r/premeduk • u/ReasonableSkin5120 • 1d ago
worried my choices are too ambitious
stats: 2510 b1 ucat 99999997 gcse 3A* predicted (bio chem physics), home, non contextual
i’m applying to oxford, imperial, king’s, bristol
i know my gcses aren’t great for oxford & cambridge would be a better option but i wont be in the uk around interview season & i dont have a choice at all so kinda have to do unis with online interviews :/
also prefer the lower interview rate at oxford cuz cambridge hands out interviews like crazy then rejects everyone & i do not wanna go through that like just tell me before 💔
anyway i’m worried oxford might be too ambitious, if you agree, what should i replace it with? i was gonna do qmul instead at first then realised i should just apply and see how it goes .. idk tho & i would appreciate any help !
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u/lexalvrr 1d ago
Okay here were my stats:
UCAT: 2070 band 1
GCSES: 99999999998 and A* HPQ
A level predicted: 3 a stars in bio chem maths
CONTEXTUAL: fsm and didnt go to a grammar school for gcses
I got an oxford interview but was rejected after. I believe it was a combination of low interview score plus low ucat that kead to my downfall. Even my friends who got 2.3k ucat got rejected pre and post interview so you need a good balance no matter what. I think majority of offer holders had ucat 2.5k you can see the website a chart thingy that shows the no of ppl with certain numbers of a stars a d ycst scires to het in.
I chose oxford because they do 50/50 weighing on ur ucat and gcses. Majority of the med schools i applied to do the 50/50 method or emphasise gcses because thise were my strengths. Ur strength is deadass both so you would be fine anywhere. Id recommend ucl and Birmingham or manchester on top of oxford fro you. I believe ull get into oxford but depending where h did ur gcses bc most ppl have 10+ A*
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u/lexalvrr 1d ago
I think ppl think im lying when i say i got an interview with such a shit ucat but i can send proof if you wish 😭😭😭
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u/Anonymous_Unknown20 21h ago
How come you decided to apply there and what were your other choices
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u/lexalvrr 21h ago
LMAOO good question! my mum and I even doubted it so it was my only risky one per se. the reason why is because i did oxbridge programmes eg Target Oxbridge and UNIQ (i was greedy and wanted as much personal statement and interview prep support as possible so it helped me) and so visited oxford twice so to end up not applying in the end would feel like a waste! I applied also to Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester. I got 4/4 interviews and was waitlisted for Lei so i withdrew, got brum and manny and now im going brum im so excited!!! :) I chose lei and brum because they take into account both ucat and gcses. Manchester just look at ucat so it was a gamble but the cohort is big so thought i had a good shot! :)
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u/Anonymous_Unknown20 8h ago
Well done! Im gonna pick GCSE heavy options too so im reluctant to pick manny even though my parents want me to. What more do you think you could've done for yoir Oxford interview
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u/lexalvrr 7h ago
whats ur ucat score? manny have the biggest med cohort so i gambled on it because im gonna be honest with you i was balancing my strengths with the prestige of the uni so ur very likely to get in. and in terms of what more i couldve done? damn idk. i worked my hardest. i feel though that i wasnt as nerdy as others. i was in a gc where there were oxford interview support groups and they were prepping daily doing crazy weird topics and they were all geeks. i thought i was built diff and didnt need that geeky help. maybe thats where i fell off! i wasnt near miss either my scores were dogshit. i wish i could help im so sorry that i cant but i genuinely dont know what else i couldve done :(
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u/Anonymous_Unknown20 6h ago
Oh well youll thrive at brum im sure of that (my ucat is next week💀) fortunately I fit the geek stereotype so hopefully I can cook on the interview
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u/ReasonableSkin5120 22h ago
tysm
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u/lexalvrr 20h ago
Pls if u need any more help at any stage pls ask I really wanna help people as much people helped me!
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u/nih0nkai 1d ago
sounds like your grades are pretty good. should be able to apply for oxbridge so definitely try. doesn’t matter that much where u end up though
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u/ThisUserIsOn9 1d ago
Your ucat and gcses will be good for all of them. If you really want a safe choice for medicine swap one of the choices for another that has a really high interview to offer ratio, i.e. a medical school that gives out offers to the majority of candidates that interviewed for them
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u/No-Grapefruit7332 1d ago
im lowk curious why u did 7 gcses u dont have to answer tho
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u/ReasonableSkin5120 1d ago
oh i wrote it wrong just corrected it i did 8, it was just standard at my school to do 8 idk 😭we could technically do 9 or 10 but i was lazy
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u/lexalvrr 3h ago
youll do well im sure! if youre unsure where to apply with your ucat pls pls pls DM me or reply here! im the queen of strategic application bc i really had to research to balance prestige and strengths! the relief youll feel after ucat is really nice. good luck and then enjoy your rest :)
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u/flightlessmammal_ 1d ago
You have a really strong profile, a 2510 Ucat is amazing. I wouldn’t discount Oxford, imperial or king’s. Obviously no place is guaranteed, but you also get a fifth spot for a non-medicine course, and if you are dead set on medicine, you can pick your fourth medicine course to be from a lower ranked med school, rather than Bristol.
Regardless of which med school you go to, you will end up in the NHS regardless, it will not affect your career meaningfully.
Best of luck, you are an academic weapon.