UK Medical School Admissions Advice

You may be asked to submit one or more references (similar to letters of recommendation) to support your application. Here, Dr Kakkar says, it’s essential to ensure at least one of your referees is a former teacher or academic supervisor, even if you’ve taken some time out of education. Additional references could come from people you’ve worked with in a professional or voluntary context, but an academic referee is a must.

Dr Kakkar notes that admissions tutors will be more impressed by applications in which the personal statement and references are well-matched. References should reinforce and validate claims you’ve made in the personal statement, providing evidence and examples of your commitment to studying medicine, reliability and perseverance, good communication and team-working skills, ability to empathize and readiness to help others, and your intellectual potential. If there are any mitigating circumstances which may have affected your academic performance, this should also be mentioned.

To ensure your referee covers all the necessary points, show her/him a copy of your personal statement and any guidelines provided by the UK medical schools you’re applying to.

If you meet all the eligibility criteria, and your personal statement and references impress the admissions panel, it’s likely that you’ll be invited to attend an interview. While some UK medical schools offer opportunities for international students to be interviewed in other countries, it’s usual to be asked to travel to the UK campus of the institution. Dr Kakkar explains that this ensures the assessment is conducted consistently, and adds that it’s a good opportunity for prospective students to explore the campus, meet course tutors, and ask any remaining questions.

For UK medical school admissions, it’s now standard practice to assess candidates using the “Multiple Mini Interview” (MMI) format. This means there are around 10 different stations, which candidates go through in sequence, each designed to assess a particular attribute or skill and each led by a different interviewer. Dr Kakkar says this approach is much more targeted than a traditional panel-style interview, and leads to a more balanced overall assessment of each candidate. She adds that the aim is not to identify applicants who are likely to be good doctors, but rather those who possess the attributes needed to be good medical student.

While it’s difficult to prepare for this kind of admissions interview, you can make a good impression by showing you’ve done some research on the course and the medical school in question. Try to demonstrate your understanding of any distinctive features of the school’s ethos, approach to teaching, facilities and student community. Explain what attracted you to apply to study here, and why you believe the program is a good match for your own interests, learning style and aspirations.

Demonstrating some knowledge of the UK General Medical Council (GMC) and National Health Service (NHS) may also help you to make a favorable impression, showing further evidence of your commitment and enthusiasm. Even if you don’t intend to practice medicine in the UK, this is the system you’ll be trained within if you study at a UK medical school, so some background knowledge will also be advantageous once your studies commence.

Finally, Dr Kakkar emphasizes the importance of conveying your commitment to the field and your motivations for studying medicine – both within your initial application and during the interview. This, she says, is what really makes candidates stand out. Think about what first inspired you to consider a medical career, how you’ve already demonstrated your commitment to pursuing this pathway, and what future ambitions are likely to keep you going through all the years of study and training yet to come.

For further information on medicine at UCLan, call +44 (0)1772 895024 or email [email protected]

This article was originally published in November 2014. It was updated in February 2016.