Closure

Shit Happens

To you all

In view of recent examination results, I shall now be unable to continue this blog in its present state. There is little I can muster on Medical experience when I am no longer an Undergraduate on a MBChB course.

As of today, I will no longer be posting on this blog. I shall not remove the blog from the Internet, as I hope applicants will find the posts at the top of this page useful.

I am more than happy to take emails on admissions questions for the foreseeable future, through underappreciatedmedicalstudent@gmail.com

I thank you all deeply for your readership that inspired me to keep writing, it has been an enjoyable experience and I appreciate the subscriptions and viewing figures.

Good luck to you all, applicants, undergraduates and Doctors. Maybe one day I shall see you on the wards in capacity as a Doctor. Until then, I donn my hat, wipe the tears down and bid farewell to the NHS.

My very best wishes and kindest thoughts to you all.

UAM

What Books do I Need?

Just for those applicants curious about which books they would need for Year One, these are the books I absolutely couldn't live without throughout Phase One. Other books I bought if needed, but usually used the library. Buying books is an expensive business so always think carefully if you want to shell out £25 for a 200 page book on poorly toes.

Core
GANONG - Review of Medical Physiology
UNDERWOOD - general and Systematic Pathology
Gray's Anatomy
WALLER - Medical Pharmacology and therapeutics
KUMAR & CLARK Clinical Medicine

Specialist
TITUS - The Nervous System
CROSSMAN - Neuroanatomy

DOMINICZAK - Flesh and Bones of Metabolism
SMITH - The Digestive System

Mythical Books that are Supposed to be Good but I've Never Used
MARTINI - Human Anatomy and Physiology
MARIEB - Human Anatomy and Physiology

SNELL - Clinical Anatomy
GUYTON - Textbook of Medical Physiology

Word of the Week #6

Negligent

(adj.)

Describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown

Medical Applicants #4 - Mitigating Circumstances

Dear Underappreciated Medical Student

What happens if I have mitigating circumstances for my AS Levels that have reduced my performance. What do I do?

Most Universities have their own mitigating circumstances policies. Search their websites. Medicine is fiercely competitive and before I continue, you must remember the following:

Under no circumstances will your offer be changed

"Mitigating circumstances" is pretty much defined as any significant event/circumstance that will impede the potential performance of the candidate in forthcoming examinations.

For GCSE/A Level, these can be relatively small, such as having bad hay fever; a broken arm; witnessing a traffic accident the day before the exam, as well as rather more serious things - such as death of an immediate family member. From exam boards, you may get up to a maximum of 25% extra time, and up to 4% more depending on your performance compared with your predicted grades, and circumstances declared. Check exam board websites.

If you do have circumstances you feel affect your performance, you should inform you school/college, who should then inform the relevant boards on your behalf (Check that they do this).

Regarding University Admissions
If you are applying with less than satisfactory AS Grades and you have valid mitigating circumstances, you should inform the Universities you are applying to. This should be done in a separate letter, addressed to the appropriate person (the head of Medical Admissions or equivalent thereof). You must attach any relevant paperwork, such as doctors notes. This evidence is vital in backing up your claim - otherwise it will usually be ignored.

I don't advocate writing anything about any mitigating circumstances in your Personal Statement. Your school/college may mention it in superficial detail in their reference but ideally put a positive twist on it, for example "...in the run up to examinations, xyz happened. Taken against this background, his/her achievements seem all the more admirable..."

The University will take a sympathetic ear to proven mitigating circumstances and they will not be mentioned at interview.

Quickly
1. Inform the examination boards as soon as possible - ideally before examinations

2. Inform the Universities you are applying to as soon as your application goes in

3. Back up any claims with as much evidence from doctors/lawyers as possible. Family references or statements will not be accepted

4. Do not mention your mitigating circumstances in the Personal Statement. It wastes space

5. Do not mention your mitigating circumstances at Interview

6. Don't fabricate or exaggerate any circumstances

Medical Applicants #3 - Grade Requirements

A question always always always ALWAYS asked on forums and amongst applicants is "Can I study Medicine if I haven' got and A* in blah blah blah."

The tables below should summarise all that. Hat tip to Hygeia.

None of this should detract you from reading prospectuses and admissions policies yourself. Alot of the application rests on you looking things up for yourself.

For GCSE Requirements click here

For ALevel Requirements click here

Medical Applicants #2 - UKCAT Resources

Registration opens: 01 May 2009

Testing begins: 07 July 2009

Registration deadline: 25 Sept 2009

Last testing date: 09 Oct 2009

UCAS application deadline: 15 Oct 2009

07/07 – 31/08: £60 for those taking the test in the EU, £95 for other candidates

01/09 – 09/10: £75 for those taking the test in the EU.

For more information on the UKCAT: http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/

UKCAT is a test of aptitude not necessarily academic achievement, testing mental abilities and attributes for people applying to Medicine. The test takes two hours and includes five sets of multiple choice questions.

These links cover all the "sections" of questions - but not necessarily content. Remember, there is no syllabus for the UKCAT. The test is hard, but it is designed so everyone is set on an even level before taking the test.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/verbaltest.htm

http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/Free_practice_Verbal.htm

http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/Practice%20Graduate%20Aptitude%20Test1_Verbal.htm

http://www.shldirect.com/verbal.html

http://www.psychometric-success.com/faq/faq-sample-verbal-critical-reasoning-questions.htm

http://www.psychometric-success.com/faq/faq-sample-verbal-comprehension-questions.htm

http://www.excitingfutures.com/verbalreasoning.htm

http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/officers/verbal.php

http://money.guardian.co.uk/work/psychometrics/0,1456,589733,00.html?R1=&R2=&R3=&R4=&R5=&R6

http://europa.eu/epso/pdf/verbal-tests_en.pdf

http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/wmprrecruit/uploadedimages/Numerical%20Reasoning.doc

http://practicetests.cubiks.com/verbal.htm

http://www.onexamination.com/ukcat/PracticeQuestions.aspx?tid=UKCAT

http://ukcatpracticeonline.com/homepagelinks/SampleVerbalReasoning.html

http://space.businessballs.com/paulnewton/resources/Psychometric%20Success%20Verbal%20Ability%20-%20Comprehension%20Practice%20Test%201.pdf

http://irisharmy.shlsolutions.net/VMG1.htm

http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/numerical/Free/aptitude_test_2.html

http://www.assessmentday.co.uk/numerical/Free/aptitude_test_1.html

http://ukcatpracticeonline.com/homepagelinks/SampleQuantitativeReasoning.html

http://www.shldirect.com/numerical.html

http://www.psychometric-success.com/aptitude-tests/numerical-aptitude-tests.htm

http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/officers/numbers.php

http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/ukireland/applicationprocess/Problem_Solving_Test.pdf

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/mathstest.htm

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/mathstest2.htm

http://www.excitingfutures.com/numericalreasoning.htm

http://mlsc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/numeracy/nrpt1_98_1.pdf

http://www.stationcrafts.net/maths180/shlnumericalreasoning.pdf

http://practicetests.cubiks.com/numerical.htm

http://www.aptitudetestsonline.com/quizzes/freenumerical.asp (password: demo)

http://irisharmy.shlsolutions.net/NMG1.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/maths/

http://www.mathsrevision.net/gcse/

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/spatialtest.htm

http://www.shldirect.com/inductive_reasoning.html

http://www.psychometric-success.com/aptitude-tests/abstract-reasoning-tests.htm

http://www.psychometric-success.com/aptitude-tests/spatial-ability-tests.htm

http://www.psychometric-success.com/faq/faq-abstract-reasoning-tests.htm

http://www.testgrid.com/demo/sampleabstractq.tg

http://ukcatpracticeonline.com/homepagelinks/SampleAbstractReasoning.html

http://www.practicetests.co.uk/Launchtest.asp# (email/name required)

http://discovery.axiomsoftware.com/abstract/abstract.php (email/name required)

http://www.morrisby.com/content/candidates-support/faqs/sample-morrisby-profile-questions/test-samples/page1.htm

http://www.morrisby.com/content/candidates-support/faqs/sample-morrisby-profile-questions/test-samples/page6.htm

http://www.morrisby.com/content/candidates-support/faqs/sample-morrisby-profile-questions/test-samples/page7.htm

http://www.morrisby.com/content/candidates-support/faqs/sample-morrisby-profile-questions/test-samples/page8.htm

http://irisharmy.shlsolutions.net/DIT6.htm

http://ukcatpracticeonline.com/homepagelinks/SampleNonCog.html

http://www.personneltoday.com/quizzes/2/integrity-test.html

http://www.outofservice.com/morality/

http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

http://www.testgrid.com/demo/samplecompetencyq.tg

http://www.testgrid.com/demo/samplepersonalityq.tg

http://irisharmy.shlsolutions.net/OPQ32i.htm

http://peoplemaps.com/questionnaire.php?refAffiliateID=28&refTypeCode=reseller

Medical Applicants #1 - The Basics

A sense of reality
The most important thing in applying for Medicine in the UK. If you know you aren't going to be the best-suited applicant to all your "ideal" Universities, think hard about getting a good spectrum into your application for your choices. In other words, don't just be arrogant and so confident in your ability that you only apply to the Russell Group of Universities, Oxbridge and the "London Triangle."

Start early
Your Personal Statement looks best when you can already show you've taken steps toward experience before you even put in your application. Getting work experience sorted in the summer holiday after your GCSEs is ideal and works to your advantage. For applications for work experience, you will usually need to write a small statement on why you want to do it. This is very similar to your "Why do you want to do Medicine" question. This is a big hint - start writing your Personal Statement as this is a good opportunity to "try it out."

Starting early gives you lots of time to draft and redraft your Personal Statement. Importantly, it also allows you time to get lots of experience in caring/clinical environments. This is very important - it takes so much stress off your UCAS form that you can focus more on your grades.

Experience
If you read the University perspectuses for Medicine, you will notice phrases such as "work experience recommended" and variations thereupon. This should be read work experience essential. I cannot emphasise enough how vital more than one placement and some ongoing volunteering is when it comes to deciding whether your application is sucessful or not.

You should look at some or all of the possibilites below (and these are just a few):

• Voluntary Observation Work Experience (aka "Work Experience") in a HOSPITAL
• Voluntary Observation Work Experience in a GP Surgery
  
• Volunteering at your local Hospital (most will have a volunteering department - search their websites)
• Hospice Volunteering
• Healthcare Assistant
• Volunteering at an Old People's Home/Respite Home
• Anything in a clinical environment

If you are volunteering (and I strongly suggest this is what you do in addition to the odd placement), then make sure it is ongoing - in other words, if you had to write it down in the Personal Statement, you could say you started in {month} and you continue to do that. This is why starting early is important.

In summary for that - "Why Start Early?" because it shows committment, dedication, and self-motivation

Academic Reference
Unfortunately this is of great importance in your UCAS application. I say "unfortunately" because if your School/College/Tutor is an arsehole then you have to really work at it to get what you need. That is (almost without exception): Predicted AAA, Good character reference, Good academic reference.

From personal experience, where my college refused to predict AAA and wrote what I'd class as an instant-rejection reference, the following can be done.

1. Provide the teacher(s) writing your reference with character references from people who you have done work experience with, coordinators of any societies or clubs outside of your college/school, or the person in charge of Volunteer services wherever you are doing that. So long as you are dedicated to whatever you do for the Voluntary Services they will write you an absolutely gleaming reference and say pretty much whatever you want them to say.
2. Speak to teachers/tutors who know you well. Get them to have an input into the writing of the reference.
   
3. Ask! Ask for anything! Ask if you can have the predicted grades you need. Be able to explain why you want to study Medicine and why the rest of your application will be sucessful.
4. Ensure that the school/college take into consideration what your other references say. Speak to the person who has the "final say" as it were. If this is the Headmaster, get an appointment and have a good talk, especially if he/she doesn't know you overly well (don't forget, you may need to turn on the charm offensive here).

UKCAT
This can be the deciding factor in your application. It is almost impossible to prepare for this as you would prepare for your ALevel modules. There is a good course run by Kaplan which does the BMAT preparation - worth investigating.

There are several resources available with sample questions. Despite what UKCAT say, do look at these - it will help you adjust to the type of question they ask, but you can't "learn" the answers.

See this post on the UKCAT for some resources.


Next up is some Myth-Busting from some questions I've had by email and PM.