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Cardiff Medical School Applicants 2015

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How many points do you have?



CARDIFF MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICANTS 2015



With August fast approaching, it's time for medical applicants to start freaking out about the upcoming UCAS application cycle. Anyone thinking of applying to Cardiff is free to use this thread to have a moan/rant/cry, and to ask questions about the course, the university or the city itself.
We have the amazing Stephen Fry telling you how awesome Cardiff University is, plus Cardiff has been voted the best city in the UK to live in.

If you are interested in seeing the academic prowess of previous applicants to Cardiff University, the thread for 2014 entry can be found here and the Medical Applicants Stalking Page for Cardiff 2014 here.

Admissions
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The Admissions Policy for 2015-2016 entry can be found here with FAQ's which includes information about how GCSES are ranked for your application. The School Selection Procedures also condenses the information into one page for lazy people.

Spoiler




The Curriculum
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Here is a video regarding the new C21 Curriculum.
For the more keen, here is the Student Handbook which goes through the curriculum for first year regarding assessments, subject panels, SSCs and placements. Please note that the information for years two to five is not relevant due to the implementation of the new course. I will update this link once the Handbook for the new course has been provided.

If you want to know more about a typical week for a first year medical student at Cardiff including a copy of a timetable, Emlou456 very kindly posted this in the 2014 thread:

Spoiler



There are a number of medical students from Cardiff lurking around so feel free to ask questions; we will do our best to help you or point you in the right direction.
The UCAS cycle can be a very stressful time - hopefully by chatting to other students and understanding what is expected from you, you will feel more confident with your application and give yourself the best chance to receive an offer.
Good luck! :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)

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Keen.
Reply 2
Original post by Blackshadow
Keen.


I told her to wait :wink:
Reply 3
Out of all of the Medical Applicants threads, ours is the prettiest. That's what you get when you let a girl make the thread. :cool:
Probably going to apply

So if I have 10A* 1A at GCSE and FSMW, 5As at AS and lets say A*AA at A2, will I have 27 points. Is the points system from GCSEs or A2, or both?
Reply 5
Original post by solarplexus
Probably going to apply

So if I have 10A* 1A at GCSE and FSMW, 5As at AS and lets say A*AA at A2, will I have 27 points. Is the points system from GCSEs or A2, or both?


Great to hear you're interested.
The points system is for GCSEs only unless you already have 3 A's at A level, then you are able to get extra points (although I am unsure how many). As long as your GCSEs include Science, Maths and English Language you would have 27 points. :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Thinking of applying here (though I dislike Stephen Fry rather immensely)... Trying to figure out if my GCSE + A level score would give my application a decent chance to pass the cutoff. My GCSE score is only 17, but I'm done with A2 exams and predicted >AAA so I'll probs get a few more points. Just wondering exactly how many, does anybody know?
Reply 7
Original post by well in the dark
Thinking of applying here (though I dislike Stephen Fry rather immensely)... Trying to figure out if my GCSE + A level score would give my application a decent chance to pass the cutoff. My GCSE score is only 17, but I'm done with A2 exams and predicted >AAA so I'll probs get a few more points. Just wondering exactly how many, does anybody know?


Hi there. Unfortunately I would think that even with the added points for A2 grades you still wouldn't make the cut-off. I'm not 100% sure but if you contact admissions they may be able to help.
Original post by Elwyn
Hi there. Unfortunately I would think that even with the added points for A2 grades you still wouldn't make the cut-off. I'm not 100% sure but if you contact admissions they may be able to help.

Do you know how many points would be added? I figured if I get 3 for each A that'd be 3*3=9. 17+9=26 which is more than the cutoff on the website
I emailed Cardiff med admissions about A level points and this is what they said:
A-Levels are not scored in the same way as GCSE grades are, they are scored on a sliding scale. For example, if an applicant scores 22 points with their GCSEs and has the necessary grades at A2 Level, then their score could increase to 25.

We use a sliding scale to score A-Levels and degree classifications, using the original GCSE score, which varies in accordance with the variation of a particular standard. For example, if an applicant obtains the necessary three A grades at A2 Level, then their original GCSE score could increase. However, if a graduate applicant were to achieve AAA at A2 Level but achieve a 2:1 in their degree, the score would decrease, as we would need to see an academic improvement in their degree classification (i.e. a first) for their score to increase. The maximum possible score is 27.

If an applicant scores 17 with their GCSEs and has the three A grades at A2 Level, then their score would increase to 24. We do not score any extra points for A* grades at A2 Level.

If an applicant wants more specific advice on what their score could be, we normally ask for a list of their qualifications and grades achieved, as the sliding scale does vary, as mentioned in our previous email.

So if you're a post A levels prospective applicant and want to know your score you'll have to contact them to be sure, you can't calculate it yourself
What was the cut off for last year? I have a score of 22 for my GCSEs but when I apply I hopefully will have achieved Alevels of AAA, so my score will be 25 (according to email above). Is it worth applying?
Reply 11
Original post by Jimbob995
What was the cut off for last year? I have a score of 22 for my GCSEs but when I apply I hopefully will have achieved Alevels of AAA, so my score will be 25 (according to email above). Is it worth applying?


I can't quite remember what it is was last year however I don't think it was any higher than 25. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what the cut-off will be until after the application deadline, but if I had a score of 25 I would apply.
Original post by Elwyn
I can't quite remember what it is was last year however I don't think it was any higher than 25. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing what the cut-off will be until after the application deadline, but if I had a score of 25 I would apply.


What is it cardiff want to see in a PS? I'm worried that what I consider a good PS may be perceived a bad one by admissions tutors! Any advice would be great :smile:
Reply 13
Original post by Jimbob995
What is it cardiff want to see in a PS? I'm worried that what I consider a good PS may be perceived a bad one by admissions tutors! Any advice would be great :smile:


The admissions document which Angury has linked above is really helpful to look at. In there this is what they summarise as being the main things they look for in an application:

Medical motivation and awareness of the career
Caring ethos and a sense of social awareness
Sense of responsibility
Evidence of a balanced approach to life
Evidence of self directed learning and extracurricular activities

In my opinion one thing I think Cardiff are really fond of is voluntary work, whether that be at a care home or with a charity of some description. So if you've done anything like that you're PS will be off to a flying start.

I'm not sure if you've looked into the PS review service on here, but it's definitely worth submitting your PS to it and getting some feedback from medics such as myself who have been through the process. If you do decide you're going to submit it for review when they start accepting personal statements (which is usually in September), send me a quick message before hand and hopefully either myself or one of the other Cardiff medics will be able to review it for you if you're particularly interested in gearing it towards Cardiff.
Original post by Elwyn
The admissions document which Angury has linked above is really helpful to look at. In there this is what they summarise as being the main things they look for in an application:

Medical motivation and awareness of the career
Caring ethos and a sense of social awareness
Sense of responsibility
Evidence of a balanced approach to life
Evidence of self directed learning and extracurricular activities

In my opinion one thing I think Cardiff are really fond of is voluntary work, whether that be at a care home or with a charity of some description. So if you've done anything like that you're PS will be off to a flying start.

I'm not sure if you've looked into the PS review service on here, but it's definitely worth submitting your PS to it and getting some feedback from medics such as myself who have been through the process. If you do decide you're going to submit it for review when they start accepting personal statements (which is usually in September), send me a quick message before hand and hopefully either myself or one of the other Cardiff medics will be able to review it for you if you're particularly interested in gearing it towards Cardiff.


Thank you! I love cardiff so I will definitely message you later in regards to the PS service :smile:
Stephen Fry is a boss
I'm going to apply as a mature student. Wanted to study medicine for yeeeeears, but only now in a position to do so. Also inspired by the younger generation and how amazingly studious they are.

Waiting to find out if I'm eligible to even apply!


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Elwyn
The admissions document which Angury has linked above is really helpful to look at. In there this is what they summarise as being the main things they look for in an application:

Medical motivation and awareness of the career
Caring ethos and a sense of social awareness
Sense of responsibility
Evidence of a balanced approach to life
Evidence of self directed learning and extracurricular activities

In my opinion one thing I think Cardiff are really fond of is voluntary work, whether that be at a care home or with a charity of some description. So if you've done anything like that you're PS will be off to a flying start.

I'm not sure if you've looked into the PS review service on here, but it's definitely worth submitting your PS to it and getting some feedback from medics such as myself who have been through the process. If you do decide you're going to submit it for review when they start accepting personal statements (which is usually in September), send me a quick message before hand and hopefully either myself or one of the other Cardiff medics will be able to review it for you if you're particularly interested in gearing it towards Cardiff.


Very helpful, thank you.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 18
I just discovered this helpful timetable which some of you may find interesting. Bear in mind that years 3&4 are the current curriculum and so will be different for you.

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Got the grades I need so deffo applying here :biggrin:

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