Torn between where to apply?

Hi everyone,
I am applying to medicine very soon, but I’m really not sure where to apply, especially for the UCAT unis. My school have said I need to decide very soon but I’m not sure.
My grades are: 11 9s at GCSE (including AQA L2 further maths so not sure if it’s 10 or 11 GCSEs), 4 A* predictions in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. My UCAT was 3310 and I have a pretty good personal statement.

My current thinking is between a few different sets: (Oxford, UCL, KCL, Cardiff or (Oxford) UCL, QMUL, Bristol/St George), or maybe a different 4th choice to Cardiff or St George.

Does anyone know the best medical schools to apply to for backup safety 4th slot, I was thinking Cardiff but it’s a bit far from where I live in East London. Also, is applying to 3 hard medical schools advisable or too risky?

I would really appreciate any help!

Hi there,

Thanks so much for your reply - it’s greatly appreciated and has really helped me calm down a little

Can I just ask why you advised against applying to Cardiff, it is because they favour Welsh students or something else? To be honest, I think I’m going to try really hard for BMAT to give me a good chance at Oxford and UCL, and after you said kings was a good option I think that will be my third. The question comes down to the last option. I know there’s only so many medical schools but are you aware of any others that would guarantee me an interview with my UCAT and also have a high interviewffer ratio (ideally being pretty close to London as well). I’m considering Bristol, SGUL and Cardiff as my main options (probably not Cardiff any more though) and to a lesser extent, Southampton and UEA as well (after you mentioned they use UCAT post-interview). Are there any other medical schools you would recommend?

Once again, many thanks in advance for all your help it’s so appreciated!

p.s (I did manage a band 1 SJT if that helps narrow things down)

Cardiff use GCSEs and PS as their shortlisting criteria with UCAT as a tiebreaker, and the latter is very subjective, with lots of people with full GCSE marks and high UCATs who believe they have a good PS being rejected every year. I think they use contextual points pretty heavily and favour Welsh applicants.

I would be looking at UEA or Edinburgh (direct train) as you will have a lot of the 50% pre-interview scoring they use for making an offer. But Edinburgh may be a bit far away.
Literally, anywhere but Cardiff, Keele and Sunderland should interview you (and they may, but not guaranteed), of the UCAT med schools, so any of Bristol, SGUL, Soton would be fine - choose the one you like best.
Good luck

Thanks so much for all your help, I’ve just looked up the FOI for Bristol A100 in 2023, and they made 595 offers from 830 interviews, which is pretty high. Seeing as they also use UCAT to rank applicants I’ve got a better chance than other selection processes. Your advice has been really helpful thanks so much and let’s hope it goes well!