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Closed - The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread [Part 1 of 3]

PLEASE HELP NEED TO SEND UCAS OFF THIS WEEKEND-

I have gcse grades of 9 A*s and 3 As, 4 As at AS, predicted grades of A* A A and 692.5 in my ukcat. Would this be enough for an interview in Birmingham and kings? (I'm an undergrad)

Reply 4741

roxanne13

Original post by Don Pedro K.

Hey guys I just did my UKCAT today too :biggrin:

(Hi @thechemistress above me ^^ hahaha)

My stats:

GCSEs: 9A*s 3As and an A in add maths.

As: AAAA

UKCAT: 722.5 (2,890 total).

I would like to apply for King's and Queen Mary's but not sure if 722.5 would be comfortable for King's because I know they're quite heavy on ze UKCAT?

Nice UKCAT score, by the way! There's information on the past UKCAT cutoffs for KCL here. Also a KCL representative came to visit our school this year and he said something like being in the 730-or-above range as "comfortable". Not sure about Queen Mary, sorry.

Reply 4742

GANFYD

18

Original post by alar

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely look into Hull York!

Do you know if I would stand a chance applying to Southampton? I really liked it there when I visited.

Southampton are a UKCAT Med School who pretty much rank on your UKCAT score. They are pretty coy about what their cut-off is each year, but you can read back through the last couple of year's Southampton threads on here and that should give you an idea. The stalking pages suggest it is in excess of 700, so you may well not quite be strong enough, though that depends a bit on this year's UKCAT centiles.
I agree HYMS would probably be good, as would Aberdeen (they use predicted A2 grades as 60% and UKCAT as 40% of scoring for interview). Also probably Dundee, SGUL, UEA (have a read of their criteria as they may have changed this year) and Liverpool (who score A's at GCSE the same as A*s). I suspect you may also meet Plymouth's UKCAT cut off. Keele is a possibility, but may waste your relatively strong UKCAT (they are traditionally PS heavy and only just starting to use UKCAT) and is not in a town at all! Manchester rank UKCAT then score PS, but I always feel PS is a bit of a lottery so would avoid Med Schools relying on this unless you need to use them. There are also the BMAT Unis if you choose to sit it.
Good luck

Reply 4743

futureDOCTOR2k15

7

guys!
am an international student who got 5A*s 1B in IGCSE (my school only offered 6 subjects)
and at as level got straight 4As in bio, chem, phy and maths and now taking 3A2s with predicted 3 A*s....in the ukcat I got an average of 655....which universities should I apply to?

Reply 4744

alexkriss99

Hi guys I'm thinking about nottingham, Bristol, Sheffield and somewhere else...? Can someone tell me what they think my chances are like?

GCSEs: 7A* 3A
AS: 4A
A2 predictions A*A*A

UKCAT:
715 average
Band 3

I've also got an EPQ in the works

thanks a lot

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4745

Jack354

6

PLEASE HELP NEED TO SEND UCAS OFF THIS WEEKEND-

I have gcse grades of 9 A*s and 3 As, 4 As at AS, predicted grades of A* A A and 692.5 in my ukcat. Would this be enough for an interview in Birmingham and kings? (I'm an undergrad)

Reply 4746

Mutmit287

22

Original post by alexkriss99

Hi guys I'm thinking about nottingham, Bristol, Sheffield and somewhere else...? Can someone tell me what they think my chances are like?

GCSEs: 7A* 3A
AS: 4A
A2 predictions A*A*A

UKCAT:
715 average
Band 3

I've also got an EPQ in the works

thanks a lot

If im honest with those stats bristol is a wasted application!

I would have a look at leicester, QUB, SGUL, birmingham, manchester!

I would try and avoid personal statement heavy universities such as sheffield and especially bristol! With such a good Ukcat and brilliant grades, that is applying to the opposite of your strengths and because personal statements are graded so subjectively it could waste an application!!

With medicine applications i would apply to places where you pretty much know your gauranteed an interview! And i think at the ones above you would be in a strong position to get an interview!

Please avoid bristol, it will be flooded with applicants this year due to it being the only school not to use an admissions test!

Also watch the band 3 at Nottingham and Leicester as they take this into account!

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(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4747

alar

Original post by GANFYD

Southampton are a UKCAT Med School who pretty much rank on your UKCAT score. They are pretty coy about what their cut-off is each year, but you can read back through the last couple of year's Southampton threads on here and that should give you an idea. The stalking pages suggest it is in excess of 700, so you may well not quite be strong enough, though that depends a bit on this year's UKCAT centiles.
I agree HYMS would probably be good, as would Aberdeen (they use predicted A2 grades as 60% and UKCAT as 40% of scoring for interview). Also probably Dundee, SGUL, UEA (have a read of their criteria as they may have changed this year) and Liverpool (who score A's at GCSE the same as A*s). I suspect you may also meet Plymouth's UKCAT cut off. Keele is a possibility, but may waste your relatively strong UKCAT (they are traditionally PS heavy and only just starting to use UKCAT) and is not in a town at all! Manchester rank UKCAT then score PS, but I always feel PS is a bit of a lottery so would avoid Med Schools relying on this unless you need to use them. There are also the BMAT Unis if you choose to sit it.
Good luck

Thank you so much GANFYD this is extremely useful!

Thats a shame about Soton :frown:

Am I right in thinking that I don't stand a chance at Newcastle or Sheffield as they are very competitive and extremely UKCAT heavy? I have done some research but cannot seem to find a definitive answer?! I am very interested in them however
Could you give me some feedback on my chances at the following uni's (I am aware they are very competitive but just want an idea as I am having trouble narrowing down choices)?:

Bristol (but don't use UKCAT so may be a waste?)
Durham (v small town?)
Exeter (again, is it a very small town?)
Liverpool
Nottingham
Glasgow
Barts
Kings
St Georges

Than you very much again i'm really stuck here

Reply 4748

Candycay

5

Hi guys, can you give me some advice on which medical schools to apply for?

GCSEs - 2A*, 8As, 1B (really dissapointed with these)
AS - AAAB
A2 predictions - A*A*A
UKCAT - 720
Volunteering - 1 week in hospital, 2 weeks in gp surgery, and longtime volunteering at youth club for disabled children
Extracurriculars include a few things like karate, art and photography.

Reply 4749

Phoebeâ™¥

2

Original post by alar

Thank you so much GANFYD this is extremely useful!

Thats a shame about Soton :frown:

Am I right in thinking that I don't stand a chance at Newcastle or Sheffield as they are very competitive and extremely UKCAT heavy? I have done some research but cannot seem to find a definitive answer?! I am very interested in them however
Could you give me some feedback on my chances at the following uni's (I am aware they are very competitive but just want an idea as I am having trouble narrowing down choices)?:

Bristol (but don't use UKCAT so may be a waste?)
Durham (v small town?)
Exeter (again, is it a very small town?)
Liverpool
Nottingham
Glasgow
Barts
Kings
St Georges

Than you very much again i'm really stuck here

Bristol are very PS heavy and they have a large number of applicants and don't use UKCAT (for 2015 cycle anyway).
If you look on the website for barts, they use tariff points and UKCAT- it ight be worth looking into this?
SGUL have a ukcat cut off and as long as your gcses score enough points you get an interview (again for 2015 entry)
Liverpool also had a large number of applicants for 2015 as they didn't use the ukcat but apparently this year they are?

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Reply 4750

thatcooldude2.0

15

Original post by Mutleybm1996

Just a quick note:
I'm a school leaver (I'm 18)
GCSE: 2A*, 7A
AS: ABBB
A2: ABBBa
UKCAT: 650 average
Offer: received yesterday for 2015 entry

This just shows that you don't need amazing grades, you only need to apply to your strengths :smile:

don't get downhearted as you CAN apply to medicine, this just shows that it's possible!

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Congrats on your offer!!!! :biggrin:

Where was it from and where else did you apply?? :smile:

Reply 4751

alar

Original post by Phoebe♥

Bristol are very PS heavy and they have a large number of applicants and don't use UKCAT (for 2015 cycle anyway).
If you look on the website for barts, they use tariff points and UKCAT- it ight be worth looking into this?
SGUL have a ukcat cut off and as long as your gcses score enough points you get an interview (again for 2015 entry)
Liverpool also had a large number of applicants for 2015 as they didn't use the ukcat but apparently this year they are?

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Thanks for the reply Phoebe!

Yeah I think Bristol is out of the question now as they will have so many applicants. Definitely will look into Barts and SGUL but I am from London and know how expensive it can be so I am shying away from this unless I really do stand a good chance? (3A*s and 8As at GCSE)

Liverpool are using UKCAT this year - not sure what chance I stand with a score of 687.5??

Also do you know what Leicester and Plymouth prioritise?

Thank you once again!

Reply 4752

GANFYD

18

Original post by alar

Thank you so much GANFYD this is extremely useful!

Thats a shame about Soton :frown:

Am I right in thinking that I don't stand a chance at Newcastle or Sheffield as they are very competitive and extremely UKCAT heavy? I have done some research but cannot seem to find a definitive answer?! I am very interested in them however
Could you give me some feedback on my chances at the following uni's (I am aware they are very competitive but just want an idea as I am having trouble narrowing down choices)?:

Bristol (but don't use UKCAT so may be a waste?)
Durham (v small town?)
Exeter (again, is it a very small town?)
Liverpool
Nottingham
Glasgow
Barts
Kings
St Georges

Than you very much again i'm really stuck here

Newcastle is hard to call, as last year they had a very low cut off due to people being afraid to apply due to the previous year's artificially inflated cut off when UKCAT scores were all very high (was around 745 2 years ago, but about 575 last year). It could go either way this year, but I suspect will either jump back up as people will just see last year's really low scores, or, more likely, settle back to its long term level of around 690. They rank purely on UKCAT score as long as you meet their minimum requirements.Sheffield set a minimum UKCAT of about 627.5 (if I remember correctly) and then rank on PS.
Bristol are the only Med School not using an entrance exam, and are PS heavy, so likely to have a lot of applicants this year
Durham are a UKCAT Med School and use the same entrance criteria as Newcastle
Liverpool score GCSEs (A's the same as A*s and traditionally have then scored PS, but this year are using UKCAT, not clear exactly how from their website, might be more info on their thread here as someone may have been to an open day.
Glasgow used to rank purely on UKCAT but now say they use academic criteria, PS, reference, and UKCAT equally.
Barts are 50:50 UCAS tariff and UKCAT so may be worth looking at
Kings are UKCAT and I suspect you would not meet their cut off
SGUL are a bit of a mix of academia and UKCAT and are worth a second look (but personally, I am with you and would stay away from London)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4753

Phoebeâ™¥

2

Original post by alar

Thanks for the reply Phoebe!

Yeah I think Bristol is out of the question now as they will have so many applicants. Definitely will look into Barts and SGUL but I am from London and know how expensive it can be so I am shying away from this unless I really do stand a good chance? (3A*s and 8As at GCSE)

Liverpool are using UKCAT this year - not sure what chance I stand with a score of 687.5??

Also do you know what Leicester and Plymouth prioritise?

Thank you once again!

I think Plymouth are ukcat heavy, I've got a feeling they rank by ukcat but not sure. Hmm well you need something like min 2400 ukcat for barts, and then they calculate the tariff points- including stuff like graded music exams. Have a look at http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_to_Medical_School_using_your_Strengths but as it's not quite up to date make sure you double check the details.

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Reply 4754

GANFYD

18

Original post by alar

Thanks for the reply Phoebe!

Yeah I think Bristol is out of the question now as they will have so many applicants. Definitely will look into Barts and SGUL but I am from London and know how expensive it can be so I am shying away from this unless I really do stand a good chance? (3A*s and 8As at GCSE)

Liverpool are using UKCAT this year - not sure what chance I stand with a score of 687.5??

Also do you know what Leicester and Plymouth prioritise?

Thank you once again!

Leicester use GCSEs, AS's and UKCAT to give you a score (out of 68, I think). Full details can be found via their website. Cut off was 59.5 last year.
Plymouth rank on UKCAT-their cutoffs for the last couple of years are listed via the UKCAT website.
Most of this info is easily available via websites, TSR wiki and pages and it is a good idea to draw up a spread sheet to show which med schools give you the best chance of an interview as few people on here have a broad general knowledge of all med schools and certainly not as they relate to your stats. Where you apply is more likely to determine whether you get a place than your GCSEs, ASs or UKCAT and I bet you spent a long time working for those! Good luck!

Reply 4755

FutureMed4321

Hi everybody, re-applicant here! :smile:

I was wondering what medical school choices seem wise with the following stats:

UKCAT: 618
GCSEs: 8 A*'s

I was thinking about Leicester, Cardiff and Keele. The UKCAT is a real let down in my application, any advice on where I can apply? and thoughts on my current choices?

Reply 4756

nomita

5

I have got 6A* and 6A in GCSE's
5A's in AS level
Predicted could be A*A*A in order in Biology, Maths and Chem (also A* in Further Maths)
UKCAT : 730, SJT Band2
Considering applying to Queen Mary's, NewCastle, Leicester, & Imperial(thinking of doing BMAT)
.Are my choices well thought of?
If any one you could suggest more choices(good) based on my Stats I would appreciate that.
Maybe then I may choose not to do BMAT if I can think of 4 good UKCAT based choices

Also which univ should I avoid based on my SJT band2? I was wondering you do universities incorporate SJT banding in there scoring system. I have heard that they combine this with interview? I am not sure. What do you guys know about that and which universities I should avoid on that reason.Does this affects interview outcome a lot.
I would appreciate your advice.
Thanks very much for all your time and help

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4757

setarcos

8

Hello everyone, another wannabe medic :biggrin:

My stats are:

gcse's: 5A*'s 3 A's and 2 B's
AS:ABBB Predictions: A*AA(dropping one subject) Bio,maths and chem at A2
UKCAT: 675 AVG ( VR: 660 QR:730 AR:650 DA:660) SJT: Band 3( :frown:

)

My AS levels are fairly low for a prospective med student and my ukcat is sorta average but I wanted to know what kind of unis I should be applying to? I was looking at St George's, Plymouth, Exeter, HYMS and other similar unis.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4758

Rolochlo

1

Hi guys. Going off UKCAT only, would it be a complete waste of time to apply to Nottingham with a 640 average (band 1 SJT) ? I know there isn't a cut-off but would I be in with a chance of interview with this score or would it be advisable to apply elsewhere? Thanks (:

Reply 4759

username1183574

7

Original post by zintanax

Some say that they use the SJT as a virtual interview...what does this mean?

Virtual interview station means that you will be assigned a score based on your SJT band which will go towards your final interview score. Leicester do this, not sure where else.

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