Medicine 2022 entry - How difficult is it really? *title edited by MNHQ at OP's request*

[notmedicmum]

I couldn't find a thread for 2022 entrants to medicine - maybe I didn't look hard enough! DD is in Year 12 and has wanted to do medicine since Year 10. It's only this year that we realise the enormity of actually getting a place. Not only do you have to have brilliant grades, you must also have done work experience, volunteered (both difficult in the current situation), got excellent BMAT/UCAT scores. Oh, and you also must have cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for charity or climbed Kilimanjaro or won the Nobel Peace prize or found a cure for cancer (joking about the last two). How competitive is it REALLY? I'm not sure about the value of the last apart from being used as a selection tool as the unis get so many qualified applicants - and showing enterprise and drive. Apparently this sort of thing is even more important this year as getting work experience is very hard this year. How does climbing a mountain make you a better doctor anyway? And what can normal students do to improve their chances of success??

In case anyone doesn't know, you can change UCAT date after booking it, so worth booking an early date when it opens tomorrow and delaying it if not ready. It is not as bad as booking a driving test, but the dates do get booked up, so within a week there will probably be a lot less choice of dates.

Thanks @Monkey2001 - DD has already registered and says she will book today. It's very hard not stepping in and trying to organise it for her but I know she needs to do it herself so I'm sitting on my hands but will send her just one reminder WhatsApp.

We'd been hoping to go to the Birmingham RL Open Day next week but sadly that's been cancelled.

One more full week of school to go and she can start on UCAT prep. Just the pesky anthrax extended essay to finish. I know 100% more about anthrax than I did yesterday.

Just booked UCAT! I don't know how they release dates, but by 7:30, several days already only had 8am availability! I had a weird experience, booked 9am as it was better than 8am, then looked at re-schedule and was offered 11am, so booked that. Then looked at reschedule again and was offered 1pm, which is perfect.

@SandyBayley - you are, of course, right that it is the DC who should be taking responsibility for all this, but as I would have to deal with the consequences of not getting the right date (ie messing up summer plans or needing a lift somewhere obscure), I have done the admin!

Thanks for the tip off @Monkey2001 - suggested she book before leaving for school and very glad she did! Booked for 7 August and she got on the aspiring Medics chat at school to tell them all to get on and book!

DS has just booked his UCAT - only 1 slot left in the entire calendar! It's an 8am one but at least it's booked. I don't remember there being such a scramble for UCAT slots when ds2 did his 4 years ago.

@Haffdonga, if your DS wants a later time, it is worth living occasionally as they may release more spots and I had that weird thing where I was offered more dates after I had booked an early one

Looking, not living!

Thanks Monkey. He's actually quite happy with the slot he's got because it's around the day he wanted and a Saturday so he doesn't have to fess up to his new employer that he's got other career plans.

5th August booked - without me nagging!!!

That sounds like a lucky date, doesn't it?

We have a shortlist!

Oxford
Leeds
Bristol
Newcastle

And Birmingham to sub in if UCAT doesn't go so well.

All subject to change but DD is very pleased and genuinely excited about all the options.

@SandyBayley - I assume you have checked that your DD has a contextual component for Birmingham? Warning, that if she hasn't it would seem that it can be more difficult to get an interview at Birmingham than at Bristol. Somebody in DS's year, who has no contextual component, got an interview and place at Bristol and no interview from Birmingham (and I believe he had stellar GCSEs as well). Someone on TSR will be able to give you the actual score you needed for interview this year, rather than what the calculator tool says, as that is notoriously hopeless, but my understanding is that without contextual points, you actually needed a higher UCAT for Birmingham than for Bristol.

@SandyBayley Bristol and Newcastle UCAT cut-offs are pretty much the same so neither are good options if a UCAT doesn't go well.

I agree that if UCAT does not go well @SandyBayley's DD will need 2 subs, but based on her approach and performance to date, I think that is an unlikely situation which she can look at after sitting the UCAT. I think a "safe" UCAT for Newcastle this year would be over 2850, ideally over 2950. The cut off for both Bristol and Newcastle was around 2830 this year and I am expecting them to go up next year as so many did not get offers this year.

My only caution on that list would be that both Oxford and Leeds have low offer to interview ratios, so she needs to be very good at interviews. DS1 had an interview at Leeds the first time he applied and was in the top 60%, which would have been enough for most medical schools, but not for Leeds.

I agree @Monkey 2001 all the signs are that @SandyBayley's DD will do very well in UCAT and it is extremely unlikely to be an issue. My DS got a very good sense of how it would go from the practice tests. Also Bristol's interview to offer rate is usually only about 50% in a normal year isn't it?

Various things..

1. DD has been practising for UCAT already. All the signs are that she is likely to do very well. Obviously no one knows what will happen on the day but she is just very good at the kind of stuff you have to do for UCAT. We're really not expecting a poor UCAT score. When I said 'less good' what I really meant was 'less good than expected'.

2. BMAT will be an unknown when she applies . DD's school advise that if her UCAT goes 'badly' she should take either Oxford or Leeds out (it will be Leeds that goes). They say that a weak UCAT is not a predictor of BMAT but if it were to go badly she needs to be careful to ensure anywhere she applies plays to her known strengths and avoids having two risky choices.

3. We're not at all worried about interviews. DD is very good at them and always has been.

4. Absolutely zero chance of a contextual offer for DD given her schooling and our postcode. Birmingham is a slightly random possible addition as an alternative. She's not set on it and will happily look elsewhere if needed. It would only come into play if she underperforms in her UCAT.

Thanks so much for advice @opoponax @bimkom and@Monkey2001 . DD is very capable and accomplished - she's in a strong position I think but nothing can ever be taken for granted. I know the last year has thrown up lots of surprising results and this coming year is likely to be the same.

@SandyBayley that is weird advice from school! With her GCSEs, she only needs a very average BMAT for Leeds, so I would be really surprised if she did not get an interview there. You know how to apply strategically to the UCAT choices in the unlikely event that she did not get an excellent UCAT.

@SandyBayley I would think that a 'less good than expected' UCAT for your DD would still be good enough for any of the med schools. It sounds like she is like my DS with the UCAT in that it just was something that came naturally. He'd never scored below 3200 in any of the practice tests and was aiming for that. He was ill (not Covid symptoms) on the day of his test but decided to sit anyway rather than have to delay for possibly weeks to get another test centre slot. I was (quietly) worried that he wouldn't do himself justice but he still scored very close to that. His friends were the same in that they all came in very close to their own predictions. I'm sure she'll ace it.

I agree that is weird advice. They are totally different exams. Dd went to Leeds, BMAT suited her much more than the UKCAT. Her UKCAT was not high enough for places like Nottingham & Sheffield but her BMAT was good enough to get an Oxford offer...

Agree @Decorhate, my friend's DS didn't score highly enough in his UCAT for UCAT-heavy med schools this year but aced his BMAT and got Cambridge offer.

@opoponax the Bristol 2019/20 offer/interview ration was 70%, so about average. They had a major change in their strategy in 2019 (used to be PS, barely any weighting on UCAT), so previous stats not so relevant. www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a100_medicine_application_statis_45

All the stats - public.tableau.com/app/profile/alec6322/viz/UKmedicalschoolapplicationratios2017-19/DomesticApplicanttoOfferRatio courtesy of Nexttime on TSR.

I'm a bit confused @Monkey2001. In 2018/19 the figures we had were that Bristol interviewed 982 and make 522 offers, which tallies with your attachment, so 53% of those interviewed got offers. Bristol said to candidates in their talk during the 2020/21 process that the previous year they had interviewed approximately 1000 and made 500 offers (so 50% of those interviewed got offers). How is the 70% calculated?

The data in the FOI for 19/20 Home students said 3,068 applicants, 888 interviews, 624 offers. 624/888 is 70%

@Monkey2001 I can see the figures you are quoting in the FOI sheet but it doesn't stack up with what Bristol admissions said in their open day. I just checked our notes again and they definitely said "there were approximately 1000 interviews held and approximately 500 offers for 270 places so there is a 50-50 chance of getting an offer once you get to interview stage'" No issue for us now whether it's right or wrong but worth double checking what the real percentage is if it has a bearing on anyones' application this year.

OK, well it could be distorted by International or other categories, but the FOI data SHOULD be accurate.

In case anyone wants to ask their school, Medify give a 20% discount, possibly to all schools and allow each school 1 free bursary. I got our school to sign up this year - www.medify.co.uk/schools