Medicine 2022 - Decision time!

[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.

Lots of interviews now done, fingers crossed for lots of offers, but we know it is a tough year and that most applicants will have a bumpy ride. Best of luck everyone!

Previous thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/a4358647-Medicine-2022-entry?msgid=114590369#114590369

2023 applicant thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4459778-Medicine-2023-Entry

DD got an offer for Edinburgh last night for her non-medicine choice. It's a bit meaningless now but she was pleased. The offer was very low.

I'd forgotten you were still waiting for that one @HoneyMobster - even though it's a bit of a 'might have been' in that beautiful city!

Any wise ones to give DD some pointers for what to ask about/look at at the Bristol open day?

Any wise ones to give DD some pointers for what to ask about/look at at the Bristol open day?

Is it an open day or an offer-holder day? If the latter, I'd say she should be trying to find out as many details as possible about what she will actually do as a Bristol medical student, and where she'll do it.

Find out what Bristol mean by "case-based learning". A number of medical schools now state they do CBL but it is a term that has no precise definition.

Find out where students undertake clinical placements, how they are expected to travel, and whether they will have any long periods based somewhere else (www.bristol.ac.uk/medical-school/study/undergraduate/clinical-academies/).

@KingscoteStaff, yes no news yet.Some people have received letters for waitlist and slow offers last evenning.Hopefully you will have some good news soon

What do you do if you don't get any medicine offers and don't want to take your non medicine option? If you firm the non medicine one (just incase you don't get the grades you thought you would) and then don't want to take the place once results are in what is the procedure? Is firming an offer legally binding?

No, it is not legally binding. The advice if A levels don't go well is to re-sit rather than do a different course unless the alternative course would lead to another career your DC is happy to pursue. Don't do another course intending to apply for graduate medicine.

If they "firm" a non-medicine offer they can't stay on a medicine waiting list.

Thank you @Monkey2001. How does the waiting list work?

Hi, my DD is a second year medics at Bristol, happy to try and answer any queries about CBL. I have been lurking because my niece is trying for a place this year.

The waiting list comprises candidates a medical school would be happy to take if they had space, like appointable candidates in a recruitment situation. They will be ranked according to the medical school's methodology and, as offer holders decide which offers to accept, the medical school will top up their offer holder pool from the reserve list.

The speed at which it moves depends on how long offer holders take to decide. I would expect to see some offers every couple of weeks or so until 19th May. Newcastle said it would not be a 1 for 1 movement. The medical schools will then have to reject all the waiting list people on UCAS if they have not already done so on 19th May. People can only remain on WL if they have not firmed an offer at another university.

Applicants have until 9th June to Firm and Insure, so at that point the medical schools will know how many places they have and can give the final pre-results offers.

Then, a week before results day they will get the results of all their offer holders and will decide whether to accept dropped grades or release more offers to waiting list. It would be worth having contact details ready on results day and calling the ones where you are still on a waiting list.

Rejected - Manchester. So she is now just holding out hope that she is near the top of Sheffield waiting list.

Sorry to hear that @coffeeandbiscuittime, fingers crossed for Sheffield

Rejection from Manchester here too, so we can keep everything crossed together for our reserve list places @coffeeandbiscuittime! 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

Thanks @Monkey2001 - yes we will keep fingers and toes crossed. If all else fails then they/she/ he can apply next year older and wiser.
DD is already planning her year out - learning how to teach swimming, life saving and working in Cate homes / volunteering.

Yes @coffeeandbiscuittime, we always saw it as a 2 year process after DS1 didn't get in first time, so although he was disappointed, particularly as they only interviewed 14 people for A104, he is taking it in his stride and preparing for his Maths mock tomorrow.

Gap years are rarely regretted if well used, and your DD's plans sounds good.

@coffeeandbiscuittime and @Monkey2001 - really sorry to hear about Manchester. Fingers crossed for those waiting lists.

Finally heard from Sheffield yesterday and DS is on the waiting list.

If he does get a place, it says it could be up to A'Level results day. As he hasn't got any other offers, does anyone know how accommodation and finance would work at such a late stage?

I'm so sorry to hear about Manchester @Monkey2001 and @coffeeandbiscuittime. I hope good news comes soon.

@BunnyRuddington as Monkey said upthread, Sheffield, as well as a being a great option, is a popular insurance choice with the EPQ consideration. I hope your DS gets good news soon. @LaLaFlottes might be able to give you some info re accommodation as her DD is studying there.

If it helps, it says this in the Accommodation FAQs on the Sheffield website:

Am I guaranteed accommodation?

Yes – We guarantee University-owned and managed accommodation to all students providing that students apply by 31 August. You are also guaranteed to live with only other University of Sheffield students.

www.sheffield.ac.uk/accommodation/prospective/apply/application-faqs

Thanks @Opoponax

@BunnyRuddington and anyone else with DC on the Sheffield reserve list, best of luck, fingers firmly crossed for you.

Re finance I don’t know too much but think it can be applied for anytime so being later wouldn’t matter. I would assume this might mean maintenance loans are not there in time but I could be wrong - but possibly worth keeping in mind. Fees don’t get paid to the Uni until a bit later on, once enrolling etc has taken place. I wouldn’t worry on this front as if you think how many students take up places through clearing etc there must be a system!

For accommodation, Sheffield have a brilliant system whereby once you firm with them and accommodation opens, you can write a little biography about yourself and others can do the same then you go on line and look at the flats with rooms available and try and find like minded people. You literally reserve the room you want in the flat you want. They release the accommodation in waves so it’s not all there at once and I believe they to guarantee accommodation for all first years (I think) so I wouldn’t worry. As soon as reserve list changes to offer just get on to it and book a room.

There are two main student villages, Endcliffe and Ranmoor. These seem most popular with first years. Endcliffe is seen as more lively and Ranmoor a little quieter. DD is in Ranmoor and really likes it.

As far as the course goes, DD is loving it so any questions let me know.

Very best of luck - but if it doesn’t work out, a gap year isn’t such a bad thing and can in fact be a really good experience. Hang in there!

Re finance, yes, you go through the process now, in order to have the agreement to finance confirmed, so that the right level of maintenance will be paid at the beginning of the year (I can't remember whether a university has to be named at this point, but if so, they name the 'intended' one and change that detail later). Nothing will actually be paid until the university has confirmed that the student is 'theirs', so the fees won't go to the wrong institution.

Oh Monkey just saw that about Manchester. So sorry. Everything crossed for alternatives.

@coffeeandbiscuittime and @monkey2001, sorry to hear about manchester. Hope the waiting lists open up for your dc and if not that they have amazing gap years. I keep telling myself what is meant to be will be. Our dc have done their best. Its such a difficult year.

Sorry to hear about Manchester rejections x

Hello - apologies if this has already been asked but can I just my understanding is right:

• If a candidate gets 4 Med rejections and declines 5th choice they are eligible for Extra and Clearing?
• Unis with waiting lists are unlikely/won't go into extra or clearing and will fill places from their own lists as offer holders insure/ decline/ don't make grades etc

Do we know which Unis are not running waiting lists this year and therefore might be in clearing? DS did BMAT and UCAT so happy to apply to either. I haven't been involved in clearing before but presume it's a case of him checking UCAS early on results day and ringing any med schools that might appear? If so, is it a case of first-come-first-served or do they try and book in a certain number to assess? I know it might change this year but any answers to above would be much appreciated. Thanks

Yes, with 4 rejections and a withdrawn 5th choice they are eligible for both Extra and Clearing.

I think all are running waiting lists this year, but the waiting lists may not be long enough. Plymouth have made 161 offers for 150 places and only have 95 people on reserve list. Several people on TSR are planning to decline Plymouth offers so if they get through their reserve list they will either have to contact the highest scorers they rejected or use Clearing.

SGUL usually use Extra and Clearing, Lancaster usually uses Extra, so it is great that she has done the BMAT.

This year is like no other, so we really don't know how it will pan out!