Year of Entry: 2012
Deferred?: RE-applicant
GCSEs: 6 A*, 4 A, 1 B
AS Grades:Chemistry (A) Biology (A) Physics (A) Art (D)
A2 Results: Chemistry (A*) Biology (A*) Physics (A)
UKCAT (if applicable): First time - 665, second time - 688, third time - 772.5
Work Experience/Volunteering: 1 week shadowing hospital consultant, and various days following OT, physio, some more consultants. 1 week watching podiatrists. 1 year volunteering in my local hospital, 1 year volunteering at a school for kids with special needs, 8 months with st johns...don;t know if I put that down though.
Extra Curricular:
- work at a care home for people in wheelchairs
- art as a hobby
- gone back to college to do an extra AS level, and there I am a student union rep
Universities applied to and decisions:
First time:
BSMS - rejected
Southampton - rejected
Bristol - rejected
Nottingham - rejected
Second time:
Southampton -rejected
Cardiff - rejected
Keele - rejected
Cambridge (Trinity) - rejected after interview
Third time:
Sheffield - rejected after interview
Manchester - offer
Newcastle - offer and firm
Leicester - withdrew after interview
General Advice:
As you can see, it's taken me a while to finally get that offer!! From my experience, however, I would advise most people to have a gap year, whether they get rejected or not. The amount I have gained from mine has been unbelieveable. I feel so much more ready now, and honestly if I had gone into medicine in my first application I expect I would have stuggeld and found it all very overwhelimg etc. So if you do get rejections....no worry! Just take a year off to consider you application, get some more work experience, keep yourself busy, make some new friends, earn some money etc. I have come out of it so much more mature, more confident, my communication skills are sooo much improved because of the environments I put myself in, i have money and I know how to manage it better, iv'e made friends, learnt how to cook *properly*, i have a greater understanding of the world and medicine/hospitals and what being a doctor entials....
If you really are committed, you won't stop until you've reached your goal. Use the time to improve yourself and your application, read the news and science magazines, practice interviews in the summer so you're comfortable with them....just do everything you can think of and you'll get your place eventually!