitism in the country’s best universities after Magdalen College refused the then 18-year-old a place even though she got five top grades in her A-levels.



Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time - dubbed Oxford's decision a 'scandal' and launched a bitter attack on the university's selection procedures.



Dr Spence, from Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, was offered a £35,000 scholarship to study Biological Sciences at Harvard where she graduated with honours.

