definitely 600 qs book
try UPO..lots of qs for a good deal
and google the individual sections and you will get loads of free qs
and the free kaplan test which is online

and the last thing i did was the Pearson UKCAt practice which i got from the tsr...some nice person put it up!

Reply 7423

Saif95

When a medicine and dentistry summer school asks 'What are you ambitions for the future' what am I supposed to write?

Future ambitions in terms of what?
I just want to make sure I write the right thing.

Reply 7424

username356927

Original post by Saif95

Well that is a pretty personal question. I suppose they would like to hear that you plan to study medicine or dentistry...

Reply 7425

Azrael_Alexnder

Just coming off the back of 3 graduate entry medicine rejections I though I would actually see if you guys think it's worth applying in 2013:

Physiology and Pharmacology Degree: (2i prediction)

A-Levels:

A2 Biology C
A2 Chemistry B
A2 Maths C

AS Economics D

GCSE's:
Business Studies A
English B
English Literature B
Mathematics A
Religious Studies (Compulsory) A*
Religious Studies B
Science Double Award AA
Diploma in Digital Applications: Merit (I believe it's worth 4 GCSE's)

Work Experience:

HCA 3 months FT
HCA Oct-Present PT
Support worker at Local Hospice
Treasurer at Local Community Center (Islamic)

Reply 7426

H.J.P

Original post by HeavyTeddy

Congratz with your offers man.

Also, how much work experience should I be aiming for ( to compensate for GCSE's ) ? I just wanted something to aim for so that all parts of my application are equally good.

Thanks.

thanks

Well, they say hat there is no minimum... everyone that i know who have gotten offers have all had 1 week hospital and 1 week gp minimum. I hd a week in a GP and also two weeks at 2 different hospitals (so 3 weeks in total). PLUS i would strongly reccomend you starting some voluntary work asap. IDEALLY working with vulnerable people (I helped in a drama group for children- for children with and without disabillities). If you cant get this, try a charity shop... but definately in the near future get some voluntary work like this. :smile:

the longer its for and the more commitment, the better :smile:

try http://www.do-it.org.uk/

Reply 7427

HeavyTeddy

Original post by H.J.P

thanks

the longer its for and the more commitment, the better :smile:

try http://www.do-it.org.uk/

I've done some voluntary work like that: I tutored a dyslexic year 7 kid for 9 months to help improve his literacy ability. I've also just submitted my application for voluntary work in a hospital. I'm currently setting up a GP placement for the next holiday. I'm also doing a few projects here and there.

Reply 7428

Lozza-jane

Original post by HeavyTeddy

X_X Wow. That's put a spanner in the works. Though, thanks for the advice, I really do appreciate it. It's better I get it all now so I can make an informed choice on pursuing medicine.

But to be honest now, I've really set my mind on medicine as it's the only thing I can really imagine myself doing as a job. So, I think in the next few months, I'm going to really have to make my application as best as possible and then we'll see what happens from there.

Also, I would really appreciate anymore advice on the application process, what you would realistically do in my situation or just anything you think I would benefit from.

Many thanks guys :biggrin:

Edit: Also Lozza-Jane, what medical schools did your friend apply to, if you don't mind me asking?

Apologies for late reply! My friend applied to Bristol, Peninsula, UEA and Leicester. Leicester is a good one some years, but this year they have been really picky and my college is not sure why.
In your situation, I would just go for it. If you have a passion to do it then all you have to do is put that across to the medical schools in your personal statement. Work super hard from now until after AS exams then good AS grades will make up for a lot. Also, get as much work experience as you can in loads of places, and possibly a long term placement; that really helped my application. The process will be the most horrible few months of your life and terribly stressful but it will all be worth it when you get a place!
Good luck and hope you do apply, just really look into the universities you choose :smile:

Reply 7429

Lozza-jane

Original post by science-oliver

Sorry to bother but,
what medical schools did she apply for
and what were you're gcse grades and what medical schools did you apply for?

Hello, thats okay!
Apologies for late reply. She applied to Bristol, UEA, Peninsula and to Leicester.
My GCSES were 10 A*'s and an A, and I applied to Bristol, Birmingham, UCL and St Georges

Reply 7430

BossUK

I will have done 3 Dida courses by the end of year 11: D201, D202, D203. I have gotten one merit and one distinction and was wondering do universities like kings college and other count these as A* at GCSE. I will have around 3- 6 A*s without and about 5 - 8 A*s with so they can make a big difference to some unis.

Reply 7431

Lowkey101

I applied for 2012 entry but have received my 4 rejections so i will be applying next year for medicine again hopefully. I know that the majority of universities ask for AAA but is that realistically good enough (as far as A-levels go) to still get an offer nowadays? Or do i really have to have at least 1 A* to get an offer even from a uni that wants AAA? I know this question may seem stupid but i'm just really worried that AAA won't stand out enough (as far as a-levels go) i know they take UKCAT/BMAT and GCSEs into account. Thank you! Oh yeah and the P.S. !

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 7432

Vulpes

Original post by Lowkey101

You don't need to get an A* for a university which requires AAA.

Reply 7433

myyrh

Original post by Lowkey101

Not true at all! AAA is more than sufficient to get you in next year. A*AA is beneficial in some cases (e.g. Applying to Barts where Ucas tarrif is more important) or places that specifically ask for an A* (Cambridge). As long as you have your achieved grades you don't need to worry. Focus more on making your Gap year productive and writing a good personal statement.

Reply 7434

PowerPuff

Hey TSR!
Im currently in first year of a-levels (AS)
And just got my results for my very first January AS Unit 1 Modules

AAB :biggrin:

(Chemistry,Psychology and Biology)
+ still have my biology Issue report to complete which is 20% if my final grade and Im confident I can boost that B to an A, and get 3a's down all together for January...
+ June modules to boost my A's up even more :cool:

however.. even with all the congrats from my teachers and confidence boosters than this is an excellent start for a journey to med schoool.. cant help thinking that my 1A* at GCSE is going to affect me more than my A-levels grades however well i do :confused:

Reply 7435

jack1618

Opinions welcome please:

2.1 degree.
advanced higher: biology, chem, maths. CCD
high:bio,accouting,maths,chem,eng: AAABC

6 months weekend pallative care hospice experience
1 week surgical/ward FY1 shadowing
2 week care training course
3 months as a carer with a highly disabled woman
Volunteerting for anthony nolan trust for 18 months

ukcat: 615

recently received 3 unsuccessfulls, is it worth reapplying? thanks

Reply 7436

Phenylethylamine_

No - not if you apply to the correct unis, apply wisely. Universities that don't put emphasis on A* grades i.e. Liverpool will calculate your GCSE score out of 18 where A*/A grades = 2 points and B = 1 point, e.g. St.Georges if you get a total of 416 points on their GCSE score system, you're automatically invited for an interview (obvs with AAA prediction), if you apply say Imperial, they focus on BMAT more than anything - that's the decision factor for an interview, you could apply to Newcaste/Barts - they have UKCAT cut off which will decide whether or not to invite you for an interview. Southampton, I think is more based on your personal statement, Leeds I think also has a UKCAT cut off. Avoid unis such as Birmingham well the general consensus is around 9-10 A*'s at GCSE, avoid Oxford (you'll have to do extremely well on BMAT), avoid Cardiff (mostly need minimum 6A*'s at GCSE), you could apply to Cambridge if you get top notch UMS scores.

So yeah, no worries, carry on with what you're doing, do well at AS and get minimum AAA prediction and you're 'eligible' to apply for medicine :smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 7437

PowerPuff

Original post by Phenylethylamine_

Paha, Thank you!
Im gonna go for it! with AAB already and that is only 25% worth of each subject , theres no doubt I cant make AAA at the end, hopefully more :biggrin:

Also I think you made an error with the '416' if A*/A = 2 and most people do between 9-12 GCSE's that wouldnt be possible, might be a typo :rolleyes:

Reply 7438

-Simon-

I have 8 A* at GCSE and a UKCAT of 650; my friends has 1 A* at GCSE and a UKCAT of 640.

I have one interview and 3 rejections; she has 2 interviews, one rejection and one waiting to hear from.

We applied to different places of course, but, the point I am making is that if you apply carefully you can get interviews with those academics. Number 1 rule is don't be picky about where you go, apply wisely. Congrats on the good results though, best of luck. :smile:

Reply 7439

Phenylethylamine_

Original post by PowerPuff

Paha, Thank you!
Im gonna go for it! with AAB already and that is only 25% worth of each subject , theres no doubt I cant make AAA at the end, hopefully more :biggrin:

Also I think you made an error with the '416' if A*/A = 2 and most people do between 9-12 GCSE's that wouldnt be possible, might be a typo :rolleyes:

Good good

Oh sorry, I put 'e.g.', I meant to say St.Georges have their own scoring system where an A* = 58 points and A = 54 points, something like that and you need 416.