Medicine 2026 Part 3

[MyGreyBiscuit]

Hi everyone, here's the new thread!

Thanks for this! Bristol might be a good option for DD then as it was a uni she fancied but not anticipating a sufficiently high UCAT to apply there for medicine. School have already said she'll have 3 x A* predictions so hopefully that will set her in good stead, though not sure how her GCSEs will measure up, as not all 9s. I will get her to look into the courses there.

hi, hope you're all managing to enjoy some sunshine today...

We've not firmed/insured yet because still awaiting one (although we will prob withdraw)... very fortunate to have 3/3 offers - QM/Barts, Southampton and Sheffield. Does anyone have any views either way about anything we should consider that I haven't already?

Barts and Southampton have both offered the same offer, and Sheffield has dropped due to the EPQ A*. So currently, putting Sheffield as insurance and to decide between the other two.

Obviously there's the cost of living in London but we are nearby so in terms of coming home for a long weekend or whatever, there's lots of opportunities to meet him/see him. I currently work in London so I do commute (although not every day).

Anything else I need to consider???!! Or anything anyone else has considered? Many thanks.

Where placements will be. Is accommodation/travel funded if needed.

@MyGreyBiscuit That is a good problem to have! Barts and Soton are both great options. Is he interested in anything specific within medicine at this stage? It might be worth looking at the research opportunities at each. Also, regarding location, where does he see himself living?

My DD ultimately chose with her heart. She made lists of pros and cons and we looked at every aspect of the two med schools she has offers for, but what ultimately swung it was speaking with students and staff and getting a feel for the vibe. Sheffield being so outdoorsy (with the hiking and greenery), friendly, and a bit indie, along with a few of her friends firming their offers there, really sealed the deal. Ultimately, they need to be happy where they are, as med school is tough!

thanks @inae - I think he thinks that Barts will give him the exposure to the areas he may be considering, including emergency med (I'm not sure why he wants to do that sort of thing but he did his work experience at our local 'trauma centre' and he loved it).

He rates Southampton highly as well, and I think if Southampton gave him an AAB offer he would have swapped that for sure as his insurance. So... that's where we are. I've not seen any of his offers - he won't show them to me, so I'm taking all this as given. I've asked him to double check the offers and he's said no (it's infuriating to say the least since we are the ones paying for it all)...

The way he’s not showing his offers is quite annoying, I’d be fuming.😐

DD is very different, perhaps due to her age (being summer-born). She hates 'admin' as she calls it, so she’s asked me to check all the requirements while she just cares about the fun stuff. She calls me her 'admissions oracle', which is an indirect compliment to @mumsneedwine LOL

IKR @inae he's turned 18 and although still very reliant on me as his admin person (and banker, and ATM)... he wants to try and manage some of his life admin (eg his medical appointments - although he does tell me when they are etc). his UCAS application he did it himself although I did check it. I think perhaps after my work meeting I'll ask him to show me his UCAS stuff.... so we can get moving on things.

Just so he knows, he'll get A&E experience wherever he goes. Most University main hospitals are tertiary centres and have help pads etc. They can't choose where they go each placement Fi could end up in Luton !
But, they'll all be happy wherever they end up (& think it's the best 😊)

Morning folks! TGIF!

He's firmed and insured his 2 options. Now what do we do? student finance?

Which did he firm in the end?

He'll start getting requests from the University for certificates and his enhanced DBS check. Then student finance and accomodation need sorting.

Hi @SuperSue77 he's firmed Barts, and insured Sheffield. Don't think those are schools your child is considering are they?

No, my DD is not considering any London ones or any as far north as Sheffield. I was interested because last thing I remembered reading was that he was deciding between Southampton and Barts. We looked at Southampton but it wasn't DD's favourite as she's keen on one with cadaveric dissection (though she hopes to apply to Exeter who don't do it either). Really I'm just being nosey and love hearing updates on how all of your YP are getting on!

no problem! nosey away! :)

I'm not sure he actually went into the detail of dissections or whatever else. I'm really not sure why he was so taken by Barts. It could have been that they were the last interview and he really enjoyed it (and they were the first to respond), it could be distance to home (it's the closest compared to the other 3), or ranking (although we don't talk about such things)...or... I have really not a lot of insight. We have those spreadsheets, don't get me wrong...but after we longlisted the schools that would have a high chance of offering an interview based on his GCSEs and UCAT, and we chose the 4 we chose, then that was that. He did also enjoy Sheffield and Southampton's interviewers too, so at the end of it, the decision was based on the offer.

I don't know if he's typical of other DCs here, but his 'favourites' have changed since we went to various open days and over the last year... so don't fixate too much.

Yes ! You can always change the Uni but if don't apply early enough then money doesn't arrive on time.

Well done on getting further along the line@MyGreyBiscuit ! Hurrah!

My daughter received her Soton offer on 1 April so doesn’t have to firm anything till June now - I’m hoping she’ll decide before then! She’s weighing up Cardiff & Lancaster too. Loves the Lancaster course & small cohort, prefers Cardiff as a city, and still undecided re Soton. There’s an offer holder day 2 days before her Eng A level that she’ll probably attend - yikes.

I’m impressed @SuperSue77 at your early prep - this time last year I barely knew what the UCAT entailed but it all became very clear over the summer 😳 Also remember going to Bristol open day in the early summer and finding out it only accepted very high scorers on the UCAT front - it suddenly dawned on me how incredibly strategic you need to be when applying! (Was also greatly helped by the @mumsneedwine spreadsheet!) No real sense of this from my daughter’s school, which is very new and doesn’t have much experience of med applications.

Thanks @PurryGrowls ! I think he had gone into the interviews thinking he really liked Southampton and he would have put it down as insurance if the grade offer was the same as Sheffield as it’s closer to home! He now has to get the grades.

QM got back to him pretty quick so we will be on the phone to them on Monday to talk about the medical needs and see what they say.

Hi all,

Well done on your DS making his choices @MyGreyBiscuit once done it allows a bit more focus on A levels I've found for my DD. Our YP have their own reasons for picking their firm/insurance and sometimes it is not clear but I guess they are the ones living in their new city/area for 5 years so whatever makes it special for them is what they should go with. DD waivered the day before choosing NCL and started to rethink everything but still came back to that being her firm, just something that felt right I guess. I need to get DD to do her SF application. As we get the minimum loan only I don't feel in too much of a rush to get it done as it will be very straight forward.

@PurryGrowls Does your DD have any leaning towards any choice before she goes to the OHD? They can make quite a difference if they really enjoy the days so are worth going to (maybe she'll enjoy the change 2 days before her exam?).

Now DD can reflect on her applications she definitely feels the UCAT was the real predictor in where she chose (other than she wanted to remain north). In hindsight she could have got interviews at a number of other unis we dismissed for maybe being borderline on the UCAT cut off. Overall though she is very happy with what she chose and the outcome. It is very hard to predict where they may end up isn't it!

Well it was DDs 18th yesterday, so we had a house full of 18 year olds last night who were very well behaved, and she went out after with her legitimate ID 😂at last! Family party today so a whole weekend off for DD which I think she needs before the run in to exam season.

For student loans do make sure you do asap as the fees need to be at the Uni before enrolment is allowed. And they might not be if apply late - and then you have to find the £9,000 up front ! People get caught out every year.

We went to St Andrews offer holder day yesterday and DS was really pleased he selected as his first choice and met up with a few people he met when they were there for interviews and swapped contact details with a few people. There was a group in contact from before when they went to Dundee holder offer day and with a few more yesterday it’s quite nice to hopefully get to know a few people before he goes (all fingers crossed!).

Now just head down for revision and SaaS application.

Thanks @bluefineliner ! He’s off to the local uni for revision time. And happy birthday to your DD! Since he passed his driving test he’s also been taking himself off on little drives (and I have to stop myself from saying omg Cost of Petrol!!).

Firmed Leeds this weekend. Offer was made unconditional following sending in qualifications.
Grades in hand so no option for an insurance but glad a decision has been made and lots to look forward to in September.

Great news @Thefatbutteredpig ! How lovely to have an unconditional offer in place.

And same to you @Itsallstressstressstress - great your son feels settled about his choice. St Andrews is a lovely place.

@bluefineliner Happy bday to your daughter - hope she enjoyed her celebrations! Certainly feels like a milestone to be legal!
My DD really enjoyed the Lancaster OHD - it’s a small & v friendly school - the downside is it’s furthest from home, we’re in the southeast. Unfortunately Cardiff only had an online event which didn’t give her a proper feel for the school but she really liked it at her interview, and the other applicants she met - and loves the city. Soton’s late ohd is very annoying, not sure why they have to be so behind all the other unis! But she’ll likely attend it - then hopefully make a final decision…

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Just thought I'd comment in case anyone else is in the same boat.

It feels like everyone in the world has had all their decisions in, and those with offers are busy with going to offer holder days, firming and insuring, and selecting accommodation.

My DD is still waiting on two decisions!

Dundee said from the start that they will make offers up until 6 May. Leicester have said that they offer right through into June. Both unis have sent my DD courtesy emails confirming that she is still under consideration and thanking her for her patience.

Dundee and Leicester are not isolated examples. From what I can glean on Reddit, applicants are still waiting on QUB, Aston, Keele (always slow due to PS scoring), some London unis (some just go to the reject by default deadline without any comms apparently), possibly even Manchester, who seem to have made a lot of offers and rejections now.

It must be hard to keep positive and motivated in these situations. Ditto those on waiting lists.

Having said that, my DD is cool. I just remind her to focus on getting the grades! Offers are worthless without the grades to fulfil them.

Hope this is helpful/reassuring to anyone reading now or in future years.

still waiting is so hard! I was under the impression that we are 'late' (there were a few posts a few weeks before saying 'well done on these later offers'...!!). Definitely, firming without the necessary grades is pointless, which is why it would make so much more sense to have a sort of compulsory year out (call it what you want, even national service!) for them to decompress and apply for places with grades in hand. I say this for all students, not just medical school applicants.

Imagine the amount of time it'll save everyone, including universities having to hold so many open days and then offer holder days and then almost do the dance again on the 2nd week of august.

Hang in there!!