Diagnostic Radiography Applicants 2021

Hi! I'm going to be applying for diagnostic radiography this year for start in september 21. Bit worried about my lack of work experience though, really struggling to get much what with covid, and i've been out of education for a while so hoping i can make it through. Not sure about my uni choices yet and i'd be starting as a mature student if anyone else here can relate (my previous degree is in biology). Yay for application nerves!

What made everyone here want to choose radiograhy too?

Hey! That's great news!

To combat the COVID-19 work experience dilemma - I contacted my university choices to see what the admissions teams were planning to do about that problem (as I can imagine it will affect many people!). Only a handful have responded with possible changes to the admissions process but the work experience side of the process is very small and the interview / UCAS side of it is very important. I also proved that I have tried to contact hospital trusts / private companies for work experience - so I don't appear to just be being lazy and assuming there is nothing available.

Once you know roughly the universities you would possibly want to go to - you could contact them also? There is no harm in asking and may lift some worry. I'm sure you will be fine and it would be great to see the progress on this page!

Thank you! When i last tried to contact my local hospitals they couldn't really offer anything, and it's understandable with covid as don't want to bring in any risk. I've just been having a quick read through the 2020 thread and seems like a lot of them applied and had interviews / offers quite early (pre jan). I was going to leave it as close to jan as possible to apply in hopes of getting work xp by then but do you think it'll be better to just try and apply in sept / oct?

From applying last year, I applied early on and if any work experience cropped up, I could email the admissions teams later on as an update before the interviews. Some universities have a form you can use and submit for work experience, at time of UCAS submission or later on. This year I will definitely do this!

Sounds like it's good to apply early then, i'll get on to it and then hope to get some xp afterwards. I would like to try for Keele University, as my personal circumstances would make it the ideal choice for me, but need to decide on some alternative options too. How competitive is Keele for radiography do you know? I did the virtual open day back in June, and will do one again to ask more questions. What uni did you go for and why?

There is no harm in applying early (if anything - it gets it out of the way!). I am unsure of Keele sorry! I am studying at Teesside University for my 1 year CertHE. My option would ideally be Teesside for Diagnostic Radiography again.

Don't worry too much about the competitiveness of the universities you want to apply to, everyone is in the same boat and applying will give that start just like everyone else. If you check about work experience with them too, at least you will know if they have a policy in place for 2021

They told me at the open day to get some, but not sure if they are still firm on that. I'll ask on the open day in a couple months but if i can't get it I just can't, I will try and do as much as possible in substitute such as watching videos and reading up. At worst i'll just have to keep applying if i can't get through for next year, get some feedback and try for 2022.

Hopefully Teesside will keep you on for the degree afterwards, I would have thought they'd look favourably on someone already enrolled with them, so i'm thinking doing your certHE with them should be a huge advantage for you getting on to the course.

I definitely think some consideration should be made to everyone as I can't imagine work experience is very high up in the priorities of hospital trusts.

I hope so too but I'm not using that as a blanket to relax into! Completing this course will also show myself the capability of studying at university as before this I didn't think I was good enough.

I am hoping at least I should be in the same boat as everyone else and not too many others will have the xp either. Uni is great too, it's a good time to try new things and make new friends. Good luck with your studies, i'm sure if you work hard you'll be able to ace it.

I have already sent my application in. Fingers crossed for interview.
I have spoken to the uni regarding work experience and they said not to worry due to the current pandemic.

Hey! I have sent mine off already too! Where have you applied too?

Bangor and Keele. Was hoping to have interview before Christmas but looks at forums and past years it will be in Feb/March.
Where have you applied?

Ah nice! I think because of covid it might be safer next year to do interviews maybe, or they might just do them online.

I have applied to: Teesside, Leeds, Sheffield Hallam, Hertfordshire and Bradford.

Has anyone received an invite to interview yet?