Birmingham Entry Requirements

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You just have to apply to the places who interview people who are good at the things you are! If you have brilliant GCSEs, it's Birmingham and Kings. Extra curricular people should go for places like Edinburgh, people with amazing UKCAT scores should go for Sheffield and Newcastle, and amazing personal statements to Keele etc. It's all about finding the ones which you are confident that you're hitting their credentials to get your best possible chance of getting an interview! :smile:

Yeah, very true :smile:

It'll be easier to make a decision once I have my UKCAT score too :smile:

Reply 21

colabottles

Original post by thesalamander123

Yeah, very true :smile:

It'll be easier to make a decision once I have my UKCAT score too :smile:

Yup! The only thing you can be sure of is with the BMAT unis. I didn't have the balls to apply to one of those, I couldn't apply without knowing my BMAT score! :tongue:

Reply 22

Beska

Original post by colabottles

I think I might just give up sticking up for Birmingham, I'm never gonna win :facepalm:

brum love gcses they suck who cares i didn't wanna apply there anyway LOSER :pierre:

Reply 23

darkred

Original post by Beska

Barts, Newcastle and Sheffield could be turning down the best candidate because they haven't got the right UKCAT.

Southampton and Edinburgh could be turning down the best candidate because they haven't got the right personal statement.

See where I'm going with this? :wink:

Shhh.....

The only place you're going is on my 'To punch list'. :smug:

GCSEs take place atleast a year before the candidate applies for medicine where as personal statement and UKCAT/BMAT are more recent. So in my opinion GCSEs don't define a good doctor to a bad one but just show how strong a person's academic background is at the most.

Reply 24

Beska

Original post by failingatm

Shhh.....

The only place you're going is on my 'To punch list'. :smug:

I must say, I dislike the emphasis placed on GCSE's for medical schools, but I am bias. I 'only' achieved 6 A*, and was 1 mark off an A* in three subjects (so, very close to 9 A*) and I am very angst about that. But I don't really care about Birmingham because I think it is brilliant that each university selects using different criteria - it allows for the fact people mature at different rates and are good in different ways, and I like that.

Reply 25

darkred

Original post by Beska

Meh... I got 6 A*s too and I am pissed off more about Birmingham since I live there. It's got a great campus, was looking forward to applying ya know... and then BAM. 9/10A*s is what they really want. I just think that it's great for different unis to want different things like ECs, or BMAT or UKCAT but GCSEs are unfair since they are much easier than A-levels. I just don't get how GCSEs can set apart two candidates when they took them over a year ago. Yeah I'm prolly bias too... OHWELL.

Reply 26

Organ

Original post by Beska

Birmingham are sneaky in that they advertise a lower minimum than what is actually the minimum, in order to boost their applications.

That's disgusting really. An applicant should only be expected to have to check the website for up-to-date and accurate information.

Also, Cardiff are sneaky buggers - you really want to have a minimum of 6A* to apply.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 27

thesalamander123

Original post by Organ

Hmm, cardiff is tempting. Any idea what weighting they give to the UKCAT?

Reply 28

Elwyn

Original post by thesalamander123

Hmm, cardiff is tempting. Any idea what weighting they give to the UKCAT?

Very little. They only use it to distinguish between borderline candidates. For example if there are two candidates with equal academic / non-academic scores then the one with the higher UKCAT will get the place.

Reply 29

thesalamander123

Original post by Elwyn

coolio

Reply 30

thesalamander123

Original post by Elwyn

So where did you get that info?

Reply 31

wabbajack123

Original post by thesalamander123

So where did you get that info?

jumping in here, but don't they publish it on their website?

Reply 32

Elwyn

Original post by thesalamander123

So where did you get that info?

Open Day

Reply 33

dparekh7

How come on the website it doesn't say 7 A*?

Reply 34

nexttime

Original post by dparekh7

How come on the website it doesn't say 7 A*?

This thread is from 2010 - its changed since then. They softened a lot, now just saying

Preference will be given to those applicants offering A* grades in Mathematics, English and Science subjects. Integrated Science (double certificate) is acceptable as an alternative to single sciences
Overall GCSE performance will be considered

Which is pretty open to interpretation!