The Student Room Group

Four rejections for medicine and then two offers on results day!

Having been a lurker on here for 12 months as my son went through the medicine application process I thought that his experiences ought to be recorded for future applicants.

Background: GCSE 9A*, 1A - AS chemistry A, physics A, biology A, mathematics A, predicted 4A*s at A2. UKCAT 705, BMAT 6.7, 6.5, 2.5A.

Applied to: Oxford (rejected after interview), Newcastle (rejected after interview), St Andrews (rejected after interview), Edinburgh (rejected but offered waiting list). No offers since final rejection in March.

THEN: called by both Newcastle and Edinburgh to be offered a place before collecting results. RESULT: 4A*s, place accepted at Edinburgh. It can happen!

Don't give up hope, keep trying, you can get there!
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 1
Original post by Clearing2013
Having been a lurker on here for 12 months as my son went through the medicine application process I thought that his experiences ought to be recorded for future applicants.

Background: GCSE 9A*, 1A - AS chemistry A, physics A, biology A, mathematics A, predicted 4A*s at A2. UKCAT 705, BMAT 6.7, 6.5, 2.5A.

Applied to: Oxford (rejected after interview), Newcastle (rejected after interview), St Andrews (rejected after interview), Edinburgh (rejected but offered waiting list). No offers since final rejection in March.

THEN: called by both Newcastle and Edinburgh to be offered a place before collecting results. RESULT: 4A*s, place accepted at Edinburgh. It can happen!

Don't give up, keep trying, you can get there!

This is very misleading.

What you are describing is not clearing.
Fantastic for your son, but that's not clearing.
Reply 3
That's not clearing. Med schools don't go through clearing!! Well not that I have ever heard.

This is entirely different and as another poster said, very misleading


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Reply 4
Original post by Kyalimers
This is very misleading.

What you are describing is not clearing.


Apologies, but that is how the universities described it. To quote : ' we will open up clearing so that ...............'.

Not trying to mislead, just thought that this would be of use to someone. Anyone know how I can edit the thread title?
Reply 5
Original post by Clearing2013
Having been a lurker on here for 12 months as my son went through the medicine application process I thought that his experiences ought to be recorded for future applicants.

Background: GCSE 9A*, 1A - AS chemistry A, physics A, biology A, mathematics A, predicted 4A*s at A2. UKCAT 705, BMAT 6.7, 6.5, 2.5A.

Applied to: Oxford (rejected after interview), Newcastle (rejected after interview), St Andrews (rejected after interview), Edinburgh (rejected but offered waiting list). No offers since final rejection in March.

THEN: called by both Newcastle and Edinburgh to be offered a place before collecting results. RESULT: 4A*s, place accepted at Edinburgh. It can happen!

Don't give up hope, keep trying, you can get there!


how did your son prepare for the UKCAT ?
Reply 6
Original post by Clearing2013
Apologies, but that is how the universities described it. To quote : ' we will open up clearing so that ...............'.

Not trying to mislead, just thought that this would be of use to someone. Anyone know how I can edit the thread title?

Edit your first post. You may have to 'go advanced' and from there, you can change the title.

Edit: Nvm, you seemed to have done it!
Reply 7
People are being so snappy, she made a mistake

Well done to your son, the hard work paid off :smile:
Reply 8
Original post by Clearing2013
Apologies, but that is how the universities described it. To quote : ' we will open up clearing so that ...............'.

Not trying to mislead, just thought that this would be of use to someone. Anyone know how I can edit the thread title?


It's not clearing because ur son had interviews at those places before rejection. Had he not have had an interview then it would have been described as clearing.
Reply 9
Original post by Klover
It's not clearing because ur son had interviews at those places before rejection. Had he not have had an interview then it would have been described as clearing.


Yes, got it thanks, so changed the title. Just for accuracy, however, the universities themselves called it clearing (and he only had an interview at one of them). I presume that it is because to confirm the place on UCAS you have to use the clearing area.
Reply 10
Original post by Clearing2013
Yes, got it thanks, so changed the title. Just for accuracy, however, the universities themselves called it clearing (and he only had an interview at one of them). I presume that it is because to confirm the place on UCAS you have to use the clearing area.


The UCAS system doesn't have any special function that allows medical schools to give offers to those who they have already rejected - the only way they can do it is through the clearing mechanism. It isn't clearing per se, it's just that's the way it's possible to get the offer officially placed on UCAS. :smile:
Original post by Clearing2013
Having been a lurker on here for 12 months as my son went through the medicine application process I thought that his experiences ought to be recorded for future applicants.

Background: GCSE 9A*, 1A - AS chemistry A, physics A, biology A, mathematics A, predicted 4A*s at A2. UKCAT 705, BMAT 6.7, 6.5, 2.5A.

Applied to: Oxford (rejected after interview), Newcastle (rejected after interview), St Andrews (rejected after interview), Edinburgh (rejected but offered waiting list). No offers since final rejection in March.

THEN: called by both Newcastle and Edinburgh to be offered a place before collecting results. RESULT: 4A*s, place accepted at Edinburgh. It can happen!

Don't give up hope, keep trying, you can get there!



Not heard anything like it before. He must be already on the reserve list for Newcastle and Edinburgh; it just amazes me how they have time to look through all their applicants results (those rejected in the interview) and chose which one should have the offer.

Both offers on the same day by phone , how did he choose which one or did he just accepted the first university that phoned him.....(Edinburgh) .

Might I ask what he was planning to do in September if he did not get those phone calls :wink:

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