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Are my medical school choices too risky? Help!

Hello! After loads of thinking and deliberation, I think I have narrowed down my medicine choices to Cambridge(always been the dream, like the course structure),
Bristol (fell in love with the city and atmosphere), Edinburgh (want one that doesn't interview in case I'm awful, and have full score pre personal statement) and Birmingham (my "safer" choice as I have close to full marks on the scoring system and they just use this so should get an interview)

Do you think my choices are too risky? :s-smilie: As I would rather not take a gap year , I know Bristol and Edinburgh have insane amounts of applicants per place (over 10). Was also considering kings and Nottingham but not sure. What do ya think? Need help haha
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 1
Original post by isabella1999
Hello! After loads of thinking and deliberation, I think I have narrowed down my medicine choices to Cambridge(always been the dream, like the course structure),
Bristol (fell in love with the city and atmosphere), Edinburgh (want one that doesn't interview in case I'm awful, and have full score pre personal statement) and Birmingham (my "safer" choice as I have close to full marks on the scoring system and they just use this so should get an interview)

Do you think my choices are too risky? :s-smilie: As I would rather not take a gap year , was also considering kings and Nottingham but not sure. What do ya think? Need help haha


Can you tell me about your statistics, i.e grades, average ums, work exp and ukcat score
Original post by Delvine
Can you tell me about your statistics, i.e grades, average ums, work exp and ukcat score


Oh okay sure! Sorry should have done this earlier!

GCSEs: 10A* 3A's
AS: AAAAA (only one subject with UMS, only 90 :frown:. Emailed admissions and they said because of reforms my application would still be competitive so still wanna apply)
A2 predictions: Either A*A*A*a or A*A*aa (biology teachers are still unsure whether to predict anyone A*, last A is general studies)
UKCAT: 2430 total (810 average), Band 1
Work experience/voluntary: Shadowing on a stroke ward, shadowing in surgical gastroenterology, work experience in a hospice, GP surgery, a month five hours a day in Brazil with disadvantaged disabled children, a year at sue Ryder charity shop, lead social action project on awareness of mental illness

:h:
Reply 3
Original post by isabella1999
Oh okay sure! Sorry should have done this earlier!

GCSEs: 10A* 3A's
AS: AAAAA (only one subject with UMS, only 90 :frown:. Emailed admissions and they said because of reforms my application would still be competitive so still wanna apply)
A2 predictions: Either A*A*A*a or A*A*aa (biology teachers are still unsure whether to predict anyone A*, last A is general studies)
UKCAT: 2430 total (810 average), Band 1
Work experience/voluntary: Shadowing on a stroke ward, shadowing in surgical gastroenterology, work experience in a hospice, GP surgery, a month five hours a day in Brazil with disadvantaged disabled children, a year at sue Ryder charity shop, lead social action project on awareness of mental illness

:h:

Your results are amazing well done, im looking to apply for medicine as well albeit not the places you are applying,
I think academics wise you have a competitive application, its good news that Cambridge cant see your UMS anymore due to the new reforms, what i have realised is that there is two hurdles to pass once your application has been sent,
1) Having an excellent personal statement,
2)Doing well on your interview.
So i would suggest that you apply to places you really want to go and places that will motivate you to achieve your goals, also applying to any medical school is going to be risky, there is a reason why your fifth choice isn't medicine so that if you don't get offered you have something to potentially fall back on.
You really do have a good application so work on your personal statement and work hard to achieve the grades if you do get an offer.
Additionally, medicine is very competitive so if you don't get an offer, that is not a reflection on your abilities but rather what happens with very competitive courses.


If tl:dr
you have good stats and as long as your personal statement is good you will have a good chance of at least getting to the interview stage.
Original post by Delvine
Your results are amazing well done, im looking to apply for medicine as well albeit not the places you are applying,
I think academics wise you have a competitive application, its good news that Cambridge cant see your UMS anymore due to the new reforms, what i have realised is that there is two hurdles to pass once your application has been sent,
1) Having an excellent personal statement,
2)Doing well on your interview.
So i would suggest that you apply to places you really want to go and places that will motivate you to achieve your goals, also applying to any medical school is going to be risky, there is a reason why your fifth choice isn't medicine so that if you don't get offered you have something to potentially fall back on.
You really do have a good application so work on your personal statement and work hard to achieve the grades if you do get an offer.
Additionally, medicine is very competitive so if you don't get an offer, that is not a reflection on your abilities but rather what happens with very competitive courses.


If tl:dr
you have good stats and as long as your personal statement is good you will have a good chance of at least getting to the interview stage.


Thanks! Where you thinking of applying? And it's not really they can't see it more that it doesn't have the emphasis it once did as every school has a different approach to new a levels aha.

I have worked hard on my personal statement, hopefully it is good! I am just struggling at the moment to put some stuff in as I don't know what to get rid of :s-smilie: yeah Ik interview is so so important, one of the reasons I want to apply to Edinburgh lol just in case I'm not good at them. Will keep that in mind aha
Reply 5
BMAT will also be a big part of your Cambridge application, so make sure you prepare well for it.
Reply 6
Remember that medical schools do not generally consider general studies, so it's not really relevant to your application
Original post by Helenia
BMAT will also be a big part of your Cambridge application, so make sure you prepare well for it.


Yep! Started revision today, hopefully with this amount of practice I will do well enough, can hope so anyway! :biggrin:

Original post by Ghotay
Remember that medical schools do not generally consider general studies, so it's not really relevant to your application


Yeah, okay! Our school makes us take it to A2 so I know its not really relevant just thought I would slide it in there haha
bump, still unsure :s-smilie:
Your profile is compatible with those unis. The UKCAT is particularly strong.
Original post by nexttime
Your profile is compatible with those unis. The UKCAT is particularly strong.


Thanks :smile:
What about UKCAT heavy uni's? You'll have great shot for them and also Cardiff cause you''ll score full for them pre-interview. Bristol may be risky cause its so PS heavy, but its up to you
Original post by HopelessMedic
What about UKCAT heavy uni's? You'll have great shot for them and also Cardiff cause you''ll score full for them pre-interview. Bristol may be risky cause its so PS heavy, but its up to you


I didn't really like Cardiff that much on open day, idk any other heavy UKCAT unis. I thought Edinburgh was really UKCAT heavy, idk I liked kings too but didn't like the area too much. It is such a struggle :frown:

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