Are post-interview offer rates actually a useful indicator when picking where to apply?
I achieved a score of over 2500 in my UCAT and have good GCSEs, so I am in a good position to secure interviews at most unis. However, some of the universities I liked when I visited and are considering have a lower post-interview offer rate. I am a bit concerned that applying to them is adding unnecessary risk to getting an offer.
Are these numbers actually indicative of how challenging the interview process is? Is it reasonable to assume that unis with high post-interview offer rates are mainly checking you have a good understanding of what medicine involves and that you are a good fit for the course, whereas in those with lower rates you have to be more sophisticated and show a very deep passion for medicine to distinguish yourself? Or is it more a case of those with lower offer rates, they accept more “less-competitive” candidates who tend to perform worse in interviews?
I am almost certainly going to apply to Imperial and UCL. Previously I wanted to apply to SGUL, because I want to stay in London and I really enjoyed it when I visited it, but they have lower post-int acceptance rates. I was also considering Liverpool because of their more flexible A-level requirements (they allow A*AB as well as AAA) but they have a *very* low rate.
As a result of this I have been looking at Bristol, Manchester, and KCL as alternatives. However I don’t really want to apply to more than two unis with A*AA requirements because I want to maximise my chances that I have an AAA med insurance when it comes to A-levels.
I know this is a bit of a first-world problem but I would appreciate if anyone had any advice about this. Thanks!