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Higher education

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Original poster

Medicine 2019 - Part 2

683 replies

Monkey2001 · 24/02/2019 22:35

Oops, looks like none of noticed the old thread was full!

@HostessTrolley @Hoodiemum @4catsham @mamamedic @medicmom @mimiasovitch @Nightowlpossibly @ProfessorLayton1 @Tinkobell @Weaverspin @Itsthekissing @Sluj @Mumneedswine @Movingmountains

Apologies to any regulars I have missed

OP posts:
swingofthings · 29/04/2019 10:41

DD also relied on flashcards. She seemed to have thousand of them! That and past exams. In her case past exams were the most helped because her reasons for not scoring to marks was always as a result of not writing what she knew in the style expected rather than lack of the knowledge of the matter. Doing past papers after past papers got her to understand how to phrase her response and wouldn't have got the grades without it.

Welshmum2000 · 29/04/2019 11:05

Many thanks to you all. Very much appreciated .

ItsTheKissing · 29/04/2019 11:08

Well, decision finally made after a very late offer; DSS firming Bristol (ABB). So head down and revision all the way.

Has anyone thought of living expenses and what they will need weekly after accommodation costs?

HostessTrolley · 29/04/2019 13:49

Imperial put a slide up at their offer holders day advising £50/week for food, £40/week for other expenses - books, entertainment etc, plus £28/week for student oyster for getting around in London x

Tinkobell · 29/04/2019 14:07

Congrats for firming @Kissing. We've started chewing over budgets etc for Sheffield. Plan is to start her off with bulk food dry goods stash. She can earn a slush fund of maybe £500 which will be intended for emergencies- hole in shoe. We were thinking about £70 p/w all in - food, travel etc.....with reviews to see how it goes.

Welshmum2000 · 29/04/2019 14:14

Congratulations Itsthekissing. My DD has firmed Bristol too, but needs the A’s .

Original poster
Monkey2001 · 29/04/2019 14:33

Well done Kissing, Bristol is a great place, he should love it and very nice to only have to get ABB!

My DS found it difficult to get going on revision with no offers as he is very much motivated towards targets, but seems to be OK now.

OP posts:
ItsTheKissing · 29/04/2019 16:55

@HostessTrolley glad he didn't want London as sooo expensive

ItsTheKissing · 29/04/2019 17:00

@Tinkobell we're pushing to get a summer job but he really is not financially savvy and is showing no regard for learning!

He will only get the minimum maintenance loan so we are topping up the accommodation and then thought £50pw or £250 pcm?

He is very lucky in that he has a considerable 'slush' fund saved over the years for him which he got on his 18th so he will have to use this for the shortfall and 'luxuries'.

ItsTheKissing · 29/04/2019 17:01

@Monkey2001 remind me where your DS has an offer; is it imperial? I have lost track of the thread, sorry Blush

ItsTheKissing · 29/04/2019 17:02

@Welshmum2000 congratulations!! It does look like a lovely place to live and work.

Fingers crossed for all the right grades Thanks

Tinkobell · 29/04/2019 17:11

@Kissing ....would the £50 inc food? If yes, then he'll be biting into the savings quite quickly I'd think. If not, then it's a generous sum. We thought a tenner a day all in will take some planning. The thought is some days will be leaner than others then any luck there might be drinks cash end of the week. I got her a change counting jar thing as a bit of a motivator! 😁

HostessTrolley · 29/04/2019 17:17

@itstgekissing - I know rent and travel are expensive in London but £90/week for food and entertainment is more than my boys needed so she’ll have to budget! She’s worked all the way through sixth form and is selling her car to add to her savings pot once results day has passed and we know what’s definitely happening

Movingmountains · 29/04/2019 18:16

My DS is at Sheffield and we give him £250 a month to include food and he manages fine. They don’t really need travel money though in Sheffield as they can walk to Med school from Endcliffe. Med school pay back travel costs to placements.

chachagabor · 29/04/2019 19:11

@movingmountains That’s useful to know. Thank you.
@tinkobell .. Mid revision in our house . Mine has also firmed on Sheffield.

hoodiemum · 29/04/2019 19:26

Our older one, at Bournemouth, gets about £4000 a year, not inc accommodation, supplemented with vacation pub work (she's found it impossible to find term time work so far). Works out at about £80 a week for food, entertainment and travel, inc vacation weeks when she lives at home and so isn't paying for food. It seems to be comfortable with careful budgeting - perhaps she could have managed on £70. About £20 a week goes on Lidl/Aldi food shopping (not including vodka!). I don't know where Imperial students shop, but £50 a week for food sounds a huge amount, except maybe for 7ft rugby players!

Tinkobell · 29/04/2019 21:43

2 weeks to first exam.....the mood here is understandably a bit on the flat side. Planning 18th and summer stuff to lift the spirits! Hope everyone else is managing to keep peckers up.....not easy. Thinking of you and your DS @Monkey; even some of us with offers are finding it all a bit meh through these long weeks.

mimiasovitch · 30/04/2019 15:04

Sounds like few off to Bristol from here. What halls are they looking at? Dd is pretty confused over where to choose, though it seems it probably won't matter as it's unlikely she'll get her first choice anyway. So many conflicting reports abound.

Past paper central here too, plus elaborate mind maps, though as we get closer they'll get fewer I'm sure.

Weaverspin · 30/04/2019 17:07

Anyone else here aiming for Nottingham?

It's all heads down for revision, with a side-dish of booking halls of residence and applying for the loans (and panicking over whether to apply for halls at the back-up uni too!). It's been helpful to read people's advice on how much to budget for living expenses, though if everything works out then DD will be in a fully catered hall for the first year, at least...

HostessTrolley · 30/04/2019 17:38

@weaverspin my eldest went to Nottingham and was in catered halls for the first year. He had about £45/week to cover everything else. He said this gave him enough money to go out (generally a mid week student nights at a club in town and halls bar at weekends) and cover his day to day stuff, but not enough to go mad, he had to think and budget. He said the food in halls was ok and plentiful but could be a bit stodgy and repetitive at times. He didn’t really buy clothes from that money, he tended to ask for things he needed for birthday/Christmas. He went into private rented after the first year.

specialted · 30/04/2019 18:17

Dd currently in Halls at Nottingham. She really hasn't spent a lot of money, think the trams are cheap for transport (£2) and she has pre drinks with friends in halls before heading out to student club nights during the week. She has discovered the hospital restaurant is great for lunches and you can use your meal card there. Halls food seems to be ok, certainly enough of it anyway and you can use any left over lunch card money in the spar shop at the end of the week

Nightowlpossibly · 01/05/2019 00:23

DD just firmed Kings college, with deferred entry.

Now decision has been made, it's head down, and concentrating on getting those grades.

First exam in 3 weeks. Intense revision happening here too, exam and revision timetables up, flashcards, text books, and test papers everywhere. 😊

Good luck to everyone for the coming weeks.

hoodiemum · 01/05/2019 21:56

Just confirmed St Andrews here. No specific halls choices allowed, just preferences of catered or not, ensuite or not. A bit scary how many shared rooms there are, as that would not work well for DD! But apparently it may be mostly the Americans who go for those as it's quite a common arrangement over there. It seems much less under students' control than the system at Sheffield, her 2nd choice. The criteria that actually matter to her are ugly rundown 1960s building or not, and easy walk to lectures or not, but those aren't on the form! This time next week, the first day of exams will be over. I think it'll be a relief for her when they finally start.

ProfessorLayton1 · 01/05/2019 22:46

Nightowl - thought your Dd liked UCL but see that she has firmed Kings, what made her change her mind ?

Nightowlpossibly · 02/05/2019 03:34

Professor- yes DD was keen on UCL and it was a difficult decision to choose between them. However I think the offer holder days changed her mind. Some of her reasons were:

The course at Kings had earlier patient contact this was really important to her.

Intercalation optional at Kings, compulsory at UCL.

Better opportunity to study a language alongside her medical studies. She did Spanish GCSE really enjoyed it and did well. she is interested in taking it up again.
UCL did have this option but on a smaller scale than Kings.

She liked both campuses but prefers where kings is situated.

She felt that Kings made more of an effort on the day, and the vibe was warmer and more friendly.

She did struggle to decide and was going back and forth between them. But in the end she felt kings was the slightly better fit for her. She is happy with her choice.