Medicine 2021 - Part 3

[SATSmadness]

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

[mumsneedwine]

@Powergower I'd say don't be too prepared. Have answers but you want to be yourself. That's what will make you stand out. Stick to your guns if pushed, be prepared to justify your answers and say if you don't know something. Good luck.

[Djchickpea]

Hey @powergower, my daughter recently had an interview at Sheffield and I totally understand your concerns. In some ways it's a good interview to have first as you aren't nervous about them asking you a left field question but on the other hand surely everyone has prepared so how different is anyone going to be? Just as an FYI apparently they stuck very rigidly to the questions, hardly any additional probing and very little in the way of feedback. So hard to know how it went! Good luck to your DC x

[Powergower]

Thanks! Yes it's a good first interview as you know what to expect. Ds is trying to find a balance between preparing enough but not over preparing and sounding too rehearsed. He's just worried he won't be able to stand out but I passed on the advice above, just try and remain calm and remember they're not trying to trip you up.

[bimkom]

No sign of Nottingham interview yet. Although there are a fair number on TSR still waiting with scores higher than what seems to be the current cut off (48), so DS is not alone. It is a bit soul distroying though hearing about everybody booking their interviews and just waiting and waiting.

[bimkom]

@powergower - ecolier on TSR (who is a consultant, and has done a lot of interviewing apparently) says that most people who stand out do so for the wrong reasons, and that you don't need to stand out, you need to give them what they are looking for. I told this to DS, and pointed out to him that on a science or maths exam, he doesn't try and "stand out", he tries to give them everything in the answer that the examiners want, or enough so that he gets enough ticks to get the marks. It is hard though when are contemplating talking in person. Ecolier also says don't be over prepared, but that is very hard to say, because obviously you don't want to be underprepared either.

[bimkom]

Over prepared in terms of rehearsed. He claims it is really obvious when people have just learnt something off. There does seem to be a difficult balance there.

[Powergower]

Bimkom - thanks that's really useful. I think ds might be overthinking it all. Standing out for the wrong reasons could easily happen, as could being too prepared. Ds is also worried about doing the interview online, he had an absolute nightmare doing ucas online because the system collapsed and had to be rearranged so we are really hoping the same thing does not happen again.

Have anyone's dc done the interview using an iPad? Or is everyone sticking to the laptops? Ds is wanting to use the iPad because he uses it for all his microsoft teams meetings for school.

[WithIcePlease]

@bimkom
It is very odd. I was irritated when the first batch of Nottingham invitations sent and lower points had them before DD - I did wonder if alphabetical at the time but she got hers come through about 630 Tuesday but didn't find it until 1030 as busy at school (and although she had Nottingham tagged on email for notifications, it was a different address and went to spam). It must be v v hard waiting and I hope it arrives on Monday

[bimkom]

@WithIcePlease we were wondering if it was the curse of the surname at the end of the alphabet (which strikes frequently) but people on TSR claim it is not that either. And I do remember reading this last year, but it is really hard. And the frustrating thing is his school is doing mocks in both January and February, so he would really have liked to book a December day, but by the time he finally gets an interview, that likely won't be an option.

[WithIcePlease]

Fingers crossed for tomorrow bimkom
December was too soon for DD so booked 7 January. I hope you get a December date.
School don't seem happy about her coming home for the nterviews but in normal times, she would have to have travelled there which would have taken even longer away from lessons. I'll leave mentioning it until after the end of term and hopefully housemaster will be more chilled then. She had a course on the internet and she had to scoot around the house to hotspot her computer to complete it and that can't happen in an interview 😳

[bimkom]

Yes, December is soon, but he has mocks at the beginning of January, and then again in February - they have never done this before, this is to set them up in case of CAGs, but it is insane, double the pressure, and they will be burnt out by the time we finally get to the exams. So we really wanted to get interviews over, or at least those one that come out earlier, there is nothing we can do about Liverpool, which generally doesn't even come out to the second week in January.

[WithIcePlease]

Waiting for Liverpool here too and Southampton

[mumsneedwine]

@WithIcePlease Southampton can be v late. DD had her interview on 1st March (was delayed because of snow - at least that won't happen this year !). In fact it snowed for every one of her interviews. Not sure my husband will forget the 9 hour drive to Sheffield on the day the M1 was a skid track.

[Card1gan]

@WithIcePlease DD is waiting for Southampton too. DD doesn't think anyone has heard anything yet, and from what she's been told they interview in order of UCAT score - she may have a long wait! She's also waiting for Cardiff who've not sent anything out either.

Fingers crossed for good news this week and good luck to everyone interviewing this week.

[WithIcePlease]

I hadn't been anticipating anything before Christmas from either of them. I'm not impatient. I know of a girl who was rejected by a medical school then they rang her up on results day and offered her a place so I'm quite prepared for a long game
My main concern is that DD gets the grades tbh

[WithIcePlease]

@mumsneedwine
That drive sounds like a nightmare. My DH would have have to have done that - I'd never even contemplate such a drive myself!
At least we won't have such things this year. I wonder if any universities will carry on with online interviews after the pandemic?

[LaLaFlottes]

Hi All - glad to see more interviews and I'm sure there are many more to come very soon.

Re preparing for interviews, I think what they maybe have to be really careful about is making sure they answer the question that they are asked - rather than a similar question, they have prepared for and wish they had been asked

@WithIcePlease DH and I were having that same conversation about on line interviews and whether they might continue. I wonder if the interviewers will feel like they managed to get as much from the candidates on line as they would have done in person? On line certainly saves a lot of time, travel and associated expense. But it might also depend on how many IT issues they have and the headache that comes with that for both parties!!

[Iamsodonewith2020]

Heads up that Glasgow give a great interview apparently according to my DD. She loved hers.

[emummy]

That’s good to hear @Iamsodonewith2020! DD’s Glasgow interview is on the 11th. Still waiting for Edinburgh; think they have sent out rejections & are just starting with interview invites, so no news is good news at this point!

[LaLaFlottes]

Great news @Iamsodonewith2020 - fingers crossed for a good outcome!

@emummy good luck to your DD for 11th and fingers crossed for Edinburgh too.

[21stcentury]

Hi all. My Daughter has been fortunate to be offered interviews from 2 different universities. However they are on the same day. The first interview ends at 9:50, the second starts at 10:00. Both Universities have declined our request to reschedule. Any wise words of wisdom as to what to do? She generally struggles with anxiety anyway. If anyone else has managed this yet, I would really appreciate hearing how it went.

[LaLaFlottes]

@21stcentury firstly congratulations to your DD on her interviews

We have not had this happen but I’m surprised they both declined to change to another time for you. That seems harsh.

I think you’ll have to just say to your DD that maybe it’s a good thing as she will have her head in the game, she’ll be in the right mind set and she can knock two right out the park at once and smash them!

Ten minutes in between to compose herself, gather her thoughts about the second University and get on line ready for the second one.

I guess try and find the positives to try and alleviate her anxiety - like getting two out of the way at once, she’ll get to do the second one really warmed up from the first?

I’m sure others will be along with wiser words than me though

[MaddieElla]

Hi @21stcentury what rotten luck. Although they are extremely lucky to receive 2 interviews it really is stressful enough without the added worry of the tight timetable.

My DD is the same. She has two in the same day too, and hasn't got much notice for them either. She does have a clear couple of hours in between though so yours really is tight. My worry would be if the first overruns.

My DD was positive about having both together as she says she'll be in interview mode. But she doesn't have such a small window.

Hopefully the first interview goes well and doesn't overrun, then your DD can scream in another room to let out the nerves and go again for the second.

[MaddieElla]

My DDs main concern is that she'll still be in medical school 1 mode and say something related to that Uni to medical school 2. It wouldn't be ideal for her to describe Nottingham's course to Keele interviewers.

It will be fine.

[Iamsodonewith2020]

MaddieElla no guarantee but the actual university didn’t come up in either of my daughters 2 interviews other than when they introduced themselves and what their position was