If you're new here, I'm Loveleen a King's College London medic. As someone who had no doctors in the family I understand the struggles of navigating the medicine application process. I'm here to help you along the way so you can achieve your dream of studying medicine! I also love helping out aspiring medics, by sharing the hidden getting into medicine curriculum as someone who received 4/4 post-interview offers.
My aim is to create a community of supporting aspiring medics and making the medicine application process feel as accessible as possible. Therefore I always encourage discussion within the community. I love hearing from you and what your concerns are.
This is why I've created this google form, which is completely anonymous. If there are any questions, content or products you want to see from me, you can let me know directly!
And you can find the answer to any questions you've sent me on these newsletter editions or videos on my social media pages!
What do UCAT deciles really mean?
You might feel swamped at the moment, having to consider UCAT deciles, researching universities, writing your personal statement and trying to bring your application together. So I’m going to tell you what UCAT deciles really mean and how this affects what universities you can apply to.
The UCAT deciles are as follows.
What this tells you is how competitive your score is. But I want to assure you, even if you feel like your UCAT score is not high enough, you can still get into medicine. This is because the UCAT is only a PART of your application. Yes, that is correct. Even if you aren’t happy with your score, you can apply to universities that emphasise different parts of your application. So here are the 5 steps to applying strategically.
- List the universities you want to apply to: include your dream university, the course structure you like, intercalation options etc
- Research the entry requirements: look on the university website or call the admissions office
- Calculate your score at each university based on their criteria and how they select students for the interview stage
- Compare your score to previous admissions data
- Select your 4 universities: choose ones that you have a higher chance of being called for interview AND universities you actually like because of course structure, location and other considerations
To help you get started, I’ve linked my UCAT University guide down below, which has the list of some universities which are high UCAT, mid UCAT and low UCAT universities.
However, it is important to remember that this is a general guide. The change in the UCAT, specifically the removal of abstract reasoning, can impact UCAT thresholds. Additionally, the change of the personal statement structure could make universities change the emphasis placed on it. It is essential to look at your academic, extracurricular and widening participation profile holistically and research in detail tailored to your personal profile.
Getting Ahead With Interviews
And if you’re looking to get ahead with your interviews, I am hosting a FREE interview webinar where I will teach you how to revise for interviews. Sign up to one of the available dates using the link below!
One question I had was on how I locked in and achieved the grades for medicine. The first thing is one that sounds super obvious but is so important - using your free periods! It's really easy to waste time in them so I would have a rough plan or goal of what I wanted to get done in that hour. This really helped me to stay on top of everything. Another thing that helped me was having an effective revision method. I would do some pre-reading, consolidate my knowledge in lessons, do blurting as active recall then go into practice questions. This structure helped me to revise efficiently. I do also have some videos on A-levels and study tips!
Another concern you guys had was relating to interviews: specifically on preparation and questions. To help cover everything relating to interviews, I'm running a free interview webinar! You can sign up to this using the link above. In this session I'm going to cover exactly what NHS hot topics to revise, what questions you can get asked, the importance of presentation and the exact resources which will help you to achieve your offers.
I also had a question on choosing a 5th choice for your UCAS application. I have made a video on Tiktok, Instagram and YouTube to answer this question!
I'm Loveleen, a medical student at King's College London and I remember being an applying student feeling confused by the entire process. I had no doctors in the family, yet went on to achieve a top decile UCAT score and 4/4 medicine offers. I'm passionate about helping other aspiring medics, so I work really hard to create the resources I wish I had in your situation.
Check out my website for my UCAT Crash Course and my Ultimate Medicine Interview Course, where 100% of my students who reached interview stage secured at least one medical school offer. Secure your spot to achieve your dream of getting into medicine!
And as a tutor for nearly 3 years, I help students in GCSE and A-level biology and chemistry, to secure their dream grade! As someone who got A*A*A I teach you all the content and exact revision methods to make studying feel easier, especially if your managing multiple aspects like interviews, UCAS applications and interests. Email me to book a place as there are limited slots.
📸Here are the links to each of my social media pages, so make sure you follow! In all, I detail the advice and tips you need to help make your application to medicine so much easier! If you ever need any help, feel free to reach out to me at loveleenj241@gmail.com
