Support thread for anyone applying through UCAS this year

[Lorelai]

Following on from a thread in chat I thought I would start this so that we can hold each others' hands through the UCAS process with all its challenges.

Who's with me?

Best of luck to your ds Yellowstone,hope tonight the results are OK tonight.Still no news here but he did have a very nice letter from Leeds confirming his application but saying that they do not start sifting for interview until late Jan early feb and he may not have a decision until March.

Reassuringly though they confirmed that all applicants would be considered for the politics course even if not accepted for PPS so two hits for the price of one really.He was slightly concerned that applying for PPS (18 places and 153 applicants) he was limiting his choices so that was very reassuring.

Oh- as far as I am aware there is no bribery or informal approach at any medical school. All are on a level playing field.

Good luck to all. How I wish them well. Not just getting in but in their futures.

funnyperson set out the variable entrance criteria very clearly.
It helps explain why yellowstone knows people who have been rejected from one but accepted at another. Different medical schools seem to look for different personal qualities in candidates. I only know of one person who had four offers.
Whilst some actually score the PS (I believe Leeds is one) the PS comes into its own at interview, particularly if there is something in it that can initiate a conversation and animate a nervous candidate.
Even from doing something far removed from selecting potential doctors (moderating CSE oral exams yonks ago) I can say that very often someone does less well sticking to what they planned/expected to talk about but will shine when the conversation is steered onto something else.
Certainly DD felt that all her interviewers were encouraging and not intimidating.

The candidates at one interview she went to were put into groups and observed while discussing an ethical dilemma such as which of 6 transplant patients should receive the only available kidney. I suspect the observers were looking for the one who thought about the problem and said something pithy, rather than the one who dominated the discussion.

She found New Scientist very useful indeed during the interview phase.

And yes, I agree that it is a level playing field, as funnyperson says though there are a couple of factors that can make a difference before the UCAS stage.
Children of doctors have much greater opportunities for work experience. It is incredibly difficult if you have no medical connections whatsoever, live 40 minutes away from the nearest hospital and are under 18 for insurance purposes! (But you have to make the most of what experience you have managed to scrape together and if this is not exactly run-of-the-mill then that can work in your favour.)
And the coaching for BMAT is there on tap if they need it. They also know the jargon and all the wrinkles which the rest of us have to find out the hard way.

There is a high proportion of candidates from the private sector. DD became aware of this at interviews and it is very noticeable now she is on the course. I don't know whether it is having higher expectations from the start that gives them the edge so there is quite simply a higher proportion of applicants from the private sector. It also might be that they come across as more confident and articulate at interview or are better prepared by their schools.

Yes, I agree withunitarian, New Scientist is useful. So is the Student BMJ which can be read online.
Yes it is true, children of doctors can be steered through the process more easily, but only if their parents are qualified in this country and/or have good contacts. Also I came across a student once who had clearly had so much guidance from his medical family that his PS was full of jargon and work experience in very disparate specialist fields, none of which he, being after all only a sixth former, actually understood. It is quite important that students understand what they say.
I am very conscious of how different various career processes, jargon and ethos are. For example I know nothing about careers in investment banking and simply would not know where to begin to advise my own DS.

Do you know the cut off for Imperial funnyperson or unitarian? If an interview anywhere else is forthcoming then the drone advice is very good, though I'd like to think he wouldn't let himself drone! Dazzling detail? so no challenge there. And I'll make sure I suggest New Scientist and Student BMJ - I actually haven't a clue what he reads. He's not a thespian type so could never go in all singing and dancing nor is he in any way a geek. He errs on the quieter side I suppose, and thinks much more than he says, as he demonstrated admirably when he debriefed me on Birmingham! I can say with some confidence that DS won't be handicapped by too much guidance in any event :)

The cutoff changes every year yellowstone according to a bell shaped curve and internal debate as to how much weighting to give to the essay question etc. Or so I gather.
Imperial sends out two lots of invites so hope is not lost if he is not in the first tranche.
In fact keeping up spirits is a major factor in this game. Not to mention their A levels (!) Extra currics can begin to take a back seat, useful for keeping sanity and providing peer support but no need to give the school time which takes away from preparation. Peer support is useful. Home support even more so. As you know. Lots of sympathy - lets hope it isn't too long a wait for you.

Yes, it changes depending on that dratted bell curve. Imperial's cut off was just above the half mark point two years ago but it isn't an average of all three sections. You just have to wait and see - but best of luck for tonight's results.

You do get a pretty good feel for how it is going from TSR. Read the threads for particular med schools he's interested in. Gradually as students report that they've been called for interview you get a sense of what BMAT cut off is in operation. DD sensibly decided not to get involved in TSR but was happy to let me stalk and sift the facts from the dross and angst. I managed to predict her interview call before she got the e-mail - though I didn't tell her - but I did tell her the exact moment to log onto track to see her offer. Much shrieking, dancing round the kitchen and pounding upstairs to wake her Dad to scream the news in his ear!

By then there was an odd feeling that fate was taking a hand which is weird, I know, but I think funnyperson knows what I mean.

Keeping up morale is important which is why I hope DD's saga gives you heart.

And yes, it is possible to be over-confident or over-prepared. I know of a lad who is the product of generations of eminent physicians yet failed to get in anywhere.

DH and I are now avid readers of Student BMJ before we post it on to DD!

Yes your DD's saga does give me heart!

DS has now said he's not going to open the results tonight, he's going to wait until he can do it admist the chaos which is breakfast time in this house with the added extra of a 'first call' repair man.

Brilliant.

Good luck to him yellowstone, I hope it's better than he expects.

the TSR is a great website but it is only a small proportion of students who post on it (1% was suggested somewhere) and they tend to be the ones who have better results. The average UKCAT, for example, is 600 but the average of those posting on TSR is quite a bit higher, average BMAT scores posted on TSR will be higher than the average of all tests. Have to be careful that young people don't get too put off by that.

Well, The UKCAT is supposed to be set at a level where the average applicant score will be 600, but the last couple of years is been about 626 or so.

I agree, the TRS, which is a mine of useful information, tends to be people by above average applicants (or they are the ones most likely to post their scores anyway), so take it all with a pinch of salt/common sense.

I did find it incredibly useful last cycle when my DS was going through the whole UKCAT/BMAT/Interview/Offer thing - it gives you a feel for how things are going, when offers are going to come through etc.

I hope everyone's DC's did as well as hoped with the BMAT results yesterday - remember it's only part of the whole "package".

I defy anyone to watch it through to the end without welling up.

woops wrong thread! sorry

I think its interesting that so many adults - presumably mostly parents- trawl through TSR. It does sometimes seem to me that this is instead of creating and contributing to an adult peer support network (not as well as) I felt like a stalker after a while when I did it, and that's partly why I post on mumsnet, as well as to give the young ones their space. I know that after a while, when the DC realised that I read TSR they stopped posting there.

Yes FUNNYPERSON, I was one of those stalkers. My older DC both say they are on TRS but I have no idea who they are - they wouldn't post anything readily identifiable. They do know what my username is.

It hard to form a RL support network around university application stresses when your DC is the only one in his school/social group applying for a particular subject, at a particular university and is going through exams and interviews and particular financial circumstances that other DC were not having to go through - so I suppose it was easier to get support from others in the same boat and TRS was one way to contact them (I did tend to do most of it by private message tho'). I agree, Mumsnet is more grown up, but I only recently noticed the TALK bit at the top of this page - I previously thought the main list of fora was everything (I'm not very techie!), and didn't know these other fora were here.

oldmum42 its nice to have a virtual network I agree. One of the advantages is the way one can have conversations and post in one's own time frame. In real life everyone may be too busy to chat, or, as you say, may not have the same concerns, or just may be a bit ...well, unfriendly I suppose.
A disadvantage is that posts are out there for all to read.

The other thing I like about virtual networks is the way one can ask questions or present problems, and discussion/solution seeking will ensue. In real life one tends to present a 'good' side ie a side which has no problems!

It used to be quite difficult to find distributions for UKCAT but they are on the Pearson website this year www.ukcat.ac.uk/pages/details.aspx?page=news The BMAT distributions are also available www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/digitalAssets/126401_Explanation_of_BMAT_Results_2011.pdf

I stalk the TSR in the sense that I read the threads to check when offers/interviews are being offered, I wouldn't consider it appropriate to post on there and I don't read threads on other topics. Are there supportive parent networks? I suppose there may be ucas parent forums, I haven't looked but I'm not aware of anywhere that provides the detail on timing/ level of offers that the TSR does.

ellisbell thanks those links are really interesting. Yes I too look at TSR mainly because there are interesting tables on the 'stalking' pages with gcse and A level grades and offer grades: like you, to get an idea of when interview invites and offers are given out. Last year some of the Oxford colleges put up which subject's interview invites had been posted as they went out which was very helpful indeed, but this was not standard across the university.

I don't think there is any other peer network for parents, or adults other than this one. UCAS doesn't have a peer support forum for parents as far as I am aware.

I do envy them their variety of emoticons though- when my DC had their interviews and offers I, too, would have liked to have posted some of the excited and happy emoticons which TSR has! Or with the rejections, some of the sad/consoling ones.

Thank you gelatinous and I hope your DS has had a call up or gets it soon. That's the next phase!

I don't look at TSR really but I have done briefly on this app, being such a novice at Medicine. I've found the dedicated stalking page interesting and this evening I've been looking at the BMAT thread....but I do feel a little intrusive. I think my learning curve is steep, but slightly behind where it should be in terms of timing!

Medicine has moved me out of my comfort zone though I don't see any more aspirant medics amongst my younger ones; one would be great if he makes it but frankly one is enough!

Cross posted with funny:)

TSR stalking pages are both fascinating and scary in one. Thanks for your wishes yellowstone ds will I think be a bit disappointed if he doesn't get a call up as on paper he probably should, but it really isn't the end of the world as he has two offers now from places he would be happy to go to, so luckily the pressure is off. Maths is a bit easier that way than medicine.

I stalk TSR but don't post on it. DD doesn't either. Both her offers seem to have come in very early compared to others applying for the same courses on TSR but it's only a very small proportion of applicants that post.