ASPIRING medics at Hereford Sixth Form College are celebrating receiving an exceptionally high number of offers from medical schools this year.

An impressive 80 per cent of the college's students who applied to study medicine at university received one or more offers, far exceeding national statistics for medicine applicants.

Brian Heap's ‘University Degree Course Offers 2020’ states applicants per place for medical schools in England and Wales is 15:1 (7 per cent) for most competitive, and the least competitive 5:1 (20 per cent).

Due to the very large number of students enrolling at the college with the aspiration of studying medicine at university, there is a comprehensive support programme which students are placed on at enrolment for the entire two years of their studies.

The programme supplements their academic studies, ensuring they receive the correct guidance and support for, work experience, volunteering placements, preparation for clinical and biomedical examinations (UCAT and BMAT) and preparation for their medical school interviews.

It also ensures students are made fully aware of other opportunities that will strengthen their application, such as medical school taster days and residential courses for aspiring medics.

In addition to this support programme for all potential applicants of medicine there is also a student led Medicine Society (MedSoc) that meet regularly to present and discuss many medical related topics throughout the year.

The MedSoc group meetings are also used to invite in speakers from medical school admissions tutors to medical practitioners.

Both the college support programme for all potential applicants of medicine, and the student led Medicine Society have clearly been instrumental in this astonishing offer rate being achieved, a college spokesperson said.