Medicine 2023 Entry - Part 2

[opoponax]

Anyone out there with DC applying or reapplying for Medicine 2023, please join a friendly thread for mutual support and useful advice.

So we think she is down to the last few decisions.

UCAT 3060 SJT 2
Achieved AAB
5x9,2x8,2x7 and 1x6 GCSES

Newcastle or Liverpool (want A star as resit)
Bristol
Sheffield
HYMS ( now we have clarified that she had to do 3 A-levels together to prove she could but that she can just do one resit)

Also does anyone know re Liverpool Form A for resits- she really hasn't got extenuating circumstances - she just concentrated on Physics as she always got A stars in Chem not realising that she had missed the foundation of some sessions through COVID ( and she had a poor teaching - but you can't really put that!)

Any other suggestions welcome

@Monkey2001 thank you for the form - do your predictions of "Safe / Fairly safe" etc work for this year too now the UCAT results have been published?

@Africa2go they are fairly approximate. If you run your shortlist past us once decided we will give you any thoughts we have.

@coffeeandbiscuittime we did this list on TSR for people with AAB

Accept resit, only need standard entry requirements (usually an A)
ARU
Birmingham
Bristol, (1 resit attempt per subject)
BSMS
Edge Hill
Exeter
HYMS
Lancaster
Lincoln
Nottingham
Plymouth
Queen’s University Belfast (Resit candidates are only considered if they previously held an offer from Queen’s at the first attempt and made it their conditional firm choice)
Sheffield, (1 resit attempt only)
Southampton
Sunderland

Accept resit, expect an A star in subjects resat
Aston
Kings (though they do say “applications from students that have achieved, or are predicted to achieve our typical entry requirements in the first sitting, may be more competitive overall than students who have not reached the grades required upon the first attempt”)
Leicester
Liverpool
Manchester
Newcastle
UEA

I don't know anything about the Liverpool Form A, but you know that I would never advise someone with over 3000 in UCAT to apply to Liverpool because of the offer to interview rate unless they really love it. I personally would switch Liverpool/Newcastle for Lincoln/Southampton if in any doubt of the A star (don't forget we will be back to 2019 grade statistics so a 2023 A is harder to get than a 2022 A). Otherwise would say Newcastle.

Could I be terribly cheeky and do this via PM, I think it will be quite "outing" (its probably a bit late!) to set out her reasons!

@Africa2go not cheeky, yes, that is fine 😊

Very interesting, thanks so much for the Life of a Medic link. We’ve been reading up on there.

DD is now thinking Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield. Is there a strategy people advise using for the 5th non-med choice?

Also, does anyone know where the Sheffield hospital placements are? We couldn’t find that anywhere.

@Monkey2001 DD was originally planning to apply to Irish unis also but having done the UCAT, she has decided she can’t afford to split her focus from achieving her A-level grades. The HPAT (Irish med aptitude test) takes place around same time as the UK uni interviews so that would be quite a distraction. Also Ireland haven’t figured out how to rectify their grade inflation yet and are continuing with it…so in theory, this would put A-level students at a disadvantage.

Sheffield medics use Sheffield hospitals and also places like Rotherham, Doncaster, Scunthorpe (not commutable) etc according to the open day.

Yes, Sheffield hospitals involve a lot of travel, DS1's GF is a nursing student in Sheffield and all her placements are in Barnsley. I really liked the Leicester style - you can commit to living in Leicester and, although you will have "out" placements, accommodation will be provided.

Nottingham is the same. Free accommodation is provided at all 'out' placements, or they pay for travel if you want to commute. Car parking permits provided out of Notts too. Free bus between city and QMC and to Derby. Has saved DD a fortune over the years.

DD is at Sheffield - just gone into second year.
She has got to know quite a lot of older students through clubs and they are all loving the variety of placements.

DD is planning to take her car next year I think.

If anyone has any questions about placements that they would like her to ask the older students just let me know!

She’s loving Sheffield - both the Uni and the city - a nice place to live 😊.

@LaFlottes I would be interested to know whether Sheffield students keep aviation on Sheffield for the full 5 years. I think the furthest placements, like Skegness, provide accom, so you can return at weekends, but would be good to know whether they keep their Sheffield base. At Newcastle I believe the students are expected to live elsewhere for some of the time. Thanks!

Hi @Monkey2001 I will ask her to ask!

I think they keep their accommodation though as DD and her friends just took on a student house from a group of medics who had lived there for 4 years! I’ll ask her to check though 😊

I seem to remember it’s at least half of their placements but often more that are in central Sheffield. They are given money towards the costs of travelling to other places I believe and I think this is a payment made at the start of each of the years that involve travel.

@LaFlottes it is great that your DD is enjoying Sheffield.

Do students have to always commute due to lack of free accommodation ? I just wanted to clarify this.

@Cratos I’m not sure to be honest but will ask her to ask 😊

DD is freaking out about this 1:3 ratio (in pic) that a classmate showed her today. I told her it’s probably just an inaccurate website as I can’t find anything about it in the Uni’s E2023 departmental supplement. Does anyone know? TIA

@Peachy2005 Liverpool changed their Admissions process a couple of years ago. Current process is:

*

Stage 1: Applications are ranked based on the results of the relevant admissions tests.
UCAT: all non-graduate applicants applying to A100 www.ucat.ac.uk (Overall score and Situational
Judgement Test/Home Students)
GAMSAT: all graduate applicants applying to A100 gamsat.acer.org
Stage 2: Those with most competitive admissions test scores assessed to determine which
meet/exceed minimum academic criteria

Stage 1 & 2 repeated until interviews are allocated
Stage 3: Highest ranked applicants interviewed
Stage 4: Offer – usually competitive interview (31st March)

*

So they check you have 15 points for GCSEs (ie mainly 7+) and that you are predicted AAA+ and then rank on UCAT.

@Peachy2005 that must be very old info as my DD applied to Liverpool 5 years ago and it was just UCAT even then. Don't panic - all is good 😊

@mumsneedwine fairly sure it was GCSE points 3/4 years ago. Maybe they changed and reverted. But definitely UCAT now.

@Monkey2001 or maybe DD remembered it wrong !

They switched to using GCSEs heavily for my DS's year (ie the last year they had proper GCSE grades), because at the time they felt that was the one thing that was done under normal conditions and everything else was up in the air because of Covid. I think it was a once off though, because once the dust had settled, and particularly once GCSEs were based on TAGs the reverted back to UCAT. But DS applied because he had really good GCSEs and it meant a guaranteed interview (and so did all the other people with really good GCSEs, and they took so many to interview that the ratio of interview to offer was really low)

@Bimkom they still have a terrible offer to interview rate (25%).

I've no skin in the game now as my DD is a 1st year medic at Exeter, but I pop onto the thread occasionally to remind myself that this was me last year. All full of angst.... and so emotionally invested in DD's applications!

Anyway I just wanted to give a big shout out to @Monkey2001 who is giving such invaluable advice. I know coming on here is like a busman's holiday to her - but do heed her sage advice (and @Ganfyd of course). The intel you can glean from this thread is better than most the top private schools can provide.

My fingers are crossed for all your DCs. But be warned, there is still a very long and stressful road ahead for you all. Enjoy the ride and good luck!

Yes, I know, but before DS applied I am pretty sure it was not so bad - I think they decided, once they were doing interviews online, that they could do loads - I think his was the first year it was really quite so low (and I think it was something like 17%, if I am remembering correctly, which I might not be)

DD had her interview in the crypt of the new cathedral. Said it was so weird going down the stairs into a freezing hall.