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 will firm somewhere after the Newcastle open day on Wednesday, so that will be a contribution to the trickle down.

I have so much sympathy for your DC going through this massive wait - just at the moment when they need to completely clear their minds of any extra buzzing...

I think the 'trickle' analogy is probably right @kackle - DD will firm when Leeds offer or reject her. I did think she'd probably insure with Leeds if offered but Leeds process has been frustrating so she might insure with Newcastle.

We're off to an offer holders day this week at Oxford (college not medical school) which is very exciting.

@HoneyMobster Where is she with Leeds at the moment? On hold/waiting list or just a big fat silence?

Silence!

@KingscoteStaff are you going to the offer holder day? If you got a chance to chat to an Admissions person would you be willing to ask how many offers they have made and what their process is for making more offers, it would be helpful to know. I really don't understand why they are not being more transparent, even if they told hold list people the numbers and which quartile they were in, it would be super helpful. I would also like to know whether they intend to be at all flexible on grades on results day, which is obviously interesting for offer holders too, although we want a different answer!

@Monkey2001 we had admissions at Keele yesterday and he was very cagey (imo) answering questions about delayed interviews / offers / how many places.

It was a really disappointing day in many ways, not what we were expecting or hoped for following York.

@BabbleBee does that make the choice easier?

I think people may be more open at informal reception bits (if there are any) than in main presentations.

@Monkey2001 Will do - although were I a current Admissions Tutor, I would be giving parents a wide berth at the moment...

@Monkey2001 Keele was a stark contrast to HYMS. Maybe because it’s the last of the offer days and not many students around?

Yes to making her decision easier. DD will firm HYMS and says she’ll insure Brighton biomed. I’m a bit confused about what you insure / why but she seems to know what she’s doing!

@BabbleBee it is strange to insure Biomed if you have 2 med offers. It would probably be less risky to Firm York and Insure Keele as you don't know which will be more flexible on results day if she doesn't get the grades. If she got A*AB, Keele might be more flexible than York depending on how their offer holders do and whether they want to go into Clearing or extend their wait lists. Almost all Biomed courses are in Clearing.

@KingscoteStaff thanks! I would try to do it by stealth - my daughter was so pleased to get an offer in such a competitive year, how many offers did you make?

@Monkey2001 that’s what I thought - firm York, insure Keele and if she doesn’t get the grades then Biomed through clearing. She’s insisting that she should insure Biomed…

Why would you insure the biomed offer over a medicine offer unless you were unsure about medicine? And then why not firm the biomed offer and reject the medicine offers if you didn't want to do medicine anymore?

@KingscoteStaff is that four offers your DD now has? She has done so well, especially in such a year.

@BabbleBee totally agree with Monkey. Insuring Biomed doesn't make any sense. It doesn't sound like your DD has had a change of heart, more that she hasn't thought through the potentially differing degrees of flexibility consideration.

@Opoponax yes 4 offers. HYMS, Birmingham and Keele for medicine, Brighton for Biomed. You’re right it’s not a change of heart at all.

She has 4 med offers and 1 biomed.

She did really well in her UKAT and applied VERY strategically (Thanks to all for their advice!) None of her original top choices (Exeter, Edinburgh, Nottingham) made it on to her UCAS form as she thought her chances of an interview were too low.

Still got to get the grades though...

@Babblebee sorry I didn't realise your DD had got three Medicine offers. All the more reason to keep two of them! I'm guessing that she is thinking that she is taking the pressure off by having Bio Med as a fall-back should she miss her grades. Maybe if you can point out that Bio Med goes into clearing and so she would still have that as an option, should she drop a grade, she will be happier about firming and insuring two Medicine offers. Having two Medicine options as firm and insurance is in reality more pressure-alleviating as it is spreading the risk a bit.

I totally misread Monkey’s post, sorry!

@BabbleBee I agree with PPs that your dd insuring with the non med offer is a mistake unless she hated Keele so much on the offer holder day that she'd rather not do medicine at all than study there, which would be surprising.

I wonder if she's getting bad school advice, being told to go for a lower offer choice as her insurance. That would be the norm for non medicine UCAS choices but with medicine it's 'normal' to insure with a second medicine offer if you are lucky enough to have one because some med schools, some years accept some students who've dropped a grade. If she does drop a grade she stands more chance of getting a medicine place in one of the two than obviously if she puts all her eggs in only the HYMS basket.

@Kingscote had the same last year but it is clearly tougher this year. Is Newcastle still your DD's favourite? DS said that although he had always really wanted Newcastle, it was still weird closing down options, when he had worked so hard to get them. He said it felt like a travesty rejecting any.

DD has lower offer of ABB as she’s completed BrightMed widening participation but that only stands if she firms, not insured. BioMed is BBB so she’s insuring the lower offer, as I understand it. This is as per college advice.

@BabbleBee her college need shouting at ! Do not, under any circumstances insure the Biomed offer. Madness !!!! Biomed will be in clearing if it comes to that, but 2 medicine offers means 2 possibilities, even if grades not met. Please please please advise you DD of this. She's fought so hard for those offers

@BabbleBee I see now how the WP context makes the decision more complex. I guess it all depends how your DD would feel about a potential gap year if she didn't hit ABB and she had let the BBB Biomed go. Also of course depends on the grades required for what would be the insurance med school. I guess I am also just a bit sceptical about schools/colleges really understanding the ins and outs of the med school application process. Could DD maybe run it past GANFYD via TSR?

My thinking is that either HYMS or Keele could also offer foundation / gateway year if she doesn’t get the grades…