Medicine 2017 entry
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Original post by Gogregg
Just a reminder to everyone that UKCAT registration opens tomorrow! 
How time has flown by...
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Original post by FemaleBo55
Taking a gap year, and applying in 2017 
Yeah same here
Original post by madmed16
For anyone who is taking a gap year - I took a gap year and ended up with four offers. If you want any advice, hit me up! 😁
What kind of volunteering and work experience did you do??
What kind of questions did they ask in your interview and how did you answer them?
Why were you rejected the first time around?
Original post by doculmc7171
What kind of volunteering and work experience did you do??
What kind of questions did they ask in your interview and how did you answer them?
Why were you rejected the first time around?
What kind of questions did they ask in your interview and how did you answer them?
Why were you rejected the first time around?
Prior to and during my gap year, I volunteered as a swimming teacher - teaching those with disabilities how to swim. I also done a 3 month voluntary internship with Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity (which led to me gaining a job for my gap year).
I didn't undertake any work experience during my gap year as I already had quite a lot under my belt. I had a total of 7 weeks (which is way more than you need - most people I spoke to only had 1 or 2)! Most of my work experience was in neurosurgery, but I also experienced general surgery, endocrinology, radiology, oncology, gastroenterology and GP. Looking back, I absolutely did not need that much.
Unfortunately I can't tell you the questions that I was asked. All the questions that could be asked are available online and in medical interview books though. If I'm being honest, I prepared a lot for my interviews, but in the end I didn't use a lot of my answers as the medical schools try to put their own twist to the questions. That's not saying you shouldn't prepare though. Also, depending on which medical schools you are applying to, practice role play (whether that's during volunteering, a job or just practicing with a friend)! Make sure you know the basics of ethics too - that helps a lot! Without giving too much away, the SJT examples helped with my interviews (when it came down to moral reasoning)! Some medical schools I found are more interested in you, and others are more interested in what you know about medicine (if that makes sense?)! Out of my 4 interviews, I think I only had a couple of questions repeated - the rest were fresh. Some of the questions I had were so random and not medically related at all (but they were not difficult to answer). One thing to really keep in mind is that they really aren't there to throw you off. Two of my interviews were exceptionally focused on role play and the other two didn't have a lot of it.
When addressing the questions, it really depended on what was asked and what the key words were. The ISC book outlines a really good strategy to use, and how to alter your answers to fit the question asked. If I was asked about a skill or quality, I would talk about how I've shown that through activities and the importance of it in medicine. If I was asked about ethics, I would outline what I know about the topic, then give a view from both sides, and conclude with my final opinion on the matter. The most important thing to do during interview is to back up your answer - always think "why?". As long as you can back it up and explain yourself, it's a good answer. Try as much as you can to refer to your work experience too! They like it when you mention your work experience because it then seems like you've not just done it to tick a box. Remaining calm and taking a few seconds to think of an answer can also be very useful when piecing an answer together. Oh another tip that would have helped to know after interview is do not panic if you make a mistake! I made so many mistakes and made a couple of serious bloopers, but I still managed to get in!
I was rejected from all 4 medical schools prior to interview because of my UKCAT. It was not the best score in the world. After putting in a little more practice this year, I don't much better! For any fellow gap year students who are worrying about the UKCAT: you will do so much better next time round honestly!
I hope this helps somehow! Sorry for the essay!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by madmed16
Prior to and during my gap year, I volunteered as a swimming teacher - teaching those with disabilities how to swim. I also done a 3 month voluntary internship with Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity (which led to me gaining a job for my gap year).
I didn't undertake any work experience during my gap year as I already had quite a lot under my belt. I had a total of 7 weeks (which is way more than you need - most people I spoke to only had 1 or 2)! Most of my work experience was in neurosurgery, but I also experienced general surgery, endocrinology, radiology, oncology, gastroenterology and GP. Looking back, I absolutely did not need that much.
Unfortunately I can't tell you the questions that I was asked. All the questions that could be asked are available online and in medical interview books though. If I'm being honest, I prepared a lot for my interviews, but in the end I didn't use a lot of my answers as the medical schools try to put their own twist to the questions. That's not saying you shouldn't prepare though. Also, depending on which medical schools you are applying to, practice role play (whether that's during volunteering, a job or just practicing with a friend)! Make sure you know the basics of ethics too - that helps a lot! Without giving too much away, the SJT examples helped with my interviews (when it came down to moral reasoning)! Some medical schools I found are more interested in you, and others are more interested in what you know about medicine (if that makes sense?)! Out of my 4 interviews, I think I only had a couple of questions repeated - the rest were fresh. Some of the questions I had were so random and not medically related at all (but they were not difficult to answer). One thing to really keep in mind is that they really aren't there to throw you off. Two of my interviews were exceptionally focused on role play and the other two didn't have a lot of it.
When addressing the questions, it really depended on what was asked and what the key words were. The ISC book outlines a really good strategy to use, and how to alter your answers to fit the question asked. If I was asked about a skill or quality, I would talk about how I've shown that through activities and the importance of it in medicine. If I was asked about ethics, I would outline what I know about the topic, then give a view from both sides, and conclude with my final opinion on the matter. The most important thing to do during interview is to back up your answer - always think "why?". As long as you can back it up and explain yourself, it's a good answer. Try as much as you can to refer to your work experience too! They like it when you mention your work experience because it then seems like you've not just done it to tick a box. Remaining calm and taking a few seconds to think of an answer can also be very useful when piecing an answer together. Oh another tip that would have helped to know after interview is do not panic if you make a mistake! I made so many mistakes and made a couple of serious bloopers, but I still managed to get in!
I was rejected from all 4 medical schools prior to interview because of my UKCAT. It was not the best score in the world. After putting in a little more practice this year, I don't much better! For any fellow gap year students who are worrying about the UKCAT: you will do so much better next time round honestly!
I hope this helps somehow! Sorry for the essay!
I didn't undertake any work experience during my gap year as I already had quite a lot under my belt. I had a total of 7 weeks (which is way more than you need - most people I spoke to only had 1 or 2)! Most of my work experience was in neurosurgery, but I also experienced general surgery, endocrinology, radiology, oncology, gastroenterology and GP. Looking back, I absolutely did not need that much.
Unfortunately I can't tell you the questions that I was asked. All the questions that could be asked are available online and in medical interview books though. If I'm being honest, I prepared a lot for my interviews, but in the end I didn't use a lot of my answers as the medical schools try to put their own twist to the questions. That's not saying you shouldn't prepare though. Also, depending on which medical schools you are applying to, practice role play (whether that's during volunteering, a job or just practicing with a friend)! Make sure you know the basics of ethics too - that helps a lot! Without giving too much away, the SJT examples helped with my interviews (when it came down to moral reasoning)! Some medical schools I found are more interested in you, and others are more interested in what you know about medicine (if that makes sense?)! Out of my 4 interviews, I think I only had a couple of questions repeated - the rest were fresh. Some of the questions I had were so random and not medically related at all (but they were not difficult to answer). One thing to really keep in mind is that they really aren't there to throw you off. Two of my interviews were exceptionally focused on role play and the other two didn't have a lot of it.
When addressing the questions, it really depended on what was asked and what the key words were. The ISC book outlines a really good strategy to use, and how to alter your answers to fit the question asked. If I was asked about a skill or quality, I would talk about how I've shown that through activities and the importance of it in medicine. If I was asked about ethics, I would outline what I know about the topic, then give a view from both sides, and conclude with my final opinion on the matter. The most important thing to do during interview is to back up your answer - always think "why?". As long as you can back it up and explain yourself, it's a good answer. Try as much as you can to refer to your work experience too! They like it when you mention your work experience because it then seems like you've not just done it to tick a box. Remaining calm and taking a few seconds to think of an answer can also be very useful when piecing an answer together. Oh another tip that would have helped to know after interview is do not panic if you make a mistake! I made so many mistakes and made a couple of serious bloopers, but I still managed to get in!
I was rejected from all 4 medical schools prior to interview because of my UKCAT. It was not the best score in the world. After putting in a little more practice this year, I don't much better! For any fellow gap year students who are worrying about the UKCAT: you will do so much better next time round honestly!
I hope this helps somehow! Sorry for the essay!
This gives me hope that it is possible to get in after a gap year . You did a lot in your gap and im guessing this allowed you to answer things in a lot of depth. So would you recommend other gap year students to try to do as much as possible medical related things for the interview
Original post by OneAfrica
This gives me hope that it is possible to get in after a gap year . You did a lot in your gap and im guessing this allowed you to answer things in a lot of depth. So would you recommend other gap year students to try to do as much as possible medical related things for the interview
You have a much better chance of getting in second time round!
Yeah, definitely! There are endless opportunities when it comes to taking a gap year (as you'll know), but I've found that if you're in a medical environment, you develop a lot of knowledge that can come in handy for interviews!
Will I be considered a strong applicant for Medicine at Edinburgh? I'm very worried I may have given myself a disadvantage with my extra-curriculars 
Academic:
GCSE: 9A*s and 1A
AS: (predicted AAAA)
A Level: Targeted A*A*A*A (if my as go as my teachers are expecting)
Extra-curricular:
Grade 3 Piano
Taekwondo Red Belt-black tag (one belt below black belt)
DofE (Gold & Silver)
Debating Society member
Taught children in a rural village abroad for 1 week
Work Experience:
- NHS Shadowing (not completely sure what it is yet)
- Shadowing of a Heart Bypass Surgery
Academic:
GCSE: 9A*s and 1A
AS: (predicted AAAA)
A Level: Targeted A*A*A*A (if my as go as my teachers are expecting)
Extra-curricular:
Grade 3 Piano
Taekwondo Red Belt-black tag (one belt below black belt)
DofE (Gold & Silver)
Debating Society member
Taught children in a rural village abroad for 1 week
Work Experience:
- NHS Shadowing (not completely sure what it is yet)
- Shadowing of a Heart Bypass Surgery
Are there any current medical students who have anything to say about their medical school?
Original post by medicine71012
Are there any current medical students who have anything to say about their medical school?
Hi, what would you like to know? Which medical schools are you interested in? There's plenty of students around who are happy to help, but it would be good to know more about what you'd like to know. If you want to know anything about UEA, or PBL/integrated courses in general, I'm happy to help
Just checking, an AS effectively plays no role now in determining offers right? Or does it
Original post by Lemauricien
Just checking, an AS effectively plays no role now in determining offers right? Or does it
Your teachers will use it to predict your predicted grades which is what the uni's to determine offers
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Original post by Lemauricien
Just checking, an AS effectively plays no role now in determining offers right? Or does it
No one can comfortably say whether or not Universities will take AS grades (whether they have been cashed in or not) into account. Few have made a statement on this as of yet, so I'm taking it as some will take them into account and some will not.
Original post by neil20143
Will I be considered a strong applicant for Medicine at Edinburgh? I'm very worried I may have given myself a disadvantage with my extra-curriculars
Academic:
GCSE: 9A*s and 1A
AS: (predicted AAAA)
A Level: Targeted A*A*A*A (if my as go as my teachers are expecting)
Extra-curricular:
Grade 3 Piano
Taekwondo Red Belt-black tag (one belt below black belt)
DofE (Gold & Silver)
Debating Society member
Taught children in a rural village abroad for 1 week
Work Experience:
- NHS Shadowing (not completely sure what it is yet)
- Shadowing of a Heart Bypass Surgery
Academic:
GCSE: 9A*s and 1A
AS: (predicted AAAA)
A Level: Targeted A*A*A*A (if my as go as my teachers are expecting)
Extra-curricular:
Grade 3 Piano
Taekwondo Red Belt-black tag (one belt below black belt)
DofE (Gold & Silver)
Debating Society member
Taught children in a rural village abroad for 1 week
Work Experience:
- NHS Shadowing (not completely sure what it is yet)
- Shadowing of a Heart Bypass Surgery
Your grades are great for Edinburgh!
If I'm being honest, you have less than usual for extracurricular, but if you can really jazz up the experiences you've had doing them and what you've learned, then you won't have a problem. Edinburgh love to read about achievements too, so I would try and include any achievements you've had that are extracurricular (or academic)!
As much as everything you've done/got is good, you will have to wait until you've done your UKCAT. You'll need a really high score for Edinburgh, and ideally a band 1 or 2 (at a push) for SJT, otherwise it's a waste of an application.
what's the best period for sitting the ukcat generally
Original post by Lemauricien
what's the best period for sitting the ukcat generally
I would say in july because you are still in that studying mind set after exams which makes it easier before the UKCAT to fall back into a study timetable.
This is a cool thread. I got rejected this year because of my IGCSEs After completing my A-levels and doing a couple extra IGCSE exams, I've decided to give this medicine thing another shot, so I'm going to be reapplying for 2017 entry.
Academics:
I had a few problems after moving to another country that led to me applying for the IGCSE exams late, and only being able to do 5 as a result. I'm not sure whether my story counts as extenuating circumstances, though, so I didn't include anything about it. I did, however, do another IGCSE this year, so I'm hoping it'll be enough (I know it's enough for Manchester, at least.)
I got 3 As and a B at AS, As in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, and the B in Physics (Cambridge CIE exam board.) I dropped the Physics for A2, and I'm hoping to get at least 3As, maybe an A*AA if I can.
I also did quite well on the UKCAT last year, so if anyone has any questions on that, I'm happy to help.
Extracurricular:
Was involved quite heavily in my school's student council during years 10/11, and played on the school's football team for a year. I also wrote a few stories for competitions, so those three things will make up most of my extracurricular activities. Was also part of the eco-club, we held a couple conferences/meet ups to help promote environmental awareness, amongst other things.
Work Experience:
I volunteered at a school for students with special needs last year, a day there bi-weekly or every few weeks over the course of the school year. About two weeks in all, maybe. In the summer, I shadowed a nephrologist at the MRI for a week. Was very interesting, and I got the chance to do plenty that I'll be including on the application. This past school year I didn't do much, trying to focus on schoolwork, but I did get to volunteer at a clinic. So maybe that'll count for something.
However, since I'm taking a gap year for the reapplication, I will be having free time in which I could do something useful. I've tried contacting my local hospice, but they require at minimum of a 12-month commitment, which I can't guarantee. Does anyone have any clue what I can do? Should I just try and get another week shadowing at a hospital?
After completing my A-levels and doing a couple extra IGCSE exams, I've decided to give this medicine thing another shot, so I'm going to be reapplying for 2017 entry.Academics:
I had a few problems after moving to another country that led to me applying for the IGCSE exams late, and only being able to do 5 as a result. I'm not sure whether my story counts as extenuating circumstances, though, so I didn't include anything about it. I did, however, do another IGCSE this year, so I'm hoping it'll be enough (I know it's enough for Manchester, at least.)
I got 3 As and a B at AS, As in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, and the B in Physics (Cambridge CIE exam board.) I dropped the Physics for A2, and I'm hoping to get at least 3As, maybe an A*AA if I can.
I also did quite well on the UKCAT last year, so if anyone has any questions on that, I'm happy to help.
Extracurricular:
Was involved quite heavily in my school's student council during years 10/11, and played on the school's football team for a year. I also wrote a few stories for competitions, so those three things will make up most of my extracurricular activities. Was also part of the eco-club, we held a couple conferences/meet ups to help promote environmental awareness, amongst other things.
Work Experience:
I volunteered at a school for students with special needs last year, a day there bi-weekly or every few weeks over the course of the school year. About two weeks in all, maybe. In the summer, I shadowed a nephrologist at the MRI for a week. Was very interesting, and I got the chance to do plenty that I'll be including on the application. This past school year I didn't do much, trying to focus on schoolwork, but I did get to volunteer at a clinic. So maybe that'll count for something.
However, since I'm taking a gap year for the reapplication, I will be having free time in which I could do something useful. I've tried contacting my local hospice, but they require at minimum of a 12-month commitment, which I can't guarantee. Does anyone have any clue what I can do? Should I just try and get another week shadowing at a hospital?
Original post by Dohaeris
I also did quite well on the UKCAT last year, so if anyone has any questions on that, I'm happy to help.
I also did quite well on the UKCAT last year, so if anyone has any questions on that, I'm happy to help.
Hi, what did you get on the UKCAT and what tips would you have for those who are just about to start revising for it with no prior experience of what the questions are like ?
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