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 :-)

Newcastle cut-off looks like around 2,700 on TSR thread, possibly higher for partners.

Medicmom, now that the full data is out for the 2018 BMAT, your DS score is very good and may be worth 4/5, if not, should definitely be 3/5, so Leeds looks good for him. I think any of us would be happy with 3/4 interviews.

Any noise from Nottingham anyone?

I'm hoping too @Monkey2001 his stats are enough for Leeds. With 2 interviews he is being very positive. Spoke to admissions at Leeds - they are sending interviews from
17 Dec for interviews in Jan and feb.

Nothing from Nottingham yet @tinkobell - word is that they might start sending invites out today. Dd heard that imperial will be middle of next week but she can’t find anything published saying that

Sheffield went well in spite of my packing failure - he had things on at school so I said I would meet him at station with suitcase, but forgot to put phone charger in as requested! He had to wake up and get to the interview (and survive a 3 hour train journey) without his phone. Luckily he managed fine, but I spent the day feeling so guilty and having "Charlie and Lola visions" - you know the ones where everything goes wrong and spirals out of control because of one little thing!

I am interviewing people next week :).
My Medschool has a policy of inviting people who live near us for earliest dates, could explain the patchy release of dates.
What they should wear: smart trousers + smart dress shirt or blouse + dress shoes would fit in pretty well. Imagine temp admin in a solicitor's office. I wouldn't notice what creases are where. There's nowhere on my scoring sheet to score creases or dress sense.

The only time someone failed on presentation (for me)... she was chewing gum. Through whole interview. Which I found grim.

Hi @Monkey...very glad to hear young Monkeys MMI went well. I think first instincts are normally right.....the more my DD picked over things in her mind, the more self doubt tends to creep in. One down....hopefully a few more to go, so several eggs in several baskets - just need one to hatch! @Medschoolrat - welcome to the anxious mums thread! Don't envy you having to get through so many MMI's .....it's the volume that mind boggling....,.are you willing to divulge if you're a good cop or a bad cop? 😁

Btw....zilch from Notts here yet. I'm thinking interviews must be in the NY now....I do hope so. We'll have a right old panic if it's Pre-Xmas now.

Nottingham interview invitation just received. Given a choice of dates from 10th to 18th December - and didn’t want to go for one a week today!

Sheffield she felt was a mixed bag. A couple went really well, a couple felt quite awkward but overall felt that it just flew past. Kings later this week, still nothing from imperial but happy to have had three interview invites.

Good luck all!

@HostessTrolley great news - it all seems to be happening faster than last year!

Yep. We've got Notts now.....ought to feel chuffed but such late notice from them for this side of Xmas! We can only do one date....I'm alumni, I ought to feel better disposed to them really. 🙁 Sorry, I know that sounds very ungracious but I need to rant a bit. And it's not just cos I can't wrap pressies and stick a tree up.....some major logistics to sort this. Ufff!

Aw Tinkobell - Christmas shopping trip to Nottingham? Well done to your DD!

Thanks Monkey, I suppose there's that. We're in Brum day before so it's like a 2 day Midlands tour. Woohoo! I casually asked DD what the dish of Birmingham was at the weekend - she answered Kedgeree! Kedgeree fgs! I am banging my head against a wall!

I casually asked DD what the dish of Birmingham was at the weekend - she answered Kedgeree!

What?

The correct answer would be balti, presumably. Where did she get kedgeree from? I grew up in Birmingham and the only time I ever ate kedgeree was many years after I left.

I know @Harry, I despair...but it did make me laugh 😁

@Tinkobell - On TSR somebody has been told by Admissions that Nottingham are releasing dates on a rolling programme and if you want a January interview, you can just delay booking until the Jan dates come up. Just a thought, maybe your DD does not like to change plans.

Just a note to anyone who may possibly be as dumb as me. Dd is going to Sheffield in her own, so booked the train and hotel. Used hotel.com so I could use Tesco vouchers. Except that once booked I noticed that as a 17 year old they couldn't allow her in a room on her own. Called the hotel to plead for an exception but no. She's only two months off 18, but hey ho. Cancelled the booking, no refund of vouchers and booked with premier inn, who were fine with her coming alone. That's what you get for trying to save a few pennies.

Kings interview tomorrow. DD feeling under prepared as not had a lot of time available due to mock exams and other school stuff. Any advice for first MMI interview!

2 more interviews 1 st week of January , Manchester and Brighton at least has time to prepare for those. Only UCL left to hear from.

Good luck to everyone's DCs who have already had an interview or are having one soon.

You are not supposed to be able to prepare, so she should not worry. The headline tips are:

• If meeting patients or role-playing, introduce yourself as a doctor would.
• Look people in the eye (but don't stare them out obvs!)
• Listen carefully to what you are being asked and don't anticipate what you think they are asking
• Don't rush into answers.

All obvious things which can slip if nervous. Good luck to her!

@mimiasovitch - what a blooming pain! In actual fact, the premier inn is v nice. She should eat the breakfast there though as there's not much dead nearby. Get her to ask for a room a the rear - they are quieter. Also a cab - it's not walkable to gt Northern from there at all.....the uni recommend a firm who are good - all mobile contact. If she's alone I'd grab a meal at the station to scoff, there's a Nando's etc 10 mins away but a bit quiet to walk there alone.
@Monkey - thanks for the info re Notts but we are booked in now - brum on day, Notts the next.
Re: general advice for MMI's ....go for quality and not quantity. Have 2 or 3 things to say which are really good, rather than cramming a load of random rubbish. Best of luck!

mimiasovitch, as Tinkobell said, taxi is great value but there are also lots of buses - DS got 88 to Gt Northern which took 15 mins. Coming back into town after the interview the bus was full of smart young people coming back from interview and they all enjoyed being able to unload on eachother and confirm that the ethics guy was confrontational to all of them! Bus pass is £1.20 for the day - love the northern prices!

@Monkey2001 - - If meeting patients or role-playing, introduce yourself as a doctor would.

You - or, rather, your daughters/sons - need to be very careful about this. In some places the instructions for role-play stations explicitly state "you are not a doctor". I've given people scores of zero for pretending to be doctors on role-play stations that are explicitly about determining their ability to engage with people as a caring human being should be able to. And I am by no means a hawkish interviewer.

Sorry, I did not mean to introduce yourself aa a doctor but as as a doctor would, just to say "Hello, my name is ........ "

when I said prepare I meant it in terms of thinking about what questions may be asked. Current medical/ ethical issues, the role play scenarios she may have to do etc. As she has not had the time to focus on it until now. DD knows not to give loads of overly rehearsed answers.

Some great advice thank you.

@Nightowl .....this isn't an avoidance to help you ....BUT, I genuinely think it's hard to say that your DD ought to revise all the usual suspect topics like voluntary euthanasia, social care etc because they may or may not come up. We've only had Sheffield so far and they were very prescriptive in their notes but others might not be so. Can she meet with a friend who might also be applying ....that's what DD did and found handy?