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??

Wow @GANFYD that's really interesting stats re Nottingham. I have been trying to learn from you on TSR but still a long way to go 😂

@Chilldonaldchill

Wow *@GANFYD* that's really interesting stats re Nottingham. I have been trying to learn from you on TSR but still a long way to go 😂

If I can help with anything, feel free to message me

@GANFYD - how safe do you think an application to Nottingham would be with a score of 138/152? DD's school has not been particularly successful sending candidates there but that feels like a strong score to me. What do you think?

[quote SandyBayley]@GANFYD - how safe do you think an application to Nottingham would be with a score of 138/152? DD's school has not been particularly successful sending candidates there but that feels like a strong score to me. What do you think?[/quote]
If that score is not OK, the world is doomed!

@GANFYD thank you so much . Do you feel that with SJT Band 2 it will be difficult at Edinburgh? She has 5 As at Highers and 3060 UCAT score . Would St Andrews be a better option ?

Thank you @Monkey2001 for your help ☺️

Thanks @GANFYD - I thought it would be. Now I'm questioning whether she should substitute Newcastle for Nottingham as I think she'd like it much more as a place to study and live.

[quote Grunty79]@GANFYD thank you so much . Do you feel that with SJT Band 2 it will be difficult at Edinburgh? She has 5 As at Highers and 3060 UCAT score . Would St Andrews be a better option ?[/quote]
It would probably make it tough if she was RUK, but as a Home applicant, she should be OK, as things are much more lenient for Scottish candidates

Thank you very much @GANFYD

Sorry ! Fell asleep. For contextual offers being a cater is limited to v v few places. Being in care in more common but it's always worth a call to admissions as I have known a few flag an application in extreme circumstances.

@SandyBayley my DD loves Nottingham if that helps. Fantastic student city, placements are all paid for (either petrol or accommodation), great resit policy & despite a few admin mains she's had a fab time.

@HunkyDory69 Notts students do a Bachelor of Medical Sciences within the 5 years. So year 2 and year 3 stuff counts towards this - within the degree they spend 3 months doing a dissertation of their choice. They then start 4th year in July, so no long summer. Straight into clinical rotations (although there is clinical in first 3 years too).
Notts really seems a great city to be a student. Cheap, DD runs along the canal to David Attenborough place, trams everywhere and placement transport/accommodation all paid for. And full body dissection which DD said was invaluable for anatomy spotters.
I believe the next serious of 24 hours in A&E is about to start filming at QMC.

Absolute credit to @GANFYD for your sterling work on TSR. Just had a skim and you have the patience of a saint.

@SandyBayley

Absolute credit to *@GANFYD* for your sterling work on TSR. Just had a skim and you have the patience of a saint.

I really don’t! Have gone off in a huff for now, from being incessantly shouted at by demanding children - I spent years training my own not to do that!! Risking a trip out for cocktails and tapas, so I shall be less bothered by them later 😂😂

I hate to say it but done if the questions asked front reflect well on the judgment of those asking them. Slightly concerning 😬

@SandyBayley

I hate to say it but done if the questions asked front reflect well on the judgment of those asking them. Slightly concerning 😬

I grit my teeth and remind myself that they are at least trying to find things out. But typing “have you looked on the website” a thousand times is rather soul-destroying!

@GANFYD I feel your pain. If my students turn up at a meeting having done no research themselves I tell them meeting is over. I'm not doing it all for them !! If they can't be bothered to do a bit of research I figure they'll not do well at medical school as need to self learn soooool much.

The thing that doesn't impress me is the way they expect to be spoon fed answers. If you read those threads most answers can be gleaned from previous answers!

The instant gratification generation! I am trying to beat it out of them, one post at a time......

But there are some lovely ones who are super appreciative and pass on the knowledge they acquire from following the thread. It is like the old "you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince", there are some people on there who make it all worthwhile, although nobody had shown as much dedication as GANFYD, and her patience is very impressive.

@GANFYD - the work you do on TSR is incredible. You are an absolute legend. Thank you on behalf of all the ungrateful students there!

My kids aren't on TSR but I have dipped into the medicine thread. I'm genuinely surprised at the general lack of correlation between academic success and UCAT results. And also how many high scorers in the UCAT are getting band 3 and low scorers getting band 1. I'm so glad I don't work in med schools admissions as it seems so hard to objectively short list candidates based on academic results and the UCAT! I guess that's why all the med schools seem to do it differently... 1000 ways to skin a cat and all that!

Hello everyone. New to this thread! DD Sat her UCAT last week and is now finalising her personal statement. It seems she is the only one in her school applying to medicine and tbh school haven't been very helpful. I'm proud that she is doing most of the research herself but would also like to help her in choice of uni, especially as she has not had much work experience (rural location, difficult access, not for want of trying). Is the best place to start TSR (it frightens me!). I understand there's a spreadsheet....
Sorry if all these questions have been answered before, just getting my head round things. Added complication is that I have twins and the other one (not looking at medicine) needs A LOT of support.
Thank you all so much!

Welcome @olafolaf

TSR isn't scary, there are familiar faces over there.

There is a brilliant 'which medical school' thread where the experts will advise on strategic applications if you post in the required format No need to go near scary spreadsheets.

Which medical schools is your DD considering?