Cardiff Medical School Applicants 2014

Is there a 2015 thread yet? Do you know how Cardiff score you pre interview? Do they score your top GCSE's? Would you have a chance with 10 A* GCSE and 4A's AS (Chem, Bio, Physics, Maths) and Predicted A*AA (Chemistry, Bio & Maths) Do they look at the UKCAT at all? Thank you

Hi guys I'm applying to Cardiff for 2015 entry and I'm very intent on going (definitely my first choice). I'm a European Bac student with marks that exceed requirements, a solid statement with a lot of work exp + what I learnt and a UKCAT score of 762.5 Band 1. I'm normally good with interviews and speaking on formal occasions but as we all know, interviews can go in any direction so easily.

I'd just like any advice anyone has to offer about the actual interview itself and I'd also like to hear any (+) or (-) about the course, the city, the community so I have ideas in my head

Great to hear you're interested in Cardiff. I would recommend posting in this thread to hear opinions from current applicants:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2760269

Hi guys I'm applying to Cardiff for 2015 entry and I'm very intent on going (definitely my first choice). I'm a European Bac student with marks that exceed requirements, a solid statement with a lot of work exp + what I learnt and a UKCAT score of 762.5 Band 1. I'm normally good with interviews and speaking on formal occasions but as we all know, interviews can go in any direction so easily.

I'd just like any advice anyone has to offer about the actual interview itself and I'd also like to hear any (+) or (-) about the course, the city, the community so I have ideas in my head

Hi I'm a second year on the new C21 course. Most of the positives are also negatives and the negatives positives, it all depends entirely on what you are looking for. Cardiff's course is pretty well centred on self study though this does not in anyway mean you are left on your own and unsupported and more that there are very few lectures (about 4-5 hours a week after Christmas). Contact hours instead take the form of clinical placements (1 day per week after year 1 Christmas), small group tutorials and case meetings (after Christmas), in addition many of the first semesters contact hours are undertaken in the anatomy centre for dissection and in other practicals. When I say after Christmas it is because the first 11 weeks are currently made up of something called platform for clinical sciences. For me I found this the worst part of the course (mostly as we were guinea pigs (or pioneers as they preferred to put it), it is probably the most intense part of the first 2 years and involves coving the basic science of pretty much everything human although not in great detail and you rotate back round it when you start case based learning (after Christmas) this also the period where you have the most lectures and structured small group tutorials.
after Christmas it all changes and for me I would say for the better, you star cases which basically involves you being in a small group (approx 10) and 2 weeks of fun! Each case lasts 2 weeks and in the first year they are essentially system based e.g. GI they provide a scenario at the start of the first week, as a group with a facilitator you develop learning points and go off and research them. You also have anatomy sessions, practical tasks, lectures and small group tutorials to support your learning and of course clinical placement. This same format continues for year 2 except it gets a bit more clinically focussed and more interesting! As for practicals this year we have taken bloods from each other, put drugs in each others eyes and numbed each others arms with local anaesthetics then poked each other with pins so pretty good fun! Essentially I will leave you decide what you view as positive and negative aspects! The staff are also fantastic and a mix of scientific and medical backgrounds with many previously or currently involved in some pretty interesting research.
The community in Cardiff is lovely it is a very happy and friendly city (albeit very wet unless you come form somewhere like west Wales and find it comparatively dry) it's a great place to live with all the best facilities of a capital and something to interest evryone http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/cardiff-voted-one-best-cities-7503586
Cardiff is also a great place for clinical placements as you will by the time you qualify have had the opportunity to work in almost all the country in both metropolitan and rural communities!
As for the interview it's been a quite a while but it was essentially a standard conversation, my Cardiff interview ended up as a chat about my PS and hobbies while my friends ended up as involving a lot of questions about the NHS so you are exactly right there is no way of really anticipating what will come up.
Hope that this helps

Got my interview invitation this week, was so so happy to receive one from Cardiff! Has anyone got any advice on how to prepare for interview?
Thanks!!

Read over your personal statement save looking silly if they (and they usually do) ask you a question about something you have written and you can't remember writing it. Second don't panic they are lovely people. Thirdly if you come across current students don't be afraid to ask questions even if it is just about the course might well give you a few things to talk about we again are a rather lovely bunch most of the time : ) fourthly enjoy it after all it's you opportunity to make sure they choose you! Fifthly there aren't really any 'wrong' answers so long as you can explain how you arrived at that conclusion (except for the few obvious examples, using bad language or offensive comments)

Just saw that I have an offer!