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

@KingscoteStaff congratulations to your DC. DC has an offer too and is deciding between Manchester and Barts.

@mumsneedwine While you are asking, can you ask if there are power sockets for student use in lecture theatres and/or the library? (I understand most windows laptop batteries apparently cannot last a day unlike Ipads and chromebooks. Apparently the MS Sureface has a good battery life but not cheap)

Liverpool rejection ( as expected!)
So no surprises. It has been so hard this year.
Good luck and well done to all who have offers.
So sorry for those who have none. At least daughter is on one waiting list.

Sorry to hear that @coffeeandbiscuittime.

Has DD asked for feedback on the waiting list? Somebody said they had their Newcastle score, so DS has put in a feedback request. I think it doesn't hurt for the Admissions people to see some of the anxiety!

@bimkom yes there are plugs in lecture theatre and library. And DD says they used to use Echo360 for lectures but they are now all on Teams. Hope that helps.

@coffeeandbiscuittime @homeedregret so sorry. This year has been ridiculously tough - never known anything so hard. If they decide to try again I do think next year will be a bit more normal. Lots of hugs

DD received an offer this evening for Cardiff. She is thrilled. She is still waiting to hear from Queens. It is such a relief.

Congratulations @Annasgirl 's dd!

So sorry to hear about those with no offers. It must feel rubbish for them and really tough to pick yourself up and focus on A levels without a specific goal in sight - but worth it. An offer this year is not the be all and end all. Some schools tend to put pressure on encourage their Yr 13s to accept a place somewhere doing something/ anywhere doing anything instead of applying again to keep their destinations data looking healthy. In fact with the right grades in hand your dc can apply year after year if that's what they want and they stand a very very good chance of getting a place.

@homeedregret, sorry, missed your frustrating news. Hope your DC is managing to stay focused on A levels and is not letting it get him down too badly. SO many great candidates not getting offers this year.

DD here with an offer from Sheffield with achieved grades.
Still waiting for news from Leicester.

After missing her offer in 2019 due to dropping a grade,
She was able to apply this time around with her lower grade + EPQ and she did better in the UCAT than in 2019.

She was devastated to miss her offer in 2019. It’s taken 3 years but we are all thrilled she is finally going to realise her dream of going to medical school.

Thanks for the sympathies, it's very gutting because on paper she is amazing and her interviews went well. I'm just very worried we could be in the same boat this time next year, she doesn't want to do anything else.

@homeedregret so sorry to hear that. There are so many inspiring stories here of gap year successes. My neighbour is a GP and said she had no offers the first time round and that, with hindsight, it was the best thing that happened to her. Wishing your DD the same success next year. X

@Nightowlpossibly congratulation re Sheffield! And so pleased to hear of her success after the wait.
There is some Twitter update on timing of offers on Leicester on TSR if interested.

@homeedregret this year is brutal and she can enhance her application by getting work experience. She can also be strategic about applying to places which use stats post interview if she is really strong on paper. She can also look at offer to interview ratios and avoid places like Leeds and Liverpool.

I have told DS1's story so many times, but he went from 4 rejections to 3 offers without feeling he had changed as a candidate. I think there is also a big element of luck - DS2 had a horrible interviewer for his first station in Manchester interview which threw him for the other stations. We still don't understand how DS1 failed "knowledge of course and city" first time round at Sheffield as he was genuinely enthusiastic about both and knew loads. Try to help her approach the idea of a gap year positively, most people end up being glad they had one, even if unplanned. My DS1 enjoyed his year and the extra year of maturity was helpful.

@homeregret - totally understand how gutting it is. For what it is worth, the TSR fastest and slowest offers thread www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7104159&page=285

is awash with people who didn't get any offers last year, took a gap year, reapplied and have got multiple offers this year - there is a lot of noise on there, and if you are browsing, I would work backwards, but amidst the noise there is also a lot of advice from successful gap year applicants on what they did with their year, how they felt it helped them etc.

Medical schools over offered last year and this has had an impact on things like the size of lecture rooms, availability of placements, and staff needed. They also started this year unsure of how the pandemic would progress and whether there could be in person exams.

Many medical schools will have been cautious this and will have under offered. I suspect we will see real movement when A level results come out. Especially if in person exams leads to a push back of the grade inflation seen over the last couple of years.

I would:

• consider taking UCAT early, as in before A level results come out. A better score may help if applying for clearing places. (I know someone whose son decided, after a gap year working for the NHS, to switch to medicine and who was offered a St Georges clearing place based on a UCAT sat a couple of weeks before.)
• make sure I was around when results come out.

As well as trying to get the best results possible.

And yes, I would second the value of a gap year. Not only does that extra year maturity and experience help in your first year, DD is pleased that she has had some time out. Medicine is a long old haul. The 5 years of medical school are only the start. F1/F2 and then training in your specialisation. Having had time away helps her confidence that medicine is what she wants to do. And indeed one of her friends from a medical family realised, during his enforced gap year, that medicine was not what he wanted to do. Better then than later.

Taking UCAT this summer would be for new applicants in the 2023 entry cycle, though? Not for Clearing, which is part the current (2022 entry) cycle?

@Needmoresleep according to TSR they no longer accept UCAT from wrong year (last time that strategy worried was 2019).

Monkey happy to be corrected. It was pre pandemic. That said I think the odds are good for places coming up this summer.

DD is now in the exceptionally fortunate position of having 3 offers - Birmingham, HYMS and Keele. She really liked HYMS, their early clinical contact and PBL being her highlights. Hopefully we can get to Keele offer holder day next week so she’s fully informed and able to make the best choice.

@homeedregret really sorry to hear your news, the system is brutal

It looks like Unis are favouring candidates with grades. Understandable as they then get certainty, but so unfair on year 13s. No one seems to be offering more places than they have (not like normal years) and waiting lists pretty much everywhere.
This is not over yet.
@bimkom tell DD to concentrate on those grades. Week before results call round some Unis and ask if there is any point calling on results day. The Unis will already know the results and know if have places. I've got several in doing this - interview and offer tend to be within 48 hours so no horrific waiting.

@mumsneedwine

It looks like Unis are favouring candidates with grades. Understandable as they then get certainty, but so unfair on year 13s. No one seems to be offering more places than they have (not like normal years) and waiting lists pretty much everywhere. This is not over yet. *@bimkom* tell DD to concentrate on those grades. Week before results call round some Unis and ask if there is any point calling on results day. The Unis will already know the results and know if have places. I've got several in doing this - interview and offer tend to be within 48 hours so no horrific waiting.

Hi @mumsneedwine - I think you meant to tag @homeedregret (I am the one with the DS with a deferred place at Nottingham, asking questions about sockets and computer equipment)

@medichopeful

Thank you.
It has been a long wait but finally got there.

I know Leicester is being slow sending out offers, doing it in batches I believe. DD was one of the last interview dates too. So could be one of the last to hear.

However DD is going to Sheffield open day this weekend so may firm sheffield before hearing from Leicester, as she wants a specific accomodation. Will know more after the weekend and maybe even news from Leicester by beginning of next week. Fingers crossed.

@Nightowlpossibly I’m pretty sure the recent Leicester twitter said something about not having given out any offers for March interviews yet so fingers crossed for your DD. Brilliant she has Sheffield in the bag anyway.
DC has a Leicester offer - we will be going to take a look next weekend. Likely to be her insurance as it’s a more flexible offer (IB equivalent of A*AB or AAA).

Brutal does sum it up perfectly. Sincere commiseration to those DCs who haven't received an offer yet. x

Has anyone else received a Cardiff offer ? Very grateful for DDs offer but then offer letter adds that in the event of over subscription they may request a deferral or offer an alternative course ?!!! Deferral would be bearable but withdrawal of an offer for Medicine?!

How can this be ok? @GANFYD did they do this last year or is this a new torture?