Medicine 2022 entry

[Monkey2001]

Support thread for aspiring medics.

We want all our DCs to succeed, whatever their school type. We share knowledge to help them to achieve their goals, celebrate success and support if things don't go well.

As we press the "send and pay" buttons on UCAS, we wish all our DC the best of luck in this tough year with so much uncertainty.

@Onewildandpreciouslife good luck with Nottingham. And JVT will be back there soon!

Sorry cross post @mumsneedwine. I bet he will be so glad to be back in Nottingham

DS received an interview invitation for Liverpool today. He’s hasn’t heard back from St George’s yet after his interview last month, though he doesn’t expect to just yet.

DS on a gap year, so has confirmed grades. Does anyone know if this means that a decision will potentially be made earlier?

DD had Liverpool interview yesterday. I was told by their admissions office that they will start sending out offers after 11th February and all offers should be sent out by 31st March

Very trivial and a bit off topic
@mumsneedwine
Very silly question re Nottingham inspired by another thread but do you know I your DD or any of her pals use a shopping trolley? Thought it may be good for Xmas present for DD who is in a house next year and half a mile from Aldi. Lots of folks say that students use them but would best if she's not the only one

@withiceplease probably not best person to ask as my DD took her car from year 2. But can see that a shopping trolley would be a fab idea.

She'll take a car if she passes her test 🤞 but may be handy if not
Thank you

@withiceplease my DS's second year GF mentioned today that she would like a shopping trolley, although she is a bit concerned about the lack of cool factor!

DS had Newcastle interview today and it was so much better than Manchester, but very short. He had a registrar and a psychologist (or might have been psychiatrist?), both lovely and encouraging. I had expected 1 medical professional and a student or patient.

@Monkey2001 is your ?4th year of this? Best of luck to you both for Newcastle

I'll have to ask her re trolley. I might just get it as a gift to the new house and see how it goes.

@withiceplease only 3 cycles so far, I had a year off last year, just dipped in to help a bit. We may have another one next year, but feel quite hopeful. Interview was supposed to be 30 mins but was only 14 mins. They were running late due to technical issues in previous interview, so I hope they just decided they didn't need to drill down.

Hi all - would appreciate any advice if possible.
Have son (DS sometimes :-)) who has had 3 med interviews so far and fourth on way. Has very good UCAT and GCSEs / predicted A levels (all A*'s). Uni's were Cambridge, KCL (Kings), Bristol and Cardiff.
Issue is his interviewing - he's put 100% into practicing: interview books, practicing with friends, families and any school/online opportunities but when he goes into the actual interview he just tends to have intermittent blanks. Not all through interview but at certain points, he'll have mini-crisis-of-confidence : even though he says he 'knows' the answer/what he wants to say it's almost like he can't think straight.
I've tried to reassure him but I'm not clear if one or 2 poorly answered questions or MMI stations will be make-or-break?
I know (thankfully) they've exams this year and he's quite strong academically so hopefully will achieve his predictions. He's also popular, good circle of friends and sociable - so it's not that he's not a people-person (in fact that's one of the reasons he applied to medicine).

So I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips re: intermittent interview 'panic' (during interview) and also whether Unis are holistic - i.e. will they take a stronger academic pupil with a slightly up-and-down interview performance or a better interview performer if they meet minimum academic requirements?
Any advice is appreciated as I'm trying to reassure him but also want to be realistic and manage expectations.
Thanks in advance.

@Angharad01 I think the only one of those which is holistic and uses academics post interview is Cambridge, although Cardiff has their maths test, which I assume would have been a strength. Most medical schools disregard academics and entrance exams once you have secured an interview.

Loads of people have "moments" at interview when they can't think of an answer, and it is easy to magnify how bad it was. People say that the good thing about MMI is that each one is a fresh start and you can make up for for a weaker one with a stronger one. In our experience that is sort of true, but at some, for example Sheffield, you have to get at least satisfactory at all stations to be considered for an offer.

Most people who get offers don't have perfect interviews; in his second round of applications, after his interviews, DS1 was sure he would be rejected by all of them but he got 3 offers.
Your DS should try to stay positive, Cambridge will let him know very soon (is it next week?) and KCL is usually fairly quick. You could have a long wait for the others.

@Monkey2001 many thanks. Yes, he had some 'very good' stations/questions at interview and others (approx 2 questions per interview) where the obvious seemed to elude him.

The Maths station at Cardiff he actually enjoyed - if only they could have all been logical/problem-solving ones!
Cambridge decisions are a week Tues (25th) - doesn't think he's got an offer for that: first interview seemed to go well but second he came out red and flustered as apparently they were quite brutal - determined to find something he didn't know to check his reasoning and then questioning him in-depth on it. I think it didn't help that they didn't introduce themselves and just cut-off at the end - so much for pleasantries... Still proud he got that far and it's an experience if nothing else.
As it's medicine am just hoping he gets one offer - as that's all he needs (wherever he goes he'll come out a Doctor) - just so many hoops for the kids to jump through it's a test of resilience/stress management just getting into med school.

DD got an Oxford offer! Delighted that it's her first one

That's such fantastic news! So pleased for you

Ah thanks @BunnyRuddington :) - she has Leeds and Newcastle interviews this week.

I was also wondering about the interviews too and what happens if they muck up parts. Surely the average 17/18 year old won't do anything near a perfect interview. Though I suppose they're not after anyone average. It's a brutal process but nothing compared to going the actual the course and becoming a doctor. Also keeping fingers crossed for just one offer!!

Many congrats congratsvto those that have secured offers.

Has anyone had a Birmingham interview yet? DD has one tomorrow…

Very best of luck mini @KingscoteStaff !

@KingscoteStaff one encouraging thing for Birmingham is that because it is so difficult for a non contextual applicant to secure an interview, those that do have a better success rate than the contextual applicants. Probably helped by the fact that they will, on average, do better at the maths test than the contextual applicants who do not need to be academically perfect. On TSR they were saying there are only 2 stations at Birmingham - is that really right? As DS's Newcastle interview was less than 20 mins it does not sound ridiculous. Good luck tomorrow!

I think that’s right - one is ethics and one is role play. I suggested providing a selection of different hats for the role play but was scorned.

Hope it goes well for your DD tomorrow @KingscoteStaff!

And best of luck to all other DC interviewing this week.

One of DD's friends has 3 interviews this week 😬

@Angharad01 interesting to hear your DS’ experience of the Cambridge interview - DD found her second one very tough too, sounds like it might be a deliberate tactic.

Thinking of your DD today @KingscoteStaff

DD has a Bristol interview! So that's 4 out of 4 interviews with one offer. She is well chuffed.