Courses in clearing
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Reading Mum
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Re: Courses in clearing
thumbs up from me too. All degrees will be certified by the relevant people. If the 'poly' courses offer a place at an ever so slightly lower entry level does that mean the student will be a less competent vet/doctor after 5 plus years. I suspect that there is absolutely no correlation.kenyancowgirl wrote:Yes...why? That sounds terribly snobby and unfounded in my opinion....
They will all be regulated by the relevant national bodies and there is a massive shortage of places for very well qualified A level students in both medicine and veterinary science, not to mention a huge shortage in trained doctors and, I suspect vets. Harper Adams is a well established agricultural college - top of the pile in what it does and it is an obvious step to move into veterinary courses. Once you have graduated, very few people genuinely care where your degree was from when they are in the A&E department or in an emergency with their pet - they just want it sorted....
Crossed with KB
Re: Courses in clearing
I assure you KB that there is no correlation between A level grades and empathy. In fact there is an argument to say that, when things have always come easily, those people can struggle to empathise. (I appreciate that great grades and "everything always having come easily" do not always go together but sometimes they do).
I think it's a shame that most medical schools no longer interview. My medical school is one of the few that still does. There are also a couple which are known for taking more mature students and one which dislikes students to have science only A levels. I think these medical schools tend to be ones which encourage a more rounded applicant.
I see medical students and junior doctors from a wide range of universities. I've never noticed a trend of certain universities producing less good doctors. Obviously we see some that are fabulous and others that are less so - but that's down to them rather than their institution.
What we are seeing a lot more is students (both British and non British) who have trained overseas. This is often due to their not getting into a British university. The general consensus (generalising here) is that they are significantly less ready than the uk-trained counterparts for the foundation years but that they catch up quickly.
Of course, the biggest issue for all medical students/junior doctors is the difficulty keeping them in the UK post qualification. I had two good students this last month and, when I asked their future career plans, one immediately said "New Zealand". With all the incredible c*ck ups lately (junior doctors at 4 years post qualification being told that the process for deciding their rotations was flawed and needed to be re-run meaning that many of them lost deposits on flats etc) as well as the system in general which nowadays is utterly brutal and often sends doctor-mum to one part of the country and doctor-dad to another (simply didn't used to be like this) as well as the outrageous GMC actions against junior doctors who have no support from their union.... It's not surprising we need more medical students but, if the current political administration continues, whether they trained in an old "poly" really will be the least of all our worries.
I think it's a shame that most medical schools no longer interview. My medical school is one of the few that still does. There are also a couple which are known for taking more mature students and one which dislikes students to have science only A levels. I think these medical schools tend to be ones which encourage a more rounded applicant.
I see medical students and junior doctors from a wide range of universities. I've never noticed a trend of certain universities producing less good doctors. Obviously we see some that are fabulous and others that are less so - but that's down to them rather than their institution.
What we are seeing a lot more is students (both British and non British) who have trained overseas. This is often due to their not getting into a British university. The general consensus (generalising here) is that they are significantly less ready than the uk-trained counterparts for the foundation years but that they catch up quickly.
Of course, the biggest issue for all medical students/junior doctors is the difficulty keeping them in the UK post qualification. I had two good students this last month and, when I asked their future career plans, one immediately said "New Zealand". With all the incredible c*ck ups lately (junior doctors at 4 years post qualification being told that the process for deciding their rotations was flawed and needed to be re-run meaning that many of them lost deposits on flats etc) as well as the system in general which nowadays is utterly brutal and often sends doctor-mum to one part of the country and doctor-dad to another (simply didn't used to be like this) as well as the outrageous GMC actions against junior doctors who have no support from their union.... It's not surprising we need more medical students but, if the current political administration continues, whether they trained in an old "poly" really will be the least of all our worries.
Re: Courses in clearing
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-m ... plicationsloobylou wrote: I think it's a shame that most medical schools no longer interview. My medical school is one of the few that still does.
Making an application to study medicine can be daunting. This page aims to make the process easy to understand. It lays out the initial parts of an application in the order that you need to consider them, taking you from qualifications while at school or college to applying for financial support through bodies such as Student Finance. The second part of the application stage will require attending interviews at a medical school for shortlisted candidates. More information can be found on the interviews page.
Might come a bit of a surprise to the Medical Schools Council that all but a very few medical schools have stopped interviewing candidates - or perhaps whoever put their website together forgot the qualifying clause, 'At a handful of medical schools, (the second part of the application stage will require attending interviews...) - but I'm sure your information is more up to date
.Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Re: Courses in clearing
I was surprised by this too: a quick look at TSR shows pages of recent posts about med school interviews all over the country. Most are the MMI format (nasty!) but it still appears to be a thing at most places covered on there. Certainly my children's med applicant friends all had them.ToadMum wrote:Might come a bit of a surprise to the Medical Schools Council that all but a very few medical schools have stopped interviewing candidates - or perhaps whoever put their website together forgot the qualifying clause, 'At a handful of medical schools, (the second part of the application stage will require attending interviews...) - but I'm sure your information is more up to dateloobylou wrote: I think it's a shame that most medical schools no longer interview. My medical school is one of the few that still does.
I also think it is very snobby to care which Med school your doctor went to! How ridiculous. I care that they are compassionate and understanding, a good listener, prepared to say they don't know and need to check, and up to date with what is going on. I am not sure any of those things are better taught at red brick universities than 'polys' are they? I am a bit surprised that there is still this kind of silly prejudice against certain types of people and certain institutions, to be honest.
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kenyancowgirl
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Re: Courses in clearing
"....Given the choice I would prefer not to be treated by a "polytechnic" doctor. Wouldn't you?..."
Outrageous statement to make which you then back track hurredly with:
"...Obviously we see some that are fabulous and others that are less so - but that's down to them rather than their institution..."
I'm sorry Loobylou but you are coming across really badly...I really hope my prospective medical student son does not meet people with your views in his career!
He will apply to whichever university he feels most comfortable applying to, if that be one of the more prestigious universities or situated in the local dogs' home, I care not one jot. His degree will be equal wherever he studies and the majority of more enlightened staff working in the medical profession agree to this. They also know how tough it is to get a place on a degree course as a "home" student. It is a numbers game, with numbers capped currently, although they will be capped at a higher level going forward - please do tell me which universities DONT interview for Medical Schools and we will gladly look at those - the interview being the absolute worst bit for a nervous Y 13 student - I would be very happy to have your inside knowledge that goes against every single bit of knowledge I have as mum of a prospective student and a careers adviser of more years than I care to remember.
I would prefer a doctor who is competent, empathic, who cares, who has spent a lot of his life being supported by the NHS and wants to give back to it, and is excellent at his job and works hard and I certainly wouldn't be worried about where he qualified.
Outrageous statement to make which you then back track hurredly with:
"...Obviously we see some that are fabulous and others that are less so - but that's down to them rather than their institution..."
I'm sorry Loobylou but you are coming across really badly...I really hope my prospective medical student son does not meet people with your views in his career!
He will apply to whichever university he feels most comfortable applying to, if that be one of the more prestigious universities or situated in the local dogs' home, I care not one jot. His degree will be equal wherever he studies and the majority of more enlightened staff working in the medical profession agree to this. They also know how tough it is to get a place on a degree course as a "home" student. It is a numbers game, with numbers capped currently, although they will be capped at a higher level going forward - please do tell me which universities DONT interview for Medical Schools and we will gladly look at those - the interview being the absolute worst bit for a nervous Y 13 student - I would be very happy to have your inside knowledge that goes against every single bit of knowledge I have as mum of a prospective student and a careers adviser of more years than I care to remember.
I would prefer a doctor who is competent, empathic, who cares, who has spent a lot of his life being supported by the NHS and wants to give back to it, and is excellent at his job and works hard and I certainly wouldn't be worried about where he qualified.
Re: Courses in clearing
I think you mean Loopyloulou not Loobylou (easy mistake!)kenyancowgirl wrote: I'm sorry Loobylou but you are coming across really badly...I really hope my prospective medical student son does not meet people with your views in his career!.
Last edited by mad? on Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mad?
Re: Courses in clearing
Just to clarify that this is indeed exactly what I was suggesting is the case.loobylou wrote:I assure you KB that there is no correlation between A level grades and empathy.
Re: Courses in clearing
I think you're getting me confused with an earlier poster.
I was saying the same as you - where your ds qualifies will not make a difference to his skills and I wish him all the best!
I suspect Loopyloulou is not a doctor.
I have noticed before that we have almost exactly opposite views politically and have worried that people might confuse me with him/her at first glance!
I was saying the same as you - where your ds qualifies will not make a difference to his skills and I wish him all the best!
I suspect Loopyloulou is not a doctor.
I have noticed before that we have almost exactly opposite views politically and have worried that people might confuse me with him/her at first glance!
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kenyancowgirl
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Re: Courses in clearing
loobylou wrote:I think you're getting me confused with an earlier poster.
I was saying the same as you - where your ds qualifies will not make a difference to his skills and I wish him all the best!
I suspect Loopyloulou is not a doctor.
I have noticed before that we have almost exactly opposite views politically and have worried that people might confuse me with him/her at first glance!
I am so sorry loobylou - you are absolutely right - your views are the same as mine, and a cursory glance (of an irritated person) thought the initial poster Loopyloulou had flip flopped massively when challenged....Thank you for your reassurance that DS is doing the right thing for him, whatever that may be!
KCG
Re: Courses in clearing
Hoping I’m still allowed to comment on this thread, as someone who went to a Polytechnic back in the day!
Just wanted to give an update following last week’s discussions on clearing places. DD got her IB results last Thursday. She met the criteria for her insurance University who confirmed her place on Tuesday of this week. She was 1 point below what she needed for her firm (Durham) although had met their requirements for her 3 HL subjects. We were looking at going for remarks for 3 subjects (1% below the next grade boundary x 3
) but DD was advised by her UCAS coordinator that Durham can be inflexible and she may have to wait for A level results. She was planning to call Durham admissions today, checked her emails and track beforehand - unconditional place confirmed! 
Just wanted to give an update following last week’s discussions on clearing places. DD got her IB results last Thursday. She met the criteria for her insurance University who confirmed her place on Tuesday of this week. She was 1 point below what she needed for her firm (Durham) although had met their requirements for her 3 HL subjects. We were looking at going for remarks for 3 subjects (1% below the next grade boundary x 3
) but DD was advised by her UCAS coordinator that Durham can be inflexible and she may have to wait for A level results. She was planning to call Durham admissions today, checked her emails and track beforehand - unconditional place confirmed! 