Peninsula Medical School Applicants thread 2012 entry.

Hi guys,

So I've been pretty set on Peninsula for the past few weeks but now that my deadline is on Monday I'm having some last minute panics, so if anyone could answer these questions for me I'd be much obliged.

1. I've read around and apparently if you want to be a surgeon then Peninsula isn't the place to go... I want to be a surgeon. Is it true that anatomy is taught badly?
2. Is having to change location annoying? Can you not choose to stay in one place?
3. Is Plymouth a genuinely nice place? I grew up in London so I have experienced "rough" but for uni I really want to be in a city that's student friendly and safe.

Thanks!

1. I still think PBL is a load of bullocks however, Manchester university and Liverpool have a PBL based course and have produced some excellent doctors and that is due to the fact that it teaches you to work off your own back. so even though i hate it, i have to say its prepared me well for clinical years.

2. The lack of anatomy teaching is changing, (or so ive heard), we voiced our concerns and they are thinking of introducing anatomy spot tests in the years below. Even without anatomy teaching you can learn anatomy over a weekend its really not that difficult so you can still go down the surgery route easily and quite a few people in my year are hoping to do surgery.

3. Coming towards the end i have learnt ALOT, especially in years 3 and 4 where you learn a tonne. Compared to medics at say kings, georges etc who are in the same year i know loads more and because we revisit it constantly year on year my peer group and i know far more compared to an average 4th year at another medical school.

4. I have come to learn that ALL medical schools have their teething problems whether they are long established or not.

Overall back then i was bitter about coming to PCMD, but at the end of the day I will be a doc (god willing) and whether you go to peninsula or cambridge you will come out with the same amount of knowledge (give or take a few MTAS points) which is required by a junior doctor.

Pros

1. Serious Clinical emphasis - Clinical medicine is emphasised in every aspect of the course. It is very clear that they aim to graduate ultra competent doctors. Anatomy and Physiology and its clinical application is strongly emphasised (not glossed over) in every case unit, in lectures, the clinical scenario for PBL and in the LSRC sessions.

2. Clinical Competence - They take clinical skills seriously and we are taught and expected to be able to take a history and competently perform a combined cardiovascular, respiratory and GI examination by the end of first year (on real people). From the very first week of the course the clinical skills teaching begins, and we are assessed on our ability to perform these skills from the very first term.

3. Community Placements - Community Placements are once per case unit in the first year (2hrs) and Become day placements every other case unit in the second year. (Then full on clinical pathways from 3rd year)

4. PBL - Problem based learning is a very structured way to facilitate learning, it allows you to gain knowledge based around clinical scenarios, so you are always able to relate the science (anatomy and physiology) directly back to its clinical application. It teaches you how to learn the way we would learn as doctors and teaches you about team dynamics and gives you the skills to adapt swiftly into any team and make it functional.

5. You are not a number - At Peninsula you are treated as an individual and as a partner in the course. They genuinely do care about us and listen to us, they are always actively seeking our feedback and actually make changes. The course really is designed around us, and not the other way around. The course is innovative and progressive, they have thought the course out very clearly and the aim is very clear from the beginning - to produce ultra competent doctors and who are slick and highly confident around patients.

6. Clinical Anatomy - Being able to understand medical imaging and clinical examination is emphasised, from the very first year we are taught how to interpret medical imaging and diagnostic tests and understand the clinical anatomy to get a feel for what you would be looking for with examinations.

7. Family Feel - Peninsula has a community family feel, you are supported every step of the way, even in your SDL. We all get on with each other, every one knows each other in each year, and they know almost everyone from the year directly above them and lots of people from every year. The whole student population socialise well with each other.



Cons

1. PBL - The effectiveness of PBL really does depend on how well your group works together and how well the facilitator works with the group. This is not an issue most of the time, and even if it is your group and facilitator changes termly so it does not become an issue.

2. Lectures - Lectures are sometimes boring and not clinically integrated properly. (This isnt really a con, but we notice when lectures are not as good, because we are used to lectures which provide the information within their clinical context.)


There are more cons than this but I cant even remember them. They cant be important.

Does Peninsula accept retake as I have achieved AABBa. One of the B's was 0.5% away from an A so i was hoping that peninsula would accept retakes. I have been trying to find out if Peninsula accept it, but no one is picking up the phone! Any information regarding this issue would be much appreciated. Thanks

Although you do not state what A Levels you have achieved, Peninsula do consider re-sit applicants for 2012 entry provided that you have achieved at least AAB in your first sitting. If you did not achieve AAB, you could re-sit and we may be able to consider your application for 2013 entry. Our 2013 entry requirements will be set early 2012.

Could anybody tell me a bit more on how Peninsula select for interview?

I know they said you have to receive a minimum in each UKCAT subtest but do they go through applicants checking they meet the academic requirements ( GCSES, UKCAT) etc and then use the UKCAT on those still left after this or do they use your UKCAT in conjunction with the academic stuff, a bit like Kings and GCSES?
If any of that makes sense

Oh and if anyone can tell me how what the minimum was last year i'd really appreciate it!

I heard the UKCAT minimum was like an average of 640 or something with a high 500 score as the subtest limit. AS minimum grades were BBBB i think.... That's what it was for me

Thanks

Do you know what the GCSE minimum was or do they not put a lot of emphasis on GCSE?

I'm a reapplicant so I already have A*AAAA as my A-levels and 730 as my UKCAT average this year with 700 as my lowest subtest score. My GCSES were 5A*s 5As do you think it would be worth applying?

Yes do it, you have a very good chance! I got interviewed with a 674 ukcat average, 3A*s 7As at GCSE, ABBB AS levels and AAA prediction! And i got an offer which is now deferred to 2012 (I got a very high interview score apparently which helped a lot)

Thanks! Thats one choice sorted then

Well done on your offer

Thanks Hope you get one too! Peninsula really is a fantastic uni imo, the course looks so good!

1. I've read around and apparently if you want to be a surgeon then Peninsula isn't the place to go... I want to be a surgeon. Is it true that anatomy is taught badly?
2. Is having to change location annoying? Can you not choose to stay in one place?
3. Is Plymouth a genuinely nice place? I grew up in London so I have experienced "rough" but for uni I really want to be in a city that's student friendly and safe.

Thanks!

1. I don't think going to Peninsula affects whether you can be a surgeon or not. I want to be a surgeon. We don't have a huge amount of anatomy teaching, but we do have a lot of time for self directed learning, and most people become very good at teaching themselves things because of that. You can teach yourself a lot of anatomy. We didn't have much anatomy testing, but everyone is always pushing for more and it seems that very gradually they are listening to us and improving things. I would have liked the opportunity to do dissection, but I can't have everything. We have a very active surgical society, and I know of a number of our graduates who are in surgical training.
2. I love changing location! I would probably have got bored of being in one city for all 5 years. It's nice to try a variety of places, to get different life experiences and clinical experiences, and I think it has helped me decide what kind of place I want to live/work in when I graduate. It also means that we don't have to travel very far on a day to day basis(with the exception of GP placements and occasionally SSUs). And we all rotate around with people we know, so although you are moving city, you still take a lot of your friends with you, so it doesn't feel completely like starting again.
3. I also grew up in London, and I have never felt unsafe in Plymouth, although anecdotally there is a lot more petty crime in the area most medics live in Plymouth than where we lived in Exeter. It's not as 'nice' or pretty as Exeter, it is a very different city. I'm not a huge fan of the place, but it's fine to live in, it's safe, it has everything you need, and the hospital is really good in my opinion. There are lots of nice places around it and there are lots and lots of students, which is nice. I wouldn't be worried about living in Plymouth, it's perfectly nice. (Note: I started in Exeter so I am biased against it. )

How far is Exeter from the sea? I love Scuba Diving so I was just wondering....

If I remember correctly, it is about 20 minutes to Exmouth beach on the train, which is quite a nice beach. Not sure if there's much scuba diving there, I've never really looked in to it. Plymouth is right by the sea, and I've heard of people doing scuba diving courses there. Sorry I'm not much help!

Cheers! Also, any ideas on prices of student housing after halls etc?

how do peninsula select candidates for interview? I have looked on the website and noticed they take the UKCAT and academic scores into account, but what academics. I have achieved AAAA at a-level and achieved 6A* 4A and B at GCSE with a UKCAT of 667.5 avg....opinions...

I averaged 630 in the UKCAT - is it worth applying here?