4 year/5year? UKCAT/GAMSAT? AAAAH!

**nickmgh** · 05-10-2011, 07:11 PM

Hi All,
I’m having serious difficulty deciding which unis to apply for. Various issues are swirling around my head – if you could help me out with any/all of them it would be much appreciated. As a bit of background I am a humanities graduate with a 2.1 (a degree acceptable to Warwick), I sat the GAMSAT in September (think it went OK but obviously don’t know my score yet) and recently sat my UKCAT, where I scored (a very surprising) 745 average. I have done 3 days shadowing a consultant and 3hours per week work in a hospice for 6 months. I’m trying to work out which four unis/courses I should apply to from the following:
Kings 4 year
St George’s 4 year
Warwick 4 year
Newcastle 4 year
Newcastle 5 year (Newcastle campus)
Newcastle 5 year (Durham campus)

1) I’m thinking that due to my good UKCAT score and not knowing my GAMSAT score, it might be better to forget St George’s. Apart from the fact this means I’ll have done GAMSAT for nothing (!!!), my concern is that despite a good UKCAT, the other unis might turn down my application for some other reason. Does anyone know the norm here? Does a good UKCAT basically guarantee you an interview so long as personal statement/reference aren’t terrible?
2) For those unis that apply a UKCAT cutoff, is your application looked on more favourably the higher above this cutoff you are, or are all marks above the cutoff considered equal?
3) On the Newcastle uni website it says you can apply to BOTH the Durham campus and Newcastle campus five year courses, but that to do so will involve using two of your choices. Seeing as you can apply to both using only one choice by selecting the ‘E’ for either option, can anybody tell me the reason for being able to apply for both using two choices? I can see why you would apply for one of them if you specifically didn’t want to go to the other, but would applying to both separately be beneficial in some way that I am missing?
4) Does anyone know how much value the above unis (apart from St George’s) place on your reference?

Apologies for the amount of questions there, and the fairly vague/subjective nature of some of them. I am hoping that some of you can empathise with my confusion, so any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

**ceih** · 05-10-2011, 09:51 PM

I would include SGUL, as if you have done well at GAMSAT, you're well set for an interview and potentially offer. If you didn't reach the GAMSAT cut off, then it is only a single course, leaving you three other options.

I'd definitely apply to Kings GEP, as they'll give you a 5 year offer if you don't quite meet their 4 year requirements/interview standards, but do for the 5. In a way it's almost the same as two applications for the price of one, though obviously it's dependent upon a single interview. Your UKCAT is high enough.

For the final two, I'd be picking Warwick and Newcastle 4 years.

**Martigan** · 05-10-2011, 10:07 PM

Just to clarify what Ceih said about Kings. If you get a 4-year interview, but don't get in the 4 year, they will CONSIDER you for the 5- year. In practice that means that seems to be about half of the failed interviewees get a 5 year place. (From the Stat's I saw about 15 months ago)

However if you DON'T get a 4 year interview your application goes no further, not even for the 5-year. There is a common misconception that it does, which is easily crushed if you year their prospectus. So it can be worth applying for both the 4 year and the 5-year programmes

**ceih** · 05-10-2011, 11:10 PM

Good clarification, I wasn't totally clear in my post that you HAVE to progress to interview stage on the GEP application in order to be considered for the 5 year if you don't meet their 4 year standards at interview.

As for applying for both? I'm not convinced it's the best course for most people. If your heart is sent on GKT, then yes, go for it, but if you're applying to a range of other courses I wouldn't be putting two eggs in a single basket (ie: meeting GKT's internal requirements).

**Martigan** · 06-10-2011, 08:05 PM

True. If you not set on Kings or London, another choice may be better, but its not the wasted choice that some people say (unless you hate king, or aren't their type). Its down to personal circumstances and desires. Basically I would have gone anywhere in the South East and knew I was the "type" that Kings likes, so it gave me two decent shots at a place. However, as Ceih knows to his cost, I got my first choice, SGUL.

**Profanius** · 06-10-2011, 09:16 PM

Out of interest, what is the type that KCL likes?

...just agonising over where to place my fourth and final choice.

**ceih** · 07-10-2011, 03:03 AM

Right, that's the last time I'm sitting next to you in lectures!

**rujeko** · 07-10-2011, 03:10 AM

HELP!

My head is spinning now and I need some help seriously.

here is my story:
A'Levels Chem, Bio and Maths (BCE)
BSc Biomed 2:1
MSc Medical Diagnostics

Work experience:
HCA p/t - Wards (general and mental health)
community support worker p/t
Biomedical scientist
shadowing consultant and junior docs

BUT....UKCAT average 2300

(

Not sure where to apply that will not concentrate on my A'Levels and UKCAT so much...

Deadline is next week!

**nickmgh** · 08-10-2011, 01:05 AM

Thanks very much for all your feedback guys, some definite food for thought. Having said that, I'm sure the decision won't be made until Friday morning!

Best of luck to all applicants