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.

😊😊 you only need one. Well done everyone. I think more will be coming for anyone just on a wait list. 🤞

Yay @Africa2go congrats!

@Africa2go congratulations 🎉

@kackle sorry my late response. Bristol offer holder day went well. The accommodation tour was not perfect since we could only see one of the villages and we didn't get enough detail we thought. Then we didn't have enough time as a family to visit the rest of them. So I don't have anything interesting to mention about accommodation. It is pretty expensive though. The medicine meeting was very professional, informative and useful. There was also a session for just parents whilst the offer holders did some group work with Bristol medical students. The following were the highlights (at least for me)

• Curriculum revised in 2017
• Case based learning
• Professional mentors (personal tutors) - they provide support for personal, professional and career development
• Medical licensing exam/finals in Year 4 (Year 5 is about how to be a doctor - 3 apprenticeships )
• Some online lessons as well as in person ones during the week
• Year 1, 2, 3 Wed afternoons are free (online lessons in the morning)
• Students can work for up to 12 hours a week to earn some money (this could be as a Health care assistant as bank staff)
• Students do an art assignment related to medicine
• Intercalation is after Year 3
• Progress testing from Year 1
• Clinical examinations Year 3 and 4
• Placements in Year 3, 4 & 5
• Accommodation and travel to placements are paid
• Accepts resits
• Bristol doesn't go to clearing but if A level grade is just below the required grade in some cases everything may not be lost depending on their numbers at that specific year and the particular situation etc. But Chemistry needs to be an A.

They also stated that every year in Bristol is different and there are lots of transitions expected from students. Therefore students attending Bristol should not mind change. Please also note that there is a possibility that I might have missed or misunderstood some points. Hope this helps.

@Cratos can help a bit with accommodation. To add, Bristol seems a great city to be a student. My vet one plays against medics, socialises with them and they all seem to love the place. Yes, not cheap, but then no where seems to be these days.

Thank you

@kackle having been to Bristol for their offer holder day, the info given by @Cratos is spot on.
My DD has now firmed Newcastle and insured Hull.
Rejected Bristol - She found it hard to reject a place after last year, but the decision is done now.
Bristol did say they could see who had offers elsewhere.
The only other comment Bristol made was that they promise accommodation for all 1st years offered a place - which has meant for some courses they have under offered.

@coffeeandbiscuittime I think it's more because they've built loads more accommodation. And just offered as normal, they were really caught out in covid mess as they honoured every offer, so had too many for a couple of years.

Good to know decisions are being made as it will free up wait list places. Wherever they go they'll have a great time and end up a doctor.

@coffeeandbiscuittime - there was a poster on the thread last year (@kingscotestaff) whose DD made the same decision (ie Newcastle over Bristol... and she had a couple of other offers too).

Hi ,
Are there any Leeds medicine parents that can shed light on whether a car is helpful for placement in the first year please ? I know they only go out 1/2 a day from January but wondering how far they are expected to travel . My DS is trying to decide on accommodation and whether he needs to think about parking or not . Thanks

Thank You.

Interesting comments from Cratos re slight flexibility over grades. My main worry is dd missing the grades.

My son is at Newcastle ( Park View) and has loved his first year. Sure your daughter will love it.

DS was in the exact same position, chose Newcastle over Bristol in the end and is very happy there. DD is still pondering all her options but will decide soon. She did her final offerholder day last week. It is hard for them to reject any offers as they know how lucky they are to have them and would most likely be happy wherever they go.

Thanks for all the recent comments. What were the main reasons of your DCs rejecting Bristol I wondered?

@Cratos. Nothing material. It was more how excited DS was about Newcastle than anything negative about Bristol. At a rational level, the courses were pretty much identical and both cities were great places to be a student and placements provided a breadth of experience. Accommodation was more straightforward at Newcastle but Bristol was only two hours from home but in the end he put all that to one side and went with his gut.

Just remind them that by rejecting that offer they are giving it to another student on the wait list 😊.

Newcastle much cheaper than Bristol. But know some don't like having to move away for a couple of years. Both fab student cities.

Some get all their placements within commuting distance of Newcastle @mumsneedwine but they need to be prepared for getting placements that are too far to commute.

@opoponax same as most places really. Although I know Newcastle and Exeter can place you away for a whole year. Not a reason to not go, just a consideration.

My DD needs a job to earn £££ before uni. She’s focussing on A levels right now but thought to register as an HCA for when she’s done. However, there is a long list of qualifications needed to join the bank none of which she seems to have as an A level student. Am I missing something?

DD has now firmed Barts with Manchester as her insurance offer. She went to offer holder days at both and loved them both, so will be happy ending up at either.

@ASeagull23 , my dd seems to be making a small fortune from tutoring younger kids. Might that be an option for your dd if she needs to earn some cash?!

Hello all.

Just wondering if anyone went to Manchester’s open day this week and what kind of impression they came away with… As well as course structure, was there any discussion of the bad press surrounding accommodation and student welfare/pastoral care?

I was very impressed with Newcastle’s open day but does anyone know who the lady was who gave the talk to parents (just before the Finance guy)? I missed the beginning as there was a big queue for the loo. I thought she was very impressive in her stated commitment to student welfare and pastoral care but it did sound like she was personally supporting/mentoring a vast amount of students, whether originally assigned to her or not! I know a few people have DCs in Newcastle already so wondering how they have found that aspect. Also am I imagining it or did she say they are putting in place a liaison/support person for their students at each placement location henceforth?

Thanks a million xx

DD went to the Manchester offer holder day, rather than an open day. She completely loved it. Don't think they directly addressed any bad press but she came away with a very positive impression of the accommodation people and a positive feel overall. She probably won't end up going there if she gets her predicted grades, but she would certainly be very happy with it if things panned out that way.

@coffeeandbiscuittime Hello there coffee / kackle and anyone else from last year!
As Midlife said, DD had offers from Newcastle, Bristol, Birmingham and Barts and is coming to the end of her first year in Newcastle. She has really loved it.

I think in the end, she was swayed by the offer holders' day (as were we!). There was a very strong feeling that the course is being continually tweaked to improve its provision and to support the students in every way. She says the pastoral support is very impressive - each set of exam results is released in an atmosphere of positivity and care. She loves the fact that the medical school is part of the RVI - every day feels as though they are already in a hospital.

The vast majority of the medics live in Marris or Park View, which means that they are super near the Medical School, Sports Centre, Students' Union and Main Library - although most of them seem to work in the Medical School Library.

For Hockey players, the Medics will turn out 6 men's and 6 women's teams next year!

She has just had her years 3, 4 + 5 placements announced. For Year 3 she'll be in Cumbria, but with free accommodation, so will be able to keep a room in Newcastle as well. Years 4 is in Newcastle itself and Year 5 a <hour commute.

Good luck all!

Thanks very much@MrsBennetsPoorNerves & @KingscoteStaff

I did of course mean the Offer Holder Days for Manchester and Newcastle!

Newcastle people might be interested to hear from @GANFYD who has a more mixed experience of pastoral support at Newcastle.

Great to hear that @KingscoteStaff DD made the right choice for her.

I think it does depend a bit on who the personal tutor is, I think, but I have seen very poor treatment when all my children have had issues, with no empathy, no support and no understanding. After a little kicking, things did improve, but I have felt very disappointed in the way the med school have reacted to certain problems. They have had a change of Director, so hoping that may improve things