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??

But student finance/bursary does not cover their costs. And so parents have to make up the difference (& not all can), or students do from summer jobs. And my DD would rather put in a million catheters than be an academic. Currently on Obs and loving it. Yet to meet a moaning doctor. Tired ones but all been fantastic teachers.
Anyway, good luck with UCATs still to be sat and ask away about where to apply. Can thoroughly recommend GANDYD on TSR thread 'where to apply' 😊.
School get results in 1.5 hours for this year and I'm silently praying all will be ok.

They all want to do different things. Again I met someone recently whose DD intercalated at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and now has a seriously interesting international job.

The point is that when considering medical schools they should consider what doors they want left open. The fact that one student wants to focus on hands on medicine does not mean they all do or indeed should.

Also money. When they start they will meet graduate students with families and mortgages, ineligible for student loans, and pulling every HCA shift they can manage. Being 18 seems easy in comparison.

If money is an issue there are other questions to be asked. DDs peers on her intercalation (and she lived at home) started their next clinical experience 2 weeks after the end of the academic year, and have no time off next summer either, having had a pre-sessional summer school prior to the intercalation year. DD, in contrast, does not go back until the start of September, so scope for two months earning. Bristol is able to help those on tight budgets by giving them back to back placements with accommodation so they don't need to rent. Indeed DD, who knows where she will be for the rest of her course, does not plan to find anywhere for her final year. Others (Oxford and Imperial spring to mind) tend to expect students to commute to placements, but then both of those are good examples of richer Universities who are generous with bursaries.

So who's next for UCAT? I know @Monkey2001 DS is on Friday. Anyone else have a DC sitting before that?

I'm sure many of you have seen this on TSR but thought it might be helpful anyway. Some have changed criteria for next year (Notts & Exeter) but gives an idea where your score fits.

Haha - that is my spreadsheet!

@Monkey2001 it is amazing !!! And v much appreciated as it's a lot shorter than my monster version 😂. I'm currently updating it for next year (mine includes contextual, dentistry and vets though) if you'd like a finished copy 🤗

Is that the only page, Monkey, or are there further treasures?

There are other pages

• A level requirements
• GCSE requirements
• use of PS
• Why not grad med
• Useful links

Sadly my brain can't retain it all like GANFYD can, so I have been trying to download her knowledge into a spreadsheet.

I lost the latest version when my hard drive crashed, but I have one I sent to school which I could share

@Monkey2001

There are other pages

• A level requirements
• GCSE requirements
• use of PS
• Why not grad med
• Useful links

Sadly my brain can't retain it all like GANFYD can, so I have been trying to download her knowledge into a spreadsheet.

I lost the latest version when my hard drive crashed, but I have one I sent to school which I could share

If I could use a spreadsheet, I would! I keep meaning to learn something useful like this but am a total IT novice!

Maybe IT becomes a crutch though - like people are not so good at map reading because of satnavs and we don't remember phone numbers because our phones do, my brain had evolved to have no memory because I can store it off site in a spreadsheet! Or more likely it is menopausal brain fog!

@mumsneedwine if you share the whole spreadsheet that would be awesome! Would really help us narrow down choices after Monday’s exam.

Will also look out for @GANFYD ‘s thread on tsr

Sorry meant to @Monkey2001 not @mumsneedwine about the spreadsheet

Once mine is up to date I'm happy to send to people. A few Unis yet to declare ! But Monkey's is a brilliant summary. And GANFYD does an amazing job on TSR.
Results day tomorrow and I'm nervous for the kids. Not as bad as waiting for my own kids results, but pretty close !

I can identify with menopausal brain fog @Monkey2001 !!

@Monkey2001

Maybe IT becomes a crutch though - like people are not so good at map reading because of satnavs and we don't remember phone numbers because our phones do, my brain had evolved to have no memory because I can store it off site in a spreadsheet! Or more likely it is menopausal brain fog!

I would still love something to support my poor aging brain though! Youth (and a good memory) is indeed wasted on the young!

If you could share your spreadsheet that would be very helpful indeed. I don't often post on this thread but I'm usually here following you all

I will post when updated in next couple of days

Does anyone know where I could find the 'real' gcse requirements for various med schools?
My dd1 is at edinburgh, she started first year september 2020, Sandy baley she did have near perfect stats, 9 a or equivalent, 3a predictions (also achieved them) ucat over 3100 band 1. We also viewed it as a risk but she got a place and as said below someone has too!
My second one ds now wants to study medicine too but he has less than perfect stats.
He is yet to sit ucat, but he does not have perfect gcses - he has 4 9s, 2 7s and 2 6s.
He does meet for example Edinburgh's minimum gcse requirements but I can't see him getting an interview? Am I wrong in that?
Ds has learnt his lesson and is no longer coasting along, he's worked hard this last year and has 3 a* predictions for a levels (maths, chemistry, biology).
He's also doing a lot of research but still taking the gcse minimum requirement at face value. He hasn't settled on anywhere until he has his ucat done, he's very practical.
I just use edinburgh as an example of where I think his gcses would not be enough to get an interview and would also think cardiff/ oxford/ cambridge are out.
I'd love to have somewhere to point him to to research more thoroughly for himself if anyone has any pointers.

@speedyhedgehog each Uni will have he minimum GCSE requirements on their admissions page. Sheffield need 7 7s and above, but many don't need that much so check each one he likes. GCSEs seem to be having less prominence this year (Notts counting them much less).
If you tell me where he is looking at I can give you their requirements.

And for lots of places as long as you have the minimum they don't care how far above that you are. So 7 7s counts the same as 95 9s 😊. Once you clear a hurdle it's on to the next one - UCAT/BMAT usually.

@speedyhedgehog my spreadsheet has that, will share when updated. First thoughts are that if he can get a very high UCAT score Newcastle, Bristol, Exeter, Aberdeen, Keele, ARU, Glasgow are good. BMAT - Cambridge, BSMS, Imperial, UCL.

Thanks for the quick replies! Monkey I will definitely show him your spreadsheet when you share it. We have been making out own spreadsheet but I think Mumsneedwine put in much more succinctly than me - what I was trying to gauge with him is which ones you do need to surpass the minimum requirements to get an interview - thanks for pointing out Sheffield will be a no.

I had sheffield down as 5 at grade 7 minimum. Will have to double check the spreadsheet again!

We are back for round 2 - DD applied last year but only got 1 interview, which did not proceed to an offer. Exeter offered Bio Med instead and she had a bio med offer from Bristol but for various reasons she decided to decline those offers and take a year off and try again this year. So it is back to UCAT next week then have to start again with applications. She got her results today and has A*AA - state school but the area does not usually get any contextual points.

It has been so hard trying to process all the different options. So any tips gratefully received.

@FanSpamTastic contextual varies massively, but she doesn't meet it with her achieved grades. Leicester is one of the best for people with achieved grades unless they change it this year. DS1 applied there second time round and got an offer and he chose it after an open day at Edinburgh and one at Leicester - felt Edinburgh open day was supercilious, found the Leicester one really engaging.