Medicine 2021 - Part 3

[SATSmadness]

Hoping for interviews and offers all round, now and well into next year !

Yes, thanks all! Although in order to steel ourselves for what we thought was the inevitable rejection, given that last year they only sent offers Monday to Friday (according to TSR) we have all been bigging Nottingham up in our minds all weekend, and I wonder whether that will prove decisive. We need to give it some time to sink in, I think. I am hoping, if Boris/covid lets us travel before the UCAS deadline, maybe we can take a couple of days and actually go see both places (stay self catering and simply walk the streets). I, not being British born, have barely been out of London (came here to work, met DH, been here ever since) - and what holidays we have had have tended to be going to see grandma and grandpa overseas, so our DC haven't much either. One of the reasons that DS was adament he was not applying to anywhere in London, I think he feels that part of growing up and flying the nest means somewhere that isn't London. But we did originally assume we would have Open Days to explore.

Lovely news @bimkom 🎉🎉
Nottingham is a great place. It has its quirky bits which are fun and city has lots of different areas each with its own vibe plus beautiful countryside nearby AND it's closer for trips home...
But I am biased. It's super as a student I found

Congratulations @bimkom !!

Congratulations @bimkom, of course that means your DS has a difficult dilemma ahead....

Brilliant news @bimkom..

Brill news @bimkom - are they both for the same grades?

@hostessTrolley - we are very confused whether they are for the same grades. The statement on UCAS is actually quite confusing. And we had understood that Sheffield offered AAB if you got an A or A* in your EPQ. But others on TSR seem to think that it only helps if the B is in the subject that is not Chemistry or Biology, and it is really hard to be sure from what is on Track.
And while this might be highly relevant as the other news today is that he got his provision EPQ results (whatever means) but it does have Pearson on the top of it, and has according to that been Awarded an A, Maths, which is his third A level has never looked likely to be his lowest A level (it is the one he has been consistently getting A grades in throughout his A levels - and has an A predicted, while there have been times he has got Bs in tests in both Chemistry and Biology, although to be fair it has been more often As, with Chemistry this year consistently on the A/A border, although the prediction for both of those was an A). So I am not sure having a slightly different requirement for Sheffield is going to help unless something goes disastrously wrong this afternoon in Maths (the mocks have been renamed "internal assesments", and are going to be used to help determine grades, although there will be more next term).

Hi @bimkom the way we read the information from Sheffield is that you need an A in Chemistry or Biology and then your other two subjects must be an A and a B.
Sheffield don’t require both biology and chemistry so it makes sense that you just need an A in one or the other I think?

Sheffield requires either Chemistry or Biology and another science. So some may not have both.

Therefore the EPQ requirement which allows a grade drop to a B where you are doing both means one of them must stay at an A.

@SeasonFinale that is what he was hoping the requirement was, but it is really not clear from what is on Track whether that is what he has been offered. That would make Sheffield's offer really helpful, as it would allow him to get a B in Biology and still get in. Last year he was struggling more with Chemistry, but this year the Chemistry grades have been much better, it is the Biology which is a bit more borderline.

Yes that's my understanding @LaLaFlottes and @SeasonFinale. My DS is doing Maths, Biology and Chemistry. He's got an A* for his EPQ so either Biology or Chemistry could slip to a B.

Thats a help! Im guessing, as he holds two offers, the next question would be does he have a strong preference for one or the other? My d was odd in that her ‘dream’ med schools at the time she filled in her ucas form ended up not being either her firm or insurance but the time it came to clicking the buttons to firm or insure - their thoughts and perceptions can change over the year.

DS just got a Bristol offer today. Now he is really confused between Newcastle, Sheffield and Bristol. Newcastle was always the favourite he tried hard not to have but the truth is that he really likes them all. It is so hard to choose when you can't even visit and I'm not sure virtual offer holder days will really help that much.

Congratulations @opoponax that's wonderful news. So nice to have a choice but such a tricky choice to make!

DD has received an offer from UEA now too and is also having to take some time to have a good think about where she would like to go. She likes them all for different reasons I think.

Just remember that wherever they go they will enjoy and become a doctor. They can't lose !
DD actually found it v hard to press the reject button on UCAS as it seemed a weird thing to do after putting so much effort into getting that offer. So be prepared for tears on the day they do decide. Well done everyone's DC 😊

Thank you very much @LaLaFlottes and @mumsneedwine.

If anyone with older DC has any views on relative merits of Newcastle/Sheffield/Bristol, they would be much appreciated.

And Congratulations to your DD @LaLaFlottes

Congratulations @opoponax and @LaLaFlottes!

Yes I totally think rejecting anybody is likely to feel psychologically hard (although at the moment for us it is just working out firm and insurance, so no full rejection of anybody)

Well done folks - lovely to hear good news!

Great news on the offers - well done to all DC's!
Hoping to hear from Manc and UEA this week .... and FINALLY have the last interview

@IsThisNameTaken wishing your DD all the best with the final interview and hope you get good news from the others this week.

Well done to all for their offers!

I've been thinking the same re pressing the decline button on an offer. It's a good position to be in but one I never thought DD would have.

By the way, another vote for Nottingham. It really was DDs favourite campus and it has such a lovely feel. If DD had got no offers for Med she would still have gone there with her Mpharm offer and been totally happy with that decision.

@opoponax congratulations on Bristol
I wish this would get a wiggle on - looks like waiting for DD's final two until the end of the month - neither sent anything yet

Thank you @WithIcePlease. I hope your DD hears soon. We are just waiting to hear from the final one now. It's a drawn out process isn't it.

Thank you @opoponax ... feels like we are all slowly getting to the end of this now