Successful applicants-help?

[jrt17]

Congrats to all those who secured a place with Aberdeen

I am applying to Aberdeen next year and would really appreciate any advice you can give.

I was able to obtain one weeks work experience in hospital but have no other relevant healthcare experience. I have to work as a labourer for my brother during summer and with football training I don't have any other time to get experience.Did all those who got offers have lots of experience with hospitals/care homes/awards/ voluntary work etc? I really need to know if I will be wasting my time applying.

My predicted grades are AAB Chem, Bio,Physics
GCSE 5A , 3B, 2C

I know I forget events in detail as time passes so I thought I'd ask now rather than months later -- if a miracle does happen & I get interview what do you think made the interviewer choose you?
Any hints or tips for personal reference would be v.much appreciated.

Thanks again for any help & Good luck with your course

[mrcarrots]

Firstly good luck, and calm down. I'm an Aberdeen 4th year so things might have changed a bit since I applied but not much I think.

I only had a week of work experience too, the really important thing is to get across in your personal statement what you learnt from it. Not that you did loads. Also things like having a chat with a local GP (usually not too difficult arrange to) is usful experience too and not very time consuming. (also chuck in a nurse and pharmacist for good measure "the healthcare team")

The application process is about selling yourself and you already mentioned 2 excellent points.
- work experience "i learnt x, y, z and this confirmed my career choice"
"in my spare time I enjoy playing football and am a member of a local team...." teamwork, comittment, leadership, organisation and I'm not a total science geek :-P

With a bit of thinking and lots of draft I'm sure you can make yourself sound fantastic on paper.

Good luck
mrC

[TMG]

I am sure you can find time one evening a week/a couple of hours at the weekend to volunteer/gain work experience somewhere - nursing home,chemists,helping a disabled person (I read to a blind lady),hospital radio runner etc.It all counts.

[Eilidh McIntyre]

Hi jrt17 and good luck!

It is really weird being on the other side of this now! Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about your work experience. I had about a week in a few different places. I agree with what mrcarrots said about trying to get work experience with a nurse or a pharmacist, even if it is just an afternoon. That way you can talk about how important 'multi-disaplinary teams are in medicine'. It also means that if you get asked 'why do you want to be a doctor and not a nurse?' (i did) you have a good answer.

I work in a care home which helped me loads for my interviews but i only started a month before i applied so i doubt it would have improved my ps much. I also volunteer for an hour a week with kids with special needs. I think that really helped and it is only an hour a week so it isn't too hard to find the team?

Apart from that just fill your ps with lots of stuff about your hobbies (as many group activities as possible).

As for interviews i honestly think it isn't extemely important what you say, as long as you genuinely beleive it and can back it up with a reasoned, balanced argument. If you answer the questions honestly and don't spout a script that you practised cause you thought it was what they wanted to hear. Just be very friendly and nice

I hope some of that helps, i remember feeling like this last year. It seems like an extremely daunting task as there is so much to do but you seem really organised (i didn't do my work experience till september) so i'm sure you'll do fine. good luck with your exams and the best of luck with applying!

Eilidh

[ruridh17]

You also need to try and fit in some activities which may bave been self planned, or which you showed leadership in.

For example last year me and 2 fellow explorer scouts went on a self planned trip to Germany for 2 weeks. We had to make our route and plan for food and whatnot. Im not saying everyone should have the explorer belt under their belt (damn that just sounds silly) but anything which shows leadership and teamwork is a definate must in the PS.

Ruridh

Any more questions PM me

[Eilidh McIntyre]

Yeah I definitely agree with Ruridh there. I went to India for a month last summer on a world challenge expedition. Although it is technically a school trip we had to plan and organise it ourselves and it was a real combination of leadership and teamwork.

And yeah like ruridh said it doesn't have to be travelling, but something which shows some initiative and independent thinking is good.

Eilidh

[ruridh17]

Another good thing to put on your form is that you are looking to get further or are currently undertaking work experience. This shows that you have maintained an interest in it and are have not just done the experience so that you can put it on your form. I am still looking for hospital placements and talking to my GP everytime i go in, and i have now been accepted.

It is good to build up a basic knowledge of what is going on before you go.

[mrcarrots]

I echo other peoples comments. However wanted to point out that you don't have to do BIG things to demonstrates skills. Trips to india or germany or working in care homes are great but not everyone has access to such experiences or can afford them.

It is really about demonstrating skills and you can demonstrate teamwork climbing mount everst in your summer hol, or working in a supermarket.

Have a look at for pretty much what the university want you to show
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/medicine/prosp...ets/selection/

[ruridh17]

Yeah, i wasnt suggesting that you all go out and do huge things like that.

I was just drawing on my on experience and using that as an example.

Who climbs mount everest in their holidays mr carrots?? haha

but i see where you are coming from, even being captain of a school football team or being a prefect or buddy all show evidence of teamwork.

[mrcarrots]

ok so mount everest may be a bit of an exageration, but a group of medic from here climbed kilimanjaro last summer :-)