Medicine 2018 part 2

[LoniceraJaponica]

New thread here

[muddlethro]

Thank you 2B1Gmum. It sounds like your DD has got off to a really good start with her first interview at HYMS, and hopefully it will have boosted her confidence for the next one 🙂.
My DS is at St. Andrews, over 300 miles away! But his sister is there too, which is quite handy for transporting their stuff, as we can do it in one long haul!
Anyone who answers even one question on University Challenge deserves applause! 👋

[proudwhatever]

Interesting discussion around looking back at choices, my DS recently had interview at the last minute 4th choice, only chosen due to probability of interview so could not muster genuine enthusiasm for location or course type and he thinks this came through at the interview, he didn’t even do the campus tour (although in fairness it was very cold and sleeting). However this was the first interview to come through and I remember how thrilled he was, it is so difficult, I guess playing safe involves compromises for them. Think the poster who said going to lots of open days was beneficial had a good point, my DS applied for four he had not visited.
Anyone got a DC with no interview or rejection news from Birmingham?

[muddlethro]

I chatted with my DS about choices and I remember him saying that although he had a strong preference for St.A’s , he honestly thought he’d be happy wherever he went. He wasn’t motivated by league tables and really felt that just getting in to med school would be an achievement. His friends were all fortunate to get their first choices, although Bristol did initially rescind their offer to one of them on results day as she missed a grade! However, after a direct plea on her part, they took her with AAB, and after a shaky start there with friendship issues, she is really loving it 🙂

[LoniceraJaponica]

"Think the poster who said going to lots of open days was beneficial had a good point,"

I agree with this. A few people said that we went to too many open days, but given that medicine is 5 years I think it is important to make the right decision. Bristol and Manchester were an immediate no from DD. she also didn't care that much for HYMS. We should really have gone to Hull to visit their site, but didn't have enough time.

[specialted]

I think you're right LoniceraJaponica. You have to get a feel for the place. We visited Liverpool open day and DD just didn't like it at all, she couldn't put her finger on it and nor could I. She was so glad she went, even if it was just to rule it out. She just loved Birmingham from the minute she arrived at the open day, and the same with Sheffield.

proud whatever, a child in DD's year is still waiting to hear about Birmingham interview, but not sure what his offer calculator score was. From reading TSR I think there are students with 8 that haven't heard still where as some have interviews with 7.something, so maybe they'll send out another batch.

[LoniceraJaponica]

DD has just discovered that she was supposed to confirm her attendance at the interview on Friday. She has emailed them just now. Will this affect her chances?

[Woodenhillmum]

Dd only visited one uni before choosing her 4 med schools. She put more effort into scrutinising the entry requirements because studying medicine was far more important than which university. All the universities offered a campus tour as part of the interview day and this enabled her to decide which to choose once she had her offers.

[sluj]

And don't forget there will be offer holders days for those of you who get offers. All the offers are likely to be similar so the offer day will help you choose your first choice then.
Hold on tight

[muddlethro]

I don’t think it will affect her chances in the slightest LoniceraJaponica, and there are several days between now and Friday for them to reshuffle interview lists if needs be. I gather some of the med schools don’t even require confirmation of the interview...🤔

[LoniceraJaponica]

She should have confirmed by the 19th, not next Friday.

[swingofthings]

It's a tough balance re. going to open days vs not. DD visited none and decision was solely based on odds of interview and the thought at the time that her application didn't put her in a strong position so couldn't be choosy. As it was, she would have got interviews at quite a few, hence thinking that it would have been helpful to visit a few.

However, because DD picked Manchester as a 4th choice by default, not considering that it would be somewhere she would really like, she went to the interview much more relaxed and it turned out to be her favourite interview.

There is also the time and cost to take into consideration and in our case, time was definitely an issue as I work FT during the week and had to keep some days off for the actual interview, and DD worked/volunteered every week-end and couldn't really ask for more time off.

Lornicera, I don't know what happens if they don't get a response by the deadline but if she calls first thing Monday, they wouldn't have had time to allocate it to anyone else, so it should be ok.

[muddlethro]

Lonicera, I agree with swingofthings, if your DD rings first thing Monday morning it should be fine. It’s really only a small mistake, and I honestly think that admissions teams are fully aware that med school applicants are under a lot of pressure, and because there are many ‘T’s’ to cross and ‘i’s’ to dot throughout the application process, it’s not surprising that the odd little mistake happens. There is time to slot her in, I’m sure 🙂

[2B1Gmum]

Swing, so Manchester is now her favourite; looking forward to our visit in half term, a friends DD also put it as fourth choice last minute and liked it much more than she expected - I think she found some stations tough but overall seemed positive. Trying to get DD back into interview mode so I did a quick 30 mins of me coming up with pretty useless guesses of scenarios and her finding it hard to take me seriously at all!

I have to say regards the expense the visits and then interviews, it certainly adds up with some overnight stays for both. Luckily being London based means we can do most in a day - we were both exhausted after York and train delays in both directions, hence a sneaky glass of wine each on the train home, courtesy of M&S food hall! Tesco vouchers saved for a meal in Manchester and a bargain train fare for Norwich with an upgrade to first class for £9.00 so it had to be done... and young persons railcard is well worth the money.

We didn't visit too many, I was worried about high entry requirements in some cases, also DD has visited Nottingham to pick up her brother (not medicine) and Southampton just a school Uni visit. Because of October deadline I realised too late that last minute visits would be difficult. DS2 applied for Bath (Pol) without visiting, funny thing he got an offer for identical course to his cousin on the same day, they went to offer day together and both declined their offer - but a lovely Uni, shame they don't do medicine!

Proud I know someone waiting on Birmingham too.

[Minikew]

We are waiting for Birmingham too. Not really hopeful of this despite good grades, lots of work experience etc. I think Birmingham are similar to Nottingham when selecting for interview and DD was recently been rejected by Nottingham without interview. I feel that the whole process has been very disheartening. Think DD will seriously have to think if she wants to reapply next year.

[Movingmountains]

We did visit all the choices despite the difficult logistics of it. We narrowed it down to 8 based on entry requirements but this then changed when DS did so much better in UKCAT than he imagined he would. With my older DS I learnt that they can take instant dislikes to places (Warwick!) and as unless they are very lucky for medicine they won't get much of a post offer choice. It did allow us to eliminate some he didn't like - Cardiff and Leicester he really disliked and wasn't wowed enough by York to justify the long distance. I suppose I was worried that if heading visited somewhere and it was his only offer and then he didn't like it on the post offer day it would have been a problem. I agree though it is very expensive doing the open days and very time consuming!

[Woodenhillmum]

I know that the course and the style of the medical school vary and my d looked into this but I think she would have been delighted and considers herself very lucky to have had any offers .Obviously some geographical locations would have been easier than others .Perhaps we should have visited more but maybe not if first impressions are putting students off.

[Movingmountains]

Minikew sorry to hear about your DD's Nottingham rejection as well. Dint give up hope on Birmingham - no news is good news as not a rejection! Have you heard from the other 2?

[swingofthings]

2B1Gmum, DD hasn't officially said that Manchester had taken first place, I think she is waiting to see if she gets an offer before even starting the process of fully considering it. She left the interview feeling it had gone very well and quite positive. We didn't practice for this interview as she was still too much under the weather, she just spent 1/2 hour before going in reading the documents she's put together before for her first interview.

She couldn't tell me anything about the stations as they are told not to divulge anything even to parents!, but I gathered the format of it was what suits her best. She really loved the city. She's always be attracted by the excitement of big places, but having always lived in small size towns, I think she found Manchester a better size and buzz than London.

[2B1Gmum]

Swing, sounds like your DD has her head screwed on (as my mother would say), great to have SGUL and I think there are lots of positives to being in a London Hospital, part of University of London and on a tube line! Equally, my friend also liked the size of Manchester as a city.

I suspect not over doing interview practise is a good thing, we decided against any courses as DD doesn't want to sound too rehearsed. I am sure for some they are a confidence booster but one applicant I know got the giggles in a serious scenario station because they knew it wasn't real.

Absolutely right not divulge, I know slightly more about HYMS than I learnt on the open day and haven't said anymore than is out in the public domain.

I have heard some bizarre ideas from people over thinking i.e. that the lovely students that help on the day are part of the selection process - which I am 100% positive is not the case; it is unethical apart from anything else..

DD has her folder too, she is just a bit anxious about a geography deadline for A2 work that counts for 20%.... she is going to ask for a couple of extra days as it is a school deadline not the exam board - they want it back the day after her UEA interview which is a week today. She is hoping they will give her until Wednesday. Glad Manchester is half term, although she had forgotten we are staying over, I hadn't [schock].

[LoniceraJaponica]

Update. DD's interview is going ahead. Phew!

[adrinkofwater]

Great Lonicera! When is it?

If anyone has interview this week - hope they go well!

[muddlethro]

Yay 😀!!! After what must have been a very tense weekend for you Lonicera, you must be very relieved...! Hope it goes really well too... 🤗

[innertiger]

Great news Lonicera! There's enough to contend with, without admin hiccups getting in the way

[Skiiltan]

LoniceraJaponica - I'm glad to hear your daughter's interview is going ahead. But it would be useful for others to note that multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) are difficult to rearrange to slot in an extra student who wasn't expected. Your sons/daughters should be careful to respond to requests to confirm their attendance: if a medical school has a limited number of interview slots available and doesn't think someone is coming they may well put someone else in their place to avoid having interviewers sitting idle. (MMIs are very expensive to run and questions are asked by the people holding the purse-strings if slots are left unfilled.)
We also have a problem later in the interview season where applicants who already have an offer from their first choice decide not to attend an interview elsewhere but don't bother to tell us. This leaves slots unfilled that could have been given to someone else who had to be rejected without interview, and again costs us money. It is also unprofessional, as well as being plain rude.

[LoniceraJaponica]

I feel sufficiently chastised now.