Applying for Medicine at Bristol

Dr Alice Roberts

The Admissions Process

The medical degree programme at Bristol is immensely popular

• About 4000 apply each year• About 850 are interviewed• About 400 are offered places• About 250 will come to Bristol

• So – from those 4000 applicants, we are looking for about 250 who will make the best doctors

• Academic and personal qualities are both important

What qualities make a good doctor?

• Dedication• Stamina• Aptitude• Compassion

How do we assess these qualities?

We select students based on the UCAS form and a short interview

What are we looking for on the UCAS form?• A strong GCSE profile• At least 2 science subjects at A2, and predictions of AAB or higher -

including an A in Chemistry (3 A2 at the same sitting)• A strong personal statement that explains why you want to become

a doctor and describes your personal qualities and achievements

• There is no admissions test at Bristol (eg: UKCAT, BMAT)

The personal statement

What we are looking for:• Do you have a realistic interest in Medicine?• Have you made an effort to find out about the career, by

asking doctors and by arranging work experience?• Have you demonstrated a commitment to helping people?• Have you got a wide range of interests outside school?• Have you made a positive contribution to your school,

college or local community?• What are your personal achievements (apart from exams)?

The interview

What we are looking for:• Reason for wanting to study medicine• Awareness of current developments• Ability to communicate• Self-confidence• Enthusiasm• Determination to study• Ability to cope with stress• Well-informed about course and career• Overall impression

And we provide you with a tour of the Medical School

Other programmes

As well as school leavers with a science background, we welcome applications from:

• People with AAB at A2 in non-science subjects can apply to do a 6-year course with a preliminary year of biomedical science (‘premedical course’)

• People with >70% in an Access to Medicine course can apply for the premed course

• Graduates with a high 2i honours degree in a biomedical science can apply for the 4-year course

Who can apply?

Anyone!

Candidates are not discriminated against on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or age.

And we believe that all suitably qualified candidates, whatever their background, should receive an equal chance of obtaining an offer from Bristol.

The Vice Chancellor said:

‘Our goal is to take the most talented individuals – those with the most potential – and make them fly.’

We want to include more students from groups currently under-represented in Higher Education.

How?

• We know that some people may not have had the chance to make achievements in non-academic areas

• So we carefully review the UCAS forms of all the applicants who may have lacked such opportunities

• We will select candidates who possess the qualities expected to be a medical student, but who have lacked opportunities to display them

Widening participation

Aims of the MB ChB programme

To provide a foundation for a variety of careers in medicine

• To provide students with both core medical knowledge and transferable skills

• To prepare graduates for their first year as a qualified doctor, and lay the foundations for lifelong learning

• To encourage a strong commitment and compassionate approach to patients

• To provide students with opportunities for wider research• To help students to reach their academic potential• To produce doctors who will enhance the practice of

medicine in the next generation and act as educators for the future

The curriculum – years 1 & 2

Students spend most of their time in the University

Year 1 (terms 1-2)• The Human Basis of Medicine: the role of medicine, doctors and

society in healthcare• The Molecular and Cellular Basis of Medicine: the scientific basis of

medicine (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, etc)

Year 1-2• Systems of the Body: cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory,

gastrointestinal, renal, nervous, reproductive• Basic Clinical Skills• Student Selected Components

The curriculum – years 3-5

Students now spend most of their time in hospitals in Bristol and the surrounding area

Year 3• medicine & surgery• psychiatry & ethics• musculoskeletal diseases, ophthalmology & emergency medicine

Year 4• Community medicine• Reproductive health and care of the newborn• Pathology and anaesthesia

Year 5• Elective period• Medicine, surgery and palliative care• Life support and shadowing F1 doctors

This year:

• 2958 (home applicants) applied for 216 places on the 5-year course (A100)

• 350 applied for 10 places on the 6-year premedical course (A104)• 550 applied for 19 places on the 4-year graduate entry course (A101)• 852 candidates were interviewed!

How can you find out more?

Come to our Open Days: Thursday 25th JuneFriday 18th September

Visit the medical school website: www.medici.bris.ac.uk

Look at the entry profile on the UCAS website: www.ucas.ac.uk

Visit the British Medical Association (BMA) website: www.bma.org.uk