Sussex Downs 2012 entry

[EternalRose]

Please excuse the poor grammar, its been a long tiring week..lol

[Teddyn]

Hey,
I just thought it was appropriate to chip in as I was at the information session on Wednesday,
found the Q&A with the current students very helpful indeed! I am just very worried about the 'Pre-Access'
(If I am lucky enough to be shortlisted to attend that is..) as most seem to be under strict intsruction to keep all
details hush hush
Have you guys started prep for the UKCAT?

k x

[Nua]

Hey,
I just thought it was appropriate to chip in as I was at the information session on Wednesday,
found the Q&A with the current students very helpful indeed! I am just very worried about the 'Pre-Access'
(If I am lucky enough to be shortlisted to attend that is..) as most seem to be under strict intsruction to keep all
details hush hush
Have you guys started prep for the UKCAT?

k x

Hey! I thought the session was good too; really informative. For those who want feedback, basically you get taken through details about the course, who it's for, the med schools you can apply to, plus the Q & A with current students to find out more about the student experience. Then the rest of the session is devoted to the application process (as it is quite a lengthy one). There's plenty of opportunity to ask questions about it and you get given the application form.

I'm worried about pre-access too. I have scoured this forum for details about it, by looking through old threads. Previous pre-access candidates have stated that there's a maths test, science test, english essay, aptitude test, some sort of group discussion/presentation and of course the one-on-one interview. Things may have changed though; I expect they probably do each year. I would suggest it's best to cover all areas of basic english, maths and science for preparation, and hone communication/presentation skills.

I started UKCAT prep last summer as I took the test just to see what it's like. Since then I've been focusing on certain skills like maths as that's my weakest area. I'm going to start more focused prep now though as I only gave myself a few weeks last year and it definitely wasn't enough.

[Teddyn]

Yeah, I have a feeling you are right- definitly a good idea to focus on maths, english, science and interview skills!
Ooh, how did you find the ukcat? Ive started going through some questions, and I have a feeling that ill struggle mostly because of the harsh time constraints... if you dont mind me asking, how did you do last year?
The admissions process for this course seems more lengthy than the UCAS for medicine itself, but I am thoroughly looking forward to (hopefully) getting it all over with and just fast forward to this september :s

If you get on this course will you have to relocate/travel far?

k x

[Nua]

Yeah, I have a feeling you are right- definitly a good idea to focus on maths, english, science and interview skills!
Ooh, how did you find the ukcat? Ive started going through some questions, and I have a feeling that ill struggle mostly because of the harsh time constraints... if you dont mind me asking, how did you do last year?
The admissions process for this course seems more lengthy than the UCAS for medicine itself, but I am thoroughly looking forward to (hopefully) getting it all over with and just fast forward to this september :s

If you get on this course will you have to relocate/travel far?

k x

It was hard - timing is definitely an issue. Practice is the only way to get round this; as you become more familiar with the types of questions that come up, the quicker you're gonna be able to answer them. I do also think there is a degree of luck to it because there's a huge bank of questions that get picked at random for each person, so the person sitting next to you may get easier questions and thus gain a higher score whereas you could be sat there with all the hard ones and have a tougher time with it. I got 610 which really isn't enough compared to other people, but I'm going to do a LOT more prep this year and hopefully do better. I don't know if you've encountered this book already, but ISC Medical's '600 Questions' is really good.

Yes there's so much to think about with this application, but I guess they just want to make sure they get the right people especially because of the linked place. Fingers crossed we both reach the next stage!

I live in London and it's 1hr 30mins each way to get to Lewes so it wouldn't be impossible to commute, but I think it will take too much time out of my day so if I get a place I'll look into relocating. What about you?

[EternalRose]

Hi there,

Just noticed you said you were thinking about commuting..are you able to relocate at all? The reason I ask is because I started this course relocating from London (train) to Lewes I had to get up at 5.30 every morning to get there on time (lessons start at 9). If you are driving, then this could be irrelevant to your situation. Although, I feel I should say that commuting really exhausted me when I first started..and me and my fiance moved to Brighton because of it. I also have a 2 year old little girl and she was doing these early morning starts for about 4 weeks with me...and it was not good. I imagine driving may be easier? Not sure, but something to consider I guess.

Anyway, I wish you all the luck in the world everyone. SD is a great oppurtunity.

ER x

[Teddyn]

Nua thankful for your reply, I have got the 600Q book and slowly (and unsuccessfully may I add lol) working through it...I don't really know what is a sensible score for the UKCAT, I think that 600 is around the average and around 650 upwards is a good score? I really wish I had taken it for practice last year like you- could do with a realistic gauge of how I would do this year.. I don't want to tank it!

With regards to relocating, I think you would probably find It a struggle having to fit in 3(or 4 if the traffics bad) hours of driving everyday, so you probably would be better off moving ... but where there's a will, there's a way!
I currently live in Plymouth which is a 4 hour drive and something tells me I just won't make it out of bed at 4am hehe, so will definitely have to move up here for at least the academic year (hopefully longer if I get a linked place...or maybe I'm getting ahead of myself a little?! ).

ER- it's great to get some input from someone who has done this, you must be superwoman juggling college and the babba *Kudos*! Xx
I have looked at living costs and they aren't particularly high, but unless any of you guys are super rich and fancy putting me up for free, I guess I'd have to get a part time job... How did the you/others on the course deal with the workload with regards to the employment/study balance?

Thanks

X

[Nua]

Hey guys,

I heard last year's average was 627, so my score fell short of that. I have a feeling the average increases by a few points each year, so this year the average may well be in the 630's. 650 is a good score to aim for as I think it satisfies most medical schools cut-offs. Keep practicing using as many resources as you can get hold of, making sure to thoroughly go over any weak areas and I'm sure you'll do great! Also, I think where I went a bit wrong in my practice last year was that I wasn't strict in practicing with time constraints - if you do that then it will become second nature.

Yeah, I think I will definitely relocate if I get a place as I can't do 4/5am early starts everyday either, plus I think the 3/4 hours of commuting each day is too much time to take out. Those few hours would be better spent studying or working towards applications to med school, so living near would be ideal, and I want to give myself as much of an advantage as I can.

@EternalRose - what sort of part-time work are you/other current students doing alongside studies?

[EternalRose]

The majority of people in my class are health care professionals, paramedics, nurses, midwife..not ALL though. They have ALL really struggled to work part time and do this course, something that is not emphasised when you apply. In order to gain distinctions in everything, you really can not be working all the time..it is way too much and you wont get the distinctions. I havent worked at all since starting this course, my partner supports me. I used to volunteer as a breastfeeding peer supporter, and work as a HCA. Ive struggled with money, something to consider. Although, its 9 months in the grand scheme of things, I guess I tell myself its not forever. Also, as much as medical school will be testing, the assessments wont be so congested. Therefore, more time to keep up work commitments..so dont let it put you off.

I got a score of 600 for my ukca its good but not amazing by a longshott, the UK average is around 625. You need to be above this really. Manchester medical school for example, have a cut off above 650 I think...newcastle 670?..Like I said in a previous post, the higher your score the less restricted you are in your applications...Too put it in perspective, for a little while treat the UKCAT as a military operation i.e sleep , symbols, sleep more symbols. Too put it in perspective, I did this for about a month. Did about 2000 abstract reasoning questions, yes you heard right lol and I ONLY get 650 for that section. It clearly doesnt come easy to me....but I started off by not spotting any relationships to getting them within seconds..a few more months prep I may have got higher for that section. Start practice now.

As for being super-woman, haha thank you. I generally dont feel it most days, I am constantly tired but I have just about managed to keep up with everyone else i.e getting the distinctions...me and 2 others are parents.

[EternalRose]

Really wish this forum would let me edit my posts! ..what are all your backgrounds? Have you all started working on your personal statements yet...?