Preparing for your medicine application in Year 12 is the optimum time to give you the best chance of success in what is a fiercely competitive process. There are several different components that make up a successful application and you will need to work out your strengths and do your research in order to choose the four courses to apply for. All this takes time and Year 12 is the time to do it.
Preparing for your medicine application in Year 12. What does it involve?
- GCSE grades and qualifications
- A level subjects and expected grades
- Work experience and volunteering experience
- UCAT admissions test
- Choosing your four medicine courses
- UCAS application including your personal statement
- Preparing for interviews
GCSE grades and qualifications
Not all medicine applicants have outstanding GCSE results but most will have good or very good results. By good, I mean 6s and above and very good 7s and above. However, the better your GCSE results, the easier it will make your application and finding courses to apply to. Unlike predicted A level results, your GCSE results are already banked, which is why medicine courses are placing greater emphasis on them to separate candidates. Universities will use GCSE results in different ways to decide interview candidates. Some have minimum thresholds, others use them in a calculation along with the UCAT score to decide interview candidates.
Most medical schools require a minimum grade of level 6 in English and Maths. One of the things you can do in Year 12 is resit English and/or Maths if you haven’t got a Level 6 in one or both of them. However a few do not accept re-sits so check the GCSE requirements for each one before your application.
A level subjects and expected grades
Both the combination of A level subjects and the predicted grades are vital for a successful Medicine application. Choosing A level Biology and Chemistry will cover just about all Medicine A level requirements. Some stipulate only Chemistry and one other science and a few Biology and one other science but having both covers all. However, the third subject is not specified. Many students opt for Maths or another science (Physics or Psychology) but because you have to get at least an A grade, choose a subject that you enjoy and excel in. Having the third subject as a social science, language or arts subject will offer you something different and develop other skills that will be beneficial.
What is important is that you will require AAA in your A levels and for some courses an A* or even two. Laying the groundwork throughout Year 12 so you have predicted grades of straight As or higher is vital for a successful application.
Work Experience and Volunteering
Medical schools recognise that it is increasingly more difficult for students to find work experience in a medical setting. However having some work experience and/or volunteering experience is still very useful as it provides you with experiences to write about in your personal statement and talk about in your interview. What you are looking for is a setting where you are interacting with a team of people and service users from a range of different backgrounds where you can respond to their needs. Any medical or healthcare setting is good: hospital, GP practice, dentist surgery, physiotherapy practice, pharmacy, care home, homeless shelter etc. It is also worth looking at virtual work experience. Springpod is one of the biggest providers.
Year 12 and the summer between Year 11 and Year 12 are the perfect times to be looking for and doing your work experience.
UCAT Admission Test
The UCAT admission test and how well you do in it will be the biggest determinant in where you apply and your chances of getting an interview. It is very important and your result can help your application to stand out. It is also something that you can prepare for in Year 12. You cannot prepare for it in terms of revision because it is an aptitude and skill test but you can practise it and there are websites that can help you to do this. One that I recommend is medify. You can only sit the UCAT once in a year so think carefully about when the optimum time is for you to sit it.
Choosing your Courses
No two medicine courses are the same. What each one is looking for and how each course shortlists for interview differs enormously. Do your research in Year 12. The aim is to make your application stand out. Some will place a lot of value on the GCSE grades or the UCAT score while others are more interested in the individual and the whole application. Also, a medicine degree is a long course so think carefully about where you want to be.
Have a spreadsheet and gradually work out where your four choices will be. The comparison tool on Medic Portal is very helpful but be aware that courses can change their requirements and information can get out of date very quickly.
UCAS application including your personal statement
The personal statement used to play a more significant role in helping universities decide on who to interview. However, although many universities do not look at the personal statement until the interview stage, there are still some universities that will consider it and use it to help them to shortlist. However, writing the personal statement has other benefits. The process of simply writing the personal statement will often tell you whether or not medicine is the course for you. Why do you want to study medicine? What experiences have you got that will help you in your application? What are your skills and qualities? Thinking about these and being able to draw on them will assist you in preparing for your interview.
Start planning and writing your personal statement in Year 12. It will be one less thing to think about in Year 13.
Preparing for Interviews
Congratulations! You have an interview! Now you need to get an offer. Most universities prefer the MMI format of interview where candidates sit a multiple set of small tasks and interviews and each station is scored and assessed. Schools are often very good in setting up practice MMIs and it is good to get some practice. There is also a lot of support on the internet with YouTube and websites offering tips, advice and practice questions. Again the more you practice and prepare, the better you will be.
You can begin this process in Year 12.
Here at Student Navigator we can help support you with preparing for your medicine application in Year 12. We are very experienced at guiding students with their applications for medicine. If you would like further information about how we can support you, please get in touch.