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!

Hi @marmiteandhoney. Welcome, and congratulations to your daughter on the UCAT - must be such a relief!!

It's great that she can now start thinking about where she'd like to go knowing she's got a good score in hand. Where have you visited so far? There are quite a few open day reports if you scroll a couple of pages back through the thread.

DD has been concentrating on non-London cities, with Leeds and Manchester as the northern limits (we're in the South-West). At the moment, favourites are probably Oxford, Leeds, Manchester. But she hasn't sat the UCAT yet, so she may well need to review it all depending on her score. She has great GCSEs (from a troubled/underperforming school), so if the UCAT doesn't go brilliantly she'll need to consider the more GCSE-heavy places.

Hope preparations are going OK for everyone else. DD has had some difficulty finding a desktop computer to practise on (she wants to get used to using a mouse), but other than the logistics I think it's going OK so far.

@maybemedmum she can just plug a cheap mouse into a laptop usb

No idea why we didn't think of that! Good idea

@marmiteandhoney congrats on the fab UCAT score. If over 3,000 any of the UCAT only Unis should guarantee an interview. Do check GCSE requirements if choose one of the mixed selectors - if SJT 1 Notts worth a look.
Maximise your chances on interviews.

Yes, she got 3070 on UCAT, and has 7 9s and 2 8s at GCSE.

Anything we should be thinking about for personal statement? She's spending this week doing work experience with med dr researchers (sexual health and menopause) and next week work experience with her consultant at hospital.

@marmiteandhoney wouldn't worry too much about PS as no one will use it either those stats. For most, it will never even be read.

Where is she leaning towards ? She can pretty much be certain of 4 interviews !

She visited and liked Glasgow, Cambridge, and Medway, but tbh not quite sure what we should be looking at. It's easier now she's got UCAT, can be a bit more picky where we look. She's wondering about Bristol, has mentioned Leicester. Doesn't want London (wants to move away from home).

I'd quite like her within a couple of hours in case she needs me (T1 diabetic).

Glasgow have quotas for non Scottish students so harder to get an offer. With her stats good choices are Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, UEA, Southampton, maybe Exeter if good predicted grades. Medway use contextual GCSEs so if fantastic compared to the rest of the school then a good choice.
Birmingham, Leicester, Notts good (latter if have SJT 1)

DS has booked UCAT for 3 Sept.
His GCSEs are strong - 10 A* s (we are in Wales) but not sure how he will perform on UCAT.
Just trying to organise a bit of work experience.
It all seems very uncertain - he is looking at medical pharmacology as 5th choice.

What a fab ucat @marmiteandhoney, your DD can enjoy the summer now! My DD has booked hers towards the end of August, so I know she will spend a lot of the holidays revising. I think it was probably the right choice for her though, as she has had a lot on this term and not really done much practice yet.

Interesting that your DS is looking at medical pharmacology, @sproutsandparsnips. Mine hasn't decided on a 5th yet. All the options seem to lead to quite different careers to Medicine. Her biology teacher encouraged her to look at biochemistry over biomedical science, but I am not sure why exactly.

We went to a Biochemistry talk at Bristol @ColouringPencils - it was really interesting (and I think I just about understand what it is now!), but very different, of course, to medicine.

DD is not intending to put down a 5th choice - she says she's clear in her mind that she'd rather reapply for medicine next year (and she has lots of ideas about how she'd like to spend a gap year!). No idea if this is a good approach or not, but that's her plan for now. UCAT in about three weeks time...

All the options seem to lead to quite different careers to Medicine.

I am encouraging my DC to consider completely unrelated options too. I think too many people put down biomedical sciences as their fifth option by default without really thinking if that is what they want to do as a career.

@sproutsandparsnips Cardiff should be a definite. They score GCSEs first and you are Welsh.

Reasons to put a 5th.

1. it's nice to feel loved. They will be waiting a long time for medicine offers so getting one first anything else at least makes you feel better

2. it's easier to go into Extra or Clearing if need to.

Are medicine places ever offered via Extra or Clearing?

Are medicine places ever offered via Extra or Clearing?

Yes. It's how medical schools manage their reserve lists.

Reserve list would suggest candidates they hold ‘in reserve’ so would already have applied to them? Why would they then apply to them again through Extra or Clearing?

Sorry, confused.

St George's is already in clearing. Last year 4 others were too.

total novice here but what are Extras and how does 'clearing' work

@SoTiredNeedHoliday Extras happens about May, and if any Unis get given more places they will become available then, but you can only apply if been rejected or turned down all 5 previous places. You can apply for one Extra at a time - doesn't happen often for medicine but it has, so I keep an eye out.

Clearing happens from 5th July, when IB results come out. Unis then know how many spaces they now have from missed grades and release these through clearing (or offer via waiting list if they hold one).
A week before A level results, when Unis get the grades, more will appear as Unis will try and fill their remaining spots. On results day 3-4 often appear.

It's a last till of the dice, but people get in every year via clearing.

St Georges has used clearing to fill extra places for years. My understanding is that they can be brutal with offer holders who miss a grade, instead preferring to consider those with the grades who did not get an offer.

https://www.sgul.ac.uk/events/preparing-for-clearing-webinar

It is a long established medical school and worth a look, even if it is not for everyone. It is small and hospital based (I thought I had read that it was about to merge with another London University, but can't immediately re-find that information - though found the link above.) Some students really seem to like the smaller scale and friendly feel. We live not too far away and DD used to come across SGUL students accessing external, and good level, sports clubs, as well as junior doctors from there working at our GP or in local hospitals. (There was a point when DD was applying where I would ask doctors where they had studied! Obsessive - moi?) All were very positive.

Tooting is not too far from Central London but much quieter. There is the option then to live further down the Northern Line which makes living cheaper.

Do they interview clearing applicants? Or how do they decide who to offer?

I only know one person who applied via clearing, and that was about 7 years ago. SGUL interviewed, and made an almost immediate offer. The applicant then decided that with their very good grades, to take a gap year and reapply (successfully) elsewhere. It was a difficult decision, not without risk, but the lure of the Tooting Lido and wonderful mangos from Broadway Market proved insufficient and they decided they wanted a more traditional University experience. .

Yes, they do interview. On results day this will be a phone interview on the day.
St George's will be making a list and interviewing those they like (but google them as they are making their doctors graduate with their PAs and it's gone down like a v large lump off 💩).

St George's is become with City Uni.