Hi, I applied to study undergraduate Medicine as a home student for 2018 entry. Unlike many people you will see on TSR, I was not the ideal candidate; I had average GCSES and a below average UKCAT score. Despite what I thought was extensive research, I am now realising that I made many mistakes when selecting my universities. There aren't many people out there who talk about having a weak application and so, I'm hoping that this post helps those of you who may not have the best stats.
SIDE NOTE: At GCSE I obtained 4A*s and 6As. My ukcat score averaged at 623 and the average for 2018 entry was 635. My total score was 2490. The universities I applied to were Exeter, Leicester, Keele and Leeds (BMAT). My BMAT score was 4.9 4.9 4.5 A (slightly above average). I was rejected from Leicester, Leeds and Exeter pre-interview and I have received an interview from Keele.
CHOOSING YOUR UNIVERSITIES:
1. If you have a strong GCSE profile (7/8 A*s) and an average /above average UKCAT score, APPLY ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!
2. If you have a strong GCSE profile (7/8A*s) and a below average UKCAT, consider applying to Birmingham and Cardiff as a majority of their application weighting is allocated to GCSEs.
3. If you have a weaker GCSE profile and an ABOVE average UKCAT score (ideally 700+), consider UKCAT heavy universities such as Sheffield, Manchester,KCL and Newcastle.
4.If you have average GCSEs for a medical school applicant (4A* or less) and a weaker UKCAT score, consider the following options:
- Keele University: Keele University does select its candidates based on their GCSEs or UKCAT score. They require applicants to meet their basic GCSE requirements (5As and at least a grade B in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths and English Language) and UKCAT cut off (Keele do not consider the bottom 20% of UKCAT scores or individuals who obtain Band 4 in the Situational Judgement test). For 2018 entry, Keele's UKCAT cut off was a total of 2340 which is an average of 585. Once an applicant has met these requirements, these requirements are not considered further. The main way in which Keele University selects its interviewees is through their Roles and Responsibilities form. This form requires applicants to discuss specified moments within any HANDS ON EXPERIENCE they have. Unlike work shadowing, Keele is interested to know what applicants have done themselves, and how this has developed skills that will allow them to be a good doctor. This form is accessible online and so, applicants can plan their answers well ahead of time. The form is sent to applicants through an email after they have applied. Keele also requires applicants to declare information about the experiences mentioned on the form, including a start date, number of hours, role within the organisation and contact details of each of your work experiences. THEY WILL CHECK SO DO NOT LIE!
https://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/fachealth/fachealthmed/pdfs/Roles%20form%20draft%20for%20web.pdfThe other universities I urge you to consider are universities I did not apply to, however have had friends apply with similar profiles who went on to receive interviews:
-The University of Liverpool
-St. George's University of London
-Hull-York Medical School
-Brighton and Sussex Medical school (BMAT)
Remember that Medicine is Medicine no matter where you end up. If you really want to be a doctor, nothing can stop you. JUST TRY NOT TO MAKE SILLY CHOICES LIKE I DID!