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Birmingham Medical School Applicants 2012

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Reply 60
Original post by areyousure?
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Hi! I just wondered, last year did they say on their website that they favoured candidates with good declared AS grades, or is that new for this year? I just thought maybe if it was new for this year, there may be slightly less competition? (Or just wishful thinking. :tongue:)
Original post by liviaaa
Hi! I just wondered, last year did they say on their website that they favoured candidates with good declared AS grades, or is that new for this year? I just thought maybe if it was new for this year, there may be slightly less competition? (Or just wishful thinking. :tongue:)


I think that was new this year :wink: same with specific GCSE grades like A* in Maths, English and the Sciences. They didn't say that last year.

Good Luck with your application!
Reply 62
Original post by areyousure?
I think that was new this year :wink: same with specific GCSE grades like A* in Maths, English and the Sciences. They didn't say that last year.

Good Luck with your application!


Thanks a lot. :biggrin:
Reply 63
Right now Birmingham's my only definite choice, I think. Open day was great aaannd hopefully my interview chances are high based on their preferences. Meh, we'll see.

Also, in case anyone's wondering, I asked the admissions tutor bloke at the open day if they like four full A2 subjects and he seemed to think it would not be worth it and that they place the emphasis on the main three.
Original post by Crushy
Right now Birmingham's my only definite choice, I think. Open day was great .


Hmm, have you asked about how many people have resits in August at bham in year 1 and year 2? They select people on GCSEs, yet 50% or something of the year have atleast one resit.

It's brilliant when you finally get into med school, but carefully think about the 5 years spent there. I'm a 3rd year and I had a lot of clever friends fail in the first 2 years and the med school threw them out. The med school admissions process is hard - imagine getting into a medschool after all that work and then failing (yes people with umpteen A*s fail at med school).

I was reading the prospectus and it made me laugh...i may not speak for all the med students here, but i have NEVER been "treated as an individual" (in my opinion).

If I had my choice again, I would never have picked birmingham. It may be a redbrick uni, a good reputation, big and shiny hospitals and modern looking lecture theatres, top 5 for MRCP (all these things wowed me at first, but the gleen soon wears off when you take those rose-tinted glasses off)

I don't like the medschool (love medicine and love the people) but it's a high risk strategy to pick a med school that has a high resit rate/drop-out rate. Think carefully about choosing birmingham.
Reply 65
Original post by ilikesmiling

Original post by ilikesmiling
Hmm, have you asked about how many people have resits in August at bham in year 1 and year 2? They select people on GCSEs, yet 50% or something of the year have atleast one resit.

It's brilliant when you finally get into med school, but carefully think about the 5 years spent there. I'm a 3rd year and I had a lot of clever friends fail in the first 2 years and the med school threw them out. The med school admissions process is hard - imagine getting into a medschool after all that work and then failing (yes people with umpteen A*s fail at med school).

I was reading the prospectus and it made me laugh...i may not speak for all the med students here, but i have NEVER been "treated as an individual" (in my opinion).

If I had my choice again, I would never have picked birmingham. It may be a redbrick uni, a good reputation, big and shiny hospitals and modern looking lecture theatres, top 5 for MRCP (all these things wowed me at first, but the gleen soon wears off when you take those rose-tinted glasses off)

I don't like the medschool (love medicine and love the people) but it's a high risk strategy to pick a med school that has a high resit rate/drop-out rate. Think carefully about choosing birmingham.


This is a nice read for someone starting in less than 2 weeks time.
I got 8A*, 1.5A, 1B for GCSEs. What are the chances I will be rejected because of my GCSEs?
Original post by gozatron
This is a nice read for someone starting in less than 2 weeks time.


Apologies! That post isn't helpful if you are a fresher, i was trying to be helpful to applicants.

Last year, they trialled intro research work in freshers week and you had to be in med school from tuesday to friday- my medic son got very stressed about this. This is an example of a low yield activity...work hard for stuff you're examined on and enjoy freshers week - otherwise you'll burn out/get very stressed. You'll find there's a lot of stuff the med school make you do....for example, IP (yes drawing a mind map becomes very academic)...and the value of these activities are erm, questionable. Obviously, i'm just a very stupid person and all these educationalists know better than me.

Don't buy how to succeed at medical school (waste of money), instead ask older years (who don't bull****) for advice. Learn the lectures (this sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people think it is more effective to read a book than learning the handouts), fill out and learn the AP sheets (these are sheets with endless questions on anatomy) and get essential clinical anatomy (the blue boxes contain clinically orientated stuff which came up in our SAQs in May). The work can be overwhelming at times, so throw that private school perfectionist out the window and learn the basics first, then furnish with detail.

Hopefully this makes up for my previous post :colondollar:
Original post by AspiringGenius
I got 8A*, 1.5A, 1B for GCSEs. What are the chances I will be rejected because of my GCSEs?


How are your AS results/A-level predictions? It is a bit of risk, as GCSEs results keep on improving and you will be competing with all those people with all A*s at GCSE etc.

It shouldn't effect your applications to other med schools, as they (quite rightly) realise that someone like yourself has achieved excellent GCSEs and whether someone has got an A* in history or an A, does not necessarily determine whether they will be a good doctor (but don't get me started on that....)

Birmingham isn't so amazing as i've alluded to, so it's their loss!
Original post by ilikesmiling
How are your AS results/A-level predictions? It is a bit of risk, as GCSEs results keep on improving and you will be competing with all those people with all A*s at GCSE etc.

It shouldn't effect your applications to other med schools, as they (quite rightly) realise that someone like yourself has achieved excellent GCSEs and whether someone has got an A* in history or an A, does not necessarily determine whether they will be a good doctor (but don't get me started on that....)

Birmingham isn't so amazing as i've alluded to, so it's their loss!


I haven't done AS year :smile: I'm only going into Y12 now. I am a little saddened by Birminghams GCSE standard, they're completely outlandish and I hope in a few years they realise they probably exclude a vast number of brilliant candidates because of their ridiculous targets. I don't think I will apply to B'ham. My GCSEs seem to be pretty good everywhere else, (except maybe Oxford) and I don't have application space to waste. :frown:
Reply 70
Original post by AspiringGenius

Original post by AspiringGenius
I haven't done AS year :smile: I'm only going into Y12 now. I am a little saddened by Birminghams GCSE standard, they're completely outlandish and I hope in a few years they realise they probably exclude a vast number of brilliant candidates because of their ridiculous targets. I don't think I will apply to B'ham. My GCSEs seem to be pretty good everywhere else, (except maybe Oxford) and I don't have application space to waste. :frown:


Ox, Kings and Bham are the collective "GCSE whores" of med schools.
Original post by gozatron
Ox, Kings and Bham are the collective "GCSE whores" of med schools.


What ridiculous measures do Kings do?
Reply 72
Original post by AspiringGenius

Original post by AspiringGenius
What ridiculous measures do Kings do?


Another A* whore. Mind you, they combine amount of A*s with UKCAT score to decide who to interview; rather than purely A*s or UKCAT.
Reply 73
Original post by ilikesmiling
Hmm, have you asked about how many people have resits in August at bham in year 1 and year 2? They select people on GCSEs, yet 50% or something of the year have atleast one resit.

It's brilliant when you finally get into med school, but carefully think about the 5 years spent there. I'm a 3rd year and I had a lot of clever friends fail in the first 2 years and the med school threw them out. The med school admissions process is hard - imagine getting into a medschool after all that work and then failing (yes people with umpteen A*s fail at med school).

I was reading the prospectus and it made me laugh...i may not speak for all the med students here, but i have NEVER been "treated as an individual" (in my opinion).

If I had my choice again, I would never have picked birmingham. It may be a redbrick uni, a good reputation, big and shiny hospitals and modern looking lecture theatres, top 5 for MRCP (all these things wowed me at first, but the gleen soon wears off when you take those rose-tinted glasses off)

I don't like the medschool (love medicine and love the people) but it's a high risk strategy to pick a med school that has a high resit rate/drop-out rate. Think carefully about choosing birmingham.


Interesting post but I'm pretty sure only 10-15% of people failed and hardly anyone gets kicked out. I mean if u can't get more than 50% after two attempts then u dont really deserve to be here.

And yes some of the activities are little questionable but none of them are completely pointless and everyone learns in different ways.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 74
Original post by ilikesmiling
Hmm, have you asked about how many people have resits in August at bham in year 1 and year 2? They select people on GCSEs, yet 50% or something of the year have atleast one resit.

It's brilliant when you finally get into med school, but carefully think about the 5 years spent there. I'm a 3rd year and I had a lot of clever friends fail in the first 2 years and the med school threw them out. The med school admissions process is hard - imagine getting into a medschool after all that work and then failing (yes people with umpteen A*s fail at med school).

I was reading the prospectus and it made me laugh...i may not speak for all the med students here, but i have NEVER been "treated as an individual" (in my opinion).

If I had my choice again, I would never have picked birmingham. It may be a redbrick uni, a good reputation, big and shiny hospitals and modern looking lecture theatres, top 5 for MRCP (all these things wowed me at first, but the gleen soon wears off when you take those rose-tinted glasses off)

I don't like the medschool (love medicine and love the people) but it's a high risk strategy to pick a med school that has a high resit rate/drop-out rate. Think carefully about choosing birmingham.


I think I'll still put them as a choice even if it's down to my chance of an offer. I meet all their criteria, and as someone who is primarily driven by the very possibility of studying medicine anywhere, I think I'd be stupid not to have birmingham as one of my four choices. That said, I will have more competitive universities as part of my application.

Also, unistats seemed to indicate relatively high satisfaction rates in the medical school, which may be a better source than anecdotes. I'll look into the drop-out rates you mention, but as it stands I'm trying to apply tactically to some extent whilst allowing room for preference in my first and second choices.

What did you think of the MedSoc, by the way? They seemed to really emphasise how well theirs was run but you haven't really mentioned it.
Reply 75
If applying to Birmingham how many A*'s actually needed I didn't get all A*'s but I got 10, is that enough, or do you need more?
Original post by os93
If applying to Birmingham how many A*'s actually needed I didn't get all A*'s but I got 10, is that enough, or do you need more?


I think with 9 A*s + would meet the GCSE requirement.

Birmingham are honest and upfront about their admissions policy and this info is easily accessible to everyone. From their website:

"Because of the competition, meeting the academic requirements described below does not guarantee that you will receive the offer of an interview. Good evidence of motivation for the profession as well as additional and significant non-academic activities is also necessary.

A2 and AS levels subjects and grades: Predicted A level grades should be AAA, including Chemistry and another science (Biology, Physics or Mathematics); If the second science is not Biology, then AS Biology at grade A is required. (NB Human Biology is acceptable as an alternative to Biology).

For combinations of Biology with any of Psychology, Physical Education or Sociology, or if the 3rd A Level is Music, Art, Drama or Media Studies, grade A must be offered in a 4th or (if necessary) a 5th AS subject.

Preference will be given to those applicants where good AS results are declared.

GCSE's: Candidates must have at least 7 A* grades in a good range of subjects. Preference will be given to candidates offering A* grades in English, Mathematics and Science subjects (a minimum of grade A is required in these subjects); Integrated Science (double certificate) is acceptable as an alternative to single sciences.

We interview the best applicants. Only those candidates with predicted or achieved grades of atleast AAA at A Level (or equivalent) and 7 A* grades at GCSE will be considered for interview.

Each year we receive many applications for every place available and it takes a long time to study these applications carefully. You should not be concerned if you do not hear anything from us until some months after you have submitted your UCAS form.

From those who apply, around 1000 candidates are invited to come for interview. This selection is made entirely on merit and is based on the information provided on the UCAS form and the confidential reference. Interviews take place between October and April.

In deciding who to invite for interview, academic excellence is not the only criterion. It is equally important to be able to demonstrate that you are well-motivated towards a career in medicine especially through volunteering and/or work experience. In addition, we want to ensure that you possess other qualities required of a potential doctor. Therefore, extracurricular involvement is important in addition to the work experience. Evidence of on-going activities involving significant interactions with a broad range of people in a responsible capacity is a relevant aspect. Activities that take place outside of school are especially appreciated.

Interviews last approximately 15 minutes and are held before a small panel drawn from members of the academic staff of the Medical School, consultant staff of the teaching hospitals and general practitioners. Through discussion on general and academic topics, an impression is sought of the candidate’s suitability, both intellectual and personal, to embark on a career in medicine."

Note how they say "activities that take place outside of school are especially appreciated".

Thankfully, with an emphasis on extra-curriculars, we might now see freshers who actually have social skills/seen sunlight rather then the socially inept book worms that currently seem to make up a sizeable proportion of the year below.
Reply 77
I went to the open day today and really liked it.

I'm a bit worried though, they kept emphasising ECs, as if they're now looking at it more than usual?
Original post by Crushy
I think I'll still put them as a choice even if it's down to my chance of an offer. I meet all their criteria, and as someone who is primarily driven by the very possibility of studying medicine anywhere, I think I'd be stupid not to have birmingham as one of my four choices. That said, I will have more competitive universities as part of my application.

Also, unistats seemed to indicate relatively high satisfaction rates in the medical school, which may be a better source than anecdotes. I'll look into the drop-out rates you mention, but as it stands I'm trying to apply tactically to some extent whilst allowing room for preference in my first and second choices.

What did you think of the MedSoc, by the way? They seemed to really emphasise how well theirs was run but you haven't really mentioned it.


MedSoc is brilliant! I said i don't like the faculty. The people here (except for the ones still competing with each other because one got 14 A*s and the other got 15) are fantastic. The range of sports, hobbies etc. means there is something for everyone. The social stuff is good here. The med course isn't. The content (actually learning medicine - physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, clinical applications) is interesting, but you would find this at every med school if you are doing the right course.

I was trying to do you younger ones a favour as you will be shelling out 9K, unlike us old, zimmer frames. Someone who pmed wrote (i hope he doesn't mind me quoting him), "You've essentially made me realise that I need to apply to places based on how their COURSE suits me rather than their selection policy"...yes, that was the message i was hoping to promote to you applicants. Getting into med school is an achievement, staying there is an achievement. My post was not intended to dissuade anyone from applying here, but provide a dose of reality.

With regards to the unistats, know the phrase "lies, damned lies, and statistics"? Why would anyone rate their med school low in a survey that is published and determines people's opinions/reputation of their med school? There is a post at http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show...812998&page=15 which makes an "interesting post" and has mutual agreement even by a dr - but ofcourse, stats are a better source than anecdotes!?! You can make stats prove whatever argument you want...complementary medicine statistically helps people get better and contributes to better psychological wellbeing, but the sceptic in me thinks that if every empathetic doctor was allowed to spend an hour talking to their patients than the results would be probably marginal.

Prosection is something we do 2/3 times a year - i wish i bothered to find this out before applying. Normally, anatomy is "taught" by sitting in a room and answering sheets of questions on anatomy in hour sessions. No prosected specimens are brought into these rooms. There are some very poor and sparse plastic models in these rooms that are rarely used.

FYI: I had all A*s at GCSE and that is why i applied here - i got 4 offers, but made the wrong choice in selecting birmingham (i believed the stuff the prospectus/paid tour guides told me and i didn't research the course properly). I am ranked quartile 1 for my preclinical years (top 25%)....oh no, but as an actual student here, i don't know what i've talking about!
Original post by Jules65
Interesting post but I'm pretty sure only 10-15% of people failed and hardly anyone gets kicked out. I mean if u can't get more than 50% after two attempts then u dont really deserve to be here.

And yes some of the activities are little questionable but none of them are completely pointless and everyone learns in different ways.


That post was merely for applicants to get an accurate picture of what they are getting for paying £9,000 tuition fees + accommodation costs. Imagine, that you failed first year === debt and you can't reapply again to other medschools after all that effort. This is what faced some of my friends and may face my medic son. I think your attitude of "u don't deserve to be here" is harsh/lacks empathy.

Yes, they pedal out "only 10% of people fail" in term time, but the reality after results is different. Just see how many faces you saw in your year and don't return...see the empty seats in the LDLT that were packed in your first lectures and then tell people on TSR that hardly anyone gets kicked out.

My medic son failed everything apart from CEP - there were 50 or so students sitting atleast 5 or more modules in your year (the year tutor told him when he had to meet him after he got his results, who's your source?). For my year, half of my year had one resit last year which is the same for your year as reported by my medic son (he was number 40-something and he said the seat numbers went upto 170 +). I know people who are quartile 1s and got distinctions and had to resit DEM in year 2 this year.

You say if someone has failed after 2 sits they don't deserve to be there - what about people who have no empathy, are pathological liars, have no social skills and are nerdy book worms? They fail the GMC criteria of professional values and good communication skills, why aren't they chucked out in year 1? Academic success is only one part of being doctor. Honesty, integrity, good communication skills, ability to manage uncertainty, ability to prioritise etc are others. Some doctors excel at some more than others, it doesn't mean they should get thrown out in year 1 after working so hard to get in. My medic son marginally failed his exams - 49s/48s - you are telling me that someone who got 1% more than him will make a better dr than him. He got an average of 50 something % overall - seems to love CEP and got 90+ in it. If we go by your thinking and judge 1st years by their first ever uni exams: if he became an endocrinologist, he would know more than someone who just scraped a pass/probably more than you - i would prefer him as my endocrinologist than someone with generic knowledge.

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