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!

mumsneedwine your DD has had a lot more airtime on the these annual threads than my DS, even though he’s five years further on. My own DS’s cohort is simply occasionally useful as an illustration of how they collectively seem to have very different success rates to the general stats. That’s the start and the end of it. And that’s conceivably useful for students applying wondering if they should favour UCL (say) over another uni much lower down the tables. Because as things stand, the more that these young people can do to advance their future the better.

@Karolinska stop, just stop.

I v v rarely mention my own DD. My students ? Yes. Because there are a lot of them. Please leave my name out of your posts. Bullies are not my favourite people.

In that case please leave my name out of yours. People should only contribute if they are intending to be constructive, not for any reason other than that.

Well bottom line is we know a lot about her. So I think my point is as fair as yours. Let’s leave the personal alone mumsneedwine. I couldn’t agree more about the loathsomeness of bullies. Best thing is either to not engage or to face them down.

Signing out. I don’t want personal accusations to derail.

Hello everyone,

Just a reminder that we don't mind robust debate and we do try and allow the conversation to flow as much as possible. That being said, civility is our main goal when hosting these discussions.

Please bear this in mind while posting.

Can we please return to supporting our DC, wherever they wish to apply.
Personally, I don’t think one cohort or group of people represents the whole country, just anecdotes. No need to push some universities over others, we’ve also heard there is no evidence to support this.
Right now we want to get through UCAT and once that is done our DC will apply ( hopefully), to wherever they think strategically is right for them.

Justlikingit obviously it’s not purely anecdotal or it wouldn’t be an issue. I merely responded as to why one cohort was being referenced: the exact point is that the cohort isn’t illustrative of all cohorts and the whole issue of progression and factors affecting it may be worth factoring in with the shortage of training places that is now causing real problems. Just an additional element to weigh up when making choices. But obviously also something to entirely ignore too, if that’s the preference!

Karolinska I know you feel like you need the last word, but this thread is for current applicants and you keep coming back with long posts to try and defend yourself but derailing and disrupting discussion of things more pertinent at the moment, like UCAT tests.

@Karolinska I'd love you to be able to share your stats that you use so we can all interpret them oursleves to see if we agree with you. However I've asked so many times and you just don't supply, not even one link....

has anyone's DS/DD used 1:1 UCAT tutoring?

I know it's got a bit heated and tangential (for the 2025 applicants) on here, but just wanted to say how helpful it is having people who know the process and system and have a long view coming on here to give us advice. I've followed the last couple of medicine threads and have seen that parents support each other a lot, but also really benefit from the support of @mumsneedwine and others. Just wanted to add some appreciation!

DD is planning to use Medify (basic package), I think. She is v much against throwing money at the process (which is lucky for us!), and have seen many people say that only medify/medentry are needed, so hoping that is the case! Still v busy with coursework etc at the moment and then going on a college trip to South Africa, so won't start prep in earnest for another few weeks.

Dd did not but she did watch lots of (free) YouTube videos from previous students to help her with the techniques for the different sections. She then focused on those areas she found harder a little more. It helped having the mixture of videos and practice. If you are going to put money into anything I would probably use it on something like medify/ medentry and save some for interview practice although even then we didn't pay anyone but we did ask lots of favours from friends and family.

From what I remember she did about two or three full mocks, from that she identified the areas she needed to work on more. Each week she would do about two full mocks (on different days). On the other days she would then watch YouTube videos for her weaker areas so say abstract reasoning then do a section of abstract reasoning and mark it and then either do another abstract reasoning or switch to SJT. She did also watch the YouTube videos for tips on speeding up even on the topics she knew well. She did the practice over about six weeks (mixture of school days and holidays) with a couple of hours most days, but always having one day off. In the week before she just did about three or four full mocks so she got used to working consistently over that pace. She increased her scores by about 400 points over the six weeks through targeted practice.

DC has been advised that 50 hours of preparation is optimal; more than that doesn’t add anything. This was by a medical school admissions team but no idea what data they based that on.

That’s incredible. @Unexpecteddrivinginstructor
Which you tube videos would she recommend/ found most useful?

DD also watching YouTube videos and I’ve got Medify for her.
where are the practice mocks DC are using? Are they on Medify or are there other resources too?

Sloejelly I couldn’t care in the slightest about any ‘last word’. I’m not a child. I’m also not concerned about airing heretical views, provided that they have a sound basis in reality. I’m merely offering some counsel which may be pertinent for certain current applicants who find themselves with a choice, once their UCATs are in. I’m afraid that my timetable doesn’t allow me to monitor the thread and to add the comment at the exactly appropriate time, although I appreciate that UCAT is the dominant theme at the moment.

The situation (as all posters with DC further down the line concede) in relation to training places situation is dire.

Of course it’s easier to hear posters who say everything is equal. But it absolutely is not. Other than at F1 stage with the new random allocation (a brilliant idea for suppressing motivation). So this notion that all medical schools are equal is supremely short termist. Forewarned is forearmed although clearly it creates a headache. Don’t shoot the messenger; shoot those in charge who have created a situation where there are not enough medics at the top to train those below. But then the politicians keep talking about how they’re creating more places in medical schools. The bit they’re missing out is the lack of prospects for the more ambitious. But you know - maybe that’s exactly the point.

I refer you back to MNs intervention last night. Apologies for getting in the way of the UCAT fever but once that’s over and choices have to be made - well this stuff is central, so the very antithesis of a ‘derail’.

Sloejelly I couldn’t care in the slightest about any ‘last word’.
I’m afraid that my timetable doesn’t allow me to monitor the thread

Yet here you are again

Sloejelly I meant over a matter of months! I dip in and out of MN.

That would be wrong in principle. Whether it would even help is a separate issue.

On reflection you make a good point about the length of posts. Hopefully people will skip over them on that basis unless they want to think a bit about what happens to their DC after F2 :)

@mumsneedwine looking at Keele University do you know what the grades were last year to get an interview? I think they say A*AA or AAA with an EPQ A as well.

DD trying to decide between going to Keele or Birmingham open day on Saturday. Birmingham is Russell group but Keele appears to be rated more strongly in medicine