The UCAS 'chat' thread for all 2009 hopeful medics...

Fair call, though we then run into the issue (as raised by Jesssay) that not every 'exceptional' candidate will be easilly identified by such markers. How does one decide wether a chap with 90%+ at AS is more exceptional than Jesssay with her troubles covered in her references. (bearing in mind she probably won't have this covered elsewhere if she has scraped minimum requirements).


This still doesn't cover why the medical schools should aspire to this.

According to Jesssay Imperial "missed out". Without wishing to be rude I do wonder in what way or shape they missed out. Afterall, they get a year group full of people I have no doubt are more than capable for the course.

Fair call, though we then run into the issue (as raised by Jesssay) that not every 'exceptional' candidate will be easilly identified by such markers. How does one decide wether a chap with 90%+ at AS is more exceptional than Jesssay with her troubles covered in her references. (bearing in mind she probably won't have this covered elsewhere if she has scraped minimum requirements).


This still doesn't cover why the medical schools should aspire to this.

According to Jesssay Imperial "missed out". Without wishing to be rude I do wonder in what way or shape they missed out. Afterall, they get a year group full of people I have no doubt are more than capable for the course.

imperial missed out.

I used the 90% + AS as an example it could be another factor.

That said, determining qualitative factors takes time. My suggestion to take quantitative factors into accounts, falls in lieu of your argument regarding lack of time.

Like you said before, in an ideal world everything would be reviewed but as you mentioned before it isn't.

I used the 90% + AS as an example it could be another factor.

That said, determining qualitative factors takes time. My suggestion to take quantitative factors into accounts, falls in lieu of your argument regarding lack of time.

Like you said before, in an ideal world everything would be reviewed but as you mentioned before it isn't.

Fair call, though we then run into the issue (as raised by Jesssay) that not every 'exceptional' candidate will be easilly identified by such markers. How does one decide wether a chap with 90%+ at AS is more exceptional than Jesssay with her troubles covered in her references. (bearing in mind she probably won't have this covered elsewhere if she has scraped minimum requirements).


This still doesn't cover why the medical schools should aspire to this.

According to Jesssay Imperial "missed out". Without wishing to be rude I do wonder in what way or shape they missed out. Afterall, they get a year group full of people I have no doubt are more than capable for the course.

Depends on which way you look at it. They may not have, it was just a way of consoling someone. I mean he's an excellent candidate academically, just because one university doesn't think he's right yet he shouldn't let it get him down. I'm just trying to show everyone that. At every university I've been interviewed at they've wanted someone mature, someone who they think is ready this year. UCL put it very well I think when they tell people a lot of the time they think they'd benefit from a gap year. People shouldn't be discouraged if they don't get in this year because by next year they'll be excellent. *shrugs* it's just hard to get someone to see it that way because they're obviously very disappointed.

So giving them a bit of confidence always helps, I mean I'm not trying to be patronising, but it's true, they missed out on an individual who is excellent in themselves, even if they have got another individual they wanted more for their university. For every candidate they reject they miss out on one unique strength or characteristic they could bring to their university, even if they don't see it like that as a university.

Uni's should just consider the entire UCAS application, thereby allowing to gain an intake of more well-rounded and capable doctors. Surely skimming through a few thousand pages isn't that time-consuming?

Especially since uni's have such massive budgets. Recruiting an extra couple of workers surely can't be that expensive for such a worthy cause?

I missed out on an ICL interview by one lousy mark on one lousy multiple choice test, proving nothing essentially.

You are incredibly rude. Officially.

Thank you Jessaay!

Its not like medics are great alumni, you may be the best GP the east midlands has ever seen by the end of your career, but nobody will be lauding Imperial for it.

Ah, so sorry, I got completely the wrong end of the stick on what you were saying then.

I understand where you were coming from now.

hey sanjetti, nice to see you!

any news on the ucas front? you heard from ICL?

******* uea. got a rejection from the pr*cks. its bloody ridiculous - they siad my ps wasn't good enough despite me getting interviews at all my other choices. I HATE THEM. if my personal statement was as crap as they are implying why have the others bothered to give me interviews - sould they not reject me aswell. i am so annoyed and upset. i expected an interview from them at least when i applied. in fact in dont even think they read my ps. they probably rejected me on as grades instead of looking at my ps. bloody idiots

my as grades were bccd. they probably saw that and rejected me. i am very very happy that i have other interviews - im just really scared of not getting in. ive wanted medicine for 3 years and just need to prove myself but im scared that all the work and effort ive done is ultimatel going to come down to 15 minutes

Stop cursing them because they didn't want you for their medical school. Of course they've read your PS. You seem quite arrogant to me, if you got a rejection they didn't want you at their medical school, just because your PS is good enough for one university doesn't mean it is for another. Were there any circumstances as to why you didn't get the grades at AS? If not, I have no sympathy really. We all have to get good grades, a good PS and ultimately it lies down to that 15 minutes in the interview room. Do you think you're a special case?

In all fairness, they want mature applicants. Applicants who don't start throwing a tantrum like that because someone doesn't think they're good enough. Now shush and learn to cope with things like this.



Well they're really quite within their right to reject you based on those grades. I mean what if you didn't meet their offer? But if they said that your PS wasn't good enough, then your PS wasn't good enough. It's simple, really.

Do you think it's different for any other applicant on here? We all have wanted to do medicine, we all have worked hard and it all comes down to 15 minutes, sometimes 10. What do you expect?

Sadly I have a whisky tasting to run.

Its been good fun discussing the issue, and I hope it gives those applicants who were squabbling about fairness of rejections earlier something to ponder.

Thanks for the banter.

All the best.

Nice to see you too mate!

Ah I can't believe you didn't get Imperial, that's really gutting! Same bad news for me too, which means I just have Southampton left.

I really hope you get Manchester, which I'm sure you will! It's so weird and utterly bizzare being in this position really!

Nice ownage.

i hate ICL for what they did to me were you another one who missed out on an interview by just 0.3?
yeh i still have 2 choices left now, so i'm really hoping to get into one of them.

Stop cursing them because they didn't want you for their medical school. Of course they've read your PS. You seem quite arrogant to me, if you got a rejection they didn't want you at their medical school, just because your PS is good enough for one university doesn't mean it is for another. Were there any circumstances as to why you didn't get the grades at AS? If not, I have no sympathy really. We all have to get good grades, a good PS and ultimately it lies down to that 15 minutes in the interview room. Do you think you're a special case?

In all fairness, they want mature applicants. Applicants who don't start throwing a tantrum like that because someone doesn't think they're good enough. Now shush and learn to cope with things like this.



Well they're really quite within their right to reject you based on those grades. I mean what if you didn't meet their offer? But if they said that your PS wasn't good enough, then your PS wasn't good enough. It's simple, really.

Do you think it's different for any other applicant on here? We all have wanted to do medicine, we all have worked hard and it all comes down to 15 minutes, sometimes 10. What do you expect?

I think you do have to ask why they should do.

What benefit is it to them?

because it's a ridiculous system.

candidate A: good personal statement, good reference, plenty of work experience, plenty of voluntary work. but underperformed in the bmat (in my case by 1 mark in the whole exam)

candidate B: not as good PS and average reference, not a lot of work experience/voluntary work, and probably just passed the academic screening. however, he managed to gain slightly above average marks in the bmat and subsequently is called for an interview.

who would you pick for an interview?

I would obviously choose candidate A but a more likely scenario would have the should have the same result when candidate B has considerably better academics.