Medicine 2019

[kaykay72]

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 :-)

ItsTheKissing the formula is on the Pre-Clinical website. If your DSS's GCSEs are very strong he may get an interview with that score - it's certainly not out of the question.

@ItsTheKissing Oxford has a very transparent formula, so if his GCSEs are really good he will be fine. His BMAT score is:

S1 =(5.3-1)*5 = 21.5/40
S2 = (5.4-1)*5 = 22/40
S3 = ( (2x3)+5)*4/3 = 14.7/20

Total 58.2

There were a lot of successful candidates in that band last year and the scores are significantly lower this year, so yes - he has a good chance if his GCSEs and PS are good enough.

www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/statistics

Monkey DS1 is an Oxford medic. The personal statement is wholly irrelevant to any decision making. The GCSEs will play into the score though, as I mentioned above.

@goodbyestranger 9A* and 1A

I'd also advise caution about the lower average. The lower average generally certainly doesn't mean the Oxford average score is lower. These are the aggregated results remember. It's fair to say that the DSS's score is likely to be on the cusp, and will need a strong set of GCSEs to pull him over into the interview group. Good luck to him though. Once at interview there's everything to play for and the BMAT score will recede.

Those are really good GCSE results ItsTheKissing. He may well be called up I reckon. I hope he's not disappointed - it's very hard to see them disappointed. Those are by no means poor BMAT results though - fingers crossed.

Thank you @goodbyestranger and @Monkey2001. I appreciate your advice.

He actually needs to focus on his interviews; he has two coming up at Bristol and B'ham..... an offer for medicine anywhere is a winner!

@goodbyestranger you may not realise how much lower the top BMAT results are.

Last year 13% got over 6 in section 1, this year only 7%. There are a lot of applicants on TSR who were very disappointed based on performance in practice papers. It makes a complete mockery of the normal distribution approach - they might just as well have published marks. In fact they failed to make a normal distribution out of section 2 which makes me think the scores were very bunched up.

I meant to say lots of disappointed Oxford applicants

I do realise Monkey but extrapolating from a year when the LNAT average crashed and yet the Oxford average didn't, I think it's wise to advise caution. The numbers undissected can be misleading at the top end.

I mean, obviously I could be wrong too :)

What is LNAT?

It's the law aptitude test, also administered by Pearson and taken across a number of universities (the number has fluctuated over the years). Also directly comparable to the BMAT in that the average score to get an Oxford interview is one figure and the average score among those who get an offer is always higher.

And the average LNAT score - since, like the current BMA, it's taken by a range of abilities - is always significantly lower than the average score to get an Oxford interview.

So DD not happy with her BMAT 4.4.

4
4A
She doesn't think it will be good enough for UCL. Which she is preferred over kings.

However the good news is that she now has an interview for manchester.

Nightowl did you see the averages I posted yesterday which have been published on the UCL website? 4.2, 4.5, 3.1A so her score is pretty central within the UCL applicants. I think that means that it depends on the rest of her application, but given her success with the others, she must have put together a strong application, so would not assume she will not get an interview.

And congrats for Manchester!

Monkey- Yes I did see the stats you posted so DD s scores are average, but think UCL will be looking for above average scores.

I think your DS has good scores along with several others on here. So we'll done to do all of your DCs.

Hoping dds score will be good enough to secure an interview at Brighton, will have to wait and see.

She is happy about Manchester thank you.

Nightowl, your DD getting an 4 on the essay will make the difference and based on the previous years should definitely get her an interview at bsms. she might not have if she'd got an 3 at the essay.

So DSS didn't get an interview at Oxford (expected) but has one at Manchester. Really pleased for him as three interviews now.

Bristol was this morning...... still waiting to hear from him.

Hi ItsTheKissing. Bad luck for Oxford, and fingers crossed this morning went well. Hope he makes contact soon!
DD has Bristol in Jan, and heading up to St Andrew's tomorrow. I think I'm more nervous than she is!

Sorry to hear that too ItsThe Kissing. I hope your DSS isn't too upset and in particular that it didn't affect this morning's interview too much - the timing isn't great.

Luckily I think the ejection came after the interview!
@hoodiemum I hope your DD gets on well tomorrow. Where is her first choice?

That would be 'rejection'

Bristol is DD's top fave currently, but I think she would be v happy to get in anywhere, to be honest. I'd not even thought of ejections (!) arriving just at the wrong moment to knock confidence for the next hurdle - that could be horrid. Glad timing was OK for your DSS. Although I'm sure it's disappointing, it sounds as though he's done fantastically getting interviews for all the others.