Medicine Applications 2017

[adski]

As UKCAT season is in full swing and I can't find a thread anywhere else I thought I'd start this off. This is for parents of children looking to apply for Medicine at University with courses starting in 2017. UCAS application is only a couple of months away. It is hard to watch our kids put themselves through so much to work in the hardest profession imaginable and I thought it might be useful to start some sort of discussion here.

Too true Rosie. Mine works shifts as a porter and he's learned so much about patient care and how not to treat people when he's a consultant . He also gets on so well with the nurses and when he started his clinical placement they went out of their way to help him which was really sweet.
I am sorry if you think I sound 'judgy'. I was only pointing out that medical students do need to work - no comment on whether this is good or bad thing, it's just a fact of life.
It does annoy me when people assume working is a choice - for a vast majority of students it is not. If they don't work then they can't go to University. Not fair but then education isn't.

PS good luck to everyone doing exams at the moment and hope they all make their offers. I've got another one applying in Oct and so just about to start the round of opening days - again.

I started this chat 453 messages ago. It has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least and I am putting this up perhaps for candidates skimming through this in future years. DC did not get any offers after their interviews. Last week one of the universities that interviewed them asked if they wanted to go on a waiting list to be reviewed on results day. Today another emailed with an offer! In the middle of June! So future applicants, dont give up hope and keep working. It obviously ain't over 'til its over and who knows when that is...

Great news!

And good luck to anyone else still waiting.

Adski that is great news.

I am overjoyed for you. I've been wondering where have you gone since starting this thread. Looking at the thread title again which says 'Medicine Application 2017', it sends a slight shiver up my spine as I remember way back six years ago thinking when will 2017 come along when DS hopefully would qualify as a doctor. . .Well, 2017 is finally here and a few days ago he actually received his first-ever correspondence from a British medical organisation officially addressing him as Dr XXX. Yesterday his medical school confirmed his Finals results! So, one very happy family here. Hope you'll have the same in 5 or 6 years time!

Well Done to your DC, adski!

And also Well Done to your DS, petneras.

Great news ad ski ! Is your DD accepting the offer or staying in the waiting list ?

Congratulations ! Which universitiy on waiting list & which got the offer ...?

adski. That's amazing news. You DC must be in a state of happy shock!

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That's encouring news for others still waiting. One of DDs friends got an the day after ' deadline by default day '. And I know of others who have been able to get a place through UCAS Adjustment, by phoning up universities where they know they were a near miss for a place. In other words, those who had an interview which went well and only didn't get an offer because other candidates scored higher.

Of course that only works for those who are eligible for Adjustment i.e. Those who exceed the grades for their insurance choice .

The issue for those who get a late offer ( like adskis DD) is that they have to give up their insurance choice, which is nerve wracking to say the least .

Thanks everyone. DC had already given up their insurance offer (Biomedicine) and was going to reapply for medicine next year whatever unless something came up on results day. They were already looking at local HCA jobs to see them through. So 'happy shock' is the correct state. Very timely as they were in a state of 'unhappy shock' after that OCR Biology paper on Monday.

Definitely taking the offer BTW and giving up place on waiting list I imagine.

Privately message me if you feel you need to know Uni's involved for your own DC.

Peteneras congratulations on your DC. If the last year is anything to go by it must take incredible hard work, determination, and a thick skin to actually complete the course. I look at all doctors now in a fresh light.

Does anyone know how common is it for a school to write to the universities as they are concerned students may miss grade boundaries due to a change in the course taught?
The school argue that they have been affected by the quality and availability of resources provided by the examination body😳

Surely all schools would be the same though and grade boundaries should reflect this

adski that OCR Biology first paper caused a meltdown in our house. My daughter was the most upset I have seen her for years. It was her first paper, too, and it was so hard for her to switch off from it and get back into revision for chemistry the next day.

My husband wrote to Ofqual to ask about grade boundaries and received a reply including a link to this blog:

ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2017/03/24/levelling-the-playing-field/

'Our priority is to make sure that it is no easier to get a particular grade with one board than another'.

congratulations to adski's child and to peternas's child.

Giving up an insurance choice neednt be nerve wracking as plenty of universities would be very happy to take bright young people in clearing if needed.

There is a wide range range of students studying medicine from those whose parents are quite happy to fund everything they do, including foreign travel, concerts and expensive London rental properties, to those who have no parental support and are almost entirely self-funding. My child's friends include both types including some who have still had no paid work at all. This may be more common at Oxbridge but there will be rich young people in all medical schools as well as those who need to work.

Suggesting young people can "have it all" is just silly, there are only 24 hours in everyone's day. Life is unfair and some opportunities, whether to spend more time with friends or extra learning or networking opportunities, are just not available to those who have to work. Having your paid work in a health related field is beneficial, unfortunately it's not as well paid as some other work so you have to do more of it. What you gain on the swings you may be losing on the roundabouts.

For those about to start this process I recommend that savings are as far as possible kept for the later years (including perhaps to help fund their electives) and that they are encouraged to work during the earlier years. This is a long course and when non medic friends graduate it is useful to still have savings to be able to join in with their holidays and expensive meals. Of course your children may not listen to that advice but try to encourage them to tie up some savings so they cant spend it all on year 1.

RedHelenB it's not an A level course, it's Pre U, and the grade boundaries are not linear with A level. For medicine, a D3 is needed , which is in between an A and an A*. The next grade down is an M1, which is in between an A and a B, so not enough for medicine.
The school have finally admitted they have had problems teaching it. This is a very high achieving state grammar 😳.DC has worked so hard, really hoping they don't miss out because of a poor decision by the school. Apparently pre U gives them a competitive edge in applying to Uni and at interview but it that may not be the case.

Fingers crossed he gets his d3 then. I'm not sure poor teaching will get taken into consideration though if he does.

My DC is in the same position re. Pre U and 'teaching'. Not sure that anything will come of the school sending in for SC though (have a feeling that our DC go to the same school too?)

Flagon4, quite probably, as hardly anywhere does Pre u in this subject , begins with a J....

It does indeed.

We best keep our fingers crossed !

Ha ha, yes. Not at all pleased that the decision was made to change over. The repercussions on the students are huge!