Supra-Curricular Activities
In conjunction with Marlborough College and Medic Mentors, United College Sixth Form is proud to present its Get into Medicine Programme. Medic Mentor is a non-profit social enterprise made up of a UK-wide network of doctors, medical students, secondary students, parents and teachers. Their aim is to reinvest into a variety of effective educational, pastoral and extra-curricular activities that support the Doctors Dentists and the Vets of tomorrow.
We are working with Medic mentors to provide the following opportunities for our students:
Conferences (Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinarian Medicine)
These conferences give students access to a range of talks from a variety of healthcare professionals, providing a detailed overview of what each field entails. Students will also be taught about wider Medic Mentor programmes, so that they are more aware of opportunities and feel empowered to get involved. This approach ensures that students have a fantastic insight into each career and can make well informed life choices. At these conferences, students are provided with a detailed overview of the UCAS application itself and are advised on obtaining work experience and CV building activities.
Access to Virtual Work Experience with Medic Mentors
Medic Mentors is also providing our students with free live virtual work experience. This work experience programme is completely unique because, unlike other virtual work experience programmes, it is LIVE, using high fidelity simulation in the best state-of-the-art-simulation centre in the country, at the QE Hospital in Birmingham. Follow three patients over a 6-month period as they go from diagnosis, to treatment and follow up, provided by real doctors and a multi-disciplinary team. As a student, you will be able to ask the doctors questions about the cases. It will be as if you are really there, but from the comfort of your own home.
Medic Mentor Awards
In conjunction with Medic Mentors, we offer our students the chance to enrol on the only Medical Awards programme of its kind in the UK. Year 10/11 students can enrol on Bronze Awards, Year 12 students can enrol directly on the Silver Awards, and finally Year 13 students can enrol straight onto the Gold Awards.
Students are provided with an awards mentor, and an awards supervisor. Mentors and supervisors are from a network of practising clinicians, so medical students are mentored by doctors, vet students are mentored by vets and of course, our qualified dentistry volunteers look after dental awards students. The awards programme is the unwritten curriculum of being in the top 10% of applying students each year, encouraging students to complete reflective essays on medical wider reading, and points awarded for attending medical conferences, and familiarising students with medical ethics, lifelong learning and the development of transferable skills essential for applying to these competitive courses at university.
Students completing the gold award are also automatically offered an interview for the Medic Mentor scholarships when they have secured their university place, after A Level results day. Students completing the Gold Awards level, will also automatically be awarded a ‘Fast Track Scholarship Interview’ following A Level results day, which could lead to students obtaining a £12,000 scholarship to start university with.
Medic Mentor Summer School
Every summer throughout the holidays, Medic Mentor hosts the largest national residential summer school programme for medical, dental and veterinarian prospective students, offering intensive UCAS application support for seven days per week. Students can only attend summer school in the summer between year 12 and 13. The curriculum is focused on personal statement writing, UCAT/BMAT preparation and mock interviews – encompassing MMI, panel and group assessment formats. On the final day of summer school , all students parents are invited for one to one meetings with their child and their mentor for the week, and support the family strategically select the universities to apply for, based on the students strengths displayed during the week. Following attendance to summer school, Yr13 students are mentored for the duration of their final year at school, with virtual mock interviews taking place the night before each university interview to ensure students remain confident.
Medical Society
We provide access to weekly medical ethics discussion groups with students from Marlborough College, as well as the opportunity to join the Medic Mentor virtual society. The Medical Society aim is to support students with their insight into medicine and applications to medical school.
Book Club
We provide a dedicated library with a recommend reading list of books to support students in their medical application journey, as well as access to Medic Mentors virtual book club.
Specialised Support with Your Personal Statement for Medicine
A Personal Statement supports your UCAS application. It’s designed to help universities choose the best candidates. More specifically, a Medicine Personal Statement is your chance to highlight any of your skills or qualities that you need to be a Doctor and write about your motivation to study Medicine. Medical Schools use your Personal Statement in different ways. Some won’t pay much attention to it, some will use it as a basis to shortlist who to invite to interview, and some will use it to form the basis of some interview questions.
Preparation for UCAT and BMAT Exams
UCAT and BMAT are exams which are essential for students to pass in order to gain a place at University, therefore we will support students in their preparation for these exams. The UCAT is a compulsory computer-based entrance exam required by most UK medical schools. It tests various aptitudes, such as mental abilities and ethics. These skills are key in the clinical context and help universities pick out the best candidates. Each university uses your score differently – some may put a heavy emphasis on the UCAT, whilst others look at your entire application
Workshops and Talks from Medics
Our Careers Team will organise workshops and talks from medics for students on the Medicine Pathway. Students will receive a minimum one talk per term from current practicing medics.
Relevant Work Experience
Our dedicated Careers Team will support students to find work experience that will aid their medical application.
Support with Interview Preparation
Interviews for medicine are very specialised. They are designed to assess students’ suitability for a career in medicine, aside from academic excellence. One form of the interview is a series of mini interviews where students are asked several scenario questions. We will provide students with practice interviews that prepare students for these situations.
First Aid Course
During the course of students’ studies, we provide a six-week level 1 course in first aid.
Extended Project Qualification
All students on the Medicine Programme must take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in Year 12. The EPQ is a standalone qualification designed to extend and develop students’ skills in independent research and project management. The EPQ is awarded UCAS points worth half an A-level and is recognised by universities and employers. Some leading universities, such as Southampton University, make alternative offers to students undertaking an EPQ. The EPQ requires students to carry out research on a topic that they have chosen and is not covered by their other qualifications. They then use this research to produce a written report and, in the case of practical projects, an artefact or a production. We recommend that our medics take inspiration from contemporary and relevant topics in medicine.
Support with Pathways to Healthcare Programme (Bristol University) Applications
If students are accepted onto the scheme we will assist with transport to Bristol for the sessions. Pathways to Health Sciences will consist of a wide variety of sessions designed to give students an insight into Bristol University’s health science programmes. Students will take part in academic taster sessions, delivered by leading academics, NHS clinicians, and current students.
Students will also have the opportunity to practice clinical skills and talk to professionals from their chosen field. In addition to the academic and professional sessions, the programme will provide students with personal statement and interview workshops to help them prepare for their application to university. The programme will consist of enrichment sessions during Year 12, a summer work experience conference, with further sessions supporting the student’s application and interview technique taking place in Year 13. Students will be provided with a timetable with details of each session.