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Changing mind 5 days before UCAS deadline!!

25 replies

hughey2 · 15/09/2021 12:49

DD was always unsure about what to study at university. School internal deadline for UCAS is Sep 20 (for Sep 2022 entry), and after working really hard on a medicine application for months she has suddenly 'decided' -waveringly- to apply for Natsci at Cambridge and Durham. She got straight 9s for her GCSE, predicted 4 A*s and scored 800 in UCAT. She loves to go to Cambridge but feels that biology is 'soft' and 2 years of human biology will be boring. Natsci and chemistry will be more challenging she says. She loved medicine work experience but also loves pure science. I can she see is torn and really worried about her 'whim'. Its not as if she wants to be a scientist. She frankly does not know what exactly she wants to do apart from the fact that she likes science and maths. Any words of advice? I'm worried sick as she only has 5 days to write up a Natsci personal statement etc.

OP posts:
MistandMud · 15/09/2021 16:49

Whatever the school's internal deadline, the Oxbridge deadline is not until October. She has more time to think and to perfect her PS. It's the student that submits it, not the school (though she'll need their reference).

She could take a gap year, and gain some experience and/or cash.

kitnkaboodle · 15/09/2021 16:52

... and it's only Oxford that has the deadline of 15th October. You can add all these others to your UCAS later - that's something that schools don't often tell you.

kitnkaboodle · 15/09/2021 16:53

... all THE others, not these ..

PlanDeRaccordement · 15/09/2021 16:53

It’s her choice really. I had a DC that did similar. Was all set on Economics and then last minute changed their mind and did a degree in Mechanical Engineering. It worked out for them.

I’d support her with the change in plans.

DitheringDan · 15/09/2021 16:58

One of mine changed his mind from Music Tech to MFL the day before the actual UCAS deadline.

Now that was a near squeak. He rewrote his whole PS overnight, got a hastily scrawled reference from his shop boss instead of anything academic from his former school, and pressed Send with about 15 minutes to go.

Not really recommended as a technique, but he got six offers (long story) and he's glad he followed his instincts.

Daisy62 · 15/09/2021 18:30

Maybe one/more of these options:

Talk to school about needing an extension on the internal deadline - Oxbridge and medicine actual deadline is not till 15 October, as others have said, tho the school obviously needs time to review the application and write the reference.

If still interested in medicine - she can only do 4 medical applications anyway, plus the UCAS-required non-medicine 5th application. For the 5th application, she could apply to a science course that she really wants to do (instead of the usual science/biomedical back-up choice, in case of no medicine offers). There will be problems of how to pitch the personal statement - universities are used to this, it will be clear that the applicant is a medical student making a 5th choice that they're less interested in. This isn't a problem for most universities, as they are generally keen to have these students, but it would be a problem for Cambridge Natsci as it's so competitive - a personal statement aimed at medicine won't get her an interview. Not sure about Durham. But doing it this way, she would only have one science option and might face disappointment if she doesn't get the science offer and later decides it's what she wants to do. Take advice from school - they might suggest this is bonkers if there's a real chance that she actually wants to do the science course, and she should wait until she's more sure of what she wants to do (really I think wait too).

Or consider Cambridge medicine, where the 3 pre-clinical years are more theory/science heavy than many medical schools. Yr 3 is intercalated and another subject (ie not medicine) is studied, with an undergraduate degree award at the end of the year - this could be a science (not sure if any sciences are excluded). There are also other medical schools that offer intercalation. Presumably BMAT and UCAT arrangements are already in hand if medicine was the original plan.

Or go for the science undergraduate degree, knowing that she'd be well placed to apply for graduate medicine afterwards if she wants to. Could just apply for Cambridge Natsci for now, and add the four other science courses later, before the January deadline. That would mean less pressure to choose the 4 others right now, just focus on the Cambridge personal statement. Make sure you're on top of the dates for the NSAA natsci entrance test.

Or forget Cambridge, and take time between now and January to make the decisions on science courses.

If really unsure, plan a gap year - maybe try some science work experience and science university tasters/open days. All university options will still be on the table next year, with the benefit of known exam results.

You say that she loves pure science. A good science degree is an asset in its own right - many graduate training schemes and careers (not all science-based) would be open to her.

I'd be concerned about medicine if she really isn't sure. It's a tough enough course as it is. With science, she doesn't need to know what she's going to do with it at this stage. If this were my child, I'd advise the science degree, or the gap year to think more about what she wants to do.

hughey2 · 15/09/2021 20:04

thank you so much you lovely people for taking the time to write. Just reading all your messages calms me. School says she should either apply for all science courses (with science personal statement) or all medicine courses+1 science (with medicine personal statement)

OP posts:
BigWoollyJumpers · 16/09/2021 10:41

DD changed from medicine and applied to BioMed at Oxford. She really enjoyed the course and now has a great job in medical consulting.

AvocadoPlant · 16/09/2021 10:43

Its worth being aware that Durham (and Exeter) both accept a second personal statement.
Possibly other uni's do as well but these are the only 2 we looked at.

SeasonFinale · 16/09/2021 15:01

I assume it was a typo for her UCAT score because if she got 800 she shouldn't be applying for medicine. She will also need to be entered for BMAT if she is hoping for medicine at Cambridge.

Lovecatsanddogs · 16/09/2021 15:43

UCAT is an excellent score it's 3200.

NoNotHimTheOtherOne · 16/09/2021 15:43

A UCAT score of 800 isn't possible: all scores are between 1,200 and 3,600. For some reason, though, students keep quoting their average subtest score (total ÷ 4) instead of the total, despite the fact that no medical school expresses its requirements in this way. So when the OP's daughter says a UCAT score of 800 she means 3,200.

hughey2 · 17/09/2021 09:44

Yes, her UCAT average was 800. Full score 3200 and SJT Band 1. She shouldn't apply for medicine with this score? why?

OP posts:
MarchingFrogs · 17/09/2021 22:48

@hughey2

Yes, her UCAT average was 800. Full score 3200 and SJT Band 1. She shouldn't apply for medicine with this score? why?
The comment was presumably à propos an assumed total score of 800? I remember from posts on TSR that it used to be the thing to quote one's score as the average, but everywhere seems to refer to the total score now.

Obviously, a score of 3200 with band 1 SJT is a very encouraging thing to have.when applying for Medicine.

SeasonFinale · 19/09/2021 09:05

Yes that is why I assumed the 800 was a typo. She should be referring to her total score these days of 3200 and band 1 which is indeed excellent.

chesirecat99 · 19/09/2021 15:51

If she is interested in the research side of medicine, medical students can intercalate and take a PhD at Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and UCL. I don't know about other med schools. It might be another option she would like to consider.

tocas · 19/09/2021 15:56

The fact is that she needs to decide if she is serious about being a doctor or not. If she is not sure then I'd say encourage her to apply for natsci at Cambs, it will open many doors for her. D. O. I - doctor.

chesirecat99 · 19/09/2021 16:21

She could also apply for deferred entry to medicine and get a job as an HCA post A-levels. That might help her decide whether medicine is the right career for her before October 2022 when she could reapply for Nat Sci if it isn't.

alpinia · 19/09/2021 16:39

Why doesn't she look at universities where you can intercalate? Lots of med students I know who were more science focused chose that option. In addition to the options mentioned by a previous poster Edinburgh and Glasgow also allow this. Some options allow you to actually graduate with a BSc in the other degree too. Then once she's done she will have another option if she decides medicine is not for her.

parietal · 19/09/2021 17:01

First comment - biology is NOT a soft science. These days it has a lot of statistics and computational modelling alongside trying to understand living systems which are massively complex.

Second NatSci at Cambridge is a great choice for someone who is undecided because there is lots of choice. She could then convert to medicine later if she really wants the clinical route. But pure science is great too.

chesirecat99 · 19/09/2021 17:11

Some options allow you to actually graduate with a BSc in the other degree too.

Just to add, intercalation and taking a BSc is compulsory at some med schools and most offer it as an option. Some med schools allow you to intercalate at a different university. However, not all universities offer intercalated Masters or PhD degrees. If she is considering intercalating, she should find out what specialisms are offered, whether there are post grad degree options, whether she can transfer to another university to intercalate, and the courses available at universities that accept external intercalating students.

DoctorDonna20 · 19/09/2021 20:25

If she thinks she might want to do medicine in this situation I'd probably suggest apply for that this time around and re-evaluate things come August.
A medical degree can open doors to other options; pure science research, management consultancy as well as clinical medicine so keeps her options open. Other science degrees are often available in clearing (not Oxbridge etc so much admittedly). Not many people move from medicine to other courses eg natsci but it's not unknown, but moving the opposite way I'd say was virtually impossible.

hughey2 · 19/09/2021 21:26

that sounds a great idea--HCA refers to health care assistant? Any other jobs part-time maybe that might help, post A Levels?

OP posts:
hughey2 · 20/09/2021 12:41

as far as Natsci is concerned, the only course she likes is the one at Cambridge. not a nice position to be in!

OP posts:
chesirecat99 · 20/09/2021 13:26

Yes, HCA is healthcare assistant. The NHS recruitment process can be slow so I would start looking well before she sits exams.

It's tricky if she is only interested in Nat Sci at Cambridge. She could put it as her 5th choice but that isn't going to work when it comes to writing the personal statement. It will look like it is her back up plan if she doesn't get a place for medicine.

It's also not a great idea to study medicine if you aren't passionate about it. It's tough enough as it is, let alone if you aren't really enjoying it.

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