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

Thank you @opoponax. Unfortunately dentistry never goes into clearing and very few dental schools even hold waiting lists, so you have to select a non dental course.

@mumsneedwine is this something you can advise on as I think you have experience of dentistry applications too?

@mubarak86 if you look some few pages back on @Monkey2001 posts, there is similar question that has been answered

@mubarak86 it depends. Yes, you could accept pharmacy and take it if don't get the grades for dentistry and don't want to retake. BUT, do they want to spend 4 years studying a different degree ? If really want to be a dentist then concentrate on grades, see what happens in August and retake if necessary and reapply. A year out is nothing in a long career - doing what you want and having no regrets is important.
Dentistry is not normally in clearing, but this year is anything but normal.

Thank you both for the replies

Watch out for dentistry courses that don't accept resits (Birmingham, Liverpool, Bart's, possibly Manchester).

@NoNotHimTheOtherOne thanks for that. Quite a lot don't let you reapply after you've been rejected either, narrowing the chances even further.

@Monkey2001 sorry I can't find your post regarding whether or not if you firm an offer and then decide not to take it whether there will be consequences?

Hi @mubarak86, no, there are no consequences if you withdraw from an offer before the course starts. But I agree with the others that if he wants to be a dentist, he should not settle for an alternative. Do you think the grades are really risky?

Thank you very much monkey, I really appreciate that. No I don't think the grades are risky, but the reality is that just having the entry requirement (AAA) is going to knock you down the list for next year. So many of the recent dental offers are deferrals for 2023, so things are not going to be anywhere near back to normal next year either. I've seen people on TSR who've been applying for 3-4 years, which is a bit soul destroying to be honest. The whole process has been quite draining, I think you have to call it a day at a certain point.

DS1 received an offer from Liverpool for 2023! He is so very happy to get this offer. Now needs to focus on his A levels.
He is also waiting to hear from two more unis.
When is the deadline to hear back from all universities?
Everything has been very late this year. It is difficult for these kids as they also really need to work for their A levels, stay focused and study hard.

www.ucas.com/ucas/events/find/scheme/undergraduate/type/key-date

The deadline for universities to respond to on-time applications is 19th May.

@mubarak86 I don't know much about dentistry, but for medicine, at most universities, it makes no difference whether your grades are AAA or 4xA*, if you pass the entry grades stage gate your grades are not considered again.

Hi all, have not been on this board for a while.
DS is applying for medicine. Slightly disappointing UCAT 74 percentile, but amazing BMAT annoyingly, as Leeds was his only BMAT. Predicted 3A*. Was volunteer at local hospital, on line course, on youth panel for another hospital, etc.

He was rejected by Exeter and Cardiff. Exeter said - great application, just had so many deferrals we only have 47 places to offer - would you like to come and do BioChem and then apply for graduate Medic place?

Cardiff said - thanks but no thanks, but do come and do chemistry.

Belfast and Leeds both offered virtual MMI interviews. Belfast was first and felt good he said. He has just heard he is on their waiting list. Is that actually promising or not? Leeds was. a weird interview, where you just answered questions on the screen, not a person so DS said he didn’t really get a feel.

Leeds had said he would find out end of March: then on the day said they would send decision out in batches.

Poor DS is - just like other medic applicants I assume - beyond stressed at this point. His friends all had multiple offers, chose their favourite, have signed contracts for accommodation.

DS feels stuck in limbo: he said he’d almost rather know he had no offers, because then he could get his head around it and move on.

It is SO hard being the parent too isn’t it? I don’t want to show how disappointed I am for him because he does not want to think he is letting us down. Which of course he is not, and I tell him that all the time, explicitly!

All he has ever wanted since year 9 (like other applicants, I know) is to be a doctor. He has slogged and slogged and slogged. I feel guilty that perhaps we should have guided him more / done more research / dug down into which universities hardly had any places to offer…

Sorry to moan: just no one to moan to IRL, DH very stressed with work and poor DS, my parents are in poor health, so grateful for a space here.

@sydenhamhiller sorry to hear he is having such a tough time. I don't know how good the QUB waiting list is - have they released the number of places and the number of offers made so far? Some are being straighter than others. It is always brutal, but this year is ridiculous.

[quote Monkey2001]@sydenhamhiller sorry to hear he is having such a tough time. I don't know how good the QUB waiting list is - have they released the number of places and the number of offers made so far? Some are being straighter than others. It is always brutal, but this year is ridiculous.[/quote]
Thanks monkey2001
We still remember with gratitude the helpful advice we had for you and others back in September.

It does seem very very arbitrary this year. Classmate of DS has 4 rejections: has all the experience you could ever collect, amazing forecasted grades, super UCAT and BMAT scores… if they don’t want her, not quite sure who they do!

Just feel so bad for DS (who is not the only one in this position, I know): last 3 school years have been tainted by COVID, and so will the next couple.

I know there are worse troubles at sea, as my mum would say, and this is a very privileged problem to have.

• advice FROM you not for

I have absolutely no advice for anyone, other than don’t apply for medicine. If only he’d applied for Classics like we’d hoped 😉

@MarchingFrogs thank you for the link with dates! So we wait till 19th May.
@sydenhamhiller sorry to hear this. It is so hard to have almost perfect grade, UCAT scores and lots of enthusiasm but because of very limited number of places no offers yet. Hope Leeds and Belfast come back with offers.

My daughter was rejected pre interview from Leeds last week and post interview from QUB today. Disappointed with whole process but relieved she now knows where she stands and wasn’t sure she wanted QUB either. We both felt relieved on hearing the news. It has been such a competitive year and I feel she can now focus on her grades, having a fun summer (until UCAT), getting a health care job to develop some savings and real life experience and then travel and work abroad. Next year will be tough again trying to get in but we are both so much more knowledgeable now! Good luck to the rest of you! It’s so hard being a parent!!

@sydenhamhiller we’re in the same boat. Rejections from Exeter, Cardiff and Cambridge. Waiting on Nottingham, who seem to be dribbling out offers.

DD seems ok about it at the moment, but she’s in the middle of mocks so is focusing her anxiety on that.

It’s just waiting to deal with the fallout if it’s a rejection

Mainly lurking but joining to say DD just received rejection from Leicester, to add to her Liverpool rejection. Still waiting to hear from UEA, and on HYMS waiting list. She's taken it with good grace but very hard to keep her mind focused on A levels. At least Leicester provided some interview feedback (her total score), and then some convoluted instructions about reapplying next year....

Also a long time luker. Is it right to assume Bristol will now only be making limited offers based on students who have offers firming or insuring?

@Delido, ds is waiting to hear anything from Bristol too (whether positive, negative or even just that he's on a waiting list - so much for we'll get back to you within 3 weeks of your interview !).

My guess is there's got to be a tipping point when enough people with enough offers firm or reject enough spaces for the whole domino effect to kick in and there'll be a sudden cascade of later offers and rejections as the numbers sort themselves out.

Tough holding the nerve though!

Anyone waiting on Keele? They said today that they’re interviewing through until May and offers being made the day after interview.

Anxiously waiting for a place at Newcastle as on the hold list.

I agree, there has to be a tipping point and then a cascading ripple of offers from hold lists else the whole system is going to grind to a halt.