Anyone applied to Cardiff for Medicine?

[The Angelus]

Hey guys,

 

I would like to ask if any of you applied to Cardiff for medicine.

 

Are you aware that academic entry requirements for IB students is 776 (equivalent of A*A*A) and 38 (without ToK). This will also be the conditional offer. However for A-level students, the entry requirement is AAA.

 

Cardiff Medical school seems to be the only UK university that equates an A-level "A" to be equivalent to an IB score of "7". All other universities equate an A to be equal to a 6. Based on this, it seems clear that Cardiff is disadvantaging IB students.

 

Let me know if you are aware of this.

[Sandwich]

Universities discriminating against IB students in terms of not understanding the equivalences between A level grades and IB grades is sadly not news, although I'd hoped it had improved over the years. Most Universities do have a slightly fairer weighting, but basically if you took the IB in the hope it would somehow get you into Universities easier, you're on the wrong course!!

 

My school actually sold us the IB on the basis you're a more competitive candidate than an A Level candidate - when the opposite is in fact true, because what is asked of IB students actually adds up to more than what is being asked of A Level students for a good number of courses.

[tashakappler]

I remember looking up possible Welsh unis a while ago, and yeah them equating As to 7s is not surprising. I think a couple of Irish unis do the same. The thing is a lot of UK universities haven't really looked into the IB system, especially ones in Wales and both the Republic of Ireland. The reason for this being (according to my teacher) is that these countries don't really cater for international students, not because they choose to but because they simply don't get as many applicants from outside the UK and therefore don't have a good understanding of the IB. You'll also notice that their tuition fees are ridiculously expensive and they only offer reduced fees to students who are national citizens. Personally I really wouldn't recommend it. Having lived in the UK myself, it's also worth considering that Cardiff isn't the best of places to move to, especially with their strict grade requirements and big tuition fees. Universities in Scotland and Northern Ireland are cheaper (or free if you get SAAS) and their IB requirements are more manageable.