Too early for a Medicine 2027 thread?

[SuperSue77]

Just wondered if there was any interest in a medicine 2027 thread for those of us with YP going into year 12 who plan to apply for medicine? I've seen one or two lurking previously and will try to tag if I can find their user names. Just conscious that I am always posting on the 2026 thread, yet DD is a year behind them and so my comments aren't so relevant.

Please come and join me here if you are interested.

Never too early! Good idea to get a thread going ☺️
I’m a 2nd year med student parent but happy to help / answer questions about the application process if I can.

Thanks @Randomactofkindness I know from experience that you are a really good source of information and very helpful and supportive of others applying, so it's great to have you on here!

Let me know if can help, spreadsheet ready to send.

I'm a ST1 parent (hence the name), teacher and mentor supporting students into medicine. For far too many years now.

Thanks SuperSue77 for setting up the 2027 entry. As discussed in the previous thread DD will be a 2027 entry.

A start. Knowing how each Uni selects for interview is key. Strategy !

Thanks for joining us @mumsneedwine your advice (and spreadsheet!) will be invaluable!

Great to have you here too @Peachy80 thanks for your comment about DD’s GCSEs on the other thread, I am so proud of her and I know they are good enough to get into med school, I just think we might need to reconsider Nottingham (she has already said she’s not interested in Leicester, though I think it looks amazing, but it is a higher offer than Notts). But we are not making any assumptions until this time (roughly) next year when we will have UCAT score in hand (she’s hoping to sit it mid-August before our summer holiday) and possibly predicted A levels? Not sure when they get those exactly.

Predicted grades are usually based on Y12 mock exam results so probably will only have them next September. My DD's school have their Mocks at the end of June and finalises predicted grades by mid September. I agree we can make assumptions this time next year. They need to settle into Sixth form now. They worked hard this year pre GCSEs.

Hi. Joining this thread as although dd not set on medicine it is a possible option for her. She did amazingly at GCSE and is taking Maths, FM, chemistry and biology at A-level.

Bio NatSci at Cambridge has been a dream for dd for a few years. Medicine has now raised its head but whether it’ll elbow out the original plan I’m not sure!

It all seems very complicated so I’ll be needing lots of advice!

Aspiring medic in this house too. Starting new school 6th form tomorrow. Doing maths, biology, chemistry and philosophy a levels. Thanks for starting the thread.

Hi, I'd like to join - my dd is interested in medicine, I posted a thread asking advice re her GCSEs, which were better than expected but I'm aware probably not as good as most on here, though been reassured and had really helpful advice so far from @mumsneedwine and @Randomactofkindness. She is starting year 12 on Wednesday, doing Chemistry, Biology and Psychology and possibly/ hopefully an EPQ. Looking forward to being able
to focus on subjects she likes, as have had a traumatic (for both of us!) time with dyslexia and English language, though she did really well in the end.

Hi. My 2 want to do dentistry (no dentists in the family and nothing to do with us). They're right after each other. One is about to do UCAT and going to Y13 and other going to Y12.

There are no dentistry chats so I follow medicine 😀

It's the first day at sixth form (new school) for DS so he's a bit apprehensive. Studying Maths, Biology and Chemistry for A-levels. We have no idea how applying for medicine works, so thanks for setting this up @SuperSue77!

@mumsneedwine what a fantastic table, thank you so much for sharing it. Is there somewhere where you could upload the actual file and link it here, or maybe upload more high-definition photos? Also the GCSE requirements were cut.(Sorry so demanding but not technically savvy enough to provide guidance!)

Is anyone thinking of external programmes/experience in medicine for next summer? We're thinking of signing DS up for the InvestIN 2-week summer programme in London, but would be good to learn about any other options.

He attended the one-day InvestIN programme in November 2024 with a friend in London and liked it. Mainly because they sutured a banana. However I think it's also dawned on him how much hard work will be involved.

@Greenbriar I've not found another way of sharing the spreadsheet besides email (suggestions welcome !). If you DM me an email I'll send it over.

I've PM'd you my email address @mumsneedwine . Thanks so much, it's really generous of you to share as it must have taken you loads of time to put it all together!

(Btw just put "@gmail.com" at the end. The messages were doing something weird when I wrote it with the @ symbol.)

What A levels is your DC doing?

Joining too! Not sure DC will go for it in the end but that’s the plan at the moment.

@Greenbriar I do it for my own students so sort of my job 😊. But always happy to share any resources either anyone. It's a tricky process if don't know the way it works.

Mine went funny too! Mine is hotmail dot com!

Not sure if I mentioned which A levels my DD is doing. The usual suspects! Maths, chemistry and biology. Biology is her favourite and she knows she has to do chemistry, and maths she has chosen as she thinks it’s her best chance for a top grade, and also there are less facts to learn and more techniques, that once you know, you know.

We had some good news today - her sixth form has 2 biology classes and she had been put in one with 2 teachers she doesn’t know, whereas the other class was taught by her GCSE bio teacher who she really likes and her old form tutor who she’d had for 3 years. Both of these teachers she really likes and feels comfortable with, so I emailed last week to plead the case for her swapping to this class. There were no timetable clashes so it seemed fairly straight forward. Anyway, this afternoon they confirmed she can swap! We are really happy!!

Hello all!

My advice for Yr 12 would be try and get some work experience - not really for the PS as most Med schools know it’s hard to get without connections but to check medicine is definitely for your DD / DS.

Get a customer facing job - this was the best thing for my DD - so much to talk about in her interviews.

Also try and get a volunteering role - ideally in a care home but brownies / beavers is good too.

UCAT prep is hard - my DD did her at the end of the summer hols so had 6 weeks - hers was in 2023 so before the removal of AR section but her score without was 2170 B1.

Strategic application is key - medicine is medicine so try really hard to not let your DD / DS get attached to a particular uni. My DD didn’t and it was so stressful when she realised she needed a top decile UCAT to have a chance at interview.

It all worked out for her but it may not have!

Good luck - it’s a very tough few years - she’s back to Sheffield in 2 weeks for year 2 and it makes it all worth while knowing how happy she is on her course ☺️

@SuperSue77great news! My DD has her first day tomorrow so we don't know her teachers yet. She is also hoping to get her GCSE bio teacher who she has had for 2 years. DD is doing the same A level subjects like yours, bio, chemistry and maths.
@Randomactofkindnessthanks for the heads up. We haven't managed to find a volunteering placement yet at a care home. They seem to be as hard to get into as NHS volunteering in our area (North London). DD is a St John's Ambulance Cadet for 3 years now. She has been doing volunteering via the Cadets. She has also completed her community first aid course. She has volunteered at the London Marathon and keeps signing up to volunteer at football mathes as a Cadet first aider. Probably, we should try to find some client facing volunteering as it would give her exposure to different scenarios. What type of client facing volunteering would you suggest?

@Peachy80 sounds like she’s got lots planned which is brilliant.

My DD did care home volunteering and was a brownie leader.

She’s was a school prefect and did subject coaching for younger years.

She ran the school medical society in Yr 12. She had a waitressing job from age 16 (she’s an August born so didn’t turn 16 until just before her GCSE results!)

She’s with me now and has said that the care home volunteering and work experience was the best to help with her interview answers but it’s about reflecting on what you saw not just having been there.

She would be happy to answer any questions you have ☺️

I just read this to my DD and she said "are you talking about me?"! She has also been an SJA cadet for 3 yrs and passed her COFA last year. She has only volunteered at a couple of events so far though, so I'm hoping she'll do more to get more opportunities for "reflection".

She has got a week's wex lined up at our local hopital for Feb half term, and did have a Teams call with their Volunteer Manager about doing some ward volunteering, but she has gone quiet (they had to wait until she turned 16 which was only a few weeks ago) so she needs to chase that and try and make it happen.

Good luck to your DD for tomorrow!

is anyone’s DC’s thinking of taking medicine but isn’t sure they actually want to be a doctor? Dd more interested in pathology and/or research I think.

@mumsneedwine - Just a couple of things you might want to update on your spreadsheet.

1. Most medical schools had about a 4-5% increase in their numbers for 2025 entry. I think you have numbers for 2024, at least for some.
2. Anglia Ruskin is accepting T-Level health for 2026 entry.
3. (You can't update this yet because the requirements won't be published until next year) Entry requirements for some medical schools will need to be revised for 2027 entry to take account of alternative academic qualifications (AAQs, BTEC replacements but not completely like-for-like). A few already accept a BTEC extended certificate in lieu of a third A-Level and a few more might accept an AAQ.

It's worth noting that the Medical Schools Council entry requirements page now includes policies on resits.