Medicine 2022 - The final furlong

[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.

Offers are in for some, others on waiting lists, others doing their A levels and planning a gap year.

Best of luck everyone for great results on 18th August, we will be here to celebrate, commiserate, advise and generally support you for the last stage of the 2022 journey. 🍀

Previous thread - www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4464984-Medicine-2022-Decision-time

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

Yes we will join you on the next thread.

He's currently having a bit of a wobble over applying again, which is understandable. I'm sure he will though.

@PritiPatelsMaker if one mark off an A he needs to call the Uni and explain he's going for a priority remark. They might hold his place open until this is done, or failing that give him an offer for next year if it moves up to an A.
Congratulations to those that are in, big hugs for those that were close. Been busy morning but here to help if can.

If one mark off an A he needs to call the Uni and explain he's going for a priority remark. They might hold his place open until this is done, or failing that give him an offer for next year if it moves up to an A

Would that still could if he hadn't got a place he's just in the reserve list?

AAAA here but unfortunately no offers so it's bittersweet. Plan B commencing and hopefully next year! Well done to all 💐

The first two were A stars

@PritiPatelsMaker nothing to lose by asking.

Congrats @olafolaf and @notmedicmum .

Can't believe all these 2 A stars, 2 As and no place candidates. Utterly ridiculous.

I'm so sorry to hear of disappointments today for some and frustration at the lack of movement on waitlists for others. (sends hugs to @thefamilyupstairs )

DD worked exceptionally hard for her A levels and has been rewarded for her efforts. She can't wait to start at Exeter Med School in September. Meanwhile she's en route to Ibiza for some clubbing action tonight!

According to DD via tsr, all places at Sunderland had gone by 8.19!!

That's great news @MidLifeCrisis007 ! Well done her.

DD is back from school and is on the sofa watching the first Harry Potter film. Comfort food for the brain, I think...

I really feel for you and your DC thefamilyupstairs. They are fantastic results and it's awful that they haven't got a place. Weee they on any reserve lists?

I drove DD to school to pick up her results this morning and am so glad I did even though it meant leaving home at 6.30am! The atmosphere was electric and the headmaster looked so proud of the cohort.

She played some banging tunes in the car - the most popular one today being Medicine by Daughter!

Great congratulations on the really outstanding results everyone! Even more congratulations to those who have their places. It's so exciting!

For those who are looking at a Plan B second time going again, I wish your brilliant and resilient dc all the luck they so thoroughly deserve. Ds1 really did find the process so much easier without having A levels to do at the same time, plus interviews were much easier for him to handle with a little non-school confidence/experience gained along the way.

Good luck and well done to all. What a year!

For those who are looking at a Plan B second time going again, I wish your brilliant and resilient dc all the luck they so thoroughly deserve. Ds1 really did find the process so much easier without having A levels to do at the same time, plus interviews were much easier for him to handle with a little non-school confidence/experience gained along the way

That's encouraging, thank you. I'll tell DS when he gets back from work

So after all that DD’s grades weren’t quite high enough. She’s got a plan b and is very happy with where she’s going and the degree she’s chosen.

Good luck to all of the DCs wherever today has taken them.

That is the main thing, to have a plan which works for the person doing it! As long as she is not doing an alternative degree with a plan for graduate medicine as that takes longer, is more expensive and a lot more competitive. If the alternative degree leads to a career which excites her, that is great.

Should’ve said - it’s thanks to the fantastic advice I had on this thread that’s got her a plan B that’s she’s happy with. If we’d followed college advice then she wouldn’t be going to her 2nd choice uni and wouldn’t have been as ok with it all.

A massive thank you to @Monkey2001 @mumsneedwine and the advisors on TSR for guiding a clueless parent through the last 18 months. DD is making a start on paying it back by supporting her friends preparing for a second shot at UKAT and talking to her school’s Y12.

@KingscoteStaff 😊 when she gets to Uni, after she's settled in, she could become a student mentor for local kids who are looking at medicine. The Uni will have a WP society. It's v rewarding.

@mumsneedwine That’s a brilliant suggestion!

For those applying again, any advice regarding what PS should consist of? Obviously you talk about what you are doing in your gap year, but do you have to do the whole A levels and what they taught you paragraph? If you traveled after A levels should you mention that?

@thefamilyupstairs you should talk about work experience and what you've learned from it. And a v v small bit about other stuff that is relevant to GMC guidelines. But honestly, only about 5 med schools actually read them. Most don't bother. So yes, write the best one you can, but don't lose sleep over it 😊.
Pop over to the Medicine 2023 thread.

A technique for writing PS that I like is ABC .A = Activity - what you did eg while volunteering at bla bla I did XYZB = Benefit you got from A This showed me the importance of bla bla I gained confidence in bla developed a keen interest in bla
C = Course* *how this all relates to the course itself, e.g. skills needed to be a good doctor

The advice ds had (he applied after doing another degree) was not to talk on the PS about his academics much at all, unless it was in relation to him as a person studying medicine, e.g. an area of special interest or something he's learnt about himself. Everyone applying has similar A levels so 'what I learnt from doing biology A level' is probably not going to make him stand out.

Likewise travel - med schools don't care if you gained experience in a round the world cruise or working in a food bank in an inner city so don't list 'gap yah' experiences unless you can show initiative, insight and personal development related to potentially studying medicine.

As it happens, many med schools only read the PS for red flags or don't look at them at all so it's not worth angsting too much over the perfectly crafted piece of prose. Just get it in on time!

When DS1 re-applied we did a few edits and added in a paragraph about the gap year, but it really depends on where they are applying. Cardiff (v important), St Andrews (has to include the right things, but they tell you what those are), Sheffield don't look at it at all etc.....

Thank you all so much, that's very helpful, will definitely use the ABC.