Medicine 2021 - part 2

[Millylovespuddles]

Following on from the first thread:
DD now has UKAT booked for mid-August. She couldn’t get a driving theory test booked until after the UKAT date, but will keep an eye out for cancellations.
Now, her big dilemma is Oxbridge it not....

@MaddieElla - I'm the same , keep "casually" asking him has he checked his emails etc - which of course he has! I think getting a rejection from Sheffield straight off has shaken him as any other year he would have made the cut so he thought he was applying strategically - I also keep saying no news is good news on the other choices and not to compare himself with the high achievers on TSR; easier said than done I imagine...

Bristol interview just came through this morning for mid-January.

We have also got the Bristol interview - right in the middle of her mocks!

@opoponax so he was right not to worry! Excellent news

Thanks for your good wishes.

It's lovely to hear of more happy news on the way - well done kids!

Ooh congrats to your dc opopnax

Is that a first round interview (UCAT higher than 3,120) ?

Wow, that's still a high UCAT score opoponax. Fingers crossed for your ds.

This means that DD would have been offered an interview if she'd applied there. I think this fact will giver her a mental boost. She's still waiting on rejection/invite from Cambridge and one other Uni now.

Thank you @IsThisNameTaken. Yes I think I do all his worrying for him!

Just got back from work and interview for Bristol in mid January too!!! Fingers crossed the mocks dates work out

May I pop in and ask a quick question please?

DS is considering medicine in 2022, yr 11 currently. He’s still also considering other options and really needs to work out which way to go. His work experience at our local hospital was cancelled this year for obvious reasons.

We have a close friend GP who is finding out about potentially sitting with them for a day or 2.

We’re also looking at work experience / summer schools for summer 2021. Did any of your DC do any and do you have any recommendations or tips please? The ones he has found so far have either been super £££ or free but he isn’t eligible for those.

Thanks in advance (& good luck to your DC!).

Maddie and mazarine- hang in there! Ds only has 1 interview so far with the rest confirming they'll send out invites in Jan. He's happy with 1 for now and this year the process seems to be even longer than usual. But I agree it is frustrating. Congrats to those with Bristol interviews. This thread is fast moving now.

Anyone seeing anything come through for KCL? DD put that one in as a stretch and worried that will be another one that she misses out on with the really high cut offs this year.

@FanSpamTastic my DS has heard of a few KCL interview offers going out to peers but I believe they send them out in batches so doesn't mean that your DD has missed out. Also a heads up that I've heard that lead times can be quite short between interview offer and interview at KCL.
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Lovely to hear of more interviews coming in! Congrats to the Bristol crew!

@MaddieElla @MazarineBlue hang in there, it’s all such a long process this year - hoping for good news very soon.

@Chewbecca such a shame that work experience was cancelled this year. A lot of the DC on here we’re affected too.

I would say steer well clear of anything that costs ££ especially to do with work experience.

I would suggest contacting local care homes to ask about volunteering - I know this wouldn’t be possible now but your DS could start setting this up for when the time is right and he’d be allowed in.

DD had to work hard to get her volunteer role - however found a contact in the activities department who was more than happy to have help. DD would run bingo, do word searches, take her nail varnish and paint nails, serve tea and coffee and lots of chatting. She really enjoyed it. Loads to reflect on too for her interviews.

She also managed to get 3 sets of work experience in a large local hospital by emailing each department. Once she had found the right person they were very accommodating. Sadly only one of these placements happened as the other two were cancelled due to Covid.

DD also had a 5 day placement in our small local hospital with an occupational health team and had a great time, out on visits with the nurses and occ health teams and then sitting in on clinics and physio. This placement was set up via one of my friends which did make it easier, but don’t forget about these smaller hospitals and departments like occupational health. They might be easier to get into.

Good luck - it’s tricky at the moment with work experience but good that your DS is thinking about it already.

@Chewbecca I just remembered a friend of DD got a five day work experience placement at a cardiac rehab place. I think it was a charity but she had a great week and saw a lot of healthcare professionals interacting with patients. Might be worth googling to see if there is anything like that near you.

Hope my rambling over tired posts give you some ideas - best of luck with it all

Thanks lalaflottes your comments align exactly with our thoughts, plus a few more thrown in so thanks again.

The ££ one was sent via the work experience coordinator at school! He was merrily clicking buttons to register until the price popped up!

@Chewbecca my DD got experience in a hospital via an NHS talent academy. You can apply for these from age 15 so it might be worth seeing if your NHS Trust do it. That said, Universities are increasingly saying they don't necessarily like shadowing as experience; Keele don't give it any credit at all. But if you can learn something from the experience then it's worth it.

If he can get a part time job in a caring field that would be the best tip I'd give. DDs part time job has given her so much experience, confidence, resilience (thanks angry patients) and most importantly, it didn't put her off working in a medical field, it made her want it more. Sometimes it could teach you that the environment isn't for you.

I wouldn't touch a £££ course and as you say, the free ones usually prioritise contextual potential students.

He's definitely doing the right thing by starting early!

Well done to those who had interview offers yesterday! More good news today please...

@Chewbecca I agree don't pay money for work experience.

My daughter started volunteering in a local hospice shop in year 10, she then was allowed to volunteer in the hospice itself once she was in sixth form.

She also had a weeks experience at our local hospital which was amazing (she wants to be a surgeon and got to see lots of operations). She needed to be 17 for this and applied directly to the hospital so have a look on your local hospital websites for work experience.

COVID has made it very difficult this year but if your DS is year 11 he has time to try and get some experience later this year early next year. Good Luck

@Chewbecca I totally agree regarding not paying for work experience. I would also say that there is huge value in DC actively seeking out their own work experience opportunities. We are not medics but through his own tenacity my DS managed to get excellent hospital placements. However, he says that the volunteering he has done week in, week out (some of it very un-glitzy!) for almost four years now is probably what has prepared him best for this year. Don't worry about the nature of the work experience having to sound impressive, that's not what matters, it's more about what they learn from it. Good luck to your DS on his journey.

Thanks all, excellent advice!

Glasgow interview! Dd delighted, it was her favourite after the open days last year. It’s in 2 weeks, though so she’s a bit stressed, especially as she’s just started her new job.

Aww great news!

Fab news @emummy!