Medicine 2026 part 2

[mumsneedwine]

Thought I'd start another one.

OMG !!! Need to stop typing on moving transport - working in a group. I like to study alone .., but then I'm old and grumpy these days.

LOL!!! @mumsneedwine I totally hear you!! :)

Everyone! UCAT on Insta has said they've sent the results to the universities!! EEEKK!!

Scratch that. Stand down. UCAT on insta says early Nov (although in their latest post, it said ‘results have been delivered’… how misleading…!)

Usually first week in Nov., so probably Monday. But takes a while to process them all. Nothing going to happen for at least a few weeks

Edinburgh have said they will start giving out interviews from 14 November.

The comment section on UCAT's instagram account says they're aiming to deliver the results by Tuesday.

Last year they stuck to their published schedule, they move fast!

Cardiff have also said they’ll start sending invites mid-Nov - and first interviews start 8 Dec.

oh my - thanks for all the updates. I've got a ton of work things scheduled already!

I have a question re 'disrupted studies/extenuating circumstances' re health. Some of you may recall I've mentioned it, that DS has a chronic condition which recently had a flare up and resulted in new meds. This has never impacted him in terms of school attendance (and heck he's never skipped PE even), and of course, he's achieved what he's achieved in GCSEs, UCAT and everything else.

We've now come across a form from one of the places that allows us to submit an extra form detailing stuff (it can be anything from death of immediate family member, estrangement, divorce etc). I'm wondering how much to say so that it doesn't make them think 'OMG he's too ill for us to offer him a place'. He's not - (I mean, his attendance at school is perfect other than scheduled appointments for dentists, twice a year appointments with the consultants). Even his blood tests are done at school (the nurses go there!) so he doesn't miss school.

Any thoughts? Many thanks. And TGIF!!

@MyGreyBiscuit I've had students with v severe conditions go and study medicine. Unless he can't walk or talk it will be fine. Fill it in, explain how it disrupted his studies and they'll read it. Might not do anything with it though but there's no harm. They all have to do occupational health stuff before they start (mainly to see if any adjustments need to be made).

Brilliant thanks @mumsneedwine for the reassurance. He wore a face mask when he did his work shadowing in the A&E department. It was good to see that some of the other staff members also did the same. He's also had all his Covid and flu jabs (and the usual childhood stuff) so hopefully he'll be ok. Incidentally his 5th choice offered him 2 grades lower than the usual (which was a pleasant surprise). His friend who also applied the same place received a grade lower (due to an A/A EPQ). DS' EPQ was also an A so we think they gave him an extra grade lower due to the medical situation.

Can I ask what uni this is please and indeed if this is done at all uni’s? My daughter would benefit from the same

@France8857 all unis do it. Look for the extenuating circumstances form.

Some medical schools don’t give any concessions for extenuating circumstances for exam grades, as they expect applicants to deal with these via exam boards. For example, this is Glasgow’s policy

Please be aware, the Undergraduate Medical School's extenuating circumstances policy differs from the wider university.
We appreciate that a candidate's exam sitting could have been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances, but any special consideration must be applied by the relevant Examination Board, via the candidate’s school or university. Mitigating factors should be taken into account at the time of the exams rather than retrospectively by the Medical School. We will honour grades obtained from successful appeal/re-mark procedures by the applicant’s school (subject to them meeting our minimum entry requirements).
Applicants should notify the Admissions Team by email of their intention to appeal their exam grades.

@MyGreyBiscuit is your son aware of the HEOPS standards of medical fitness to train for medical students ? This is useful for applicants with medical conditions or disabilities.

heops.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2019/09/1521730794HEOPS_Medical_Students_fitness_standards_2015_v12.pdf

Thanks @N0Tfunny yes we've seen that and he'll pass that no problem. He's had all his vaccinations (childhood etc) and is up to date with the covid ones and flu. When he has to have top ups, he'll have them as and when. He has full mobility, and has no hearing or visual impairments (I mean, he wears glasses for regular mild shortsightedness). If anything, he has probably had more MOTs than any regular 17 year old has ever had. But thank you for pointing this out.

I've had students with degenerative sight issues, in a wheelchair, lost a leg, deaf and several other medical conditions. All happily now doctors.

It's always worth putting an EC in. It's not just about grades, it's about any changes they can make for interviews etc (if had UCATSEN then you might get extended time for interviews too). It's also about missing out on opportunities for extra curricular stuff. Some won't take any notice but nothing lost by telling them.

For those based in London, an MMI practice session is scheduled for Sunday at the Cruciform, UCL's Medical School building. It's organized by UCL muslim med students and advertised on their Instagram page.

Our one-day medical application crash course for year 12s, year 13s and gap year students. We've got so much to share with you to boost your application confidence :
- medical ethics ⚖️
- mock MMI practice 🧠
- interview hot topics 🔥
- medical student Q&A 🩺

🗓 : Sunday 9th November 2025

🕙 : 10AM - 5PM

📍 : Cruciform Building, Gower Street WC1E 6BT
Ticket price : £10 (ALL proceeds are going to charity)

All students are welcome and we hope you find it useful!

^Sign up link here: https://forms.gle/5jboZHenMzUVJHkM6^

Thanks so much @inae ! We’ve signed up! Will your child be doing it too?

Yes, she is going with her two other schoolmates who have applied to medicine. All three are attending both the UCL and Imperial interview prep days, which are organized by medical student societies rather than the universities themselves.

My DD did some interview practice on Teams with one of the girls she met at the Dorset med residential. She is now desperate to practice MMI stations; she rated herself a 1 on a scale from 1-5, where 1 is lowest 😂

oh that's great to hear @inae ! My son will be there - and I think he's trying to persuade another friend to go - we don't live in London but nearish, so it'll be abit of a trek in for them. I think school is doing prep tomorrow...! some sort of MMI but not sure how !

Thank you so much for the information about UCL, @inae . It's really helpful, as dd is stressing about MMI practice (and the expensive courses on offer are a bit beyond our means!) so it's kind of you to give a heads-up, as neither of us is on instagram!

I've made a donation to the UCL medical group, and filled in dd's details (her email and mine) this morning. Do you know how long it might take to hear if she has a place on it? I think it said confirmation would be sent to the emergency contact email (me), but I've not heard back. Did you get a response, @MyGreyBiscuit ?

I was just going to post a similar message @OneDivineHammer and @inae ! No we’ve not heard back. He will need to buy an advanced ticket so we need to know sooner rather than later. Have you messaged them? I’ve emailed that email provided (if we can’t pay - we did pay) so let’s see. Maybe if you email them too that’ll help? thanks!!

Confirmation came a couple of days after registration, to my email address (parent email). I'm guessing they will confirm today as the event is on Sunday.

@MyGreyBiscuit and @OneDivineHammer

There is also this one on the 23rd of Nov, which I posted a couple of weeks ago, but it's now full. There is a wait list, though, so it might be worth joining in case they release more places. It's organized by the Imperial medical students union.

https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/shop/csp/vision/mastering-your-medical-application-mma-day