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.

@Pip4764 when DS1 had his interview it was at the northern hospital, which is not near the medical school.. He stayed at the EasyHotel in the city centre, but if driving you probably want to stay further out.

Ah yes, it is at the hospital, thank you!

@Pip4764 think DD stayed somewhere called the Rutland ? My DD and DH had to drive there the day before, in the worst blizzard in history. Took them 9 hours to do a 3.5 hour journey and DH said it was terrifying as so many crashed cars on M1. Thankfully she got an offer (remember it was her first offer and I was at a parents evening thing and burst out crying on everyone 😂). Still manage to drag her dad to Meadowhall to go shopping. And had a fantastic story to show resilience - just getting there !
Good luck. They are so friendly and make the interview as easy as possible. 🤞🤞

@PPip4764 the Northern general isn't really in the most appealing area to stay in Sheffield. I'd suggest staying in one of the many city centre hotels so you can see a bit of Sheffield and get an uber/ cab/ bus to the hospital for the interview. The med students do a fair bit of learning at the northern and there is a frequent free bus from uni/ med school over there. If you have time I suggest wandering round the uni campus too where obviously most of their time is spent in the first few years.

@mumsneedwine @Haffdonga Thank you both so much.....fingers crossed we don't get that sort of weather, as travelling down from Edinburgh and not trusting the trains at the moment....what could go wrong in December! Also thanks for the tip about actually seeing the city and the Uni, was such a shame we missed the open day.

Thank you @BungledBundle 🙂

Thanks for all the good info about Sheffield! Does anyone know if it’s totally unrealistic with an 11am (on a Friday) interview to make it back to Manchester for a 4.15 flight? There’s a train at 12.45 from Sheffield which is supposed to get you to Manc airport by 2 (changing at Manc Piccadilly)…DD thinks this is totally do-able but I think it’s a bit tight. No idea whether interviews likely to run on time or traffic conditions in Sheffield Fri lunchtime!!

@Peachy2005 interviews normally run pretty much to time. Not sure how far the hospital is to the station though - could be tight to catch that train. As long as have a contingency if they miss it (Uber to airport ?) might be ok.

@Peachy2005 could they fly to East Midlands airport (it's nearer as is near Nottingham) ? About 40 minutes from central Sheffield I think. Might even be a direct train from Sheffield.

@Peachy2005 I think that getting a train at 12:45 would be very tight. She would need to get a taxi to the station after the interview and that will take 12-24 minutes once you are in the taxi (according to Google maps), could she switch to an earlier time? Where is she flying to?

I just checked Uber and right now that’s a £90 fare from Northern hospital to Manchester airport and takes about an hour and 25 mins. No flights from here to East Midlands. I agree it’s a bit tight to make that train, looks like it’s only 6 or 8 mins away right now on Sunday but on a Friday lunchtime…who knows?! I’d much rather book a flight back Saturday morning and be able to relax and see Sheffield but DD doesn’t want to spend an extra night away and miss her Hospice shift… She did book the earliest time available on the Friday and we will need to fly to Manchester the day before as it is. We only have flight options to Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh unfortunately.

@PPeachy2005 I wouldn't risk it if I was you. Just because she has to be there at 11 doesn't mean the interview will start then. There's a fair bit of admin and signing in and then there can be a lot of waiting round before their MMI turn starts. They're usually divided into groups as they obviously can't interview say 60 applicants in 7 stations all at the same time. If you are cohort 3 or 4 you might wait for an hour or 2 before your turn.
Having said that it would probably be fine but for stress reasons alone I'd not advise!

@Peachy2005 if you are coming with her I would hire a car from the airport - less than £30/day for a small one.

Sorry too many Ps! @Peachy2005

Could she shift the hospice shift to the Sunday?

Hmm all very good points to consider: my nerves would be shredded trying to drive on UK motorways…I think that stress would finish me off! Only small roads where we are currently so I’m 7 years out of the motorway habit and even then I’d have been freaked out by English motorways. I was thinking the emergency Uber option would still be cheaper than an extra night of accommodation or rebooking missed flights at short notice…but now, based on Haffdonga’s post, I’m thinking that’s still may not be a very comfortable amount of time for an uber to Manchester airport at lunchtime on a Friday, which is usually a horribly busy traffic time in any city anywhere.

@BungledBundle sorry I meant to reply to you sooner…sorry to hear your DD is unwell and I would think the sooner the better to contact the uni to look at changing the date, whether that’s her contacting them or you contacting on her behalf if she’s not up to it. Best of luck 🤞

DD has 2 interviews -Newcastle and Sheffield. She appears to be in a better mindset than last year - so fingers crossed.

That’s great @coffeeandbiscuittime . Congratulations to your dd and all best. Could there be more interviews to come? I don’t think any of the four my dd has applied to have released any interviews yet.

Congratulations @coffeeandbiscuittime and also wishing your DD all the best. So many DC perform so much better at interview second time round. @Thethingswedoforlove definitely lots more interviews to come. At DD's school there are many still waiting to here. All the medical schools have different timelines.

DD is still waiting on Bristol ( on hold)and HYMS. She will hopefully get interviews at both as her UCAT score was 3060 and she scores ( We think 75 for HYMS). I know last year some people didn't get invited until January. Newcastle sent rejections out week beginning 13/12 from memory.
It is a stressful experience for both students and parents ( and in @mumsneedwine teacher and parent) - good luck.

I would think your DD should hear from Bristol soon @coffeeandbiscuittime with that high UCAT.

Great news @coffeeandbiscuittime - my dd is in similar position with Newcastle and Edinburgh interviews. Hoping her 2850 friend hears favourably this week too from Newcastle, there seems to be a tsr view that they do send out in more than one batch. Also hoping for Glasgow and Cambridge this week - that college are supposed to interview second week in Dec from their own correspondence.

Leicster is starting to worry us. Its interview offer system is confusing. Higher score children are still waiting. Not sure if its a good idea to call and check with university?

I don't know about Leicester specifically, but while some medical schools make it clear they are doing it by UCAT score, others really don't and don't. Liverpool, my DS's year, did it by surname - but it took us and TSR ages to figure that out. We and everybody on it couldn't work out why so many people with higher scores were waiting when people with lower scores had interview invites, and it took a bit of sleuthing to work out that it was almost certainly alphabetical - hence DS got his invite in the last batch.