MEDICINE UNDERGRADUATE

[undergradhopeful]

Hi guys!
DS is in Year 13 and wants to do medicine next year, he's got his heart set on Leeds.

Just wondering how you helped your kids out, anyone in a similar situation?

There's a few courses available that offer UCAS proof reading and practise interviews - what are your thoughts on them? Would you consider putting your child through them?

Thanks everyone.

[SarahMused]

If he is in year 13 at the moment do you mean he is taking a gap year after A levels and applying then?

[Hecatethewitchescat]

Has he done volunteer work, D of E, etc?. At interviews I hear that they take that into consideration. Grades are important as you need to be academic enough but from what I can gather they also want to see extra curricular activities that are social (ie sports) and volunteer work.
I did a careers evening with year 11's ,the pupils that impressed me the most were the ones who had focus and had sought opportunities out.
My year 10 child has suggested Medicine, if I can afford it I would help them out .Good Luck. It is hard work but it can be worth it.

[ShalomJackie]

Ignore about extra-curricular stuff. Do not do this for a medicine application - only do this if your child wants to do this. This a common misconception perpetuated by people.

Medics need to show super curricular interest and volunteering in a relevant plave such as hospitals, care homes etc and work experience at GPs etc.

It is extremely competitve and his expectations about Leeds need to be managed appropriately as many good students with excellent grades do not get any offers at all. However do encourage he apply to a variety and be open minded about where he may end up . It might be worth asking on this year's medicine applicatiins thread for advice.

[coffeeandbiscuittime]

Shalom You appear to have contra dicted yourself between your first and second paragraph. You say ignore extra curricular stuff and then go on to promote it!
I expect anybody reading the previous post would assume volunteering in an appropriate place not the local cats home if they want to do medicine.
As far as my understanding goes Medical interviews are looking for well rounded individuals who can show that they can dedicate /motivate themselves and work under pressure and as a team. Extra curricular activities like DOf E, scouts, swimming/ sports show this as well as volunteering in appropriate places relevant to their career ambition.
So Shalom just to clarify do you then think that scouting/ sports/ DofE is irrelevant? If so my daughter can just stay in her room and do 2 weeks of hospital placement a year ( that is if you can get it as it is quite hard unless you have a school that is linked to one)

[ShalomJackie]

I have not contradicted myself. There is a difference between extra curricular and super curricular.

[Racecardriver]

When I did my UK med school applications (very last minute) I just put in a UVA’s application and sat the Mcat or whatever it’s called. I then went to an interview where they asked fairly basic questions that are related to medina but no medical people will be able to answer. Then they just offered me a place. It was all fairly straight forward. Some work experience may be useful though. British medical schools seem to like that.

[ShalomJackie]

D of E , scouts etc are all fine for personal enrichment if a child wants to do them. The reality is that for medicine applications they are not required and they will merely be interested in supercurricular. I refer you to the medicine threads on here where you will find useful information.

Volunteering in care homes would be relevant. Trekking in the Lake District would not.

[ShalomJackie]

See this thread for further information

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3473756-applying-for-medicine-how-important-is-d-of-e-really

[coffeeandbiscuittime]

You are very supercilious in your response, but thank you for treating me like a dimwit.
Funnily enough D of E is mentioned as a super curricular activity as is appropriate volunteer experience in any of the online forums.
As a doctor it is important to be able to lead, use your iniative and work as a team......maybe walking in the Lake District does not give you that, but being able to navigate a safe route off an icy mountain can very often be the similar skills in a medical emergency.
I know who I would want on my team.

[ShalomJackie]

I am sorry if I appear to have caused offence. I was merely stating what is frequently repeated on Mumsnet, TSR, other forums and from personal experience. I haven't ever said it is not useful for personal enrichment if the child WANTS to do it and you are taking my response far too personally.

I have said they are not requirements and a better use of time for a medical applicant is to do relevant volunteering and gain some work experience, especially if the child is doing the DofE under sufferance or merely for their PS/CV. There is a lot of work required into making a successful med school application and children are under a lot of time pressure and time can be better spent for those who don't really want to do DofE as super curricular is more important than extra curricular.

So many times you see people saying you NEED to do them when the reality is you do not NEED to. Of course there are elements that demonstrate skills that will be useful for medicine or all sorts of other careers. The reality is these activities will be a one-liner on their PS and people should not feel pressurised into undertaking these time consuming activities when their are other ways to spend their time more productively.

If your daughter is enjoying DofE, scouts etc and is also pursuing a medicine route then that is fine and I genuinely wish her all the best for her application.

Again I am sorry that you took my well meaning "advice" (for what it is worth) as some sort of personal attack as it was not my intention.

[ShalomJackie]

*there (oops)

[coffeeandbiscuittime]

I accept your apology, and yes i was too sensitive. Your opening line discrediting extra curricular activities did annoy me. My child does the super stuff anyway and doing D of E / Scouts means she interacts with others rather than following others on you tube or watching back to back documentaries, which nourishes her passion for history and science but does not assist in gaining social techniques.
For what its worth the best Doctor’s I work with are the ones with extra curricular activities that allow them to de stress.

[ShalomJackie]

Thanks coffee.
Again if a child wants to do it then it is great and as you say there needs to be some downtime from the slog to pursue those goals whether it is music, sport, even gaming (or DofE).

I cackhandedly tried to say to those not doing it not to worry about not doing it as it is not a requirement rather than devalue its worth to those doing it.

I have also realised that the OP was merely asking about whether to pay for some of those courses that are offered for which payment is usually required (to which I would say no) and that my initial response was to the third poster!! Sorry OP!

[mumsneedwine]

OP nope. Wouldn't bother with any paid things. TSR has excellent resources and most schools will lay on a mock interview if you ask. MMIs can't really be practised and as long as he knows the usual stuff, why a Dr, why Leeds, then he should be able to do the rest if he wants to do medicine. Come over to the suggested thread above or either Medicine 2018 or 18 for lots of advice. And handholding. Has he applied this year ?

[Bluntness100]

DS is in Year 13 and wants to do medicine next year, he's got his heart set on Leeds

Does he have a place that he's defered op hence the gap year? Has he applied last year?

Also what will he do in his gap year? This is important as to why he is taking it and how he uses the time.

[mamamedic]

My DD just been offered a place for September. She's had 3 interviews and her Personal Statement not used at any; so she's never been asked about her work experience or DofE etc.
Most medical schools understand that not all applicants have access to great medical work experience so they're happy to see shop or cafe work, sports teams etc. And challenges. Anything that shows the same qualities as being a dr.
Agree that Medicine 2019 thread is invaluable.

[undergradhopeful]

Hi all,
Thank you all for your comments.
Sorry I am only replying now - I only got an email about the replies today!

DS is applying for entry next year. He is actually in Year 12!
bad mum alert - really should have checked the posting first

Can you imagine there being a demand for paid courses such as the one I mentioned in the OP? If the free resources are so effective then why do the courses even exist? So confusing!

Please could someone direct me to the Medicine 2019 Thread - newbie here . On another note, I will make sure he considers other Unis - does the application/interview process vary between universities?

Thanks guys!

[SarahMused]

Check out www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_to_Medical_School_using_your_Strengths
It has a wealth of useful information and there are forums discussing aspects of different med schools as well.

[MedSchoolRat]

If the free resources are so effective then why do the courses even exist?

Because the kids are driven so want to maximise their chances & their parents are often wealthy. Is your son at a state school? If yes, look for 'widening participation' programmes at your nearest medical school. He can take a load of MOOCs now to be informed. This year's popular reading mentions on personal statements include.... Being Mortal, Do No Harm, This is Going to Hurt, When Breath Becomes Air. I don't like the Atul Gawande book but your DC can find AG's lectures on Youtube which are quite good.

does the application/interview process vary between universities?

No and yes... sorry, can't summarise easily. Parts are the same, parts are very individual.

Studentroom has a tool for finding nearest Open Days & UCAS fairs (I think).

[5thchild]

Hi Undergradhopeful, if your ds is set on medicine he should, as already suggested, be volunteering somewhere ( Uni's like to see at least a 6 month commitment), he needs a superb set of GCSE's, 3 AAA or higher at A level (inc Chemistry, Biology and one other). Take the BMAT in Oct (for leeds) or UCAT exam for other uni's. He has to apply by oct 15th with a choice of 4 uni's on his UCAS form and a 5th choice if not successful with medicine. If he is called for interview it is usually in the form of MMI and there will be 5-7 stations. He must have an excellent PS and reference and do lots of reading on current NHS issues, GMC guidelines etc - good luck

[5thchild]

Mamamedic..... delighted your daughter has been offered a place to study medicine for 2019. And 3 interviews is excellent (considering many don't even get one).

But I disagree with you about the PS, it may not be used at interview but it is used at the selection to invite to interview

[NicoAndTheNiners]

The one thing I will say in defence of stuff like D of E is that it gives an average 18yo stuff to talk about in an interview. So when they're faced with a question like "tell me about a time when you've overcome a challenge/worked well in a team, etc" they can answer it using real experience. A lot of teens without much life experience stumble on stuff like this.

[babyboyHarrison]

The president of the faculty of surgeons (something like that) recently was discussing lack of dexterity in graduates. It's all about grades and they are forgetting the importance of hand eye coordinate and dexterity now that people don't know how to do things like sewing etc. Maybe get home practicing something hands on too and not just all the academic stuff. Just an idea for something different.

[mumsneedwine]

Maybe my DDs textiles GCSE accounted for her 4 offers 😂. Think the recruitment of Drs has changed massively over the last few years, hence the huge use of MMIs. These test dexterity, thinking on your feet, compassion and empathy. Grades alone are not enough any more. Which is a v good thing. Any outside activities are great for students as it shows they are a balanced person and gives them things to talk about. Unis are very conscious of how hard Medicine is and they do like people to do other things outside school work.