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.

@ColouringPencils sorry, should have said, we pay the rent. Currently £5,100 a year. Rest us down to get out of the loan.

@ColouringPencils the costs depend a lot on where they are - Sheffield, Newcastle, Cardiff can be managed on a smaller budget than London, Bristol or Manchester. It is possible that things will change by the time your DD gets to year 4 of a course, but basically, at current rates,

Years 1-4 - Loan for fees and around £4.650 maintenance. I think that in MOST places now, they need over £10k pa to live on, so I would say £5-7k top up required, which could be a mixture of a bit of working and parental contribution.

Years 5+ - NHS pays fees, and a bursary which has been £1k for as long as I have been aware of medical student funding. The minimum maintenance loan goes down to around £3k, so they will need an extra £7-9k, just when your DS is also at uni. It is much harder for them to work in Y5+

It may change, there is a campaign running for a liveable bursary.

Minimum loan is £1,950 this year @Monkey2001. Wish it was more. V glad DD worked before Uni.

And NHS bursary has some kind of means testing (but not if parents earn £70k 😊). Why a 23 year olds income should still be based on their parents I still don't understand.

Thanks @Monkey2001 @mumsneedwine that is helpful. A lot to think about, although she has GCSEs to get through first. She is academic and enjoys learning, so chances are if she doesn't do medicine she's quite likely to want to do a postgraduate degree. So either way, I probably need to need to find a way to save more money!

@ColouringPencils Saturday job after exams. Not only gets them money it also comes in v useful in med school applications. They like customer facing jobs so supermarket, cafe, HCA in care home (lots take at 16 for food and entertainment purposes).
And the cash comes in handy to supplement loan, and go travelling when get time 😊

@ColouringPencils ds would have managed his med degree perfectly well without a car. In fact he's been lucky enough to be able to borrow my little run-about for a couple of his further flung placements but it's turned out there's always been someone else driving there too that he could have lift shared with. The car gave him a bit of flexibility e.g. to leave earlier or later without relying on someone else.
Also most med degrees are 5 years not 6, so only factor in a 6th year if you're different (e.g. considering a foundation year course).
Both my ds have worked during their degrees too in summers and/ or term time weekends.

Thank you very much for sharing your DD s experience. It is great that Sheffield appreciates the value of gap year. It sounds like it was the right decision for your DD and she really enjoyed it.

DS went to Sheffield offer holder day today and has come home.very positive about it.
It's def above Exeter now. Birmingham next Sat and then he needs to decide and firm up. I am routing for Sheffield!

Rooting

Many moons ago on one of these threads there was a discussion and recommendations for anatomy colouring books - does anyone remember and/or can tell me what you would recommend?

I bought this one for DS Human anatomy colouring book

I gave DS and his GF the same ones, was a bit of fun but not sure they finished them.

Hi Ladies,
congrats to all those who have medical places this year. I just wanted some advise from those of you whose son/daughter didn’t get a place last year. Is it worthwhile applying through UCAS extra/clearing? Or would you just leave it now until next year? Does anyone know if Cardiff has a waiting list? There was something on the student room thread but when I’ve asked any questions I’ve never had any replies, I think I must be invisible. Is there any chance that my son will get a place this year? He is now focusing on a levels and I don’t want to distract him from this.
thanks

@MerchSwyddEfrog nobody knows whether Clearing will be active this year for Medicine. I feel it should be because the cut offs were so high that it feels like the offers all went to the same small group of people. It looks like Cardiff has a Reserve list, so unless he is on the list, it is unlikely that anything will come up there.

But Clearing should only be regarded as a bonus - most people trying for Clearing will not be successful. Best to focus on the A levels and make plans for a great gap year so that he no longer wants to start in 2023.

@MerchSwyddEfrog there is also a 2024 entry Medicine thread running. You might want to join that one too.

Does anyone know anything about the accommodation situation at Nottingham? DD is going to their offer holder day tomorrow and has come home this evening saying that people were saying at school today that there is hardly any accommodation left at Notts. Seems odd to me as lots of DC are still deciding which med schools to firm/insure.

@opoponax my dd is also going to notts offer holder day tomorrow. Shall we wear red carnations on our lapels? @mumsneedwine knows about all things notts. I think second years etc potentially get to have already reserve some accom? We found that the catered, on campus accom was ok when we looked at it at the weekend.

@opoponax don't panic ! Notts have enough accommodation to get all first years on campus and there is also a bit of movement after results day as some people don't make offers. You might not get a lot of choice, but most of the campus accommodation is pretty much the same. DD was on Ancaster and loved it.

Hope they enjoy the open day. Mine found out she'd passed final yesterday and got her contracts for F1 today so all v real.

Ah thanks both. She wouldn't be too bothered where she was put as long as she got something. Happy with catered too. Huge congratulations to your DD @mumsneedwine, that's great news and fantastic that she got her first choice deanery too. 🍾🍸🍸

Congratulations @mumsneedwine dd. So happy to hear this news.

Daughter finally got an offer from UCL after rejections post interview at 3 others. She had already started planning for a gap year.

No coincidence that this was the only one of the four musical schools to do interviews in person. She enjoyed the interview process there while the on-line interviews were ordeals.

Well done @wijjjy. So pleased for her!

Hi @MerchSwyddEfrog I am sorry that your questions are going unanswered on TSR. DD is a final year at Cardiff (GEM entry having done the Medical Pharmology BSc previously) and has interviewed for the C21 course for the last 3 years, so perhaps I can help.

The most beneficial thing that your son can do is firstly concentrate on getting the very best A level grades he can and then take a productive (and this is key) gap year and reapply this October. If he hasn't been advised that he is on the waiting list, then he won't get a place this year. I have also never seen Cardiff in clearing for medicine.

Like most med schools, Cardiff don't necessarily expect hospital work experience although working in the NHS gives a good understanding of the pressures facing all HCPs so perhaps your son could look at HCA roles or a Porter job. Working in a residential care home is another good option. Volunteering with youth groups, at special schools, sports coaching or St John's ambulance are other ideas.

Very happy to chat via PM if you prefer. I wish your son every success - my DD has absolutely loved Cardiff (just as well as she's spent 7 years studying there!!) and despite being English got her first choice deanery and will be spending her FY1 & FY2 in South Wales.

Great news @mumsneedwine , another milestone reached!

@wijjjy that is really lovely news - I hope you all enjoyed celebrating the offer, just got to get the grades now!

Edge Hill Foundation Medicine degree was in clearing Aug 22.

Have a look and maybe prepare for it being in clearing year.

good luck x