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.

Yes she is planning to intercalate too. We’re pleased she’s taking a gap year for her to have some time away from education & we’ve had a few financial issues due to the tax man so it gives us a year to save as we had to use our first set when our house renovation went hideously wrong plus more and haven’t caught up.

She has until January to decide her fifth choice

Even if the government decided on extra medicine places it is extremely unlikely they would go to Extra rather than be used for students applying in the normal course. It would also be very late for extra spaces to be announced as the universities would have to work through space to teach/clinical placements etc

Fifth place applications can be rejected too especially for competitive courses due to the medicine-focus personal statement making it clear the course is not the candidates first choice of course.

@Backtoschooloncemore has happened twice in the last 10 years. I've been doing this a long time

And most courses never even look at the PS (bit like medicine). You have the grades, computer says yes. Only a few bother as there are no limits to bums on seats.

I know a good number rejected from their fifth - including from computing at Durham and psychology at Edinburgh. All well within grade requirements.

@Backtoschooloncemore most. Not all.

Quite. Especially if you are applying for competitive courses as your fifth.

Not sure why you would. If you want to be a doctor then you'd reapply the following year surely ? Unusual to choose a 5th totally unrelated 🤷‍♀️

Thanks.

The school had made the first point but DD says she already knows with her grades she could get offers for most courses so doesn’t need the “ego boost” of an offer she’ll definitely reject.

Not sure I follow the second point. I think when the govt has added extra places in the past it was done because too many kids had met the conditions of offers they were already holding. Also if there were to suddenly be extra unallocated places don’t most of the med schools operate their own waiting lists which they’d be more likely to use than UCAS extra?

I think she will submit her UCAS application with just the 4 med options for now - she can always add a 5th in later if she changes her mind.

She’s been back and forth a bit last week but has finally settled on UCL, Oxford, Edinburgh and Leeds. She’s checked all the requirements carefully and thinks she should clear the hurdle for interviews 🤞- Leeds is the one she is least confident about as their scoring system is so opaque.

good luck to everyone - there are so many steps to this process!

Yes it is unusual to choose a fifth choice that is unrelated but I don’t think med applicants think widely enough about their fifth choice. Too many just put biomed almost as default. But if you really weren’t able to study medicine and took a step back and thought about your future career would lab work really be what you want to do instead? Or would, say, engineering provide the sort of hands on complex problem solving that drew you to medicine?

I actually disagree with having to have a non-medicine option. If you would reapply anyway then you should be allowed to use all five for medicine. If you do want to apply for more than one subject then you should be able to write a PS specific both - we have moved on from the days of UCCA sending out photocopies of the forms.

UCAS extra is a thing, has been for years. Sometimes the government release extra med school places in about Feb/March and they are put on extra.

Don't believe me. That fine. It is unlikely but does happen.

And if they don't mind waiting until potentially May for any offers then ignore the 5th. But psychologically it's nice to get one for something.

Been doing this while do can only pass on the advice. Feel free to ignore as your DC might feel
differently.

You can write a different PS for your 5th. Many Unis actually ask for it.

But they can still see the original. I think people should be able to write course-specific PS (for any course) as some universities still count an interest in different course at a different university against you even with an additional ps stating an interest in their course.

This guide to strategic applications is brilliant if anyone is still finalising their list...

https://learn.myucat.co.uk/strategic-applications

I'm not sure I replied to this. DD prefers UEA but would rather go for the one that favours GCSEs than pure UCAT - especially as UEA use 50% of UCAT score to determine offers. We read about people getting interviews (and offers) last year with scores lower than hers but upon reflection I suspect they were on the guaranteed interview scheme, which would render their UCAT score irrelevant when it came to getting an interview.

She has selected Keele, Sunderland, KMMS and Leicester. TBH an offer from Keele would be the dream come true, so not getting a full suite of interviews would pale into insignificance should the dream be realised. Though I was impressed with Sunderland's facilities, and have always thought Leicester was fantastic, and was impressed at the KMMS virtual open evening we attended last week!

Where has everyone else decided on? I see quite a few others have posted where their YP has chosen. Has yours decided now @Peachy80 @ZanyUser @SevilleOranges - I think yours had decided on two, @transient was deciding on a fourth? @LambethLindsey @medmum26 @ethanelliot - I think yours had a fourth to decide? @Blackberry22 - sorry if I missed anyone!

UCAS extra is why my daughter put a fifth choice as advised by school so good to hear you say it’s a thing too.

@Zokaluse73 got 2 in last time it happened after they'd got 4 rejections. It happens !

Could someone please explain UCAS extra? My daughter has submitted her medical choices and is deciding on her fifth- am I right in thinking she needs to have a fifth to be able to access the additional medical spaces (if released)? Why/ how/ where/ when would extra spaces be made available? This process is complicated, really appreciate all the advice and insights in this thread!

@NiftyGreenBear sometimes the government allow more medicine places but don't tell Unis this until Feb/March

Thank you! And these spaces can be at any medical school?

Yes. Usually spread out over a few. Not happened for a few years but you never know either the nhs workforce planners what they'll do. With UKGrad priority a thing they may well decide to start training more doctors. The conversation ones up every few years.

Hi everyone, thoughts have now turned to interview prep!

DS isn’t doing a huge amount at the moment, but I’m getting a bit of FOMO seeing all the paid interview preparation courses and coaching advertised on social media.
He’s got plenty of relevant work experience and is naturally quite chatty and comfortable talking to people, so I’d hoped that would stand him in good stead.

But I’m wondering how much actual preparation is needed? Should he be doing much more than researching common questions and thinking through possible answers?

My worry is that too much preparation might make him sound rehearsed or coached rather than genuine.
Would love to hear what others are doing, particularly anyone who’s been through the process before.

Hello @hiyabean

I attended the Aberdeen open day recently with my son and was chatting to a member of the team. She said that it is very obvious to interviewers when a student has been coached. She said she wouldn't recommend coaching.

She pointed me towards a charity which was represented at the open day called 'Medics & Me'. She said they were really good and helpful for preparation and it was free. I chatted to the charity representative and the criteria is the student attends a non-selective state school, so that's not us, unfortunately, we are overseas. I don't think it was necessarily contextual applicants only, she only asked me if my son attended state school. It might be worth taking a look at this if it applies to you.

I already know my son won't want coaching. If he's invited to interview he'll do some research himself online beforehand. I was thinking of asking a few family members to do a 'mock' interview with him before too. It should be possible for them to search up common questions. Just to let him experience that 'bunny in the headlights' feeling of being in an interview. Good luck, and let me know if you have any tips!

@mumsneedwine I just had a thought - how do UCAT know who to send UCAT scores to? I’m not aware of DD sharing her UCAT number on her UCAS form. Do the unis just provide student name and DOB (maybe address to?) to UCAT and they try to match to the student?

Presumably this is why there is a delay between submitting UVAS and the unis getting the UCAT scores, because the
unis have to provide a list of people they want scores for and UCAT then have to collate the responses for them?