Birmingham A100 2020 Entry

Original post by ursbhhdb

What kind of deciles do you need to be at for London/ other competitive locations?

Honestly this isn't something you need to worry about at this level. Going into med school I had the same mentality, but trust in the fact that med school is harder than expected and your plans for deciles go out the window. Combined with the fact that you don't end up receiving your deciles until the start of second year, it's something that you don't need to think about for a while.

Additionally, deciles are only a part of your application - so even if your deciles aren't going well, you can always boost your application in other ways.

Reply 1742

Original post by a-aron

Honestly this isn't something you need to worry about at this level. Going into med school I had the same mentality, but trust in the fact that med school is harder than expected and your plans for deciles go out the window. Combined with the fact that you don't end up receiving your deciles until the start of second year, it's something that you don't need to think about for a while.

Additionally, deciles are only a part of your application - so even if your deciles aren't going well, you can always boost your application in other ways.

Would you say the content itself is challenging or is it the amount of it?

Reply 1743

How many hours do people spend studying and do you have a decent social life? Do you have to frequently write essays? Do assignments take up most of your time or learning content?

Reply 1744

Original post by ursbhhdb

Would you say the content itself is challenging or is it the amount of it?

For the most part the content is fairly straightforward, with a few exceptions (i.e. renal physiology and the maths that it involves). The main issue is volume of content. There's tons and tons to remember and integrate, and that is what makes med school difficult.

Reply 1745

Original post by ursbhhdb

How many hours do people spend studying and do you have a decent social life? Do you have to frequently write essays? Do assignments take up most of your time or learning content?

It's definitely possible to maintain a decent social life - Bham has a huge MedSoc with tons and tons of societies for almost every interest, and if not in MedSoc you'll definitely be able to find something in the main university's societies. Personally, I worked really hard during the day and then only spent an hour or two working in the evenings, but then would spend most of the weekend working. Exam times are obviously different, and I would spend a good couple of weeks studying pretty intensely. The amount of studying is different for every person, so try to avoid comparing yourself to others - just see what works for you.

Bham gives us around 1 big essay a year, which contributes towards your final mark in the year. They are pretty big projects, and you work on them throughout the year.

There aren't really assignments per se - nothing is mandatory. However, there is preparatory work that you are advised to do before teaching sessions. Obviously it isn't mandatory, but you gain much more from the teaching sessions when you actually prepare ahead of time. The learning in med school is very self-driven - the uni isn't going to nitpick on every detail. Therefore, you have to be pretty motivated, and how well you do ultimately depends on how much effort you put into studying.

Reply 1746

why123456

9

Original post by a-aron

Personally, I worked really hard during the day and then only spent an hour or two working in the evenings, but then would spend most of the weekend working.

how did you do this? arent lectures from mornings till the afternoons?

Reply 1747

Original post by why123456

how did you do this? arent lectures from mornings till the afternoons?

For the most part, lectures aren't back to back the entire day. It's more common to have back to back lectures all morning or all afternoon, but rarely both. Therefore, most days you will have an hour or two free time - some people use this just to chat, but I preferred using it to work so that I could relax at home instead.

Reply 1748

Simbasoul

19

Original post by a-aron

Honestly this isn't something you need to worry about at this level. Going into med school I had the same mentality, but trust in the fact that med school is harder than expected and your plans for deciles go out the window. Combined with the fact that you don't end up receiving your deciles until the start of second year, it's something that you don't need to think about for a while.

Additionally, deciles are only a part of your application - so even if your deciles aren't going well, you can always boost your application in other ways.

I’m not sure whether the OP is talking about the deciles within Birmingham med school or the deciles for the UKCAT (which is what I think they are referring to!) As I think it is the latter, I will say again that there are no top universities for medicine - all degrees are equal as they are all overseen by the GMC.

Reply 1749

Original post by Simbasoul

I’m not sure whether the OP is talking about the deciles within Birmingham med school or the deciles for the UKCAT (which is what I think they are referring to!) As I think it is the latter, I will say again that there are no top universities for medicine - all degrees are equal as they are all overseen by the GMC.

Oh! I thought they were discussing deciles for foundation program applications, but your interpretation makes more sense!

Reply 1750

why123456

9

Original post by a-aron

For the most part, lectures aren't back to back the entire day. It's more common to have back to back lectures all morning or all afternoon, but rarely both. Therefore, most days you will have an hour or two free time - some people use this just to chat, but I preferred using it to work so that I could relax at home instead.

thanks, but wouldn't the breaks be when you're supposed to have lunch? did you just work through your lunch break and not eat

Reply 1751

Original post by why123456

thanks, but wouldn't the breaks be when you're supposed to have lunch? did you just work through your lunch break and not eat

There are usually multiple breaks a day, so I usually used one for lunch and the others for working.

Reply 1752

Original post by a-aron

Oh! I thought they were discussing deciles for foundation program applications, but your interpretation makes more sense!

Sorry for the confusion, was talking about junior doctor applications

Reply 1753

Simbasoul

19

Original post by ursbhhdb

Sorry for the confusion, was talking about junior doctor applications

In that case, @a-aron is correct - try not to think about that too much - I think in Birmingham they only give them out once a year and, reality is, most students might feel disappointed having always been the top of their small pool at school.

Reply 1754

do students not burn out

Reply 1755

Simbasoul

19

Original post by ursbhhdb

do students not burn out

Some will, some won’t. One of the things you may have been asked at interview is what things do you do Outside of Medicine - the reason for this is that Medicine can be all consuming and you HAVE to have an outlet or two. It would be a foolish student who didn’t fully embrace the university experience alongside their academia - Medicine is all about balance - you must learn to balance study alongside life.

Reply 1756

erinls2

15

Original post by GANFYD

Presumably they join in 3rd year? Or do they do lectures etc with the 1st and 2nd years?

Yeah that's right pretty much :smile:

I think they did a couple of lectures with us when we were in 2nd year (GEC year 1) but really not many, most of what they do is together and PBL style. They first joined us for clinical placements in 3rd year

Reply 1757

HandsUp

9

Original post by ursbhhdb

What kind of deciles do you need to be at for London/ other competitive locations?

Id check the medic portal as that lists all the different places you should apply based on your scores.

Reply 1758

Laycity