Medicine 2018?

[Katisha]

Is there already a thread for medicine applications for 2018 entry?
If not can I start one?
Wondered if anyone knew about the Birmingham GCSE situation as DS has A stars and As at GCSE and likely to be predicted A stars at A level but is coming up on their offers calculator as unlikely to get an interview.
Is it pointless to apply to Birmingham if not all stars at GCSE? Didn't get a star in biology.

DD would do that, but if her A levels weren't up to scratch then this would be her plan.

I felt so sorry for my daughter and her cohort when she did the UKCAT. It seemed such a horrible process. It was held in her driving theory test centre, which did make us laugh, though. Weird mixture of competencies being examined.

The building my DS did his looked derelict but it was better inside apparently!

I dropped my DD in a shed like building in the back end of Slough. Wasn't sure it was the right place ! She sat in a corner while loads of people came and went - they were doing their driving tests ! All v weird. And I think the UKCAT was devised by a sadist - it is horrible !

Abra yes DD now has 3 A*s predicted and currently ukcat result is 10 pts above last year cut off but of course could be higher this year so waiting for final results although I think they have more placed this year and after last year unhappy applicants
might have less this year. Still a risk though so still on the maybe list!

DD also took the ukcat exam in a derelict building in the same room she'd done her driving theory a couple of weeks before!

DD will also take a gap year if no offers. She's been offered a FT job at the nursing home she's currently working weekends so at least she'd be earning money and hopefully saving!

It sounds like we are lucky in Sheffield where they do theory driving tests/UKCAT tests. It is a bit of a production line though.

*15 swingofthings

Abra yes DD now has 3 As predicted and currently ukcat result is 10 pts above last year cut off

Sounds good for Exeter!

Thanks Abra1d, just concerned that the cut off could be higher this year, so waiting to see how the final results compare to last years although I don't think their cut off is based on average ukcat but I expect their own cut off based on ranking.

As long as nobody chooses the same universities as us, we will be fine!

How are everyone's DC getting on with their PS?

Its become a bit stressful here. At DD's school no one has has applied for medicine for years and no one is applying for Oxbridge, so loads of teachers have decided they want to read her PS. Its lovely that they are giving her lots of their time, but they don't really get that what needs to be in a medicine PS is different from say a maths or biology one. Its hard enough for her to fit some "reflection" in without them wanting her to add in academic stuff too. They all seem to have something else she should add!

Ours is still a work in progress but doesn't really say anything about academics at all. It is more about what she's done in respect of finding out about medicine, her personal qualities and then a paragraph at the bottom hopefully indicating that she's more than work, work, work. Am hoping that her results and her reference will refer to her academics. Is that wrong?

My DD is hoping to apply for Medicine 2019. She is thinking of doing an EPQ as it might help her application. However, I'm worried about the extra workload. Did all of your DCs do an EPQ?

Same here my DS has not mentioned academics despite school saying he should as all applicants are going to have similar academics and like SomersetS says the results should speak for themselves.
Our school kept coming back with a few changes he took onboard a few of the grammatical ones but then kept it how he liked it with regards to adding or deleting the content. The school are happy wth it now and so is he :)
It is ready to go after we view UEA on Friday

DD has shown her PS and all they've done is correct some grammar errors and then missed the big fat one! I feel it is the best this way though as indeed, I don't think many teachers/tutors fully understand the difference between a standard PS and one for Med school. DD has made no mention of her academics either, it's there to see anyway and she struggled enough to write and expand about her experiences within the limits of the word counts.

On this matter, a quick question, do you know if you can reduce the font to gain a few more lines as I understand the limit is 47 lines?

SaltCaramel, DD had to start doing an EPQ (in addition to 4th AS) but begged her tutor to let her drop it after Christmas as she had too much on especially with her work/volunteer experience. All the schools she's earmarked as possible choices seem not to care about it nor do they even care about a 4th AS. It can be useful during the interview, but between EPQ and work experience/volunteer, I think there is more to gain with the latter.

Times New Roman 12 is the compatible font apparently.
My DS merged two paragraphs to get an extra line!

Mentioning academics is wasting space'and duplication. You want to demonstrate how shadowing or volunteer work or extra curricular activities or whatever have influenced your interest in and decision to apply for medicine. What they showed you and what you learnt. Reflection,as you say.

You're right to gently resist, adrink.

caramel, when someone asked about EPQ at one of the recent uni open day (for dentistry but same as medicine) the admissions lady said that they don’t look at EPQ unless they had two candidates otherwise identical. So the recommendation was not to bother but focus on getting the grades and good work experience.

Phew - sounds like everyone is treating the PS same as us.
I have asked about EPQ at all 11 (!! yes 11 !!) open days or listened to someone else ask and we have decided that DD won't do it. No need. Nobody at the Uni's we went to were bothered and she has an additional AS grade A in History from last year so can demonstrate "wider academics" (think Manchester imply they might like one). The only time it might come into play is either as a talking point at interview if you don't have anything else of interest or as a tie-breaker (we decided to take that chance). Time is too tight with extra-curriculars, music exams, volunteering etc not to mention a Open Days and a little bit of fun!

Times New Roman 12 is the compatible font apparently.
So it mean there is no variation from this (ie. font 11 or even 10?) Grrr, can you really convince you have the skills and qualities to be a doctor in 47 lines!!!

I think it willl reject more than that you need to preview iit on UCAS :)

When you cut and paste the PS in it defaults to a font - can't change it. It also can alter the number of lines so DD had to do a last minute prune to lose 4 words so had 1 less line.

Needmoresleep I am lurking on this thread as mum of a 2017 applicant and I too dropped off my son at Bristol last week. So far he is having a great time and thoroughly enjoying the lectures, tutorials etc. Although, I don't get too much information!

Bristol is beautiful. They are both very lucky

My DD applied for medicine two years ago and got three offers. What she found was important is to see the school reference and personal statement as sitting alongside each other. So if something was mentioned in the reference, she gave only a very brief mention, or no mention, of it in her personal statement.
In practical terms, this meant that the academics were all discussed in the reference and so she found no reason to mention them in her personal statement, save one biology module which she related to her work experience with the Genetics team and Guy's hospital.

In a similar fashion the school made sure that they did not waste reference space by referring to things she had covered in her personal statement, other than to confirm they were true (eg list of positions of responsibility).

She was also told not to put anything in her personal statement without relating it to the quantities of a good doctor. www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/good_medical_practice/duties_of_a_doctor.asp (make sure you click the boxes on the LHS which go into further detail for each heading).

This was also helpful on many of the stations at the MMIs she did - especially so for the ethics stations.

Thank you for that explanation. That was our view but it's good to see it worked for you. Have check the link & DD covers most of that in her statement. I know I'm biased but I think it's pretty good. Fingers crossed. Managed to reduce to 4000 characters on one page today. Phew.