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MEGATHREAD - The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread MK III

I am applying for Medicine 2014 entry from Ireland. I am wondering if anybody could help my with my choice of universities.

Junior Certificate: 4As, 7Bs (Maths, French, Art, CSPE, English, Science, Italian, Music, Geography, History, Irish)
Irish Leaving Certificate Predictions: A1A1A1A1A1A1 (Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Art, Music, French) also taking Physics(B1/A2) and English(A2)
UKCAT average: 680, SJT Band 2.
Grade 8 Piano, also finished any relevant music theory courses.
Well-rounded extra-curriculars
Good/average PS
Experience teaching in a Montesorri
Experience in a hospital for three weeks.
Also have obtained my ASDAN President's award for my work in the hospital but I'm not sure if this is relevant or even useful. (Should I mention this in my PS?)

The Junior Certificate does not matter as much in Ireland as they are not looked at by universities. We don't have A*s at Junior Cert level or Leaving Cert and A1 grades are the highest(above 90 percent). I'm taking the UKCAT tomorrow and am hoping to improve the SJT score. Maybe you could tell me which universities do not look at GCSE's as much as others and also SJT scores.

So far I am looking at BSMS, Barts, Edinburgh, Southampton, SGUL, HYMS, St. Andrews, Keele, Bristol, Newcastle and in that order. Thanks.

Reply 3981

sport999

7

Hey guys,

This is strange but, can someone help me out with a uni? I am thinking of applying to QUB and was wondering should I? i don't understand their point system and would appreciate it if someone could calculate my points.

I have A*AAB in Geo, Bio, Chem and Phy.
I have 650 in my ukcat.
I have 6A'S 5B's and 1c in english in my junior cert.

Reply 3982

rc16

Hi guys would really appreciate some proper feedback here. I'm a Scottish applicant and received 5A band 1s. I have a week's work experience in Royal maternity ward (shadowing consultant, medical student, nurses and midwives) I was house captain, played hockey for two years, public speaking and debating for two years. However I got 677.5 in my ukcat :frown:

what are my chances? Soo scared

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Reply 3983

rc16

Original post by rc16

Hi guys would really appreciate some proper feedback here. I'm a Scottish applicant and received 5A band 1s. I have a week's work experience in Royal maternity ward (shadowing consultant, medical student, nurses and midwives) I was house captain, played hockey for two years, public speaking and debating for two years. However I got 677.5 in my ukcat :frown:

what are my chances? Soo scared

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Sorry and 3 months nursing home and undertaking volunteer work at children's hospice. Volunteer weekly at a kinda bible club for disadvantaged kids, spiritual retreat leader for 16 year olds and led charity fundraising campaigns for starter packs

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 3984

maryamnc

2

Hey guys please tell me what uni's you think I should apply to

GCSE : 10A*'s
A Levels : 3A's and a B in chem
Predicted A*AA
UKCAT : 750 but Band 3
(Done like 18 months volunteering, Young Enterprise, 2 weeks work experience, taster day etc)

I'm thinking Newcastle, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bristol but I just don't know!!!! Is Edinburgh as Bristol too ambitious?? And what are their views on module resits, would I be able to resit all of chem AS? Thankyou :smile:

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Reply 3985

MrSupernova

16

Original post by maryamnc

Hey guys please tell me what uni's you think I should apply to

GCSE : 10A*'s
A Levels : 3A's and a B in chem
Predicted A*AA
UKCAT : 750 but Band 3
(Done like 18 months volunteering, Young Enterprise, 2 weeks work experience, taster day etc)

I'm thinking Newcastle, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bristol but I just don't know!!!! Is Edinburgh as Bristol too ambitious?? And what are their views on module resits, would I be able to resit all of chem AS? Thankyou :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Edinburgh takes an extremely dim view of resits. I can't remember the exact policy, but I'm 99% sure that retaking the whole of AS chemistry wouldn't be allowed

Reply 3986

PencilSkirt

3

Hi guys, new member here :smile:

Just wanted to get some feedback about my chances of getting into med school. Here's my stats:

Achieved A levels: A*A*BB (Maths, Bio, Chem & Further Maths respectively)
As Level: A in French
IGCSE: 8A*s, A, B
UKCAT: Average = 770, Band 2. Total = 3080
UCAS Tarriff: 610 (extra A level + music qualification)

Work exp: Hospital, neuro rehab centre, day care centre, primary school, cancer care centre
Extra curricular: Music (post Gd 8 piano), form assistant for junior school, badminton

Thinking of applying to: Keele, Bart's, King's, St. George's (?)

How do you think the universities would view such a situation, especially considering the B in chemistry?

Thanks for your help!

Reply 3987

Konflict

7

UKCAT score of 690, AAAA at AS, A*A*A prediction, and 6A*s and 2As at GCSE.

I have an A* in almost all the subjects Birmingham say they have a preference for - but, I have A* in English Literature, but an A for Language.
Because of this I am considering changing Birmingham to Manchester - the UKCAT cutoff was around ~660 I've heard.

What are your thoughts?

Reply 3988

maryamnc

2

Original post by MrSupernova

Edinburgh takes an extremely dim view of resits. I can't remember the exact policy, but I'm 99% sure that retaking the whole of AS chemistry wouldn't be allowed

'We accept a maximum of two AS-level module resits, and those would need to be taken within the 2-year A-levels period. As long as you stay within those boundaries, and declare the initial AS grade AND the predicted new grade clearly in your application, it’s a problem at all and the fact that you’ve resat would not negatively impact on your chances of an offer.' This is actually what I got in an email from them today so I'll only resit two units :smile:

Leeds said they don't care about resits and I'm not sure about Bristol :frown:

somebody help. And do you have to say you are resitting on your UCAS form?

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Reply 3989

MrSupernova

16

Original post by maryamnc

'We accept a maximum of two AS-level module resits, and those would need to be taken within the 2-year A-levels period. As long as you stay within those boundaries, and declare the initial AS grade AND the predicted new grade clearly in your application, it’s a problem at all and the fact that you’ve resat would not negatively impact on your chances of an offer.' This is actually what I got in an email from them today so I'll only resit two units :smile:

Leeds said they don't care about resits and I'm not sure about Bristol :frown:

somebody help. And do you have to say you are resitting on your UCAS form?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Well if you're only resitting the 2 exams, not the ISA/EMPA, then it should be fine. That's not the whole of AS, which explains our little misunderstanding :wink:

As well as entering the grades for the individual modules you did last year, you'll need to enter them again under the AS section, with the grade as "pending" and the date as "June 2014". That's what we were told to do anyway :smile:

Reply 3990

HCubed

13

Original post by PencilSkirt

Hi guys, new member here :smile:

Just wanted to get some feedback about my chances of getting into med school. Here's my stats:

Achieved A levels: A*A*BB (Maths, Bio, Chem & Further Maths respectively)
As Level: A in French
IGCSE: 8A*s, A, B
UKCAT: Average = 770, Band 2. Total = 3080
UCAS Tarriff: 610 (extra A level + music qualification)

Work exp: Hospital, neuro rehab centre, day care centre, primary school, cancer care centre
Extra curricular: Music (post Gd 8 piano), form assistant for junior school, badminton

Thinking of applying to: Keele, Bart's, King's, St. George's (?)

How do you think the universities would view such a situation, especially considering the B in chemistry?

Thanks for your help!

Not well I'm afraid. Your stats are great apart from that B at A2. I think Keele is the only med school that will accept a B (A*AB), all the others require a minimum of AAA or A*AA. You could apply to Keele this cycle, and also retake your chemistry. Then if you don't get into Keele, there are a few places that will accept a resit, some specify that you get an A* - check the resit policy on the wiki.

Reply 3991

maryamnc

2

Original post by MrSupernova

Well if you're only resitting the 2 exams, not the ISA/EMPA, then it should be fine. That's not the whole of AS, which explains our little misunderstanding :wink:

As well as entering the grades for the individual modules you did last year, you'll need to enter them again under the AS section, with the grade as "pending" and the date as "June 2014". That's what we were told to do anyway :smile:

Ahhh okay I see that's fabs thankyou so much! Were are you applying?

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Reply 3992

Humera1

Hi Guys, new member here. :smile:

just wondering will I get into Medicine with bad GCSE's. Well in my opinion they're not bad bad but compared to most medical students they are lol

Biology- B
Chemistry- A
Physics- B
Maths- C (this is the worst one)
Enlish Lit and Lang-B and B
Latin Lit-A*
Latin lang-A
RS-A
Business studies A
German- A
5A's, 1A*, 4B's and a C.
My AS' are AAAA in Biology, chemistry, german and philosophy
and my predicted grades are AAA biology, chemistry and philosophy

I don't know if they're good enough compared to most med students. I have a lot of work experience piled up. Thanks. :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3993

MrSupernova

16

Original post by maryamnc

Ahhh okay I see that's fabs thankyou so much! Were are you applying?

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Edinburgh, Oxford, Newcastle and Cardiff. You? :smile:

Reply 3994

MrSupernova

16

Original post by Humera1

Hi Guys, new member here. :smile:

just wondering will I get into Medicine with bad GCSE's. Well in my opinion they're not bad bad but compared to most medical students they are lol

Biology- B
Chemistry- A
Physics- B
Maths- C (this is the worst one)
Enlish Lit and Lang-B and B
Latin Lit-A*
Latin lang-A
RS-A
Business studies A
German- A
5A's, 1A*, 4B's and a C.
My AS' are AAAA in Biology, chemistry, german and philosophy
and my predicted grades are AAA biology, chemistry and philosophy

I don't know if they're good enough compared to most med students. I have a lot of work experience piled up. Thanks. :smile:

Other than (off the top of my head), Queen Mary's Belfast, King's College London, Oxford, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff, Leicester, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Nottingham, you should be fine. It does, however, mean you'll have to do very well on the UKCAT (e.g. for Manchester, Glasgow, Durham, Southampton, HYMS) and/or write a cracking personal statement (e.g. Bristol, Brighton). Doing well on the BMAT should put you in a good position for Imperial, UCL and Leeds (they're only starting to use it this year), as well as Cambridge if you get 90+% UMS in your AS-levels. So basically, it's not the end of the world, but it will narrow your options a bit.

Reply 3995

biwcymru

Original post by MrSupernova

Other than (off the top of my head), Queen Mary's Belfast, King's College London, Oxford, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff, Leicester, Edinburgh, St Andrews and Nottingham, you should be fine. It does, however, mean you'll have to do very well on the UKCAT (e.g. for Manchester, Glasgow, Durham, Southampton, HYMS) and/or write a cracking personal statement (e.g. Bristol, Brighton). Doing well on the BMAT should put you in a good position for Imperial, UCL and Leeds (they're only starting to use it this year), as well as Cambridge if you get 90+% UMS in your AS-levels. So basically, it's not the end of the world, but it will narrow your options a bit.

don't apply to Cardiff with bad GCSEs they rank you out of 27 on your 9 best GCSEs (3= A*, 2 = A 1 = B) . usually need more than 23 points

Reply 3996

MrSupernova

16

Original post by biwcymru

don't apply to Cardiff with bad GCSEs they rank you out of 27 on your 9 best GCSEs (3= A*, 2 = A 1 = B) . usually need more than 23 points

I know, that's why I said that Cardiff was one of the places they should avoid...

Reply 3997

biwcymru

Original post by MrSupernova

I know, that's why I said that Cardiff was one of the places they should avoid...

oh sorry I misread the message :rolleyes:

Reply 3998

biwcymru

I'm so confused about where I should apply. I'd like to see peoples opinions out of interest.

GCSEs: 10 A*
AS: aaaa
A LEVEL: predicted (guessing) 4As or higher
UKCAT: 707.5 (2830) SJT - Band 1

Extracurricular: Grade 8 in 2 instruments, orchestra, quartet, sports leader, creative writing, medicine summer school, teach choir, vice captain of house team
Volunteering/paid work: RVS trolley (started Feb), Care Home (just started- had to be 18), teach language to school kids
Work experience: 2 days shadowing neurologist, week in general hospital, week in GP, week in pathology lab

I'm thinking MAYBE: Cardiff, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh

THOUGHTS?

Reply 3999

MrSupernova

16

Original post by biwcymru

oh sorry I misread the message :rolleyes:

No worries haha. In answr to your question btw, I'd say Bristol and Sheffield might be a waste of your excellent GCSE's/UKCAT, unless you really love them. Newcastle's a bit risky too, since you're not that far off last year's cutoff (can't remember whether it was 695 or 697.5). The others seem fine though