Medicine 2025 entry - part 2

[HGC2]

Not sure how to link old thread, can anyone help me do this?

Onto UCAT and personal statements now - good luck everyone!

Just in case it helps anyone, I got an offer from Hull-York with UCAT 3000 B1 but was contextual so that doesn't help much. However I know someone who got an offer with a UCAT a little under 2700 however I believe might have been contextual. The actual interview process was okay but the most different to the other 3 Unis I applied to

I think it was low 70s last year - 72/73 seems to have been enough to get an interview according to the Student Room.

Thank you all so much. Think she's sitting on 72. Hard to know whether to risk it..

@Optimum19 think it settled on 72. If like it, it's worth a punt as you'd be annoyed if didn't and made the cut off.

Thanks, I will check those. My school and my post code are not on any contextual list as far as I know.

From what I've seen most medicine programs specify Eng Lang at 6 or above, not 7. Is it really terrible that I got a 6? I was hoping to compensate with high UCAT but looks like it's too low.

Not terrible at all.

My dd got a similar grade in English.

Shes just starting y2 at UEA and loving it.

Have you gone on to gov.uk and checked your school’s attainment 8 score?

From what I've seen most medicine programs specify Eng Lang at 6 or above, not 7. Is it really terrible that I got a 6?

From the entry requirements page, only East Anglia and Edinburgh require grade 7 in GCSE English language. However, the East Anglia details are incorrect (see https://www.uea.ac.uk/course/undergraduate/mbbs-medicine#entry_requirements). They also refer to several GCSEs that haven't existed since 2017. It's interesting, also, that Bristol and Imperial ask for A and B grades at GCSE, so their requirements obviously haven't been updated for at least 7 years.

There are many medicine courses that only require English language at 5. However, these minimum requirements are very misleading if GCSE grades are used in scoring applications for ranking.

Wales, the iGCSE and I think NI all still use a lettering system for GCSEs it is only England who switched to 1 to 9. English schools can use Welsh exam boards/ iGCSEs too so it is possible to have a mixture of letter and number grades.

My DS is just finalising his application for medicine for 2025 entry and I was hoping that someone would be able to confirm his 4 chosen unis are suitable given his stats.

Mainly 9's at GCSE but a 6 in English language. Predicted A star, A, A at A'level. Ucat of 2720, SJT 2. Good volunteering experience and part time job. Contextual for some eg, polar quintile 2.

He has decided on Leicester (56/60), Liverpool, hull & York and is undecided on Cardiff ( we are not in wales though) or Plymouth for 4th option. Needs to consider cost so London is out.

We have researched but worried there may be other factors we aren't aware of that make these choices less 'safe' than we think.

@medprocesspain the 6 in English rules out Cardiff. You need 9 9s including maths, science and Eng lang. Plymouth a good 4th. Or UEA.

@mumsneedwine thank you, he was worried that would be the case but I wasn't sure if that might have changed now GCSEs were back to pre-Covid marking. Plymouth it is 😀

@medprocesspain it's a lovely place to live. Beach life and sea sports v popular, he could do a lot worse.

@medprocesspain just check the points for HYMS, SJ2 will lose 5 points so you might need contextual points to make it a safe option.

Thank you @Africa2go, he should get 10 contextual points for ucat bursary and polar 2 so total points should be 81 or thereabouts.

Definitely a good choice then! Good luck!

Thank you @mumsneedwine & @Africa2go

@mumsneedwine my DD has GCSE

• 9's in Chemistry, Biology, Geography and English Language.
• 8's in Physics, Maths, English Lit and Art
• 6 in Spanish.

She also has:

• an A for her EPQ completed in Year 12
• an A for Core Maths completed in Year 12

Shes predicted A*, A, A

Will the GCSE 8's mean that Cardiff is ruled out?

Its so hard working out what the cut-offs are for each uni!

What points scale do you think you allocate for UCAT?

MY DD tells me someone she knows put HY down last year as their 'safety' school but didn't get an interview with 3 A's and a UCAT of 3050 and SJT level 2. Not sure of their GCSE's and they were not contextual

I don't know, dd had TAGS for GCSEs so had 9s for top six GCSEs, top decile UCAT and SJT1, non contextual meaning top score of 85. From her discussion with others I think the consensus was that they dropped four points per decile - so top decile got 40, next one 36 etc. Think they might have distinguished between 9 and 8 for GCSE too, although that could just be due to Covid/TAGs. Sounds like GCSEs could be the issue for the student last year. Without the contextual buffer it is harder to get a really high score at HYMS. They were quite clear about their ethos in encouraging contextual applications, one of the things dd liked about the course.

With that UCAT there were probably other better 'safety' courses available that is why it is important to apply strategically working to your strengths rather than thinking that a slightly less regarded university is more likely to offer a place.

Keele described their approach as fishing from a different pool. They know that they might not be able to compete on research reputation with somewhere like Cambridge and many students will use them as a back up so they would have to substantially over interview and over offer. By placing an emphasis on experience over UCAT they will attract people who perhaps don't do so well on IQ tests but who do have the experience to know they want to be a doctor, perhaps gained in a gap year and with a couple of low UCAT scores. They can throw the student back in the pool before interview who has a really high UCAT (so likely to have lots of interviews elsewhere and Keele will probably not be firmed) but not much experience and instead interview someone with a low ucat, some relevant long term volunteer experience which they can reflect on for whom Keele is one of the few places likely to offer them a place.

For polar quintiles do they look at address when GCSEs were sat or address at application date? We moved in June so Dd lived in polar quintile 2 for entire education until last term of year 12. Dd says she had to put both addresses into ucas. our new address is quintile 5.

@islaoo depends on the Uni. But most look at current address I'm afraid. If you're now in a nice area they'll assume you're not contextual anymore. Some base it on school you sat GCSEs at, some at where you are for A levels. Best thing if worried is to ask admissions.

Keele have unfortunately been inundated with applications now, because of the need for a lower UCAT. Last year students were still waiting to hear back from them (before interview) in May. So be prepared for a wait.

Which medical school is HY?
DD has a very high UCAT score, STJ 2 and good but not perfect gcses. Top 8 are 5x9 and 3x8.
At the moment we are thinking with those stats Newcastle is the best back up.
Though frankly none of them are going to be easy to get into.

Hull-York med school I think. Newcastle should be okay, have a look at Newcastle Partners scheme. I didn't apply but know people that did and the scheme allowed them to get an interview with stats lower than your daughter

Keele have unfortunately been inundated with applications now, because of the need for a lower UCAT. Last year students were still waiting to hear back from them (before interview) in May.

Did anyone who hadn’t heard by May, get interviews/Offers? I do think UCAS should have an earlier deadline for universities to respond. It is not fair on students in any subject to hear they have been rejected on the morning of an exam.