medicine

does anyone know what Kings look for in a medical applicant. basically nobody from my school never gets an offer for some reason.. do they want anythign in particular?

Reply 1

legal_mc

Wouldnt you be better off asking this in the Medicine forum. I dont think there are very many people in this forum who have applied for medicine.

King's College London

London

Reply 2

oxygenbubbles

legal_mc

Wouldnt you be better off asking this in the Medicine forum. I dont think there are very many people in this forum who have applied for medicine.

I did.

Reply 3

9593963

I can give you a brief answer to this question since no-one else has. I realise now that GKT require students to take all sorts of tests like UKCAT and things and I really do not know a lot about that. I have been an interviewer for the medical school in the past though, and I do still from time to time get called upon to help out so I can give you a few notes.

1. You need to have achieved the minimum academic requirements for the place
2. You need to communicate well at the interview - be positive, think before you speak, be confident but not overconfident, don't try and act smart/cocky
3. You must have some form of work experience / realisation of whats it's like to be a doctor - when you're writing your personal statement don't just write how much work experience you've done, but write what you have learned from it as well
4. You should demonstrate that you're hardworking but you've also got to be able to switch off - talk about your commitments outside of school/college life and your achievements outside of school/college
5. If you've previously done a degree how did that affect your decision to study medicine, what advantages does it bring
6. Take time preparing your personal statement - spelling mistakes, poor grammar and poor sentence construction are instant turn-offs
7. If you're thinking about post-16 education consider the IB, or taking a non-science A level
8. Don't let poor GCSE grades put you off applying for medical school
9. Don't let teachers get in your way - if you got AAB in your AS levels (or near) and your teachers are predicting you less than that for your A levels don't let them - take it up at the highest level at your school and get your parents involved. You also have a right to see your reference under UCAS regulations and also under the Data Protection Act as it is not considered a 'Private' reference unlike employer references.
10. Don't lie / exaggerate about anything , either in your personal statement or in the interview - you will be caught out.

Good luck!