BSMS and Answer to your questions

**randdom** · 25-10-2006, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by Gizmo says -

wat are the alls like at BSMS, macca?
and the bar and restaurants on campus?

cheers Randumz.

The halls that BSMS uses are variable just as they are at every university. BSMS students are offered a choice of halls from sussex and brighton unis where they will like with non-medics as well as usually one other. The quality of these halls vary depending on how much you are able/willing to pay. They range from a large room with ensuit and large communal living space to a smaller room without ensuit and a medium sized living space. However compared to some of the halls that I have seen even the worst is pretty reasonable, there are good sized comunal areas in all halls.

Again the number of bars etc depends on the campus you are on. If you are on the Brighton falmer campus there is the rainforest cafe (which I really like) and I believe that the newly furbished bar as now opened though I haven't seen it. The susex campus has 4 bars falmer bar, eastslope, park village and my fave the grapevine you will deffiantely like one of them as they all have a very different atmosphere. There is food provided in cafeteria style restraunts on both campuses but nothing classy. There is also the hothouse which is the club on the sussex campus.

**Gizmo says -** · 25-10-2006, 10:05 PM

fank you, macca, that wuz very elpful!

**Dr.Mayhem** · 06-11-2006, 04:50 AM

Originally Posted by randdom

While it isn't impossible I have only met one person so far who recieved and offer of ABB after that grade change (that isn't saying that there aren't more out there I don't know everyone in the year bellow an unfortunately have had little contact with the freshers so far) If you do very well in an interview it is always a possibility but it isn't something to rely on.

Im in that year below you :P and there were only 4-5 offers of that standard (if that, I think im counting some ppl twice lol)

You can expect the standard offer, and do not be upset if you dont get the lower offer as that is for truly exceptional people...

--

On another note, the interviews are great, but please people, think about what you said on your PS! They WILL ask you from that, so many people slipped up on the PS last year by simply not reading it to remember what they said on it - make sure you can expand on every point there, and take your time if they give you something you can't answer, be calm and think, and if you really can't give it a shot, admit it - ''I'm sorry, I don't know the answer''

They were great for me, chilled out, cool, and just made me even more keen for BSMS...so good luck all!

**flirtini** · 13-11-2006, 05:46 PM

I have very fond memories of my interview at BSMS four years ago, when they were taking in their first intake. It was my first medical interview that year, so I was exceptionally nervous, but I have to say on the whole it went very well. I remember them asking me about my extra-curricular interests towards the end, something like, 'What did you learn from playing the part of Nancy in 'Oliver!' last year that could be applicable to your medical career?' They also asked me a question about a major medical milestone in 1948, which I tried to skirt around as I didn't know the answer at the time... turns out it was the birth of the NHS - so make sure you know your medical history!

I got an offer from them a few weeks later of 320 UCAS points (ABB or AAC) and it also said in the letter how I had been highlighted as an exceptional candidate or something from the interview. Dunno if that ties in with the offer of AAB/ABB that some people have been referring to?

Anyhow the 'exceptional' thing is pretty irrelevant now - I put BSMS down as insurance, and got into UCL as my firm choice... only to fail my resits and be kicked out of the med school 2 years later. Swings and roundabouts :P

**Gizmo says -** · 14-11-2006, 01:16 AM

aye.

u ave weathered the storm and come back briter, u poor macca. your boat is at the shore now...
respect, and i ope you get an offer soon!

**Gizmo says -** · 14-11-2006, 01:20 AM

and ere is an elpful song to cheer you up ...

"Look at ma life,
Look at ma 'eart.
i 'ave seen them fall apart.
Now i'm ready to rise again
Look at ma 'opes
Look at ma dreamz.
i'm building bridges from these scenes.
Now i'm ready.... to rise again...."

~Gabrielle, Rise

**flirtini** · 14-11-2006, 01:23 AM

I realised my inference that I got a lower grade offer is actually crap... I forgot when I first applied the asking grades were only ABB (aka 320 UCAS points) as opposed to AAB these days - so sorry about any confusion! And I quote (from the acceptance letter): '...You might like to know that the overall mark awarded to you by our interview panel was close to the maximum possible.' Which was nice to know. Unless, of course, they say that to every student they accept

**randdom** · 14-11-2006, 11:34 AM

They deffinately didn't say that in my acceptance letter

I am sure that if they said it they meant it.

Am I right in thinking that you finished your first year at ucl successfully then failed your second and then transfered onto a different course? It must take a lot of strenghth to reapply to medical school and wish you all the luck in the world reguarding your application.

Rachel

**flirtini** · 14-11-2006, 12:55 PM

You are pretty much spot-on.

Got through to the end of the pre-clinical phase at UCL, failed the first set of exams in May, got the notification on my birthday in June

then also failed 2 of the resit exams three weeks later. UCL operates this viva system at that stage, which I got full marks in, but heck - they decided to get rid of me anyway as apparently I wasn't worth a third attempt (i.e. retaking the whole year). And that's despite having ext. circumstances...

The UCL med school seem very happy to 'discharge' several of their failed students every year, leaving the rest of the Life Sciences faculty in a bit of a quandry about having to fit them in. I only got successfully transferred to Biomed second year because I complained to the Registry about the way I was being treated; before that, I was literally in no man's land and didn't even know whether I would still be a student.

What annoyed me even more, though, was how another girl who failed and got kicked out with me effectively smuggled her way back in, through a cocktail of deceit and lies (apparently claiming to have been pregnant then getting an abortion during her exams). Easy stuff when your dad's a doctor and can medically substantiate such nonsense... so she got her third attempt and later passed. Never ceased to shock me how low people would go to do medicine

However - yes I am reapplying, partly because I know deep down I can do it, and partly because I couldn't live with the regret if I didn't try just one final time. If all else fails, I have a backup in teaching