Medicine 2023 Entry

[opoponax]

Hi all,

I don't think there is a Medicine 2023 Entry thread yet, so it might be an idea to get one started.

Anyone out there with DC applying or reapplying for Medicine 2023, please join a friendly thread for mutual support and useful advice from those who understand the UK Medical School application process.

Which is very frustrating. DS also loved chemistry and would have done it at university were he not aiming for medicine - but DD has abandoned looking at vet med because she couldn't face taking chemistry at A level. We did carefully look at the options - and as far as we can see, there is only one possible place you can do vet med without chemistry, and one other where you can if via the foundation year. This is with biology and maths. So DD's current thinking is a vet nursing, as they only require another science on top of biology, and maths (and geography) counts as a science.

@DTJ sorry that the UCAT was disappointing. We will revise the UCAT estimates for this year based on actual cut offs 2022,, but I think the safest UCAT options are ARU, Edge Hill and Keele/Sunderland if her volunteering etc meets the R&R form requirements. Definitely worth doing BMAT, I would avoid Leeds as you generally need perfect GCSEs for an interview, but BSMS and Lancaster are good options.

@Bimkom DD could apply to Harper Keele for vet med and then elsewhere for vet nursing. If she could do an AS in Chemistry she could also apply to Liverpool.
Just an idea 😊.

Hi,

I know that this is a thread that is mostly aimed at DC who wish to apply to medicine, but... is there any advice for someone who wishes to transfer from one healthcare background/degree to medicine?

I am considering it in a few years, but I will be mid-late 30's by then, so wondering if it's truly worth being a Jnr Dr at that age? Or should I just stick to what I know and make the most of that?
Thanks!

@LetstalkaboutBruno - look out for announcements in coming months/years about apprenticeships that allow other healthcare professionals to study medicine part-time or over a shortened course. They will have their own problems but they might be something that's useful to you. www.hee.nhs.uk/news-blogs-events/news/new-medical-doctor-degree-apprenticeship-launched-delivering-more-representative-workforce-local

I've known lots of medical students in their thirties, and a few in their forties. There are lots of reasons not to do it (loss of career progression, limited time in doctor role before retirement, etc.) but some of the people I've known who've done it have definitely known what they were doing. It's really important to talk to people about it so you can see all the up- and downsides.

@NoNotHimTheOtherOneI hadn't yet heard about this. I think that could be the best way to get into any job - apprenticeships are probably the way I would learn best. My other options are an ACCP role, similar in some respects - an MSc but - mostly working on an ICU with work to do in the background/university days in your rota.

It is true, I suspect there will be pros and cons regardless of how you do it! I guess it comes down to how much you want to do something.

I will look into the link that you sent. Thank you for sharing, it's really helpful to know that there are other options out there - thank you.

Having chatted with both medical doctors as med students many welcome the idea of an apprenticeship. Citing earning money during learning a major advantage

Yes, Harper Keele was the one we identified, but that limits the options to one. Can't see her doing an AS in Chemistry - school won't help her. I think Nottingham you can apply for their foundation year without chemistry. While one might apply to Harper Keele, as an outside chance, I can't see it is sensible to have any realistic expectation that it might come through

Hi all, I've been trying to access the Medicine 2022 entry thread but its not working. Working on trying to work out where to apply for my DD.

The spreadsheet that has been attached for Strategic Choices to Secure Interview - was that prepared by someone on here or was it from an online resource (just wanting to check whether there is an updated one with 2022 cut off?).

I feel I may be asking lots of questions in the next few weeks!

@Africa2go it was made by the v clever @Monkey2001. I'm sure one of us will have an updated 2022 one v soon. But if you let us have the stats we can help. UCAT, A level prediction, GCSEs.

@Africa2go and there is loads of help over at TSR. Google TSR medicine and go to the 'where can I apply' post. Lots of doctors and staff will then help too. They give very good advice.

I've put a post on the "Where to apply" thread on TSR. Thank you.

Aww thanks! I will get together with GANFYD and other people who have been monitoring cut offs for 2022 and update it soon.

@Monkey2001 your spreadsheet is so helpful. DD keeps referencing it. Do you think there will be further changes to entrance criteria for the next cycle or will it have stopped moving now?

Hi everyone, I really need to offload. I am so very worried about dd's UCAT exam later this week. She has done so little preparation - she had lots of good intentions but just hasn't done anything like enough practice. She has now gone over to her boyfriend's house for the fternoon, and while I appreciate that everyone needs a break, she hasn't really done enough to warrant one in my view. Lots of socialising and not very much motivation.

She has always been very sociable, but doing so little work really isn't like her at all, and I'm concerned that she has lost sight of her priorities somehow. If I tentatively suggest that she needs to think really hard about whether she is up for the slog that is medicine if she can't be bothered to put the work in for this test, then I get my head bitten off - she will tell me that she is already really stressed enough as it is, and that she doesn't need me to make it worse. I get that, but there are easier career choices if she wants a less stressful path. I honestly don't care whether she does medicine or goes down a completely different route, I just want her to be happy, but she is insistent that she does really want it and so I don't want her to have regrets later. She has so much potential and talent, and I think she would make an amazing doctor, but right now, I feel like I'm watching a slow motion car crash. It isn't just the UCAT either. She didn't really put enough work in before her summer exams in school, either, and though she did very well in some of them regardless, her results were much more mixed than they have ever been before.

I just don't know what to do. I have never been a pushy parent, and I don't want to start doing that now, but to be honest, I have never had to worry in the pastbecause dd has always been so driven and self motivated, plus she is ridiculously bright so has always excelled even without a huge amount of effort. Admittedly, she has always been last minute about stuff, but she would usually get her head down to work when the time came, whereas she just doesn't seem able to do that this time. I don't know what has gone wrong, whether she has just reached burnout, whether she has just decided that time with her friends is more important, whether she is just being complacent.

Deep down, I think she just believes that she'll pull it out of the bag on the day, like she always does, and maybe she will, but I'm really not so sure. She has done a couple of mocks on medify and they haven't been great.

Ultimately, I think I know that I just need to stand back and let her get on with it, and be there to pick up the pieces if it all goes horribly wrong. She knows what I think, but it's not my life at the end of the day. If she makes mistakes, I guess she'll learn from them, but it's hard not to be so invested in things working out for her. I am probably projecting, too, because I see so much of my own weakness in her...I am the queen of self sabotage and can't bear to see dd doing this to herself. Please help!

@Anothernamechangeplease my DS is a bit like this. He works v hard usually but has struggled this summer with UCAT prep. I think the whole thing is so alien to him and also the work he has done has not seen him consistently improve. One day he'll storm VR the next not and he can't really understand why which he finds very demoralising.
He is starting to question his whole decision to do medicine. He has spent 2 years solely focused on it and this step feels like one too far. He is also struggling with not even knowing where he can apply to until his mark is in. He sees his peers picking a uni (which he could do with any other degree subject) it his choice will be deternjned to a large degree by UCAT. Plus the summer is hot. He is cooped up in a hot airless room working v hard and not really seeing consistent improvement. Everyone else is enjoying themselves. He also has a stack of school work he hasn't done yet. Including for his music a level which he loves.
It's tough. Like you I would rather he didn't do medicine. So much work for little reward. But he has always seen unswervable in his desire. Ucat is literally driving him away. Which would be medicines loss tbh.
But there we are. He has to do it or give up on it.

Oh and you can't make her work imo!!!

@Lottsbiffandsmudge , thanks so much for your reply, it helps to know that dd isn't the only one struggling with it. And you're right, I know I can't make her work.

DD has also said that the practice that she has done hasn't led to consistent improvement, and perhaps that is why she is struggling to get on with it. Her results seem to be all over the place. Especially situational judgement, which surprises me as I'd have expected that to be one of her strengths.

She seems to excel at the verbal reasoning and decision making - finds them quite easy and consistently does well. Quantitative is OK but she needs to pick up on speed, which really does depend on practice, I think. She struggles a bit with the abstract reasoning, it doesn't come naturally to her.

What will be will be, I guess. When is your ds doing the test?

I would advise your DC to do one of the mocks on the UCAT website under exam conditions, and if they get a disappointing result consider delaying the UCAT.

It is a funny exam, the main reason for practice is to understand how to manage the time, get used to triaging questions, guessing and flagging. Most people say AR in the real thing is much easier than Medify as the rules are less complicated - generally 1 step rules. Some DC do really well with minimal work because it is just an IQ test, no knowledge to learn, just techniques to optimise your score.

Try to encourage them not to ignore SJT - getting a 3 or 4 really can limit your options if your other stats are not excellent.

You can only lead the horse to water, if it goes badly and means they don't get interviews this year, try to stay open to the idea of a gap year. My DS2 starts his 3 day/week job as an Assistant Physiologist in a local hospital next week and is really excited about it. It will make him a better medical student if he is successful in getting an offer next year.

Also look on you tube for technique videos, they really helped to get some tips rather than just more practise. We watched some together for soldiarity, also going through the questions together after the mocks helps especially when mum and dad can't understand the answers.

@Anothernamechangeplease DS finds QR easy but struggles with the on line calculator. He is getting better with that. VR he sometimes aces and sometimes doesn't. Dm has improved (the only one that consistently has). Abstract he just finds v difficult. He is seeing some patterns now with practice. SJT he says is v hard. He says that similar questions are answered totally differently in different papers. He has got variously band 1,2 and 3!
He takes it 1st Sept. We can't delay further as once he is back at school he will not have time for more work..

For SJT read the GMC guidelines as to what is expected of doctors. Knowing these competencies will help a lot. Don't overthink answers, go with your gut.
It's a horrible test though.

I recognise so much of what so many of you are saying with your dcs and their UCaT prep and general motivation. We have had more motivation for ucat than we did for end of year 12 exams but the whole thing is one continuous grind. Plus the personal statement is due in and a whole load of actual schoolwork to get through! What will be will be. My hairdresser just told me I have gained way more greys between visits this time than at any point ever. I wonder why!!?

@Lottsbiffandsmudge does he practice on a desktop with an extended keyboard? That is what he will have at the test centre and getting used to putting numlock on and using the calculator working well can save valuable minutes!

They do have a real slog ahead and it certainly can feel a bit relentless. So, while the UCAT is important, it is also important that they can pace themselves and have a bit of a break over the summer too. From the UCAT right through to their A Levels, they will be under pretty much continuous pressure, with UCAS submission, BMAT (if they do it), mocks and (hopefully!) a number of interviews thrown in to the mix before the pressure of the actual A Levels. I found, when DS was applying, that the best approach with him was just to leave him to it but make sure I was there with lots of food, unrelated chat and a bit of perspective about considering it a two-year process. DD wants to talk through things more that he did but I don't talk about it unless she does. Only they can decide how much it means to them and how much they want to put into it.