Replying to Offers

Hello again!

So hopefully by this time you are all sitting on at least one offer!!!! Next thing to do - reply to it/them on UCAS by the deadline (which I believe is May if you heard before April and June if you heard in/after April) ... very exciting times!

To those with one offer - well, go ahead and accept it! Its a very easy process, just follow the instructions on track and then it'll all be done for you!

To those of you with multiple offers - if you're yet to graduate, its probably wise to have an insurance and a firm choice but not as necessary as when applying from school. So how do you choose?...

I am a big proponent for that "gut feeling" - there was a reason X university was your favourite at the time of application, try and remember that reason and see if it still stands. There are multiple factors which are important (I've made a brief list of factors I found useful) but remember - this is a brilliant situation and all medical schools in the UK are great

• Gut feeling - do you have one? is it negative or positive?
• Location - close to home/far from home, good social scene, good clinical exposure
• Future prospects - how many graduating students get FY posts etc. 
• Research opportunities (if you're interested)
• Extra-curricular opportunities - you'll need to keep up with your hobbies so that you don't become a recluse!
• Student satisfaction
• Course structure, delivery etc. (although generally speaking, you should be happy to be anywhere because you applied!!) 
• Financial considerations - this could be location (e.g.: London is notoriously expensive) or the availability of bursaries should they be required 

So, that's probably it for a long time from me now. Congratulations to everyone with offers, you'll be a med student within the next few months!!!! To those that have to reapply, keep going! It's definitely worth it if its your dream. 

Have an amazing summer when it comes around... I'm off to finish my dissertation and fulfil my offer conditions!

Dr Wannabe xx

Interviews when you already have offers

Hello again,

So this post is a very topical one - what should you do about interview invites once you have already gotten offers?

Before I continue with this, I would like it to be very clear that this is a very emotive topic (as shown through other online resources) so below is just my opinion. I would very much like a discussion on this so, if you have any comments, please feel free to write them! Also - this is a very personal decision, no one can force you to do something, either way. 

If you have been lucky to hear early (and positively) from some of your choices, you could be faced with a situtation where there are still interviews to be had. You face a choice - do you go to those interviews or not? There are many arguments for and against going to interviews with offers:

Don't Go - you already have an offer, so what is the point of stressing out? 

There is also the argument that you are being 'selfish' by going because there are those that do not have any offers... I COMPLETELY DISAGREE with this argument. Firstly; this is rude, unfair and not true. Yes if you dont go, someone else will be offered the place in some instances, but in others, universities won't bother to offer a single interview to someone else because they already interview double, tripple or ten-times the amount of applicants than are places. Secondly; you earned your interview so you are well within your rights to go to it!

Go - as mentioned, you earned all your interviews so they are yours to go to. Also, and more importantly, you may not be sure which medical school you wish to go to and going to interviews is your only way of keeping your options open. And finally, your last interview may be your favourite option so you'll deinitely want to be going to it!

As you can see - there are many arguments (even more than I've written) for either option however, the main point (I would say) is; is there any chance you would want to go to this  univeristy? 

If the answer is 'no', then what's the point in going? I say this more about you than other people -- interviews are, by their nature, rather stressful things that need preparation, so if you have absolutely no interest in going to that university now that you have your ideal offer then why put yourself through it? Unless of couse, you are tyring to get 4 offers, and in that case, it is in your right to attend all of your interviews. 

If the answer is 'yes', then obviously go. You may be leaning more to one university than the other but you'll never actually no until you are faced with the option. Also, you can learn a lot about a university from their interview process. At one of my interviews, the way it was set up etc. actually resulted in me knowing that unless it was my only offer, I would most likely turn an offer down however, I didnt know that at the time of applying. On the flip side, at my third interview, I absolutely loved the university because I got to spend time with medical students and it ended up being much higher up on my 'list' than I had originally thought. 

Anyway, the main point here is that the choice is up to you. If you are in any doubt - go to your interview because there's no harm in that. If you know for sure, then make sure you let universities know ASAP because there is always a chance that the interview will go to someone else. 

That's it for now... I hope many of end up in this conundrum because its a good one to have!!

Dr Wannabe xx

What if you're unsuccessful....

Hello :)

This post is on a topic that isn't the happiest but, unfortunately, is a reality for those wanting to apply for medicine. A great proportion of GEM applicants will have applied unsuccessfully from school or be on their second/third application, so it is a very likely possibility that you have done your best, gotten some interviews and no offers. So, what do you do about it?

The biggest, and probably most obvious, decision is going to be - will you re-apply again? Obviously, if you face 4 rejections (be this pre- or post-interview) you will feel very downcast and disappointed. No matter how many people tell you that it's just because its very competitive, there will be a part of you that thinks you are not good enough because other people have managed to get in. Although this may be the case, it is most unlikely. The truth is, that medicine at graduate-entry level is hugely competitve and it is virtually impossible in some instances (for example; to get an interview at KCL its around 65:1 and then to get an offer after that it is still 7:1). 

You'll need to have a think about whether medicine is really for you - and if it is; you have to reapply!! As I wrote above, there are many people on their seond or third application so you can keep going if its really what you want to do. However, if throughout this process, you've realised that its not for you then there's no shame in that. You still have time to figure out what kind of career you are interested in and as we know, there are many different ways you can help people or be in the healthcare centre. 

If you have made the decision to reapply, you'll need to know where you went wrong and what you're going to do about it. There's no point going through the heartache of 4 rejections and then not changing your application, particualrly if you got 4 pre-interview rejections. Also, it could be in your best interests to apply more 'strategically' - by this I mean; looking more into the details of what each university is looking for and seeing if you are more suited to one place's criteria than the next's. 

If you are re-applying, it's important that you don't spend a year doing nothing... if you have quite a strong application (i.e you got to the interview stage everywhere so it seems like you tick all the criteria boxes) then you could go travelling or doing something suitably different or interesting that you cna discuss it in your personal statement and subsequent interviews. If not, spend the time 'boosting' your application (details below). Either way, you must be seen to not have spent the year sitting about and waiting to be able to reapply again for the next cycle. Also, doing something interesting will keep your mind off the stress of reapplying!!

Below, I've just outlined some common reasons for rejections and what you can do about it:

4 Pre-interview Rejections

Unfortunately, at this stage, very few universities will give you specific reasons as to why they rejected you so it'll be a bit down to you to try and figure it out. Generally speaking, pre-interview rejections are because you have failed to meet some of their conditions:

- UKCAT/GAMSAT/BMAT score not high enough

- Do not fulfil the academic criteria (eg: if they specific certail grades/subjects at A level or university and you do not have them - however, this is very much a lack of research on your part as this information will be readily available on both their website and the prospectus)

- Issues with the personal statement (some universities are very prescriptive about what they expect to see on your personal statement and if you haven't provided this, then you will not get an invite to interview. This is a lot harder to determine as you may be rejected based on your personal statement but you thought you had fulfilled the conditions) 

If you are in this situation then, assuming you are re-applying, you will need to be very critical of your application and in the year that follows do everything you can to 'boost' your application: 

- In terms of your extrance exams, this would be preparing for longer to ensure a higher mark and generally speaking, you will do better because its not the first time you're attempting them. 

- In terms of your personal statement, you could go out and get more health/care related experience (this could even be working as an HCA so you have some great hands-on experience). However, you may feel you actually have enough experience so it could just have been how you wrote your personal statement (for example; you may have written it as more of a lsit of what you've done rather than showing what you learned from everything). 

Post-interview Rejections

At this stage, you know that at least you are 'good enough' to be invited to interview. This means that you fulfill their criteria on paper so you may not need to change too much on your application. Obviously, you will need to retake some entrance exams but hopefully you will just perform better because you will have had more practice than the first time (with the UKCAT, there is normally a trend that your average score increases each time you take it). 

Most universities will be able to offer some sort of feedback at this stage - although this may not always be that detailed it is still a starting point. For some of you, it may just be that you were very nervous because this was either your first interview or you have never experienced the format before (eg: as is often the case with MMIs). Whatever the case may be, you will be able to work on it because you will have more time. Take the feedback as constructive rather than a criticism and learn from it (assuming you are reapplying). 

As with pre-interview rejections, there may be many things you can do to boost your application (see above for details) and, again, make sure you spend the year doing something that you can say is worhtwhile etc. 

One piece of advice - don't go into further study unless you really want it. Many people are tempted to do masters or even PhD just to fill the time... This is not advisable as they are very time consuming and expensive and also, you need to have successful applications for them which isn't easy either. However, if you were always interested in getting a masters, it could be a good way to spend the year (particualrly if you find a one year course that attracts you)

So, that's about it... If this advice applies to you, then I'm very sorry for your disappointment but DON'T LOOSE HOPE!!! If you really want it, there'll always be a way :)

Dr Wannabe xx

Replies and Decisions

Hi all -

Apologies for the radio silence but it has mainly been due to the fact that we were all in a limbo -- waiting around for any last minute interview invites and the subsequent looooooong wait for decisions. But now, in mid-Feburary, we are all (or most of us) starting to hear back from places. 

So - three things can happen at this stage:

- Rejection

- Conditional Offer

- Unconditional Offer (however with medicine, offers are always conditional on proof of degree qualification and DBS clearance). 

All these options are possible from all of the choices you interviewed so you'll (hopefully) be in a sitatuation where you are looking at 1-4 conditional/unconditional offers. If, however, you get no offers, you'll need to think about what's next (see a later post for this topic). 

Assuming you get offers, two potential options are out there:

If you only receive one offer - then congratulations!!! All you needed was one and you've got it - so job done! You can reply to confirm your offer through UCAS and you'll know what's happening come september. 

If you receive more than one offer - then, extra congrstulaltions!! It's very impressive but now you need to make a choice.... which one will you go to?! Lots of resources are out there to help you make this decision; going through each university's websites/prospectus, looking at the offer pack and talking to other people (this can be in person on through various online facilities such as TSR etc.).

I happen to have been in the latter of thw two situations and my best advice would be go with your gut. All the medical schools in the UK are fantastic, so you'll never make the 'wrong' decision but there coudl be a decision that is wrong for you. Most people will have had one or two preferred choices when looking around so if that's you then choose your favourites, if not then you'll have to weigh up the pros and the cons of each place and if you are really struggling, do a checklist and give each place a mark out of 10 - the highest mark 'wins' and that's where you'll go (obviously, in reality, it is never as simple as this but this method can be a very good starting point with some surprising results). I would also say  that there is nothing wrong with turning a place down just because you dont have that 'feeling' about it.... this blog is mainly directed at GEMs so we have all been through the uni application process once, so you'll have more of a grasp of what suits you so if somewhere doesn't 'float your boat' then there's no point entertaining the idea of going! 

If you are yet to graduate (or are a school leaver), you will have to put a firm and insurance choice on UCAS. For graduates, this is almost pointless as most offers will be for a 2i (in some cases a 1st, but that is rare) however, there is a small chance that should you not get your 2i that one of your choices would lower the entrance conditions (please note - this is very unlikely, but if you've got more than one choice, there's no harm in it). In terms of school leavers, there is a chance that your offers will be  different from places so defintiely put a firm and insurance place if you can. 

Replying deadlines are all on the UCAS website but generally speaking, if you have heard back from all of your choices by the 31st March, you have until the 7th May to reply. In most cases, this will be the deadline as many universities have post-offer open days before the 31st so will have let you know by then. 

So, that's just a quick run through of the potential outcomes and your choices. Good Luck!!

Dr Wannabe xx

Interviews: random bits of information

Helloooooo -

This post is just a mishmash of random things that might be useful:

1) Arrive early

Interviews are stressful, don't make it worse by running late!

2) Know where it is and how to get there

Particularly important if you're travelling from far away / have never been to the town/city that the interview is in

3) Bring all the required documentation

Most interviews require some sort of ID and many will need either accompanying documentation (e.g.: Imperial completed checklist) or your invitation letter

4) Sleep well

The night before, it will be hard, but try and get a good night's sleep

5) Eat well

Eat a good breakfast if you're in the morning or a good lunch if you're in the afternoon as it will give you the energy to get through the interview

6) Body language

I can't remember the exact statistic but the majority of our communication does not actually happen through words but other non-verbal cues.

If you're sitting then don't cross you're arms as that appears closed off and defensive. Ladies, crossing your legs when in a skirt would probably be advisable! but if not, go for your legs close together (men also) with hands on your lap - they are then free to gesticulate (but don't wave them about like some sort of interpretative performer!!)

7) Your voice

Obviously, sound enthusiastic and involved in the conversation - don't be monotone and bored!

When something interests you, let the tone of your voice reflect it. When you're being more pensive/considering all options, change the tone to reflect that you can be serious.

8) SMILE

9) Be professional

If you can, walk in and shake their hands. If not, say hello (and even introduce yourself if that's not been done already) and look everyone in the eye

10) When you leave, thank them for their time

Those are just some quick tips - if you have any, add them in the comments section.

bye for now -

Dr Wannabe
xx

Interviews: What to wear

Hello again,

So you've now got an interview invite (congrats - that's more than halfway there) and you've been preparing (see my previous post for tips). Its now the week before and you're trying to decide what to wear...!

Keep it simple and understated - essentially, what would you expect a consultant to wear if you had an appointment?

BOYS: a suit is always the best way to go because you cannot go wrong. I'd go for a dark colour (navy, black or dark grey) with a simple tie. Shoes should be clean and polished and make sure your hair is nicely cut and looks in order. 

The biggest dilemma guys seem to have is: to beard or not to beard?!

Obviously if you've got a beard for cultural or religious reasons then you should 100% keep it.

If you have a beard for fashion reasons, then it depends. I like the trimmed beard/neat stubble look but it has to be neat. It can't just look like you forgot to shave for the past week. As with your clothes,  the idea is to look professional and be clean and tidy.

A lot of people say doctors don't have beards but that's not true so just make sure you're comfortable with how you look and that everything looks neat, tidy and professional!!

GIRLS: a suit would work (either trousers or a longish skirt) but so would a smart pair of "dress" trousers with a plain coloured shirt and either a jacket, cardigan or jumper. For girls colour (e.g.: a coloured cardigan on top of a white shirt with black trousers) can be a nice, feminine touch but don't be too outrageous. Shoes should also be clean (and polished if they are leather). Hair should be neat, either tied back or away from your face. 

Girls also face two beard-like dilemmas:

1) Heels or flats - well obviously no silettoes but a small heeled boot would be fine, but so are flats
2) Nail varnish - the NHS does have a dress code that states "nothing below the elbow" but this is an interview so if you have a nice, neutral colour (e.g.: nude or pink) then I think that should be fine.

For both girls and boys, you have to be comfortable in what you're wearing as interviews aren't the most comfortable of situations so you don't want to make it any worse - if you've bought new clothes or shoes, wear them once or twice so you feel comfortable (same can be said for boys who aren't used to wearing ties).

Post to come about other interview-related things (like body language, arriving early etc)

Dr Wannabe
xx

Interviews: How to Prepare

Hello :)

So this is a post for all the lucky interview invite receivers - I'm currently sitting on one interview invite and complete silence from all others so I'm throwing everything into the one I've got!

Before I launch into what kind of things are good preparation, I thought I'd let you all know that TSR (the student room) has so many threads about medicine (graduate and school-leaver entry). Its absolutely amazing (I am indeed a member, which explains some of my silence on this - sorry!!) and a great source of information and a nice place to share your panic about not hearing anything!!

Panel Style Interviews (e.g.: Imperial GEM)

So for some this is the most daunting kind of interview - you in a room with 3+ people opposite you, grilling you on why they should let you be a doctor and why that should happen at their medical school. And yes - all of that is terrifying, but the benefit of this kind of interview is that if you're confident (or at least fake it for the 20-30 mins that it'll last) you can turn it into more of a formal conversation and then you'll relax and be able to shine!

This is the kind of interview I am about to face (in less than a week... ahhhh) so I'll be able to give some more information on what to expect when I've been through it but for now - how do you prepare?

1) Have an answer for "why do you want to be a doctor" type questions

So for this one, its very important to have clear reasons however it is just as important to not sound rehearsed (this can be said for all kinds of questions). When you're thinking about it, maybe lay out some bullet points so that you know in the interview that you've hit every point you wanted to say but you'll not sound rehearsed as you haven't written a speech.

Remember - don't just say you want to help people because there are many professions in a caring role. A good way to think about this is - why do you want to be a doctor and not a nurse? Both of these careers are in clinical, caring environments but what is it that attracts you to medicine specifically.... look at the GMC's document (tomorrow's doctors)

2) Know the uni/course

The "why do you want to come to X medical school" question should actually be one of the easier ones for you to answer as you chose it from the many possibilities for a reason.

I would definitely suggest looking at the website or prospectus again so that you can pick out the bits that attract you most. Essentially, they want to be flattered with this question!! The admission team want to know that if they offer you a place at their medical school that you know what you are in for and you will contribute (positively) to the medical school and university as a whole

3) Current affairs

In this kind of interview, it is very likely that they will either ask you how you keep up to date with medical issues in the news or ask you to tell them a medically-related story in the news that has interested you.

This seems like the most daunting kind of question to prepare for because news happens every day and how do you choose what's important? The key here is to choose something that actually does interest you!!

The BBC health page on their website is great for just a quick look at the headlines and then you can open up the articles and look into more detail.

If a story works well with your degree then even better as you can draw on your knowledge from uni (same can be said if you are working).

The best way to keep this task manageable is to spend half an hour on the internet/looking through journals and picking up what interests you... Also don't just be a sponge, think about what you're reading.

4) The NHS

Obviously know what it actually stands for: National Health Service (you'd be surprised by how many people stumble here from what I've heard!!)

So I'm guessing you've all heard about the Health and Social Care Act 2012 --- if you don't, make sure you do by the time your interview comes around because it may come up.

The Act was drawn up in 2012 and faced a lot of controversy but was finally passed and implemented in 2013, with an aim to complete all tasks by some point in 2014. I'm not going to summarise it here (unless there's a request for it) as its very complicated (and make this post farrrr too long!)

One thing I would say - this is a very big topic, it might not be the best idea to bring it up yourself unless you're 100% confident your facts are correct and your opinion is well founded.

5) Ethical Dilemmas

This one is a tough one but what you have to remember is that there is rarely a right and a wrong answer in these cases. The interviewers are looking more at your ability to form a coherent argument, that is balanced (so can see both sides of the issue) and if an opinion is given - that it is logically drawn out from the information and it can be substantiated.

If you took the UKCAT, these kinds of questions are essentially extended situational judgement questions.

Example - should alcoholics get liver transplants? 

Answer - 

YES - everyone has the right to treatment 

NO - they have knowingly caused damage to their liver (aka it's their fault/self-inflicted) so why should they 

BUT......

It isn't that simple is it?! 

Better Answer -

1) everyone has the right to treatment so it is the doctor's duty to do everything they can to help their patient

2) organs donated for transplantation are a very precious gift and they shouldn't be wasted - i.e. will the alcoholic patient just destroy this liver? 

3) alcoholism is an addiction aka a disease aka that also needs to be treated 

Conclusion - if the patient can become sober therefore look after the liver and getting over their addiction then yes, they should get it. However, it would be a very tough call to make if there was another non-alcoholic patient that also required a liver transplant 

This example shows that you may have a gut opinion but that's not the best way to answer ethical dilemma issues... As you can see, the conclusion does have an opinion but it presents both sides of the argument and illustrates the complex nature of the issue.

Assessment Centres (e.g.: Warwick)

I have applied to Warwick however they are rather tight-lipped about what exactly to expect but generally speaking - an assessment centre is a half day where various tasks are undertaken and you are assessed at each task.

Throughout the day, different tasks will test different skills, including - team work, empathy, good communication skills, motivation, drive to become a doctor (often tested in an essay).

The way to tackle these kind of interviews is to go about each task as yourself but remember you are being assessed - so if you prefer to be a leader, make sure that in some of the team work activities you take a step back and be part of the team showing that you know the importance of both leadership and teamwork. Having said that, don't suppress who you are and not say anything just so you don't come across as dominating!!

MMI (e.g.: KCL GEM)

MMIs are another different form of interviewing and importantly, they vary between universities. For example, MMIs at King's are actually a variety of 5 minute interviews so that you are being assessed at each 5 min interview on a different skill/task by different interviewers to eliminate the possibility of bias. In other universities it may be more of an assessment centre.

The key point of an MMI is to know that you will not be stationary (like in a panel style interview) - you will move between stations and you must try to keep concentration throughout the whole thing so that each interviewer can see what you've got to offer.

As with the panel-style interview, you should keep up to date with current affairs/ethical dilemmas and know why you want to study medicine as it could possibly be that each interviewer will ask you one question from those categories.

---

So that was just a brief summary of the various kinds of interviews universities offer for GEM applications - some are new to the interview system (e.g.: Southampton) and are doing a combination of a group task and individual interviews.

The key point I was trying to make is that you can be prepared although you cannot know exactly what to expect. Interviews are not the most comfortable situations but try and keep your cool so your awesomeness can shine through!

Just about to write a post about what to wear etc etc so be on the look out for that :)

Dr Wannabe
xxx

I'm the worst blogger ever...!!!!

Hi all -

As the post suggests, I'm the worst blogger ever and haven't said anything in WEEEEEKS.... sorry dear cyber friends - this is my apology post and I am now off to write an interview post - say tuned.

Dr Wannabe
xx

I haven't forgotten about you!

Hello cyber-friends,

To be honest, I don't actually have much to say about medical school applications (be it graduate entry or school leaver) at the moment because we are all in the same boat, submitted our application and just waiting to hear.

Slightly snowed under with all this fourth year work at the minute - I know some of you out there will be able to appreciate this so when that calms down I'll maybe post some links to some articles that may be useful for interviews.

In the meantime, just keep hoping for that update email from UCAS and as always, let me know if you have anything interesting to share that either you found helpful... even if its just to have a moan!!!

Dr Wannabe xx

ps: I know this post may have seemed unnecessary but I wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about you – radio silence is more to do with me having nothing to say (for once!!!)

There it goes...

Hello all -

This is just a quick post to congratulate everyone on having submitted their UCAS form... AHHHH

Very scary but pretty exciting - GOOD LUCK with everything my dear cyber followers.

Dr Wannabe xx