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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Medicine 2019

999 replies

kaykay72 · 05/06/2018 16:32

Hi,

Does anyone here have a DC applying for medicine to start in 2019? It would be nice to meet others as we embark on uni visits, predicted grades, UKCAT etc

We’re in Kent, d is planning to visit kings, UCL, Nottingham, Sheffield and Newcastle at the moment. She really wanted to go look at Belfast but they want three A’s plus an A at AS level but won’t accept her additional qualification in place of this (despite it having a higher UCAS tarriff). We went to an open afternoon at BSMS which she liked more than she thought she would, so is pondering the BMAT.

I have two older kids (well, adults now), one of whom has just finished his masters, the other just completed his first year elsewhere, but medical applications are just so complicated in comparison to their experiences at this stage.

Hope to hear from others in the same boat :-)

OP posts:
mumsneedwine · 24/10/2018 21:51

And to be aware that for current first years and beyond this could all change as they are talking about bringing in a national exam to rank students for F1. So who knows !

goodbyestranger · 24/10/2018 22:05

Yes mumsneedwine according to DS a lot of the bigwigs aren't fans of this system and are much keener on a national exam. I don't see that that will change students' approach to their programmes though. They'll still need to keep their eye on the ball from the outset. If the system changes there will be some obvious winners and losers but not a bad idea to work steadily from the start.

peteneras · 24/10/2018 23:15

Thanks all for the compliments.

It must be said Medicine is a constantly evolving science and good medical schools are forever looking what's happening around them and more importantly what's likely to happen in years ahead of them and would react accordingly. I was tempted to say in my last post that the foundation programme as we know it today may be consigned to history by the time bellylaughs' DD graduates. But on second thought, the present system was born not all that long ago and therefore, is likely to remain the same in the foreseeable future no doubt with subtle changes here and there.

This video - goodbyestranger take note the author is in the same cohort as your DS, but one year younger than mine - explains brilliantly the roads ahead for medics after graduation and the various career paths one can take.

Monkey2001 · 25/10/2018 14:24

Ali from 6med is great. I find it extraordinary that he did not get into the academic stream he wanted for FY1/FY2!

Monkey2001 · 25/10/2018 15:14

SO… the UCAS stats are out and medicine applications are up by nearly 10%. 22,340 compared to 20,730 last year. Shock

www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/record-number-applicants-early-deadline-university-courses

bellylaughs · 25/10/2018 18:08

Yes @peteneras thank you very much for the very informative reply. I realise it is a bit early but really she’s just trying to make sure that she doesn’t need to worry about that aspect when choosing which unis to apply to. It seems from yours and the other replies that she doesn’t, so that’s one less factor to have to weigh up when deciding where to apply to.

@monkey2001 That statistic about increased applications is a bit concerning Shock

Monkey2001 · 25/10/2018 18:14

Yes, there are just under 7,000 places for home students this year, so there will be a lot who do not make it.

mumsneedwine · 25/10/2018 20:01

Deep breaths everyone. Same happened last year and applications went up after people saying it would be 'easier' as a low birth rate year. Keep the thought, you only need one offer.

alreadytaken · 25/10/2018 20:43

Very sensible (if unusual) for anyone entering medicine to think about the Foundation programme. At the moment those who have an extra degree get extra points and you also get points for publications/ conferences. However half of your points come from the Situational Judgement Test.

However the process will be different for this years intake with the national exam coming in from 2022 student.bmj.com/student/view-article.html?id=sbmj.j2227
I dont know the detail of the new system (does anyone?) but the Situational Judgement Test will still take place and probably still count for half your points.

There is also an Academic Foundation Programme, that has slightly different criteria and the SJT is less relevant. No idea how that will change with a national exam.

I think all you can say about the future is that quite a few students have partners to consider by the time they apply. That may influence where they want to be. They may also value familiarity with the hospitals/ area they have come to know quite well in 5 or 6 years. House prices are often lower outside London and you can live within walking distance of your hospital if you wish.

I wouldnt let concern about returning to London affect decisions on where to apply. By the time students are 23 or 24 they may see the advantages of not living in London. Medical schools like Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Oxford, Southampton are only short train rides away. Also the Foundation programme is only 2 years, then they may decide to be gps.

Incidentally some London students also run cars as there are still hard to reach placements, although perhaps fewer of them and some with accommodation available. London is a very expensive place to live so I still wouldnt recommend it. Both Imperial and UCl have the same drawbacks as Oxbridge in terms of patient contact, there is little more than Cambridge for the first 3 years. I

oneteen · 25/10/2018 22:23

peteneras - Thank you for posting the video - really helpful...and thanks to everyone else too for their informative posts.

Its good to see so much interest in medicine with the increased applications this year...although it does make the application process so much more competitive.

mumsneedwine · 25/10/2018 22:55

It's always competitive. But I'm sure your kids are ready. This time last year I remember thinking that one measly interview would do. Loved Sheffield for releasing their UKCAT cut off about now.
We have no medics in family and are pretty working class but my DD made it to Notts. Where she is having far too much fun ! Keeping everything crossed for you all as know how hard it is when their friends are getting offers and everyone is telling you it will be ok as you kid is bright. Everyone applying for medicine is bright !

swingofthings · 26/10/2018 08:27

Getting into medicine is a tick box exercise... with a long list to go through. This is how DD saw it, tacking each item, one at a time, a few together, ticking those she managed, rewriting the list when she took a step back. It feels endless and that's the feeling we parents go through with them.

For this reason, I think it's very important to remain flexible and open minded. Quite a few posters ended up in a different place than they thought or hoped to be at this time last year yet are very happy. Others have learned a lot from their errors and have readjusted the process through the list.

Some find the academic side of it easier, others find the interviewing side easier. Some find neither easy! All they can do is prepare themselves as best as they can with the maximum knowledge into the process. That and keeping nerves of steal! Good luck to the all 2019 students.

Movingmountains · 26/10/2018 08:38

I echo what mumsneedwine says! You have pretty much a year of anxiety ahead - constant nagging doubts, obsessive checking of TSR. Until I found this thread, thought I was going insane! Just be there for your DC - whatever it’s like for us, it’s so much more stressful for them. My DS described himself like a swan - Calm on top but furiously paddling underneath! Also bd here for one another on here as it makes it whole lot easier knowing you have support as I found that non-medic parents just don’t get the whole struggle. I also got ‘but he’s so clever he’s bound to get in!’. In my village there are 2 other families with medic children but they both failed to get a place first time round so I was well aware of the difficulties. It is a hear of huge ups and downs - you just have to keep fingers crossed it is the huge ups that count in the end. Good luck ladies to you all and your DC 🤞

swingofthings · 26/10/2018 11:24

Oh the 'but they are clever of course they'll get in' added with a nod of the head with the non verbal clue that they think you are totally dramatising the whole thing... I had it from most of the family, fiends and even clueless teachers so infuriating!

And then of course you then get the 'I told you so afterwards' with that same nod of the head even more vehement!

Totally agree that coming here was such respite!

Monkey2001 · 26/10/2018 16:28

@swingofthings - love the Freudian slip on family and fiends!

swingofthings · 27/10/2018 13:32

Haha Monkey indeed, as good as it gets :)

Monkey2001 · 27/10/2018 16:54

Who is enjoying the BMAT prep?!

Trying to drag DS out of complacency. Maybe a year out would be a good idea, he might have a better attitude!

HostessTrolley · 27/10/2018 22:55

Half term happened. I think BMAT prep will resume with a tinge of panic once tomorrow’s probable hangover settles down 😂

Monkey2001 · 29/10/2018 10:47

We have half term this week, which is nice as there is half a week of holiday post-BMAT where the only stress is worrying about results.

mimiasovitch · 30/10/2018 07:30

We're also in half term. Dd did go to a party on Saturday night, which I was pleased about as she is so focused she seems quite disconnected from her friends now. At least after tomorrow she can take the rest of the day off to do nothing. It's mad really, one of them is working constantly, whilst dd2 has to forcibly chained to her desk with her phone hidden away. I'd have hated to have dd1 as a sister.

Monkey2001 · 30/10/2018 09:32

Mimi - hope DD2 is proud of her sister. I was proud of my brainy brother.

mimiasovitch · 30/10/2018 20:56

I'm sure she will be eventually!

Good luck to the Bmat-ers tomorrow.

Monkey2001 · 31/10/2018 08:40

DS very anxious last night, he went to bed at 9:30 and when I took the dog in to help him de-stress, he was propped up in bed with Calvin and Hobbes cartoons trying to forget it all.

Good luck to you and your DCs!

HostessTrolley · 31/10/2018 17:20

Dd said the BMAT today was disastrous. She’s a bit fed up but is taking consolation that her stats are good for her UKCAT choices. Hope everyone else’s DC have had a better day x

mimiasovitch · 01/11/2018 21:31

My dd said 'it was alright' which could mean anything. Not a girl of many words at the best of time. Just a waiting game now. I'm hoping for Bristol though, (not because it's closer, oh no), and her ukcat should get her an interview, so fingers crossed.