Is academic success enough to get into Top Unis?
Hi everyone, my name is Anna and im planning on doing medicine after alevels at hopefully fingers crossed uni of Edinburgh.Something thats been worrying me is that i barely have any extracurriculars and i dont think i have enough time to achieve skills to make me stand out amongst the tons of competition in medicine.
Academically Im alright and im sure im doing bio,chem,physics and maths for alevels.
However , due to only arriving in UK a couple years ago i never really picked up any sports or skills. (All my friends either do sports or instruments).
This has been worrying me alot as i hear you need to have some "interesting" about yourself when applying to universities.
Right now,my plan is to fully focus on GCSE's and during the summer start lessons on piano and maybe start tennis.
Please can anyone give me advice on other extracurriculars i can do whilst alevels or the summer which can help me stand out?
Thank youu
Academically Im alright and im sure im doing bio,chem,physics and maths for alevels.
However , due to only arriving in UK a couple years ago i never really picked up any sports or skills. (All my friends either do sports or instruments).
This has been worrying me alot as i hear you need to have some "interesting" about yourself when applying to universities.
Right now,my plan is to fully focus on GCSE's and during the summer start lessons on piano and maybe start tennis.
Please can anyone give me advice on other extracurriculars i can do whilst alevels or the summer which can help me stand out?
Thank youu
Reply 1
12
hi! for now, you definitely should be focusing on your gcse's, as those are the most important thing you can be doing to further your application at this stage. it doesn't hurt to do a little during your summer after gcse's, but honestly, the best thing in the summer is just to rest so you're ready to do as well as you can in a levels.
year 12 is certainly the best time to do supercurriculars, since your workload is less and you have a while before your ucas application. personally, i didn't apply for medicine so i can't give the most specific advice, but i do know that work experience is pretty vital since you need to prove that you know what you're getting into. it also can be very hard to get a placement so i think you should start contacting hospitals/health centres etc as early as you can in year 12 to make sure you can get a place.
i found it good to sign up for university mailing lists so you can hear early about any opportunities that unis are offering. these don't have to be universities you intend to apply to; i think imperial would be particularly good as they seem to have a lot of medicine outreach specifically.
don't worry too much about having something "interesting" to talk about! for very academic courses like medicine, unis aren't too interested in your hobbies; it's more your engagement and interest in your subject that counts. things like lectures, books, and courses are significantly better than e.g. playing an instrument. i literally included one line in my personal statement that was non-academic, it really shouldn't take up space that could be used on more academic topics! by all means, do piano and tennis if you're really interested in them, but don't do them for the sake of uni
try to explore things that interest you, as that passion will shine through in your application. if you read, say, an article that fascinates you, always go deeper and explore questions further. it's good to show that you pursue your curiosities and much better to cover a few things in depth than lots of things broadly. i'd recommend keeping notes on what you explore so you don't forget anything by the time you write your personal statement
as an early applicant, in year 13, you won't have much time before your ucas deadline (i had less than a month of year 13 before my school's internal ucas deadline!) so really you want to get your personal statement written to a decent draft before you return to school in year 13. personally i started a very rough draft around june of year 12, and did the bulk of the writing over the summer, then showed it to my teachers and got it submitted as soon as i could in year 13. you want to get this over and done with as fast as you can.
it could also be a good idea to start with interview/entrance exam prep in year 12 - i personally left all of this to the summer after year 12/ the winter term of year 13, and while this was just enough time, it was quite stressful that i left it that late. i'm not entirely sure how to prep for the ucat but it would be good to think about that early on since it can make up an important part of the application.
best of luck, and i hope this helped
year 12 is certainly the best time to do supercurriculars, since your workload is less and you have a while before your ucas application. personally, i didn't apply for medicine so i can't give the most specific advice, but i do know that work experience is pretty vital since you need to prove that you know what you're getting into. it also can be very hard to get a placement so i think you should start contacting hospitals/health centres etc as early as you can in year 12 to make sure you can get a place.
i found it good to sign up for university mailing lists so you can hear early about any opportunities that unis are offering. these don't have to be universities you intend to apply to; i think imperial would be particularly good as they seem to have a lot of medicine outreach specifically.
don't worry too much about having something "interesting" to talk about! for very academic courses like medicine, unis aren't too interested in your hobbies; it's more your engagement and interest in your subject that counts. things like lectures, books, and courses are significantly better than e.g. playing an instrument. i literally included one line in my personal statement that was non-academic, it really shouldn't take up space that could be used on more academic topics! by all means, do piano and tennis if you're really interested in them, but don't do them for the sake of uni
try to explore things that interest you, as that passion will shine through in your application. if you read, say, an article that fascinates you, always go deeper and explore questions further. it's good to show that you pursue your curiosities and much better to cover a few things in depth than lots of things broadly. i'd recommend keeping notes on what you explore so you don't forget anything by the time you write your personal statement
as an early applicant, in year 13, you won't have much time before your ucas deadline (i had less than a month of year 13 before my school's internal ucas deadline!) so really you want to get your personal statement written to a decent draft before you return to school in year 13. personally i started a very rough draft around june of year 12, and did the bulk of the writing over the summer, then showed it to my teachers and got it submitted as soon as i could in year 13. you want to get this over and done with as fast as you can.
it could also be a good idea to start with interview/entrance exam prep in year 12 - i personally left all of this to the summer after year 12/ the winter term of year 13, and while this was just enough time, it was quite stressful that i left it that late. i'm not entirely sure how to prep for the ucat but it would be good to think about that early on since it can make up an important part of the application.
best of luck, and i hope this helped
Reply 2
Hi Anna,
First of all, I can completely understand your worry and I want to reassure you that it is never too late to start anything - especially extracurriculars! 😃
I will say, for any extracurricular you take on, make sure it is something you genuinely enjoy, care about, and want to learn from. Most of the time the benefit of extracurriculars (and what universities want to see) is what you learned from what you took on. This might be skills like time management (how did you balance your extracurricular with your studies), organisation (how did you stay dedicated to your commitment to the activitiy), or teamwork (how did it help you to work better with others and collaborate) etc. It might be technical such as learning a practical skill (maybe coding or a new language), or something more relevant to your field like participation in services or workshops (e.g. you learn first aid or do a workshop etc.).
In this way, in your applications, you can link the skills and qualities you gained from the extracurriculars and demonstrate how it will make you a good student for studying medicine. When you have an interest in the extracurriculars you pursue, this will naturally be more genuine.
It is also worth noting that the extracurriculars you do do not have to be limited to the most popular hobbies such as sports and music. They also don't have to be activities that last a long period of time (i.e. can be one-off events or activities). Some other ideas include:
Finally, A/L's can be a stressful time. You will want to prioritise your studies, and it looks like the subjects you are pursuing are going to keep you busy academically. So focus your extracurriculars on ones that will help you personally as well as professionally. You will want to take on extracurriculars that don't add to the stress you get from academics. For me, this meant focusing on extracurriculars that I view as hobbies that helped me take my mind off studying. Consider
Hope this provides you with some ideas ☺️ Wishing you the best of luck with your GCSE's!
First of all, I can completely understand your worry and I want to reassure you that it is never too late to start anything - especially extracurriculars! 😃
I will say, for any extracurricular you take on, make sure it is something you genuinely enjoy, care about, and want to learn from. Most of the time the benefit of extracurriculars (and what universities want to see) is what you learned from what you took on. This might be skills like time management (how did you balance your extracurricular with your studies), organisation (how did you stay dedicated to your commitment to the activitiy), or teamwork (how did it help you to work better with others and collaborate) etc. It might be technical such as learning a practical skill (maybe coding or a new language), or something more relevant to your field like participation in services or workshops (e.g. you learn first aid or do a workshop etc.).
In this way, in your applications, you can link the skills and qualities you gained from the extracurriculars and demonstrate how it will make you a good student for studying medicine. When you have an interest in the extracurriculars you pursue, this will naturally be more genuine.
It is also worth noting that the extracurriculars you do do not have to be limited to the most popular hobbies such as sports and music. They also don't have to be activities that last a long period of time (i.e. can be one-off events or activities). Some other ideas include:
•
Taking a short online course in something that interests you (Harvard, Oxford, and even LinkedIn offer free courses on a large number of different topics that you can complete in your own time).
•
Joining a student club or society (just being a member of a student society and participating in events that you enjoy will give you tons to talk about while also being flexible in time commitment).
•
Offer help at school (such as being a mentor to younger students or offering to help run any events the school might host).
•
Offer help to your local community (such as help with an existing programme, or offer to help host any events).
•
Tutor or offer free classes (a fantastic way to learn your own subjects while helping someone else).
•
Try your hand at one-off contests (baking contest, public-speaking events, talent shows).
•
Join a team (are there prefects at your school you could apply to be a part of; or class representative positions that you are interested in)!
•
Try something brave (try an extracurricular you have never done before that pushes you outside your comfort zone).
•
We are in the digital age! There are tons of online events, workshops, conferences, and opportunities that are widely available to you. Do some searching to find somewhere you can add your ideas and skills!
Finally, A/L's can be a stressful time. You will want to prioritise your studies, and it looks like the subjects you are pursuing are going to keep you busy academically. So focus your extracurriculars on ones that will help you personally as well as professionally. You will want to take on extracurriculars that don't add to the stress you get from academics. For me, this meant focusing on extracurriculars that I view as hobbies that helped me take my mind off studying. Consider
•
What extracurriculars would I still want to do when I am stressed from studying?
•
Do my extracurriculars add to my stress or give me a much needed break to relax from my academics?
•
What extracurriculars will help me balance my workload?
•
If I didn't need this extracurricular for my application, would I still pursue it?
Hope this provides you with some ideas ☺️ Wishing you the best of luck with your GCSE's!
Reply 3
Original post
by yyyyuuojHi everyone, my name is Anna and im planning on doing medicine after alevels at hopefully fingers crossed uni of Edinburgh.Something thats been worrying me is that i barely have any extracurriculars and i dont think i have enough time to achieve skills to make me stand out amongst the tons of competition in medicine.
Academically Im alright and im sure im doing bio,chem,physics and maths for alevels.
However , due to only arriving in UK a couple years ago i never really picked up any sports or skills. (All my friends either do sports or instruments).
This has been worrying me alot as i hear you need to have some "interesting" about yourself when applying to universities.
Right now,my plan is to fully focus on GCSE's and during the summer start lessons on piano and maybe start tennis.
Please can anyone give me advice on other extracurriculars i can do whilst alevels or the summer which can help me stand out?
Thank youu
Academically Im alright and im sure im doing bio,chem,physics and maths for alevels.
However , due to only arriving in UK a couple years ago i never really picked up any sports or skills. (All my friends either do sports or instruments).
This has been worrying me alot as i hear you need to have some "interesting" about yourself when applying to universities.
Right now,my plan is to fully focus on GCSE's and during the summer start lessons on piano and maybe start tennis.
Please can anyone give me advice on other extracurriculars i can do whilst alevels or the summer which can help me stand out?
Thank youu
Hiya!
To be completely honest, most unis don't even read your personal statement (which is where you put your extra/super curricular).
Usually, they just rank your UCAT and/or GCSEs and sometimes your predicted grades and invite the top X% to interview. Then based on your interview score, they give conditional offers.
Sounds rough but usually they dont really care- Only a few look for some work experience so get that and it should be enough
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- ivy league
- Can I get into top universities like Oxbridge, Imperial, Stanford, MIT, Princeton etc
- Do law firms care what uni you go to?
- Potential University Reapplications
- TMUA and ESAT Results
- LSE MSc in Economics
- Ncs or Brampton 6th form 2025
- Help applying to American unis
- PPE with no maths
- rhul employability law
- GCSE and University
- Oxford non preferred alevels
- will my gcses affect the university i want to apply to?
- TMUA for LSE 2025 entry
- Quant finance from Nottingham/Bristol?
- Can I get into a Russel group uni with these subjects?
- Bath Vs Sheffield (for Chem Eng)
- Will my uni appeal be successful
- Loughborough law degree
- Why I chose Kingston University to study BSc Cyber Security and Digital Forensics
Latest
Trending
Last reply 7 months ago
Advice to get basically all 9s in GCSE (ask me anything)Last reply 8 months ago
Any Yr 10s here who think they "failed" their end-of-year mocks?Last reply 8 months ago
How can I achieve as many nines as possible for GCSEs?Last reply 8 months ago
Best revision method to keep science in your head?
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
