Early Applications in Europe, U.K. & U.S. Cambridge/Oxford/Medical/Veterinary/Early Decision/Early Action

AGENDA DEADLINES TESTING IB REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMPLES EARLY DECISION AND EARLY ACTION PERSONAL STATEMENT INTERVIEWS

Deadlines are Approaching Fast UK and European applications are due October 15, 2016. Students should have all materials ready for the Counselor’s approval by October 2, 2016 U.S. Early Decision/Early Action deadlines are November 1st or 15th. Students should have all materials ready for the Counselor’s approval by October 23, 2016

UK Medical Deadlines 1st July to 5th October: Sit UKCAT exam 15th October: UCAS submission September: Register for BMAT 2nd November: Sit BMAT exam November to March: Interviews

WHAT TESTS DO I NEED? UK MEDICAL PROGRAMS REQUIRES THE UKCAT OR BMAT (24 SCHOOLS USE UKCAT AND 8 USE BMAT). www.ukcat.ac.uk http://www.admissionstestingservi ce.org/for-test-takers/bmat/about- bmat/ THE LINKS WILL LIST WHICH UNIVERSITIES USE WHICH EXAM. UK MAY REQUIRE THE IELTS DEPENDING ON YOUR PASSPORT. DEPENDING ON THE U.S. UNIVERSITY YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE SAT AND/OR ACT. DEPENDING ON YOUR PASSPORT, YOU MAY NEED THE TOEFL FOR U.S. ADMISSIONS. EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES MAY HAVE THEIR OWN ENTRANCE EXAMS OR THEY MAY REQUIRE THE UKCAT OR BMAT. CAMBRIDGE AND OXFORD MAY REQUIRE AN ADMISSION EXAM. Remind them to discuss exemptions to the TOEFL/IELTS with their Counselor. Remind kids to register ASAP because centers and test dates fill up quickly. Only a few sites in UAE. Check european test requirements.

UKCAT v. BMAT UKCAT BMAT http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/about- the-test/who-should-take-the- test/ http://www.admissionstestingse rvice.org/for-test- takers/bmat/about-bmat/ CLICK THE LINKS TO SHOW THEM LIST (quickly)

IB Requirements from Birmingham-Medical International Baccalaureate Higher level: 766 from Chemistry and Biology and one other approved subject (in any order) Subsidiary level: The subjects must include English and Mathematics if not offered at the higher level (Maths Studies is acceptable). Minimum of 32 points must be attained

Example from Birmingham University Selection process for international applicants: i) Academic Academic results will be studied to ensure minimum academic standards are met (see below for specified qualifications). These minimum standards may be raised through competition. All applicants who meet the threshold academic standards will go forward to the next stage of selection ii) UKCAT Applicants will be ranked according to UKCAT results. For selection for interview among 2015 applicants, the threshold UKCAT score was 1780. The UKCAT test is structured differently this year and, therefore, to allow you to compare your result with the threshold score used last year, we have excluded the Decision Analysis subtest scores from last year’s results. iii) Non-academic The final stage of selection is an assessment of your non-academic qualities, which will be made based on the evidence provided in your personal statement

CAMBRIDGE REQUIREMENTS International Baccalaureate typical offers and requirements Offers usually require scores between 40 and 41 points out of 45, with 776 in Higher Level subjects. Applicants may be required to achieve 7 in a particular subject(s), depending on individual circumstances. Please note applicants may need to take an entrance exam. Discuss with your Counselor.

OXFORD REQUIREMENTS A total score of 38, 39 or 40 points (depending on the course) including core points. Specific scores may be required in subjects taken at the Higher level. Please see the individual course pages for details. Please note applicants may need to take an entrance exam. Discuss with your Counselor.

EARLY DECISION V. EARLY ACTION You can only apply to one (1) university for Early Decision. You will apply early November and will receive an answer by December. It is binding and you are required to attend if you are accepted. You must withdraw all other regular decision applications. You may or may not be able apply to more than one university through Early Action (verify with the university website). Discuss this process with your Counselor in more detail as this system can be tricky.

PERSONAL STATEMENT Your first point of interaction with the admissions team 4000 characters including punctuation and spaces Often a core component of interviews Two essential areas to cover include: Why are you applying for medicine? Why are you suitable to study medicine? Your personal Statement must stand out - what is your unique selling point as a potential medical student? Spelling and grammar must be perfect Explain the interviewer will usually use information from the statement to see if it matches to your answers to interview questions.

PERSONAL STATEMENT Structure is key: Write about the course – why PBL, traditional or integrated? Work experience – reflect on what you learned, observed and experienced Skills and achievements – how do these relate to being an excellent medical student? Hobbies and interests – evidence of skills gained, how will they help you to be a good student? Future plans – what area of medicine interests you? Ask parents/teachers/counselors to review your personal statement. If they don’t know what PBL (Problem Based Learning), Traditional or Integrated are, they need to study up on it.

Tell vs. Show I captained my school first XI football team in my final year at school. Whilst captaining my school first XI football team, I developed my communication skills with my team mates and teachers from other schools, and organized our international tour to France. I enhanced my ability to work within a team and prioritize my blend of school work and sports practice – demonstrated by the fact that in the run up to my examinations we won the regional cup.

You Got the Interview-Now What? Most interviews are done in person at the following locations: London, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Hong Kong and Singapore. Some schools will do a Skype interview. Interviews will not be done over the phone.

INTERVIEW TYPES MMI (Multi-Mini Interview) Used by 18 medical schools Panel Interview Used by 7 medical schools Semi-Structured Interview Used by 5 medical schools MMI is like speed dating moving from station to station for five minutes with one minute rests in between. Panel is a group of interviewers asking questions. Semi-Structured has scenarios in addition to questions.

TIPS FOR INTERVIEWS Dress in comfortable but professional clothes. Good posture and eye contact is very important. Avoid using a generated answer to questions found online beforehand. The majority of questions found online are wrong. It’s okay to ask for the question to be repeated. Also it is okay to take your time to formulate a response and then answer (about 10 seconds). More tips will be discussed during our Mock Interview Session. Explain we will have a session in conjuction with Jumeriah College in November.

How Can You Prepare? Check the university websites. They are very clear about what they are looking for. Research current topics. Practice sample questions in timed conditions. Be prepared but be NATURAL. Show your personality and be yourself. Research NHS and have an idea of the concept. Don’t need to know the full ins and out but a general idea.