How did you prepare for the BMAT/UCAT?
I re-learnt all of my A-level Maths, Physics and Chemistry for the BMAT. Subjects that I had done many, many moons ago so it was not easy - but somehow, I made it through.
The UCAT - that was a different story. I revised from a book, failed it miserably. I was very thankful BSMS did not use the UCAT.
How did you prepare for your interview(s) for medical school?
I knew a number of friends who were currently at BSMS so they gave me a grilling about what to expect and performed a couple of mock interviews. This is where I thank long time BSMS-er (now Doctor) Freddie Sweeting for his help here.
What’s your top tip for interviews?
The interview process is different to when I did them. But always take time on the questions/tasks asked of you and make sure you read around the big topics (let’s be honest probably COVID-19) in medicine at the time of your interview. You will no doubt get a question exploring the struggles and challenges related to these topics.
Is there a piece of advice you wish you could have given your younger self when thinking about/applying to medicine?
I would have told myself to apply for medicine first time round as initially I doubted that I had the ability to become a doctor. Coming from a state school and not knowing anyone else who had pursued medicine it just didn’t feel like much of an option. No one in my year group at school applied for medicine either. My grades throughout college were average at best despite this I still managed to get into medical school (after completing an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences).