Medicine 2015 Entry Thread!

Original post by joeymr

Hi guys, I'm currently in the midst of applying for medical school (2014 entry) and have had/been invited to interviews. If anyone has any questions regarding applying to medicine, i'm happy to answer them :smile:

Same here

Wouldn't have got this far if I didn't have the help from the tsr'ers of the year above!

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Reply 842

Original post by KimSmith1234

Hello!!
If you dont mind me asking, what were your GCSE and A level grades? :smile:

And which universities have you applied too??
Also, how do you prepare yourself for an interview??

Thank you very much.

Hello

In my GCSEs I got 6A*s 3As and 1B (English literature).
I did my AS levels in biology chemistry maths and psychology and got AAAC (C in maths)
I'm taking my A2s in biology chemistry and maths, predicted A*A*A.

Ive applied to Leicester, Manchester, Southampton and Oxford. Ive got interviews at Leicester and Manchester and I've been rejected from Oxford (BMAT wasn't high enough).

There's lots of different things you can do to prepare for an interview- i think the most important thing is getting some good quality work experience under your belt. It really does help in an interview to give examples of your motivation towards medicine and i think work experience is by far the most useful way to do this! I Try not to worry about interviews too much at this stage- focus on getting the AS grades and maybe start thinking about your personal statement.

Hope this is helpful, if you have any more questions please don't be shy :smile:

Reply 843

Original post by AspiringDoctor3

Hey

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this,
I have a few questions:
What Unis did ypu apply to?
What are your stats like?
What work experience/ volunteering did you do?
What advice would you give us studying for our AS Levels?
What advice would you give us about the Application process?
If I have anymore I'll let you know.
Thanks again :smile:

Hey

1) Ive applied to Manchester, Leicester, Southampton and Oxford.

2) 6A*s 3As and 1B at GCSE, AAAC in AS (Biology chemistry psychology and maths), predicted A*A*A at A2 (Bio chem and maths)

3) I did 1 week shadowing doctors on a stroke ward, 3 days shadowing in the emergency department and 2 years volunteering with children/young adults with learning disabilities. I really can't stress the importance of getting some good quality work experience- its absolutely vital in my opinion to have at least some caring experience (this does not necessarily mean in a hospital). Don't worry too much about quantity - its what you learn from the experience that counts.

4) Start revising for your summer exams now. Believe you me, you will be shocked by how fast June comes around. Be productive in your revision- I strongly recommend flash cards or revision posters as these can be revisted quickly and can hold a wealth of knowledge. During my AS year, i tended to ignore the things that I didn't enjoy/didnt find interesting and bombed them in the exams as a result (C grade in maths purely because I hated D1 and so refused to revise it) so try not to do this :smile:

5) I personally advise you to start looking at your personal statement now. It is an absolute bitch to write and it becomes a lot less daunting if you dont have to rush it in August. Definitely my number one tip would be to apply to your strengths. Too many people lose out on a place in medical school purely because they havent properly checked all of a universities entry requirements. Have a look at the TSR page 'applying to your strengths' and this should give you a better insight on where to aim for.

Not gonna lie, applying for medical school is hard. Competetion for places is fierce and everyone else wants it just as much as you do. If you really want it you're going to have to fight for it but i think that it is definitley worth it :smile:

Hope this helps, please feel free to ask anymore questions :smile:

Reply 844

Original post by LibbyG

Same here

Wouldn't have got this far if I didn't have the help from the tsr'ers of the year above!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Couldn't agree more :smile:

they were my saviors last year!

Reply 845

Original post by AspiringDoctor3

Hey

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this,
I have a few questions:
What Unis did ypu apply to?
What are your stats like?
What work experience/ volunteering did you do?
What advice would you give us studying for our AS Levels?
What advice would you give us about the Application process?
If I have anymore I'll let you know.
Thanks again :smile:

Original post by KimSmith1234

Hello!!
If you dont mind me asking, what were your GCSE and A level grades? :smile:

And which universities have you applied too??
Also, how do you prepare yourself for an interview??

Thank you very much.

I had 9.5A*'s 1A GCSE
4A at AS
780 UKCAT
Predicted A*A*AA in Biol, Chem, Maths and Physics :smile:

Applied to Birmingham and southampton (offers), Leicester (interview) and Nottingham (withdrawn) :smile:

Work experience and volunteering I did 2 weeks shadowing in a hospital, 8 months volunteering in a hospital, 6 months volunteering with disabled people and 2 weeks in a GP. I concur with all the advice given above :smile:

EDIT: Also there is no point doing more than 4AS and 3A levels! Biggest regret :') And listen to what was said above, start revising now!! :biggrin:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 846

Original post by joeymr

Couldn't agree more :smile:

they were my saviors last year!

Good luck with your Leicester interview! :biggrin:

I quite enjoyed it :L

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Reply 847

Original post by LibbyG

Good luck with your Leicester interview! :biggrin:

I quite enjoyed it :L

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Ive already had it haha, 16th of December :smile:

yeah i quite enjoyed it as well, it was the fastest hour of my life

Reply 848

ghost_rebel

10

Original post by joeymr

Hi guys, I'm currently in the midst of applying for medical school (2014 entry) and have had/been invited to interviews. If anyone has any questions regarding applying to medicine, i'm happy to answer them :smile:

Hey!My question is:
Will I have a disadvantage if i havent done 1 year+ of volunteering?It's really stressing me out because I've only just started volunteering this month and I would have done 10 months when I apply to uni whereas some ppl would have done at least a year!:/

Reply 849

Squshy_Olorin

13

Original post by ghost_rebel

Hey!My question is:
Will I have a disadvantage if i havent done 1 year+ of volunteering?It's really stressing me out because I've only just started volunteering this month and I would have done 10 months when I apply to uni whereas some ppl would have done at least a year!:/

Don't worry, 10 months of volunteering is plenty of time to show a long term commitment! As always when it comes to things like work experience and volunteering, it's more how you write about it in your PS then how long you've done it or how much you have done :smile:

So there's no need to worry!

Reply 850

Original post by ghost_rebel

Hey!My question is:
Will I have a disadvantage if i havent done 1 year+ of volunteering?It's really stressing me out because I've only just started volunteering this month and I would have done 10 months when I apply to uni whereas some ppl would have done at least a year!:/

I did only 6 months in a caring environment and have two offers :smile:

Reply 851

Hatayy

4

Hello all

How much voluntary work/work experience do you think isreally necessary for medicine? Just because I’m really struggling to find permanentvoluntary work in a caring setting. I’ve tried phoning up almost every carehome in the area and most seem to be 18+ L

I already volunteer one night a week with Brownies, workpart-time in a pharmacy and have done 6 days of work shadowing in hospitals(planning to do work exp at a GP’s in Summer). Do you think this would beenough? What voluntary work have people managed to find? Would working in acharity shop be any good even if it’s not dealing with ‘vulnerable people’ (whichmany universities seem to like)?

Reply 852

Squshy_Olorin

13

Original post by Hatayy

Hello all

How much voluntary work/work experience do you think isreally necessary for medicine? Just because I’m really struggling to find permanentvoluntary work in a caring setting. I’ve tried phoning up almost every carehome in the area and most seem to be 18+ L

I already volunteer one night a week with Brownies, workpart-time in a pharmacy and have done 6 days of work shadowing in hospitals(planning to do work exp at a GP’s in Summer). Do you think this would beenough? What voluntary work have people managed to find? Would working in acharity shop be any good even if it’s not dealing with ‘vulnerable people’ (whichmany universities seem to like)?

Well first of all I'd like to say when it comes to things like this, it's more how you write your experiences in your PS then how much you have done. What you have done so far and plan to do will be sufficient enough for medicine as long as you reflect well on these experiences in your personal statement.
Working in a charity shop will be good as you will have to deal with people and can improve you communication skills etc. If you want more voluntary work then you can see about voluntary placements at your local hospital, you can volunteer to help at your old primary school. There are also many charities that require volunteers that help vulnerable people such as people with learning disabilities or the homeless.

Reply 853

Original post by Hatayy

Hello all

How much voluntary work/work experience do you think isreally necessary for medicine? Just because I’m really struggling to find permanentvoluntary work in a caring setting. I’ve tried phoning up almost every carehome in the area and most seem to be 18+ L

I already volunteer one night a week with Brownies, workpart-time in a pharmacy and have done 6 days of work shadowing in hospitals(planning to do work exp at a GP’s in Summer). Do you think this would beenough? What voluntary work have people managed to find? Would working in acharity shop be any good even if it’s not dealing with ‘vulnerable people’ (whichmany universities seem to like)?

Hi! I know its really difficult to get but I would really advise getting some volunteering in a caring environment as it came up loads at my interviews! Try care homes, hospitals etc. I just went to visit people in hospital :smile:

Reply 854