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What can i do to improve my chances of getting into medicine during my gap year?

Unfortunately i recieved 4 rejections, 3 of which were pre-interview :frown:

So now im determined to make sure i improve my application and hopefully get in next year.
It would be really helpful if perhaps a few of you could offer advice as to where i went wrong and how i could improve upon certain areas. I also think that maybe i applied to the wrong unis, so if you have any ideas where else i'd stand a better chance, that'd be great.

Thanks in advance. :smile:

My stats are as follows:
Applied to - UEA (post interview rejection), Southampton (rejection), Leicester (rejection) and barts and the london (rejection).
GCSEs - A*AAAAABBBBB
As - AAAA
A level predictions - A*AAA (bio, chem, physics and maths)
UKcat - 617.5 (brought down massively by my 540 in VR) :frown:

Work experience - 3 weeks at a general practice, a few days shadowing a cardiologists, weeks spent in lourdes helping elderly and disabled and lastly several months volunteering for st john ambulance.

Reply 1

telephone

You probably shouldn't have applied to Leicester and Barts, Southampton need a very good PS but seeing as you got an interview at UEA your PS must have been reasonably good. I can't think of anywhere you could have applied where you would have been guaranteed an interview but with a higher UKCAT (which you could get on a retake) there are about 4 places where you're pretty much guaranteed an interview and a fair few others where you would get one as long as you PS is alright. So clearly that is your weakness (not the reason you got rejections this year mind you) but if you get a good UKCAT you don't have to rely on GCSEs or UCAS tariff - or even the quirky way in which Southampton select applicants.

Also your experience seems sufficient, although you would be expected to do something in your gap year. Whatever this is is up to you.

Reply 2

Sherbet

Original post by bssjonny

Unfortunately i recieved 4 rejections, 3 of which were pre-interview :frown:

You shouldn't have applied to Leicester or Kings with your GCSEs and UKCAT as they love both, next time pick more carefully :smile:

. Not sure about Soton and UEA, but I have a feeling that Soton quite like the UKCAT.

1) Work on your UKCAT score, do more practice, attend a course if you can afford it and when you have your score ONLY apply to unis whose UKCAT criteria you meet/where you think you will get an interview.
2) Do something productive with your gap year, get a job, volunteer, do something you're passionate about, travel. A job as a healthcare assistant is a popular and useful option. Try and make it enjoyable or trust me you will go mental!
3) Keep up with regular long term volunteering with St John's ambulance.
4) Try and organise some more work experience if you can, I never got any more after December year 13 and I'e been fine so far though.
5) Get good A levels so that you can apply next year.
6) Ask your unis for feedback and use it! Check over your ps, yes you have experience but have you said why it would make you a good doctor? Why has it made you want to study medicine? Start it early and get feedback from as many people as possible. Try the PS helpers on here.
7) Prepare well for interviews next year, start early and build up your confidence.
8) Keep a positive attitude :colone:

even though it's hard it's worth it in the end, a gap year is a fantastic opportunity which many medics never have to travel, learn a new skill or just to have a year of lie ins!

Reply 3

Hippokrates

Try to do some long term voluntary work on a hospital ward. As already stated improving your UKCAT is the only way for you to guarantee an interview. Keep your head up i know people that have taken gap years and they go to medical school much more prepared, it's not the end of the world just work hard now to get the grades. If you have the money do some voluntary work abroad, so your personal statement stands out.

Reply 4

.eXe

Soton don't care about the UKCAT as long as you meet the cutoff which was 578 this year.

Bad call on Leicester and KCL as other have pointed out...they love the ukcat.

You shouldve applied to atleast 1 non-ukcat school such as liverpool or bristol. not birm because you dont have the required grades.

also, you shouldve applied to bsms. they give equal attention to ps and grades and dont care about the ukcat...no cut off.

so yeah, a wiser application and you wouldve been good to go.

just continue on with any volunteer/work experience you can find. since you already got an interview, ur application seems fine. its just that you applied to the wrong schools that let you down, otherwise you shouldve been able to get more interviews. good luck man

Reply 5

paramecium

A friend of mine got an offer from UCL with similar GCSE and AS grades (same AS subjects) though her UKCAT was much better 700+ and had weekly work experience since year 10 at some old peoples care home, definitely work on your score and also try and ace the BMAT, after this your GCSE grades won't be looked down upon!

Reply 6

No Future

get a healthcare related job

Reply 7

machines

Get >= 2 A*s. This will outweigh your relatively poor GCSE grades. What're you A levels in? I'm assuming Biology, Chemistry plus at least one of your remaining two in a rigorous subject..

Be more careful with your choices - why did you choose these 4? Did you assume they'd be easier options? You can tailor your choices after you do the UKCAT again. I know that I only got interviewed for KCL in the first batch of applicants because of my UKCAT score.

Improve your UKCAT. How much prep did you do before the UKCAT? Did you use the 400 questions book? The VR score will probably be the easiest to improve, but even if you do improve your VR score to the average of the other 3 sections (643) you'll still have a fairly mediocre score. So, if you want to be in the first round of applications considered you're going to need to work hard on all your sections.

You've got an extra year to beef up your experience c.f. other applicants, so medical schools will expect you to have used this year wisely. Long-term experience will be key, ideally paid. HCA work would be excellent.