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 😬?

It is absolutely soul destroying for prospective medics at this time of year. I remember how stressed DD was about this 2 years ago.

She didn't put a 5th choice down as she was committed to medicine.

One by one the rejections then came in.... but written in the small print of the Exeter rejection was the opportunity to join a waitlist. She joined the waitlist and got promoted to a place in late April/early May just before her A levels.

I was so angry for her... she worked so hard and was so committed yet felt so unwanted.

It is so hard. When dd did it in 2019 for 2020 she'd done all her interviews before the end of december and had all offers by end january. And she also felt very out of sorts with most of her friends getting offers well before Christmas. When ds went through this 2 years later it was such a different landscape. I'm not even sure he had an interview before the end of January! It was reassure time for sure. I think it will be similar for dd this time round. Its very tough. She's a multiple too although her brothers are super laid back and haven't got their UCAS in yet, they are almost certain to get decisions before she does. They have us in their corner though!

DD went into the process with a poor UCAT and low expectations. It was pretty miserable, but luckily she had two friends in the same position so they could hide in the sixth form common room together. She was already planning for a gap year and reapplication, and was sufficiently excited by her plans that when an offer finally came at the end of March, she wrote back asking if she could defer the place for a year. Neither of her friends got a place that time round, though they were the first to congratulate her. One gained a place next time round, whilst the third did incredibly well in his gap year role (something like three promotions, lots of international travel and they even offered him more to give up University plans) enough to realise that his future was business rather than follow his father's footsteps into medicine.

Reapplications are common. It helped to consider the first time round as a bit of a practice.

Hello Needmoresleep old elderly parents sister in arms! Lurking here as DS wants to do medicine but is really quite naive about it and TBH lazy. I think if he ever does do it, it will be as a reapplication, having gone through the disappointment and wake up call of failing 1 st time round so this is valuable information.

Waves...that was a long haul, made easier with the support of others.

It is important to be realistic, which means being positive as well. DD got very fed up with what seemed like endless hurdles and became a bit bolshy. If "they" did not think she was good enough, their loss. That said she did recognise the need to play the game. At a crucial parents evening another dad was complaining that his elder child had been too arrogant so had not been prepared to consider tactics. Four rejections. The following year, chastened and with grades in hand, he listened to his father, they did a spreadsheet together and he got his place. DD listened to the advice, and it helped for her to see the whole thing as a two year process. She was going to be living in her University town for five years so first time round she selected places where she both wanted to live in and had a chance of interview, in the hope with a year's experience, a lot more UCAT practice, and grades in hand she would have a wider choice. The priority in Yr 13 was to get the grades so it was important for her not to worry too much about getting the place, though in fact she landed two offers.

She absolutely does not regret the gap year and it was an advantage starting university with an extra year's maturity and experience.

Thanks @Needmoresleep wonderful insights as usual. I’m really happy to hear your DD is thriving.

We’ve had our first interview invite. SGUL. It’s in two weeks.

@W0tnow thats amazing - good luck!

Yay @w0tnow that's great! Off to a flying start!

Brilliant news @W0tnow - that was quick! That’s the first one, I think. Best of luck!!

@W0tnow huge congratulations. Good old St George's, always fast off the starting block. They usually offer quite quickly too 🤞🤞🤞.

Congratulations to your dc @W0tnow!
And so the long process begins. Best of luck all for more forthcoming good news on interviews! 😊

Congratulations @W0tnow

Great news @W0tnow! 👏

Very well done @WOtnow!

we are shrill anxiously waiting to hear from SGUL…score was 2790 so fingers crossed!😳

We have not heard anything but I guess it’s still early days!!

Some offers of interview out from Glasgow and Dundee today.

Uea are usually early too with interviews last year at the end of Nov

Gosh this is so nerve wracking- I’m trying to act all chilled at home but I feel like it’s me doing this! DS has a friend at school who’s got an interview at SGUL next week! His UCAS was higher so I guess they are working their way through 🤞🏼🤞🏼

@Mumofboys2006 it is nerve-wracking waiting first for interview offers and then waiting for actual offers. If it's any consolation, early interview invites can be a double-edged sword IMO. DD was one of the first to be interviewed by Bristol last year and she felt that it was her worst interview by far. She felt she didn't have enough time to prepare compared to some of her friends with lower UCATS who were offered later slots. She ended up being offered a place there but it came much later than her other offers. She felt she would have done better further into the process.

Dd got rejection from Dundee today. She’s really upset and says she feels it’s the start of a list of rejections. Really feel for her. Does knock one’s confidence slightly

@Bananaandmarmite sorry to
hear that - is she a Scottish applicant?

Sorry to hear that @Bananaandmarmite . If Dundee is an RUK application it could purely be a reflection of the low numbers of RUK places available. I believe they only interviewed approx 100 RUK last year.

@Bananaandmarmite Rejection is so hard, especially when so much hard work is put in just to get to this point. It's still early days though. Fingers crossed for the rest.

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