Birmingham Medical School Applicants 2012

Original post by tomtom415

I'm so sick of paying for things :P medlink, ukcat, BMAT, CRB and this!

It gets worse: Textbooks, stethoscope, TRAVEL! And now my term is 6 months long, do the slc take account of this? NO, I get exactly the same amount of money as I did for a 12 week term, great.

Reply 1982

Original post by My-My-My

It gets worse: Textbooks, stethoscope, TRAVEL! And now my term is 6 months long, do the slc take account of this? NO, I get exactly the same amount of money as I did for a 12 week term, great.

Urgh, fortunately I've been working at good old Sainsbury's for 24 months...do they not fund your travel to placements at all?

Reply 1983

Original post by tomtom415

Urgh, fortunately I've been working at good old Sainsbury's for 24 months...do they not fund your travel to placements at all?

You do get some money for further away placements, but it's often the case that it covers about half the cost.

Reply 1984

Bettyboop93

Original post by tomtom415

I rang up and asked about this and they specifically told me that if I don't have them and wait, I risk losing my place, and it's imperative that I have, and pay for, the first two hep B jabs :/ and I've had them now :s-smilie:

That's weird :/ They told my not to worry and to put down that i was unable to get them before the 1st June. I may start it in the summer.. but if not I'll just wait i guess :smile:

Reply 1985

Original post by gozatron

I had a similar thing when i emailed them last year. PURE SCARE TACTICS. I ended up forking out for everything but there's plenty of people in my year just getting Hep B jabs now...

Are there any textbooks that are absolutely necessary for 1st year? Wanna see if I can get them cheap on eBay now :P

Reply 1986

gozatron

16

Original post by tomtom415

Are there any textbooks that are absolutely necessary for 1st year? Wanna see if I can get them cheap on eBay now :P

There's no real need to buy books, they're easy to find in the library but if you really wanted to i'd advise a two rather than buying the entire booklist. For the biological science subjects a good anatomy book e.g) Gray's anatomy/Essential clinical anatomy and a histology book eg) Junqueiras Histology/Wheaters histology will come in handy but the neuroscience/physiology/embryology/cell biology/pharmacology books they suggest aren't really worth forking out for. Saying this the lectures/wikipedia are pretty comprehensive so don't worry if you don't get any. Forget getting any law/sociology/psychology/ethics books, infact don't even bother going to the lectures. It's all bull.

Reply 1987

Original post by gozatron

There's no real need to buy books, they're easy to find in the library but if you really wanted to i'd advise a two rather than buying the entire booklist. For the biological science subjects a good anatomy book e.g) Gray's anatomy/Essential clinical anatomy and a histology book eg) Junqueiras Histology/Wheaters histology will come in handy but the neuroscience/physiology/embryology/cell biology/pharmacology books they suggest aren't really worth forking out for. Saying this the lectures/wikipedia are pretty comprehensive so don't worry if you don't get any. Forget getting any law/sociology/psychology/ethics books, infact don't even bother going to the lectures. It's all bull.

Ok, thanks for the advice :smile:

I think I'll just wait, in case I **** up biology and chemistry in approximately 2 weeks...really looking forward to forgetting whatever the hell apical dominance is and what colour chlorine Luganda are blah blah blah

Reply 1988

Original post by gozatron

There's no real need to buy books, they're easy to find in the library but if you really wanted to i'd advise a two rather than buying the entire booklist. For the biological science subjects a good anatomy book e.g) Gray's anatomy/Essential clinical anatomy and a histology book eg) Junqueiras Histology/Wheaters histology will come in handy but the neuroscience/physiology/embryology/cell biology/pharmacology books they suggest aren't really worth forking out for. Saying this the lectures/wikipedia are pretty comprehensive so don't worry if you don't get any. Forget getting any law/sociology/psychology/ethics books, infact don't even bother going to the lectures. It's all bull.

Gozatron is right, all you really need is an anatomy and histology text book. Don't but anything else no matter what they tell you in first year. And wait 'til you're here because the older years will often sell their old text books quite cheap.

Medicine in Society is a load of bull in first year but it gets better in 2nd year, more ethics, debates and more psychology, less of the floaty stuff that anyone could just make up. Despite this, do still bother to turn up, because a lot of the time things are said in lectures that aren't on the slides, and there are a couple of MIS lecturers who like to tell you which exact slide will be examined.

Original post by tomtom415

Ok, thanks for the advice :smile:

I think I'll just wait, in case I **** up biology and chemistry in approximately 2 weeks...really looking forward to forgetting whatever the hell apical dominance is and what colour chlorine Luganda are blah blah blah

I wouldn't forget that! It crops up a lot... :tongue:

Reply 1989

kabi21

hey - was just wondering whether anyone knows of any facebook group for offer holders? :smile:

for birmingham... obviously..

Reply 1990

Original post by kabi21

hey - was just wondering whether anyone knows of any facebook group for offer holders? :smile:

for birmingham... obviously..

http://www.facebook.com/groups/386644731379624/

Here you go!

This is the one from last year, thought it might interest you

http://www.facebook.com/groups/252844784729492/

Reply 1991

gozatron

16

Original post by My-My-My

http://www.facebook.com/groups/386644731379624/

Here you go!

This is the one from last year, thought it might interest you

http://www.facebook.com/groups/252844784729492/

Take a gander Freshers, you've got a LOT to look forward to!

Reply 1992

groovyangel2008

11

Interesting to see that Birmingham will be now introducing the multiple mini-interview format for 2013 entry:

Taken from the website: Interviews are organised in a multiple mini-interview format. You will participate in at least four separate, short interviews, lasting 5-8mins each. This will allow you to start afresh at each mini-interview. A range of your personal attributes relevant to studying medicine will be assessed by means of different tasks. Interview stations are designed to assess aspects such as: motivation for medicine; communication (including empathy); ethical reasoning (through consideration of an ethical scenario); logical reasoning (through undertaking a task); scientific understanding and interpretation (through discussion of a problem relating to medical science). The approach you take towards teamwork will be addressed by the task activity and through interaction with a role-player.

Preparation for interview and indeed for study on a medicine programme is aided by engaging in frequent discussions with friends and family about medical issues appearing in the news and media. You should also use your time on work experience effectively by gaining insight into the demands placed on staff, the problems they encounter and the strategies that they employ to handle difficult situations as well as the benefits they obtain from caring for people and working in teams. Again, opportunities to engage in discussion of these issues must be taken.

What are peoples opinions?? To be honest, it's made me realise how privileged I am to have a place on the course!!

Reply 1993

gozatron

16

Original post by groovyangel2008

Interesting to see that Birmingham will be now introducing the multiple mini-interview format for 2013 entry:

Taken from the website: Interviews are organised in a multiple mini-interview format. You will participate in at least four separate, short interviews, lasting 5-8mins each. This will allow you to start afresh at each mini-interview. A range of your personal attributes relevant to studying medicine will be assessed by means of different tasks. Interview stations are designed to assess aspects such as: motivation for medicine; communication (including empathy); ethical reasoning (through consideration of an ethical scenario); logical reasoning (through undertaking a task); scientific understanding and interpretation (through discussion of a problem relating to medical science). The approach you take towards teamwork will be addressed by the task activity and through interaction with a role-player.

Preparation for interview and indeed for study on a medicine programme is aided by engaging in frequent discussions with friends and family about medical issues appearing in the news and media. You should also use your time on work experience effectively by gaining insight into the demands placed on staff, the problems they encounter and the strategies that they employ to handle difficult situations as well as the benefits they obtain from caring for people and working in teams. Again, opportunities to engage in discussion of these issues must be taken.

What are peoples opinions?? To be honest, it's made me realise how privileged I am to have a place on the course!!

Yeh i was discussing this on the Med Students thread. They asked a few of us first years to test the interviews (not myself, i had sleeping that needed to be done) and they seemed pretty straight forward. Personally, i would have preferred the traditional panel interview but it seems that MMI's are the way most med schools are heading these days!

Reply 1994

momories

Original post by groovyangel2008

Interesting to see that Birmingham will be now introducing the multiple mini-interview format for 2013 entry:

Taken from the website: Interviews are organised in a multiple mini-interview format. You will participate in at least four separate, short interviews, lasting 5-8mins each. This will allow you to start afresh at each mini-interview. A range of your personal attributes relevant to studying medicine will be assessed by means of different tasks. Interview stations are designed to assess aspects such as: motivation for medicine; communication (including empathy); ethical reasoning (through consideration of an ethical scenario); logical reasoning (through undertaking a task); scientific understanding and interpretation (through discussion of a problem relating to medical science). The approach you take towards teamwork will be addressed by the task activity and through interaction with a role-player.

Preparation for interview and indeed for study on a medicine programme is aided by engaging in frequent discussions with friends and family about medical issues appearing in the news and media. You should also use your time on work experience effectively by gaining insight into the demands placed on staff, the problems they encounter and the strategies that they employ to handle difficult situations as well as the benefits they obtain from caring for people and working in teams. Again, opportunities to engage in discussion of these issues must be taken.

What are peoples opinions?? To be honest, it's made me realise how privileged I am to have a place on the course!!

I think it's either Leicester or Nottingham that does interviews like this? (Can't remember which one my friend said), and she said it was just chaotic and stupid. I really liked the way Birmingham originally carried out their interviews

Reply 1995

areyouthere?

6

Original post by momories

I think it's either Leicester or Nottingham that does interviews like this? (Can't remember which one my friend said), and she said it was just chaotic and stupid. I really liked the way Birmingham originally carried out their interviews

St. Georges does this as well.

Reply 1996

fallenangel

Original post by momories

I think it's either Leicester or Nottingham that does interviews like this? (Can't remember which one my friend said), and she said it was just chaotic and stupid. I really liked the way Birmingham originally carried out their interviews

I got lost and found myself on this thread aha :tongue:

St George's have done them for a while and Leicester recently introduced them. I personally hate the concept, I much preferred a panel interview.

Reply 1997

aeneas745

Original post by fallenangel

I got lost and found myself on this thread aha :tongue:

St George's have done them for a while and Leicester recently introduced them. I personally hate the concept, I much preferred a panel interview.

Notts interview was traditional and 10 minutes long

Reply 1998

fallenangel

Original post by aeneas745

Notts interview was traditional and 10 minutes long

I was rejected without interview, so wasn't that sure :lolwut:

Thanks for clarifying though mate :smile:

Reply 1999