I'm Stuck

I have AAB grades at A levels but now the med schools I've had a look at are asking for AAA compared to last years AAB. Is this because of the introduction of the A*? And if so is that a bit unfair considering it was impossible for me to get an A*?

Are there any med schools with entry requirements of AAB for 2010 entry? Any med schools that don't mind re-sits?

Reply 1

Single Malt

6

AAA seems perfectly fair to me. Just because you did not have a chance to get A*s does not mean you could not get three A's. I got 4A's in 2008, probably if I were taking A levels now I might have tried for 3A*'s instead but I think it is rubbish to say introducing AAA is unfair to previous candidates. Introducing, AAA*, now that is unfair unless they have an active policy of noting which candidates could not have got A*.

Reply 2

username43584

8

It's not unfair. All of the London medical schools upped their offers to AAA before it was possible to obtain the A* (except UCL).

Reply 3

Tsukuyomi

15

you still could get in, i applied for Bath which was my firm choice AAA, i got AABB and they still accepted me

Reply 4

Single Malt

6

Tsukuyomi

you still could get in, i applied for Bath which was my firm choice AAA, i got AABB and they still accepted me

Slight difference, you did 4A levels :rolleyes:

Reply 5

Degausser

10

BSMS, Southampton, Peninsula, Manchester, Bristol all want AAB for example.

Although I dont see how AAA is unfair these days.

Reply 6

Gizmo!

11

it would be unfair for them to reject you based on previous studied grades, since AAB was the bench mark when you sat your exams, and you would be expected to know they would up the offer becos the A lvls are getting easier.

you should write to them about your case, any decent uni would uinderstand your case.

Reply 7

Tsukuyomi

15

Single Malt

Slight difference, you did 4A levels :rolleyes:

pick an AS, so that you end up with 3 Alevels and a AS

Reply 8

brokenangel

16

http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/index.php?pageid=78 show quite a few med school outside of london still offer AAB

Reply 9

username43584

8

Gizmo!

it would be unfair for them to reject you based on previous studied grades, since AAB was the bench mark when you sat your exams, and you would be expected to know they would up the offer becos the A lvls are getting easier.

you should write to them about your case, any decent uni would uinderstand your case.

He's already applied for 2009 entry, when all the London medical schools except UCL were asking for AAA. He said in a previous thread that he wanted to stay in London so I assume he only applied there. So AAB was not the benchmark when he did his A levels.

Reply 10

Gizmo!

11

ok i didnt know he lied, macca, sorri.

Reply 11

Renal

17

Let me get this straight, you knew what was expected, you failed to reach it, this is unfair?

Actually, I do have significant amount of sympathy - the requirements are AAA through the under-resourcing of admissions by the schools.

Reply 12

Screenname

Gizmo!

it would be unfair for them to reject you based on previous studied grades, since AAB was the bench mark when you sat your exams, and you would be expected to know they would up the offer becos the A lvls are getting easier.

you should write to them about your case, any decent uni would uinderstand your case.

Even if it was the benchmark(though it's often not), it's not unfair of the universities to up their offers to AAA, because it was still possible for him to acheive those grades.

Reply 13

Samj91

Why shouldn't they increase their offer? Medicine is an extremely competitive course so surely you would think that the medical schools would want the brightest students, and one of the ways they determine who is brightest (rightly or wrongly) is through grades. There's also recently been an increase in the amount of applications for Medicine, and for the 2010 application there are going to be less places available. Increasing the offer makes sense really.

Anyway, there's still plenty of medical schools offering AAB.

Reply 14

Gizmo!

11

^^ they dont determine who is brightest that way they just use it to make their job easier, doughball, its just you've not realised that yet.
further moere, there are more places available, not less.

Screenname

Even if it was the benchmark(though it's often not), it's not unfair of the universities to up their offers to AAA, because it was still possible for him to acheive those grades.

i disagree entirely.

there would be no need to study to get AAA if AAB was the benchmark.

to put another light on it, universities on the 'ole feel that its unfair to reject an 1999 ABB candidate simply because A levels are easier now and the offer is AAA.

so the med schools disagree wif you, by and large.

your statutory right to your opinion is unaffected hehe.

Reply 15

karimel

1

hey sorry can i just ask you
if youve alredy taken your Alevels then why did you not apply last year?

also, its unlikely youll get accepted with AAB anyway
i know its a boundry but soo many people are getting AAA and predicted AAA they can afford to throw the AAB candidates away,
however, as your applying with your grades already achieved, they know you have the grades you require, soo they feel you could be more of a firm offer, work on p.s and stuff and youll get an offer no problem if you apply to the right universities.

Reply 16

vortex_199

11

karimel

hey sorry can i just ask you
if youve alredy taken your Alevels then why did you not apply last year?

also, its unlikely youll get accepted with AAB anyway
i know its a boundry but soo many people are getting AAA and predicted AAA they can afford to throw the AAB candidates away,
however, as your applying with your grades already achieved, they know you have the grades you require, soo they feel you could be more of a firm offer, work on p.s and stuff and youll get an offer no problem if you apply to the right universities.

This is not true. As long as the university asks for AAB and you meet their other requirements, you have a chance of being accepted.

Reply 17

Screenname

Gizmo!

i disagree entirely.

there would be no need to study to get AAA if AAB was the benchmark.

to put another light on it, universities on the 'ole feel that its unfair to reject an 1999 ABB candidate simply because A levels are easier now and the offer is AAA.

so the med schools disagree wif you, by and large.

your statutory right to your opinion is unaffected hehe.

Maybe it's just because I was always aiming for AAA (I've always wanted to go to QUB and they want AAAa) that I feel that way but I don't see why it's unfair. If it was possible for you to get those grades there's no reason why they can't make that the offer, because they are just as capable of achieving AAA as this years students are.

Reply 18

fatal

12

KennyS1

I have AAB grades at A levels but now the med schools I've had a look at are asking for AAA compared to last years AAB. Is this because of the introduction of the A*? And if so is that a bit unfair considering it was impossible for me to get an A*?

Are there any med schools with entry requirements of AAB for 2010 entry? Any med schools that don't mind re-sits?

They will take into account that you did A-levels before the A* was introduced.

Reply 19

Gizmo!

11

Screenname

Maybe it's just because I was always aiming for AAA
you are quite right, you're assuming that you are everyone else.
i'm assuming others arent like me.

the argument isnt whether they can increase the offer, but whether the offer should be increased for certain students ie. so as to disclude applicants who would have got in from last year, who cant go on to improve their grade wiffout resitting - its entirely unfair for them to sit anything else when they've already earned their stripes at the going rate at the time they sat their exams.

or otherwise they face exclusion from reapplication, simply for delivering first time round - not a sin in my book.

to put it another way, you would be severely fcuked off if you didnt get an offer this year, yet made the grades AAA and found out next year that you didnt make a revised criteria of A*A*A*. ANd if you chose to resit to get A*A*A* then they'd discldue you for being a resitter.
theres a glass of empathy for you, since empathy isnt your style.

I'm Stuck

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