JotCast | Year 12 RfE - Student Question Time 29.05.19

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Year 12 RfE - Student Question Time 29.05.19

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Mohammed Ali

3:46

How many events do we need to have attended overall just to know please

Maddie

3:46

Also (@Muhammad Zain Mussa), to everyone, if you can come along to one in September or October, the University of Leeds are hosting "Personal Statement surgeries" where you can bring in your Personal Statements and have them checked over by staff here. They can help you too!

Emily

3:46

Hi Laraib! Don't worry, it's not weird, I had the exact same worry when I got my first interview. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable in. As long as you are smart and it makes you feel good then go for it! At my interview there were many people wearing different things in lots of different colours.

Laraib

3:47

Thank you!

Molly

3:48

@Mohammed Ali you need at least 1 red, 1 blue and 1 yellow event over the course of year 12. You can find out how many events you've attended and what colours they are if you email the RfE inbox at reachforexcellence@leeds.ac.uk

Mohammed Ali

3:49

Thank you much appreciated

Molly

3:49

@Mohammed Ali no worries!

Guest

3:49

This was really helpful thank you

Molly

3:50

Glad you found it useful @Guest! Any other questions just send them our way :)

Shafrin

3:50

Hi Molly, I am currently writing my personal statement, and wanted to write about Reach For Excellence, how should I introduce it and describe it?

Molly

3:51

Hi @Shafrin it's best not to mention any University by name really, as you don't want your statement to look biased! Personally the phrase I'd use would be 'taking part in a widening participation scheme at a local university' and then you can follow this up with all of the experiences and skills you've gained as part of RfE

Shafrin

3:52

That's fine thank you. Also, regarding Medicine, what activities will we do in the RfE summer school?

Hassaan

3:54

For those who live by themselves/ away from home was it hard to adjust or did you find it easy

Zainub

3:54

Hi i was wondering if anyone could offer advice about revising for BMAT or UCAT

Molly

3:55

@Shafrin there will be an opportunity to 'Meet the Professionals' on Summer School, an Anatomy focussed academic session, and plenty more Medicine sessions to choose from - you'll be getting a booklet of choices for Summer School where you can find out more about the different things on offer and book on to the things you're most interested in

Guest

3:57

How do you manage with A level stress ?

Shafrin

3:58

I wanted to visit the Universities that I will apply for this summer, could RfE still fund for University visits for Open days?

Maddie

3:58

Hi @Guest, make sure you look after yourself! It's important to eat healthy and drink plenty of water. Those things start you off on the right foot. Try to get at least 7 hours sleep at the bare minimum but try to aim for 8.

Emily

3:59

Hi Zainub! The biggest piece of advice I would give you is to start early. I would use the websites as a starting point. On the UKCAT one there are lots of practice tests that look like the real thing so you can familiarise yourself with how it looks, the timings and the calculator ect. On the BMAT one there is a revision booklet for the science bit and there are lots of practice test. I also got the isc medical question books to practice loads and loads of questions too. I would not panic about spending loads and loads of money on fancy courses personally as I don't think they are worth the money as there are lots of great resources out there for free, it just about spending the time to practice and get familiar with the format and timing because I think that's what trips people up the most.

Maddie

4:00

(Cont.) @Guest, if you play sports or music make sure you keep up a hobby! Sports are great as they release endorphins and make you feel brighter! Also try and see your friends and family. As the weather is getting nicer, it's a good idea to get out as much as possible for that fresh air! Try to go for walks instead of sitting in and watching telly. And don't try to revise for hours on end as your brain won't absorb all that info. Regular breaks are vital!

Zainub

4:00

Also are they any medicine focus events after the Summer school

Molly

4:01

@Zainub we run some mock MMI stations in October Half Term as a part of our 'Careerability' event!

Maisie

4:01

Hi @Hassaan! I grew up in London and moved to Leeds to start university, so moved quite far away! I definitely had a few ups and downs and moments where I was homesick, but on the whole I actually found it far easier than expected. In first year you (usually) live in student accomodation with other first years, so you're all going through the same process and can support and help each other! There's also pastoral support from wardens and peer mentors that will look out for you and support you through the process of moving away from home. I really quickly found myself loving living away from home, and am so glad that I had that opportunity to gain that independence, as I have really grown up and matured since starting in first year. Living away from home definitely can be scary but you also might surprise yourself by how independent you can be, as this is what happened to me!

Guest

4:01

Sorry I know someone asked about this but I just wanted to ask again - if it so happens that my predicted grades were ABB like A2L, will I be seen as the same as a normal applicant with AAA predicted?

Maariya

4:01

hi are there any dentistry focused events on the summer school and may i ask how many people are attending?

Zainub

4:01

Thank you your advice was very helpful

Molly

4:02

@Maariya yes! We have a 'meet the NHS professionals event' and hopefully 2 dentistry events planned. Just under 100 students will be taking part in the summer school!

@Shafrin applications to the Opportunities Fund are all considered on a case-by-case basis, so you'd need to fill out the application form in as much detail as possible, just like any other time. We would consider applications for travel costs to Open Days, but please bear in mind that this isn't an endless pot of money and so there would need to be a good reason for us to cover the costs - otherwise we'd be paying for everybody which would limit the fund for other applications!

Emily

4:02

Hi Guest! Yes that is right. The admissions team would look at your application as if you were predicted AAA.

Zainub

4:04

You mentioned there is a revision booklet for the science bit of BMAT , where could you purchase this

Louie

4:05

Do you have to do an interview as part of the admissions process for Leeds?

Shafrin

4:06

Where can we find the information about what Universities' Admission tutor take into account at first before giving an offer. So for example, Leeds Uni takes the GCSE grades into consideration first because they are true grades and not predicted, then the personal statement and predicted A-level grades. Do we have to personally email each admission tutor and ask what is the most important thing during the application process?

Emily

4:06

Hi Zainub! Yes, it is free and available on the BMAT website:(https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/preparing-for-b...)

Maisie

4:07

Hi @Louie! It really depends on the course you are applying for, so make sure to check the university website, as it will say on the page for each degree programme whether an interview is required or not. Interviews are increasingly becoming a more common part of the admissions process, as staff want to get to know their prospective students!

Hassaan

4:08

@Maisie thanks

Shafrin

4:08

Thank you Molly

Alesha

4:09

What's your best advice for anyone about to start their Personal Statement draft?

Molly

4:10

@Shafrin you'll find the most up to date information on University websites - go on to the individual course page and you'll be able to find the full list of entry requirements. In terms of what is most important, it's really subjective so I wouldn't bank on that for where you apply - Leeds do take GCSEs into account but they aren't necessarily more important - admissions tutors in Medicine score your BMAT, GCSEs and predicted grades and then add them up to rank the applications. They then take the top 1000 of these students to interview, where they look at your personal statement, and your interview scores, and that's how they make their decisions. It's not the same everywhere however, so Uni websites are the best places to head for specifics.

Aneesah

4:12

How many stations do you go to during mmi interviews? And how much time is spent at each station?

Molly

4:13

@Aneesah this can vary from institution to institution, and from year to year, so there's really no right answer I'm afraid! University websites should have more up to date info though, so I'd head there.

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