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??

DD is at Cardiff and so has done CBL for half of first year and second year. She enjoyed it and found it a good way to learn. I think she has been part of 3 different groups, some better than others. But there were also plenty of lectures too, so they do learn what they need to!

When are interviews (real life or online) scheduled? Could any be pre-BMAT?

No, BMAT is end of October, which is also when universities get UCAT results. Interviews start in late November, Oxbridge early December. A few high scorers start getting offers in Dec/Jan, but lots are still interviewing into March.

@KingscoteStaff we got the "Medical School interviews" book out of the library and I thought of you when I saw this question:

Other page

Offers of interviews can certainly come out before the BMAT Kingscote, for any unis not relying on UCAT.

@goodbyestranger

Offers of interviews can certainly come out before the BMAT Kingscote, for any unis not relying on UCAT.

I think you are mistaken! Which medical school have you seen sending invitations to interview before the end of October?! Please back up with facts or I advise nobody to believe you!!

It MAY have been possible when there was a summer BMAT sitting, but all universities use either UCAT or BMAT and will not shortlist before seeing results.

..... or possibly grads who did GAMSAT, but I haven't seen interview invitations before end of October.

Any advice on how to prep for the interviews?

DS and his close friend at school both got invites from Birmingham before the end of October. DS's actual interview was November 21st. This was before Birmingham decided to use the UCAT, obviously, as I said.

How rude.

DS's last interview was Imperial in early January, so all done by then. Same with close friend. At our school it's unusual to still be interviewing in March, if you're a strong applicant applying to the most competitive schools.

Since they tend to interview early, on the whole.

@goodbyestranger

DS and his close friend at school both got invites from Birmingham before the end of October. DS's actual interview was November 21st. This was before Birmingham decided to use the UCAT, obviously, as I said.

How rude.

Birmingham have been using UCAT for 5 years, so your information is out of date.

Sorry if you thought I was rude but misinformation on threads like these is very unhelpful. I am pretty sure that "Offers can certainly come out before BMAT" is currently untrue for school leavers.

@notmedicmum came across this on Sheffield website re use of annotated UCAT results. I think it is worth looking into what the ones she likes do, although Sheffield would be a safe option anyway. Make sure they know she is asking about an annotated result which is different from mitigating circumstances.

Yes it's certainly out of date for Birmingham Monkey, as I've already said by implication ('before Birmingham decided to use the UCAT'). However, over recent years admissions policies have changed dramatically at many UK med schools, so the point was simply that interviews can be dished out by the end of October, assuming little or no weight is placed on the UCAT.

If you read back, and more closely, you'll see that I wrote offers of interviews, not offers.

Also don't be surprised by changes of policy appearing all of a sudden :) That happens. Then people are shocked, because they've placed too much reliance on what happened the previous year, or couple of years. Frequently a change of policy is explained after the admissions round, not before. My own view is that not overthinking it is the best plan, although obviously there's a case for playing to your strengths, if your application has obvious weaknesses.

@goodbyestranger

Yes it's certainly out of date for Birmingham Monkey, as I've already said by implication ('before Birmingham decided to use the UCAT'). However, over recent years admissions policies have changed dramatically at many UK med schools, so the point was simply that interviews can be dished out by the end of October, assuming little or no weight is placed on the UCAT.

If you read back, and more closely, you'll see that I wrote offers of interviews, not offers.

Your historical anecdotes are interesting to some, I’m sure, but might be better in a modern history thread than discussion about current medical school admissions processes?

GANFYD I'm aware that you pore endlessly over statistics, but you clearly don't understand either policy and its potential for fluctuation( or indeed the value of history informing modern practice generally!).

All I can say is that our school has been incredibly successful for years and years at getting kids into medical school which is why I possibly fail to get the hand wringing on these threads. I reckon a common sense approach informed by a level of worldliness is a help, not a hindrance. That said, I'm sure your prolific input is helpful, up to a point. No quarrel with that.

Plenty of kids at our school get four offers first time around, so the received wisdom on these threads is certainly at odds with that.

"My own view is that not overthinking it is the best plan, although obviously there's a case for playing to your strengths, if your application has obvious weaknesses."

Er, no! The best strategy is to make a shortlist, double, triple check current admissions policy before applying, make sure you apply to the ones where you are most likely to get interviews with no more than 1 risky choice unless your stats are too weak to have 4 safe options. If you have perfect stats but do not include the things Cardiff want in your PS, you will be rejected. If you have perfect stats but limited work experience, Keele will not be interested. Be wary of applying to too many medical schools with low offer/interview ratios. Very few people would get interviews at every medical school.

@goodbyestranger

GANFYD I'm aware that you pore endlessly over statistics, but you clearly don't understand either policy and its potential for fluctuation( or indeed the value of history informing modern practice generally!).

All I can say is that our school has been incredibly successful for years and years at getting kids into medical school which is why I possibly fail to get the hand wringing on these threads. I reckon a common sense approach informed by a level of worldliness is a help, not a hindrance. That said, I'm sure your prolific input is helpful, up to a point. No quarrel with that.

And it is for applicants who don’t have the privilege and advantage provided by places like your school that threads like these are so helpful. When the advice is current and relevant 😊

@goodbyestranger

Plenty of kids at our school get four offers first time around, so the received wisdom on these threads is certainly at odds with that.

Is this also historical data? How many at your school for 4 offers in 2021 and how many applied? It is getting harder.

@Monkey2001 that sounds like very sound advice after my DS's experience last year - one thing my DS is struggling with is finding the interview/offer ratio stats for 202; he's asked on TSR and has I think been advised to make FOI requests but I wondered if you knew anywhere where this info would be collated?

and thank you @GANFYD and co for all the helpful advice you provide on TSR to students like my DS who are feeling their way through this process as they do appreciate it