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.

Ladies our children sounds so similar on so many levels!
As a City I think Bristol is a great choice but is home for us & DD wants to go away, Swing.
I do also understand about the Bristol hills Lonicera - the University at the top of Park Street & St Michaels Hill takes some climbing - I have plenty of experience. I used to live at the top & work at the bottom. My DD had hip surgery in August so struggled with hills but now on the mend (Sheffield & Exeter were an issue at Open Day but hopefully she's fixed now!)
NeedmoreSleep - I thought St George's was a great call for us in terms of getting an interview but DD had already decided against London (& other huge cities Manchester & Birmingham) & wanted to opt for a more integrated University experience. She's spent her life in a sleepy rural village and is a bit daunted particularly by the size & vibrancy of Manchester. Having said that she is a Foreign Language student and would like nothing more than to get placements in Paris & other french speaking cities. (Another plus for Manchester as they do European Studies with Medicine but she can't be convinced).

2 past students from DDs school are at Manchester, Year 1 & Year 2 and both love it. Also, look through the Medicine Manchester thread on TSR - a student posted on there that it wasn't all PBL any more - PBL Mondays & Fridays (ish) and lectures in between if my memory serves? Liverpool used to be PBL but they have changed to Integrated - I spoke to a 4th Year last week who joined as PBL and disliked the style but Uni listened to the students and have made a change. Think a bit of both is best.

As DD says we have 3 definites and there is a big puddle with a few others in which we need to make decisions on, but will wait for Friday. Everything else is sorted so form can go off early the following week.
5th choice will be a BioMed type-course, think Swansea for GEM

Lonicera your DD is so young! Wow. Will she take a gap year - some Uni's I notice have age 18 cut-offs? - think it's because of practical parts of the course, insurance etc.

"She's spent her life in a sleepy rural village and is a bit daunted particularly by the size & vibrancy of Manchester."

That's it exactly. It didn't help that yesterday Man U were playing at home and the Tory conference is starting today. DD has spent a fair amount of time in Sheffield and Leeds for various events and is comfortable with them, but Manchester was just traffic madness, and Piccadilly station was just so much busier than Leeds or Sheffield stations are. DD has two definites and two "if I musts".

She is feeling rather despondent today after yesterday's visit to Manchester and thinks she would stand a better chance of getting into medicine if she took a year out to get some work experience and improve her UKCAT score.

Somerset DD is a summer born so she is in the right year group, but one of the youngest. It didn't matter at primary school, but I am really noticing the difference now - learning to drive, drinking alcohol legally, finding work/work expreience etc. One of her friends turned 18 today. I wasn't even pregnant with DD when he was born.

Hi all. 2016 mum here. I'm enjoying reading your progress and I'm rooting for your DCs.

Just a word on PBL. When DS was looking round it was hard to find a course that wasn't actually integrated, even if it described itself as PBL.

DS is at UEA and only has two sessions a week that are PBL. One to set out the learning objectives for the week and the second to discuss and consolidate what they have learnt. A tutor facilitates and directs the discussions. He also has loads of lectures, seminars and classroom learning as well as a day in the GP teaching practice and a morning cutting up dead bodies every week.

Try and see what a typical week looks like but don't be put off by a PBL label as they all seem to have evolved into more integrated courses.

My DS gets a lot out of his PBL group and it's also a very sociable and supportive way of learning.

On another note, be very careful of those unis who have shifting points systems every year. My DS didn't get to round 1 at Nottingham but would have walked it the previous year if the cut offs had been the same. Thank heavens his other three choices didnt have shifting sands.

Good luck

Hi Sluj we looked at UEA Friday and DS loved it it’s a great campus. UCAS has been submitted now with UEA,BSMS, Exeter and Southampton.

The feedback DD got from one of the students yesterday is that if you are in a PBL group with someone you don't get on with it can cause issues because you are stuck with them.

I expect you could just concentrate on the other 10 members 😁. DS is on his second PBL group and not encountered any problems so far and the facilitating tutor is always on hand.

Such an amazing wealth of information here, thank you very much everyone... well except that it opens to yet more 'what if' :)

Another plus for Manchester as they do European Studies with Medicine but she can't be convinced
Now that could make DD rethink Manchester. My family is originally from France and although DD doesn't speak French fluently, she understands it quite well and has expressed an interest in the past to gog and study there for a year. So that could get her interest up, especially as one of placements is in my home town and I know it to be a top Medical School. It's good too know that it the course is not all PBL although:
The feedback DD got from one of the students yesterday is that if you are in a PBL group with someone you don't get on with it can cause issues because you are stuck with them
this is exactly what DD is worried about. She gets on well with all different types of people, but she says there are some pupils she would find it hard to work with as she is the type to get on with things quickly (which is not always a good thing!) and gets frustrated with people who like to take their time. I can see how it's very good training (don't we all have to adjust to working with people different to us!), but I can see how as a new student to the discipline, this would seem daunting.

Lornica, maybe if your DD looks at it as a 2 year process, it might make it easier? She can then go to the interviews with more of a learning attitude, and if she gets offers, she can then decide to defer, or maybe by then, she might feel fully ready. After all, it's still another year before they are off!

JulyA, I meant to ask you, which school would DS pick if he got offers to all? It is serious wishful thinking, but I am not totally sure DD knows which one she would go for if she had offers to her top 3.

My DD had no offers and just one interview at Cardiff where she has just started now happily studying medicine after getting 3 A*s in her A Levels - the unis definately pick you it is so competitive

How did she get into Cardiff with no offers?

Waiting list?

Just shows it's not over until the real end. When did she find out? Good luck your DD starting her course. We all hope to be posting the same next year!

She was told to ring up on results day and there was a place for her ... I knew there was a possibility but was far from counting on it! Definately not over until the real end as you say Swing. She had a care home job lined up and ukcat and I though she would be taking a gap year. But no ... thankfully was not to be!

How's she liking it Pixel? My daughter liked the look of the course at Cardiff.

Early days as they've just had freshers week with a few lectures/events but she seems enthusiastic and has socialised a lot with the other medics ... will report back after this week which is when things begin proper!

Cardiff is on our list, poor DS I think the pressure is starting to get to him. I think he will feel better once he has hit submit and finished his EPQ.

Although I know this is when the stress really starts ....

A little bit insensitive. The medical schools are very strict and respectful when it comes to all matters involving dissection, it would be wise that the parents of medical students exercise the same caution and respect too.

Sorry didn't mean to offend I see what you mean

Nothing to be sorry about.

So day -1 until we get the final UKCAT position and therefore final decision. I still feel shaky with DD's decision to go with Bristol and BSMS, but I won't change her mind, but it means her 4th choice is especially crucial.

Having gone back and forth and back again, or and forth! between Plymouth, Exeter and Manchester, I think that Manchester is probably her best chance, so crossing fingers she makes the 7th decile. Like your DD Somerset, she's 20 points away, so tomorrow is key. I do feel positive that the average will go down, everyone DD knows whose done it in the last few weeks has got under 650 so crossing fingers.

PS has been shewed, regurgitated and finally digested, and UCAS is ready to go after final decision is officially made this week-end.

A quick question, I'm sure I've read that Pearsons picks up on the UCAS choices, that nothing needs to be done to share results, that's correct isn't it?

pixelchick- your response (I know from my own experience) will be appreciated by those who may have found themselves in the position of having a loved one who has made that brave decision to donate on their death.
Abra1d- your post, albeit random is ill-judged (speaking as a medic myself, with a partner who is a medic, and 4 DC who are medical students).