Medicine 2020

[EightToSixer]

Ok, so I know it's super early, but I've been hovering at the medicine 18 and 19 threads. DD is keen to apply for medicine in 2020. Is anyone else in the same boat?
I thought it would be useful to share info and stories, it's all a very steep learning curve because despite me now having a PhD and working in a RG university I was late to learning and not a patch on my DD who is very driven and organised.
Hopefully people will find this group and we can share the rollercoaster of the next two years.

Congratulations to your DD2 mumsneedwine! That is great news! She must be very excited to have heard early.

@mumsneedwine, as you know, the interview is the first step of a journey to a successful outcome, so good luck to your DD. I think some no longer interview, maybe Bristol?

.... for vet med

Yes we love that Bristol don't interview so fingers crossed for that. Been here before with DD1 and medicine so know the hurdle race to come. But an interview is the next step so she's grateful to get one. Baby steps, one at a time.

DS1 has just received an interview call from UEA. He's been in a deep funk after the anxiety and adrenaline of UCAT/BMAT/UCAS application drama with school so hopefully this is just what he needs to snap out of it!

Fingers crossed for all the DC here - the next few weeks will be exciting!

Yay @242Mummy - both exciting and terrifying.
DD1 is there on the 26th - she is nervous already so I think it is going to be a looooonnnnnngggggggg 2.5 weeks.
I feel a bit sick every time I think about it - everything is suddenly feeling very very real.

That's great news 242mummy! Hope it raises him up now. It is so tough on them. I didn't really anticipate how tough. I do know what you mean re their emotions being up and down - I KNOW it's early days and so does DD but I can see her checking her emails more often and it's starting to stress me out too. It's only been a few days! We all need a chilled weekend here I think!

Well done 242DS, it is SUCH a relief when the first one comes through,

Congratulations to everyone getting interviews already. My top tip (like mumsneedwine also class of 2018) is make sure you know something about the city where the med school is! At 3 of DS’s interviews he got asked why here? They get so bogged down in prepping the medical stuff that they forget they also need to demonstrate why they want to go to that particular med school and city.

I just want to say thanks everyone for all the advice on this thread. I haven't posted much but I've been following everyone's stories. Well done to all those DC who have interviews. DD1 has an interview at Cardiff so she's really pleased. I am too, because I went there (not medicine though) and I loved it.

Well done to everyone who has interviews

A special hello tomedicineappstress. My DD is a 2nd year in Cardiff, so if you have any specific questions I'll try to answer!

That's really kind of you, pepermintea (I don't know how to highlight people!!). I'm sure she'll have some questions in the build up to January.

Cardiff interviews went out today. 6 of DDs friends heard today, (DDs school is the closest high school to the hospital so they must like local applicants) she hasn't applied there and hasn't heard from any of her places yet.

Fab 4 ur DD, PiggyPokkyFool.

I'm sure your DD can do this, she doesn't need my advice.
What I want to recommend is that... she wants to be there. Know that she wants this job & that a place at this Uni would be great and that she WILL be a great medical student in their specific programme, and all the preparation she needs to do will flow from that mindset.

Reading about interview offers rolling in... I felt a bit that DD hasn't had an offer, but then no one has mentioned getting offers from the places DD applied to (phew) so I think not time to sulk yet. :).

Does anyone know if unis send out rejections at the same time as interview invitations? For example with Cardiff, if they didn’t get an invitation today/Monday, are you just left waiting or is a rejection letter forthcoming? Just getting ready for the next few weeks 😬

I am sure the universities send interview letters in batches. Cardiff interviews till March ( from memory..) so she may get interview letter anytime till then.
Unless you get a rejection letter you are still in the race.
Some universities rank their candidates according to their scoring system and the applicants get invitation letter depending on where they are on their scoring system.

That’s good to know, thanks for that info Prof!

@MedSchoolRat - I apologise if I have the wrong person but I thought you had posted on a few threads over the years and were experienced with the process.
With regards to the interviews, the UEA one surprised us by being so early and they have said they will be sending them for months so not to expect an offer quickly after interview. As far as I can work out hardly any Unis have invited anyone yet.
Is it supposed to be this stressful? If DD hasn't had a rejection I'm assuming she is still in the race.🤮

Piggy- it does not need to be...
We told our Dd to treat it as a two year process and it is not a big deal if she does not succeed first time around.
A lot of well deserving applicants don't succeed first time... it is important to keep focus so they get best grades possible in their A level.

@PiggyPokkyFool - well done and best wishes to your Dd, it is great to have an interview invite this early in the process. All you need is one offer.. and to fulfil it.

No news is good news. It's a very drawn out process - first interview for DD was early Dec and last one was 1st March so waiting to hear was very much a thing. Some reply quite quickly with offer/rejection after interview, some take ages. It is tough to try and forget about it and I'm sure it does affect them a lot during this time but it does get easier as the months go on. Once that one lovely offer appears it certainly will feel less stressful. But it's not easy and we felt it was made worse as people not in the know would tell DD that 'of course you'll get offers because you are bright'. Yes but so is every other applicant !
It's hard when Unis start giving out interviews and you are still waiting (love Liverpool as they send them in same day for vet med - can't remember what they did for med). But until you hear something, you are still in the 'game'. My username is there for a reason 😂

@ProfessorLayton1 - not for DD! She says she is a one time only - if they don't want her this year then she will take the Global Health place. I think this may be influenced by seeing someone 'waste' three years trying and still not get there and it nearly broke them. It was why she put so much effort into the PS for Global - it is the one thing that would not be too much of a compromise for her.
@mumsneedwine - I couldn't agree more about the 'people'. DD says 'thanks but it is harder than you think to get a place' and leaves it there.
Good luck to all - yes one offer and the grades to fulfil it with so much time taken up by the application process, keeping up work experience, finishing off DofE, earning a bit of money tutoring(she enjoys that bit).
I have a DD2 doing GCSEs this year too who often seems to get pushed to the side but she is very independent anyway.

Baby steps Piggy. Was DDs mantra. Worry about the one thing that she could manage at that time, otherwise it becomes too much to process.

@bellylaughs somebody reliable said that Cardiff take about a week to get all their iffers out. We suspect you may need 27 points if you are not contextual this year.

Piggy yes, varies by med school. Newcastle and Sheffield both get all their interviews out in batches over a week and then notify decisions over a week in March, although last year they gave early AAB offers to the people who did best at interview. St Andrews are interviewing from November to March and dribbling out the invitations.

iffers? interview offers!