Your Essential Guide to UK Medical School Applications: UCAT, UCAS, Interviews & Beyond

Welcome to the Blue Peanut Medical School Blog—your trusted resource for navigating the challenging and competitive journey into medicine. Whether you're in sixth form preparing your UCAS personal statement, studying for the UCAT, or gearing up for interviews such as MMIs or panel formats, our blog provides expert guidance at every stage.

Created by practising NHS General Practitioners and experienced medical educators, each article distils practical strategies, up-to-date insights, and insider knowledge to help you achieve your dream of securing a place at a UK medical school.

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How to choose the right medical school

Studying Medicine is a lifelong commitment which starts at medical school; it is therefore of utmost importance that you choose the right medical school that will suit your learning style. But what factors should you take into consideration when selecting the right school?

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How to look for medicine work experience

Work experience is essential; not only because you will be asked about it in your interview, but also because it is important that you get a feel for the career you are committing to, to know for sure if this is what you want to do! But how should you secure a work experience placement, and what constitutes “enough work experience”?

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Guide to Medical School open days

Medical school is long. If you’re going to be spending 5-6 years of your life in a particular place, it is important to choose somewhere you enjoy being, and where you think you will grow and develop, both personally and academically

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How the world can prepare for the next pandemic

The world is suffering from yet another virus, and while the heroic efforts of our healthcare staff in the NHS, and across the world is incredibly creditworthy, there were efforts we could have done before, to prevent the damage it has caused already.

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How to look after your mental health in this lock down

With everything that’s going on in the world, it is easy to have feelings of anxiety and loneliness, and to potentially feel a little bit overwhelmed. While being on top of our studies and maintaining our physical health, it is crucial not to forget about our mental health.

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3 Must-watch Netflix docuseries for medical students

Netflix has movies and shows available for almost every genre. From arts and music, to science and philosophy, there is a genre out there for anyone, but if you’re like me and have been longing to watch an exciting, gripping medical docuseries, then look no further!

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Some medical interview mistakes to avoid

Some of you may never have given an interview before, and the idea along may seem really scary and daunting. Here are a few things which you should avoid in order to improve your chances of giving a successful medical interview.

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Hot topic: Coronavirus and How it Impacts the NHS

The novel coronavirus originated in the city of Wuhan, China. It is a genetically mutated version of the SARS virus, which causes its own outbreak in 2002. On 11th March, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

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Is COVID 19 Racist?

While it was previously thought that viruses, or any pathogen affects everybody equally, recent data about the novel corona virus begs to differ. This is especially true for the BAME community (Black, Asian and minority ethnic).

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How can the Covid-19 Pandemic Change the way Medicine is Taught?

There is no doubt that this pandemic has changed the way we are working in science and medicine, globally. While political leaders have locked their borders, scientists have been shattering theirs, creating a global collaboration unlike any other seen before. Never before have we seen scientists from so many countries halt so many projects, to come together to focus on one single topic.

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How to Prepare for UCAT During The Lockdown?

The first step is to get familiar with the style of questions which are in the UCAT. UCAT consists of 5 sections. Getting your head round the different questions styles is critical, and will allow you to score the highest marks. One way of doing this is revising the same ‘section-style’ questions in the same block

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