This student applied in the 2021/22 application cycle and therefore the selection process at Keele 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 an white British woman who went to a comprehensive school that does regularly send students to medical school.
Our Summary
Course: Standard undergraduate
Online MMI interview
Admissions Tests: UCAT
Before I made my application…
Choosing to apply
When did you decide you wanted to apply to medicine?
I always loved science and the investigative research methods behind it. I was particularly drawn to biology and the human body which made me like anatomy. I loved talking to people and always found I was interested in peoples medical conditions I hadn’t heard of. I was inspired me the hard work and skills of doctors.
How did you choose what medical schools to apply to?
Keele= spiral curriculum and campus
Aston= not my favourite
Leicester= location
Completing work experience
What types of work experience did you do?
Hospital shadowing, GP surgery, Other healthcare setting e.g pharmacy, physiotherapy, Online work experience
How much work experience did you do?
A week of hospital, regular weekly pharmacy work experience
How did you find your work experience opportunities?
Through contacting consultants.
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 used Medify for about 6 months.
Interviews
What type of interview did you do?
MMI: 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?
Used the provided info from the uni combined with my own research from popular medical interview resources.
Did a practice interview with a company and with my sixth form.
Learnt answers to all possible questions and practiced answering questions.
What happened during your interview?
Provided with 6 questions and talked through in two different interviews.
Many were about my personal motivation to medicine and it was straightforward until more difficult questions were at the end. It was tricky as online but I was used to it due to lots of practice at that point.
Glossary
Spiral curriculum: Keele has a spiral curriculum, in which core topics and concepts are revisited frequently as a foundation for learning. This means core knowledge is built on as you go through the years!
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.
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 interview: Don’t worry if you didn’t have this opportunity. 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.
