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Medicine 2017 entry

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Original post by setarcos
I'm hoping to go to Manchester, doing a couple of AS retakes to compensate for my grades to hopefully meet my offer! :biggrin: wbu? I'm assuming you are at med school?


That's cool! Yh I'm at Imperial, currently procrastinating hard :/ I should be doing statistical analysis on some blood pressure data for my BSc lab report, but instead I'm just lying in bed on my laptop ..
Original post by madmed16
Hi guys, I'll be starting Medicine at St Andrews Uni this September - any questions fire away!


Hey congrats on your place at ST Andrews! Quick question: so im trying to narrow down my list of potential unis to apply to, and based on what im using atm, ive only got it down to 13 :'(. How did you narrow down your list to apply to just 4 unis? what kind of things were on your criteria?
Original post by Moodicrus
Hey congrats on your place at ST Andrews! Quick question: so im trying to narrow down my list of potential unis to apply to, and based on what im using atm, ive only got it down to 13 :'(. How did you narrow down your list to apply to just 4 unis? what kind of things were on your criteria?


Hi - I'm an applicant from this cycle - I thought you might like to hear my take on your question. For me, it was a case of trying to see as many as I could that I was interested in. So in terms of knowing which medical schools to apply to, you can rule some out quite quickly. I looked primarily at:

- Distance from home: I live in the South East and decided for myself that I was unwilling to travel more than about 3-4hours to get home from Uni. For me, this ruled out all of the Scottish Unis, Queens Belfast, Newcastle and Durham as well as a few others. Always be bearing in mind that you will spend at least 5 years in you chosen location, likely longer as chances are you will practise in that region when you qualify. Whilst you may for now want to get as far away as possible from your parents/family, you may very well regret this 3 or 4 years down the line. So ruled out a number of medschools that I chose to visit.

- The course type is a really important factor to consider. More and more medschools are moving towards PBL style learning (google it if you're not sure what this means) and for some people, this is an ideal way of learning. For others, maybe not so. For me it was the case that I tended to prefer non-PBL, but I wasn't going to rule out a university on the sole basis of whether or not it was PBL. However, some of my mates had strong opinions for/against PBL so this was one that can quickly whittle down the unis into the ones that best suit your learning style. Oxbridge and a couple of others offer traditional learning - again, some people like the fact that you spend 3 years doing your pure academics before doing any practical work with patients, but this was not to my liking and I immediately knew that Oxford/Cambridge was clearly not the place for me because of this. So that was a big decision I made based on course. And then there's integrated. You can't really go too far wrong with an integrated course and the majority of medical schools offer some kind of PBL + Traditional combo.

- Also, worth looking at whether you can intercalate (again, look up what this means if you are unsure). Different universities also offer different types of intercalation so check their websites for all the details. Intercalation is essentially taking a year out of medicine to obtain a separate degree (e.g. a BSc) in addition to your standard Medical degree that you would normally get at the end of 5 years. Although this probably wouldn't be one of your first considerations as a Year 12 student who isn't even that sure if Medicine is still the thing to go into, whether or not you are able to intercalate becomes a bigger decision when you are a couple of years into your course. I decided that it would probably be a good idea to intercalate, since it gives you an advantage over recently graduated medics who haven't intercalated when you go looking for jobs at the end of your degree. Now, only a handful of universities offer compulsory intercalation, Imperial being one example, whilst other unis offer intercalation for those who want to and some unis only allow intercalation for the "top performers" in your year. So if you, like me, are quite keen on doing that, that will also determine to some extent which unis you go and look at. Worth bearing in mind that different medschools offer different degrees with your intercalation - some are worth more "points" than others. E.g. at Nottingham, you don't take out an extra year to intercalate - it's incorporated in your 5 years. Whilst this sounds good, you get less points than say, if you did 6 years at Cardiff University where you intercalated for a whole year. Doing it in 5 years puts you in a less advantageous position compared to someone having done 5 years medschool + 1 year intercalation, although you're still better off having done it at Nottingham compared to someone who hadn't intercalated at all. Sorry for this lengthy reply, but to reiterate

- I would rather not put a number on how many you see but try and see AS MANY medschools as you can (obviously not to the extent that your are missing ridiculous amounts of school/ seeing ALL of the universities... -_- :P). Even if you don't decide to pick them, at least you have visited them. The number of people who find that after their UKCAT score, they can't select 4 unis that they have actually visited and have to pick ones they haven't even seen is astounding, and you can avoid this by seeing as many as you can! Ultimately though, a medical degree is a medical degree. Unlike law or other courses where certain universities are more favourable than others, Medicine is recognised as a standard course, whether it's been done at Cambridge or Aberdeen (nothing against either).

The above steps, and strategically using your UKCAT score (which you find out before you apply) will enable you to find 4 universities that best suit you and your qualities. Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any questions - more than happy to answer them :smile:


PS Plan your open days early (thinking about it, probably in the next few weeks). You will tend to find that many of them will clash, so by being organised, you can pick the days you want to see each.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Moodicrus
Hey congrats on your place at ST Andrews! Quick question: so im trying to narrow down my list of potential unis to apply to, and based on what im using atm, ive only got it down to 13 :'(. How did you narrow down your list to apply to just 4 unis? what kind of things were on your criteria?


Hey!

Thank you very much!

Haha, you certainly have some narrowing down to do! I am Scottish, so I was only willing to apply to the five in Scotland, and I wasn't too keen on Edinburgh, so that made my decision easy! However, generally, you really need to look at what each University look at the most (whether that's UKCAT, PS or academics), and ensure that you apply to places that will enable you to excel, in terms of an application!

You may have 13 Universities narrowed down right now, but you will have to wait until you receive your UKCAT score before the serious narrowing down goes on! That's really the deciding factor (sometimes) when thinking of where to apply!

Sorry, I hope this helps in some way!
Reply 224
Original post by catrin2020
Hey all, deferred entry offer holder starting in 2017! Can give advice on ukcat/interview prep :smile:


Hi, if you don't mind me asking, which unis did you apply to? :smile:
Okay so here goes..I'm applying for GEM (Graduate entry) this year. I applied last year, during the final year of my degree and I ended up with 3 interviews at Liverpool, St George's and Swansea. Unfortunately, they all came in the week following a family bereavement.. so fair to say I didn't perform as well as I could have.I've taken this year out to gain some further experience. I've used my degree (which i'll get onto soon) to get a job as a Microbiology Lab Technician. I'm looking to train as a HCA over the coming months, to hopefully get in about 14 days (Over the weekends) before interviews.

My degree is a bachelors in Biomedical Science (Hons) , where I achieved a 2:1, I graduated in September 2015.

In terms of experience this is what I have:
10 weeks in the lung function clinic at the QE
Care home experience
A 2 week medical brigade in Ghana

That's it really..

A-Level: Chemistry A, Biology B, Mathematics A, Phsyics b, I.T b
GCSE: 4 A*s, 7 As, 3 Bs.

I did well during the GAMSAT, not so well during the UKCAT.

Anyone with any advice for anything else I could do?
Good luck to you all. God knows what junior doctors contracts or working conditions will be like in 2022, or if the NHS will be here at all! You will need it!
Hey all!

For all us hopeful to-be medics, it's never to early to start. Whether you're a first-time applicant, deferred entry, gap year applicant, re-applicant or graduate applicant, here's a page to start thinking about the 2017 entry.

List of things to do with their deadlines:

1. Consider universities-
a) check out approved medical schools on the GMC website
b) visit open days
c) look at rankings, facilities, reviews from alumni/current students
d) location (close to home or far, far away?)
e) entry requirements

2. Activities over the summer to build up your application

3. For school-leavers, gear up for your A levels!

4. For international students, consider fees and finances and look for any available aid and scholarships!

5. Get in touch with a doctor to find out what it's really like to be one!

6. Shortlist unis and find out which exams you need to take- UKCAT, BMAT, GAMSAT. International students should also confirm if they need to take the IELTS and what score is acceptable.

7. UKCAT- www.ukcat.ac.uk
a) Registration period: 3rd May 2016 - 21st September 2016
b) Testing period: 1st July 2016 - 5th October 2016
c) Start looking for resources
d) thread to discuss this exam: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3962979&p=63530103#post63530103

8. BMAT- http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/bmat/about-bmat/
a) Registration period: 1st September 2016 - 1st October 2016*
b) Test Date: 2nd November 2016*
c) Results Date: 25th November 2016*
d) Start looking for resources
*These dates may change. Please refer to the website for updates.

9. UCAS Applications- www.ucas.com
a) Apply opens: 24th May 2016
b) Applications can be submitted from: 1st September 2016
c) Deadline: 15th October 2016


This list is not complete. Please feel free to comment anything you think I've missed out which will help our fellow applicants. Good luck! :smile:

P.S. GCSE students interested in medicine can also check out this thread: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3030825
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 228
hey I'm currently in year 12 looking to do medicine and was wondering if anyone knew whether I need AS exams because of the new courses I know that I have to sit my maths AS. But because I'm thinking of dropping physics do you know if I need to sit an AS for medicine. Also I'm looking to do an EPQ (perhaps this could replace it?)
Hey guys, as of now, I think' I'll apply to:
Glasgow
Dundee
Aberdeen
King's college
I'll apply to some scottish unis because I'm italian and for european citizens uni it's free there (I also like the three scottish unis I listed before of course), I don't know much about applying to king's because, although I really like the uni, London is so expensive!!
I think I'll manage to get the 95/100 that most unis require on the italian high school exam, and for work/volountary experience I'm voulonteering for the italian red cross and I'm also voulunteering with my school's religion teacher giving food to homeless people, I plan on working at a pharmacy during the summer and at a restaurant or a mcdonald's (comunication skills lol), I have asked some doctors who are friends of my dad's about shadowing but they say I should be 18 for that, and because I skipped 1 year of elementary school I'll be 18 in 2017, so I can't do that. I just took the IELTS, on which I think I'll get the score I need, so I'll have the scores next week. As for hobbies I play the piano, I like cooking (of course the italian guy likes to cook lol), I like going to the gym, and I also like listening to music and playing football with friends (even though I'm not good at it lol).
Do you think I have a good chance of getting accepted in those schools? I hope I'll get a good score on the ukcat this summer!!
Original post by C.L-A
hey I'm currently in year 12 looking to do medicine and was wondering if anyone knew whether I need AS exams because of the new courses I know that I have to sit my maths AS. But because I'm thinking of dropping physics do you know if I need to sit an AS for medicine. Also I'm looking to do an EPQ (perhaps this could replace it?)


If your school is giving you an option then its up to you! Most med schools will still require that 4th AS - of those who have released their new prospectuses so far anyway! I'm taking AS exams in all 4 subjects (bio, chem, maths, history), partly because my school is forcing me to, but also because i'm scared ill do really badly in one so doing all 4 will keep my options open as to which one i drop next year.

I haven't really read up on the new statements on EPQs yet..but going on last years info, only a handful accept it as a replacement and the majority appreciate it but it's really optional and only seems to help you during the interview..but its probably a good either to research into it now as everywhere seems to be releasing new admissions statements due to the new A level structure.

Let me know if you find anything out!
Reply 231
Hey, I'm an offer holder from this cycle so feel free to message me with any questions you have about stats UKCAT, work experience, interviews, picking a uni...basically anything :smile:

Also, a small thing, I've seen loads of people talking about EPQs. Now, don't get me wrong, they're great to do since you get to choose something you're interested in, but consider whether it's actually worth the massive amount of time it takes up. What I mean by this is that it is usually recommended for medics since it's something to talk about, and go into in-depth, in interviews. However, if 3 or even all 4 of your unis do MMI interviews, the chances of them having even seen your personal are slim to none, so they won't ask you about it outright. Now, there's always the chance you could try and work it in to an answer, but you run the risk of not answering the question they asked you (and that they will have been instructed to assess) - I'm not saying you can't bring outside knowledge into an MMI answer, sometimes it adds to your answer (in one of mine I was given a newspaper statistic and I talked about a similar way statistics had been used in an article I'd read), but especially with an EPQ, there's a high risk of you going into way too much detail that doesn't add much to your answer and eating up the short time you have in the station.

Some schools do the EPQ over two years and only enter you at the beginning of the second year (year 13) so you have a year to drop out if you want. If your school does do this it's perfect for you - start it and see how you get on, do your UKCAT before Year 13 starts (which I would highly recommend for everybody - it's just less stress doing it over summer) and your score (together with your other results etc.) should leave you with a solid idea of which unis would be your best shot. If not, enquire into your options with your school. It definitely isn't the be all and end all so don't feel forced into doing it, it really isn't as big a deal as it's made out to be - don't forget you'll have to balance it with A2 which is tough enough as it is. On the flipside, if you have a topic you're really passionate about and would absolutely love every moment of researching and writing about it, go for it! Interviews will be a great chance to show that you can work in the way you'll be expected to at uni and just your interest in your topic, especially if the majority of your interviews are panel ones.
Reply 232
Original post by elena2710
Hey everyone, here are my stats aha:

GCSEs: 1A 10A*(screw you German lol)
As Predictions: bio, chem, maths, physics AAAA (A* EPQ hopefully too).......(although currently on track for a C in physics though- might even fail at this rate :s-smilie:)
Work experience: 1 week lab work; 1 week hospital shadowing; weekly care home visits.
Volunteering: 3 months children's library work; 3 years girl guiding young leader; 1 week respite care; numerous girl guiding residentials. Year 11 tutor.
Extra curricular: Currently doing silver LAMDA; gold DofE; netball; guiding; running; prefect; peer mentor, young enterprise etc.

I'm really worried about my lack of work experience but hoping that volunteering makes up for it? idk...


Your work experience is fine! It really isn't about how much you do, more what you get out of it. However, I would definitely suggest work experience at a GP if you can get it - it's great for looking at the different paths in medicine that are open to you, but also gives you the chance to see how the relationship between a GP and their patients is different to that of a hospital doctor (hint hint, look out for/reflect on it!). I'd also recommend keeping a diary of your work experience, even if it's just short notes of what you see - especially things relating to the main qualities you look for in a doctor that you can then talk about.

If you have any more questions about work experience or other parts of the application process, don't hesitate to ask
Just wondering if anyone is thinking of going on any summer courses or programmes this summer: I don't quite qualify for Sutton trust or any of the widening participation programmes, so I've only found the one at St George's and ones at the debate chamber?

For those who have already applied to med school, are these courses worth going to? I'm not really sure what to do with my summer haha!

Also, regarding my personal statement, I'm missing things which show leadership and was wondering what other people have done that show these skills - and what I could possibly do as well.

Thanks everyone :smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Christina1999H
Just wondering if anyone is thinking of going on any summer courses or programmes this summer: I don't quite qualify for Sutton trust or any of the widening participation programmes, so I've only found the one at St George's and ones at the debate chamber?

For those who have already applied to med school, are these courses worth going to? I'm not really sure what to do with my summer haha!

Also, regarding my personal statement, I'm missing things which show leadership and was wondering what other people have done that show these skills - and what I could possibly do as well.

Thanks everyone :smile:


Posted from TSR Mobile


I'm in year 12. But defo get some work experience. Leadership-wise I was told running a society or a club or starting a fundraiser really helps.
Its scary how quickly the application process is approaching :eek:
Reply 236
Hi everyone, I'm a fourth year med student at UEA, is there anything that anybody would like to know about UEA, or medicine in general? Like the different courses, PBL, placements, clubs/societies, accommodation, what to bring, what life as med student is like etc etc. I'm happy to chat or tell you about anything, just quote me or something. I've also worked lots with applicants as a student ambassador, and I got three offers when applying myself, so if anyone has any questions or worries about applications or anything at all please feel free to ask :smile:

Cameron
Original post by Cam,
Hi everyone, I'm a fourth year med student at UEA, is there anything that anybody would like to know about UEA, or medicine in general? Like the different courses, PBL, placements, clubs/societies, accommodation, what to bring, what life as med student is like etc etc. I'm happy to chat or tell you about anything, just quote me or something. I've also worked lots with applicants as a student ambassador, and I got three offers when applying myself, so if anyone has any questions or worries about applications or anything at all please feel free to ask :smile:

Cameron


I love the sound of UEA, what's it like to live there?
Also, what does the application process favour? Or does it have very balanced requirements?
How much PBL is there?
Reply 238
Original post by Gogregg
I love the sound of UEA, what's it like to live there?
Also, what does the application process favour? Or does it have very balanced requirements?
How much PBL is there?


Hi, I'm really glad to hear that you love the sound of UEA! :smile: You should definitely come along and have a look round at one of the open days in the summer, we'll be running campus tours, medicine/PBL workshops etc and there'll be loads of chance to chat to current med students, lecturers and admissions tutors.

As for what it's like to live here, I have really loved life here. What kind of things are you into? It's a campus based university, built on really beautiful parkland, so we have miles of woodland, a gorgeous lake and river, and even a donkey sanctuary on campus. For me all that's really important as I love to have lots of green space around. There's everything you need on campus - shops, banks, launderettes, 27/7 library etc. The campus is a twenty minute bus journey or bike ride from the city centre, and Norwich is one of my absolute favourite cities - there's so many great pubs and cafes, loads of medieval architecture and old streets, and so much shopping. It's just a bus journey from lots of seaside towns too. There are so many clubs and societies too, what kind of things do you enjoy?

In terms of entry requirements, yes I'd say it's relatively balanced. You need 6+ GCSEs at A or above, and AAAb at A Level. However, other than that there are no strict cut-offs with the UKCAT or GCSE grades (you'll find some med schools have a strict number of A*s or a UKCAT cutoff (although having said that, UEA do say that it's unusual for applicants with UKCAT < 600 to be interviewed)). In general, I'd say that with UEA applications, they're looking at you as a whole person rather than just stats. The personal statement is really important and so is the interview, where their questions are trying to find out as much as possible about you as a person, rather than your knowledge. For example, just a big list of work experience placements and extracurricular activities in your PS is unlikely to impress them. They're going to be looking for something more, something that tells them more about you as a person. When you talk about your work experience, you need to be able to properly reflect on it - what did it mean to you, how did it make you feel, what did you learn about life as a doctor, what did you learn about the role of a doctor (to the patients, to the multidisciplinary team, to society), how did you move forwards with that knowledge and inspiration. Great if you are grade 8 piano, but that means nothing unless you can talk about what that actually means to you - does it mean you can de-stress after a long day, does it mean you can explore your creative side, has it taught you about commitment and working hard, has it helped you meet new people? In my opinion, that's what I'd say the application process most favours - are you the kind of person who would make a great doctor.

In terms of PBL, I have talked quite a bit about the teaching methods here - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=812998&page=23&p=63946107#post63946107

As for is there a lot of it, hmmm I'll say yes and no. Yes, you have a three-hour PBL session every week, and for your first three years you have to submit a short piece of PBL work every week too. So it does involve a decent amount of your time, which means you have lots of opportunities to ask questions about things you're unsure of. But we have loads of different ways of learning as well as PBL - plenty of seminars and lectures, placements at GP and hospital throughout, anatomy workshops and dissections etc etc. So yes, you can't avoid PBL if you're at UEA, but your learning isn't dependent on it, if that makes sense.

Have a read of the post I've linked to above, and if you still have any questions about UEA or anything at all, don't hesitate to ask :smile:
Original post by Gogregg
I love the sound of UEA, what's it like to live there?
Also, what does the application process favour? Or does it have very balanced requirements?
How much PBL is there?


I think you'll find that most places do a very similar amount of PBL now, so I wouldn't worry about to what extent they do it. You'll probably also find that you quite enjoy working in small groups, I'm a first year (not at UEA) and I didn't like the idea of PBL when I applied to medical school, but it has become one of my favourite things (apart from anatomy of course).

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