MEGATHREAD - What course/university should I pick for my 5th choice?

Reply 40

.:Doctor:.

1

BioMed - safety option.

Reply 41

Caponester

10

goodboy4444

Only for Medics(2011) :cool:

If I was an absolute moron I'd risk it and put down pharmacy as my fifth choice as a test of how well they actually study your application.

But I wouldn't want to do anything to potentially mess with my chances.

Reply 42

colabottles

1

Caponester

If I was an absolute moron I'd risk it and put down pharmacy as my fifth choice as a test of how well they actually study your application.

But I wouldn't want to do anything to potentially mess with my chances.

What d'ya mean? I didn't think choosing a fifth choice could mess up your chances o.O

Reply 43

TheKnowledge

My fifth choice is probably going to be Natural Sciences at Cambridge. So what should I do about my PS? It's obviously tailored to medicine....

Reply 44

Scrubby

11

TheKnowledge

My fifth choice is probably going to be Natural Sciences at Cambridge. So what should I do about my PS? It's obviously tailored to medicine....

Do you have no common sense? How is that in any world a good idea? Do you think Cambridge is that piss easy to get into that you can use it as your fifth choice? Do you know how many people apply for Natural Sciences at Cambridge? Are you serious? I ask all these questions because I'm frankly amazed that anyone is even considering that option. It's just about as sure a rejection as you can possibly get. You will get an acknowledgment letter with your rejection letter.

colabottles

Possibly physiotherapy. I'm not gonna take it but if I were to do anything else it'd probably be that :tongue:

Are you thinking about Physiotherapy as your fifth choice? Because, again that's ridiculously competitive and would be application suicide.

Reply 45

colabottles

1

Scrubby

Are you thinking about Physiotherapy as your fifth choice? Because, again that's ridiculously competitive and would be application suicide.

Well, my friend applied for that last year and got in with a C in a-level Biology and that's it :p:

But I was just considering it. Never really gave it any real thought or researched it's competitiveness!

Reply 46

Caponester

10

colabottles

What d'ya mean? I didn't think choosing a fifth choice could mess up your chances o.O

I'm already doing pharmacy. I'd be putting down pharmacy to check if they actually properly scan the statement and don't just glance over your school results :p:

Nah, you're right - picking a 5th choice will not ruin your chances and you are perfectly entitled to do so but I have old school paranoia over the admissions process.

Reply 47

icygem

4

Phalanges

I applied for Medicinal and Biological Chemistry with a year in Industry at Edinburgh. Aside from having the longest named course in existence, it sounded pretty interesting.

However, if I was to apply again I would probably put down Folklore Studies at Essex, as that sounds awesome.

Just out of interest, did you get into the course? I'm really interested in that but I'm slightly scared off by Edinburgh's good reputation/supposed biased against English (particularly London) students - it seems as though it would be harder to get in there than, say, Medical Biochemistry at Manchester. I really like the specific Edinburgh course but I don't think I'd have a shot with a medical personal statement given that I'm sure it's an over-subscribed course.

Reply 48

Renal

17

Who gives a **** what's 'adequate', apply to what you're going to do with the rest of your life when medicine doesn't work out for you.

Reply 49

browneyedgirl2

Hey guys, I'm gonna apply for a BioMed degree as my fifth choice, does anyone know of any unis where they allow you to switch to medicine, eg for the 2nd year, as infernalcradle mentioned? I know that Imperial do this but I didn't take maths so my options for Biomedical sciences are slightly reduced... :s-smilie:

Oh and I know a girl who applied for medicine but chose English at Notts for her fifth choice and she still got it, a lot of unis really don't seem to mind a medicine centred PS :smile:

Reply 50

ImWithTheBand

3

I'd like to apply for Zoology as my fifth choice. Do you think they will be upset about the Medicine personal statement? Especially as Zoology is very competitive itself, at Bristol there are more than 10 applicants for every place, for example.

Reply 51

Renal

17

ImWithTheBand

Do you think they will be upset about the Medicine personal statement?

I'm sure they'll be very hurt and disappointed.

Reply 52

ImWithTheBand

3

Renal

I'm sure they'll be very hurt and disappointed.

Well perhaps not hurt and disappointed. But if there are 10 Zoology applicants for each place all with AAA/AAB or better predicted grades in proper science subjects (ie the SAME as medicine) and the majority of applicants have a Zoology-specific personal statement, which candidate would you choose, if you were a Zoology admissions tutor? The one with the Medicine PS or the one who is genuinely passionate about critters?

Biomedical Science and Molecular Biology don't mind their applicants being Medicine applicants as I suspect there are few applicants per place with a tailored Biomedical Science PS. But I am guessing. :p:

Reply 53

Phalanges

18

icygem

Just out of interest, did you get into the course? I'm really interested in that but I'm slightly scared off by Edinburgh's good reputation/supposed biased against English (particularly London) students - it seems as though it would be harder to get in there than, say, Medical Biochemistry at Manchester. I really like the specific Edinburgh course but I don't think I'd have a shot with a medical personal statement given that I'm sure it's an over-subscribed course.

Yes, I got in almost as soon as I sent off my form (with two offers; an opportunity to skip the first year of the course if I got high enough grades).

Scottish Uni bias is, in my opinion, a load of crap - some people will have been rejected in the past and decided because it definitely couldn't have been anything to do with them then it must be the Uni's prejudice against them, and since then everyone who has been rejected has clung to the same security blanket. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Apply there if you like the course; medical applicants are by definition some of the most academically gifted and enthusiastic, so you stand a pretty good shot at any scientific course, particularly one so closely allied to medicine.

Reply 54

ManicJM

I didn't put a 5th option.

Reply 55

la.polista

Fifth choice Biology at Edinburgh.
Is there a possibility of them giving me an offer? I'm applying there for Medicine too.

Reply 56

Fusilero

14

Caponester

If I was an absolute moron I'd risk it and put down pharmacy as my fifth choice as a test of how well they actually study your application.

But I wouldn't want to do anything to potentially mess with my chances.

I contacted every pharmacy school after failing all four choices about applying in EXTRA and the vast majority said it was okay. Only Keele wasn't happy with it - but that's because I already applied there for medicine.

But that's probably because any application in EXTRA means that the Pharmacy School knows you're not going anywhere else (most likely). :smile:

I'm planning on UCL BioMed or IMP BioChem as my backup choice. I'm waiting on the response from an email I sent to Imperial on whether or not they are okay with me using a medical personal statement - not applying for IMP BioMed as I don't intend on doing the BMAT. The offers are pretty high but I'm on a gap year and I don't really have intentions, if I fail, of a second gap year. If I fail Imperial/UCL 5th Choice as well I'll probably go for Pharmacy in EXTRA again as they seemed quite happy the first time around with it. Probably one of the Scottish Universities to save expenses on tuition fees and such.

Reply 57

icygem

4

Phalanges

Yes, I got in almost as soon as I sent off my form (with two offers; an opportunity to skip the first year of the course if I got high enough grades).

Scottish Uni bias is, in my opinion, a load of crap - some people will have been rejected in the past and decided because it definitely couldn't have been anything to do with them then it must be the Uni's prejudice against them, and since then everyone who has been rejected has clung to the same security blanket. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Apply there if you like the course; medical applicants are by definition some of the most academically gifted and enthusiastic, so you stand a pretty good shot at any scientific course, particularly one so closely allied to medicine.

Thanks - I think I'll give it a go. I may as well, I suppose. Did you not have to send another personal statement or anything? I emailed Manchester about Medical Biochemistry and they said they'd interview and ask you to write another personal statement.
Out of interest, what were your predicted grades/GCSEs?

Reply 58

Organ

13

JCM89

Why make one if medicine is really what you want? I didn't...

I thought this and then realised that if I came out with ABB then I couldn't reapply, however if I apply smart it would be enough to get me on a relevent science course, and once finished I could apply for graduate medicine. The 5th option I'm applying to (biomedical genetics at Newcastle) also allows a small number of people to transfer into the medicine course at the end of the first year.

Reply 59

JCM89

13

Organ

I thought this and then realised that if I came out with ABB then I couldn't reapply, however if I apply smart it would be enough to get me on a relevent science course, and once finished I could apply for graduate medicine. The 5th option I'm applying to (biomedical genetics at Newcastle) also allows a small number of people to transfer into the medicine course at the end of the first year.

Sounds like a good plan if you are unsure of your grades. The competition for transfer at Newcastle is fierce but its definitely worth a shot; I know some people who've put their 5th as Bradford Clinical Sciences (linked to Leeds MS) for the same reasons.