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

All interviews over for DD now - just the wait...

Hurray @KingscoteStaff ! DD has Leeds today and Bristol in a couple of weeks. Interestingly she now says she isn't phased by interviews at all. Silver lining of this whole process...

In my experience, the world felt like a different place once the first offer came in @HoneyMobster. Nothing fazes them then as they start to feel much more in control.

You're right @opoponax - I think DD does feel like a huge weight has been lifted now she has an offer and the one she most wanted. Fingers crossed for offers for all those anxiously waiting.

I really hope you all see some offers coming through soon. Last year I think Bristol started around mid-Feb although of course it could be different this year. Bristol's offers did come out in what seemed like small batches over quite a protracted period, whereas Sheffield for example was over and done with offers and rejections over a long weekend. Also, although Bristol said they would respond in three weeks from interview, this sometimes meant just being moved to 'Hold'. Newcastle started at the beginning of March but ran batches over a period too. It's a really tough time waiting for offers and the fact that they, along with rejections, come from different schools at different times makes it all a bit tense in the school medic crowd as they don't know who has had good or bad news. DS said they didn't talk about offers outside their very close friendship group as they didn't want to upset each other if one person had multiple offers and another none, which could well translate to several a bit later, depending on the med school and the batches. But as I said previously after one offer, everything changes and they can see light at the end of the tunnel.

[quote Monkey2001]@Hendo14 must be a relief if they have taken this long to get back to him! Is he a gap year applicant? Leicester seemed to be saving the achieved grades for last![/quote]
@Monkey2001 Yes, he’s on a gap year with achieved grades. He was meant to have his interview for Liverpool last week, but due to them being unable to hear him on 3 different devices, the interview was changed for next week.

I think they might all be later this year. There was some discussion on TSR today and there is a Medical Schools Council this week to discuss a strategy across medical schools. Nottingham have set out over-subscription procedures saying that if too many people have offers they may have to defer or withdraw offers from those with the lowest interview scores! There is anxiety about the govt statement that they will be fined if they exceed their target numbers

I totally get that the med schools have to be cautious about the number of offers they give out.... but if they have x places surely they can give x offers with confidence.... and put y on the waiting list.

Am I missing something?

@MidLifeCrisis007 typically the best candidates will have multiple offers, so the medical schools expect, say, half their offers to be rejected or insurance. Then normally some applicants will not get the offer grades, so more fall away, which is why they usually offer to more than double the number of people they actually want. I think that for most medical schools, offering 50% over the number they want world be safe. Some, such as Sheffield, have always used reserve lists. I don't think Newcastle or Manchester have.

I'm sure Monkey can answer this better but I guess if med schools just offer the numbers of places they guarantee, a decent proportion of offer holders won't hit their grades in a normal year. Of course, this is not a normal year but the question mark over A Level exams and preparedness means that no-one really knows yet how much grade inflation there will be this year so it is tricky to guess how many won't hit their grades. But some definitely won't and they will be out. Then there will be candidates who get an offer from that med school but may get multiple offers and not choose that one so these ones will self-deselect and be out. The likelihood of this happening will increase as the bar is raised and med schools are reducing numbers interviewed and only interviewing top ranking candidates as, as long as they have been strategic with their applications, they (generally speaking) will be the ones that get multiple offers. Then the people who are on their reserve lists (that they have identified as good enough for places) may well have firmed other offers from other med schools. I suppose a safe strategy could be to go into Clearing if they have lots of places left but I guess what is the point of the rigours of their selection process if they don't follow through and fill the majority of their places with their selected candidates. I think this partly explains what looks like jiggery-pokery from the outside. Of course, they have had their fingers burned last year (e.g. the cost of Exeter's deferral payments) and the Government has put a marker in the sand and stated that they will impose fines and that this can't happen again. Hence, jiggery pokery is a high risk strategy when there is significant uncertainty in external factors and high penalties.

Sorry cross post!

@opoponax great answer! I read on TSR that in a normal year 40% don't get the offer grades. In theory the universities do know what grade inflation will be this year as the grades will be halfway between 2019 and 2021.

As you say, it is a balancing game, trying to get the right number of students from those who performed best at interview AND choose your medical school AND get the grades without over-shooting.

Balancing game is a much better description. I just meant playing around with the figures to balance things out. It must be so difficult for the med schools with so many factors and then possible penalties for not getting it quite right. I read that 40% grade missing figure too. No wonder the events of the past two years have thrown everything out of synch.

DD isn’t here to ask - has Keele sent out interviews yet?

Hi @BabbleBee. It seems that some interviews are out for Keele but it is an ongoing process and it depends on things like when the R&R forms are marked. Someone is saying on TSR that they spoke to admissions and were told that it’s not unusual to not hear back until the end of February as they’ve had over 3000 applications, so anyone who hasn’t heard anything yet shouldn’t be too worried as they’re inviting to interview as they go along. It might be useful for you to have a look at the TSR 'Keele University A100 2022 entry' thread for more information.

@BabbleBee in case you don't know your way around TSR - www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7089693&page=67

Thank you. I’ve not used TSR before, will have a look!

It's a bit different from this forum @BabbleBee as it generally the DC themselves asking questions and swapping pieces of news. You get the odd troll too claiming to have had an interview or offer before they are out and everyone gets in a bit of a tizz! However, useful to get a sense of when interviews and offers are coming out and for UCAT cut offs etc. Also contributors like GANFYD and Ecolier give excellent advice.

DD had B’ham interview today. She said it was so quick, quite a contrast to HYMS.

She also rang Keele and asked for an update - they haven’t even got to her application yet, still have another 600 approx to get through and are expecting to be interviewing through March. She’s a UKWPMED so maybe they’re being left until last? They didn’t specify.

@BabbleBee hope it went well. DS's Newcastle interview was about 16 minutes long!

I just find this whole process so disheartening for our kids. The wait to hear whether they have been successful or not is just agony. All around them their friends are getting offers for other courses but they are left in limbo.
DD thinks she completely flunked her 3 interviews and not knowing whether she has to defer is obviously having an impact on her.
I know no one has answers - just wanted to vent.
I am aware of the interview process from the uni/ healthcare side - having to organise HCP's to interview in an already stretched NHS is a nightmare. So it's frustrating on all sides.

Not defer , I meant take a year out. She does have a pharmacy offer but as others have said if she wants to go medicine then she is better waiting and reapplying next year.

@coffeeandbiscuittime we have always seen it as a 2 year process and a bonus if he gets in first time. DS will take Newcastle if offered, doesn't know whether he would accept Manchester as he is wary of a foundation year which may only have 10 students. We have discussed the things he would like to do on a semi-gap year whilst doing Chemistry as a Y14 such as getting onto the portering staff bank at local hospital and doing a diploma in piano or singing. So I would recommend discussing both possibilities in a positive way.

But yes, it is awful to wait for so long. It was always bad, but DS1 had all his decisions by the end of Feb half term, we are preparing for the possiblity of decisions in May or a waiting list place with no certainty until results day!

Thanks- I know it's a long process,just needed to vent. Work is tough at the moment and the worry at home with 2 going through exams this year is adding to my stress.
This thread does give support so thank you.

@coffeeandbiscuittime I've been you 😊. It's so hard as the wait is soooooo long. DD got her first offer in mid Feb (I love Sheffield) and by then most of her friends had firmed and decided where they'd like to live. And I had a younger one doing GCSEs too. There is a reason for my username 🤗