Ipswich School is delighted to announce that all 11 students who applied to read medicine or veterinary medicine at university this September have successfully obtained an offer of a place.
Mr Calver, Deputy Head of Sixth Form, said: “This is our most impressive haul of offers since before Covid, and our students, which include two former students who are applying again after being unsuccessful last year, currently hold 22 offers between them, with many universities still yet to decide. We are so pleased and proud of the students and the range of institutions that they have received offers from.”
There are three people hoping to study veterinary medicine, who have received offers from Cambridge, Surrey, Nottingham and Royal Veterinary College, while for medicine, the eight students hold offers from Cambridge, St Andrews, UEA, King’s College, Anglia Ruskin, Hull/York, Birmingham, Sheffield and Cardiff.
Mr Calver explained more about the work they have had to do in order to get these university offers, which started at GCSE level, where they had to study hard to gain many top grades. In the Sixth Form they have all been integral members of Medsoc, where they have met every week to discuss current issues in medicine and veterinary medicine. This has included some of the students delivering presentations on topics of interest, and visits from Old Ipswichians to give advice on all aspects of the application process and life as a student or practising medic or vet.
Mr Calver added: “Interview prep formed a significant part of Medsoc meetings, where ethical dilemmas were discussed and admission test questions looked at, with a careful explanation of how to get to the correct answer. This is on top of attaining top grades throughout Year 12 and looking to complete as much work experience as possible, as well as an EPQ.”
All the students, including those who have reapplied to study medicine, have received support from Mr Calver and other members of the Sixth Form and Careers Teams. This has included specific advice on their personal statement from OIs and at least two mock interviews.
Other Ipswich School activities for budding vets and medics include being the founding school of Operational Smile’s school link-up programme, whereby our Medsoc raises money for the charity. In return Operation Smile are running a session on empathy training for students, plus talks from the surgeon carrying out cleft palate procedures and on resource allocation.
Mr Calver also told the Occasional that we are forming a partnership with EACH/ZEST to develop a volunteering programme for students to attend regular events and work closely with children/young adults who have a range of conditions. He explained: “This will be available for anyone looking to move into patient-centred careers such as medicine, nursing and physiotherapy but also for lesser-known areas such as music therapy.”
Congratulations to all our Year 13 students on their university applications. In total, they have received a massive 552 offers across a whole range of subjects and institutions.
