Medicine at university

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Looking for help
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Location: Berkshire

Medicine at university

Post by Looking for help »

Right oh !

My youngest has been talking a lot about this. I have absolutely no idea about how to best prepare him. He is in year 10 at the moment, and I understand he is going to need a whole clutch of A*s at GCSE and the correct subjects for A Level. I believe work experience is also needed.

Can anyone offer me advice as to how many A*s , when to do the work experience, where to do it, that sort of thing - I believe I have read maybe on here that hospitals etc are not keen on accepting work experience students still at school. So how do we best go about it ? Will he really need A*AA in the A Levels or would AAA be enough ?

I have no experience of the medical world and don't want to be found wanting should he decide it really is what he wants to do.

Also BMAT tests etc ? Does everyone applying have to do them ? Forgive my ignorance, so far my children have studied things like Maths, English and Sports Science :oops:

He is smart, he has been given A* predictions for GCSE, so hypothetically in an ideal world, academically he should be capable (plus he's at a comprehensive so might be allowed to drop a grade ? (Not really wanting some positive discrimination, but if anyone deserves it he does :lol: ) )

And finally where is the best place to go ?

Thanks for any advice, and please don't be afraid to tell me to forget it for now and let him figure it all out. :lol:
hermanmunster
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Re: Medicine at university

Post by hermanmunster »

Looking for help wrote:Right oh !

My youngest has been talking a lot about this. I have absolutely no idea about how to best prepare him. He is in year 10 at the moment, and I understand he is going to need a whole clutch of A*s at GCSE and the correct subjects for A Level. I believe work experience is also needed.

yes

Can anyone offer me advice as to how many A*s , when to do the work experience, where to do it, that sort of thing - I believe I have read maybe on here that hospitals etc are not keen on accepting work experience students still at school. So how do we best go about it ? Will he really need A*AA in the A Levels or would AAA be enough ?
local offers have been AAA and A*AA at A level - variable A* at GCSE - B'ham say they look at 8 ... otehrs don't specify. Work experience is tricky - they are not really old enough until 17/18 ish and really shouldn't be anywhere near any peoplle they might know. A friend and I are helping one at the mo but it means they have to travel to be out of range - . Some GPs locally will help kids on their lists by asking friends further away to take them

I have no experience of the medical world and don't want to be found wanting should he decide it really is what he wants to do.

Also BMAT tests etc ? Does everyone applying have to do them ? Forgive my ignorance, so far my children have studied things like Maths, English and Sports Science :oops:
BMAT is for Oxbridge LSE and UCL (I think) - done AFTER applying so a poor score can wipe out some options - UKCAT is done for just about everywhere else and is done in the summer before applying so helps with choosing - there are courses held at weekend to help with this - TBH I would never have got in if I had to do that but maybe teenagers think differently these days :shock:

He is smart, he has been given A* predictions for GCSE, so hypothetically in an ideal world, academically he should be capable (plus he's at a comprehensive so might be allowed to drop a grade ? (Not really wanting some positive discrimination, but if anyone deserves it he does :lol: ) )

The AAA was for a lass at a Comp the A*AA was a deferred for a lad at GS

And finally where is the best place to go ?
wherever you can get in! lots if unprintable comments about some medical schools and plenty of good comments too :wink: (I have worked at a few :lol: ) - all turn out qualified doctors though so anywhere is fine - some are fussy ++ on subjects - there is a site called ... oops backtrack site no longer there ... need to check every website .. also get stuck into studentroom
Thanks for any advice, and please don't be afraid to tell me to forget it for now and let him figure it all out. :lol:
no they tend to need some help .. v tricky otherwise
Marylou
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Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Marylou »

Agree with Hermann about The Student Room. Loads of useful stuff on the Medicine Wiki here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's great to have a goal like this but sometimes it takes longer to get there than you might expect, as my DD found in her quest! It's ridiculously competitive but perfectly possible with hard work and determination. At this stage your DS should focus on doing as well in his GCSEs as possible, clocking up as many top grades as he can. As far as work experience is concerned, now is a good time to start but it can be difficult to find suitable placements at such a young age. It might be worth trying a volunteering organization such as http://vinspired.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . I think they have contacts with care homes and children's hospitals, and can help put young people aged 14-25 in touch with organizations needing volunteer helpers.

Best of luck! :)
Marylou
Looking for help
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
Location: Berkshire

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Looking for help »

Thank you Herman and Marylou, you have offered some great advice. I should have thought of studentroom really, as we have been spending a lot of time on there recently with regard to my daughter this year.

Thanks for the link, some interesting opportunities there, so will have a longer look in a bit.

Grades are obviously tough, but that's as it should be, I will have to think about the statistics he is taking this year - a lot of the kids fell down on it this year getting Bs instead of their predicted A*s.

Your daughter must be off soon, Marylou ? Is she excited? Mine is off tomorrow and is wired to the moon, as am I :shock:

And is it your son, that's off this year too Herman ? Good luck :D
Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Amber »

My DD wants be a doctor too; from this end of things it looks like a marathon with obstacle course built in. She blocked it all from her mind until after GCSE results, saying that if they weren't good enough, maybe it was a sign she shouldn't be looking at Medicine. On results day, she said 'well, one step closer now', which is how it feels. She has cleared one hurdle, but the rest of it looks almost impossible from this end. She has been doing some voluntary work for around a year already, and managed to get some work experience at a GP practice, but it is so hard to jump through all the hoops, assuming you even know where they are and what they look like. :?
Fran17
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Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:16 pm

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Fran17 »

Good luck to your DS LFH. Fantastic that he has a good idea of what he wants to do in Year 10. He is obviously doing very well. My friend's daughter has just been offered a deferred place at Brighton and Sussex Med School. She did voluntary work at a local care home and has worked a few times in A&E at our local hospital.
Looking for help
Posts: 3767
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
Location: Berkshire

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Looking for help »

Thank you Fran :D

Amber, I don't see this as an insurmountable hurdle, just something to work towards if that's what he wants. Marylou's daughter has shown us all that determination and not giving up is key. If the offers don't come in the first time round, it is very sensible to go get the grades required and then try again. My son may very wll change his mind, may not get the GCSE grades required (the first stage of the process), or may decide that hospital portering is far more rewarding, I don't know :lol: but if it continues to be what he wants to do , I shall make sure he doesn't miss out because of something we should have known about but didn't. I'm sure your daughter will do very well, she has the work experience already and it is a case of knowledge is power, I think. Good luck. :D
Belinda
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Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:57 pm

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Belinda »

Hi everyone,
My niece applied (didn't get the grades and is trying again). Anyway, you can't turn up to athletics trials, compete against elite athletes (unless you are super talented) and expect to get into the team without some serious training beforehand - and then being on good form come the day.
Not all 16-18 year olds can fully acknowledge the amount of forward planning that may be required so I would advise getting them some good books, (How to get into medical school, medical ethics, personal statements, interviews etc. UKCAT, BMAT). TSR (of course), and guide them towards having / needing a general awareness of requirements - ahead of time.

A common starting point for work experience is St. John's Ambulance, Hospices, care homes (in the kitchen until 18). And apply early and sensibly for more specific work experience such as hospitals, GP's. My niece managed to get some but you may have to shop around and be prepared to travel out of county and stay in a B&B (like my niece did) for a week. I understood it was quality, not quantity.

Lastly, as experienced by my niece, it is not easy to get AAA in sciences, even for bright students. They won't be going anywhere without those in the bag!
Best wishes to all your DS's and DD's.
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Medicine at university

Post by hermanmunster »

I agree with your comments Belinda - hence one of the reasons why I think students have far more in their favour if they are post A level when they apply - they have the grades, can concentrate on the UKCAT/BMAT prep and are more easily sorted out with work experience (age / availabilty / confidence / commitment etc) .

For one thing the work exp doesn't have to be weekend / school hol - hence why we are busy with some kids now .... before the application has to be in on October 15th :lol: Also may be able to earn a bit during the rest of the year to help out at university...
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: Medicine at university

Post by Marylou »

Looking for help wrote: Your daughter must be off soon, Marylou ? Is she excited? Mine is off tomorrow and is wired to the moon, as am I :shock:
Weekend after next. :shock: Ikea and Matalan are being raided as I write. :lol:

Hope all goes well for yours this weekend! :)
Marylou
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