Offers And Accepting

There's probably not a huge amount I can say about this topic, but I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway.

When I went for my interview at Brighton and Sussex Medical School we were told in the presentation/talk prior to our interviews that approximately 5% of people will receive their offer of a place on the same day. We were also told that those people would be the ones who scored full marks at every station. Everybody else would receive their offers sometime before May.

Now, I hadn't exactly made the best first impression when I arrived at BSMS as I'd forgotten to bring my qualification certificates with me, but what I did have was a letter from a doctor who I work with, who looks after my Father, stating that I had just found out he had an incurable cancer, literally two weeks before my interview, and hence, I wasn't as well prepared as I would have liked to have been, and probably wasn't in the best frame of mind either. I showed this letter to the admissions team, who were sympathetic and supportive, and informed the interviewers before I went in.

These circumstances meant that, while in the long term I wanted a place to study medicine, in the short term I didn't care very much about whether I received an offer this year. It made me strangely relaxed about my interview. I had bigger things in my life to worry about than if those five people liked me that day. In a way I think it turned out to be beneficial to my interview as I usually get very nervous and don't interview very well, but on that day I couldn't bring myself to even worry enough to be nervous, I just hoped I would get through the day without crying in front of people.

I did making it through the day without crying, just. I had a couple of wobbles but no tears. One of the interviewers told me he was sorry to hear about my Father, which was kind but not what I needed to hear mid-interview, but I still somehow managed to keep it together.

After the interview, I went back to the train station to wait for my train home. I even fell asleep in the waiting room, as I was emotionally and mentally exhausted. It's a good job I had remembered to put my phone back onto loud as it woke me from my sleep. It was a call from the admissions team, they asked me how my interview went and if I was okay, and I was thinking this is a kind courtesy call because of my Dad, but then they informed me that I had done really well and they were going to offer me a place, and that I could call my Dad and tell him. I was in shock. I rang my family immediately to let them know and my Dad told me straight away he wanted me to accept the place, even though I would be further away than I would like while he battles this illness, he was adamant that he wanted to see me live out my dreams, and not put my life on hold for him. It almost broke my heart, and it almost breaks my heart all over again typing it now. But I was incredibly thankful for his support, and even that he made the decision for me. I wouldn't have been able to leave him without his blessing.

While I was shocked and thankful for the place, I did have some doubts about my performance. Even though I had felt comfortable in my interview and I had felt I had answered most questions fully, I didn't think I had done that well, and I questioned for a few moments if it was a sympathy place because of my Dad. But my friends, family, and medical colleagues soon put me right, I wouldn't have been offered the place if I wasn't good enough, and I shouldn't ever put myself down.

I had to wait for the offer to be made official on UCAS but as soon as it was I cancelled the other interview I had been offered, withdrew from the other applications I was still waiting to hear from, and, along with my Father, I clicked the button to accept it straight away. Some people feel I was a bit rash about it, but it had been my top choice out of the universities I had applied to and it was an unconditional offer, so I didn't see the pointing in waiting, travelling to other interviews, and putting myself through more stress at a bad time.

So, I had accepted my place. Now it's time to wait for the rest of the offers to be sent out before I can sort accommodation and finance, forward my certificates and vaccination history, and get my DBS check done.

Thanks for reading.
Katherine