Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2021 Entry

Helloooo everyone,

I wanted some advice; I got 9 9's and 1 8 at GCSE and am predicted three A* in my A levels and an A for EPQ. My personal statement is going okay, I volunteered in a care home until lockdown and have done work experience in a Gp practise and in an A&E ward. I think I will probably do average for UCAT but Im not sure about BMAT yet as I havent started practise properly.
What kind of unis do I have a good shot at?
Also, do I have any chance of geting into oxbridge as I love how the medicine course is structured there as well as the cities themselves but I dont know if Im good enough ....eg as Ive only done 10 GCSE's (below the average for usual oxbridge med applicants).

Any help is appreciated

Hiyaa, thanks for replying!! I'm doing Bio, Chem, Maths... which was actually another one of my concerns as Im only doing 3 subjects whilst most applicants probably do 4...

Due to COVID 19, will unis still be looking at predicted grades? Because they all know how unreliable they are, and for unis such as Imperial and UCL, are they a huge factor in getting in? For example is someone with an AAA prediction worse off than someone with A*AA? Also medicine does have the extra option of the the admission tests and interviews to look at which many other courses don't have as an option.

I came across this SJT question and I don't really understand why I got it wrong because I've read in so many places that you shouldn't assume the action is the only action taken. in this case, I presumed that she would have prescribed her the anti-anxiety medication as well as given her advice and referred her to counselling. Can someone help explain why is it 'appropriate but not ideal' rather than 'a very appropriate thing to do', because it is very appropriate to provide the medication..

Does anyone know which unis first rank applications based on predicted grades? I know Exeter does and sometimes they dont even look at UCAT scores when inviting for interview.

There are some med schools that will consider your application with AAB predicted, though not many, and your offer is still likely to be AAA.

They are Liverpool, Lancaster, Cardiff, Kent and Canterbury (do not look at predicted grades at all), Birmingham, Aston, Sheffield if you offer an EPQ at A with it, HYMS if you have an EPQ and make them your firm (this would be your offer too, but the EPQ must be at least an A), possibly Sunderland (they say "It is likely that a number of applicants achieving AAB in the subjects listed will also be admitted" but don't specifically say they will accept AAB predictions, so call and check), Keele, who use the same admission criteria as Sunderland, though their offer will likely be AAA; and I think, Leeds (they certainly award a score for lower than AAA predictions in their selection scoring, but the marks given mean you would be unlikely to make the interview cut off if these were your predictions).
Oxford also apparently say they do not look at predicted grades.


You would also need to check carefully whether you met any WA criteria (they are different for each med school, so will require a plough through websites) as this lowers accepted predictions and offers made.

Given your GCSEs, I would talk to your teachers and see if they would increase your predictions, as achievements to date certainly suggest AAA is within your reach

Thank you so much for your in depth response!!!

is imperial interview MMI or traditional?! the medic portal says two different things...

is imperial interview MMI or traditional?! the medic portal says two different things...

MMI. It says so on their website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/

thanks so much! also does anyone know whether they ask questions about the essay you wrote in section 3 as I know UCL does..