Newcastle A100 Applicants 2013

Poll

UKCAT score:

So I'm definitely going to apply here after doing my UKCAT yesterday. From what I've heard they rank everyone with the minimum entry requirements by the UKCAT and interview the top so many. Who else is looking at here?

Reply 1

Beska

21

Hey guys.

A bit of info about Newcastle's admission policy (which can be found here):

Selection for interview - "shortlisting"

First things first, they check that applicants reach the minimum A-Level/GCSE requirements. All those that do are ranked by UKCAT score and approximately the top 40-45% are given interviews. The interview shortlisting is done purely on the UKCAT average. Having additional A*'s at GCSE or A-Level, for example, will not help or make it easier to achieve an interview. The UKCAT score required for interview will vary year on year because each year the UKCAT scores of those applying change. You will either be given an interview or rejected.

2013 entry UKCAT cut-off was 695 (but some people received interviews with lower scores, around 680)
2012 entry UKCAT cut-off was 667.5
2011 entry UKCAT cut-off was 675 (then lowered to 667.5 later in the cycle)
2010 entry UKCAT cut-off was 645
2009 entry UKCAT cut-off was 615

You can expect it to perhaps increase this year (it is better to assume it will increase than assume it will stay the same/decrease) but it is impossible to know by how much. In the past it has increased approx. 30 points year-on-year, but this may change (as it did between 2011 and 2012).

UKCAT scores are given to Newcastle on or around the 5th November. You can expect interview invites from this date. My interview date for 2011 entry was 19 Nov, and I received the invitation (first by email, and then letter) on or around the 12th Nov. The latest you can be rejected for not meeting the UKCAT cut-off is around mid-February, so don't give up hope!

Interview

If you are above the UKCAT cut-off then you will be invited to interview. The medical school describe the purpose interview as "to confirm whether the candidate has the aptitude, motivation and personal qualities to succeed as a medical student" and they are held between mid-November and early March. You will be interviewed by two members of academic staff, which may or may not be practicing doctors (I was interviewed by two doctors). Each individually fill in an assessment form which is very structured. They rate you on a 4-point scale (1 being crap, and 4 being exceptional) on the following criteria:

•

Choice of Newcastle - self explanatory.

•

Reflection on the commitment to care and role of a doctor - caring nature, insight into a career as a doctor, understanding of the NHS, ethical issues, etc.

•

Reflection on personal attributes - learning styles, communication skills, ability to deal with questions, ability to explain complicated concepts, non-academic and personal interests, personal attributes (strengths/weaknesses, self motivation, leadership, teamwork), coping with stress

•

Verification of Personal Statement - ability to verify personal statement and draw on examples

•

Overall performance at interview - rated on your overall performance

(All of these and a more in-depth description of each is available in the admissions policy I linked before.)

They won't tell you your scores until after the end of the application cycle. After then, you can apply for them and you get a letter if you're interested and nosy like I am. :p:

Using all these 4-point scores, they will somehow give you an 'overall interview score' (which is separate from overall performance, by the way) which allows you to be ranked with the other applicants. This is the reason they do not give out any offers until they have finished interviewing everybody. Once they rank all of the applicants they have interviewed, they will give offers to approximately 400 of them. You have about a 43% chance of gaining an offer after interview. The interview stage is tough. It is not a case of "gain interview = gain place".

If you are ranked in the top 400-odd people they interviewed, you will be given an offer from early/mid-March. The first offers last year came out on 9th March (the day I got my offer! hooray!) and from some rumours floating around last year tend to be given out in some kind of descending interview score order.

Key Dates (all estimated based on previous cycles)

UKCAT deadline: 07 Oct 2012
UCAS deadline: 15 Oct 2012
UKCAT scores given to Newcastle: ~05 Nov 2012
Interview invites expected from: ~12 Nov 2012
Interview period: ~19 Nov 2011 - ~19 Feb 2013
All pre-interview rejections given out: ~12 Feb 2013
Offers start to be given out: ~9th March 2013
All post-interview rejections given out: End of March 2013
Post-offer open day: 4 April 2012 and 11 April 2013

Key Stats (approximate, based on 2010 entry cycle)

Places: 352
Applications: 2057
Interviews: 928
Offers: 400

Chance of interview: ~45%
After interview, chance of offer: ~43%

Hope this helps!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 2

NT2012

hey there
ok so i underperformed and only got ABCD at AS level this year.
A-BIOLOGY
B-ENG LIT.
C-CHEM
D-MATHS

at GCSE I achieved 3 A*'s and 7A's
i've sort of had on/off thoughts about medicine for a few months..
i volunteer in a care home weekly.
i have volunteered in a different country working with children.
and i volunteer at a charity store
still pending on getting hospital work experience.

since this year you have to your grades on ucas i just feel when medical schools see my grades i won't get an offer from anywhere!!
i'm dropping maths ( but will resit to get it upto a B)
and i KNOW i can improve chem, it was my poor ISA mark that let me down
but if i'm predicted AAA and they see that how realistic will the uni's think that is?

also what are other pathways into medicine & how difficult is it?
what are your thoughts on gap years?
also i need to know as i've not done my UKCAT, so i'm not sure what to do!!!!
thank you in advance. :smile:

xx

Reply 3

Hippokrates

OP

20

Original post by NT2012

hey there
ok so i underperformed and only got ABCD at AS level this year.
A-BIOLOGY
B-ENG LIT.
C-CHEM
D-MATHS

at GCSE I achieved 3 A*'s and 7A's
i've sort of had on/off thoughts about medicine for a few months..
i volunteer in a care home weekly.
i have volunteered in a different country working with children.
and i volunteer at a charity store
still pending on getting hospital work experience.

since this year you have to your grades on ucas i just feel when medical schools see my grades i won't get an offer from anywhere!!
i'm dropping maths ( but will resit to get it upto a B)
and i KNOW i can improve chem, it was my poor ISA mark that let me down
but if i'm predicted AAA and they see that how realistic will the uni's think that is?

also what are other pathways into medicine & how difficult is it?
what are your thoughts on gap years?
also i need to know as i've not done my UKCAT, so i'm not sure what to do!!!!
thank you in advance. :smile:

xx

You can try applying but I really think the C in chemistry will pull you down but there's nothing lost in trying. What you need to do now is get your head down and get the As. Then reapply for 2014 entry. Taking a gap year is absolutely fine and very common with medicine. I would say do whatever you can to apply for the undergraduate courses because postgraduate is impossibly expensive and you wouldn't be able to do foundation years because you have taken the right subjects. Try to aim for a high UKCAT this year to compensate your grades you need about 680+ for Newcastle.

Reply 4

aww

Hi everyone,
I am applying for medicine this year for entry in 2013. I am aware that the deadline for the UCAS application is 15th October. How many days before should I be sending off my application?

Thanks

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

Hippokrates

OP

20

Original post by aww

Hi everyone,
I am applying for medicine this year for entry in 2013. I am aware that the deadline for the UCAS application is 15th October. How many days before should I be sending off my application?

Thanks

It honestly doesn't matter but you may want to send it a few days early so it's not as stressful.

Reply 6

KitschyFox

Am I right in saying that UKCAT ranking is the only decider on who gets called for interview? After meeting the basic entry reqs that is... The webpage seems so lacking for Newcastle P:

Here's hoping 690 makes the cut this year anyhow :erm:

Reply 7

ViceVersa

3

Hey all. Just to say I will be adding the link to this thread to the 2013 Index in the medical schools subforum. Good luck everyone. :smile:

Reply 8

peterwadish

Hi Everyone

My As results are probably going to let me down but am thinking about Newcastle and hoping they will look at UKCAT 697.5 before seeing my AS results A bio bbbchem/maths/physics...........urgh I am going to have to try to pull it right back now to those As. i got good GSCE 4A* and 6As. Good luck.

Even I am not sure whether to reapply next year once I have got those As bagged.I was gutted as its all gone so well so far.

Reply 9

InkyOne

Original post by KitschyFox

Am I right in saying that UKCAT ranking is the only decider on who gets called for interview? After meeting the basic entry reqs that is... The webpage seems so lacking for Newcastle P:

Here's hoping 690 makes the cut this year anyhow :erm:

Yeah, that's correct - you get above the threshold and you get an interview.

I applied and got an offer for Newcastle in the 2011-12 cycle so if anyone has any questions about applying, i'll try my best to answer them from my own experience applying to Newcastle.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 10

InkyOne

Original post by peterwadish

Hi Everyone

My As results are probably going to let me down but am thinking about Newcastle and hoping they will look at UKCAT 697.5 before seeing my AS results A bio bbbchem/maths/physics...........urgh I am going to have to try to pull it right back now to those As. i got good GSCE 4A* and 6As. Good luck.

Even I am not sure whether to reapply next year once I have got those As bagged.I was gutted as its all gone so well so far.

As long as you're predicted 3As I don't think Newcastle care about your AS grades...

Reply 11

aww

Original post by Hippokrates

It honestly doesn't matter but you may want to send it a few days early so it's not as stressful.

thanks

Reply 12

Hippokrates

OP

20

Original post by bleble360

What is the usual cut off for newcastle/any predictions for this year's cut off?

About 675 last year I think. 685+ should do.

Reply 13

Doctor.

12

Original post by Hippokrates

About 675 last year I think. 685+ should do.

Thanks for that, too bad UKCAT isn't my strong point :frown:

. Was really looking forward to go to Newcastle tbh :cry2:

Reply 14

Hippokrates

OP

20

Original post by Doctor.

Thanks for that, too bad UKCAT isn't my strong point :frown:

. Was really looking forward to go to Newcastle tbh :cry2:

What was your score?

Reply 15

Doctor.

12

Original post by Hippokrates

What was your score?

Not done it yet, although I just know for a fact im not really that good at UKCAT. Last year I got like...580? So this year, I doubt I can improve so much :/

Reply 16

Hippokrates

OP

20

Original post by Doctor.

Not done it yet, although I just know for a fact im not really that good at UKCAT. Last year I got like...580? So this year, I doubt I can improve so much :/

Don't take yourself out of the game yet. Get medify your score will go up by loads. Stay positive there's no point worrying before you have your score.

Reply 17

Doctor.

12

Original post by Hippokrates

Don't take yourself out of the game yet. Get medify your score will go up by loads. Stay positive there's no point worrying before you have your score.