Medicine 2023 Entry - Part 4

[opoponax]

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

Sorry no info on accommodation tours @Peachy2005 as DD is going to the 2nd offer holder day too. DS only had a virtual one in 2021.

Newcastle is really compact and you'll see quite a bit in a few hours. I'd probably start down the Quayside area and walk along there to the Gateshead Millennium bridge and you will see the Baltic Centre and the Sage from the Newcastle side of the river. It's lovely down there, particularly on a sunny day. You could also drop by Newcastle Castle if time and then walk up via Dean Street to Grey Street (beautiful Georgian architecture on a par with Edinburgh and Bath) and you'll also see the Theatre Royal on your right. Then Grey's Monument and you are bang in the main shopping area. Eldon Square is on your left (pretty standard mall type shopping centre with Fenwicks and John Lewis and all the usual suspects) but other shops in the streets around. You can then head up to the University area where you can have a walk round the campus. The quad is lovely and the med school/sports centre/Park View/Marris House/Park Terrace etc. are all very close to each other. Leazes Park (with cows grazing) is just the other size of Park View accommodation across Richardson Road. If you have time after the open day you could pop up to Jesmond before heading home. It's not far and is a lovely area in its own right and the students mostly migrate there after first year in halls. It feels too nice to be so studenty and has lots of nice bars and restaurants.

@opoponax Thanks for all of those suggestions xx

Leeds offer this morning for my DS which he's over the moon about after 2 rejections .
Any info/ tips on Leeds gratefully received as it was a last minute decision to apply there so not visited yet . Offer holder day in a few weeks .

That's great news @Hopeful646 . Huge congratulations to your DS ⭐

I just looked back as Leeds rang a bell and @MedicParent said that they were happy to give info on Leeds as they have a DC there.

Yes, my DD is just finishing second year at Leeds and absolutely loves it.

We didn't do offer holder days as it was in the middle of covid, so she went into it blind really. But absolutely adores it and is so glad she chose there.

What would you like to know, @Hopeful646 ?

Thank you both . @MedicParent great to hear your DD is enjoying Leeds . Is there any first year accommodation recommendations (although I know you're not guaranteed your choices ). Thanks

Congratulations @Hopeful646 . We went to a Leeds open day in 2019 and were impressed by the high tech approach - I think they are one of the ones which issue iPads to ask students and do a lot of e-learning. It may be nice to know that historicallly they are I've if there ones which allow people in with slipped grades as they used to be fairly cautious re over-offering.

DD definitely didn't get an iPad @Monkey2001 So they've stopped that 😁

She uses her own iPad, but I wouldn't say it's particularly high tech in terms of teaching. It's an integrated approach.

I'm also not sure they allow slipped grades anymore, but probably covid has put paid to that anywhere!

The accommodation is all pretty decent @Hopeful646 Even the "far away" ones are close enough. DD wanted catered and got her first choice and was very happy I'm first year. Tiny weeny room, but it was fine. She is living in the city centre now in second year, and goes back to her flat for lunch, which when she worked it out is very cost effective compared to grabbing food or needing to be super organised for packed lunches.

Advice needed please. DS has two offers. ARU and Southampton. He already has AAB and is resitting chemistry in the summer, aiming to get an A. Both offers are AAA. His fifth choice was undergraduate Physician Associate at Reading but he was rejected and offered medical sciences which he already has the grades for and could lead on to postgraduate medicine or Physician Associate.
My question is. Is there any merit in him firming Southampton with ARU as insurance in the hope that if he didn’t get his A in chemistry one of the unis might offer him a place anyway? Or is that so unlikely that he should just firm Southampton with the medsci as insurance? Obviously really hoping he’ll get his A but want to give him the best chance if not.

I would say firm and insure both his medicine offers to maximise the chances of a med place. That way he has two chances at some grade leniency in the event of missing his grade. Grad medicine is so much more difficult to get into and is expensive. I don't know much about Physician Associate courses but doing a degree that he doesn't really want as a possible entry to something else seems like a very long game.

Covid may have changed things, but re missed grades, in 2019 16 were accepted with AAB although their offers were AAA. Of those, 12 had "firmed" and 4 had insured.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a_level_missed_grades_a100_4#incoming-1565642

@GladysGeorgina I agree with @opoponax , there will be plenty of Biomed/MedSci in Clearing. To maximise chances of getting in, he should firm and Insure Medicine offers (but still aim for an A* so there is room for slippage).

Thanks for the info @Monkey2001 and @MedicParent

@GladysGeorgina Hopefully this is irrelevant to you but there are a few people on Newcastle TSR repeating Chemistry only, so presumably they have achieved AAB. Their official offer on UCAS says AAA but apparently Admissions confirmed they are still required to achieve an A* in Chemistry, despite what it says on UCAS. I don’t know the reasons why but just wanted to flag in case it’s an issue for your DC. There was at least 1 guy who had firmed Newcastle over another uni because he thought he only had to get an A, but then found out it was not the case.

If it says AAA on UCAS then the Uni can not change the grade required. It's a legal contract. Newcastle will be in a whole heap of trouble if they try and reject students on results day who get an A. Hoping something is wrong with this ?

There’s a person on Pg 36 and another on Pg 40 of the Newcastle TSR who’ve both been told by Newcastle they have to get a higher grade than the offer in the subject they’re repeating. It seems very strange!

@Peachy2005 is it that they have to get a higher grade than the standard Newcastle offer of A because they are resitting so their offer is A star.?Or is that that they have to get a higher grade that the offer they were given on UCAS specific to them this cycle? If the latter, it sounds very strange indeed. If it is the first, I think it is standard practice with some Med Schools that they ask for an A star in the resit if an A grade is missed first time round.

I’ve seen DS offers and both definitely AAA. Thanks for the advice everyone. I’ll steer him in the direction if firming both med offers. No reason to think he won’t get his A. He’s working hard and has a tutor but you never know(and my mum brain obviously veers towards worst case scenario!)

@opoponax Their offer should say A but actually just says the standard AAA. Clearly a mistake but Newcastle confirmed they have to get the A.

Manchester rejections have started to come out after 7pm!

Sorry about the bold type and the missing A star ⭐️ 😝

Offers should be A star due to being resits, offer letters just say A, uni confirmed they still need the A star in the resit.

Uni can say what they like, but that UCAS offer is a binding contract. If they've made a mistake I don't think UCAS will let them change it retrospectively. Will be interesting to see if anyone challenges it (I would !).

Hope everyone is ok and now focussing on grades. And a little bit of rest.

@mumsneedwine will remember that Newcastle got itself in a muddle a few years ago when they offered ABB if you Firmed by a certain date. I think they had to remove the deadline in the end.

In more positive news about Newcastle I saw that they are giving £1k to all 5th years living on the bursary in acknowledgement of the struggle to make ends meet this year.

@Monkey2001 and they are paying their registration fees. DD not holding her breath for Notts to follow 😂.
Newcastle really do need to learn the rules of UCAS though. I am pretty sure those AAA offers will be upheld.

There was a lot of discussion about the binding nature of offers during the 2021 débâcle. I don't think communications through UCAS are inherently binding: it's the wording of the actual offer that determines whether it represents a contract between the university and the student. However, if a university retrospectively changes the conditions of an offer that has already been accepted, I think it will be on very shaky ground legally.

When Newcastle got into trouble for its time-limited reduced-grade offers, it was the OfS telling the university it was acting unfairly rather than anyone saying that laws were being broken. Strangely, the OfS keeps very quiet about other universities that put pressure on applicants to accept offers before they have decisions from all of their other choices, e.g. through first come, first served accommodation booking that opens before the UCAS decision date. This is something that really needs to be stamped on.

I don't quite get the only if A* resit requirement. Is it because it is easier if just doing one or because they are wanting you to really prove yourself? It can't be because you genuinely need an A star level chemistry otherwise they would make it a requirement first time.