Keele School of Medicine 

 

Graduating Excellent Clinicians

School of Medicine

Student Information Sheet

Application to the MBChB at Keele University


All applications are first read by our Admissions team.   If your application does not meet minimum academic requirements it will be rejected at this initial stage.   If academic requirements are met, applications will be passed to our Admissions Tutors. They will pay particular attention to your Personal Statement and to the reference from your School/College. The purpose of this assessment is to identify candidates for interview. It is not possible to be offered a place without interview.  Please don't send in extra information or portfolios of work.  In the interests of fairness to all candidates, we will only assess what is included in your UCAS application form.

Admissions Tutors look at your UCAS form for information on the following areas:


• Reasons for choosing / changing to medicine.
• Regular work experience.
• Knowledge / experience of healthcare system in UK.
• Interests / hobbies / sports.
• Evidence of teamwork.
• Communication skills.
• Determination/conscientiousness.
• Intellectual achievements and potential.

Each aspect is scored - some are given more weighting than others - and a total score compiled.
If you have a very low score for any aspect of your UCAS form, you are unlikely to be called for interview. The threshold score above which students are called for interview varies from year to year depending upon the quality and quantity of applications that year.

You should ensure that this information is given to the person who will complete your reference. Both you and your referee should address each aspect outlined above.  Referees should be aware that we expect to see more than a record of academic achievement.  References indicating your strengths in the areas listed above are much more valuable than simple 'school report'-style references.



PERSONAL STATEMENT


Reasons for choosing medicine. This may appear obvious to you. It is not obvious to us. The Director of Admissions and Admissions Tutors have not met you and know nothing about you. It is vital that you tell us why you wish to be a doctor. Do not be afraid of apparently "trite" comments such as a desire to help people or a desire to care. There is no "correct" answer to this question but not to address it at all would seriously weaken any application.

Work experience in a caring role. We believe that it is helpful to undertake long-term, hands-on work experience in a caring role, so that you are aware of what a career in caring for people may involve.  Work experience can take many forms, from helping elderly members of the community with shopping, through to volunteering in a hospice, or working with disadvantaged children.  You'll need to tell us how long and how regularly you have been involved in the activity and, most importantly, what you have gained from it.  We are not necessarily looking for medically-related work experience, such as shadowing a GP or consultant, although this type of experience is useful in addition to your hands-on involvement in a caring role.  You should be aware that we may request confirmation of the work experience detailed on your application.

Interests/hobbies. Medicine is about being able to communicate. Good communication calls for you to have some shared life experiences and empathy with others. Hence if you are totally absorbed in your studies to the exclusion of almost all else, you are less likely to make a good doctor. Tell us about your interests and hobbies. Tell us why you pursue them. How long have you been involved? Have you achieved any outside recognition (e.g awards, certificates, etc).  Do you coach or lead people in your hobby?

In any medical career it is vital that you retain a work-life balance, and so it is important that in your Personal Statement you reflect on your outside interests that help you relax from the stresses of work.  We are aware that some students may have more opportunities than others to pursue a wide range of interests.  We are not so much concerned with exactly what you do in your spare time, but that you have some spare time and that you do something with it that you are enthusiastic about.

Communication and teamworking.  Doctors must be able to communicate effectively on a variety of levels.  Experience in communicating with different groups, including those with significant communication barriers, is highly valuable.  Medicine involves working within teams and it is vital that potential doctors understand how teams work, and how their own role would contribute to the overall effectiveness of the team.  Examples of teamworking may be taken from a wide variety of experiences both in and out of school/college/university.

Presentation and style. Applications will be marked down for careless errors of grammar and spelling, so please consider carefully how you have presented your Personal Statement.



REFERENCE


Your reference is likely to be written by your Head Teacher, College Principal or the head of your year / Form Tutor. Later applicants should approach an academic supervisor whenever possible, a "character reference" is not sufficient. We do, however, want to know what the writer of the reference thinks about you as a whole person, not merely about your academic achievements and potential. Please ensure that whoever is writing the reference sees a copy of these guidelines.

The areas in which we require information are:

Commitment to medicine. While the length of time that you have been committed to a medical career may be relevant here, it is not the only factor. Equally important are the steps that you have taken to confirm this commitment (work experience in a caring role - see above, and talking to a range of medical professionals). Work experience in other areas which has convinced you that those areas are not the right careers for you could even be mentioned here.  Some insight into your awareness of the realities, advantages and disadvantages of a medical career, would be useful.

Staying power/perseverance. This could equally be titled "commitment to academic study". While we are obviously interested in whether you work at an appropriate level of intensity, complete work on time and are reliable, some insight into your interest and enthusiasm for the subject would also be useful. 'Late developers' should not be disadvantaged by this process. We are keen to hear about students who have blossomed in their interest and commitment relatively late in their school career or as a graduate or other later applicant.

Communication skills. The ability to communicate is essential to the practice of medicine. However, communication is not merely about articulation and vocabulary but is also about listening. Thus whilst we are interested in students' contributions to class discussion and extra curricular activity, we would be very pleased to hear about how you relate to others, in particular the less gifted students or younger students, and how well you accept criticism.

Humanity/Humility. There is clearly some overlap here with "communication" but information in this section should primarily deal with how the referee feels about your ability to care and empathise (is there practical evidence of this?), and how you see yourself in the school and wider community or in the case of later applicants in the workplace or in higher education.

Intellectual potential. This is not only evidenced by your GCSE grades and achieved or predicted A-level grades or degrees. It is important for the referee to tell us about "late academic developers" e.g. the student who achieves the bare minimum GCSE grade "A" passes but is likely to blossom at "A" level and beyond. Other evidence of intellectual potential beyond merely the ability to pass exams is important here.

Leadership qualities. These may be displayed within the school or in the wider community. Appointment as a prefect or sports team leader is an example. We are aware that not all schools operate a Prefect system. Being a Prefect of course does not necessarily imply good leadership skills, and further evidence for such skills should be offered in this section. The opinion of the referee is important. Where a school or college has had little opportunity to assess this area we would encourage the referee to obtain independent information from other sources.

Teamwork. These skills may be demonstrated either within or outside school. We recognise that not all students have sporting aptitudes but participating in sport is not the only way in which students can excel in this area. Social and charity involvement would be relevant here as would membership of choirs, orchestras etc. The ability to work as a member of a team in class practices, field trips, hikes, expeditions etc. will also be important. Once again we recognise that not all schools and colleges will have equal opportunity to assess teamwork skills and therefore where such opportunities do not exist within school, we strongly encourage the referee to obtain independent information from other sources.

Mitigating Circumstances. We strongly recommend that in addition to all the above sections, any mitigating circumstances which may affect not only academic performance but any aspect of the information contained within the UCAS form should be included in the referee's report.  If you experience any extenuating circumstances at the time of your examinations, your school or college should report this immediately to the relevant examination boards so that any allowances can be made.



DISABILITIES

You should tick the relevant box on the UCAS form if you consider that you are in any way disabled. Keele University is committed to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act (2001) and any guidance issued by the Medical Schools Council (MSC) and General Medical Council (GMC).

Please be assured that ticking the disability box will in no way affect the normal screening of your UCAS form. You will be assessed in the normal way and decisions on calling to interview and offers will be made in accordance with the guidance given here for all candidates.  Following this all successful applicants are sent a health questionnaire and the Occupational Health Unit may invite you to discuss how you manage your disability or condition and what coping strategies you have developed, so that a judgement can be reached regarding your fitness to practise.


September 2009