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.

Does anyone on here have a child at QUB / interviewed at QUB? DD is considering it, but has heard that lots of students go home at weekend. Although the entry requirements say there is no weighting towards Irish students, they make up more than 50% of the cohort according to FOI requests. Is that just a reflection of the applications do you think?

@Africa2go - Yes, it's a reflection of the applicants. In my experience, most Northern Irish applicants who have some chance of getting an interview at QUB will apply there. And if they have more than one offer and one is from QUB, they're very likely to make that their firm choice.

They also get a lot of applications from the Republic of Ireland because Irish applications aren't made through UCAS and they can have an extra option. Selection for medicine in Ireland is entirely on academic measures, so some students who don't make the cut there go to Belfast.

@Africa2go my DD is going into second year at QUB, so feel free to ask if there is anything you'd like to know.
I think the fact that QUB charge half of the UK fees to NI students may be one of the reasons why so many apply, and then accept if they get an offer.
In my DD's experience, she ended up in halls in a flat with 4 girls from England. She chose one of the newer central halls, which seem to accommodate more of the international and UK students. As as result, there was always a lot of students staying at weekends and she rarely came home.
In her medic group of 10, she said there was typically 50% from NI/RoI and 50% RUK/intl.

Thats really helpful both thank you.

Hello again, hopefully a quick question. (I have googled but not come up with anything. ) I am researching ucat cut-offs for different Scottish unis and one FOI request has been answered with the categories "scottish, rUK and no preference" The "no preference" isn't an average of scottish and rUK so what could it be? Possibly international but why isn't it called that?!" Could anyone help at all? Many thanks.

Hello everybody where is the best place to go for 2022 UCAT cutt off s ? I found some of them here and there but not all. I have the 2021 table..so helpful 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Similarly how do we check BMAT cut off s. I know nothing about this.

@Cratos there are some super helpful people on here and on TSR. but its really a question of going through the threads on TSR for the unis you're looking at. If you search for "X university A100 2022" you'll see people posting about what score has achieved an interview (and therefore what hasn't, what score people who were rejected had). There are also some details on various websites like the Medic Portal (although thats for 2021) for BMAT results.

I'm not sure how reliable this is...

www.theukcatpeople.co.uk/medical-schools/ucat/how-universities-use-the-ucat

I don't know the people who run it.

It doesn't give 2022 cut-offs for every medical school but it might save you a bit of work.

If it helps, I've been through quite a few of the UCAT schools (although not London) and have this (please don't take it as gospel but my own research with help from lots of others - and some of these are from TSR which might not be 100% reliable, and probably don't take into account late / waiting list offers):
Aston - pointed, 32 points cut off
Leicester - pointed , 58.5 cut off
Birmingham - new scoring system so difficult to tell (suggestion you might need 8.2+/10)
Manchester - 2730
Liverpool - 2620 (I think!)
Sheffield - 2780
Plymouth - 2610
Nottingham - pointed, 127 or 129 /152 (not terribly clear)
Lincoln - pointed (same system as Nottingham) a little unclear @120
QUB - pointed, 38/42
Newcastle - 2820
HYMS - pointed, a little unclear but less than 73 appears to have been rejected
UEA - 2640
Bristol - 2870
Southampton - 2750
SGUL - 2710
I haven't done ARU (I think thats relatively low), KMMS (bit odd), Kings or the Scottish unis (very few places for RUK). Cardiff also seems to be just on GCSEs predominantly (not very transparent for establishing likelihood of an offer). The BMAT uni I've looked at is Leeds (scored on GCSEs and BMAT score - its pointed but looks like you needed 14+ on BMAT)

Should also have mentioned Keele and Sunderland - they have the R&R form which is the primary factor for interview although they're classed as UCAT unis and very difficult to see how those are pointed / scored.

Similarly how do we check BMAT cut off s. I know nothing about this.

I think these are less useful because you won't know the score before applying, so although you might extrapolate from mocks it will still be a shot in the dark.

Hi! I saw your question and thinking back to when DD applied, there was RUK and Scottish but then you also chose either the English route meaning when you finish your 3 years at StAndrews you go to Manchester (mostly) or Barts for your clinical years. Or you chose the Scottish route when you would go to another Scottish medical school for your clinical years.

so you could be RUK Scottish route, RUK English Route or RUK no preference if you didn’t mind which partner medical school you went to after St Andrew’s. Maybe that’s what they are meaning as I think the UCAT cut offs did vary by route maybe?

Oh, thank you, @LaFlottes , I think that must be it as it was a St Andrews foi request. Many thanks!

@BungledBundle no problem at all. I remember it as my DD applied for the RUK no preference route so it stuck in my mind!! She was then allocated the English route when she got her offer which I think might be the case for most RUK no preference applicants!

@NoNotHimTheOtherOne
@Africa2go
@Unexpecteddrivinginstructor

Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it. Super helpful. 🙏

Hi guys after a bit of help if poss. DS just sat UCAT and got 2970 and B2. However he got 900 on QR so other sections not as good. (VR 680, DM 720, AR 670). Would any unis look unfavourably on that do you think? The skew to QR? And discount his overall score. Does that even happen do we know?
He is keen on Birmingham (he has perfect GCSEs and would we think be top decile on UCAT so have 8.5- not contextual but I think most people get a tiny bit on postcode so seems to be over the 8.2 that was the cut off last year).
Other than that not sure except Exeter seems a really good plan as he has 3 A star predicteds and liked the uni.
Also with a B2 would that be an obvious no no at any uni interview wise?
Others we have discussed as possible are Sheffield and Notts. But we haven't visited them.
He liked UEA and was going to use as insurance but might change his mind now he has his score.
One slot he is using for Cambridgr. Vvvv aspirational....
Any advice gratefully received.

@Lottsbiffandsmudge that is a great score and the band 1 and lower VR just means that he should avoid Nottingham, Lincoln and Edinburgh.

UEA use the UCAT as 50% of the post interview score and 2970 is excellent, so it is a great choice as the high UCAT score more than makes up for a little bit lost for Band 2. Sheffield also fine, just lose 1 point at interview for the Band 2, but most years Band 2s are much more common than Band 1s. Exeter also fine, he can be confident of an interview and the Band 2 will make no difference.

@Lottsbiffandsmudge I don't think you get any reduction for postcode at Birmingham unless at a contextual school. Have you put his stats into the calculator? www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/medical-school/applying-to-medicine/selection-for-interview.aspx

Thanks that's v useful we will discount Notts etc.

Oh and thanks for the calculator for Birmingham but it seems to be based on last year's split? The website seems to suggest this year is 45% GCSE, 40% UCAT (not 35%) and 15 % contextual so it's out of date? But yes you are right he gets zero for contextual. So 8.5 is the max poss score for him.

Hi @Lottsbiffandsmudge we had a look at the Birmingham calculator a few days ago and it didn't synch with the revised formula. Well done to your DS on a great UCAT score.

@Lottsbiffandsmudge the calculator I linked was 4.5 for GCSE, 4.0 UCAT, 1.5 Contextual (need to expand the Home Applicant section). Not sure why you think it is last year's calculator.

Does anyone have experience of Anglia Ruskin? DD is pretty set on UEA as one of her 2 UCAT choices and is now weighing up between ARU, Exeter and Plymouth for her second. Thank you!

@justjuggling I've had students go there and they are really enjoying it. Good student life and a modern course. I think there is an open day soon ?

@justjuggling but Exeter and Plymouth slightly more established with bigger student populations. Check out where placements are for clinical years.