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: White
I went to a comprehensive school that does regularly send students to medical school.
Our Summary
Course: Standard Undergraduate
Online Panel interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Recommended Resources:
Medify
UCAT website for past papers
Before I made my application…
When did you decide you wanted to apply for medical school?
In Year 10, when I visited a medical school during an Open Day.
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
I picked ones that worked well with my strengths (e.g. I chose ones that focused more on GCSEs)
What types of work experience did you do?
Care work (e.g. in residential care)
Online work experience
How much work experience did you do?
I did 2 days in a care home prior to covid, and I did online GP shadowing.
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 used Medify and the UCAT website to prepare for the test, I did a few hours a day for a month before the test (on and off).
What resources did you use?
Medify for UCAT and the UCAT website
What type of interview did you do?
Panel Interview: This type of interview is a ‘traditional’ sit down interview where you’ll be interviewed by a group of people, usually academic tutors and doctors. This differs from an MMI interview, which is based around ‘stations’ which have themes or scenarios attached to them.
How did you prepare for your interview?
Social Mobility Foundation provided me with a mentor for free and I practiced with her a lot, I also formulated answers for commonly asked questions. I think the SMF is an invaluable resource!
What happened in your interview?
Sheffield provided me with the questions prior to my interview, so I tried to recite them authentically. I felt it went quite well, the interviewers were very friendly and welcoming. It was an online panel interview so I was a bit anxious about all the noise in my house, but luckily nothing came up. The only unplanned aspect was the problem solving station, which I didn’t get right but they were very nice about it.
Glossary
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.
Mentoring: Not everyone has had mentoring and some mentoring programmes or services may have particular criteria for you to join the programme. Don’t worry if you’ve not had this opportunity. There are plenty of free online resources to help you prepare for the application process, like on our website, and not having a mentor will not put you at a disadvantage.
