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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:
sergeantmajormum · 17/12/2018 18:12

Thanks. Despair is too strong, just be nice to hear something (tho the uncertainty isn’t over till August for any of them, is it?). Waiting on Nottingham who have started sending batches and Liverpool who have only sent to internationals. PlanB has always been reapply with grades, work and travel but would be nice to not need it! No news is good news ( or at least not bad news), just the internet gives the very false impression that everyone else is sorted! Need to park it and focus on Christmas!

goodbyestranger · 17/12/2018 18:25

sergeantmajormum things will start to move after Christmas. The pace picks up markedly.

alreadytaken my F1 finishes late on the 23rd, comes home on the 24th and only needs to go back on the 30th, for the 31st. He works in a busy central London hospital and certainly isn't senior. Also, perhaps offer to host any partner as well ?! Even if they don't get Christmas Day itself off, they'll have some time off around Christmas, so it all works out fine.

bengalcat · 17/12/2018 18:51

Senior enough not to work Christmas doesn’t really exist

HostessTrolley · 17/12/2018 20:23

The cuts at Nottingham are quite brutal. They had 3000 applications, of which 1500 progressed to having their PS scored and 1000 interviewed. They are expecting to make about 700 offers. This is what they were telling people at interview today.

goodbyestranger · 17/12/2018 21:06

Hostess one in four success rate isn't too brutal in the grand scheme of things.

HostessTrolley · 17/12/2018 21:41

Put that way, then probably not, and a nice thing to be told at interview (if you’ve got this far you’ve about a 70% chance of an offer), but I’m thinking tonight of people still waiting to hear. Dd is worrying for friends who haven’t had interview invitations yet. She was thrilled to get an email from imperial today, so knows that all of her applications have progressed, but is really feeling for people who want it just as badly and have worked just as hard but have heard nothing in the two months since the closing date other than the initial acknowledgements.

mumsneedwine · 17/12/2018 22:07

Deep breathes. It's a long game and interviews will carry on until April. No news is good news (& even then can be good news -DD has a friend who was originally rejected by Bristol but then offered and now in 1st year). You only need one offer ....

alreadytaken · 18/12/2018 10:18

goodbye your child is lucky. Ask them how many other junior doctors were so lucky - 2 out of 18 sometimes and then it's normal to have to be back for New Years Eve. I wont count on my child being home for Christmas when they are a junior doctor, although obviously I'll be happy if they can make it.

Quite a lot of these potential medics will eventually train as gps - and it would be unusual for all gps in a practise to be working at Christmas. There are some specialties and hospitals where the chance of a consultant needing to work Christmas Day is low.

One of my friend's medic children may be in Australia next year. The message is still to make the most of them now.

goodbyestranger · 18/12/2018 10:20

I probably won't ask DS actually. I'm quite relaxed about it. It's his job.

Needmoresleep · 18/12/2018 13:31

"but I’m thinking tonight of people still waiting to hear"

Yes. MN and The Student Room can feel quite exclusionary for those who are still waiting, though understandable that those with interviews and offers want to share their relief and tell the world.

Who knows who. Position in the alphabet; order of receipt, whatever. It is really not over till its over, and even then if you look at the tail end of last years TSR threads, people are getting offers through till the end of August.

Quite a lot from DDs year applied for medicine. In March three were left hiding in the corner of the sixth form common room. DD had three interviews all in late March and got two offers; one friend got no offers but after a gap year was offered a place at a very respectable/competitive Med School; and the third, again without offers, thrived in his gap year job with a big firm, gaining two promotions, whizzed off to meetings in New York and had a seriously attractive offer to skip University and stay on. He has no regrets at all about not getting into medschool.

That does not make the process any less horrid. Once in there is no sense whatsoever that early acceptees are more able than others. (The big surprise actually was how many missed their offer grades.) I think DD would have got better results had she heard earlier, and I have heard others say the same. It was very hard to cope with the relief of getting a place, and simultaneously gearing up for A levels. But she got the grades she needed and she feels she is in the right place.

Yr13 was really tough. A useful experience perhaps, but not one either DD or we would want to repeat.

One of the nicest things that happened was when DD got an offer, her two friends were the first to offer her congratulations. That takes some maturity.

So good luck to everyone, but particularly those that have not heard anything yet. It is perfectly normal.

Tinkobell · 18/12/2018 16:29

I honestly do think so much will boil down to getting the grades, a decent ukcat/bmat and the work experience. I can see in this process you might get lucky with an early flush of interviews but anything can happen, if a candidate slips a grade it can all change in a flash. At DD's school quite a few candidates that struggled at the interview stage did get places later on with 3 x AAA and a real strongly expressed statement from the school. I don't anyone is resting on their laurels and I think with decent grades there's every hope.

Nightowlpossibly · 18/12/2018 22:07

Early Christmas present! DD got an offer from kings!! Interview two weeks ago. Can't believe we have heard so soon. So excited and happy for her!

mimiasovitch · 18/12/2018 23:29

Well done! That is a lovely gift 🎁

Wandastartup · 18/12/2018 23:37

I am >20 years qualified & this is the first year I’ve had Christmas & New Year off! I’ve only worked Christmas Day once but have worked Christmas Eve, Boxing Day & NYE many times!

Monkey2001 · 19/12/2018 00:05

Nightowl - wow, that is fantastic! Kings must be the quickest interview to offer med school! Indeed, a great Christmas gift. Where is it in the ranking of places she applied to? Star

HostessTrolley · 19/12/2018 08:50

Wow - congratulations nightowl’s dd 😎

My d feeling much better as one of her friends had an email about an imperial interview yesterday, her only interview so far but you only need one offer...

4catsham · 19/12/2018 14:21

OMG nightowl i m delighted to hear your news !We are feeling a bit deflated in our house ..my Dd had interview in Leicester last week,said how nice everyone was and loved the Medical School but felt she did very badly and waiting for a rejection. Trying to keep her spirits up as still waiting to hear from 2 Med schools..and thinking " you d never know "but also trying to he prepared for possible disappointment!I m posting this as a means of letting it out/letting it go as finding the whole thing a bit draining ..and its not my application😖🤪!!I know things have a habit of working out and a gap year and option 5 of Bio med all very positive but sometimes the energy required to keep plodding through this process is hard to come by!!On a more positive note Christmas break 🌲🎅nearly upon us,think we all need a good rest and reminder to self to keep breathing!🙂

3catsandadog · 19/12/2018 14:29

Hi @4catsham ifs its any consolation the one where my DS thought he did the worse at interview was the only one out of the 4 that he got an offer from. I don't think they can really judge he thought he did really well in the others!

Tinkobell · 19/12/2018 15:40

Very very well done @nightowl junior!

4catsham · 20/12/2018 08:27

Thanks 3catsandadog, thats very encouraging and Dd had a bit of good news last night interview at Birmingham, so the roller coaster ride continues!

Monkey2001 · 20/12/2018 08:48

DS had an e-mail from Newcastle yesterday and got excited thinking it was the interview e-mail, but no, it was just about accommodation in connection with his Biomed Sciences offer. Sad

This intense emotional roller-coaster when they should be focused on studying is hard work!

hoodiemum · 20/12/2018 09:09

Yay, Nightowl! So pleased for your DD! And well done for the Birmingham interview, 4catsham Junior.
Wouldn't it be lovely if they could all hear within 2 weeks of interviews? Although I suppose I wouldn't necessarily think that if it was a rejection...
DD has long trek up to a Manchester interview today. Then has to get extended essay finished off before Christmas (the 7th of 11 big items of coursework on the IB, apparently). Then as soon as Christmas is over, mocks revision. Busy times, but still smiling!

Nightowlpossibly · 20/12/2018 11:54

Thank you everyone DD so pleased, and she now feels slightly less pressure for her next two interviews.

Monkey 2001- in actual university rankings Kings is 3rd out of her four choices, but she really doesn't have a strong preference right now. She is grateful for the one offer at the moment. If she gets any more She will decide on offer open days.

4catsham- congrats on the Birmingham interview, and if it helps my DD said she felt she had done badly on a few of the stations at kings,where she felt she rambled a bit. And she still go an offer, I really don't think they can really know for sure how they did, and I think doubts always creep in after the interview.

Hoodiemum- hope your DD does well at manchester today! . My DD has her Manchester interview on 9th January. So hopefully they will both do well.

Monkey2001 · 03/01/2019 12:53

Happy New Year to all of you.

Interview for Leeds came through yesterday, Newcastle today, so that is a full set of interviews due to strategic applications. Newcastle gives a great range of dates to choose from - first time we have had that. Unfortunately they were not offering the afternoon before Leeds - that would have been perfect as Bristol to Newcastle/Leeds is SUCH a long way.

Newcastle booked for 25th Jan, Leeds 1st Feb. Nice gap between Cambridge outcome (expected to be negative) and last 2 interviews.

4catsham · 03/01/2019 14:56

Happy New Year All! Hope everyone has had a chance to recharge your batteries over the holidays.

Delighted to hear your interview news Monkey2001, and you d never know about Cambridge. At least other possibilities there if it doesnt work out, and thats a positive. Sounds like someone will be busy travelling!I ve definitely had the chance to see some places I 've never been to thanks to this whole process,its been a learning curve on so many levels!🤣

Thanks to nightowlpossibly for your kind words, my Dd has put first interview behind her now,happy to have another interview and hoping for Liverpool interview. Keeping up with mantra ..no news is good news and the offer of Biomed at Newcastle is keeping her going it seems!Just the business of trying to work towards those grades now whatever happens!