NGC4676 (Offline)

Anecdotes and 'witty' quotes can often backfire on you if they ask about it during interview. Look up personal statements online to know what to avoid.

When you're writing your PS about extra curriculars and work experience, don't just list. Talk about skills that you gained becaues of it, and why it's so applicable etc. For example, "Through participating in the debating society, I have learned to listen more carefully, cooperate with my partner as well as deal with stressful situations. These are all skills highly transferable to a career in medicine." or something like that. Make it sound more interesting though lol, I just whipped that up. Pick and choose though, or it'll get tedious for the reader. Don't get everyone you know you read it. Your careers advisor, a subject teacher you're close to and relevant to medicine ie chem or bio, pick a friend who's good at writing and quite objective. Too many people = too many ideas to cram into not many characters. Also, the opening of your PS should get the reader's attention, but don't be a cliche.

UCL this year filled their international quota by Dec even though they offered rescheduled interviews (due to snow) in Jan which were automatically rejected... So not a good rep from them. Peninsula and Exeter have been pretty good too, I heard.

Also, if your'e used to scientific calculators rather than simple one, you might want to get use to simple calculators again before exams because that's all you're going to get. I struggled during the maths section because I didn't know how to use C and CE calculators Hehe.

BMAT essay scores do matter as it makes you stand out if you get a good score, but it's only for the fine distinction - don't worry too much if you don't do well because you can compensate for it with good interview skills. Know your physics, biology, chemistry to GCSE level, the formulas for physics. Try picking up a CGP book and know the main concepts if you didn't do an equivalent syllabus.

I think Imperial is quite international friendly, I tried for Barts as well and got in. I know Brighton and Sussex has an international scholarship even. I would recommend avoid UCL and Edinburgh -

Yeah I think that would be reasonable because it's difficult to break into the the wider school community with something prominent in only a year GCSEs don't really matter that much Just try to get really good predicted grades and reference letters.

There are BMAT past papers on the internet, and UKCAT practice books for sale. Depends on how you usually do in exams (I personally am pretty good at exam technique, so I didn't have to do as much - you won't get the most detailed advice from me ), you might want to practice more, or not really bother. UKCAT: the book I had (I've forgotten the name) had more difficult questions than in the test, I think on purpose so it freaked me out, but helped me familiarise myself with the question style.

(especially Edinburgh since they don't interview - many home students applying there in my experience seem to have sparkling CVs such as national sports team) They seem to prefer Scottish, NIreland/Welsh then English, and Int'l are somewhat of an afterthought. Although they fill the quota of overseas students, they aren't desperate to have you.

Best of luck don't be afraid to write back if you have anymore specific questions
C

but so is everyone else. Don't let it go to your head.
And as an international student especially, I'd advice you to research your university options carefully. Medical school is medical school so don't be afraid to pick some lower down the rankings so you'd have a better chance of at least getting a place in an insurance school. If you get in somewhere better, great, but **** happens... Check out which universities love overseas student, which ones have the biggest number of international applicants, which ones offer partial scholarship (consider them even if it's just in name). For example, don't hold such high hopes for Scottish universities, imo

For example, I co-founded my school's student newspaper a few years ago and remained as copyeditor for three years - so if it's not too late yet, make a noteworthy commitment in terms of workload and time. It shows you don't give up easily and you see things through. I also managed to talk about my post in terms of going above and beyond the job description - which they seemed to like. Also, if you are already a prominent member of your school community, consider how you would answer if they ask you about how you are going to approach the "big fish in small pond to small fish in the ocean" situation.

Another tip would be, show off your better qualities but don't be arrogant. I made the mistake of being a bit too full of myself in some cases in hindsight and they haven't served me too well. You may be cream of the crop in your school but everyone's predicted A* if they're looking seriously into medical school. The competition's fierce and know that you're a fantastic candidate -

Hi there First of all, best of luck with your applications. My advice to you is to get involved in ways that matter - no school really cares about how you managed to participate in fifty different clubs - so find a few you really love and make a difference in those. These gives you things to talk about - ways you interacted with superiors, your peers, delegating tasks or managing troublemakers, specific situations. This shows off your time management skills, leadership, possibly public speaking skills.