Medics Who Got Offers Look Here!

OP

hi.
im just completing my alevels at the mo. im doing biology, chemistry, english lit and i did physics 4 as level.
i applied to bristol, cardiff, birmingham and the new medical school in exeter/plymouth. I had interviews 4 all of my offers and was offered places to all as well.
interviews are ok as long as uve done some research. Go on the british medical journal web page and try to get some info about recent medical articles etc.
Also, try and do as much work experience as possible. I did a playscheme last summer which really helped, and i spent time in local hospitals.
My first choice is cardiff, with exeter as my insurance- they offered me ABB which is lower than a lot of schools.
Good luck in whatever u do!!

Reply 2

OP

1) 5A* and 4As

2) AAAA at AS and I am predicted AAAA (chemistry, biology, maths, french) at A2.

3) I applied to Imperial, Newcastle, Manchester and UCL.

4) I got an ABBD (in any order) offer from Imperial. Newcastle and Manchester rejected me after interview: I am convinced that there is a *little* bit of social engineering going on here (I go to an independent girls' school in the South-East) seeing as both seemed impressed with me (Newcastle even said it was a "pleasure" to interview me). UCL sent me a letter in April saying that my application had scored "very highly" but they'd basically run out of time and offers (but they said they'd contact me about going on a waiting list for 2003 entry if I had no other offers...)

So yeah, Imperial is my first choice (always was) and I have no insurance offer! Interviews were fine, you can see examples of questions in books like "Learning Medicine" (the author interviewed me at Imperial), "Getting into Medical School" and some other ones I can't remember the names of off the top of my head. There are also some good applicant forums on the internet with tips and stuff...

Get loads of work experience like the other poster said, and choose where you apply VERY carefully! (Ooh and get your UCAS form in in September, don't leave it until October especially if you apply to UCL!).

Good Luck!

Reply 3

OP

!) I got 9A*s and 1 A

2) I did Chemistry, biology, psychology and maths and got AAAB.

At the moment i'm sitting chemistry, maths and bio exams, I dropped psych after AS level cuz it was pants!

I got offers from Birmingham, Southhampton, Leciester and Nottingham. Southhampton don't interview, but the others were all fine, no scary on-the-spot-questions about medical ethics or dilemas thank God! All my offers were AAB which means you really have to decide which one is your insurance choice, cuz if you dont get into one then you dont get into any of them!

My advice is do lots of research about the uni's you want to go to, cuz they will ask you why you want to go to that particular place! Its good to know summin about the course and the city that you can talk bout. Also they'll ask about your free time so they see you not a study geek, and general chitchat really. My interviews were a good laugh! Don't be afraid or stressed and they'll be a breeze!!

Good luck!!

Reply 4

OP

All my interviews were fine. I was expecting to be bombarded with ethical questions but i got very few. Though I did speak to people who were... It seems to depend on who interviews you. I must have been lucky. I was asked about my work experience and personal statement, some general questions about the NHS, and how i'd cope with the course. Make sure you know your personal statement inside out and come across as enthusiastic. Once you finish an interview, don't dwell on it too much and don't be too critical. I thought i'd failed my Newcastle interview.

Do try to apply to a university with lower grades. It puts less pressure on you in your A2 exams.

I applied to Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, from which i firmly accepted Newcastle and Sheffield as insurance.

Good luck....
Michael

Reply 5

joyabbott

Firstly don't worry too much about grades... as long as you meet the minimum requirements, they don't matter too much.

1) 11A*s
2) 4 A's - old system (bio, chem, geog, gen studies)
3) Applied to Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. I was extremely fortunate to receive offers from all of them. I accepted Notts as 1st, and Leeds as insurance (although I actually preferred Sheffield, I didn't want to risk having to get an A in chem as both Notts and Sheffield specified A's in chem).

All my interviews were fine - I had dreaded them, but they were all very informal and I don't remember being asked anything particularly horrendous. Just be yourself, smile, and show your enthusiasm.

Good luck to everyone who's applied this time

If anyone has any questions about Notts, feel free to ask

Joy
x

Reply 6

I'm a first year at Cambridge now, so the whole UCAS thing is a bit in the dim and distant past, but anyway:

1)GCSEs: 10 A*s, 3 As
2)AS: 4 As. I did put them on my UCAS form, but if you choose to resit modules and therefore don't "cash in" your AS grades (I don't entirely understand the system, as I didn't do resits) then you don't have to put them on.
3)UCAS only requests that you put unis in directory number order (i.e. alphabetical) Mine, therefore, was Cambridge, Newcastle, Nottingham, Southampton, which conveniently was also my preference order!
4) I got AAA from Cambridge, AAB from Notts, specifying As in Chem and Bio, and AAB from Southampton (without interview). Newcastle rejected me without interview :frown:

and as they would have been my second choice, I didn't have an insurance offer - just held Cambridge, because by the time I had to reply, I'd got my January A2 results and was confident enough of getting the grades I didn't want to take up an offer that somebody else could have.

Reply 7

Helenia

I'm a first year at Cambridge now, so the whole UCAS thing is a bit in the dim and distant past, but anyway:

1)GCSEs: 10 A*s, 3 As
2)AS: 4 As. I did put them on my UCAS form, but if you choose to resit modules and therefore don't "cash in" your AS grades (I don't entirely understand the system, as I didn't do resits) then you don't have to put them on.
3)UCAS only requests that you put unis in directory number order (i.e. alphabetical) Mine, therefore, was Cambridge, Newcastle, Nottingham, Southampton, which conveniently was also my preference order!
4) I got AAA from Cambridge, AAB from Notts, specifying As in Chem and Bio, and AAB from Southampton (without interview). Newcastle rejected me without interview :frown:

and as they would have been my second choice, I didn't have an insurance offer - just held Cambridge, because by the time I had to reply, I'd got my January A2 results and was confident enough of getting the grades I didn't want to take up an offer that somebody else could have.

u really didn't take up an insurance?

Reply 8

Nope. I didn't want to go to Southampton, and seeing as I did fast track Maths and got an A in January of U6th, the two offers were essentially the same (both wanted As in Chem and Bio) so I didn't see much point. Sounds a bit arrogant, and I totally don't mean it to be, but I didn't want to hold an insurance offer for a place I didn't want to go to, when barring a total catastrophe I was going to get the grades I needed for Cambridge.

Bleh, did the most disgusting dissection in the world ever today. First time I've really wanted to not be there! I suspect it may get worse when we start on the intestines etc though??

Reply 9

joyabbott

What did you dissect today? The GI system isn't actually that bad - just make sure you tie it properly!!! I thought the face was worst.

Joy

Reply 10

We had to turn the bodies over and dissect the buttocks today. Let's just say they hadn't cleaned it up entirely... :eek:

Plus my side got totally mangled (partly thanks to Bob Whittaker, may I add, and not just our general incompetence!) and we could hardly see anything. Just not nice, and the combination of certain smells with the one of the DR we already know and love, was a bit much for some people.

Don't think we do the face for a while yet, but I agree, that'll probably be quite nasty too.

Reply 11

Helenia

Nope. I didn't want to go to Southampton, and seeing as I did fast track Maths and got an A in January of U6th, the two offers were essentially the same (both wanted As in Chem and Bio) so I didn't see much point. Sounds a bit arrogant, and I totally don't mean it to be, but I didn't want to hold an insurance offer for a place I didn't want to go to, when barring a total catastrophe I was going to get the grades I needed for Cambridge.

Bleh, did the most disgusting dissection in the world ever today. First time I've really wanted to not be there! I suspect it may get worse when we start on the intestines etc though??

Well I would've taken up the insurance just because if Cambridge rejected you for dropping a grade, then Southampton may not have. Also, I think they would've given your place away anyway, so you needn't have worried about the other applicatns. Anyway, its academic now.
The whole turning over the body isn't very nice. Enjoy the body while its still fairly juicy, it dries out over the year. When you get to the head the sessions are all prosections :redface:

, then after that with the thorax and abdo the fun dissecting begins.

Reply 12

Yeah, the front of the arms and legs are starting to dry out now, but there was still plenty of "dead juice" as one of the Peterhouse medics so tactfully called it! in its bum yesterday - one of the guys on my table splashed it all over me :eek:

We've just spent two weeks on prosections doing posterior arm and leg, plus hip/shoulder joints :redface:

the face is going to be nasty though. Apparently there's a night out with the demonstrators tomorrow, which should be fun :biggrin:

Reply 13

Helenia

Yeah, the front of the arms and legs are starting to dry out now, but there was still plenty of "dead juice" as one of the Peterhouse medics so tactfully called it! in its bum yesterday - one of the guys on my table splashed it all over me :eek:

We've just spent two weeks on prosections doing posterior arm and leg, plus hip/shoulder joints :redface:

the face is going to be nasty though. Apparently there's a night out with the demonstrators tomorrow, which should be fun :biggrin:

never went out with the demonstrators...not really my ideal night out. I think its after Christmas when you come back and the arms and legs are gone, leaving you with a head and torso, or maybe they do that after Easter.

Reply 14

Well, in case you hadn't heard from any of your freshers, there are two particularly cute twins demonstrating this year. Not that I'm going cos of that - I think it'll be quite cool anyway. I think it's the younger demonstrators, not the old ones - the thought of Bridger on the dancefloor fills me with terror, but then the thought of him fills me with terror anyway, so there's not much difference! :biggrin:

They take away the arms and legs? How rude!

Reply 15

Helenia

Well, in case you hadn't heard from any of your freshers, there are two particularly cute twins demonstrating this year. Not that I'm going cos of that - I think it'll be quite cool anyway. I think it's the younger demonstrators, not the old ones - the thought of Bridger on the dancefloor fills me with terror, but then the thought of him fills me with terror anyway, so there's not much difference! :biggrin:

They take away the arms and legs? How rude!

these cute guys then? If they are I'm not interested! It'll be all the SHOs, who are ok, but I still wouldn't go out with them if I had the choice. Still, I suppose they are people you are 'aspiring' to be.
All the body parts end up in a big box with sawdust, which is not a box you want to be spending a lot of time with.

Reply 16