Birmingham Medical School Applicants 2012

Unless you're applying through the A2B scheme (which I know nothing about), you won't get in. The cut off is 7 A*s. Sorry.

When did you send off your form? I still haven't heard anything.

EDIT: Just read one of your other posts, you sent yours a couple of days after I sent mine.

Last Monday. Got acknowledgement from Edinburgh and King's within 24 hours, the UCAS letter on Thursday and acknowledgement from Cardiff on Fri, but still nothing from Birmingham. I'm getting slightly worried now, considering a lot of people have interviews already.

I might give it one more day and then ring them if I still haven't heard anything. Or do you think I'm just being paranoid/impatient?

heyy! any international applicants for Birmingham?

Hey, just a quick little update on the use of AS grades at Birmingham. I received this email from Austen Spruce, the admissions tutor:

Dear XXXXX,

Thank you for your enquiry. The AS grades have become of more importance than GCSE results (for applicants who meet the 7 A* threshold). But, within an AS results band, GCSE results will be the "tie-breaker" as you put it. We do not know where the threshold will lie for each different academic aspect.

We read the personal statement to ensure there is sufficient and significant work experience and extra-curricular involvement.

Regards,

Austen Spruce

****, ****, ****.

I got AAAB, and only 8A*s. There will surely be 100s of applicants with AAAA, and of the few with AAAB, quite a few will have more A*s than me.

I'm gutted and I'd hoped they'd take a more holistic view to the application, because Birmingham is definitely my first choice

Well you have over 7 A*s, and by what he is saying in the email they are not being so nazi-ish about GCSEs over 7A*s this year. However, that's assuming you have good AS. It depends on what the B was in really. I know what you mean about taking a holistic approach; in all fairness you may want to revise your first choice as Birmingham is known to be the polar opposite with applications. Things ARE looking brighter though this year. Don't worry!

Yeah, it was in the most crucial subject of them all. I am predicted an A, but when I emailed him he said it would not necessarily make up for it. I can't exactly revise it, I've got my heart set on Birmingham, but I knew it would be a risk. I know someone who got in after a letter of appeal, so perhaps that would help my case, along with strong showings in the January exams. I really doubt how bright it is for me at the moment, but true, last year, people with many, many A*s got rejected very late in the cycle, so it is a possibility that they are a bit more open-minded, especially as they've reduced the GCSE limit.

What is this thing going round that people with loads of A*s last year got rejected? I swear back then the more A*s you had the better. What actually happened?

I suppose you're right, I just expected them to process them in the order that they recieved them.

Thanks and good luck to you too, hopefully I'll see you at Birmingham next year! (I'm applying to Cardiff for biomed so that's only a back up plan, though I do love the city! )

Quick announcement: Seeing as interview dates are not too far off I will take this time to remind people of TSRs policy on discussing interviews. Of course you can say how it went, but beware that going into detail can help out people interviewed after you and therefore lessen your chances.
We do not allow you to post questions that you were asked in the instance that another person may get the same questions, as such if you spot such posts could you please report them to be removed.
This is all for your benefit!


Formalities over, we just want people to earn their offers

Best of luck to everyone!

You can't have even had IRM yet, how have you even met him?

Supposedly, after the fiasco in 2010 where they upped the A*s to 8.5, they decided last year to keep the 8A* limit but look at applications in a more rounded, holistic way. That meant that as late as March, people with 10+A*s were rejected, and guys like Gozatron with 8A*s, were accepted. That must indicate that they looked at personal statement etc.

Oh, another thing about Birmingham is, I don't have an A* in English Language, which is undoubtedly something which will hinder me more. ****. Just begging that they'll look at my statement at the least

Unless you've been told by UCAS to say something like this, I think it's a load of *******s personally. It's everyone person's choice if they want to share, you shouldn't stop them imo.

Unless you've been told by UCAS to say something like this, I think it's a load of *******s personally. It's everyone person's choice if they want to share, you shouldn't stop them imo.

Ahh I see. So those people must have been borderline to be considered that late in the process. How come you want to go to Birmingham so much?