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: Indian
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:
Passmedicine
Before I made my application…
When did you decide you wanted to apply for medical school?
Year 9!
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
Combination of location, type of course offered and what their selection criteria is
What types of work experience did you do?
Hospital shadowing
Other healthcare setting e.g pharmacy, physiotherapy
How much work experience did you do?
Did 2 weeks of hospital shadowing and volunteered in the hospital once a week for approx 9 months.
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?
Made sure to do as many practice questions I could and did the practice exams on the UCAT website in the last few days leading to it.
What resources did you use?
Passmedicine!
What type of interview did you do?
Panel. 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?
I read all of the information given by the medical school and tried to make sure I knew how the interview would work. I went to the university website to know the details of the course at that uni specifically. I kept up to date with issues relating to the NHS and healthcare in the news. I used the GMC website to make sure I knew about good medical practice and what is expected from a medical student/doctor.
What happened in your interview?
I talked about my previous experiences and what I learnt from them. I was also tested on my thought process when tackling problems.
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.
General Medical Council: The GMC is the governing body for all the doctors in the UK. Every doctor needs to be registered with the GMC to be able to practise medicine here. They also set the rules and guidance for doctors, like best practice and professional standards.
GMC Good Medical Practice Guidelines: These guidelines describe what it means to be a good doctor. These can help guide you during your preparation for your application and how you answer questions in interviews. Find out more here: GMC Good Practice
