2014 Medicine Re-Applicants

Hi all, I'm a re-applicant too. I applied to Sheffield, Leicester, Birmingham and Bristol. I got straight rejections from Sheffield and leicester - I know leicester was because of my UKCAT and sheffield was probably down to my personal statement. Birmingham and Bristol were post-interview rejections. My last rejection was just under a month ago and after 2 weeks I came to terms with the gap year. Don;t get me wrong, I'm still pretty down, but life goes on. 1 year really isn't that much, baring in mind our new applications have to be submitted by october, that 6-ish months away! Not really that far I guess :smile:

Reply 61

TattyBoJangles

19

Original post by DinaRayy

Hey! I'm a re-applicant now. :frown:

got 4 rejections & 2 interviews but I'm determined to get in. I was just had a couple of questions; what were your grades/BMAT/UKCAT & where did you apply (uni) & what did you do in your gap year?

I know it's a lot but I'd be grateful if you could answer it!

Not at all (:

Grades..
- GCSE - 7A*, 3A
- A-Levels - A*A*Ab
- UKCAT - 715

Unis..
- Dundee - interviewed 3rd December - unconditional received 21st December.
- St Andrews - interviewed 11th December - received an email on Tuesday saying they'll hopefully be in a position to give me an offer by next week.
- Newcastle - interview - withdrew before interview as I preferred Dundee and already had the offer.
- Leicester - same as Newcastle.

If / when St Andrews make me an offer I'll be firming there. If they don't, I'll firm Dundee.

Gap year..
- Worked full-time (40 hours / week) for six months in a nursing home.
- Continued volunteering for St John Ambulance.
- Going to Kenya in two weeks' time.

I already had good work experience so I concentrated on making some money in a caring environment rather than get more.

Reply 62

verok1943

Hi everyone,

Im an international and was rejected by UCL, Aberdeen and Bristol pre-interview and Birmingham post interview. Which of the following options would you choose?:

option A: take a gap year
Option B: Accept my biomed offer at Newcastle and try to transfer to medicine after year1
Option C: Go to medical school in my country for which I am likely to receive an offer (this university is well known in the Caribbean but not well known in other parts of the world. In future, I want to work overseas)

your response would be much appreciated!! :smile:

Reply 63

ameelia22

15

Original post by verok1943

Hi everyone,

Im an international and was rejected by UCL, Aberdeen and Bristol pre-interview and Birmingham post interview. Which of the following options would you choose?:

option A: take a gap year
Option B: Accept my biomed offer at Newcastle and try to transfer to medicine after year1
Option C: Go to medical school in my country for which I am likely to receive an offer (this university is well known in the Caribbean but not well known in other parts of the world. In future, I want to work overseas)

your response would be much appreciated!! :smile:

If your really set on medicine here in the UK and you know your application can be improved/will have a stronger chance , take option A.

With the UK, bare in mind the visa changes for those who undertake study here. It no longer means that you can be sure you'll get a job here. Otherwise, I don't see what's wrong with option C? Does studying in the carribean mean your less likely to get work overseas? (I'm entirely unsure hence why I ask)

Reply 64

kate_pop

Hi everyone,

Just thought i'd contribute - applied Edinburgh, St Andrew's, Aberdeen and Leicester. 3 interviews. 4 rejections as of yesterday.

Hope everyone is okay - keep smiling, we can do this! :smile:

Reply 65

mcollin1

So what are people doing during their year out? I am currently considering volunteering in Africa but I don't think the money is worth it and I have already spent 4 weeks doing it previously! Any schemes in the UK people know of, or any recommendations? (Already tried HCA but that's not gonna happen!)

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Reply 66

verok1943

Original post by ameelia22

If your really set on medicine here in the UK and you know your application can be improved/will have a stronger chance , take option A.

With the UK, bare in mind the visa changes for those who undertake study here. It no longer means that you can be sure you'll get a job here. Otherwise, I don't see what's wrong with option C? Does studying in the carribean mean your less likely to get work overseas? (I'm entirely unsure hence why I ask)

Thank you very much for your response!

Part of the problem is that I don't know where my application went wrong for Bristol for example that has no admission test. I applied to one ukcat uni and I did very badly on that test so I know that's why I didn't get in there. I applied to one bmat uni and performed above average in two sections but below in one and subsequently got rejected by UCL. I then got my final rejection from Birmingham post interview and I don't think my performance was so bad that I should have been rejected :/. I did fair share of work exp i think, and reflected on them, I've representing my country regionally and internationally in chess and debating so I hoped that ticked the extracurricular boxes, so to annswer your question directly, I don't know exactly where my application went wrong :s but I'm sure there is always room for improvement. Perhaps I can ask Bristol where I went wrong? If I take a gap year, I was considering Global Volunteer Projects?

Visas and such aren't a problem for me, I have a UK passport :smile:

but qualify as an international.
I would prefer going to a uk uni over the one here and, I know it's sad but, a lot of it is to do with prestige :/. I don't think going to uni here will make it less likely to get work overseas for medicine, so long as its the UK and parts of the US. But I also have an interest in research and possibly becoming a medical director in say a top pharmaceutical firm like GlaxoSmithKline, for which I am afraid that the 'prestige' will probably matter :/

I really appreciate anyone that's willing to offer their opinion :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 67

ameelia22

15

Original post by verok1943

Thank you very much for your response!

Part of the problem is that I don't know where my application went wrong for Bristol for example that has no admission test.

Bristol are very GCSE/PS/Reference based, so if you have oustanding GCSE's, it may either be that your reference wasn't good enough, or your PS wasn't tailored to Bristol. Some universities can be very picky about what they read, and obviously personal statements are very subjective, and a lot of people recognise Bristol as one of those 'pot luck' Universities... Just speculating of course.

I applied to one ukcat uni and I did very badly on that test so I know that's why I didn't get in there. I applied to one bmat uni and performed above average in two sections but below in one and subsequently got rejected by UCL. I then got my final rejection from Birmingham post interview and I don't think my performance was so bad that I should have been rejected :/.

More often than not, it's not that your interview was bad, it was just worse then every body elses to put it bluntly. You well know how competitive medicine is, and it just happens perhaps, that on that day, they had some outstanding interviewed candidates who outperformed you.

I did fair share of work exp i think, and reflected on them, I've representing my country regionally and internationally in chess and debating so I hoped that ticked the extracurricular boxes, so to annswer your question directly, I don't know exactly where my application went wrong :s but I'm sure there is always room for improvement.

That's certainly some good extra-circulars, more than what I have. There's always more you can do, and theres always a higher level you can play at, but don't berate yourself over that, it's not worth it. And in my opinion extra-ciriculars are over-rated, but that might be because I don't have any :tongue:

Perhaps I can ask Bristol where I went wrong?

Always, always, always ask for feedback.

If I take a gap year, I was considering Global Volunteer Projects?

Don't do it as a sole means to improve your application. If you want to get a bit of fun abroad, and have the money to spare, by all means go for it. But there are loads more better ways than this abroad-malarky to improve your application, if that's the only reason your doing it.

Visas and such aren't a problem for me, I have a UK passport :smile:

but qualify as an international.
I would prefer going to a uk uni over the one here and, I know it's sad but, a lot of it is to do with prestige :/. I don't think going to uni here will make it less likely to get work overseas for medicine, so long as its the UK and parts of the US.But I also have an interest in research and possibly becoming a medical director in say a top pharmaceutical firm like GlaxoSmithKline, for which I am afraid that the 'prestige' will probably matter :/

Ah I see. Well I'm not too sure on the best sort of pathway to becoming a medical director of a company so i'm unsure on what to advise.

To everybody else:

1. Has anyone thought about applying abroad for medicine in their gap year? I'm a bit unsure, because I was hoping for Australia / New Zealand or something like that, and a lot of them only do medicine as a graduate entry?! And New Zealand, in the University of Auckland literally only offer a entrance into a medical degree, through transfer of biomed!

2. Sad story: I always highlight my holidays in my wall calendar. So there I was, naturally highlighting from the date my exams ended to september. Then realised I don't have school, university, or anything in september, so there was no use highlighting *sigh*

Reply 68

annaridgway95

Anyone know the best way to go about trying to get GP experience? Would I be best to ring up/send emails/send letters/arrive in person and ask? Also, would it be 100% impossible for me to get experience at my local GPs (due to confidentiality)? :smile:

thanks in advance if anyone has any advice

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Reply 69

username1024813

Original post by annaridgway95

Anyone know the best way to go about trying to get GP experience? Would I be best to ring up/send emails/send letters/arrive in person and ask? Also, would it be 100% impossible for me to get experience at my local GPs (due to confidentiality)? :smile:

thanks in advance if anyone has any advice

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Best way is to do all that you've said. If you go in person, the advantage is that any paperwork they may have, they could give you then. Also you could go speak to the practice manager/whoever sorts it out. Also it's not impossible, but I'd say it's unlikely, like you said due to confidentiality.

Although don't fret if you don't get any GP work experience, I actually didn't manage to secure any GP work experience, but just knew about GP's and that seemed to do me fine at interview, and I've got offers :smile:

Reply 70

Mangodepo11

8

Original post by annaridgway95

Anyone know the best way to go about trying to get GP experience? Would I be best to ring up/send emails/send letters/arrive in person and ask? Also, would it be 100% impossible for me to get experience at my local GPs (due to confidentiality)? :smile:

thanks in advance if anyone has any advice

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Local gp yes it will be pretty much impossible due to confedentially. But there should be enough gp's in your town not for that to matter. I think best would be to e-mail every GP within 10 miles or whatever your comfatable with.

Thats what I did and one replied out of about 15 and I did a week there!

Reply 71

annaridgway95

Thank you both! I know it's not essential that I get GP work experience but I'm just personally interested in it :smile:

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Reply 72

meurge

3 interviews and 4 rejections ...I guess it's a gap year for me then :frown:

NOT looking forward to going through UCAS again..

Reply 73

annaridgway95

Me neither! Where were your interviews? :smile:

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Reply 74

ameelia22

15

Original post by annaridgway95

Me neither! Where were your interviews? :smile:

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Just so you know, when asking a direct question to an individiual on a thread, it's best to quote them, so they'll get be notified about it :smile:

bottom right corner of their comment box thing :smile:

Original post by meurge

3 interviews and 4 rejections ...I guess it's a gap year for me then :frown:

NOT looking forward to going through UCAS again..

Sad to hear that. Where did you hear from? You must have had a really strong application to get 3 interviews!

Reply 75

username854791

14

Hi guys... I will be applying for the 2014 entry A100. I am currently in year 13, but wouldn't call myself a reapplicant since I didn't apply anywhere. I did UKCAT last august and lets say even though you can't fail.....I failed. And also chem teacher wouldn't predict me an A due to my apauling preformance at AS.

So here I am giving it my first real shot. But it kinda feels like applying as a reapplicant anyway. :smile:

Reply 76

meurge

Original post by annaridgway95

Me neither! Where were your interviews? :smile:

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