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.

@Mafaldaweasley 6-8 weeks prep is usually enough. Can still have fun, but just need to ideally have 4 clear weeks before UCAT so can do intense work. Get Medify (or similar) and then do timed mocks a few weeks before.

Thanks @mumsneedwine - am slightly worried about the 2 Friday- Sunday music festivals booked
within that 4 week period! Both fairly local, one v local
so maybe scope not to go to the whole thing, or just go
for the afternoon/ evening. Do you (or anyone) have any idea how intensely most people prepare during the 4 weeks before? Is it several hours per day? Need to set realistic expectations!

@Mafaldaweasley a lot will do 4-6 hours a day for 3 weeks. It's almost a full time job. But I'd still do music festivals and just start a bit earlier. They still need to enjoy life and managing fun and work is all part of being a medical student !

My son has just got 2 offers to study medicine starting September (assuming he gets his offer grades).
He used Medify and studied for 6 weeks around 5 hours per day and did ok on the day.

Thanks @mumsneedwine and @Scissorsplease, really helpful to know how much they need to do. Good luck to your son, @Scissorsplease, getting 2 offers is fantastic!

Hi All,
Here is a link to open day dates for 2026. Registration is not opened yet but we can sign up for notifications.

https://www.themedicportal.com/blog/medical-school-open-days/

Thanks @Peachy80, that's a really helpful link. I actually made a note at the weekend of open days for some unis - mainly ones not too far from us and which offer medicine and dentistry as my dd is still interested in both/ unsure! There are quite a few which coincide though - also, not sure how much value it is visiting in summer as it sounds like the key is applying aspirationally depending on UCAT to any you might have a chance of getting in. Also time consuming to visit a lot of them at a time when probably need to focus on A level work. How many do people generally go to? (I know some people are ultra-organised and been to a few already!) We did go for a look at our local university, but we missed the medicine and dentistry talks as it was a later October date (so might go again!)

@MafaldaweasleyOpen days can be fun. We have already visited some of the medical schools last summer and in the autumn and planning to do further visits this summer. The medical talks can be very informative. We loved the vibe of the open days with my DD and really enjoyed visiting the different accommodation options. At Exeter we took part in a PBL session and it was great to see and experience their teaching style in action. My DD has her Mocks in May so we can visit open days without stress in June as there will be no pressure for studying for her Mocks.

Hi @Peachy80 yes, will be interesting to visit - that's good to know they can have some taster teaching sessions too. Mocks are in April, so will have some time after, but also thinking will need to still keep up with work, and also extra-curriculars.... so will still be a limited number of weekends. Will need to choose carefully 😂 Also suspect we may end up visiting some which ultimately may not be the right ones if need to apply strategically. Guess there are also
some in October so hopefully can do then if end up considering somewhere else.

Hi everyone. Thanks @Peachy80 for sharing the list of open days, though the 2 we were hoping to find out about are yet to be announced 🙄

@Zokaluse73 have you booked any open days for this year? You said you were keen to get going. We've booked Plymouth in June, but we might cancel - DD says she is not keen (having previously been interested) and I'm not sure why, so I'm keen to understand that before we cancel going. I'm keen for us to visit Anglia Ruskin and Leicester, as I think they could be good fourth choices, but she is not especially enthusiastic about those either - I also like BSMS but we visited it outside of an open day and she hated it - I really wish we'd gone on a open day now as I think she'd have felt differently if she'd actually visited the facilities and spoken to students there, but she won't agree to do that now.

I agree with you @Mafaldaweasley we have to be strategic with which ones we visit as time is so precious with everything else they have on their plate - though agree with @Peachy80 that they can be fun, and a nice break from the ongoing pressure of mocks, UCAT prep etc.

We visited Nottingham, Exeter, Keele, Southampton and UEA - UEA, Keele and Exeter are on DD's preferred list (UCAT dependent) and not sure of the fourth. We know she wants a campus, not Oxbridge, Wales, Scotland, Belfast or London, and Keele is about the furthest north she wants to go, which rules out quite a few. There are a few I feel she'd be best avoiding due to meeting zero contextual criteria, so KMMS is out (her non-selective state school has a well-above average attainment 8 score) and I believe Aston is quite contextual weighted, though whether it is actually more so than any other med school I don't know - does anyone know if there is a website anywhere that advises on this type of thing?

@Zokaluse73 why did you think Edge Hill was risky? Do they favour local applicants? We've not looked at it due to it being too far north for DD, but it's interesting to know if there is another consideration that would mean it doesn't fit. I'm conscious after she has her UCAT score we will need to reconsider whether her preferred 3 are still contenders and also decide on that fourth choice, though Exeter and Keele will tolerate a more average UCAT score due to them weighting predicted grades and personal statement in their selection.

Did your daughter have her interview for volunteering? My DD had one nearly a year ago, had to wait until she was 16 (she's summer born, which is quite restricting in terms of getting hospital experience) got her DBS done and statutory training courses, and then nothing. We keep emailing the Volunteer Manager and even popped into the office and befriended a seasoned volunteer who has tried to get her in, but we are still waiting. She did a week of wex at the hospital last week, so hoping that maybe she can ask to volunteer for the ward she was on, fingers crossed it works out. She's inclined to give up and try at a local care home, but it's one where a friend of hers is already volunteering and I worry that she's coordinate her shifts with the friend and not get the benefit of being out of her comfort zone and having to think for herself and get really stuck in.

I hope everyone's YP have had a relaxing and restful half term :-)

Having been a parent of a dc applying for medicine (and on a thread a few years ago in respect of that) I came across this book bundle on ebay this morning and thought of the MN'ers with dc currently thinking of going down this route.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/177911746099

It's lovely to see the advice still flowing from some very knowledgeable MN'ers, as I felt it helped level the playing field because there seemed to be a lot of variation in the quality of support provided by schools for the process.

Good Luck to all your aspiring medics !

Thanks for this - another good place to look is World of Books. They sell used books in good condition for about £3.50 each and do a deal where you buy three and get one free and it is free standard delivery. We have acquired loads of books that way and DD is sharing them with her friends at school. She set up a med soc and they each have to do a book review of a medical book they have read, so share what they have learnt about medicine and being a doctor from it.

I've been reading lots of them too! Sometimes wonder if I missed my vocation as I seem to have more motivation for DD's med school application than her! Actually, I think it is just that I am more extrovert and demonstrative than she is. She is quietly getting on with it all and every now and then I remind her she doesn't need to do this, she has other options she could investigate, but she fiercely puts me straight when I suggest that!

Hi every one

Is any one YP starting UCAT in small quantities or waiting until year 12 mocks finish?

@lb1234567My DD has her Y12 mocks now just after Easter until the first week of May. Then she will start in small quantities. I guess it is a different approach for everyone

@Ib1234567 and @Peachy80 my DD has exams the week after they go back after Easter, but she is doing a little to familiarise herself with the type of questions. Once mocks are out of the way she will start with a regular maybe 2 hours a week on particular types of question. My DD is not a last minute crammer, so a little and often is the better way for her to prepare. We have a summer holiday planned for the last 2 weeks of August, so she plans to book a test for just before we go, so that it is out of the way and she can have a couple of weeks R&R before going back into year 13. Hoping school don't set them too much work over the summer! Though I suppose they need to keep on top of that too.

Has anyone got any open days booked yet? We've booked Plymouth - but think we are going to cancel as DD is not keen. Also got Leicester booked, and definitely planning to visit as DD is thinking of it as a 4th choice (UCAT dependent) after Keele, UEA (also UCAT dependent) and Exeter. We have already visited the other 3 and they are definites assuming UCAT is okay.

@SuperSue77We have booked UEA and planning to visit Leicester and Leeds.

We're not going to bother looking at Leeds as I don't think DD's GCSEs are high enough to be in with a chance. I don't think they are transparent about how they score so more risky if you don't have all 8s and 9s. (DD got four 9s and four 8s but a 6 in English Language, so we have to be strategic with the ones that give weight to GCSEs).

@Peachy80 Our mocks are end of May then mine will start then .

@SuperSue77 booked Queen mary open day.

If anyone sees a webinar about a medical school course specifically then post here. I know UCL does one every year (as here they share sometimes more than open day!)

@SuperSue77

Sorry for the long delay in replying, I’ve gone to do so many times then been called away!!

We have Exeter & UEA booked so far.
Did book Leicester too but it clashes with UEA & that is higher up DD’s list. Would like to do Leicester though as a fourth option so I’ll be giving them a call.

My DD did a meet & greet at BSMS and it also got crossed off of her list like your DD as she wasn’t keen.

She also did a medicine experience day at Newcastle the other week & loved everything about the city & the university but decided it’s far too far from home (we’re in Surrey).

Plymouth was on the list but I’ve read some bad stuff about the area with many illegal immigrant issues so we’ve crossed that off too.

Edge Hill is very much reserved for locals as it was built with the intention of teaching locals who will stay in the area afterwards. I’m from Liverpool & have family there but we don’t think that would give her a high score so ruled it out so as not to risk wasting a precious uni selection.

Anglia Ruskin we have not even considered as my son went there & his second year was Covid year & they handled things awfully & told lies to us on accommodation numbers. He should’ve been in the crime lab & they gave pre recorded lectures, tutors took weeks to reply & there was no-one else in his hall. He ended up with bad anxiety, quitting & still anxious to this day!

Yes she’s had 2 volunteer interviews at local hospitals & is waiting to hear back & like you we’ve chased & visited! Due to chase again next week. She has applied for work experience at one of them too & is actively looking for more opportunities.

My DD tried care homes but around by us none take volunteers.

Volunteering is the thing that is going to let her down as bar the ten weeks (3 hours a week) at a send school she’s not managed to get anything else despite really trying at so many places.

She’s now decided that if she doesn’t get in she will take a gap year & get a tonne of volunteering under her belt, even if she has to go abroad.

Plymouth is lovely. Some poor parts but the Uni area and Barbican are stunning. Lots of beautiful beaches near by too. Just in case UCAT not great, it's a lovely choice

Yes I thought that but looking at the crime rate it’s pretty high.

We’ve just looked at Keele (as we’ve dropped Leicester) and she likes the look of that & the distance from home not too bad for her. I’ve now booked the August open day as the 2 earlier ones she already has Southampton open day & is in Spain on a school trip for the other.

Same with a lot of cities. DD was there for a few years at Derriford. Absolutely loved life there !

Lovely to read your update @Zokaluse73 and don't worry about delay in replying, that happens to me all the time too!

Not sure if I said that we are Surrey too - it's funny how similar our DDs sound, especially with the med schools they like or dislike. Think my DD has written off the same unis for the same reasons as yours, we are very much Keele, Exeter, UEA and Leicester now. I liked the look of Edge Hill but was put off by the same concerns as you. We've not really considered Newcastle due to distance but also that her cousin is there, and although she will have left by then time DD starts (unless she stays for a masters!) my DD wants to go somewhere different. HYMS got written off for similar reasons as another cousin is in York, and luckily the third one is at a uni with no med school!

We have had a break through with the volunteering!! Despite having sent some emails around to try and raise the issue we were having, we got there by old fashioned doorstepping! My husband said he would stop by the hospital every day until he found the Volunteer Manager in her office. Last week he stopped by on his way to an appointment and the light was on, but no one there. He msged me and I left work and walked straight over there, by the time I got there, she had appeared and I was able to ask her when DD could start! She went yesterday to get papers signed and security badge printed, and she starts on Monday!

It's going to be every Monday after school. The Volunteer Manager does the first couple of weeks with her and then she's on her own. I just hope it all goes well and is beneficial for both hospital and DD. She really needs to get stuck in and talk to patients and help out. I don't know how long it will last but I get the feeling it is fairly relaxed (certainly relaxed getting people in - only 5 months we waited!) so I'm hoping she can just carry on for a year or so!

My DD also plans to take a gap year if she isn't successful first time round. We're lucky that we live very close to our local hospital (another reason why it was so frustrating that we weren't hearing back from them!) and I'm thinking that she might be able to get an HCA or similar role there to earn money and get more experience. I'm not anticipating the need to resit at this stage, as she is super conscientious, but there's still a long way to go and who knows what might happen on the day.

I really think 10 weeks at a SEND school is fantastic experience and I don't think it needs to be in a clinical setting. Helping people who are vulnerable or who might have communication difficulties is the type of experience med schools are looking for and so as long as she can pull lots of reflective learning points out of her time there, I think that is really in her favour. Though no harm looking for other experiences, especially if the SEND school one has come to an end.

I can't believe we have another 16 months to go before it is all done and dusted, well, until results day. It's nice to have some online company!

@Zokaluse73 also, sorry to hear about your son’s experience. Covid affected so many young people, but sounds like ARU made it worse in the way they treated them. Quite glad it’s not on our list after hearing his experience.

Of course I say not our list knowing that until UCAT is sat we can’t be sure where DD can apply to, though given the way Keele and Exeter score I am hoping they won’t be a problem.

I am getting impatient with the lack of info available on many sites about the 2027 entry requirements. A lot talk about 2027 entry, but still have the 2026 entry specific details, so whilst I assume they will be similar, I won’t know until they finally publish them! Maybe there will be something after Easter. They are allowed to have a holiday after all!