Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

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

999 replies

notmedicmum · 10/12/2020 15:43

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??

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Original poster
notmedicmum · 11/12/2020 20:49

Found out today that our local hospital is looking for volunteers to help with the Covid vaccination programme (not administering them of course Smile! DD is going to look into it. Maybe other hospitals are recruiting volunteers for a similar reason?

OP posts:
sandybayley · 12/12/2020 12:02

@notmedicmum - I think they have to be 18. DD said she'd looked into it ☹️

KingscoteStaff · 12/12/2020 18:43

Our local Vaccine centre is only interested in 18+.

DD asked if they'd offer unpaid observation/WE, but no.

Original poster
notmedicmum · 12/12/2020 19:26

Our local big hospital is one of few that normally take volunteers from age 16+ . The hospital is also one of the 50 that is a designated Covid vaccination centre. I’m not sure if it’s the same for the Covid volunteers but we are going to find out.

OP posts:
sandybayley · 12/12/2020 19:27

@KingscoteStaff - is your DD back on people rather than animals again?

KingscoteStaff · 12/12/2020 20:41

Well obviously and how outrageous that we should suggest that she ever had doubts GOD we’re so unsupportive of her dreams...

sandybayley · 12/12/2020 20:45

People, animals? Much the same to be honest. If you can treat one you can do the other I'm sure 😂

mumsneedwine · 12/12/2020 21:34

I have one medic and one vet. The arguments that they have over whose degree is hardest 😂😂

HostessTrolley · 12/12/2020 22:54

My d is a second year medical student at imperial. She had no medical voluntary work - during her A levels she had a part time job in hospitality and did some sports coaching alongside her sports training. She had a few days of work experience - even pre COVID this was hard to come by if you don’t have contacts among family and friends.

Her part time job gave her so many things to talk about. Communication skills. Teamwork. Dealing with the public. Conflict resolution. She read a lot and reflected, linking her own experiences and skills to the attributes mentioned. Was up to date on issues and developments in medicine - setting up a subscription to bbc health on a mobile is an easy way to get updates on this that can be further read or researched if they want more depth.

It is competitive but someone has to get the places 🤷‍♀️

sluj · 14/12/2020 17:21

mumsneedwine is right. All medicine courses are aspirational and just because it says minimum requirements it doesn't mean that's what the successful applicants have. Look very carefully at the entry requirements and please don't think that they might overlook lower GCSE requirements if your UCAT is stellar, because they won't. They use a cut off and that's it. Take good note of what they are using to sort out who will get interviews and make sure it fits what your DC has. It can take a lot if research but vital if you don't want to waste a choice.

My DS is in his 5th year now, no medics in the family and his only work experience was volunteering in a local Hospice but he got his offers and here he is - choosing where his foundation years will be.

It helps to look on this as a 2 year process and be prepared to try again in the second year with achieved grades. I would caution against doing a related degree and thinking of graduate medicine, the cost is high and the competition is fierce.
Good luck, it really is a hurdle race.

bimkom · 14/12/2020 18:05

@notmedicmum When I was in your position last year, I spent a fair bit of time lurking on the equivalent threads for the year above, to try and get a sense of what it was like. And now we are going through the process. And medicine applications are up 21%, but for some places it seems like the number of applicants is up 30% or 40% at least. There are factors this year that won't necessarily apply next year (only one BMAT opportunity, rather than two, probably pushing more people towards the UCAT universities), but there are also some factors that will no doubt be the same. Also some of the universities may well change their entrance requirements after this year (Liverpool made it fairly clear that the heavy weighting of GCSEs this year was due to them being actual exams for the 2021 cohort, so I suspect that they will pair that back next year, when they are by and large dealing with students who will have CAGs for GCSEs, and use a different test). I also suspect that after this year a number of the universities may be wondering if their current test is fit for purpose, and want to try something else, but we won't know that until at least March April, when they survey the debris. I would watch for changes though.

bimkom · 14/12/2020 18:11

Hopefully we won't be on this thread next year (except perhaps as someone who has been through the process and can offer advice), but if DS gets no offers, we will be. He has already had one rejection from a university where his UCAT would have been high enough in previous years. He has however applied strategically, and so far he has two interview offers, and should, we think, get a third, although nothing is guaranteed. But then you have to also perform well at interview, and that is not easy. It is a very tough process, and we won't know before March whether or not he has an offer.

Bluegreen70 · 14/12/2020 18:23

Ideally the application should show physical fitness, compassion, team work, determination and a realistic experience of care, that is the point of the work experience and other achievements. There is no point in applying for medicine without showing you know and can cope with exactly how disgusting a human body can be. Getting your hands dirty is a must. Cycling from Land's End to John O Groats is not particularly helpful alone, but as some sort of team event, demonstrates more of the qualities that are looked for.

MedSchoolRat · 14/12/2020 18:47

DD is 1st yr med student.
I also interview candidates for my employer. Entry is competitive. We don't have spaces for > 1/3 of those we even offer interview to.

With enough probing I often find that the work experience was pretty minimal, some end up talking about working in shoe shops or looking after elderly grandparents with dementia. This is ok. The key thing is they describe what the experiences could teach them about being a doctor.

DD's GCSEs, BMAT & UKCAT were ... top 5%?. She also has a "Conquer the World" attitude which suggests huge resilience, and will have made her a good interviewee. These are reasons why I think she got 4 offers from 4 London Unis.

There was a circular at work recently for prospective candidates... will see if I can find a link.

sandybayley · 14/12/2020 19:03

@MedSchoolRat - thanks! I've alerted DD!

TheABC · 14/12/2020 19:21

Good luck to all parents and candidates on this thread!
We went through this with my sister, a fair few years ago. Therefore, I can't offer recent advice, but I can boost your morale with a success story.

My sister did not get into medical school. She just missed the cut. Instead, she studied BioMedical Sciences, got the required grade and transferred to Medicine. She is now a GP.

Whilst this is not a silver bullet (it's still incredibly competitive), your DC's have more than one way to achieve their dream.

Original poster
notmedicmum · 15/12/2020 08:19

Sorry, should have posted earlier - life has been quite hectic recently.
Thank you again for all the helpful tips and resources from those that have been through the process - @mumsneedwine, @MedSchoolRat, @bimkom, @Bluegreen70 etc. It feels a little less daunting. We will definitely do our homework!

Another question : As there are no “bankers” (@sandybayley)! or safe options when applying for medicine, what are your thoughts on applying to 4 medical schools plus one non medical course vs just 4 medical schools? Do we accept that it may be a 2 year process as per @sluj says, are there other options? I’ve heard that graduate entrance is even more competitive so trying to avoid that. I’m not sure how many other degrees there are where you can get AAA and still end up with no offers....

OP posts:
mumsneedwine · 15/12/2020 08:35

@notmedicmum a few of the newer Unis accept AAB but most require AAA. Unfortunately there are no bankers in medicine. It's a competitive process with many good students not getting in. BUT someone has to get the offers as has been said and no reason why this shouldn't be your DD.
My eldest did put a 5th choice down as she just wanted an early offer (she'd never have taken it but at least felt wanted for a few months before medicine offers appeared). Youngest didn't bother for vet med as knew she'd just reapply. Oh and eldest held 2 offers from same Uni in case anyone tells you that not possible.
Get a hard hat and there is a reason for my username Smile

bimkom · 15/12/2020 09:09

@notmedicinemum no, there are no real bankers. Every place has at least four applicants that want it (probably more this year). We haven't put down a fifth. As ecolier on TSR keeps saying, if you really want medicine, then there is no point taking other options. It is even harder to transfer later or do it as a graduate, so you are better off taking a year out and reapplying (and, if you are determined, a second and a third). If of course you are not sure and might really prefeer biomed, that is different - but then, why are you wasting your time and energy, competing for those limited number of medical places?

Baytreemum · 15/12/2020 10:48

@notmedicmum. I’m happy to help too! My DD is in 2nd year at London med school. She chose to focus on getting high grades over the application process, took a gap year, did a ton of volunteering, work experience and UCAT/interview prep in order to get in because it was the only degree she wanted to do! Without the grades you are scuppered, so they need to be a done deal before taking on a lot of other stuff. Also your DD needs to do things at school so she can demonstrate teamwork, leadership etc. and also keep her own interests and sports up too - they want the full package. Personally I think having a good feel for the communities and patients in her chosen university area is essential in order to crack the interview (maybe not so at universities where you do a BSc first?). and also don’t be put off by the whole pbl thing - pbl is amazing - really strenuous and pressurising, but gives an incredible training and the pbl groups become very close, which means the students get to know each other very well.

mumsneedwine · 15/12/2020 12:20

You really don't need lots of extra curricular stuff. Mine did nothing in college, played no sport except riding. She worked at Waitrose, did 3 days in a hospital and a week at a GP. And volunteered for many years working with children once a week. She got 4 offers. I'm sure some students do do a lot but it's not necessary. The Unis care about grades and entry exams. And at interview you need to show resilience and ability to think on your feet quickly. No need to do masses though unless you want to.

bimkom · 15/12/2020 13:12

Just to reiterate what mumneedswine says (although we haven't got any offers yet, so I am not talking from experience), the real use for extra curiculars seems to be so that you have something to talk about when you are asked questions like "tell us about a time when you have shown resilience" or, "tell us about a time when you have worked with a team" or "shown leadership" if your regular day to day doesn't necessarily include this. Also to show that you have the capacity to have a work/life balance - there is a concern, I think, that if you are too focused on medicine and study, to the exclusion of anything else, you might burn out in medical school. Just what I can glean from the kinds of questions that seem to be bandied about. ie that they are worried about certain personality traits, and extra curricular activities can be useful in demonstrating that you don't have them, or have some good ones.

Justiceisblind · 18/12/2020 21:07

Place mark for 2023