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.

@bimkom can I move into your home to bubble? It sounds like the perfect set up for working from home Covid crap!!!!

My DH is not the slightest bit technical and our Wi-fi has been so rubbish 😔 🙄

@ElephantAndButterfly Although DH keeps complaining that he now has technical support at home as a second job to the one he is paid to do [his paid work isn't hands-on anymore, having gone up the organisation it is all about future planning IT needs, as far as I can gather] - and his home clients (ie me, DS and DD) don't care whether they wander in and disturb his work every time something or the other doesn't quite work. And the reality is that I have deskilled since I married DH, because it is not efficient to learn any technical or DIY skills, because he is so much better at them than me (and the problem with calling in handymen is that DH is actually a better handyman in most cases than they are, he just doesn't have the time, but he hates us paying money to have things fixed by someone who then does them less well than he could, so much of it just doesn't get done). So there are downsides. But it is certainly helpful having someone techie around for lockdown.
Still, if the internet goes down or similar during the UCAT, DH won't be able to do anything about it. And a parent coming into the room during the test sounds like it is grounds for immediate disqualification (after the initial, give your consent to the proctor)

Interestingly, by the way, did those of you booking the test in a centre also have to go through the long list of data questions, including whether any parent is a doctor or a medical professional? No in our case, absolutely nobody at all, we realised. A first cousin of DS is a speech therapist. That is the closest we could think of. Also wondered why they wanted to know whether either parent supervised people at work, which felt an odd one. We said yes for DH, although it is barely, because mostly he is involved in strategy, and no for me, because these days I take short term contracts, and so usually providing cover for someone, although sometimes it comes with supervisory responsibility, but the last one didn't (and of course Covid has put paid to any interest at the moment). I couldn't quite work out what they were trying to understand. I do get that a CEO is going to have hundreds of reportees, but not totally sure that how many reportees one has gives meaningful information, but maybe it does.

@bimkom - those questions are just for statistical analysis of whether students from medical families perform better/worse than those with no medical people in the family, whether children of parents in supervisory roles perform better/worse, etc. There are lots of things we assume but don't actually know.

DD booked her test for the end of August at a test centre which is only a few miles away from our house. There wasn't a huge amount of availability, and only 8am slots on a few days she clicked on which she wasn't prepared to consider! Once DD has her score she can get on with selecting the final 4 medical schools. Eek, it's all getting a bit real now...

DD is getting a bit worried after seeing quite a lot of comments on TST saying that Medify if easier than the real UCAT exam.

Does anyone that’s been through this before have any thoughts?
She’s been using Medify mostly, but some questions from the book too. She’s planning to save the UCAT official resources for nearer the time but maybe she should mix and match a bit?

The questions are for Pearson's analysis (sorry, can't link to .pdf documents, but see the UCAT 2019 Technical Report Executive Summary)

The analysis uses the Office for National Statistics classification.
www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/otherclassifications/thenationalstatisticssocioeconomicclassificationnssecrebasedonsoc2010 (Hopefully the right link!).

This thread had fallen off the ones I see. A couple of things:

1 - If the slot your DC got is not what they really wanted, it is a good idea to log in very few days and see if a better slot has come up as it is free and easy to change.

2 - Medify v real thing, in case anybody is interested, we logged DS's scores on Medify in both admissions rounds. Real score was a bit better than Medify both times

Hi, please could I ask for your collective wisdom re choosing a suitable uni? My son had average gcse results (9x1, 8x4, 7x3, 6 x1). Unfortunately he is disappointed with his a level work so far (maths, biology and chemistry) and is scared he may not be predicted 3 xA, although he thinks he can achieve that in the real A level exams next summer
Is gather there is no point applying this year, if the school do not predict him 3 As?
If he does get good predictions this year, he was looking at unis which do not concentrate on gcse grades. He has very strong volunteering (3 years at a care home etc) and work experience which makes Keele look like a possibility. Are there any other places that look for an emphasis on volunteering work experience, personal statement etc? Thanks for the help.

@altmum with those GCSEs nearly everywhere is an option - not Cardiff. He now needs to get a good UCAT and/or BMAT as that is what most Unis focus on. Some will take AAB predictions (know Liverpool did) - look in the 'selection for interview' section on Uni websites. Might need to dig a bit.
I'd suggest Sheffield, Newcastle, Southampton, Liverpool as starters. Get that UCAT score and he will have his choice 😊.

@altmum the only ones he should not consider at this stage are Cardiff, Oxford, Leeds and Edinburgh. Also if he is not predicted at least AAA I would advise him to avoid Exeter and Aberdeen may be dodgy. It would help if he could persuade his teachers to predict at least AAA, but if he is from a non-selective state school, it may be on the list which gets ABB offers from Birmingham and Bristol.

His GCSEs are good enough for all the ones which have a GCSE threshold and no scoring system (eg Sheffield, Manchester, St Andrews) and the ones which just need English and Maths (some of the London ones, Newcastle, Bristol). So it all depends on his UCAT and BMAT if he does it.

Has he been through this - www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2701/msc-entry-requirements-for-uk-medical-schools-2021.pdf

@Millylovespuddles - this thread is nearly full......

Monkey - okie dokes, I’ll get another one up and running
Thanks

Thanks so much for the helpful replies. He is not a widening participation candidate. His school will only inform him of his predicted grades when school reopens in September. He has booked UCAT for 5th Sept in case he has a chance of applying this year. Thanks again for the encouraging replies.

@monkey2001 - I would have queried Birmingham as well. They also score the GCSEs. Their criteria are: 45% GCSEs and 30% UCAT, Contextual factors 25%
When selecting for interviews the following occurs: A/8 or 9 = 4, A/7 = 2, B/6 = 1 English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, plus two additional GCSEs in any subject For each of the two unspecified subjects, a score of 2 will be allocated when an A/8 grade has been obtained. Lower grades will not receive a score. The total GCSE score will be scaled to a maximum of 6.0.
So even assuming that the one 9 and four 9s were in the subjects that can get 4 marks, he will be at least 6 marks behind other candidates. my DS is reluctantly concluding that he cannot go for Birmingham, because he loses two marks for English Literature (in which he only got a 7) even though he would get full marks for the rest, and 25% contextually, as his state comp seems to be one of the few that they don't list. He will review if he gets an absolutely outstanding UCAT, but other than that, it seems that Birmingham is unlikely, and he would do better concentrating on those places that don't require a high score for English Literature.

^four 8s

Sorry that was really not clear - my DS will lose 2 marks because of the English literature, and 25% because of the contextual criteria, because his state comp is not on the list. Hence it does not seem sensible to use up one of his four choices on Birmingham

Bimkom - DS got a 9 in English language, 4x 8 in the sciences and computing, 7 in maths, eng lit, history, 6 in mfl.
I agree Birmingham looks unlikely.

@bimkom - you know that they use school for GCSE results or school for A levels? I thought all non selective state schools were in it - they say that 90% of state schools are in, so your comp must be excellent to not be in it! Have you checked by postcode in case it is entered strangely? The list is here - www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-mds/courses/undergraduate/Medicine-and-Surgery-MBChB/Medicine-Contextual-Institutions-2020-21.pdf

bimkom, the minutiae of the different filters. DD got a poor UKCAT so there was a limited list of places she wanted to go to, and which were likely to consider her. Three to be precise, so she took a flyer on Nottingham and failed to meet the cut by a single point. A higher grade in her Art GCSE, or opting for ICT, which would have been easier. She, third year is currently doing a project which involves putting together information material for patients under the supervision of a consultant. She is the only one who can use the publishing package, learnt in Art GCSE.

Being tactical about med school choices is important, but a wider education rarely goes to waste.

Sadly altmum, DD slid into Bristol when they focused on Personal Statement and EC, and did not use UKCAT. But no more. At the end of the day UKCAT is really important.

@monkey2001 Yes, it is definitely not there. It is a good comp, tends rates highly in the progress 8 scores and the rest. I just checked both Birmingham and Bristol again, and is definitely on the Bristol list, and not on the Birmingham list, even though the Birmingham list is so much longer. I did a wider check for our postcode, and a few of the other state schools in the area, and they are not on the Birmingham list either. The only two that are there are ones that I would definitely put the intake into the seriously disadvantaged category (lot of English as second language, free school meals etc). The one I keep a particular look out for, because DS was originally allocated it (as the crow flies, the closest high school), before he got a waiting list place for the one he actually attended, and it is on the Birmingham list (as it should be, it is rated Outstanding, but the intake is challenging, to say the least). So I would take the 90% state schools with a huge pinch of salt.

@bimkom think Birmingham is about 60% of state schools and Bristol is 40%. Weirdly not the same schools😂.

Are you sure? The medical school or the University. Bristol is very generous with its contextual offers a foundation year, has strong links with local schools, and is traditionally popular with kids from the West Country, Wales and N.Ireland. It gained a reputation, at least in the days when PS was weighted heavily, for being a tricky choice for those from London private schools and big name boarding schools. Ironically the same schools that tend to send coachloads to Bristol for other subjects.

It seems to have relatively few BAME students, probably fewer than say those same London private schools, which might reflect the relatively low BAME population in the South West. But I think I read that the medical school intend to address this.

We have an extremely low BAME population in the SW, which is unsurprising given the economic background. That's why a lot of med schools in more diverse areas grill applicants from the SW so heavily about related issues.

Please can anyone advise? Son had to postpone centre UCAT last week as was unwell. He has had to change to sitting home online exam in a couple of days now because of availability. Is he allowed to use a separate keyboard with his MAC? Thank you!