Graduate Entry Medicine: 2016 Entry

Anyone planning to get to Warwick from London on Saturday 9th?
Especially for the 1pm-2.30pm slot?

The reason we think that is that so far no one with a 2.1 has come out and said they had an interview.

So either Bart's aren't giving offers to people with 2.1s (a la Birmingham) which would be harsh as they said 50:50 or there are more coming.

I've got an interview at Birmingham and I only got a 2.1... It does happen! (Although I was not expecting it haha)

Bit odd no one with a 2.1 has been invited for interview at barts yet but maybe because this is the first year they've weighted it 50:50 they didn't realise how many people with a 1st apply and there could just be that many of them that they can afford to only invite those? Who has a clue! I'm still hoping they send out a second batch of interviews later on at some point

Just be aware that 'having a Masters' wont put you any further up the pecking order for an interview - you will continue to be assessed only on your A levels/GCSEs and your first degree. So is it worth doing another year of study, with more debt, if that isn't going to make any difference?

Where many graduate applicants fall down is that their PS is often just an assessment of what knowledge they gained from their existing degree - without any clear idea of why they 'want to be a doctor' or lacking genuine reflection on work experience. In many cases, school-leavers actually have far more appropriate, and more long-term, work experience than graduates.

Taking a year out to work in a care-home, a special school, a hospital or to a volunteer for a homeless charity or simply to work in Tescos might fill that 'experience' gap far better than doing a Masters.

I'm not so sure that there are more invitations coming (although I would desperately love to be wrong). If they're using some kind of scoring system which gives, say, one point each for a 1st, MSc, PhD, and 1 point for UKCAT >650, 2 for >725, and 3 for >800, then people like me with a 2.1 and 750 UKCAT would get only 2 points. The people with offers seemingly all have 1st, PhDs, and UKCAT around the 700 range, which would put them at 4 points.

Just be aware that 'having a Masters' wont put you any further up the pecking order for an interview - you will continue to be assessed only on your A levels/GCSEs and your first degree. So is it worth doing another year of study, with more debt, if that isn't going to make any difference?

Where many graduate applicants fall down is that their PS is often just an assessment of what knowledge they gained from their existing degree - without any clear idea of why they 'want to be a doctor' or lacking genuine reflection on work experience. In many cases, school-leavers actually have far more appropriate, and more long-term, work experience than graduates.

Taking a year out to work in a care-home, a special school, a hospital or to a volunteer for a homeless charity or simply to work in Tescos might fill that 'experience' gap far better than doing a Masters.

Just be aware that 'having a Masters' wont put you any further up the pecking order for an interview - you will continue to be assessed only on your A levels/GCSEs and your first degree. So is it worth doing another year of study, with more debt, if that isn't going to make any difference?

In the interests of ensuring a level playing field is it not right that it should not be a competition over who has the best and most work experience once a sensible minimum amount is reached?

Its not 'amount' - its about showing you have experience and ability with people, and that you have the required sense of empathy and altruism. 3 or 4 years in the selective environment of a University and a few days shadowing a GP doesn't show this.

I've got an interview at Birmingham and I only got a 2.1... It does happen! (Although I was not expecting it haha)

Bit odd no one with a 2.1 has been invited for interview at barts yet but maybe because this is the first year they've weighted it 50:50 they didn't realise how many people with a 1st apply and there could just be that many of them that they can afford to only invite those? Who has a clue! I'm still hoping they send out a second batch of interviews later on at some point

Edit: hadn't caught up on the rest of the feed before I wrote this, that scoring system could be how they've done it... In which case I definitely wasted an application. Oh well

Its not 'amount' - its about showing you have experience and ability with people, and that you have the required sense of empathy and altruism. 3 or 4 years in the selective environment of a University and a few days shadowing a GP doesn't show this.

Congrats on Birmingham...just wanted to know if your degree overall was 68% or above?

I'm not so sure that there are more invitations coming (although I would desperately love to be wrong). If they're using some kind of scoring system which gives, say, one point each for a 1st, MSc, PhD, and 1 point for UKCAT >650, 2 for >725, and 3 for >800, then people like me with a 2.1 and 750 UKCAT would get only 2 points. The people with offers seemingly all have 1st, PhDs, and UKCAT around the 700 range, which would put them at 4 points.

I've got a 747.5 UKCAT and my 1st is predicted, so they must take predictions into account (I have an interview). I was thinking it might be some kind of multiplier.

Hi everyone, I've read the latest posts about interviews and point system and things. Honestly, I have no idea how it works. I'm a final year biomed, don't have much work experience compared to everyone else (2 weeks full-time at a hospital + 1 term volunteering once a fortnight), didn't do particularly well on the BMAT (4.5 6.5 3.5A), but still got an interview from Oxford.

(I know, I was really surprised too).

Really the only thing that stood out in my application I think was my personal statement. So I'm not sure how they rank candidates at all. Maybe really few people applied to Oxford this year?

On that note, anyone going to Oxford from London on Wednesday?