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!

Thanks all. I know this really , just feeling the wait a bit today and of course it's DC's wait, not mine, so am careful not to ask questions!

Their older sibling went through a similarly competitive and long-drawn out (though unimaginably different career!) application process last year so it's been 18 months so far of living with one ear out for the letterbox, so to speak. Luckily my younger children are much younger, so there's a break after this!

UCAT scores have been released to unis yesterday.

Surely an algorithm works out the score for each candidate for each uni using their particular scoring system. They should know who they're going to interview straight nearly immediately.
(I'm not an impatient person at all...lol)

My thoughts exactly! I'm too impatient for this game!

Assuming they are not using other qualitative data, for example reading through personal statements for evidence of work experience or widening participation, then they should be able to generate their interview preference lists almost instantly. But I imagine that they will need to see how many they recruit from their first higher preference group before deciding how many to interview in subsequent groups. Plus they may group them into Welsh/scottish, rUK, international etc and invite each group at different times.

But I imagine that they will need to see how many they recruit from their first higher preference group before deciding how many to interview in subsequent groups.

That doesn't really work. People who are made offers after the first round of interviews are unlikely to decide whether to accept them until they've had all their other interviews and know whether they have other offers. Someone who is made an offer in December might not decide whether to accept it until March. Some won't decide until the deadline for applicants' decisions in June. So if a medical school makes 200 offers in December they might only have a handful of firm acceptances going into January, even though half of the offer-holders might eventually make it their firm choice.

But they would still have an idea of how offers convert into acceptances and how many offers to make. That was the issue in 2020/2021 when an unusual number made the grade due to Covid assessments and the government had to agree to almost 50% more medical students for those years as so many offers were taken up. Interviewing is very resource heavy so you only invite the rough number you need to to generate roughly the needed number of offers.

Ucas published its early entry figures today - 23,350 medicine applications for 2025 entry.

So, that is fewer than last year.

My DD got an unconditional offer for her 5th choice yesterday, she'd been struggling with motivation for interview prep and this has given her a wee boost!

Considering how much higher the UCAT entries were than last year, did higher numbers of people with low scores decide not to apply or are the numbers applying for dentistry up a lot?

Oh were there a lot more ucat entries - thought it was just up a bit?
How does UCAS count them - is it per candidate or per course application?

Have you just confused UCAT and UCAS? I did when I first read about early entry numbers (numbers applying on to UCAS on 15th October)

Yes sorry - I did. I've amended it.

All confusing...

I suspect a bit of both but of course we won’t get the granular detail - or detail about numbers of applicants to each med school - until after this cycle.
I did think it was a bit of good news though generally given how many additional UCAT applicants there were which had me worried there would be many more med applicants overall. I know everyone says it wouldn’t make a difference but there was also no BMAT this year and I guess there were some applicants previously who only sat BMAT?
Anyway good luck with the horrible waiting game everyone!

And are there about 7500 places for medicine?

@HGC2 Congratulations to her! It's nice to have a boost.

@Optimum19 google says 8300 places this year.

Not enjoying the waiting game. Now the universities have got the scores it feels like something could happen after a bit of respite.

DD just got an invite to interview for Edinburgh!

That is brilliant news my son interviewed there a few years ago and got an offer. Of all his interviews, he enjoyed the Edinburgh one.

Thats good to hear!

Brilliant news @HGC2!

I feel like we should smash a metaphorical bottle of champagne against the side of the thread - is this the offer than launches the interview season for the '25 entry hopefuls?

Love that thought!

Oh wow. That's amazing! Congratulations to you both. Hope that's the first of many on this thread.
Best of luck to her!

Wow! Congratulations to your DD, I think it’s apt that she is the first one ( hopefully of many on here), to get that invitation.
i assume she got it via email (?)

Congratulations!

Though this ratchets it up a notch - now we can worry when others have heard from a uni our DC has applied to but not heard from yet…

@KielderWater Yes I agree. Though I have been telling my DD that others may well get asked for interviews first, it doesn't mean you won't get an interview...... Not sure that will help at the time but we will see, can't think of anything else to say to prepare her.