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Which medical schools do not consider gcse retakes?

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Original post by Inspiringvisons
You do realise that you're not quite qualified enough to judge my academic ability...


You do realise that I don't need to be qualified when it's common sense.
Reply 81
You seem very determined to apply to medicine whatever we try to say, no matter how truthful we are being. The step up to A-Levels is huge for the sciences (I do bio and maths) and if you're saying timing is an issue for you at GCSE, it will be a major issue at A-Level if you don't sort it out now.

You HAVE to get AAAA at AS to stand any sort of chancellor getting in AND do really well on the BMAT/UKCAT. Unis might say that GCSE's don't matter but they're more likely to accept someone with higher grades than you if you do the same on your aptitude test and AS.

I personally think you'll struggle at A-Level but you're not about to listen to anything I say. Biology A-Level is HARD, Maths A-Level is HARD and all my friends say Chemistry is HARD. There is a reason why my college doesn't really let anyone apply to medicine without a GCSE points score of 6.7 and it's because you're just not likely to get in anywhere.

I know it's not what you want to hear but it's reality
Right so I appreciate all the responses .but I'm not doing alevels untill next year.I'm taking this year to improve my timing and have a good set of A* results which I know I am capable of .I only missed out this year due to my Horrendous timing.
Then I will do alevels in 2017.

And yes you're are right I'm not going to be persuaded to drop medicine.
I had no chance in even getting a good grade due to my timing.it was not about the quality of my work but rather the quantity of it.the examiner can't exactly mark a blank piece of paper...
You don't know my ability or my circumstances or anything about me so it's not "Common sense"as you suggest
Reply 85
Original post by Inspiringvisons
I had no chance in even getting a good grade due to my timing.it was not about the quality of my work but rather the quantity of it.the examiner can't exactly mark a blank piece of paper...


But will 25% extra time give you enough time to fill the entire question paper. Will twenty extra minutes make a huge difference?
Trust me a levels are so much harder. Even students with top grades at GCSE do badly at a level. It's completely different. People aren't trying to doubt your ability to potentially become a doctor. They are more warning you of what could come when you do a levels.


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Original post by TheyCallMePolish
Yes we are considering you flopped your GCSE's. Extenuating circumstances accounts for a couple B's instead of A's, considering you've done that badly you need to completely retake your GCSE's, you're not cut out for med school, which you don't seem to realise? What makes you think you deserve a place at medical school anymore than one of the people who miss out with all a's/a*'s?



Gcses are not everything .No university is going to accept you solely on your gcse results.Anyway I fully understand that I've disadvantaged my self due to my results but here is the thing though I'm prepared to make sure the rest of my application exceeds the requirements.
For example you need atleast 2 weeks of experience in a care setting .I'm aiming for a year.
You need at least 3 As at Alevel. I'm aiming for 3A*s

And I'm aiming to smash the ukat and bmat."What makes you think you deserve a place at medical school anymore than one of the people who miss out with all a's/a*'s?" you could easily turn it around .Why do they deserve a place just because their grades meet the entry requirements?
But seriously its because i have the determination to get there
I think people are not saying don't aim for medicine but that smashing your AS levels, A levels UKCAT, work experience etc is hard. And if one thing is coming across at open days it's the ability to listen and not to get flustered. If you can get an A/A* on your English lang and science papers taking all the time you need and then manage to get your speed up then great, you might smash your GCSEs BUT exam pressure does distort your thinking and it doesn't get easier at A level or probably when you are on the course!

Actions speak louder than words so good luck with it all.
Original post by Inspiringvisons
Gcses are not everything .No university is going to accept you solely on your gcse results.Anyway I fully understand that I've disadvantaged my self due to my results but here is the thing though I'm prepared to make sure the rest of my application exceeds the requirements.
For example you need atleast 2 weeks of experience in a care setting .I'm aiming for a year.
You need at least 3 As at Alevel. I'm aiming for 3A*s

And I'm aiming to smash the ukat and bmat."What makes you think you deserve a place at medical school anymore than one of the people who miss out with all a's/a*'s?" you could easily turn it around .Why do they deserve a place just because their grades meet the entry requirements?
But seriously its because i have the determination to get there


They deserve a place more than you because they've demonstrated the intelligence needed to become a doctor and get through Med school, which you have not.

You certainly have the determination, not the academic intellect. The only one of the things you mentioned that is realistic is the amount of work experience you can get. Just because you say you'll get 3 A*'s at a level doesn't mean you will, especially if you can't get an A/A* at GCSE... and there's no way you're acing ukcat or bmat if you couldn't handle GCSE's. By all means apply, you'll just be another instant rejection, keep everyone in this thread updated with your academic progress, I look forward to seeing how you manage to get the 3 A*'s at a level and "smash" the admission tests 😂

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Reply 89
Talk to the individual unis. No one here can tell you.
Reply 90
Original post by TheyCallMePolish
They deserve a place more than you because they've demonstrated the intelligence needed to become a doctor and get through Med school, which you have not.

You certainly have the determination, not the academic intellect. The only one of the things you mentioned that is realistic is the amount of work experience you can get. Just because you say you'll get 3 A*'s at a level doesn't mean you will, especially if you can't get an A/A* at GCSE... and there's no way you're acing ukcat or bmat if you couldn't handle GCSE's. By all means apply, you'll just be another instant rejection, keep everyone in this thread updated with your academic progress, I look forward to seeing how you manage to get the 3 A*'s at a level and "smash" the admission tests 😂

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I'm at medical school, and while I agree that OP is likely to find this more difficult than they anticipate, I don't agree that people deserve to get in because they are more intelligent.

I'm at HYMS, which is a medical school known for accepting people who miss the grades, and they actually go on to achieve on par with 'more intelligent' peers. You do not need straight As at A-level to understand the content of a medical degree.

Medicine is far more about determination and hard work. UKCAT scores nearly always equate to the amount of hours you put in; and work experience is about effort, not achievement.

Yes, OP needs to be predicted AAA (which can be done from Bs at AS), and yes they will have to avoid GCSE heavy medical schools, but we have no right to assume that they cannot get in to medicine. If it is not possible, OP will realise that in due course - although I can completely see why you are advising OP against this path.
(edited 7 years ago)
Work your ass off, come back in a few years and prove us all wrong.
Original post by Ezme39
I'm at medical school, and while I agree that OP is likely to find this more difficult than they anticipate, I don't agree that people deserve to get in because they are more intelligent.

I'm at HYMS, which is a medical school known for accepting people who miss the grades, and they actually go on to achieve on par with 'more intelligent' peers. You do not need straight As at A-level to understand the content of a medical degree.

Medicine is far more about determination and hard work. UKCAT scores nearly always equate to the amount of hours you put in; and work experience is about effort, not achievement.

Yes, OP needs to be predicted AAA (which can be done from Bs at AS), and yes they will have to avoid GCSE heavy medical schools, but we have no right to assume that they cannot get in to medicine. If it is not possible, OP will realise that in due course - although I can completely see why you are advising OP against this path.


Sorry if I came across blunt. I just feel OP is being needlessly reckless when it comes to their application, I feel if their heart is set on medicine, they should apply as a grad, as GCSE's will not be as significant then.

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Reply 93
Original post by Inspiringvisons
Yes because I'm working on my timing this year.I'm training my self to do the exam paper in half the time allocated


So previously you took too long, and now you are trying to rush them in half the time...
Reply 94
Original post by jneill
So previously you took too long, and now you are trying to rush them in half the time...


There are techniques for getting the point across quicker, and spending less time thinking before writing- so it's not necessarily rushing. OP seems an extreme example, but a lot of people do have to work on their timing during GCSEs
Original post by Kiritsugu
I can't answer your questions, however, another option you might want to consider is doing an IGCSE in the subject you wanna do. If you think IGCSE's are weaker or something, think again - RGS do IGCSE's. So yeah, I did a lot of searching for schools, phoned up, asked if they entered external candidates to sit IGCSE's, and got an A* in English Language B.



Did you do an online course or something ...
I might be doing online courses in various things, but an online course isn't the same, necessarily, as a certificate in GCSE or the International GCSE. Like I said, I did some research. Specifically, I learned that Edexcel and Cambridge OCR do IGCSE specifications. I looked at Edexcel's IGCSE in English Language and saw that there was an option for English Language B, which is 100% exam only (so no coursework/controlled assessments). I phoned up a school and they said they could arrange me to do the exam, entering me in as an external candidate.

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-international-gcses-and-edexcel-certificates.html

That might help you. Basically I did "English Language B" which has the 100% exam only option. You'll have to find and phone up/email which schools can enter you in as an "external candidate" and arrange it with them.

http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/understanding-our-qualifications/where-can-i-take-edexcel-exams.html

That might help more to locate some centres. Really though, you've gotta phone up some schools and stuff and ask them straight up
"do you offer any International GCSE qualifications?"
"do you offer English Language B?"
"do you allow external candidates to come in and sit the exams?"

Stuff like that.
Original post by Inspiringvisons
Thank you very much.I'll be sure to do this as it is very helpful

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