Cardiff Medical School Applicants 2015

There'll be a session where you can sign up to the various medical organisations (BMA, MDU, MPS, etc.) during freshers week so I'd wait until then.

I personally have found Grays Anatomy Cards very useful, but it just depends on how you learn.



The medical school should give you a stethoscope so no need to go out and buy one.

Hi I will be starting on Monday and I'm super excited and up for it !!!
I just wanted to ask you Med students some questions and thought it would be better to post it on here for the benefit of others to view.

1) When do we actually need to collect our student ID card ? it says on the timetable they sent us that we can collect it on the 22nd but then on a separate email they sent us they said we can collect it on the 19th/20th from the SU and said it will be useful to do so. What would you guys recommend and does it matter ?

This isn't something we would necessarily know as once we pick our ID card up in freshers we don't get another one unless we lose it. I'd go down there on the 19th if thats what the latest info says. The queues to pick them up were horrendous when I picked mine up so maybe going on a Saturday when there's probably going to be less people around is a good thing.

2) A bit of a silly question this but is there any dress code, obviously I know we don't need to wear formal clothes but what I mean is are any clothing items/footwear prohibited or does it not make any difference. I'm only asking because I know people are probably busy doing their shopping for uni atm

For lectures/tutorials you just wear what you like, totally casual. They may require you to wear placement clothes (shirt, trousers and shoes for the guys) during communication skills sessions as they have actors in them, this will be explained to you in the emails they send out before the sessions though. If you are in the dissecting room at all then you are told to avoid open toed shoes, so wear trainers if I were you. I'd also try and wear something that you won't mind binning once you no longer go to DR. The smell of the formaldehyde can linger in the clothes.


3) Where usually do most people spend their time for the 1st year. This obviously is a very important question for me as I will be staying at home whilst studying for the 1st year so was just curious in terms of what proportion of our time is spent on the Heath park campus and what proportion is spent on the Cathays park site for the 1st year ?

This is entirely different from when myself and Angury were in first year. We spent the vast majority of our time at the biosci campus in Cathays. However I think I'm correct in saying you will spend the majority of your time at the medical school at the UHW campus. The dissecting room is at biosci though so I imagine you will still spend some time there.

4) Just a little curious but when do we actually get our stethoscope. I'm sure many other medical students including myself are visualising that day we actually have a stethoscope round our neck and feel like a doctor.

I only recently heard that they actually hand out stethoscopes to you guys (or at least it was a rumour I heard). We were required to buy our own and didn't really need it until third year. I imagine though with the early clinical contact you lucky people will be getting you're going to need it fairly early on.
As silly as it sounds, we don't actually wear our stethoscopes around our necks. I'm not entirely sure why, it's just an unwritten rule here at Cardiff that students carry their stethoscopes in their hands, in their pockets, or around their belts. I only ever wear mine around my neck in exam situations for ease of access. Again, don't ask me why, it's just something that happens.

Lastly any advice you'd give to 1st year students ?

Enjoy yourself. Med school isn't hard, I found out I passed my finals last week and if I can do it anyone can. Do small amounts of work regularly and you'll keep on top of it so you won't fall part come exam time.

I think medsoc pretty much answered all other questions about being a med student and about the C21 course.

Thanks once again in advance

please help!!!!**********

will a score of 25/27 be good enough with A2 predictions of A*AA???
only got 610 consistently on each section of ukcat with band 2 SJ, but i know cardiff isnt ukcat heavy!!!


thanks xxx

How do i calculate my points please? And i got 3a* only at gcse and AAAC for my A. Do you thinki i'll have a chance as i don't have the preffered 5A*s?

Hey, I was just doing my homework on Cardiff for interview prep (haven't got one and am not by any means saying I definitely will) and was looking through their SU, can anyone tell me whether a Cardiff University Sikh Society exists? It doesn't mention it on the website under the list of different clubs and societies, but I was wondering if there is one and perhaps they haven't mentioned it because it might have very few members? Thanks to anyone who replies

It does indeed: https://www.facebook.com/cardiffunisikhsoc?fref=ts

You'd get a quicker response in the 2016 thread - I think this one is pretty much dead now.

Hi guys!