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??

Good luck to all those sitting the UCAT.
Just thought I’d mention that there were similar comments last year about some sections being harder in the real thing than Medify - and Medentry seemed to be deemed fairly close to the real thing. DD used Medify the most but she did add in Medentry too for the last few weeks and she found that useful - meant she had more mocks to use too.

DD is happy with her score, which hopefully will be enough to be shortlisted for Exeter and Birmingham. She still has 2 other slots to fill on her UCAS form.

Despite the v early start (her exam was at 8.00am), she's now beavering away on her personal statement - the school deadline for her first draft is today!!!

Meanwhile the dogs and I were delighted to find a beautiful park in Croydon to waste 2 hours in (Lloyd Park). Who knew Croydon had such great open spaces?!

@MidLifeCrisis007, that is good to hear.

Before she invests to much time in PS, has she looked into how the medical schools she is applying to use it? Birmingham requires evidence of commitment to medicine, but does not score it, Exeter just review for mitigating circumstances. The only one using it heavily now is UCL.

Thanks @Monkey2001.

UCL is not on her radar! But her school expect something to be emailed over this afternoon so it's a box she has to tick.... and only the first draft.

@MidLifeCrisis007 where else might be on her radar ? I'm thinking Sheffield, Nottingham and UEA might also be possibles ? Safety net of Plymouth, ARU or Lancaster (free accommodation for first yea medics).
Can now enjoy her summer with no exams 😊

DS’s friend got 2590 and band 3 this morning and is livid. DD went a bit pale and headed back to her desk…

@KingscoteStaff that is a bit limiting for the UCAT ones, but not a disaster. ARU, Plymouth, Keele still options. The others depend on GCSEs, but if those are good, she should be able to get 4 interviews, and there is the BMAT. It's all about strategy as everyone on here knows.

Sadly strategy not an option for my DS. With his wrong A levels, only options are Newcastle and Manchester with a preliminary year, so he really needs at least 2850. But we are absolutely approaching it as a 2 year project to get in, so a disappointing UCAT this year would just mean 2023 becomes the confirmed plan.

@KingscoteStaff 2590 still good enough to get interviews if they apply carefully. Don't read TSR as everyone on there always seems to get ridiculously high scores. I spent yesterday explaining to an upset student that only v clever people sit the UCAT so to get an 'average' score is amazing. You're average within a v v bright cohort.

@Monkey2001 make sure your DS checks the Unis new entry requirements as quite a few have changed for next year. Not sure if his A levels but he might find he now has more options 🤞. A

@Monkey2001 DS knows about this option ?

www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2021/01430/mbchb-medicine-6-years-including-foundation-year/entry-requirements/#course-profile

@mumsneedwine yes, Manchester is the foundation year he can apply to. Cardiff have dropped it, Dundee say you can only have 1 science and he is doing Maths and Physics, and Maths is probably a Science. The other foundation years are all WP. If any others accept Maths, Physics and PE we would love to know!

@Monkey2001 if I find any I'll let you know. About to fully update my v large spreadsheet. 🤞🤞

Good luck to all the DC sitting the UCAT this coming month. Are there a lot of changes to admissions criteria for the coming year @mumsneedwine? I saw that Exeter have changed theirs but I guess they in particular had to make some changes due to the distortion of inflated CAGS this past year. DS was joking that he should have gone for Exeter when he saw they were handing out £17k for deferring.

The changes I know about are Liverpool (no longer GCSE heavy), the removal of advantage for achieved grades at Exeter and Nottingham/Lincoln have shifted the balance of GSCEs/UCAT.

Have any universities decided that interviews will be on line apart from Manchester and Oxbridge? Newcastle still seem to want to do F2F.

@opoponax as @Monkey2001 says a few have changed and a few still to declare. Not sure my DD would get into Notts now as they've changed to double points for verbal (& SJT). Lots mo
I just hope we don't have a repeat of this year where admissions criteria was changed after applications were made. That was so unfair.

Not heard much about interviews yet, but know most want to go back to proper MMIs. In person. 🤞

Thanks @Monkey2001 and@ mumsneedwine. That was so unfair when admissions criteria were changed after applications made. Return to in-person MMIs must be good thing. The Zoom interviews this year were necessary but tough, especially with the added stress of whether the tech would work on the day.

DD's friend got 2850 today and Band 2. Almost exactly what he'd been achieving in his mocks. He's pleased. DD is encouraged that his mocks seem to have matched his result as hers have been solid so far...

When DD finished her test yesterday, she said she had to walk over to the invigilator who handed her her printout. The woman looked at her score stoney faced, folded the piece of paper and gave it to her. DD was so petrified she couldn't look at it so she gave it to me outside the test centre to open.

I think half of Croydon heard her squeal when I told her how she'd done!

@MidLifeCrisis007 nice bit of added stress there!!

When DS1 did his UCAT in Bristol the person at the desk congratulated him on his score as he handed it to him. When DS2 did his driving theory the Bristol test centre moved (without telling anybody) 6 miles away. When we saw the sign on the door we had to dash to the new test centre and also took a young man who had come by bus and could not get to the new test centre on time. DS2 came out, having checked that he had passed, but the other man had still not dared to open his envelope by the time I dropped him back in the centre. He said his wife would have to do it when he got home!

I swear driving/theory test stress pales into insignificance compared to UCAT stress.

DD did her theory test at the same centre as her UCAT. The familiarity really helped her.

Meanwhile she has driving test 2 this week (In Ipswich this time.... Portsmouth last time!) and DS1 has his theory test (Mile End....). My kids have an annoying habit of booking the earliest tests - never the most convenient!!! DD wants to pass so she can drive to Boardmasters..... Needless to say I have some reservations about that!!!

Yes, of course driving theory is not nearly such a big deal as UCAT, was just comparing envelope fear!

Has your DD had any lessons in Ipswich? DS1 did his test in Cornwall and I arranged 6 hours of lessons with a local instructor. Those were the only professional lessons he had, but the instructor said that one of the reasons there is such a high fail rate in Bodmin is because tests can be a bit easier to get but people who are unfamiliar with the town don't know how to manage the strange "shared spaces" and some strange roundabout arrangements.

@MidLifeCrisis007 - Croydon would have been much better for us but DD has booked her UCAT at Mile End. As it's early next Saturday I'm going to drive her. If you go before then let me know how the parking is! Her Driving Test is in Newport in January. We're waiting for a cancellation somewhere more sensible...

DD is in Holborn on Thursday. Pay the congestion charge and deliver her to the door or tube? 2pm…

@KingscoteStaff I would get the tube but aim to arrive at 12:30 and have lunch (or coffee if too queasy for lunch). Driving and parking are much less reliable. I was surprised that the Holborn centre was so popular.