Over 90% of applications to medicine degree courses were rejected in 2014. For many would-be students, the odds of obtaining an offer to study medicine at university are extremely slim – especially if they are not from a privileged background.
With just shy of 85,000 applications to UK medical schools last year, it is obvious that not everybody can secure a highly coveted place. However, the success rates of top applicants vary wildly, with many receiving no offers, while some secure the maximum four. This is often down to the lack of support offered by some schools to students applying.
A recent report on university admissions highlighted how “a lack of support and guidance for applying to medical school is a major barrier for many students from less advantaged backgrounds”.
Widening access to medicine as a career remains a huge challenge. The financial burden of a degree that lasts at least five years acts as an obstacle for many students. And statistics show that those who study medicine generally come from well-educated homes – 65% of doctors in training have at least one parent who completed a university degree.
Jonny Wood, a fourth-year medical student at Oxford University, attended a comprehensive school, and neither of his parents went to university. He says: “My school tried, but knew very little. I wasted time on applications to universities that I didn’t even match the criteria for.
“I was one of the lucky ones, but so many of my school friends were excellent candidates who deserved places and didn’t even reach the interview stage of the application process. They were just as good candidates as some of the people I am studying alongside now.”
Detailed knowledge of the application and selection processes make a big difference to success rates. It is essential that students match their strengths with the universities that best suit them. The right advice is crucial and the support provided by an experienced teacher or school can enhance an application and give students confidence in their decisions.
Self-assurance is vital - too often uncertainty is mistaken for a lack of interest or drive. This is important, as students are usually subjected to multiple mini-interviews (commonly referred to as MMIs).
In this style of interview, students can expect to encounter up to 12 “stations”, and have around five minutes to impress at each of them. Each station can present the applicant with a different challenge, from ethical decision-making to situations that test interpersonal skills.
Many state school students receive absolutely no preparation for this very specific style of selection process. Students like Wood “didn’t even know it existed”.
In 2014, my friends and I founded Applican – a team of 20 Oxbridge medical students using our first-hand experience to try to level the playing field. Our ambition is to offer support to medical course applicants, regardless of their schools’ status or reputation.
Last summer we worked with around 70 school students, and the results have been excellent. Over 90% of them received at least one offer to study medicine.
Ruairi Maguire, 19, from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland, came to the August course after unsuccessfully applying the previous year. “It got me thinking, and actually made the preparation engaging and interesting,” he says.
“My preparation showed me what to do and how to do it, but most importantly how to enjoy it and find my passions within it.”
Another student, Niamh Murray, 18, from Belfast, received offers for all four of the choices she applied for. “In every interview, everything felt so familiar,” she says. “On the course, we had discussed difficult practical and ethical scenarios which meant on the day, nothing stumped me.”
Students need resources to navigate the application minefield. Good preparation gives them the confidence to succeed, whatever their background.
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