Application stats

You see the problem with using admissions stats is that everyone acts on them, each thinking its their own cunning plan to maximise their chances of success. It then backfires on most who try this tactic, the years stats look impossibly forbidding in the next cycle...leading to sometimes wild fluctuations in the numbers...

I was always told to treat them like a bikini, it looks attractive, but consider what its hiding....

Mildly offensive - read at own pleasure

Reply 2

AEH

8

Ai, a fool's road they are. Barts, Sheffield, Cardiff, BSMS, HYMS and Peninsula have all been low-stats one year, high-stats the next. Find a place you like, apply there, if you get in that's good, if you don't, you don't.

Reply 3

graemematt

Excluding London-based universities (who always receive high numbers of applicants :tongue:

laces), the rest generally can't be predicted in terms of applicants. You just have to apply where you want. And...HURRY about it :smile:

Reply 4

graemematt

Excluding London-based universities (who always receive high numbers of applicants :tongue:

laces), the rest generally can't be predicted in terms of applicants. You just have to apply where you want. And...HURRY about it :smile:

Actually I think some of the London medical schools (eg Imperial, has approx2500 applicants for 326 places; on average 7.7:1) have the lower numbers of applicants per place.
http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/resources/383ACF21-832B-4F03-90D8-E4C937E3A3BF/goodchoicewebversion.pdf

Whereas for example Southampton (http://www.soton.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2008/medicine.html) says they have around 17 applicants per place.

Bristol have 2700 applicants for 216 places (approximately 12.5 per place)
http://www.medici.bris.ac.uk/general/Undergraduate/admissionsstatement

EDIT: Just to elaborate, UCL have an estimated 2666 applicants (says on their website 30% applicants interviewed= 800 applicants; therfore 800/0.3=2666) competing for 330 places which wokrs out at around 8 per place.

Reply 5

icapturethecastle

relying on stats really doesn't work

if your worried about how competitve a uni is...don't bother because they're all just as competitve as each other :smile:

fun!

Reply 6

Wangers

Sunspoon - I'm not convinced about that UCL stat - since they gurantee interviews to people with BMAt >19, with 5,5...Or is it that brutal?

Reply 7

bright star

1

the BMAT's not a walk in the park......

Reply 8

Spencer Wells

Wangers

Sunspoon - I'm not convinced about that UCL stat - since they gurantee interviews to people with BMAt >19, with 5,5...Or is it that brutal?

UCL do interview about 800 applicants. About 500 of those will have guaranteed interviews from their BMAT score.

Reply 9

greenerwhiterblacker

Wangers

You see the problem with using admissions stats is that everyone acts on them, each thinking its their own cunning plan to maximise their chances of success. It then backfires on most who try this tactic, the years stats look impossibly forbidding in the next cycle...leading to sometimes wild fluctuations in the numbers...

I was always told to treat them like a bikini, it looks attractive, but consider what its hiding....

Well the answer is use statistics from 2 years ago!
Im just kidding - choose the places you want to go to, suit the course of, meet requirements. Its the same advice repeated over and over :smile:

Reply 10

m1chan

wich universities place strongest stress on UKcat?

Reply 11

bright star

1

have a look on the med school's websites. there's not that many of them, they'll let you know if/how they use UKCAT for admissions.

Reply 12

Wangers

Sunspoon - I'm not convinced about that UCL stat - since they gurantee interviews to people with BMAt >19, with 5,5...Or is it that brutal?

Well it says clearly on their website (can't be bothered to post the link again, it's in my previous post) that 30% of applicants are interviewed. They also say on the same page that 800 applicatns are interviewed. Therefore simple maths denotes that if 800 is 30%, then the original number of applicants = 800/0.3, which=2666.66...; therefore 2666 applicants/330 places is approximately 8 per place

Reply 13

icapturethecastle

m1chan

wich universities place strongest stress on UKcat?

i've only been looking at the london ones...and i think bart's like it a lot
not st.george's that much

...ucl are serious on bmat though :s-smilie:

Reply 14

For BMAT, Imperial are quite picky too:

Question: How do you assess candidates?

Answer: Firstly we ensure that the candidate satisfies our published academic entry criteria as detailed in the Undergraduate Prospectus. We then wait for the year’s BMAT scores to be released. Candidates who have performed excellently in all three sections of BMAT are given priority consideration by our shortlisters. The shortlisters read the candidate’s UCAS reference and personal statement and assess how well s/he satisfies the non-academic entry criteria, which are also detailed in the Prospectus.
When the shortlisters have decided which of the above candidates to interview they will consider candidates who have performed slightly less well in each of the three sections of BMAT and decide which of these candidates to interview. This procedure continues until all of our interview places have been allocated.

Which basically means that you're going to be interviewed first if you do well.

Reply 15

islanddeserter

I agree with Sunspoon. The London Unis always receive lower applicants per places, simply due to the high costs of living and some people dont want to live in the big smoke.
I recently went to the University of Liverpool's open day, where the medical admissions tutor told us we have approx a 1:9 chance of getting a place there. Liverpool and most northern Unis are always slightly more popular as the cost of living is lower. (this is what he said anyways)
Thus, I decided to apply to Liverpool but also Bristol and the south, as I dont necessarily need to be based up North.

Reply 16

davidjones90

Were just competing against each other!!! I never really took into consideration how fierce competition for places is, I just chose places I'd love to study and to fulfill my ambition. My issue is, I received an email from UCL and they state they receive around 2500 applications for 330 spaces. They would have to make around 600 offers so you can compare application to offers (as offer= guaranteed place), in which its 4 apps to 1 place, thats still VERY competitive because nearly all applicants far exceed minimum requirements, have amazing work experience, straight A predicitions and great statement/reference...in a way must be hard work being an admin officer to try and figure who'd they take as the majority of applicants have to potential to go on to make good doctors(or will they if only 70% actually become doctors in the end???).

Is it really true london receives less application? Yes its more expensive, but I do believe you get a significantly larger loan to help.

Reply 17

bright star

1

^^ hopefully unless your med school is useless, people come out of it as decent doctors!!

Reply 18

graemematt

Yeah, last year I applied to Keele as my 4th choice thinking it would be the "easy" option to get into. But amazingly, they had over 1200 applicants for just 130 spaces! I got an interview but was unsuccessful. I think, in retrospect, that trying to negotiate around statistics is futile, so just apply where your heart tells you to!

Although, I think Queens Belfast doesn't get that many applicants due to it's location...but their entry requirements are high!

Reply 19