This student applied in the 2021/22 application cycle and therefore the selection process at Southampton 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
Sometimes students share information with us about their demographics, which may help put their application experience into a bit more perspective.
This student identifies as a Pakistani woman, and they attended a fee-paying school in the UK.
Our Summary
Course: Standard Undergraduate
Online panel interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Recommended Resources:
Passmed
YouTube videos
Before I made my application…
Choosing to study medicine
When did you decide to apply to medical school? In 2020
How did you choose which universities to apply to?
Based on what appealed to me and what universities I knew of!
Completing work experience
What types of work experience did you do?
GP surgery, Customer service role (voluntary), Pharmacy
How much work experience did you do?
About 2 weeks worth.
How did you find your work experience opportunities?
Through a formal scheme or work experience placement, and through asking someone I knew to take me on
During the application process…
Admissions tests
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 just did online questions, Passmed and asked people who had been in the same situation what to expect etc and YouTube videos on tips and tricks.
What resources did you use?
- Past papers from UCAT website
- Universities’ guidance on UCAT
- Free online resources
Interviews
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 the programme and the benefits of studying medicine at Southampton. I searched up general medicine interview questions and practiced answering them and got my friends and family to help me out with mock interviews.
What happened in your interview?
We talked about my personal statement, why I wanted to study medicine, why I chose the university, and then I answered some general questions about the four pillars of medical ethics and NHS values.
Glossary
Clinical work experience: Not every student will complete clinical work experience before they apply to medical school. Don’t worry, this is not required to be able to apply. You can use non-clinical work experience (e.g. a caring role, like in a care home) or even reflect on paid work you’ve done (e.g. in customer service) in a productive way.
Passmed: Passmed offers 6 months free UCAT revision, but also offers paid revision support for medical students during their courses. Lots of students use it to help them prepare for UCAT.
Insiders: Don’t worry if you don’t know people like this. Most students don’t have friends who have already been through the process or healthcare professionals that they know who might be able to support them. You can meet current medical students to speak to at open days, or via free mentoring schemes, but it’s not a requirement for you to be successful.
YouTube: There are many current and recent medical students who create videos on YouTube about their experience and advice about applying. Remember that their experience is personal and individual, and may not reflect yours. They might provide some useful advice but remember that they might be advertising paid for services. Take their advice as part of a more holistic approach alongside moderated advice such as ours, and official advice from universities and test providers.
Support networks: 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.
Four pillars of medical ethics: These four pillars guide ideas about medical ethics. Knowing and understanding them can help you prepare for your interview and how you answer questions. Four Pillars
NHS Values: The NHS Values guide healthcare education and careers. It’s important to know and understand these values to help you be as successful as possible in your application. They can help you answer questions in your interview, or guide what you write about in your personal statement. Find out more here: NHS Values
