Medicine 2019 - Part 2

[Monkey2001]

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

My dd made it and will be off to Newcastle after a gap year but the randomness of it all strikes me ; she ended up with A, AA with the A in by far her 'weakest' subject where she had really struggled to get her prediction up to an A to enable her to apply for medicine whereas her strongest (humanity) subject throughout ended up as an A. Before results she refused to discuss what she would do if she didn't 'make it' but I felt it was important to have some kind of backup strategy - I thought nursing (Manchester seem to have a great paediatric nursing course) or midwifery - if you choose the course carefully you get a BSc and then could apply as a post grad to medicine if she still wanted - and could work as a nurse in the holidays - you do need to do a minimum number of hours a year to maintain your registration - but think how good you would be answering some of the medical school interview questions with the experience as an NHS nurse/midwife. Good luck and best wishes to all who didn't make it first time round.

@Newgirls it is totally sensible. Medics can only put 4 medicine choices down so the universities expect a 5th which is not medicine. My son got no medicine offers, but got a 5th choice offer even though his PS was all about medicine. If in doubt check with St Andrews Biology Admissions as she will want to do a medicine PS.

Good point Monkey about the biology PS - will ask (or rather suggest she does).

Good post cbs. Paediatric nursing would suit my dd I think she should look into it - I didn’t realise they specialised that soon.

Round we go again, BMAT done on Saturday, UCAT booked, trips to Scotland planned.....

Keep the faith Monkey. You have the advantage this time around. Will be keeping everything crossed for Monkey Junior and you x

Really good luck to the guys putting together another UCAS application. Hopefully less exhausting now they know the ropes a bit.
And good luck too to everyone taking kids off this weekend. May they settle in happily and not completely destroy their livers!
DD started two weeks ago (Scotland) and has been throwing herself into every sport and drinking session available. It's now catching up with her a bit, and her first dissection lesson has completely freaked her out. She's dreading the next one, and is thrown by the fact that everyone else seems to have no problem with it. Hopefully she'll get her head around it soon. Other than that, all good though. The things she'd thought she'd be bothered about have been fine. Exciting times!

@hoodiemum I would still be freaked out by dissection, can't imagine how it would be for an 18 year old!

Glad to hear she is settling in well. St Andrew's is now DS's top choice for this year provided UCAT (later this morning) goes OK. Would be really keen to keep hearing how things are going for your DD and any tips she may have.

@Monkey2001 Ooo, got everything crossed for him today!

Some stuff on St A:

• the department - staff, older students and her cohort - super-friendly, and there's a 'pal' system where freshers are linked up with older medics (she's hoping this will be her opportunity to talk through her dissection stresses, although of course there are official tutor/counsellor people she knows she can turn to if nec).
• Her halls are only 3 mins walk from lectures (although you can't choose specific hall, just whether you want catered or not, ensuite or not, so it's slightly luck of the draw)
• Hall is extremely well organised for social events to make freshers welcome (huge contrast with DD1's experience elsewhere), although her corridor of 8 is not at all friendly - mostly 2nd years who she's hardly spoken to.
• Food in catered halls pretty good
• Gym/sports pitches etc 3-5 mins walk from hall
• Sport opportunities great for both serious athletes and give-it-a-go types, with a busy social life attached.
• She's not mentioned the music scene, although when we did our tour more than a year ago, classical music came up quite a bit.
• Med soc organises a ball every year, and there's a wilderness medicine society that takes you off into the Highlands from time to time.
• Student Union events really well attended (the cynic would say 'Well, there's nowhere else for them to go, is there?') and really fun
• It's a place I am really excited to visit her at - beautiful coast walks etc
• She's not found any of the 'them and us' attitude that she (and I) had worried might be a problem - either Scots vs English or public school vs 'normal'. She's come across quite a few who went to boarding schools but everyone's mixing fine. The only issue your DS would need to get his head around is that, after a year off, he'll be 2 years older than the Scottish ones who are coming straight from school.

I realise the things that matter to her are probably not the things that matter to your DS! But happy to try to find out the answers to any questions he has.

Let us know how today goes!

Good luck to your Dd @Monkey2001

Sorry Ds ( autocorrect on the phone !)

Thank you both!

Yes good luck to all those just started- my Dd is now on her gap year but will start at Newcastle next year so any tips and information about the first few weeks is interesting to hear.

Good luck @Monkey2001 ‘s DS

Dd has over a week until move in day but has been excitedly booking tickets fir freshers events - a pirate party on a boat in the Thames, UV Pingpong etc.

Argh hit post prematurely! Sorry for typos

Imperial have two weeks of freshers, the uni one then the med students SU, which have an initiation involving older students and graduates, a ‘mums and dads’ night where they meet their ‘patents’ (allocates student mentors in higher years)

It’s weird as she’s my youngest so the house will be very quiet...

Phew, really good score and band 1.

Looking at St Andrew's, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Leicester. Confident of interviews at all except Edinburgh - will have to decide once they release their scoring system as it has changed this year. Hoodiemum, if you have any further nuggets of St A info, it would be great if you could let me know.

On we go (again).........

Fab news @Monkey2001

That's great Monkey

Huge well done to your DS, @Monkey2001! That's brilliant. PM me any time, and I can update you on anything St Andrews-related.

Well done and good luck to your ds @Monkey2001 .
Going to drop ds to Sheffield tomorrow . He is quite relaxed about it.
Has not booked into any of the freshers thing says will sort once he is there😓

Hopefully will be able to tell you more about Sheffield this time next year.

Very quiet on here, was wondering how your DC are settling in? DD now 7 days into her course , says she’s very busy so limited details other than that there’s lots of work already! No surprise there. Settling into her flat and socialising both with them and via medsoc events .

@sergeantmajormum where is your dd?
Sorry have been on and off mumsnet.

Ds in Sheffield and started his course yesterday. Not much info but says his timetable is quite full and they are going to have vaccinations and blood test soon.
He has joined medsoc and football society.

@medicmom Liverpool. Great city and the social life for freshers seems full on. DD joined medsoc and looking at various sports soc but think she’s conscious of making sure she can fit it all in.

Lol I was just coming to look for this thread

Dd moved in on Saturday (imperial), she’s happy with her room and her flat mates are lovely. They have two weeks of freshers - the medic SU and the uni SU each have their own events. Last night she was at a pirate party on a boat on the Thames organised by the medic SU, followed by a party at a club by the uni SU. Tonight is a pub crawl in scrubs. They’ve started having introductory bits and pieces and were issued with iPad minis this morning which all were excited about. Her cohort is split into four big groups, which are split into subgroups which are split again to form tutorial type groups, my d’s group is of five students, she said everyone is really friendly and she’s feeling happy and positive. Her halls were cheaper than we expected at about £145/week for a single en-suite but she just paid £200-odd for a travel card to get to classes so it balances out. She phoned me this afternoon while she was walking through Hyde park, I miss her loads as I’m now on my own Monday to Friday, but I’m so happy that the early signs are good.

@sergeantmajormum Liverpool is a great city indeed. Ds is heading more towards medic football cricket kind of societys. He had some vaccinations yesterday..... hep b ... I think. Are they meant to have any other?
@HostessTrolley your dd seems to be having fun. How much is her accommodation per year , ds is nearly 6000 / year. London is a great city to be in.
I'm wondering if they will be getting any time off before December?

@medicmom I think £5600 for 39 weeks - the £200-odd for the railcard covers her for zone 1/2 tube up until the Christmas break.

Last night was too much fun - she’s having a chilled one tonight with her flatmate as she’s still feeling rough. She hasn’t mentioned time off before Christmas but has asked me to go up and met her for a meal next weekend which will be nice