Newcastle A101 2020 Entry

I'm glad there's a discussion board for this! I know we will have time before the applications for the 2020 cycle are released in September so I'm still trying to narrow down the list of medical schools I can apply to as an international student. Is there a website that compares these schools based on UCAT/GAMSAT/BMAT requirements, location, GEM spots, cost, teaching and clinical placements?

Current Newcastle GEM, 1st Year, any questions don’t hesitate to @ me

Hi! Currently considering applying to Newcastle GEM... How satisfied are you with the course? What's living in Newcastle like? What was the interview like/how did you prepare? Thank you and sorry for all the questions!! Stats: 805/Band 1 UCAT, 3.92/4.00 GPA, B.S. Chemistry from Northeastern University in Boston

You’ll sail in with that UCAT. Have a Canadian friend on the course and believe they have a similar grading system, so as long as they accept your degree and GPA then happy days.

Living in Newcastle - both expensive and cheap simultaneously. Rent is comparatively expensive for the north in a place called jesmond but it’s a vibrant, fun place to live. Locals are incredibly friendly. 3 trebles for £5 that frankly taste like Powerade.

Satisfaction - 90%. Nothing could’ve prepared me for how intense it is. My background is in tropical diseases, with two years of biomed. So say the undergrads do a case in two weeks which is already quite hard pressed, we do them in one week. I think Newcastle GEM is definitley one of the more intense courses for the first year (Swansea Warwick etc its evenly spread over four years and Southampton Nottingham etc are three years into a year and a half. Ours is two into one and then we’re straight into third year clinical placement)

Despite the stress, the course director always starts off his lectures with checking in how we’re all doing, that we understand and that we’re basically not overwhelmed. They are so so receptive to feedback to the extent that it’s compulsory to feedback on every learning set. The clinical skills suite is excellent, I haven’t seen one like the one we use at any university so I’m very satisfied with that. We had some excellent anatomy teaching too. So basically my satisfaction is very high because the negatives of the intensity is offset by how fantastic the university are. Lecturers always take emails and if you have a query will upload explanation videos for everyone. Also, because it’s accelerated we don’t have lectures for the equivalent undergrad learning outcomes and they upload this to Newcastle’s tailor made learning environment.

I am very overwhelmingly positive about Newcastle, I promise it’s not because I get anything out of it, it’s just that between my own experience and my friends experience I really genuinely believe Newcastle is up there at the top. I guess it suits me and the things I believe in (ie not demanding science qualifications because they use evidence to show that having biology a level is not a necessity to do a Medicine course).

Long winded but I hope that helps!

Current Newcastle GEM, 1st Year, any questions don’t hesitate to @ me

Hi, I read that Newcastle are interested in sustained academic endeavor in the past 3 years. Do you know how they assess this? Thanks!

I rang Newcastle and asked when they will start sending out interview invites. They said they will start sending them from next week.

That's great thank you! I heard someone had a rejection through track as their UCAT was too low (2550 I think), hopefully we will all hear soon

Alright lads, just spoke to Newcastle and they said they're sending out invites from next week up until two weeks before Jan 26th (the last interview date). She also said they have started sending out rejections due to UCAT. I was a bit dense and didn't think to ask if they had agreed the cut off/ if they'd tell me what it was but hey ho x