DO GCSEs REALLY MATTER????
hi im 16 and i am soon to collect my results which i am dreading, I'm planning to pursue a career in medicine and i was wondering how much my GCSEs would affect my chances of going to uni
Original post by Questions4367
hi im 16 and i am soon to collect my results which i am dreading, I'm planning to pursue a career in medicine and i was wondering how much my GCSEs would affect my chances of going to uni
It's not just your GCSEs that the unis look at, they will also look at your AS results (if you're going to be doing your exams in yr 12), your a level predictions, personal statement, references, interviews, admission tests (UKCAT/BMAT). GCSE is only one part of the application so don't worry too much. I'm sure you'll get good grades. Good luck :-) I'm waiting for my AS which will be in 6 days
Original post by Workangel_24
It's not just your GCSEs that the unis look at, they will also look at your AS results (if you're going to be doing your exams in yr 12), your a level predictions, personal statement, references, interviews, admission tests (UKCAT/BMAT). GCSE is only one part of the application so don't worry too much. I'm sure you'll get good grades. Good luck :-) I'm waiting for my AS which will be in 6 days
Woah that's so close, good luck to you too. Have you taken the UKCAT/BMAT yet? If so, did you find it difficult
Original post by Questions4367
Woah that's so close, good luck to you too. Have you taken the UKCAT/BMAT yet? If so, did you find it difficult
I'm not doing Med! But I've researched about it :-) If I want to do it I'll have to do GEM (Graduate Entry to Medicine) or a foundation course first.
Sadly they do. I left school at 16 and returned to education at 24. I applied for an HNC and luckily got in with my standard grades (Scottish GCSE). However, when I applied to University, they wanted me to have GCSE maths minimum at a B or above for my course. Which meant I had to go back and do it.
They're not the be all and end all, personal statement (as mentioned) etc really helps. Also any sort of volunteering would help massively.
They're not the be all and end all, personal statement (as mentioned) etc really helps. Also any sort of volunteering would help massively.
Define matter?
They are more like a stepping stone onto a levels/As levels which most people then use as a stepping stone into uni.
If you mean matters for jobs then GCSE's on their own dont matter as much as say a levels, which in turn dont matter as much as a degree for graduate jobs. Also graduate jobs look a lot on any experience you have for the particular role you applying for. In 10 years time if you have a good degree with great experience then nobody will care about any gcce's you've done- you wouldn't even mention them.
It will be great to do well on your gcse's but if you do terrible its not the end of the world. You can do them again or do new courses at college which you can then use to get a job or go on and do a degree. There ares still plenty of opportunities available to you despite how you do on your GCSE's
They are more like a stepping stone onto a levels/As levels which most people then use as a stepping stone into uni.
If you mean matters for jobs then GCSE's on their own dont matter as much as say a levels, which in turn dont matter as much as a degree for graduate jobs. Also graduate jobs look a lot on any experience you have for the particular role you applying for. In 10 years time if you have a good degree with great experience then nobody will care about any gcce's you've done- you wouldn't even mention them.
It will be great to do well on your gcse's but if you do terrible its not the end of the world. You can do them again or do new courses at college which you can then use to get a job or go on and do a degree. There ares still plenty of opportunities available to you despite how you do on your GCSE's
Original post by Questions4367
hi im 16 and i am soon to collect my results which i am dreading, I'm planning to pursue a career in medicine and i was wondering how much my GCSEs would affect my chances of going to uni
If you're a serious medical applicant, why are you asking a question like this? You would know that a large proportion of medical schools care a fair bit about GCSEs
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Original post by Questions4367
hi im 16 and i am soon to collect my results which i am dreading, I'm planning to pursue a career in medicine and i was wondering how much my GCSEs would affect my chances of going to uni
Double check it now, but Birmingham Medschool had a 7A* minimum GCSE cut off. Not sure about now!
Different medical schools place different weight on the significance of GCSE results.
Oxford, for example, place great significance on them and choose applicants based on the proportion of A*s achieved at GCSE (in conjunction with your BMAT score and personal statement). I believe Kings and Queen Mary's care a lot more about your UKCAT so you can compensate for a weak GCSE performance by having a high score in the UKCAT.
The key to getting a place is to apply to your strengths. If you don't get amazing GCSE results but end up getting a great UKCAT score apply to a uni that places more emphasis on the UKCAT. One of my friends, who went to QE grammar school but only achieved 3 A*s,did this and he got a place at Queen Mary's. I on the other hand achieved 8A*s at a pretty average state school but flopped my UKCAT so I applied to uni's that favoured GCSE's/ required the BMAT and I got a place at UCL.
Oxford, for example, place great significance on them and choose applicants based on the proportion of A*s achieved at GCSE (in conjunction with your BMAT score and personal statement). I believe Kings and Queen Mary's care a lot more about your UKCAT so you can compensate for a weak GCSE performance by having a high score in the UKCAT.
The key to getting a place is to apply to your strengths. If you don't get amazing GCSE results but end up getting a great UKCAT score apply to a uni that places more emphasis on the UKCAT. One of my friends, who went to QE grammar school but only achieved 3 A*s,did this and he got a place at Queen Mary's. I on the other hand achieved 8A*s at a pretty average state school but flopped my UKCAT so I applied to uni's that favoured GCSE's/ required the BMAT and I got a place at UCL.
It matters st the moment but once you have 2 Masters degrees are a soon to be qualified train driver like me, nobody cares about them.
However at the moment they do matter! They're a stepping stone to a levels and then to degree etc. You need to get past each stone to cross the river (as an analogy)
However at the moment they do matter! They're a stepping stone to a levels and then to degree etc. You need to get past each stone to cross the river (as an analogy)
Original post by Questions4367
hi im 16 and i am soon to collect my results which i am dreading, I'm planning to pursue a career in medicine and i was wondering how much my GCSEs would affect my chances of going to uni
Yes they do matter. Most schools have GCSE subject grade requirements for particular A-Level subjects. Also a majority of UK universities have GCSE entrance requirements, for example Imperial College London has a Grade B English requirement. On the other hand universities like Oxford do not have any specific GCSE requirements. A-Levels are relatively matter, but the GCSE grades you get do have some significance.
Original post by STLJA
Different medical schools place different weight on the significance of GCSE results.
Oxford, for example, place great significance on them and choose applicants based on the proportion of A*s achieved at GCSE (in conjunction with your BMAT score and personal statement). I believe Kings and Queen Mary's care a lot more about your UKCAT so you can compensate for a weak GCSE performance by having a high score in the UKCAT.
The key to getting a place is to apply to your strengths. If you don't get amazing GCSE results but end up getting a great UKCAT score apply to a uni that places more emphasis on the UKCAT. One of my friends, who went to QE grammar school but only achieved 3 A*s,did this and he got a place at Queen Mary's. I on the other hand achieved 8A*s at a pretty average state school but flopped my UKCAT so I applied to uni's that favoured GCSE's/ required the BMAT and I got a place at UCL.
Oxford, for example, place great significance on them and choose applicants based on the proportion of A*s achieved at GCSE (in conjunction with your BMAT score and personal statement). I believe Kings and Queen Mary's care a lot more about your UKCAT so you can compensate for a weak GCSE performance by having a high score in the UKCAT.
The key to getting a place is to apply to your strengths. If you don't get amazing GCSE results but end up getting a great UKCAT score apply to a uni that places more emphasis on the UKCAT. One of my friends, who went to QE grammar school but only achieved 3 A*s,did this and he got a place at Queen Mary's. I on the other hand achieved 8A*s at a pretty average state school but flopped my UKCAT so I applied to uni's that favoured GCSE's/ required the BMAT and I got a place at UCL.
THIS
Do your research and target your applications OP.
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