Imperial Medicine Admissions – Ask Me Anything!

OP

Original post by Horgen

Hi there and thx for answering our queries, mine are as follows.
1. During the second and third year, what would be the main campus location?
2. For hospital/ clinical/GP would these occur during working hours? As I am trying to establish if I go with Imperial whether I could safely travel to my home each day before it gets too late.

Good afternoon Horgen,

thank you very much for your questions.

You will be based at various sites throughout your six years at Imperial with many of these sites being in the Central West and North West London vicinity. You will be based at South Kensington and Charing Cross campus for much of your first two years before your clinical placements begin. For your clinical experiences you will be based at hospitals and community practices throughout Central West and North West London. You can see more on our website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/#teaching-and-assessment

Regarding your question about clinical placements, hours of work can be variable depending on the placement. However, they tend to run between 8am and 6pm. You will get down-time throughout the day and you might not be needed on site all day, every day. Remember you also get protected time on Wednesday afternoon every week.  
 
I hope this helps! I am here until 5pm today if you have any more questions :smile:

Good luck with your application!
Lidia

Reply 5

OP

Original post by Anonymous

I'm about to start my final year and my dream is to apply for Imperial Medicine. Is there any personal statement advice you might have? What's the interview process like? I don't feel ready at all.

Hello there,

Thank you very much for your questions.

The first thing I would like to say is: don’t panic! You just started your final year and you still have plenty of time to prepare yourself for our admissions process. 😊

We use a range of criteria to assess candidates. Firstly, candidates must meet the minimum academic requirements (please see here for the full range of academic requirements: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/2020/school-of-medicine/medicine/#entry-requirements) and they all have to sit the BMAT test in the same year they apply through UCAS (information on this year’s BMAT test: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/bmat-november/).

We will then shortlist a number of candidates based on their BMAT score, and we will invite them to attend our Multiple Mini Interviews. This is a type of interview that we deem more fair than a panel interview and we will soon release detailed information on our we are going to organise them this year, so make sure you check our website in the next few weeks or write to us at [email protected]

Let me know if you have any other question for me.

Good luck with your final year!
Lidia

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Anonymous

What do you consider the most important aspect of an application for an undergrad?

Also, how would you suggest we practise for the MMI interview?

Is there a certain number of the intake every year that consists only of state school students or do you regard every applicant individually?

Hello there,

Thank you for the great questions!

We highly value the elements of the admissions process where we can find out more about our candidates – therefore the interview process. There are important elements you have to complete to get through to this. Imagine the process like “hurdles” - you have to complete a UCAS application, sit the BMAT, meet our academic requirements which if you do this and achieve the threshold for interview, you can participate in the Multiple Mini Interviews. So, we suggest spending time preparing for the process – check out the Medical School Council webiste for more information: https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/applications/interviews. We will release more detailed information on how we are going to organise them this year, so make sure you check our website in the next few weeks or write to us at [email protected]

Although questions and stations may vary through the years, these are the main topics that you will asked questions on:

Motivation to study medicine 
Team work and Leadership 
Understanding the role of a doctor 
Ethics scenarios 
Empathy
Imperial and contribution to school of medicine 
Resilience 

Remember that it is also really important to work on your communication skills – MMIs are fast-paced so you want to practice by giving answers in a short amount of time. Have a look at this entry blog regarding your preparation for MMIs: https://wwwf.imperial.ac.uk/blog/student-blogs/2020/01/29/medicine-interview-a-guide-to-mmis-at-imperial/ 

In addition to this, keeping up-to-date with the current NHS news and climate will definitely help.

Regarding your last question, at Imperial College School of Medicine, we want to make sure that our cohort is as varied as possible, and reflects the community we live in. This is why we recruit from a very wide range of schools and colleges, in the UK and abroad. For this year cohort, I can confirm that state school candidates make up for more than half the total number of students.

I hope I answered to everything for now, feel free to write more questions!

Have a great weekend,
Lidia

Reply 7

Horgen

6

Original post by Imperial College School of Medicine

Good afternoon Horgen,

thank you very much for your questions.

You will be based at various sites throughout your six years at Imperial with many of these sites being in the Central West and North West London vicinity. You will be based at South Kensington and Charing Cross campus for much of your first two years before your clinical placements begin. For your clinical experiences you will be based at hospitals and community practices throughout Central West and North West London. You can see more on our website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/#teaching-and-assessment

Regarding your question about clinical placements, hours of work can be variable depending on the placement. However, they tend to run between 8am and 6pm. You will get down-time throughout the day and you might not be needed on site all day, every day. Remember you also get protected time on Wednesday afternoon every week.  
 
I hope this helps! I am here until 5pm today if you have any more questions :smile:

Good luck with your application!
Lidia

thx for the clarifications!

Reply 8

OP

Original post by Horgen

thx for the clarifications!

You're very welcome!

Reply 9

guavas1

6

hi there, do you offer intercalation ? thanks!

Reply 10

OP

Original post by guavas1

hi there, do you offer intercalation ? thanks!

Hello there,

thank you very much for your question.

The answer is yes! The Intercaled BSc forms the fourth year of your medical course. You can see the full course structure here: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/#structure

There are 17 BSc options, 15 of which are run by the School of Medicine and 2 which are run by other departments within Imperial. The School of Medicine BSc pathways comprise a taught module, a clinical case study and a supervised research project. This allows you to develop your scientific knowledge and research skills, as well as exposing you to research at the cutting edge of the field.  The BSc is entirely course work based, so you will have a break from exams! Some work is undertaken independently, and other pieces involve group work and peer assessment. You can check out the BSc options here: https://www.imperial.ac.uk//medicine/study/undergraduate/intercalated-bsc-programme/

The BSc is a key component of the MBBS course at Imperial. It provides you with opportunities to explore in-depth research, build upon your portfolio of scientific knowledge which can be applied to your clinical work and potentially find a career path into academic research. If you become a clinician, the knowledge and skills you acquired will remain exceedingly useful for supporting your patient population and clinical team. 

Let me know if you have other questions.

Have a great weekend,
Lidia

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 11

Anonymous #1

What experiences do you recommend I have to boost my application. I don't know if I have any actual experience in the medical industrey?

Reply 12

OP

Original post by Anonymous

What experiences do you recommend I have to boost my application. I don't know if I have any actual experience in the medical industry?

Hello there,

thank you very much for this question. We always get a lot of questions about work experience, especially at the moment.

We understand the challenges for our prospective applicants to gain experience practical experience in clinical settings, especially this year due to the Covid-19 situation. In response to the government’s social distancing guidelines, which have a significant impact on all areas of life, we have decided to relax our work experience questions this year, allowing everyone to be able to talk about their work-related skills in schools or online scenarios.   

Despite the relaxed requirements, we still require our applicants to have an understanding of the realities of working as a healthcare professional and to show they have the necessary skills and attributes for their chosen career. 

Online resources can give you valuable insight into working in the healthcare sector and outline the wide range of careers and courses available. I suggest you have a look at the NHS Health Careers website: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/. And you might find this link useful too: Working in Health YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/NHSCareers

We recently had our Medicine Virtual Open Day. You can have a look at the dedicated webpage to hear about the admissions process, as well as current students: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/study/undergraduate/medicine-mbbs-programmes/virtualopendays/mbbsopenday/

Good luck! :smile:

All the best,
Lidia

Reply 13

chembio20

2

Hi Lidia! Thanks for doing this.

Where exactly would we be studying? Are there particular hospitals we'd attend? What facilities does Imperial have for us Medical students to use?

Reply 14

OP

Original post by chembio20

Hi Lidia! Thanks for doing this.

Where exactly would we be studying? Are there particular hospitals we'd attend? What facilities does Imperial have for us Medical students to use?

Hello @chembio20,

thank you very much for these questions.

You will be based at various sites throughout your six years at Imperial with many of these sites being in the Central West and North West London vicinity. You will be based at South Kensington and Charing Cross campus for much of your first two years before your clinical placements begin. For your clinical experiences you will be based at hospitals and community practices throughout Central West and North West London. You can see more, including the current list of hospitals, on our website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/#teaching-and-assessment

There are a number of facilities available for medicine students. Have a look on our website at all the different departments: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/departments/
You can also have a look at our Research and Impact Facilities: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/research-and-impact/facilities/
Finally, the Ethos centre at South Kensington campus has a range of facilities - 25m pool, fitness gym, exercise studio, climbing wall, sauna, steam room, spa, squash courts, badminton hall and treatment rooms. There are also various facilities across our other campuses and halls. More information is available on our website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/sport/facilities/our-facilities/

If you have more questions, please post them here - I am here until 5pm :smile:

Have a great weekend,
Lidia

Reply 15

Anonymous #3

Hi Lidia thank you so much for this!

I just wanted to ask how much weighting you give to each part of the application process, e.g. personal statement, BMAT, A Level Predicted grades and interview?
Also, what percentage of the students that you give offers to have AAA predicted grades?

Reply 16

Cherrygrape1234

17

Original post by Imperial College School of Medicine

Hello everyone, my name is Lidia and I am the Student Services Administrator for Admissions at Imperial School of Medicine.

I am here to support you in your application to our MBBS programme and I will answer your questions about the admissions process, BMAT and the MMI interviews.

Post your questions here and I'll be back on Friday 25th September, 2pm - 5pm (UK time) to talk to you live and answer as many of your questions as possible.

Please understand that I will not be able to comment on individual cases and grades, as our admissions requirements take into consideration all steps of the admissions process, including BMAT score and MMI outcome.

Some information that you might find useful:
The Medicine admissions page: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/#:~:text=Minimum%20entry%20standards,in%20Chemistry%20at%20higher%20level

Information about BMAT in 2020: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/bmat-november/

I am looking forward to helping you in your journey to your medical career!

What are the minimum alevel and gcse requirements ?

Reply 17

Anonymous #1

Can you decribe your ideal applicant?

Reply 18

OP

Original post by Anonymous

Hi Lidia thank you so much for this!

I just wanted to ask how much weighting you give to each part of the application process, e.g. personal statement, BMAT, A Level Predicted grades and interview?
Also, what percentage of the students that you give offers to have AAA predicted grades?

Hello there,

Thank you for sending your questions.

We highly value the elements of the admissions process where we can find out more about our candidates – therefore the interview process. There are important elements you have to complete to get through to this. Imagine the process like “hurdles” : you have to complete a UCAS application, sit the BMAT (https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/bmat-november/), meet our academic requirements (AAA: Biology, Chemistry, Third Subject). If you do this and achieve the threshold for interview, you can participate in the Multiple Mini Interviews. So, we suggest spending time preparing for the process – check out the Medical School Council website for more information: https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/applications/interviews. We will release more detailed information on how we are going to organise them this year, so make sure you check our website in the next few weeks or write to us at [email protected]

Let me know if you have more questions.

Good luck with your application!
Lidia

Reply 19

OP