Medicine 2021

[Millylovespuddles]

Hi all
It looks like there’s no medicine 2021 entry thread yet, so it might be an idea to get the ball rolling.
My DD is getting stuck into her A level course, doing well so far, but I’m guessing we parents could do with some mutual support and advice from parents who’ve been here before.

Sorry to butt in again, but in case it helps:

1. UKCAT is, as much as anything, a speed test. Practice and familiarity with question formats, helps. A good UKCAT score makes everything a lot easier, and allows you a greater choice of courses, so it is worth putting some effort in.

1. When looking DD discovered that St Andrews + clinical in London was far less popular than staying in Scotland for clinical because it is way more expensive for Scottish students who then have to pay fees on top of living costs. But quite an attractive option for a Londoner who like the idea of three years at University followed by a London teaching hospital.

1. Brexit will have had some impact on Edinburgh's recruitment. The students we know who went there were, without exception, very bright London based Europeans, who would probably have been fee exempt. Edinburgh will both want a proportion of English/International students to maintain its fee income, but will also be looking at who they want to fill places if interest from Europeans fades.

1. The best "value" medical school in terms of your application succeeding in from mainland UK, is probably Belfast. It was the "fall-back" for someone we knew and she has really enjoyed it.

Hi, can I join please? I have been following the 2020 entry thread and have been impressed by the knowledge and support that posters there have shown, I hope we can do the same here.

My DD achieved 9A* and 5A at GCSE and is currently enjoying her A-level courses. She's completed 8 days work experience in various departments at a hospital, it was actually a day in a cancer unit that convinced her that she wanted to become a Dr. A UCAT practice book was on her Christmas list so I guess she's serious about her application. We have a parents evening next week so we'll find out then how realistic it is for her to be looking at Medicine.

We've been to one open day at our local uni but DD knows that she will have to apply tactically to stand a chance of getting in. She doesn't want to visit an open day, fall in love and then realise her UCAT score won't be good enough to be considered. Therefore, she plans on sitting UCAT early in the summer and then attending open days next September before deciding where to apply.

It's scary to think that this time next year they'll be waiting to hear about interviews/preparing for interviews...

It’s going to be a busy year and a half!
We had a quick whistle stop tour around 4 of the Scottish universities, as travelling from NI, we just can’t spend many weekends looking here and there.
My DD is starting to narrow down her choices, and seems to favour the traditional/ integrated methods of teaching. Her big difficulty is if she does the UCAT and BMAT. She likes the look of Leeds. And Cambridge has been mentioned - with big reservations. There is still the north/south debate and whether it’s the right place for a person with an Irish accent! Academically she is great, but doesn’t feel totally reassured that it would be the best fit for her.
Anyway, thankfully we are some way off that stage yet, but she doesn’t want to waste an application on somewhere she doesn’t feel she’ll get an interview.

Cambridge interview lots so she has a great chance with her GCSEs. In fact everyone on here has amazing exams so they have started their journey really well. Medify is good for UCAT prep but most only do a month before - so finish A levels, go on holiday then prep for UCAT. Timing is crucial and learning to guess well is vital. BMAT easier to revise for as knowledge based. Still tough.
And I know I'll be shot down in a rush of flames but none of DDs friends at med school have 4 A levels and some went to v expensive posh schools. So not needed (but please do if want).

Open days in spring are useful to have a look - time is tight in autumn if want to do a few as dates clash.

Thanks Mumsneedwine, but the big question for her is if she should consider Cambridge at all.... they still all come out as well qualified doctors and start on the same pay. It is very possible that she would enjoy being a student elsewhere more, without the pressure of getting in and the pressure of being there. I can help advise her, but I definitely don’t want to be the one to make the cal!

It's a very different style of teaching for first few years. No patient contact and very science based. No advantage going there when applying to F1 so if not her style of learning then why apply ? Some schools do 'encourage' Oxbridge applications as it makes their stats look good, not because it's the best course for the students.

Definitely apply to the 4 courses she likes the best as that's what matters most.

mumsneedwine just curious but exactly how much do you know about the Oxbridge courses? Your comments don't line up with DS's, who is actually an Oxbridge graduate and doing pretty well. I mean, I know zilch about the Nottingham course so never say anything about its merits or otherwise, if there is an otherwise. Also, sometimes these young doctors need to look beyond F1, where certain unis may well bring an advantage. But I'm not going to cross swords with you on this because I know that your view is that all doctors are utterly equal.

Also it sounds as though OP's DD - although she could clearly be in the frame with 11A* - isn't interested in Oxbridge, which is entirely valid. But some kids might be interested and I just think they should hear the views of those who actually know about course content and the overall experience, because Oxbridge must offer something pretty coveted or they wouldn't be as absurdly competitive as the stats confirm that they are.

Yup. All graduates of medicine are equal when applying for F1. No one knows where they went as it's pints based only.
And I spend a lot of time with Oxbridge out reach staff so know more than I will ever need to about the courses and how they teach. They are both fantastic at helping students from comp schools apply if they want to. Some do, some don't.
UEA has the best hit rate of first place F1 positions last year.

Pints based sounds better 😂😂

Yes I've done time with outreach too.

Oxbridge has a fab programme for undergraduates. Why callow 18yr old think they need early patient contact goodness knows. As a current patient I can say that they can be a massive irritation although I always allow them in, out of benevolence. Having just had to sack a couple of doctors from my case because of professional incompetence I can confidently say that there are some really poor quality doctors out there, so having a good grounding in science in unlikely to go amiss. And thematurity gained by the age of 20 or so when patient contact becomes an everday reality doesn't go amiss with patients who have a degree of common sense, even as laymen, and don't think all medics are marvellous (they're not; too many are not competent and have an inflated idea of themselves).

I know some people on here are quite assertive with their views, but surely this is a useful platform to gather information and advice from experienced MNers.
I know I, and I’m sure many more, value the comments on a wide range of courses, universities, application stories, successes and pitfalls - so please keep ‘em coming!
Thanks all

Callow 18 yr olds plural - sorry.

Oxbridge is great. Other Unis are great. Medicine is great. Go where you like. You'll end up a doctor.

Milly that's the point. A range of views is useful for those DC who don't want to be told my DC's way or the highway. I've got a bit cheesed off with the nonsense spouted on here in recent years, dissing 'elite' med schools. Might as well fight back, especially when the views espoused aren't based on direct experience.

You could end up a doctor with a less good quality training though mumsneedwine. I'm not clear that your'e not doing a Boris, avoiding the question: what experience do you have of the precise nature of the Oxbridge medical courses?

(Might as well do a Marr and try again).

I have 17 years experience of helping students apply for courses at Oxbridge from
disadvantaged backgrounds. What experience do you have (besides your own kids ?). Actually, I don't care. You love Oxbridge. That's great. I quite like them too for kids who want to go there
Other undereducated medics I'm sure will somehow find a way to have a career.

A lot of people turn to this type of thread as medical applications are so foreign to most of us who haven’t been through it before ... any and all help is a worthwhile read, even if it doesn’t apply directly.

”UEA has the best hit rate of first place F1 positions last year“
Where can l get this information? My DD is interested in medicine but knows nothing about how F1 positions are obtained.

And after F1 does it really not matter which university you went to? A prestigious university such as Oxford might carry some weight with interviewers? No?
Surely Oxbridge medicine must make some difference. If not, why is it so competitive?

Same (almost) mumsneedwine. My DC are irrelevant, except for the medic DC but my experience generally in in the same ball park.

Makes no difference where degree is from. Look at GOSH and see where their consultants studied - you'll find it's a selection of Unis from around the world. But again this is boring and not about Oxbridge, it's about getting into the right medical school for each student.

Good luck to everyone with kids applying.

Of course the training you get makes a difference Egdi. And also there's a lot of nonsense said on these threads about how the 'traditional' courses attract applicants who possess few people skills who'll be doomed to a life of medical research (very lowly thought of, by implication - never mind its utility). Whereas DC who want early patient contact are the lovely ones, far superior to the nerdy Oxbridge and Imperial types. mumsneedwine may need to be disabused about quite a number of things because Oxbridge medics do seem to do very much better on the whole in terms of career and one would assume that that's because they're pretty smart a) and b) have had a good grounding in science and do actually know what they're talking about. They'll be a bit stultified on the career front if they can't actually talk to other human beings but I have to say that my experience is that the vast majority are more than equal to the task. They also seem to have time to do all the things mumsneedwine prizes so highly: drink! snog! party! etc etc. If a DC can go to any of the top unis, please don't let the inverted snobbery on these threads put them off.

We're talking primarily about the options for UK unis here mumsneedwine. Of course the top unis attract excellent doctors from overseas - absolutely right that they should.

Egdi this has all the info about F1 in. Takes a bit of deciphering.