Gateway to Medicine- Sept 2019

[Monica53]

Hi there
Anyone any advice regards this course and know if anyone who has conditional offer.
Thank you

Which university? There are lots of gateway to medicine courses. Are you specificaly referring to Dundee's?

Hi
Its Bristol Uni gateway to medicine? Thank you x

Have you (or your son/daughter) applied this year, or are you trying to find out details for an upcoming application?

I don't know anything about it myself, apart from what's on the university's web site. I'm just asking these questions in case they make someone who does know about it jump in.

Hi
Thank you much appreciated. Our Dd has conditional offer for Gateway to Medicine Bristol Uni starting in September. Just anxious about it all as she is stressing about going away from home at moment .

Hi
Our Dd has conditional offer for Gateway to Medicine Bristol- stressing about it all at moment due to leaving home? Just seeking advice etc.. Thank you

Bear in mind that the other students on the gateway course are quite likely to be from similar backgrounds to her, so some of the anxiety about being surrounded by posh kids might be reduced. How far away from home will she be? is there a direct train (trains can be affordable at evenings & weekends even when they're not during weekdays)? Does she have any meaningful experience of doing cooking, laundry, etc.? Being confident with those things can make a big difference, especially when she finds other students in her accommodation don't know how to do anything more than heat up a pizza.

My elder daughter is a first year student at present (not Bristol; not medicine). She was clueless about laundry when she arrived, as were all the others in her block, but she was able to do a bit in the kitchen including making bread (which impressed everyone). This gave her a real confidence boost. Owing to circumstances, she also ended up in the cheapest accommodation block. This meant she was with other students who weren't spoilt princesses/precious firstborns and were generally short of money, which made her feel right at home.

Hi
Yep good thinking about group of students on course. It's a 5hr train journey or 1hr flighf(cheaper to fly). Said possibly trip home once a month?.
She can cook and do laundry so hopefully will survive? Just her anxiety etc..though I've heard lots of support? X

Thank you for your assistance- Yep agree with your post in regards to students. Also dd can cook and do laundry so hopefully will be ok.
We are a 5hrs train journey away or 1hr flight(flight cheaper) though said she needs to try to settle in and get to know people x

DD is studying medicine at Bristol though did not go through the pathway. My understanding is that the pathway students form a small and bonded group.

Medics at Bristol appear to be different from the normal Bristol stereotype. Not posh by any means. Quite a lot have medic parents, but equally others are the first in their family to go to University. There are plenty from the West Country, Wales and NI as well as the north of England and elsewhere. I assume this will be more so for the pathway group.

DD is really enjoying her course, and the catchment/hospitals include a good variety from inner city to rural.

The one thing though I would suggest, is that she phones the accommodation office, explains that she will be on a heavily loaded pathway course, and that she is generally nervous about moving away from home and see if they can suggest quieter options. My guess is that the smaller Clifton halls or perhaps city centre, might suit better. People have had varying experiences, but DD found Stoke Bishop (a big student accommodation village a bus ride away from the University) a zoo, plus the need to get into the city first meant it was a pain to get to out of the way placements for 9.00am. And if she is having problems she should request an early transfer. DDs best friend did this and ended up with lovely people second time round. DD in contrast tried to stick it out in her original flat and ended up more and more unhappy.

Is there a university offering the course nearer your home - theres so few 18 year olds this year they are open for late applications on many courses. Dd1 chose to live at home, whereas dd2 chose to be near family

Annie, you need to apply for medicine courses in October. OPs dd must be very impressive indeed to have landed this place. There are not that many Gateway to Medicine courses around.

Instead I would focus on helping her settle. It will be fine. She would not have been accepted if she were not good enough.