Medics and Applicants Profiles - NO DISCUSSION
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Year of Entry: 2011
Deferred?: No - transferred from another degree
GCSEs: 5A* and 4As
AS: 4As (biology, chemistry, maths, history)
A2s: AAA (biology, chemistry, maths)
UKCAT/BMAT: 740/900
Extra Curricular: First Aid trained, disability ambassador, university resource assistant, movie reviewer, show performer, football player with school team, cross country skiier
Work Experience / placement at Great Ormond Street Hospital, haematology week in Belfast hospital
Universities
Manchester; Rejection without comment
Glasgow; Interview, "did not show ability to reflect on experiences"
Newcastle: Interview, rejected without comment
QUB; Interview, successful
Deferred?: No - transferred from another degree
GCSEs: 5A* and 4As
AS: 4As (biology, chemistry, maths, history)
A2s: AAA (biology, chemistry, maths)
UKCAT/BMAT: 740/900
Extra Curricular: First Aid trained, disability ambassador, university resource assistant, movie reviewer, show performer, football player with school team, cross country skiier
Work Experience / placement at Great Ormond Street Hospital, haematology week in Belfast hospital
Universities
Manchester; Rejection without comment
Glasgow; Interview, "did not show ability to reflect on experiences"
Newcastle: Interview, rejected without comment
QUB; Interview, successful
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 10A* 1B
AS Grades: 4A in maths, chemistry, biology, psychology ( 1A in further maths predicted)
A2 Prediction/Results: 2A* in chemistry and maths ( 2A* in biology and psychology predicted)
UKCAT: 820 average (3280 total - 790VR, 730DM, 870AR, 890QR) and Band 1 SJT
BMAT: 5.1, 5,4, 4A
Work Experience/Volunteering: Very little medical work experience, just a couple of days in an opticians. Lots of volunteering with disabled children and campaigning for disability charities.
Extra Curricular: GB Disability Gymnastics Squad, National level in disability swimming and gymnastics. Grade 5 in flute and piano. Bronze DofE. Gave evidence to a parliamentary committee in 2014. Chair of Student Representative Group at college and Student Governor.
Universities applied to and decisions:
Oxford - offer (FIRM)
Cardiff - offer (INSURANCE)
Imperial - offer (declined)
King's - offer (declined)
(all offers were for one A grade to add to previously achieved 2A*s)
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 10A* 1B
AS Grades: 4A in maths, chemistry, biology, psychology ( 1A in further maths predicted)
A2 Prediction/Results: 2A* in chemistry and maths ( 2A* in biology and psychology predicted)
UKCAT: 820 average (3280 total - 790VR, 730DM, 870AR, 890QR) and Band 1 SJT
BMAT: 5.1, 5,4, 4A
Work Experience/Volunteering: Very little medical work experience, just a couple of days in an opticians. Lots of volunteering with disabled children and campaigning for disability charities.
Extra Curricular: GB Disability Gymnastics Squad, National level in disability swimming and gymnastics. Grade 5 in flute and piano. Bronze DofE. Gave evidence to a parliamentary committee in 2014. Chair of Student Representative Group at college and Student Governor.
Universities applied to and decisions:
Oxford - offer (FIRM)
Cardiff - offer (INSURANCE)
Imperial - offer (declined)
King's - offer (declined)
(all offers were for one A grade to add to previously achieved 2A*s)
(edited 6 years ago)
Thank you @Phalanges for this excellent thread! I've found it really helpful throughout the application process and I'm delighted to (FINALLY!) be able to post my own profile & university decisions!
Year of Entry: 2018
GCSEs: 8A*, 2A, 1B
AS Grades: AAAD
A2 Predicted: A*A*A (Biology, History, Chemistry)
UKCAT: 763 avg, SJT band 1
BMAT: 4.7, 6.4, 4A
Work Experience/Volunteering:
2 years part-time pharmacy assistant
6 months medical/stem cell research internship
1 week GP shadowing
1 week A&E shadowing
6 months charity shop volunteering
Extra Curricular:
Rugby union (with national cup team)
Amateur horse riding
Deputy head girl (Sixth Form, peer elected)
School council (yr 10-present)
Several school drama productions
Bronze DofE
Universities applied to and decisions:
Leeds 2018 entry - offer AAA
Birmingham 2018 entry - offer A*AA
Cardiff 2019 entry - offer AAA
Nottingham 2018 entry - offer AAA
Leeds will be my firm but I’ve not decided an insurance yet.
More details are on my profile - please feel free to PM me about work ex, UKCAT/BMAT prep, and interviews! I didn’t use any paid-for material/courses to prepare.
I will also link my PS at some point as I am planning to upload it to the TSR bank if I get in for 2018 entry.
Year of Entry: 2018
GCSEs: 8A*, 2A, 1B
AS Grades: AAAD
A2 Predicted: A*A*A (Biology, History, Chemistry)
UKCAT: 763 avg, SJT band 1
BMAT: 4.7, 6.4, 4A
Work Experience/Volunteering:
2 years part-time pharmacy assistant
6 months medical/stem cell research internship
1 week GP shadowing
1 week A&E shadowing
6 months charity shop volunteering
Extra Curricular:
Rugby union (with national cup team)
Amateur horse riding
Deputy head girl (Sixth Form, peer elected)
School council (yr 10-present)
Several school drama productions
Bronze DofE
Universities applied to and decisions:
Leeds 2018 entry - offer AAA
Birmingham 2018 entry - offer A*AA
Cardiff 2019 entry - offer AAA
Nottingham 2018 entry - offer AAA
Leeds will be my firm but I’ve not decided an insurance yet.
More details are on my profile - please feel free to PM me about work ex, UKCAT/BMAT prep, and interviews! I didn’t use any paid-for material/courses to prepare.
I will also link my PS at some point as I am planning to upload it to the TSR bank if I get in for 2018 entry.
(edited 6 years ago)
Year of entry: 2018
GCSEs: 2.5A* 5A 1B 1C
AS: AABC (history, biology, economics, history)
A2: Predicted AAA (dropped economics)
UKCAT: 612.5 Band 1
BMAT: 4.1, 3.7, 4A (history came in handy for essay lol)
Work experience:
1 week hospital
1 week GP
6 months volunteering in charity shop
6 months volunteering working with special needs pupils
Extra curricular:
5 a side football
Gym
Unis applied to and decisions
Plymouth - OFFER (insurance)
Brighton and Sussex medical school - OFFER (firm)
Lancaster - post interview rejection
Leeds - pre interview rejection
Listen guys you don't need amazing grades to get in. All of my stats are below average for a medical student. If you're in my position with below average academics here's one tip:
RESEARCH. I did loads of research for each medical school seeing what I needed to get interviews, what cut offs in previous years were etc. I used them to make my decisions and it worked. If there's any tip I could give it's research all the medical school. Unless you have perfect academics DO NOT APPLY RANDOMLY.
GCSEs: 2.5A* 5A 1B 1C
AS: AABC (history, biology, economics, history)
A2: Predicted AAA (dropped economics)
UKCAT: 612.5 Band 1
BMAT: 4.1, 3.7, 4A (history came in handy for essay lol)
Work experience:
1 week hospital
1 week GP
6 months volunteering in charity shop
6 months volunteering working with special needs pupils
Extra curricular:
5 a side football
Gym
Unis applied to and decisions
Plymouth - OFFER (insurance)
Brighton and Sussex medical school - OFFER (firm)
Lancaster - post interview rejection
Leeds - pre interview rejection
Listen guys you don't need amazing grades to get in. All of my stats are below average for a medical student. If you're in my position with below average academics here's one tip:
RESEARCH. I did loads of research for each medical school seeing what I needed to get interviews, what cut offs in previous years were etc. I used them to make my decisions and it worked. If there's any tip I could give it's research all the medical school. Unless you have perfect academics DO NOT APPLY RANDOMLY.
Year of entry: 2018
Deferred?: No.
UKCAT: 655 Band 3
BMAT: 4.9 6.2 3A
Predicted grades: 44/45 - 777HL
iGCSE: 7A* 1A 2B
UCL (Medicine A100)
Reply: Rejection
Cambridge (Medicine A100)
Reply: Rejection post-interview
Birmingham (Medicine A100)
Withdrew (long story).
Leicester (Medicine A100)
Reply: Offer (36 666HL 666SL w/o core points -yes, they specified grades in ALL the subjects...)
King's College London (Molecular Genetics)
Reply: Offer (35 665 HL with core points)
Honestly, this whole process took a lot of effort. The outcome is very different to what I imagined, and having one offer is already amazing. Whilst my future is not exactly sure as of yet, I am glad to have a place for September of 2018! Looking forward to what the future brings, and (maybe) studying at Leicester if everything goes right!
Staying confident is key in order to succeed. In my Leicester interview I literally forgot the pillars of NHS from stress, but instead of showing my anxiety I asked whether we could move to the next question so I could answer that one at the end of the interview. It worked, and I'm glad I didn't just sit silently stuck with this question.
Cambridge was quite vague with their feedback, and they said my predicted grades, iGCSEs, and BMAT ("especially the Knowledge and Aptitude Section" ) were good performance and even above average. My interviews were also good, however for one of the questions I required more help than some other applicants. Goes to show how competitive medicine really is. However, it was the better out of the two interviews. Liked the traditional style more than the MMI at Leicester if I'm being honest.
Birmingham was honestly not a good idea for me when applying. Didn't really have a nice experience with Bham, but I have friends who were absolutely in love with it so it's a personal thing rather than the uni in general. I don't want to discourage anyone from applying there!
I chose it partially because of some pressure from outside, and it wasn't really a place where I wanted to go. Ended up in me wasting an option and turning the interview down. So please don't let others tell you what to do/where to apply. If you really want to apply to a med school that might be risky/'worse' than the one someone might be suggesting then do that - scr*w what everyone else has to say. I really really really regret not applying to Imperial instead. But that's life - you live and you learn!
Deferred?: No.
UKCAT: 655 Band 3
BMAT: 4.9 6.2 3A
Predicted grades: 44/45 - 777HL
iGCSE: 7A* 1A 2B
UCL (Medicine A100)
Reply: Rejection
Cambridge (Medicine A100)
Reply: Rejection post-interview
Birmingham (Medicine A100)
Withdrew (long story).
Leicester (Medicine A100)
Reply: Offer (36 666HL 666SL w/o core points -yes, they specified grades in ALL the subjects...)
King's College London (Molecular Genetics)
Reply: Offer (35 665 HL with core points)
Honestly, this whole process took a lot of effort. The outcome is very different to what I imagined, and having one offer is already amazing. Whilst my future is not exactly sure as of yet, I am glad to have a place for September of 2018! Looking forward to what the future brings, and (maybe) studying at Leicester if everything goes right!
Staying confident is key in order to succeed. In my Leicester interview I literally forgot the pillars of NHS from stress, but instead of showing my anxiety I asked whether we could move to the next question so I could answer that one at the end of the interview. It worked, and I'm glad I didn't just sit silently stuck with this question.
Cambridge was quite vague with their feedback, and they said my predicted grades, iGCSEs, and BMAT ("especially the Knowledge and Aptitude Section" ) were good performance and even above average. My interviews were also good, however for one of the questions I required more help than some other applicants. Goes to show how competitive medicine really is. However, it was the better out of the two interviews. Liked the traditional style more than the MMI at Leicester if I'm being honest.
Birmingham was honestly not a good idea for me when applying. Didn't really have a nice experience with Bham, but I have friends who were absolutely in love with it so it's a personal thing rather than the uni in general. I don't want to discourage anyone from applying there!
I chose it partially because of some pressure from outside, and it wasn't really a place where I wanted to go. Ended up in me wasting an option and turning the interview down. So please don't let others tell you what to do/where to apply. If you really want to apply to a med school that might be risky/'worse' than the one someone might be suggesting then do that - scr*w what everyone else has to say. I really really really regret not applying to Imperial instead. But that's life - you live and you learn!
(edited 6 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 11 A*s
AS Grades: Further maths AS: A, A* in A level maths in L6, EPQ: A* (40/40)
A2 Prediction/Results: A*A*A predicted (biol, further maths, chem)
UKCAT (if applicable): 720 average, SJT band 1
BMAT (if applicable): 5.6, 6.4, 3.5A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 year weekly at local hospital, 1 week GP, 1 week stroke ward, 6 months weekly in assisted living accommodation
Extra Curricular: run medical ethics club, head of communications in student union, bronze D of E and ncs (clutching at straws here I know)
Universities applied to and decisions:
Cambridge (St John’s) - OFFER (A*A in any)
Birmingham - OFFER (AAA)
Leeds - OFFER (AAA)
Nottingham - OFFER (AAB, A in biol and chem)
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 11 A*s
AS Grades: Further maths AS: A, A* in A level maths in L6, EPQ: A* (40/40)
A2 Prediction/Results: A*A*A predicted (biol, further maths, chem)
UKCAT (if applicable): 720 average, SJT band 1
BMAT (if applicable): 5.6, 6.4, 3.5A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 year weekly at local hospital, 1 week GP, 1 week stroke ward, 6 months weekly in assisted living accommodation
Extra Curricular: run medical ethics club, head of communications in student union, bronze D of E and ncs (clutching at straws here I know)
Universities applied to and decisions:
Cambridge (St John’s) - OFFER (A*A in any)
Birmingham - OFFER (AAA)
Leeds - OFFER (AAA)
Nottingham - OFFER (AAB, A in biol and chem)
Year of Entry: 2017
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 8A* 2A
AS Grades: AAAA
A2 Prediction/Results: 5A* including EPQ
UKCAT: 757 average (640VR,730AR, 900QR) and Band 1 SJT
BMAT: 4.7, 5,3, 2.5A
Work Experience/Volunteering: Too much. Hospice, care home, hospitals in 2 different countries, mentoring, teaching in a primary school, charity shop.....
Extra Curricular: County badminton, silver DofE, Part of research group
Universities applied to and decisions:
Cambridge - Rejected without interview (BMAT too low for Trinity College smh)
Newcastle - offer (Firm)
Nottingham - Interview, rejected
Leicester - Interview, rejected.
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 8A* 2A
AS Grades: AAAA
A2 Prediction/Results: 5A* including EPQ
UKCAT: 757 average (640VR,730AR, 900QR) and Band 1 SJT
BMAT: 4.7, 5,3, 2.5A
Work Experience/Volunteering: Too much. Hospice, care home, hospitals in 2 different countries, mentoring, teaching in a primary school, charity shop.....
Extra Curricular: County badminton, silver DofE, Part of research group
Universities applied to and decisions:
Cambridge - Rejected without interview (BMAT too low for Trinity College smh)
Newcastle - offer (Firm)
Nottingham - Interview, rejected
Leicester - Interview, rejected.
Year of Entry: 2017
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 4A* 7A
AS Grades: AAAB (and an extra A in IT which i took in year eleven)
A2 Results: A*AA (Biology, Chemistry and Maths)
UKCAT : 767 (VR: 760, QR: 850, AR: 690 SJ: Band 1)
Work Experience/Volunteering:
Extra Curricular: Gold DofE, CCF, Deputy House Captain, Form Captain, School Council, Choir, Ran Christian Union, involved in setting up school MedSoc
Universities applied to and decisions:
Applied to
Bristol - pre interview rejection
Southampton - interview and offer
Kings College London - interview and offer
Manchester - interview and offer
So I am now a first year medical student a Southampton!!!
I really hope sharing this can help some of you, I was told that because i didnt have amazing GCSEs that i wouldnt get into medical school but look at me now!
If you are thinking of applying to do medicine i have a few pieces of advice:
So best of luck with your application and if you have any questions please feel free to send me a message
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 4A* 7A
AS Grades: AAAB (and an extra A in IT which i took in year eleven)
A2 Results: A*AA (Biology, Chemistry and Maths)
UKCAT : 767 (VR: 760, QR: 850, AR: 690 SJ: Band 1)
Work Experience/Volunteering:
•
Two days with an Orthopaedic Consultant
•
Two days in theatre and associated wards
•
One week in Mental Health hospital trust
•
Twelve weeks at Dementia Home (one afternoon a week)
•
Ten weeks at a special needs school (one afternoon a week)
•
Three years running free technology help sessions for retired people at my local library
•
Volunteer with the Wave Project
•
Volunteer at children's camp two years running
Extra Curricular: Gold DofE, CCF, Deputy House Captain, Form Captain, School Council, Choir, Ran Christian Union, involved in setting up school MedSoc
Universities applied to and decisions:
Applied to
Bristol - pre interview rejection
Southampton - interview and offer
Kings College London - interview and offer
Manchester - interview and offer
So I am now a first year medical student a Southampton!!!
I really hope sharing this can help some of you, I was told that because i didnt have amazing GCSEs that i wouldnt get into medical school but look at me now!
If you are thinking of applying to do medicine i have a few pieces of advice:
1.
Work out if you actually want to do medicine - it may sound silly but make sure you know what you are signing yourself up for, do work experience in a hospital or GP f you can and see what life as a doctor really looks like. Also med school is really hard
2.
VOLUNTEERING - I absolutely loved my volunteering but it was also great to have so much to talk about at interview, care homes love having an extra set of hands even if it is just to drink tea and chat with people
3.
Apply to your strength - i knew didn't have great gcses so i worked super hard on my ukcat (see next point) and then applied to unis that wanted ukcat, if i hadnt done as well as i wanted to on the ukcat i would have taken the BMAT and prepped even harder for that
4.
UKCAT - I used the ISC 1000q book, Kaplan 1000q Book, 1 month of Medify and official ukcat practice test. Medify was definitely the msot useful as it is so similar to the actual tests so i would HIGHLY recommend it, definitely wroth the money. I started practising for my ukcat straight after AS exams until September, starting with an hour a day building up to 3/4 hours each day. Bascially if you want it work for it!!
5.
Interviews - i properly stressed out about interviews and went a little overboard on the preparation but in all honesty all they are looking for is a person who they can see being a doctor, you just have to be nice and peopley and have done some research
6.
A levels are the most important - in the craziness that is medical school applications dont forget about your actual a levels because without them you're not gong anywhere
So best of luck with your application and if you have any questions please feel free to send me a message
(edited 6 years ago)
Bored on shift, so I'll add my stats, outdated though they may be:
Year of Entry: 2012
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 10 A*s
AS Grades: 6As and a B (Triple science, maths, english, spanish, B in further maths)
A2 Results: 5 As (Triple science, maths, english)
UKCAT (if applicable): 2700
Work Experience/Volunteering:
One day a week in a nursing home (didn't actually do this for that long but I made it seem better in my PS)
A day and a half in a neurology clinic in my local hospital
One week in A&E (Got this through pure nepotism I'm sad to say)
Extra Curricular:
Rock climbing, jazz band, wrote some articles for an online magazine
Universities applied to and decisions:
Birmingham - interview + offer
Leicester - rejected post-interview
Leeds - invited to interview - didn't attend because I already had an offer from my first choice
Bristol - didn't even reject me. I hadn't heard back from them by April so I just withdrew
Actually now that I look back on it, 3 interviews ain't even that bad.
When applying I wanted to go to a campus uni with a traditional course, and high academic requirements since that was obviously my strongest suit. This was in the days before Birmingham and Bristol considered the UKCAT, so that was another reason for choosing them as my result was mediocre. By rights I should've applied to Cardiff, but my brother went there and was winning all sorts of awards and stuff and I decided I just didn't want to compete with that. I also dismissed any Scottish unis as being too far from home (funny because I live in Scotland now).
Birmingham was my first choice and I was in the first round of interviews in November and got an offer less than two weeks later, so it all went pretty well
Year of Entry: 2012
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 10 A*s
AS Grades: 6As and a B (Triple science, maths, english, spanish, B in further maths)
A2 Results: 5 As (Triple science, maths, english)
UKCAT (if applicable): 2700
Work Experience/Volunteering:
One day a week in a nursing home (didn't actually do this for that long but I made it seem better in my PS)
A day and a half in a neurology clinic in my local hospital
One week in A&E (Got this through pure nepotism I'm sad to say)
Extra Curricular:
Rock climbing, jazz band, wrote some articles for an online magazine
Universities applied to and decisions:
Birmingham - interview + offer
Leicester - rejected post-interview
Leeds - invited to interview - didn't attend because I already had an offer from my first choice
Bristol - didn't even reject me. I hadn't heard back from them by April so I just withdrew
Actually now that I look back on it, 3 interviews ain't even that bad.
When applying I wanted to go to a campus uni with a traditional course, and high academic requirements since that was obviously my strongest suit. This was in the days before Birmingham and Bristol considered the UKCAT, so that was another reason for choosing them as my result was mediocre. By rights I should've applied to Cardiff, but my brother went there and was winning all sorts of awards and stuff and I decided I just didn't want to compete with that. I also dismissed any Scottish unis as being too far from home (funny because I live in Scotland now).
Birmingham was my first choice and I was in the first round of interviews in November and got an offer less than two weeks later, so it all went pretty well
Not seen this thread before - hopefully this is helpful
Year of Entry: 2012
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 11 A*s and an A
AS Grades: AAAAB
A2 Prediction/Results: A*AA
UKCAT (if applicable): 680 ish
BMAT (if applicable): Ooh I don't remember, in the 5s?
Work Experience/Volunteering: 2 years volunteering in hospitals, 2 weeks in a GP, 1 week on Cardiology
Extra Curricular: Climbing local level, water polo regional level, Cello grade 3, school council head, debate team, journal club
Universities applied to and decisions:
Leeds - interview and offer
UCL - interview and offer
Southampton - offer (they didn't interview back then!)
Peninsula - rejected
Year of Entry: 2012
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 11 A*s and an A
AS Grades: AAAAB
A2 Prediction/Results: A*AA
UKCAT (if applicable): 680 ish
BMAT (if applicable): Ooh I don't remember, in the 5s?
Work Experience/Volunteering: 2 years volunteering in hospitals, 2 weeks in a GP, 1 week on Cardiology
Extra Curricular: Climbing local level, water polo regional level, Cello grade 3, school council head, debate team, journal club
Universities applied to and decisions:
Leeds - interview and offer
UCL - interview and offer
Southampton - offer (they didn't interview back then!)
Peninsula - rejected
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: Nope
GCSEs: 8A*'s, 3A's
AS Grades: AABB
A2 Results: A*AA
UKCAT (if applicable): 662.5 Average with Band 1 SJT
Work Experience/Volunteering:
1) 1 Week placement at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at a Woman's Hospital
2) 10 years volunteering at a local church and community centre
3) 1 year volunteering at a hospice
4) 9 months volunteering at MAU department in a hospital.
Extra Curricular:
1) Badminton weekly for a few months
2) Piano lessons- Grade 4
Universities applied to and decisions:
Birmingham- Offer
Liverpool- Offer
HYMS- Offer
Manchester- Post Interview Rejection
Deferred?: Nope
GCSEs: 8A*'s, 3A's
AS Grades: AABB
A2 Results: A*AA
UKCAT (if applicable): 662.5 Average with Band 1 SJT
Work Experience/Volunteering:
1) 1 Week placement at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at a Woman's Hospital
2) 10 years volunteering at a local church and community centre
3) 1 year volunteering at a hospice
4) 9 months volunteering at MAU department in a hospital.
Extra Curricular:
1) Badminton weekly for a few months
2) Piano lessons- Grade 4
Universities applied to and decisions:
Birmingham- Offer
Liverpool- Offer
HYMS- Offer
Manchester- Post Interview Rejection
(edited 5 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2017
Deferred?: yes
GCSEs: 8A* and 4A
AS Grades: AAABBC (Economics , Biology, Philosophy, Maths and Chemistry & Physics respectively)
A2 Results: AAAAA (Mathematics, Biology, Philosophy, Economics and Chemistry, respectively)
UKCAT: 2640 Band 3
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 week of shadowing in a hospital
Universities applied to and decisions:
UCD - offer
St George's- offer
Liverpool - offer (accepted)
Exeter - unsuccessful
Durham (economics) - offer (insurance)
Deferred?: yes
GCSEs: 8A* and 4A
AS Grades: AAABBC (Economics , Biology, Philosophy, Maths and Chemistry & Physics respectively)
A2 Results: AAAAA (Mathematics, Biology, Philosophy, Economics and Chemistry, respectively)
UKCAT: 2640 Band 3
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 week of shadowing in a hospital
Universities applied to and decisions:
UCD - offer
St George's- offer
Liverpool - offer (accepted)
Exeter - unsuccessful
Durham (economics) - offer (insurance)
A levels: 3A* plus 2C in AS physics and EPQ
UKCAT: 637.5 band 2
BMAT: 4.5, 4.9 and 2B
GCSE: 4A* 2A 3B 2C
Brighton and sussex medical school (Medicine a100): Rejection post interview
Keele university (Medicine a100) : rejection pre interview
Queen marys london (Medicine a100) : rejection pre interview
Exeter (Medicine a100) : offer given
Leeds (maths with statistics) : offer given
In terms of work experience i had volunteered at an ederly home for 1 hour a week for about 3 months. Had about 100 hours as working as a phlebotomist and had just been offered a promotion where i got to do cannulation, ABGs and aalso male catheterisation however i did not start this until after the application deadline date but was still able to talk about it on my personal statement as i had the job offer
UKCAT: 637.5 band 2
BMAT: 4.5, 4.9 and 2B
GCSE: 4A* 2A 3B 2C
Brighton and sussex medical school (Medicine a100): Rejection post interview
Keele university (Medicine a100) : rejection pre interview
Queen marys london (Medicine a100) : rejection pre interview
Exeter (Medicine a100) : offer given
Leeds (maths with statistics) : offer given
In terms of work experience i had volunteered at an ederly home for 1 hour a week for about 3 months. Had about 100 hours as working as a phlebotomist and had just been offered a promotion where i got to do cannulation, ABGs and aalso male catheterisation however i did not start this until after the application deadline date but was still able to talk about it on my personal statement as i had the job offer
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 13A*s
AS Grades: AAAA
Prediction/Results: A*A*A*, Biology, Chemistry, Maths
UKCAT (if applicable): 750
BMAT (if applicable): N/A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 2 years voluntary work with disabled children and at a care home. 1 week each, shadowing a GP, hospital and pharmacy.
Extra Curricular: Nothing spectacular, brown belt karate, leader of MedSoc and debate club at school and a part time job at a busy restaurant.
Universities applied to and decisions:
Birmingham - interview and offer A*AA
Southampton - interview and offer AAA
UEA - interview and offer AAA, firmed
Leicester - interview and offer AAA, insured
Apply to unis that you like but most importantly apply where you have the best chance of getting an interview. Good luck
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 13A*s
AS Grades: AAAA
Prediction/Results: A*A*A*, Biology, Chemistry, Maths
UKCAT (if applicable): 750
BMAT (if applicable): N/A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 2 years voluntary work with disabled children and at a care home. 1 week each, shadowing a GP, hospital and pharmacy.
Extra Curricular: Nothing spectacular, brown belt karate, leader of MedSoc and debate club at school and a part time job at a busy restaurant.
Universities applied to and decisions:
Birmingham - interview and offer A*AA
Southampton - interview and offer AAA
UEA - interview and offer AAA, firmed
Leicester - interview and offer AAA, insured
Apply to unis that you like but most importantly apply where you have the best chance of getting an interview. Good luck
(edited 5 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 11A*s 1A
AS Grades: AA (Maths and Geography, I dropped Geography after)
A2 Prediction/Results: A*A*A* (Predictions)/A*A*A (Results) (Bio/Chem/Maths)
UKCAT (if applicable): 745 Band 2
BMAT (if applicable): 4.4/4.9/3.0A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 3 months in a care home, 4 days in a private hospital in India, 2 weeks at a GP practice, 1 week at a hospital
Extra Curricular: Not a lot lol, Badminton Club, DofE Bronze, Online course to do with medicine, Read a book lol (Complications by Atul Gawande), Medicine Insight Day at Oxford
Universities applied to and decisions:
Oxford-pre-interview rejection
UCL- post-interview rejection
KCL- Offer (A*AA)-Firm
Leicester- Offer (AAA)-Insurance
Apply to at least two places where you know you'll get an interview (look up each med school interview selection policy) and for people scared of interviews like me lol, I'd suggest doing 1 or 2 practice MMI circuits and get the ISC Interview book. General stuff like know about your work experience and extra curriculars and use examples from them in your interview answers and learn about the specific Med School and their courses.
Deferred?: No
GCSEs: 11A*s 1A
AS Grades: AA (Maths and Geography, I dropped Geography after)
A2 Prediction/Results: A*A*A* (Predictions)/A*A*A (Results) (Bio/Chem/Maths)
UKCAT (if applicable): 745 Band 2
BMAT (if applicable): 4.4/4.9/3.0A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 3 months in a care home, 4 days in a private hospital in India, 2 weeks at a GP practice, 1 week at a hospital
Extra Curricular: Not a lot lol, Badminton Club, DofE Bronze, Online course to do with medicine, Read a book lol (Complications by Atul Gawande), Medicine Insight Day at Oxford
Universities applied to and decisions:
Oxford-pre-interview rejection
UCL- post-interview rejection
KCL- Offer (A*AA)-Firm
Leicester- Offer (AAA)-Insurance
Apply to at least two places where you know you'll get an interview (look up each med school interview selection policy) and for people scared of interviews like me lol, I'd suggest doing 1 or 2 practice MMI circuits and get the ISC Interview book. General stuff like know about your work experience and extra curriculars and use examples from them in your interview answers and learn about the specific Med School and their courses.
(edited 5 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: yes on a gap year. Finished my A levels in 2017 first time applicant to medicine during my gap year for 2018 entry.
GCSEs: 10A 1D* 1B
AS Grades: BCCD (Dropped C physics) Kept Bio Chem Maths
A2 Results AAA Bio Chem Maths
UKCAT (if applicable): 622.5 band 3 (sat in 2017 for 2018 entry) --> 652.5 band 2. (Sat in 2018 for clearing and 2019 entry)
BMAT (if applicable): rubbish.. Like 15.5 total or something
Work Experience/Volunteering: 3 months in a care home, 1 day GP in Bangladesh ,1 week at a hospital
Extra Curricular: basically only playing football
Universities applied to and decisions:
Ucas:
Bristol-pre-interview rejection
Manchester- pre interview rejection
Bsms - Pre interview rejection
Lancaster - post interview rejection
Anglia ruskin - post interview rejection
(I applied here online directly lucky me. They wont be doing this ever again from 2019 entry and onwards)
Clearing:
Sgul- offer (AAA) Unconditional
Leicester- Offer (AAA)-Unconditional
Chosen leicester.
Be wise with your choices people.
I got better at interviews in the end😂.
Deferred?: yes on a gap year. Finished my A levels in 2017 first time applicant to medicine during my gap year for 2018 entry.
GCSEs: 10A 1D* 1B
AS Grades: BCCD (Dropped C physics) Kept Bio Chem Maths
A2 Results AAA Bio Chem Maths
UKCAT (if applicable): 622.5 band 3 (sat in 2017 for 2018 entry) --> 652.5 band 2. (Sat in 2018 for clearing and 2019 entry)
BMAT (if applicable): rubbish.. Like 15.5 total or something
Work Experience/Volunteering: 3 months in a care home, 1 day GP in Bangladesh ,1 week at a hospital
Extra Curricular: basically only playing football
Universities applied to and decisions:
Ucas:
Bristol-pre-interview rejection
Manchester- pre interview rejection
Bsms - Pre interview rejection
Lancaster - post interview rejection
Anglia ruskin - post interview rejection
(I applied here online directly lucky me. They wont be doing this ever again from 2019 entry and onwards)
Clearing:
Sgul- offer (AAA) Unconditional
Leicester- Offer (AAA)-Unconditional
Chosen leicester.
Be wise with your choices people.
I got better at interviews in the end😂.
(edited 5 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2018
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 11 A*
AS Grades: A - physics, A - maths (didn't take AS for other subjects)
A2 Predictions and Results: 3 A*s in maths, bio and chemistry, A* in EPQ
UKCAT (if applicable): 722.5 band 2
BMAT (if applicable): 5.4 6.5 3.5A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 week in Cardiology, 1 week in Inpatient Pharmacy, 1+ Years Hospital Volunteering, 3 months in Charity, a couple one-day experiences shadowing doctors
Extra Curricular: Helped in MedSoc, Ran a homework club, black belt at karate, decent at tennis, first team for cricket, form prefect, school prefect, chemistry mentor, attended many lectures and conferences at the RSM, Junior doctor summer course, Several gold and silver awards at UKMT, Cambridge chemistry challenge and Biology olympiad. I also mentioned a number of books I read related to my EPQ .
Universities applied to and decisions:
UCL - interview and offer A*AA - FIRMED, place confirmed for 2018 entry
Kings - interview and offer A*AA - declined
Glasgow - interview and offer AAA - INSURANCE
Birmingham - interview and offer A*AA - declined
Imperial - Medical Biosciences - withdrew after I received all my other offers
After many years of hard work and dedication, I can finally upload my own profile and thankfully say I'm going to the medical school I have always dreamt of going to. This process has been extremely challenging, however if you work hard enough and chase your goals relentlessly, you will succeed. Here's some advice I think I would have appreciated back when I first applied...
My advice for future applicants would be to focus mainly on grades (GCSE and A Level) as well as the aptitude tests. From my perspective, a good bmat and/or ukcat mark will massively boost your application profile as most medicine applicants will have similar gcse results and A-Level predictions. A bad ukcat and/or bmat can seriously jeopardise your application - so don't balls it up! Once you reach the interview stage, most universities will not look at your grades again so really sell yourself in the short amount of time you have. Ensure that you practice your interview technique over and over again with friends, family, teachers and anyone willing to spare ten minutes. This is vital. I would also advise you to get the ISC interview book - this is one of the best investments I made when applying to med school.
As for work experience, do not worry if you have minimal experience shadowing doctors, just make sure that you can reflect on each and every experience. In your interview they will not ask you to describe every single experience you had, they will ask you to describe a small number of such experiences in depth. Therefore it is quality - NOT quantity! If you are going to mention a specific operation or illness, do you research about it beforehand as they love to see actually how much you know about it. During the interview make sure you throw in tonnes of keywords, all of my interviewers seemed to love it. I also found that my lengthy time volunteering in hospital wards was much more valuable than a week of work experience. I highly recommend getting a long term placement in either a care home or better yet, a hospital.
Lastly, your personal statement does not matter nearly as much as you think (for the majority of universities). While the admission teams do read it and sometimes mark it, I was rarely asked anything very specific about what I wrote (maybe I was lucky). At the interview stage, they are trying to find out who you really are and how you think under pressure, not simply if you can recite a pre-prepared answer.
Good luck.
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 11 A*
AS Grades: A - physics, A - maths (didn't take AS for other subjects)
A2 Predictions and Results: 3 A*s in maths, bio and chemistry, A* in EPQ
UKCAT (if applicable): 722.5 band 2
BMAT (if applicable): 5.4 6.5 3.5A
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 week in Cardiology, 1 week in Inpatient Pharmacy, 1+ Years Hospital Volunteering, 3 months in Charity, a couple one-day experiences shadowing doctors
Extra Curricular: Helped in MedSoc, Ran a homework club, black belt at karate, decent at tennis, first team for cricket, form prefect, school prefect, chemistry mentor, attended many lectures and conferences at the RSM, Junior doctor summer course, Several gold and silver awards at UKMT, Cambridge chemistry challenge and Biology olympiad. I also mentioned a number of books I read related to my EPQ .
Universities applied to and decisions:
UCL - interview and offer A*AA - FIRMED, place confirmed for 2018 entry
Kings - interview and offer A*AA - declined
Glasgow - interview and offer AAA - INSURANCE
Birmingham - interview and offer A*AA - declined
Imperial - Medical Biosciences - withdrew after I received all my other offers
After many years of hard work and dedication, I can finally upload my own profile and thankfully say I'm going to the medical school I have always dreamt of going to. This process has been extremely challenging, however if you work hard enough and chase your goals relentlessly, you will succeed. Here's some advice I think I would have appreciated back when I first applied...
My advice for future applicants would be to focus mainly on grades (GCSE and A Level) as well as the aptitude tests. From my perspective, a good bmat and/or ukcat mark will massively boost your application profile as most medicine applicants will have similar gcse results and A-Level predictions. A bad ukcat and/or bmat can seriously jeopardise your application - so don't balls it up! Once you reach the interview stage, most universities will not look at your grades again so really sell yourself in the short amount of time you have. Ensure that you practice your interview technique over and over again with friends, family, teachers and anyone willing to spare ten minutes. This is vital. I would also advise you to get the ISC interview book - this is one of the best investments I made when applying to med school.
As for work experience, do not worry if you have minimal experience shadowing doctors, just make sure that you can reflect on each and every experience. In your interview they will not ask you to describe every single experience you had, they will ask you to describe a small number of such experiences in depth. Therefore it is quality - NOT quantity! If you are going to mention a specific operation or illness, do you research about it beforehand as they love to see actually how much you know about it. During the interview make sure you throw in tonnes of keywords, all of my interviewers seemed to love it. I also found that my lengthy time volunteering in hospital wards was much more valuable than a week of work experience. I highly recommend getting a long term placement in either a care home or better yet, a hospital.
Lastly, your personal statement does not matter nearly as much as you think (for the majority of universities). While the admission teams do read it and sometimes mark it, I was rarely asked anything very specific about what I wrote (maybe I was lucky). At the interview stage, they are trying to find out who you really are and how you think under pressure, not simply if you can recite a pre-prepared answer.
Good luck.
(edited 5 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2017
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 7A* 4As
AS Grades: AAAAA (Biology, chemistry, maths, Italian and Spanish)
A2 Results: 2A* 2As (predicted 3A* A)
UKCAT (if applicable): 660 band 2
BMAT (if applicable): 5.2, 4.2, 4A
Work Experience/Volunteering:
- 1 week at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital shadowing Surgeons and Anaesthetists
- 1 week at the Royal London Hospital in Oncology/Surgery/A&E
- 3 days at Whipps Cross hospital psychiatry department
- Volunteered as a patient champion at the Royal London hospital for 4+ months
- Reading buddy at the local library for 6+ months
Extra Curricular:
- Target Medicine and Summer Challenge at UCL
- Sutton Trust Summer School at Imperial
- Oxford Pathways study day for medicine
- Summer school at Goodmayes hospital
- Ran an after-school club to teach gcse students
- Various awards such as UKMT Gold
- Written an essay about mental health disorders for a project at UCL
Universities applied to and decisions:
UCL - interview and offer A*AA - FIRMED
Queen Mary - interview and offer AAA - Insurance
King's - interview and offer AAA - declined
Imperial - rejection due to bmat
UCL - Applied Medical Sciences offer AAB - declined
Applying to med school is a really long and complex process but definitely worth it at the end! I got quite an average score in the UKCAT, so I thought my dream of medicine was over but I'm thankful to the people who supported me! I took a risk in applying to King's with my ukcat score as I was told you need 700+, but I ended up with a offer, so if anyone tells you that it's not true and both King’s and QM don’t have a cutoff, They look at your whole application and then make a decision based on everything such as gcse, ukcat, A level predictions etc.
Personal statement is another factor when applying to med school, and it’s the opportunity to show the admission tutors who you are and why you would be a great med student. It’s important to have some clinical work experience to make sure you know what it entails to be a doctor etc, but you don’t need to have a lot, they just want to know what you learn from it, so reflection is key. Also, show how you are well-rounded person that does extracurricular activities as well. The whole application process can seem really daunting but you’ll get there at the end!
If anyone has any questions feel free to pm me, good luck!
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 7A* 4As
AS Grades: AAAAA (Biology, chemistry, maths, Italian and Spanish)
A2 Results: 2A* 2As (predicted 3A* A)
UKCAT (if applicable): 660 band 2
BMAT (if applicable): 5.2, 4.2, 4A
Work Experience/Volunteering:
- 1 week at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital shadowing Surgeons and Anaesthetists
- 1 week at the Royal London Hospital in Oncology/Surgery/A&E
- 3 days at Whipps Cross hospital psychiatry department
- Volunteered as a patient champion at the Royal London hospital for 4+ months
- Reading buddy at the local library for 6+ months
Extra Curricular:
- Target Medicine and Summer Challenge at UCL
- Sutton Trust Summer School at Imperial
- Oxford Pathways study day for medicine
- Summer school at Goodmayes hospital
- Ran an after-school club to teach gcse students
- Various awards such as UKMT Gold
- Written an essay about mental health disorders for a project at UCL
Universities applied to and decisions:
UCL - interview and offer A*AA - FIRMED
Queen Mary - interview and offer AAA - Insurance
King's - interview and offer AAA - declined
Imperial - rejection due to bmat
UCL - Applied Medical Sciences offer AAB - declined
Applying to med school is a really long and complex process but definitely worth it at the end! I got quite an average score in the UKCAT, so I thought my dream of medicine was over but I'm thankful to the people who supported me! I took a risk in applying to King's with my ukcat score as I was told you need 700+, but I ended up with a offer, so if anyone tells you that it's not true and both King’s and QM don’t have a cutoff, They look at your whole application and then make a decision based on everything such as gcse, ukcat, A level predictions etc.
Personal statement is another factor when applying to med school, and it’s the opportunity to show the admission tutors who you are and why you would be a great med student. It’s important to have some clinical work experience to make sure you know what it entails to be a doctor etc, but you don’t need to have a lot, they just want to know what you learn from it, so reflection is key. Also, show how you are well-rounded person that does extracurricular activities as well. The whole application process can seem really daunting but you’ll get there at the end!
If anyone has any questions feel free to pm me, good luck!
(edited 3 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2019
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 9A*s/8s 1 A/7
Standard Grades Int2s (Scottish applicants):
AS Grades: AAAA
A2 Predictions: A*A*A*
UKCAT (if applicable): 737.5 average Band 1
Work Experience/Volunteering:
2 months hospital volunteering after school once a week in a geriatric ward
2 work experience/taster days at unis
1 week biology research work experience at york uni
1 days shadowing consultants
2 years working in catering
Extra Curricular:
Tennis, squash, medals in chem and bio Olympiads, york schools science competition, volunteering at school open days...
Universities applied to and decisions:
St. Andrews interview at end of Nov
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Newcastle
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 9A*s/8s 1 A/7
Standard Grades Int2s (Scottish applicants):
AS Grades: AAAA
A2 Predictions: A*A*A*
UKCAT (if applicable): 737.5 average Band 1
Work Experience/Volunteering:
2 months hospital volunteering after school once a week in a geriatric ward
2 work experience/taster days at unis
1 week biology research work experience at york uni
1 days shadowing consultants
2 years working in catering
Extra Curricular:
Tennis, squash, medals in chem and bio Olympiads, york schools science competition, volunteering at school open days...
Universities applied to and decisions:
St. Andrews interview at end of Nov
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Newcastle
(edited 5 years ago)
Year of Entry: 2019
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 11A* and 1B
Predicted grades: A*A*A*
EPQ: A*
UKCAT: 737.5 Band 2
BMAT: Pending
Work Experience:
1 week paediatric respiratory
1 week GP
1 week General Surgery
1 week at genetic research lab
Volunteering:
6 months at carehome
1 year at disadvantaged primary school
Raised several thousands pounds for Tiny Lives
Extra-curricular:
3 years medical research group, County badminton, DipABRSM in piano (distinction), Grade 7 organ (distinction), Senior prefect, Medsoc committee
Universities applying to:
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Birmingham
Imperial
Deferred?: no
GCSEs: 11A* and 1B
Predicted grades: A*A*A*
EPQ: A*
UKCAT: 737.5 Band 2
BMAT: Pending
Work Experience:
1 week paediatric respiratory
1 week GP
1 week General Surgery
1 week at genetic research lab
Volunteering:
6 months at carehome
1 year at disadvantaged primary school
Raised several thousands pounds for Tiny Lives
Extra-curricular:
3 years medical research group, County badminton, DipABRSM in piano (distinction), Grade 7 organ (distinction), Senior prefect, Medsoc committee
Universities applying to:
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Birmingham
Imperial
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