*MEGATHREAD* - The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread Mk II

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AS are more important as quite a few medical schools will reject applicant pre-interview based on their AS grades despite good GCSEs as they don't appear to be able to meet the academic requirements - it would be a waste of an offer. A guy in my year applied with almost straight A*s at GCSE but BBBB AS and for feedback he was told his AS grades did not meet the academic requirements of AAA (even though they weren't A2 yet) As yeah, pretty much EVERYONE has good GCSEs whereas AS shows your actual academic ability Much more impressive having AAAA at AS grade than good GCSEs but poor AS grades... And yeah they have minimum GCSE requirements on the websites in order to limit applicants. But AS will be the thing that makes you different as long as you meet the GCSE requirements they don't really matter

I am currently in 6th form and studying 3 as levels: Maths, Chemistry and Biology. I revised really, really hard for my January exams (I revised as soon as we started the courses for a few hours every night) , but my results were awful I only passed Maths and Chemistry and they weren't good passes (E and D).
Now I'm stuck as I've only ever wanted to be a doctor, and I don't think I'll be able to get the grades.
Is there anyone else that's in, or has been in, this situation? I don't really know what to do.
Thanks

The point is, unis are more likely to try and distinguish first using GCSEs or using things like UKCAT/BMAT. AS performance isn't a big issue at most places as long as you can get AAA at the end. As much as you say loads of people get good GCSEs, If you look at those with 7 A*s or more, that's actually a rather small chunk of Medical applicants. It's actually a better comparative tool than you make it out to be. Of course, not every uni cares but great GCSEs gives you far more flexibility.

AS are more important as quite a few medical schools will reject applicant pre-interview based on their AS grades despite good GCSEs as they don't appear to be able to meet the academic requirements - it would be a waste of an offer. A guy in my year applied with almost straight A*s at GCSE but BBBB AS and for feedback he was told his AS grades did not meet the academic requirements of AAA (even though they weren't A2 yet) As yeah, pretty much EVERYONE has good GCSEs whereas AS shows your actual academic ability Much more impressive having AAAA at AS grade than good GCSEs but poor AS grades... And yeah they have minimum GCSE requirements on the websites in order to limit applicants. But AS will be the thing that makes you different as long as you meet the GCSE requirements they don't really matter

would these be good enough, i don't think so but i'd like to get a rough idea of how far off i am... if it would make any difference i'm in year 11 and i have a few weeks experience working in a school and care home. i also volenteer regularly at a local charity shop and plan to do so for the next few years. (does this count?) i have also lined up placements at optitions, dentists and GPs for the summer. Are these ok?

my GSCE grades are

English lang-A
English Lit-A
Maths-B
Statistics-B
Biology- A
Chemistry-A
Physics -A
German- B
Textiles -A
R.E -A (short course)

Health double award- Distinction*
IT- Merit

I also help out at my schools homework club for years 7-9 once a week.

What are my chances? Do i have any?

I disagree, but out of interest, which med school was he rejected from for having poor AS results?

Having been through the system twice now, I have never heard of AS results being taken into consideration (apart from oxbridge).

He only applied to 2 as the teachers told him that he didn't really stand a chance anymore anyway with those results so it was a waste applying to more.
He got rejected from Edinburgh and Glasgow. Edinburgh were the ones who gave feed back about the grades not being adequate. I guess its different at each med school though

His choice was supposedly limited to two for academic reasons...and he chose Edinburgh?

Not the cleverest move really.

I know... I did think that As Edinburgh and Glasgow are pretty prestigious universities and will have a lot of strong AAAA applicants But hey... Too late now. I think they were his favorite, so if he was going to choose 2 he wanted them to be the ones he really wanted to go to.

I am a bit worried about whether or not I would get accepted into medical school. For my GCSEs I got 5 A*s (one was a short course), 4 As, 1 B, D* BTEC Sport and Merit BTEC ICT. I got A in English Language and A in Maths.

For my January exams I got Chem A, Bio B (1 UMS of an A, getting remarked), B in C1 Maths and D in Geography (let myself down big time, re-taking it, I was predicted to get an A).

I've been volunteering at a local charity shop since November, I have a first aid certificate, I'm a prefect at my school, I play football and Badminton, I do judo, I was part of London citizen's campaign, I have 2 months work experience in my local GP, a day in surgery, a day in A&E and a planned day in orthopedics. I also have a part time job working in a call center.

If I work hard in my exams which I'm doing my best to prepare for, I estimate to get AAAB.

Is all this enough? Should I get those grades, do you guys think I'm good enough?

Yes it's fine AAAB is more than good enough and your gcses are good. Remember it's important to apply to your strengths and research the university admission policies thoroughly before applying. Medicine is competitive but you can dramatically increase your chances by applying smart. In terms of your experiences, just remember to reflect instead of continuous listing when it comes to writing your personal statement.

If you are in year 11 I would assume those are your predicted grades? If so you still have time to try and improve them. However as they stand currently, yes you could apply. You would just have to choose universities carefully i.e. not apply to those which put a large emphasis on GCSEs (e.g. Birmingham, Cardiff)

Actually no, my predicted grades are all Cs but these are the grades I expect to get.
I have completed bio, english language, chemistry (although i'm re-taking in hope of an A*) and statistics. And i'm not sure how much I can improve on my other grades... but is it still worth considering medicine as a possible/realistic career? And if not what else would you suggest? My AS choices are biology, chemistry psychology and english lit.
Also, how does my work experience stack up? Would the charity shop/dentist/opticians/veterinary practice, count as valid experience since they are not directly related to medicine?
Thanks again :-)

Firstly, I'm not sure if my GCSE's are going to be good enough. I'm in Yr 11 and I am predicted to get about 4-5A*'s and 4-5A's with a few B's. My A*'s are in Maths, Chem, Bio but I'm probably gonna get an A in Physics. Will that affect my chances.

For A-Level, I have taken Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Economics. I know they are good choices and am hoping to get A's in them maybe even an A* in Maths and Chemistry.

Just want to know if my GCSE's are good enough and which universities might except me.

Thanks for any help