This student applied in the 2020/21 application cycle and therefore the selection process at Sheffield may have changed since then. You should read all the information a University sends you about the selection process to get the most up to date details!
Remember to check out the glossary at the bottom of the page for our explanations of all the jargon we medical students like to use!
More about this student
Gender: Woman
Ethnicity: British
I went to a comprehensive school that doesn’t regularly send students to medical school.
Our Summary
Course: Standard Undergraduate
Online MMI interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Recommended Resources:
Medify
Before I made my application…
What types of work experience did you do?
Care work (e.g. in residential care)
Customer service role (voluntary)
Customer service role (paid)
Online work experience
How much work experience did you do?
Due to COVID I didn’t do any clinical medical work experience. I did an online course through Brighton and Sussex Medical School’s free virtual work experience course exploring medicine and NHS, and volunteered at a COVID vaccine clinic. But I talked a lot about where I used to work (in a coffee shop) too.
During the application process…
What admissions test did you sit?
University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT): https://www.ucat.ac.uk/
How did you prepare for your admissions test?
I did Medify for a couple of weeks and then an online day course organised through my school.
What type of interview did you do?
Multiple Mini Interview: This type of interview usually includes several short interviews or ‘stations’ which may involve different types of questions and scenarios. This is different compared to a panel interview, which may cover the same scenarios/types of questions but be a more ‘traditional’ sit-down interview.
How did you prepare for your interview?
Sheffield sent the interview questions beforehand so I looked over those and wrote some bullet point answers. I practiced at school with my teachers and friends as well as at home (via support networks) and through an online course with my school. I read up about current scientific news.
What happened in your interview?
I spoke about my personal statement and previous work experience as well as why I thought medicine was for me.
Glossary
Brighton and Sussex Online Work Experience: This is a free ‘virtual’ work experience course that explores different roles within the NHS as well as six medical specialties. It also consider some of the challenges and wider issues doctors face. https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE
Paid-for resources and courses: Some students choose to pay for courses either online or in person to help them prepare for admissions tests and interviews. There is no evidence that they give you an advantage. There are good, free alternatives for preparation for admissions tests and interviews, and some offer bursaries and discounts to students who come from low income families. Check out our guides and uni websites for more details.
Medify: Medify is a popular website which provides resources for helping you prepare your medicine application. Medify has some free resources online but some are paid-for. There are good, free alternatives for preparation available online, so check out our subject guides and the university websites for details.
Mock interviews: Don’t worry if you didn’t have this opportunity. Not everyone’s teachers can help organise this, and not everyone can afford to pay for a mock interview. Interviews are designed to take into account that not everyone has the same level of preparation. See our guides and blogs on interviews to find out more about free online resources.
Support networks: Don’t worry if you’ve not been able to rely on your support networks for help. While not every student will have a support network to help them prepare, there are plenty of other ways to prepare for your admissions tests and interviews, such as through free online resources, like on our website.
