Medicine 2025 entry

[HGC2]

Inspired and slightly terrified reading the 2023 entry threads and how much prep has to go into a medicine application!

DC wants to do medicine, probably in Scotland as a Scottish student, doing well at school but this doesn't seem to be enough! School has little / no experience of applications for medicine as a not fantastic state school!

Can anyone advise what work experience / volunteering they will need (currently volunteering at sports club with hope of job)
what are the spreadsheets that people talk about?
How do you strategically apply?

I have one child at uni and they just applied and got a place, this seems like a whole other level!

Don't cram for the BMAT. It doesn't exist anymore 😊.

You do not need medical experience. As one admissions tutor said,'we'd rather you worked in McDonalds, as a lunch time shift there shows so many skills relatable to being a doctor, anyone can work with their surgeon daddy/mummy'.

They care about the skills. Ex students from your school who became doctors might help though - we have built up a quite large alumni list now.

Anyone’s DC planning on just applying for medicine and leaving the 5th choice blank? DD is thinking of this. Obviously all depends on UCAT score.
Leaving her to make her decisions, cautiously trying not to interfere

ArnottL your experience is very different from that of my own DS (now six years out of med school and on the specialist registrar training programme). People were very generous with help. But then he made all approaches himself - perhaps that's the difference. I would certainly baulk at a random aunt accosting me in my workplace to ask favours unless there were really extraordinary circumstances.

Justlikingit my DS didn't put down a fifth choice because he was absolutely dead set on med school from his early teens and didn't want to waste anyone's time or sit on an offer of a place that he knew he wouldn't have taken up.

Is that right mumsneedwine - no more BMAT anywhere? What's the thinking behind that?

Strongly agree about ordinary jobs evidencing skills. DS had a weekend and holiday job from Y9 and did no long term volunteering and not much in the way of work experience (an outreach week at our local hospital, a few days with our GP. I think that was it). (So when I said above that people were generous with their time, that was more about talking and encouraging rather than offers of shadowing, although the GP offered readily enough). At interview he was asked quite a bit about different aspects of his hospitality job and nothing about his hospital and GP surgery experience.

@Karolinska yup. No more BMAT.

There are 2 reasons to put a 5th choice (with no intention of taking it).

1. if you want to go into UCASExtra it's much quicker to turn the 5th down than have to apply to a 5th and then turn it down.

2. getting an offer in Nov can feel nice because you're probably going to be waiting for medicine offers until Feb/March. It's nice to feel wanted

@Karolinska sorry, thinking behind it was cost. So few Unis used it anymore it wasn't cost effective.

Hi
Anyone DC started/starting UCAT practice this week or next one ? I hear the recommendation is 6 weeks .

@Ib1234567 my DD did the UCAT last year and revised for about 6 weeks for it. She took it early August as wanted to have time for BMAT prep too, but you won’t need that this year. She found 6 weeks just right - her actual result was higher than any of her mock tests, so think she peaked at the right time. She really didn’t enjoy it - it didn’t work to her strengths (she did much better in the BMAT) but she did well enough to keep enough options open. And it gave her great encouragement to study for A levels, as she’s desperate never to have to sit it again!! Btw, she found the free videos on Instagram and YouTube really helpful for prep. Good luck to your DC

Thank you, yes this year is all ucat that is why the pressure is on . good luck for your daughter exams.

thanks

Thank you all for your responses. We’ll see how she feels armed with this information when it’s time to apply.
Even though she really wants Notts, she is quite pragmatic and says she doesn’t want to get attached to any particular university until she’s got her UCAT results ( if I remember correctly, they get the results the same day, right?).
she is hoping to start revising early July aiming for mid August. Hope that’s plenty of time.
I just registered her with Medify to start looking soon.

Also a quick question, have ALL medical schools moved to UCAT now? Or have any declared their own pathway?

All declared and all UCAT. You get handed your results as you leave the test centre !

For Notts ace the SJT as it's worth a lot of points, and VR is worth double all the other sections. Assume have fab GCSEs as they score those too. If you know all this please ignore me 😂

I am trying to understand contextual admissions. My DC is eligible for contextual at some unis and not others. Should she prioritise ones she is contextual for? I know the less strict criteria will mean a lot more people are contextual, so may not make much difference in terms of her chances. Are contextual applicants generally given extra consideration (more likely to get an interview), or just a lower offer? I think she doesn't like the idea of a contextual offer of lower grades when she thinks she can achieve the standard grades, but I don't want her to miss out if she is more likely to get an interview.

@ColouringPencils most cases makes no difference for interviews. If she gets an offer it will be 1/2 grades lowered - take it !!

Choose the ones she's most likely to get an interview at.

Just trying to work out where she might be most likely to get the interview! Sounds like contextual doesn't really figure in that.

@ColouringPencils no, that's down to being strategic. Good GCSEs - Notts, Lincoln, Belfast etc that score them. Good predicted grades - Exeter (still). Amazing UCAT - Bristol, Sheffield.

I am going to simplify my spreadsheet but can email it to you as is if DM me your email.

@ColouringPencils I think Exeter give extra marks to contextual applicants when shortlisting for interview, and then follow it up with a much lower offer (AAB vs AstarAA standard offer) so definitely worth a look to see if she is contextual there, and has good predicted grades

They do look at the 'circumstances which you took the exams'. Most will do this to some extent. But they select for interview based on predicted grades and UCAT so still need great scores as the allowances are not great (not quantifiable unfortunately). Birmingham use contextual as do Kent v clearly.

Is there not a separate version of that table for WP applicants though @mumsneedwine ? Which has higher scores possible so presumably more likely to get an interview, everything else (predicted grades mainly, and UCAT) being equal?

Can I ask about Exeter , did they stat to give more marks for achieved grades.
Predicted grades & non-WP Maximum score 90
Achieved grades & non-WP Maximum score 100.

so the predicted 3 A star is the same points as achieved 2 A star

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/v8media/recruitmentsites/documents/BMBS_Admissions_Policy_2025_(V2)__(1).pdf

it was in our shortlist until I saw this. I am reading right or I am confused. what are your thoughts @mumsneedwine

Here you go

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/v8media/recruitmentsites/documents/BMBSAdmissionssPolicy20255(V2)__(1).pdf

The tables for each category are there. Needed about 80+ points to get an interview this year