Medicine 2021 - Part 3

[SATSmadness]

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

Cheering news that some more offers are finally coming through and congrats for the DC concerned !

We're in a bit of a state. DD has had a second rejection and a "no thanks but we'll put you on the reserve list" so is now just waiting for the final rejection anticipated from the Uni where she felt the interview was by far the worst of all of them. At the end of last week we had the unexpectedly sudden death of a close family member which has caused me to be dashing about quite a bit to support other people in the family and not around so much to lend a soothing sympathetic ear to "how did I go from pooled at Cambridge to now anticipating no medicine offers at all ?" reflections on her part.
Ex-h is proving to be no help at all, emotionally or domestically. Thank god the dc are quite self-sufficient as far as domestic matters are concerned due to me usually working long hours anyway.

I think she has a tough period ahead, needing to study to maximise her grades in readiness for whatever plan B turns out to be but grieving for the loss of the family member and also over the postponement of the start to her Uni journey/career.

I'm sorry @SATSmadness - really feel for you and your DD. The process is brutal and this year particularly so. I confess I have been lurking on various TSR threads where people have been getting no offers (in order to steel myself against this eventuality, it does seem so common), and there are some inspiring stories out there about people who got no offers last year and four this year, as well as threads about clearing and extra, and people planning gap years. I don't know if any of these will help at all. Hoping that maybe the last option might just come through, but it might we worth looking at some of that - there are some amazingly resiliant people on there who go on to get an abundance of offers next year.

@bimkom I find TSR hard work especially as there seems to be a quota of odd/misinformation therein.

Some while back though I did read Monkey2001's posts going back to the 2019 application year and it was sooo comforting to see her DS succeed in the end plus so nice of her to share it with us.

Oh @SATSmadness I understand how you feel! But she is still waiting for 1 decision and the reserve place may turn into an offer. If she gets no offers she can have another go at Cambridge with grades in hand if she wants to. It is really hard for high achievers to be in this position, but it is good for resilience.

@SATSmadness I am so sorry for your loss and also for your DD's current situation. It is such a brutal process and especially hat all the years of hard work only go as far as getting the DC to interview stage and then it generally all boils down to how a half hour zoom interview goes. Really hope your DD gets good news for her last one. There are lots of success stories on TSR and many DC say that a gap year was the best thing they ever did after an initial setback and so many go on to get great options second time round. I'm not sure how appropriate it is here but sending big hugs, PM me anytime and please remember to look after yourself too. xx

@SATSmadness I'm sorry for your loss and sorry that things are so hard for your dd at the moment. I'm here vicariously (many of DD"s friends are awaiting medicine places and so I'm trying to keep abreast of what's happening); the one who currently has the "least" in terms of offers is the one who, on paper, should be the most attractive applicant. 10 X 9 at GCSE, all A predictions at A level plus A at EPQ, great work experience and genuine too - years of working in a care home, not just ticking boxes etc etc. She was rejected from Oxford post interview and two unis pre- interview and is awaiting the final response which won't come until April. I wonder if - for her and your daughter - the unis are gambling on their having had other offers (from Oxbridge or elsewhere) and therefore assuming they wouldn't be firmed. Whatever the reasons, it's so harsh. I really hope your dd gets her final offer x

@Monkey2001 between info from various online sources and other medicine applicants at DD's school, the reserve list this year would appear to be quite large.

Does anyone know how such lists operate, are reserve list candidates ranked or is it a 'phone up dial off on results morning with FCFS (which would seem rather harsh) ?

It's so brutal. It's not even half an hour on zoom - DD's Liverpool interview was 17 minutes 😳
You never know though with interviews. DD thought poor interview at Nottingham and that turned into an offer.
So fingers crossed for your daughter this year and I fully agree - I read this thread last year and found Monkey's story inspiring
Sending

So sorry to hear of your loss @SATSmadness

Fingers crossed for her remaining choice. DD says the Nottingham questions were beyond strange and she couldn’t gauge it at all, unlike the others where she knew what went well and what didn’t. It turned out to be her first offer. Fingers crossed!

Don't know if she can help at all @Satsmadness, but if it is Sheffield that the reserve list is for, Emily5245 on TSR, found here www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6560810&highlight=&page=48&p=94326960#post94326960

got into Sheffield from the reserve list on results day a couple of years ago, and might be able to answer some questions. I do know that, as Sheffield runs its reserve list, you need not to hold any other offers from any other universities to get a place from the reserve list. No idea about any of the others.

DD has done some research and discovered that reserve list candidates are placed in rank order on the list.

Is it considered pushy to make contact later on (once all offers are made and people have firmed/insured there or elsewhere etc.) and ask where you are on the list ?

You have nothing to lose. 👍

Yes, the universities rank the reserve lists. She can ask Admissions for her position on the list and they might tell her.

I know people at Sheffield, Exeter and Plymouth whose reserve places turned into offers.

No universities are supposed to make a medicine offer to somebody who has firmed another medicine offer, but GANFYD says they sometimes do. The reserve list offers can be any time from end of March to results day.

Sorry to hear your recent news @SATSmadness please don't rule out the last one as my DS only had the one offer from the uni he had discounted as his worst interview very early on.

Sorry to hear your news @SATSmadness, keeping fingers crossed for your Dd.
We’ve heard from the last one, Dd has an unconditional for Aberdeen. Now she has to choose, a big change from last year!

Great news @emummy!

Congratulations to your DD @emummy!

Congratulations! Great news 🥳

I know where you are SATsmadness. It’s so tough on them. We went through it a few years ago. Despite two A* and one A my DSS didn’t get any offers. He took a year out but didn’t feel confident enough to put himself applying for medical degrees again the following year. He ended up going to St Andrews to do chemistry and is on course to graduate this year with a first, hopefully. He’s still absolutely set on medicine, and has applied as a post grad (will be 4 years). He has a firm offer for London (his second choice) and is hoping to get an offer from St Andrews. So there is always hope and ways..

Sorry to hear that things aren't going to plan @SATSmadness. It's really difficult for these young people because they've always done well and everyone assumes they'll get offers galore. I am a firm believer in everything happens for a reason so I'm sure things will work out one way or another.

Well done to everyone else on their offers, they appear to be coming through at last. DD has an offer from Cardiff which is her first choice so she's very pleased with herself. Now it's just a question of getting the grades which suddenly feels like a huge ask. Strange how the worry just switches from one thing to another!

@Card1gan that's brilliant news! Congratulations to your DD!

So sad to hear of your news SATS, I am truly hoping for the best with the last one. I share your anxiety as we are still waiting too, but it will be end of March for one and mid-April for the other. I'm trying to put on a brave face, but it is wearing me down at this stage.

Glad to hear happy news too, it gives me hope that there is still something to cheer about!

Excellent news @Card1gan well done to DD

My DD has also suddenly got very anxious about grades. Just one more hurdle to go but it's a fairly huge one given the uncertainty around exams.

@Millylovespuddles that is a really stressful wait. 😫 April!

We're waiting for one more, but she's had an offer for her preferred choice so will be declining. She just would like to know if she's been successful at interview.

congratulations @Card1gan really glad to hear.

@SATSmadness I'm really sorry to hear of your loss. It's such a tough time at the moment anyway, and to have that to deal with too must be very hard

I'm also sorry that DD is still waiting for an offer. There's still one to hear back from though and often it seems to be the interviews that you think went badly that end up being very good! So there's definitely still a chance

If an offer doesn't come this time though, do remember there is Extra and Clearing to look at too. Your DD has strong stats and would be a great candidate for either. Plus she has sat UCAT and BMAT so is eligible for any Unis that do go into to extra or clearing which is good. I think there is an Extra/Clearing thread on TSR in the Medicine section. Although hopefully you won't need either as an offer might well come through after all.