Application to medical school

Hi, I just got my results back and found that I have gotten AAAAB with As in psychology, maths, chemistry and biology but a B in English.
So how likely is it that I will get into medical school? Or are the chances wayy to slim? Because I have relevant work experience such as a years worth work experience in retail, a year of volunteering and at the hospital, job at a gp practice, shadowing, charity work (fundraisers), DofE etc

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

10

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Megathreads
(Please read the first post, before then posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

2023 Applicants:
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2023 Entry
Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2023 Entry
Medicine Interview discussion 2023 Entry
2023 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread

Other application years:
Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2025 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

reubenn05

Universities Forum Helper

13

Original post by Anonymous1764831

Hi, I just got my results back and found that I have gotten AAAAB with As in psychology, maths, chemistry and biology but a B in English.
So how likely is it that I will get into medical school? Or are the chances wayy to slim? Because I have relevant work experience such as a years worth work experience in retail, a year of volunteering and at the hospital, job at a gp practice, shadowing, charity work (fundraisers), DofE etc

you need to check the entry requirements for courses on the med school websites. if you don't meet the entry requirements you will be automatically rejected. check if you're eligible for contextual offers too.

Reply 3

Anonymous1764831

OP

1

Original post by reubenn05

you need to check the entry requirements for courses on the med school websites. if you don't meet the entry requirements you will be automatically rejected. check if you're eligible for contextual offers too.

I’m not eligible for widening access but Aberdeen l, St Andrews and Dundee have standard entry requirements at AAAAB, but the volume of applicants with AAAAA will be higher and therefore they will be more likely to get in. What can I do to increase my chances of getting in?

Reply 4

reubenn05

Universities Forum Helper

13

Original post by Anonymous1764831

I’m not eligible for widening access but Aberdeen l, St Andrews and Dundee have standard entry requirements at AAAAB, but the volume of applicants with AAAAA will be higher and therefore they will be more likely to get in. What can I do to increase my chances of getting in?

you will need to achieve a higher ucat score to compensate

Reply 5

Anonymous1764831

OP

1

Original post by reubenn05

you will need to achieve a higher ucat score to compensate

How high are we talking?

Reply 6

reubenn05

Universities Forum Helper

13

Original post by Anonymous1764831

How high are we talking?

i'm not sure for the universities you've mentioned. are you only applying to scottish unis?

Reply 7

Anonymous1764831

OP

1

Original post by reubenn05

i'm not sure for the universities you've mentioned. are you only applying to scottish unis?

Yes only Scottish unis

Original post by Anonymous1764831

How high are we talking?

Hi, this is the University of Aberdeen rep account! Just since you mentioned us above I thought I'd provide some details on what we're looking for in terms of grades and UCAT results.

You can have a look at the Medicine course page on our website for more details about entry requirements, start dates, fees, and more information about what you will be able to study with us in the course: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree-programmes/796/A100/medicine-5-years/
You mentioned not being eligible for widening access criteria, but our standard entry requirements are AAAAB which you mention you have recieved, so I hope that's good to know. You can have a look at the academic and non-academic requirements, including the UCAT, by following this link: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/entrance-requirements.php
We also provide a detailed view of the application process at the link below which might have some useful advice for applying to 2024 entry: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/application-process.php

Hope some of this information is useful to know, and would definitely recommend looking through some of the advice threads TSR Hippocrates linked above. Volunteering and experience in healthcare environments will certainly be taken into account when people are looking at your application, but even if you're not able to find work in a hospital or GP they'll appreciate any evidence that you're proactive. If you have any more questions about Aberdeen and what we'd be looking for at all just ask and we'll be happy to chat further!

- Matthew, Enquiry Team

Reply 9

GANFYD

18

Original post by UoA Enquiry Team

Volunteering and experience in healthcare environments will certainly be taken into account when people are looking at your application, but even if you're not able to find work in a hospital or GP they'll appreciate any evidence that you're proactive. If you have any more questions about Aberdeen and what we'd be looking for at all just ask and we'll be happy to chat further!

- Matthew, Enquiry Team

Does this mean Aberdeen are now using PS as part of shortlisting?
The process given on the website is
"How we assess your application
Your applications is assessed and scored objectively by:

Assessing your academic achievements/predictions (30%).
UCAT score (20%)
Adding the academic and UCAT score together, then inviting the highest scoring applicants to interview.
Interview performance (50%) is added to the already acheived score.
Offers are made to applicants who have the highest combined scores after interview."

and it simply says
"All Personal Statements will be reviewed prior to interview invites being sent out."
with no mention of them being used in the scoring process. Has this changed now and are they scoring PS in some way? Can an excellent PS override a lower academic and UCAT score?

Original post by GANFYD

Does this mean Aberdeen are now using PS as part of shortlisting?
The process given on the website is
"How we assess your application
Your applications is assessed and scored objectively by:

Assessing your academic achievements/predictions (30%).
UCAT score (20%)
Adding the academic and UCAT score together, then inviting the highest scoring applicants to interview.
Interview performance (50%) is added to the already acheived score.
Offers are made to applicants who have the highest combined scores after interview."

and it simply says
"All Personal Statements will be reviewed prior to interview invites being sent out."
with no mention of them being used in the scoring process. Has this changed now and are they scoring PS in some way? Can an excellent PS override a lower academic and UCAT score?

Hi, apologies for any confusion but this is not something I am aware of and would say that the information on the website about how we score applications would be correct. I wasn't meaning to imply that the personal statement and experience outside of qualifications was graded towards consideration of the application. I was aiming to let @Anonymous1764831 know that extra volunteering or work experience can contribute towards an application as the personal statement will be read when the application is being considered. A bit more information on what we'd be looking for in this capacity can be found here: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/non-academic-requirements.php

Sorry if my post made this unclear!

- Matthew, Enquiry Team
: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/smmsn/undergraduate/medicine/non-academic-requirements.php

Reply 11

cammy5

10

For St Andrews they use a hurdle system so as long as you’ve met the entry requirements they don’t look at your grades and don’t use them in any way! For the others, plenty of people will apply with AAAAB instead of AAAAA. Remember your grades are just a part of the application. You might lose a couple of points for grades but you could easily gain them back with your UCAT and interview score if you do well. Don’t rule out medicine!

Application to medical school

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