What is this page?
This page is a consolidation of all the most up-to-date information we have regarding the pure numbers of applying to medical school. Information includes the number of applications, the number of places, the number of interviews and the number of offers handed out. The ratios have also been calculated to make comparison between medical schools easier. The following ratios have been calculated:
Applications:Place is the standard ratio that is quoted most often, although it is slightly misleading and not very useful.
Applications:Offer Is a better ratio as it is linked to chances of an offer rather than just places, but is still limited in its use as it includes everybody that applied - i.e. even if people had missed the basic entry requirements, or had not sat the UKCAT for a UKCAT university.
Applications:Interview shows how many applications a university receives compared to the number of interviews it gives out. This is more useful than the previous ratio because it gives you a very approximate "chance of interview" at the medical school. The higher the ratio, the harder it is to get an interview (because more people are fighting for each interview spot). Again, it also suffers some of the problems of the previous ratio - it also includes people who have been rejected because they had absolutely no chance of interview in the first place.
Interviews:Offer shows how many interviews a medical school hands out compared to the number of offers it gives. This is arguably one of the most accurate and interesting ratios as it basically shows an applicants chance of, after interview, receiving an offer. The higher the number, the harder it is to gain an offer after interview and thus the "harder" and more competitive the interview process is.
How is this information useful?
Bearing in mind the problems with the ratios previously discussed, it is quite useful to be able to compare them between medical schools. For example, a medical school with a low application:interview ratio but a high interview:offer ratio shows that they interview lots and lots of applicants, but only give offers to a few of them. This manipulation and analysis of ratios can give an applicant a good idea of how important the interview process is for a medical school, and also can be used to gauge their own chances for example when they reach the interview stage.
It is important to remember that these numbers can vary greatly year-on-year so there is no point trying to "play the numbers" and apply for a medical school with a low applicants:place or applicants:interview ratio. It's pointless - thousands of other applicants would have also seen these numbers and may think the same thing, thus turning the previously thought "less competitive" medical school into one of the most difficult to gain an offer at. Do not apply to a medical school that you think is going to be "uncompetitive".
Is this information up to date?
As up to date as possible. Remember, medical schools only release this information after a cycle has finished - this means that all these numbers are at least a year behind, mainly because medical schools can't predict the future and tell you how many people will apply before people have actually applied! The most current information will be tagged in green, while information that is one year out of date will be tagged as yellow. Information that is two or more years out of date will be tagged as red.
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