The Student Room Group

Biggest regrets from medicine applications

Basically what it says what do you wish you'd done/ not done and what would you do differently if you had to apply again. Things like applied to/ firmed a different uni.

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Reply 1
Maybe picked a uni with lower grades as my back-up. My firm's AAB, and my insurance is ABB.
I mean, if I work hard enough I should get a B in Chemistry (my worst subject), but it'd be nice to know that even if I get a C I'll have a place.
Reply 2
Original post by Esiuol
Maybe picked a uni with lower grades as my back-up. My firm's AAB, and my insurance is ABB.
I mean, if I work hard enough I should get a B in Chemistry (my worst subject), but it'd be nice to know that even if I get a C I'll have a place.


How can your offer be AAB for medicine?
I would imagine that many entrance grades would of increased from last year, but I was accepted to Keele on AAB last year. Other med schools were offering AAB as well.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by Hippokrates
How can your offer be AAB for medicine?


I'm guessing they are talking about a different subject.


Mine would have been to revise harder for the UKCAT. A higher score would have widened my options quite a lot.
My biggest regret was not having a gap year - for anyone considering taking one i would definitely recommend it. Going straight into uni work from college was tough, would of been nice to of had a break and done some travelling.
I mentioned KCL twice in my personal statement lol. Got rejected from all the other universities I'd applied to, but hey king's was my first choice :biggrin:
Reply 7
Original post by TheStudent.
I mentioned KCL twice in my personal statement lol. Got rejected from all the other universities I'd applied to, but hey king's was my first choice :biggrin:


Did you get into Kings? They always say not to do this at open days didn't you expect 3 rejections?
Reply 8
Original post by MedSchoolTweet
I would imagine that many entrance grades would of increased from last year, but I was accepted to Keele on AAB last year. Other med schools were offering AAB as well.


Yeah but they're all AAA this year except Cambridge which is A*AA
Reply 9
Original post by Hippokrates
How can your offer be AAB for medicine?


Lol, I was about to say "What on Earth makes you think I'm doing medicine?" then I realised this is the medicine forum. -headdesk- God, I can be stupid at times! xD
Original post by Hippokrates
Did you get into Kings? They always say not to do this at open days didn't you expect 3 rejections?


Rejected post-interview.

Half and half :tongue:
Reply 11
Original post by Hippokrates
Basically what it says what do you wish you'd done/ not done and what would you do differently if you had to apply again. Things like applied to/ firmed a different uni.


I should have applied to Bristol in my first UCAS application. I also wish I'd had better luck with Cambridge...Thankfully I'll have the opportunity to apply to both places this time around, as I'll be applying as a mature student (I've just recovered from a quite severe illness which had meant I had to leave the university I was at before). Hopefully this time around I'll have better luck.
Original post by Hippokrates
Yeah but they're all AAA this year except Cambridge which is A*AA


Keele's standard offer this year is 360 UCAS Points (AAA or A*AB), but not AAB :redface:

Keele did, however, have a standard offer of AAA-AAB last year, for 2011 entry.
Reply 13
I'm not a medic, but my biggest regret is probably how much I stressed myself out applying. I thought the world would end if I didn't get into my first choice and now I'm here I realise I was worried about nothing and if anything I would have had a better time elsewhere.

Of people I know, several people I think would say their biggest regret was having a backup with entrance standards which were too high. Sadly you often can't predict how your results will turn out, even if you're a very strong candidate, and a few of my friends were caught out choosing, saying an AAB firm and an ABB insurance where the A for both needed to be in a specific subject. They got AAB overall but the B was in their best subject, so they ended up having to go through clearing which was really devastating for one of them.
Reply 14
Original post by Bimbleby
I'm not a medic, but my biggest regret is probably how much I stressed myself out applying. I thought the world would end if I didn't get into my first choice and now I'm here I realise I was worried about nothing and if anything I would have had a better time elsewhere.

Of people I know, several people I think would say their biggest regret was having a backup with entrance standards which were too high. Sadly you often can't predict how your results will turn out, even if you're a very strong candidate, and a few of my friends were caught out choosing, saying an AAB firm and an ABB insurance where the A for both needed to be in a specific subject. They got AAB overall but the B was in their best subject, so they ended up having to go through clearing which was really devastating for one of them.


That makes sense I know my cousin had her firm and insurance as the same grades she's just lucky her insurance accepted her anyway even though she missed the grades. My brother was the complete opposite he firmed a lower offer because he was worried about not getting 1 A* then ended up with 3A*s.
Regrets are many for Medicine:

- Having a negative attitude going into my UKCAT exam (I thought I was bound to do poorly, and while I didn't do poorly, I think I could have done better with a different attitude).
- Not revising for longer for the BMAT since that essentially broke my Cambridge application (in my opinion, BMAT is the main deciding factor for most applicants unless their academics prior are close to flawless).
- Not being more confident at my UCL interview
- Not applying to more places when seeking volunteer work (I had a placement at a school fall through because the guy supposed to be organising it was never there).
- Not buying the interview book before my interviews started

Still turned out all right in the end though :smile:
Reply 16
Original post by Davidragon
Regrets are many for Medicine:

- Having a negative attitude going into my UKCAT exam (I thought I was bound to do poorly, and while I didn't do poorly, I think I could have done better with a different attitude).
- Not revising for longer for the BMAT since that essentially broke my Cambridge application (in my opinion, BMAT is the main deciding factor for most applicants unless their academics prior are close to flawless).
- Not being more confident at my UCL interview
- Not applying to more places when seeking volunteer work (I had a placement at a school fall through because the guy supposed to be organising it was never there).
- Not buying the interview book before my interviews started

Still turned out all right in the end though :smile:

Can you give any advice on best way to prepare for UK Cat exam ,please?
Reply 17
Original post by Elwyn
I'm guessing they are talking about a different subject.


Mine would have been to revise harder for the UKCAT. A higher score would have widened my options quite a lot.


What do you mean by revise harder?longer?do a course?Trying toget ideas on how people prepared in other years.
I wish I'd trusted my own abilities and realised that I was going to get decent grades. Not fantastic, but decent. I could have got into a much better uni than the one I ended up at, but decided I was going to do rubbish and therefore only applied to low grade places. Have regretted it ever since results day, and obviously it's something that I'll have to live with.. but now I've learned to trust myself!
Reply 19
Wasted a choice (Bristol) because my boyfriend at the time wanted to go there so I was like "Oh I'll apply too" 1) The requirements are pretty high. 2) We broke up like 2 weeks later. FAIL.

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