What should my 3rd A-Level be?

I agree with you that they won't reject you if you don't do maths because it's some kind of secret that gets you in, but I'm speaking from personal experience here. It's so hard to deny that maths is incredibly helpful for medicine and makes you more competitive.

All I am doing is repeating what admissions at multiple unis have said. Take it or leave it.

BUT ONCE AGAIN if you like maths, take it, if not, then fine - but make sure your Chem and Bio grades are top notch (and tbh any third option too)

I was in the same position as so many people on the student room a few years back trying to make a decision on my A Levels. I had people like yourself telling me if I didn't have Maths it would make me less competitive. Therefore I felt the need to directly contact the medical schools for them to tell me, in person, that it was not required.

In terms of the two paragraphs 'contradicting each other' they don't actually. I don't know if you're applying for medical school or if you're just basing your advice off what your friends have told you, but a few of the medical schools have subjects they won't accept such as P.E, Dance etc. Therefore they ask for you to contact them to find out if your choice is suitable and if the OP is interested in studying Law as a third subject it would certainly be worth them checking. Once again I didn't speak to one admissions tutor who told me 'maths would make me a more competitive applicant'.

I know many people this year who were pressurised into taking maths and actually missed out on their offers as a result of this whereas if they'd have taken something else they probably would have got the A they needed. I just don't want to see anymore potential medical students missing out on grades simply because of being told they have to have Maths, which isn't at all true.


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I'm confused. You talk about what your friends said when applying for medicine. Then say that you're speaking from personal experience.

Either way, I'm definitely speaking from personal experience. I've helped countless people with their medicine applications, spoken to almost all the med schools over the last few years and after doing my own medicine application and getting offers from all my open choices without A2 maths, I can firmly assure you that Maths will not make you more competitive nor will it provide any secret advantage.

You're definitely not repeating what admissions from the majority of med schools say!

Maths or no maths, you need that AAA at A2. Do what you enjoy. Don't just do maths because you think the med schools like it more. They don't.

Yes, and as I've said time and time again in this thread, if this person does not like maths/is not good at it - don't even consider it. The reason I am so adamant on them doing maths was because it was one that was listed as a subject he/she was considering to take.

Of all of them, it's hard to say maths is not by far the best option and has become of the utmost importance in recent years for science students to take as it is a core element of the field.

You may personally never have heard an admissions person say that, but my friends have. If I had never heard it I would not even suggest it, but I know a good 15-20 people applying for medicine and they all take maths because they were told by many unis it was extremely important. Granted, they all like it, which is another reason to why they do it, but what you're making out to be the case is that maths does not in any way enhance your application. As a science student it will 100%, that is fact.

I recommend strongly maths still. There's basically nothing that can be said to change my mind, unless he/she says they don't like it - in which case I concede.

I agree with you that if the OP likes maths then it will help and go well with his other subjects, but to suggest that maths is a necessity is what I don't agree with. I'm not sure who your friends spoke to but it obviously wasn't any of the medical schools (and I spoke to many) that I contacted. I just want to make the OP aware of their options as there are many medical students that get accepted without Maths.


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Hi,
I want to study medicine at uni. I am going to choose Bio and Chem in my A levels but don't know whether my 3rd option should be Maths, physics or psychology. Does it make more unis want me if I choose maths or physics? or could I choose Psychology instead and have the same amount of unis wanting me?
Thanks

Hi guys, I don't know if anyone will reply, but currently I'm choosing between music and maths for my 3rd.. Would music put me at an disadvantage?