Fresh new 'mum of a medicine applicant' thread.

[Mindgone]

I thought I would start a new one, as the last one went a bit 'off topic'! How's everyone getting on? Am so excited, and a bit nervous, as DS has two interviews coming up! How is everyone else's DCs preparing? Also, any tips from anyone who's been there?

Yes I spoke to an admissions person at Brighton open day. He said that with most applicants predicted 3 As, it's the BMATscore that is mainly used to rank candidates when shortlisting for interview

Thanks ladies. If she needs to do the UKCAT again next year I might be asking you for more info on that prep course Mindgone as that could be really useful.
Carriemac - that is a lot of students going on to do medicine/dentistry. I don't think there were any last year from DD's school although a couple had offers but then they didn't get the grades!

Happy to help Ange, but hopefully you won't need it!

Hi Mindgone. Please could you give me details of the UKCAT course as DD2 may apply for medicine in October. Thanks.

DS did the UKCSTcourse but didn't do particularly well in in as he didn't practice enough...

DS did the Kaplan course and found it really helpful. It was a two day course and cost around £300. They gave lots of helpful hints and tips for the different types of questions, and a fat book to take home with lots more, and around five full practice tests, plus extra practice questions. There was online help available too, but DS didn't feel the need for this. Loads of practice is essential. Also, booking to do it early is useful to get it out of the way, and so that there is leaway in case they need to postpone due to illness etc. DS did his at the end of July, with two weeks heavy prep after school finished. He was so glad to get it out of the way! We considered it a useful investment, as so much hinges on the ukcat score.

Thanks Mindgone and carriemac.

Would strongly recommend Medify. It's online, can be done when the dcs have time, and isn't expensive. Mirrors the real test experience as far as possible and is up to date. It was the only thing my dd used and she found it reall helpful.

Thanks oyster!

Thanks everyone. If needed, I will definitely check out all those ideas.

Have just booked dd's first Hep B injection. Receptionist was saying it would be £40 per jab but thanks to all your advice I asked her to double check & it's free. Phew!

Well done decorhate - this thread has had many uses.

Anyone else have a dc who needs to get an A & stressing about it? Dd is confident A grades are within her reach but just had her Biology ISA & her mark is not high enough (even though she got the highest mark at her school). She felt that Biology was her strongest subject & the one she was most likely to get A marks in summer papers.

Dd needs 2 A*s and is stressing about it, understandably! Can your dd take the ISA again? At dd's school they get at least 2 go's although they don't get told the actual mark they get, just roughly how they've done. I know that if they miss their offer Cambridge look closely at the module mark and will look more kindly if it's the ISA that has brought the grade down and the written papers are strong. I guess all this is preparing them for the demands of the next 6 years. I know that dd is very capable of getting the offer but I think they worry that something will go wrong on the day and there is little margin for error.

Yes we need an A* and 2 As. Unfortunately, DS has developed a health issue so have had a reality check and would give anything to have him recover and now have changed my priorities. However , having said that we could really do with a leeds AAA offer to take some pressure of him.

Really sorry to hear that Carrie. And you are so right. Their health & happiness is the most important thing

Carrie, I hope your son is okay. That is obviously the most important thing. My DD would love to get an offer but the exam pressure is with them all regardless - that is for sure.

Carrie, I hope your son is improving.

Any more news anyone? Any offers? It's a bit tedious, all this waiting, when all their friends are planning their offer days etc!

Just sticking my head in here to say good luck to everyone.

Unbeliveably it's 5 years since I was lurking here hoping my DD1 would get a place somewhere: She went to a bog standard comprehensive school (at one interview she discovered she was the only state school student in the group!)
wore what she liked to interview (still somewhat Goth at that stage but in a Jack Wills meets eyeliner kind of a way)and this summer will qualify and become an F1... hopefully (she will find out in March) in the Devon and Cornwall NHS trust as she has become a proper surfer over her 5 years at Peninsula!

It's been a wild ride..and at times not easy for her.. not academically or professionally, where she has aced every assessment and test, but emotionally and mentally..tough, as she battled anorexia in her first distressingly homesick first year (came home weighing 5 stone 9 and she's 5 ft 10!)..and won, battled anxiety... medicated! But she knew that medicine was the only thing she ever wanted (from 4 years of age!!) and she loves it. She is currently on her final GP placement with her own consulting room,treats, makes referrals and only has signing off for prescriptions as the pharmacology exam is later this year...

The 5 years has changed her. She's not the madcap, superbright happy go lucky kid she was at 18. She's now wiser for her difficult experiences, so much more realistic about life and people... but she hasn't once lost her love for what she is doing.

Incidentally she said that nothing at med school has been any tougher academcially than A levels... you just have to be able to remember everything and apply it every time. She has ADHD and Dyslexia but the former has been very useful in a weird way as she can stay awake all night, bounce from patient to patient without ever finding it tedious, and has fabulous patient feedback (yes it matters!) She will be specialising in trauma (A+E basically) as she loves the variety.

The medics community are different.. no doubt about it. Whenever I spend time with DD1 and her friends I am awed by their intelligence, passion and fabulously sick sense of humour (goes with the job I guess!) I look at her and still think 'my little girl' (she's 23 now!) but then take another look and realise that the outside world sees an emerging professional who has worked her ass off to get there.

Good luck to all of your kids.. it is absolutely worth every second of the stress you and they, are under now...

Thanks mindgone. Sadly it is progressing, he has developed severe auto Imune alopecia and has lost 70% of his hair in 4 weeks. He is coping really well, I am devastated, and so anxious about leeds as I feel a let down might tip him over the edge emotionally.

Oh Carrie, that sounds awful! The poor thing! Do you think it's the stress of this year, or is it one of those things that just comes out of the blue? I really hope he gets good news from Leeds soon. Do you know when he might hear from them?

Medusa, thanks so much for your long and reassuring post! You must be incredibly proud of your wonderful daughter, she has done amazingly well, and must be made of very strong stuff!

I wish is was stres related, al least we could fix that. It's auto imune, no cure , might resolve might progress. Leeds offers out Friday so some good news would be nice

Carrie, the Leeds offers have started to come through today so get your DS to check his emails. Fingers crossed it's good news

Oh god I feel sick . DS is at the cinema with his girlfriend

What time will he be back?