Medicine - 2024 Entry

[LaMereDuChat]

Just thought I'd start a thread for anyone else who feels like me... Dd has just announced that she'd really like to apply for medicine. It seems pretty much impossible to get into and I'm dreading the process as the odds are stacked against her - private schooled, grades a bit iffy as she's chosen a language as an A-Level and it's hard, though she loves it. Anyone want to join the pity party 😬?

Have anyone’s dc thought about the foundation courses?

my dd has her ucat on Tuesday and is utterly panic struck so has foundation courses as a back up idea….

@UCASstuffiskillingme yes and yes. And only 24 RUK places last year.

@Bananaandmarmite most foundation courses are for widening participation offers. Where is she thinking ?

@Fresh01 Lincoln has a lovely new medical school, overseen by Notts. Lovely town, bit like a mini York. Ever expanding Uni.
St George's is in Tooting, so a leafy part of London, bit cheaper. Is more a stand alone place and everyone is studying healthcare. V big A&E and v sociable.

mumsneedwine - she’s Looking at Dundee, Exeter, Bristol, Hull and Plymouth.

is the foundation for entry frowned upon?

she’s freaking about her UCAT, and now delaying it a week…

The syllabus is closely controlled by the BMA so they all learn the same thing.

GMC, not BMA. The BMA has nothing to do with medical degrees.

The "all learn the same thing" is an overstatement at the moment but it will become more true over the next few years as the medical licensing assessment (MLA) enforces more standardisation.

As @mumsneedwine said, nearly all foundation years are specifically for students with indicators of disadvantage (widening participation status). They're not just a backstop for students who don't get the grades. The exception is Manchester, where foundation year is for students with good grades in the wrong subjects.

@NoNotHimTheOtherOne the new MLA was discussed at a recent open day we were at but not at any of the ones we went to in June. Is it that new? The uni that we visited said they plan to have in place of 4th year exam (I think) by that details were still being worked

This is a bit embarrassing - maybe I need to go to bed. I have got confused about deciles - in my defence, when looking in TSR I think people often are as they seem to be interpreted inconsistently. When a selection criterion says "in the 9th decile" (chosen to make numbers easier), does this mean scoring above the 9th decile ie more than 2880 in 2022, or in the ninth slice, as it were, so scoring above 2750 but below 2880? Comes up in, for instance, Exeter and HYMS. Sorry to be such a doofus

Thank you, and crikey. That's half of 2022 numbers. Really not worth considering for many English people then.

@Sybill Students at some medical schools (the ones with final written exams in penultimate year) will be doing the written component of the MLA this academic year. For the rest, it will be next year. Anyone already in their penultimate year will have to sit it: it's just a matter of whether it's this year or next. All current first, second and third-year students (and fourth-year students at medical schools with 6-year courses) will have to do it. So, obviously, will anyone intending to go to medical school next year.

We've known about it for several years, so there's no justification for medical schools' not mentioning it at June open days.

Hi all, our thinking Kings is a good option because requires strong GCSEs but after looking at TSR thread it looks like their admin is appalling and a lot of people were left hanging after interviews- thinking maybe we should stick to Bart’s and StG in London 😳

My dd applied for foundation med at Plymouth, Bristol and UEA.

Interviewed at all 3 and got 3 offers too.

Each have very specific contextual markers which make you eligible, read each one carefully to see if you qualify. These courses typically have limited places ( 20 ish at Bristol, 30 ish at Plymouth and 40 at UEA ).

We looked at Dundee but there were 15 or so places I think.

Edge Hill, Nottingham, Leicester, Lancaster, Leeds all do foundation years too. Not sure of the criteria thou

Have you had a look at Newcastle? Grades are BBB if you meet their partners criteria. High ucat needed though

Dd ucat was in fifth decile last year.

UEA offer was BBB/ABC.

We dropped her off at UEA yesterday :)

I think the med schools are not always using it correctly to be honest. At HYMS and Exeter I think that we figured out in the end (at open days etc.) that they mean that those above the ninth cut off - ie those in the tenth decile are ranked differently to those in the ninth. The difference though in the rating between the two categories at HYMS was only I think two points, so if GCSEs are high it is still worth considering. For Exeter the predicted grades are key because it seems to drop off quite steeply once you drop a grade.

Thanks @NoNotHimTheOtherOne that’s really helpful to know

🤣 when I first wrote it I put my own professional body in there which would have been even more confusing!

I was waiting for the preliminary UCAT deciles this morning but nothing yet…
Concerned they might be really high, which will mean we will need to reconsider DD’s list of unis.

@Notcontent we are waiting here too - I did read that the interim deciles are higher than that actual - last year interim 9th was 2940 and ended up 2880

Please, please, please may they be low this year with fewer applicants owing to the various strikes and the pay and condiitons palaver! 😬

Well, that makes me feel a bit less foolish. Yes, at Exeter deciles seem to be a weird construct with only 9 categories. I do feel the clue is in the name.... All adds to the fun

Interim devices are always higher than final one, by about 40-60 points.

They will be out when UCAT are good and ready, sometimes part way through a day 😊.

I should keep away from the TSR as the “which med school should I apply to” thread is making me feel rather stressed for DD!

@Notcontent step away 😊. Remember, people don't always tell the truth on social media. The next few months will be bumpy, full of waiting, highs when interviews come in, waiting again, more waiting, and hopefully that one magical offer. You only need one.

@Notcontent can I where you’re getting this year’s interim deciles from? TSR or uni websites?

@Mumofboys2006 on the UCAT website
https://www.ucat.ac.uk/results/test-statistics/
But they aren’t out yet though…….