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Original post by ellie2996
Yeah ive been predicted; A* A* A A for a level which is great, and ive already had three nursing home jobs and im working in a hospital atm, but i just wanted to know if my gcses were good enough. THe nottingham website says 6 A's but a lot of people keep saying that in reality you need 6 A*s so Im very confused


tbh you haven't even started A-levels and you have predictions for them, so I wouldn't grip on to those too tightly yet, as many people will either drop or increase in their grades at A-level. Until you start sixthform will you then get a true prediction.
I think your teachers are being very optimistic as its very early to predict a-level grades for now atm. However, your GCSES are absolutely fine.
kk thanks :smile:
Reply 8142
Original post by _sparks
:frown:
Do you know any good universities that accept a C in GCSE English for Medicine?

Firstly all medical schools are good :smile:
The following accept a C but you have to be careful because GCSEs are used in different ways.

Aberdeen
Durham
Newcastle (I think)
Leicester- Done on a point score basis (Top 6 GCSE's marked out of 30, A* gives score of 5, A gives score of 4 etc.) so you would need majority of A*s in your other subjects to be a competitive applicant.
Peninsula
Sheffield-Must have at least 6As
As others have said, while your GCSEs aren't perfect, they are still good enough. And more importantly, you can still control the rest of your application, and it's not just A-level etc. You have to do a whole load of other stuff like work exp, volunteering, extra reading, UKCAT etc. howtogetintomedicine.com has some pretty decent advice.
Original post by Vulpes
Aberdeen, Durham, Leicester, Peninsula, Sheffield iirc.


Original post by myyrh
Firstly all medical schools are good :smile:
The following accept a C but you have to be careful because GCSEs are used in different ways.

Aberdeen
Durham
Newcastle (I think)
Leicester- Done on a point score basis (Top 6 GCSE's marked out of 30, A* gives score of 5, A gives score of 4 etc.) so you would need majority of A*s in your other subjects to be a competitive applicant.
Peninsula
Sheffield-Must have at least 6As


Thanks guys,

But is that all the unis which accept a C in GCSE English for medicine? :frown:
Reply 8145
Original post by _sparks
Thanks guys,

But is that all the unis which accept a C in GCSE English for medicine? :frown:


Yep those are the only ones.
Original post by myyrh
Yep those are the only ones.


Would you recommend me to retake GCSE English?
Also if I want to retake GCSE English what do I have to do and when will I have to take it?
btw I am getting my AS results in 2012 August. So I have to do GCSE English retake before applying to unis right? and i have to have the results before applying?

Please answer.
Thanks. :smile:
Reply 8147
Original post by _sparks
Would you recommend me to retake GCSE English?
Also if I want to retake GCSE English what do I have to do and when will I have to take it?
btw I am getting my AS results in 2012 August. So I have to do GCSE English retake before applying to unis right? and i have to have the results before applying?

Please answer.
Thanks. :smile:


Yes I would seriously recommend you retake the GCSE English. You would have to ask for your subject to be re-certified (I think) and enter yourself for the exams. So you would probably have o speak to your exams officer in your school or college. You would have to take the exams along with the rest of the GCSE students so around January or May time (I'm not sure but you could always check the GCSE exam timetable)
I don't think you have to do it before you apply or have the results already. You list the English Language GCSE in your UCAS form twice (one with your already achieved grade and the second as pending) Your tutor or whoever writes your reference will then probably enter a predicted grade for your GCSE. So if you get an offer it would be conditional on your A level grades as well as your GCSE English grade.
I would double check this with the relevant universities. Also bear in mind that not all medical schools accept GCSE resits, so make sure you double check before applying to a certain one.
anyone got any offers from uni's, if so what was it and from where?

just wondering if they changed from last year?

thanks
Reply 8149
Original post by ojmohammed95
anyone got any offers from uni's, if so what was it and from where?

just wondering if they changed from last year?

thanks


Take a look at this page: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine_Applicants_Stalking_Page_2012_Entry
Reply 8150
I'm currently in Year 11 and I'm finishing my all my GCSE's in a months time. Could anyone tell me what I need to make it into medicine? I want to be a forensic pathologist.

My GCSE grades:

RE - A
English Language - A

Predicted GCSE grades:

Maths - A*
Biology - A*
Physics -A*
Chemistry - A*
English Literature - A*
Geography - A
History - A*


I will be taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics for A-levels.

I do lifesaving swimming, used to play piano (Grade 5), beginner fencer and am an Explorer Scout.

Work Experience:

1 week at elderly hospice
3 months at Oxfam books
5 months at Youth Point Comittee
3 months at Oral Health Project


I'm trying to make an arrangement to shadow a doctor, but with little success.

What more should I do to have a higher chance getting into medicine?
Reply 8151
Original post by kiwwi
I'm currently in Year 11 and I'm finishing my all my GCSE's in a months time. Could anyone tell me what I need to make it into medicine? I want to be a forensic pathologist.

My GCSE grades:

RE - A
English Language - A

Predicted GCSE grades:

Maths - A*
Biology - A*
Physics -A*
Chemistry - A*
English Literature - A*
Geography - A
History - A*


I will be taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics for A-levels.

I do lifesaving swimming, used to play piano (Grade 5), beginner fencer and am an Explorer Scout.

Work Experience:

1 week at elderly hospice
3 months at Oxfam books
5 months at Youth Point Comittee
3 months at Oral Health Project


I'm trying to make an arrangement to shadow a doctor, but with little success.

What more should I do to have a higher chance getting into medicine?


Well, for starters, work hard to make those predicted grades a reality! :smile: Try and score highly in the admission tests. When it comes to writing your personal statement make sure you reflect back on your experiences. As long as you keep on top of your A levels, have a good personal statement and apply to your strengths, you'll be giving yourself the best possible chance. :cool:
Hi.

So I'm in the middle of our IB exams, and I'm dying. I'm not really sure about how well I did Chem HL, but I guess I'll see in a few weeks (or days??)
Anyway.
I really really want to get into Sheffield (starting in 2013). I've been forced into taking a gap year because of some personal issues. I was supposed to be finishing IB in 2013 anyway, since I've gone from 9th grade straight to IB Y1.
However, I'm worried about my IB results. If I get a 5 in HL Chem, and a 6/7 in HL Bio and a 6 in another HL subject, and if I really ace my UKCAT, PS and work experience, is there a possibility for getting an interview from Sheffield ? With how I'm counting now, I should have the required 37 points, maybe even more.
I really really want to get in, and I don't want another gap year ?! :eek:
Reply 8153
Original post by echelon_m
Hi.

So I'm in the middle of our IB exams, and I'm dying. I'm not really sure about how well I did Chem HL, but I guess I'll see in a few weeks (or days??)
Anyway.
I really really want to get into Sheffield (starting in 2013). I've been forced into taking a gap year because of some personal issues. I was supposed to be finishing IB in 2013 anyway, since I've gone from 9th grade straight to IB Y1.
However, I'm worried about my IB results. If I get a 5 in HL Chem, and a 6/7 in HL Bio and a 6 in another HL subject, and if I really ace my UKCAT, PS and work experience, is there a possibility for getting an interview from Sheffield ? With how I'm counting now, I should have the required 37 points, maybe even more.
I really really want to get in, and I don't want another gap year ?! :eek:


The most important aspect for Sheffield is the UKCAT. If you meet the minimum academic requirements, the UKCAT is the overriding factor for getting an interview.
Hi all,

Bit of background first up, I turned 26 in March and have been working for a bank since I left college at 18. Spending the rest of my career working in such a boring field terrifies me! Because of this, I've been considering a huge career change and have always been fascinated by medicine, so studying it would be right up my street...

However, I'm not sure if I'm too old for this to be an option considering when I was at college I was in with the wrong (lazy, not criminal/drugs) crowd and sort of pissed away two years, earning (pah) a C in A-level Computing, a D in A-level business studies, a D in AS Media and an E in AS Accounting with an average of 50% attendance (How I didn't get kicked out is anyone's guess!).

Obviously being a bit older now I'm far more mature and realise the error of my ways. And I'm not afraid to put in a lot of graft to achieve what I feel I'm capable of academically, which I know studying medicine would mean a huge amount of! Now I've read up a bit and seem to get the impression that I would need three A grade A-levels with at least two of them in Chemistry and Biology (Does it matter what the third one is?), is this correct? I can't afford to ditch work and study A-levels full time so understand I would have to do these part time which is fine by me!

Also with my previous college record would this affect my chances of being accepted or would the fact I've put in graft studying A-levels while working outweigh my youthful mistakes? I'm aware I would also need some voluntary experience, how would I go about this? I'm guessing it doesn't just involve bowling into a hospital and going "Alright chief, gimme some doctoring to do!" :wink:

If you've made it this far through my essay then congratulations! I'm getting into this student malarky already :cool:

I took the practice short UKCAT (mainly due to getting in from work late and not having much time) and scored 10/12, 11/12, 13/15 and 10/11 though I have no idea whether that is good or not?! I didn't prepare and just did it as something to do while eating my dinner!

Am I wasting my time considering this? Any insights from people who were in a similar situation to me and have made/are making it work would be amazing, but all inputs are more than helpful!

Thanks for reading :smile:

Mark
Hey there :smile:

Basically, I'm not the best person to ask about what the entry requirements would be for someone in your position but my best bet would be that if you retook your A Levels and got the grades then you should have a pretty decent shot, no matter whether you do it part time or not :smile:

edit: the third Alevel can be in whichever subject you like - Maths seems to be a standard third one, but it's not a requirement. Just go along with whatever one you like and are likely to get an A in. I would recommend doing 4 AS subjects and dropping one at A2, as quite a lot of unis need a B minimum in a distinct AS subject.

Aside from that, I can answer your other questions:

Firstly - I don't think that at 26 you can consider yourself "too old" to study medicine :tongue: from what I have heard there have been people way older than you who manage to get onto the course fine, and seeing as you would have more life experience than most 18 year olds, you could definitely talk about it on your personal statement, making you stand out a bit more.

As for voluntary work, what most applicants tend to do is help out at a carehome or hospice of some sort, on a weekly sort of basis. What admissions are looking for is some evidence of long term commitment, it's even better if its in some sort of caring/hospital environment, so if you send letters round to various care homes, hospices etc, then you could hope to have a good few months/years of work, which would look really good :smile:

Work experience is essential, as you must know, so I would start looking now, and trying to wrangle a few weeks of shadowing doctors in nearby hospitals.

Those scores on the short test are really good! obviously youre gonna have to try and get as many of them correct but if you have a shot at the full practice ones, you'll see that they become a lot more difficult (its mainly the time constraint). Definitely buy a couple of UKCAT practice books (the 600Q ones is the main one to get) and maybe try out Medify - its online and a lot of the questions are very realistic to the ones you'll get in the actual test. You do have to pay for it though but its not too much :smile:

I think it's great that you're considering this! It is a long and difficult route though so make sure you consider it carefully :smile: Good luck!!! :biggrin:
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by echelon_m
Hi.

So I'm in the middle of our IB exams, and I'm dying. I'm not really sure about how well I did Chem HL, but I guess I'll see in a few weeks (or days??)
Anyway.
I really really want to get into Sheffield (starting in 2013). I've been forced into taking a gap year because of some personal issues. I was supposed to be finishing IB in 2013 anyway, since I've gone from 9th grade straight to IB Y1.
However, I'm worried about my IB results. If I get a 5 in HL Chem, and a 6/7 in HL Bio and a 6 in another HL subject, and if I really ace my UKCAT, PS and work experience, is there a possibility for getting an interview from Sheffield ? With how I'm counting now, I should have the required 37 points, maybe even more.
I really really want to get in, and I don't want another gap year ?! :eek:


Liked Beska said, its all about the UKCAT with Sheffield.

However, I would advise you not to have your heart too set on one specific medschool, purely because the whole application process is such a gamble... You sort of put yourself up for more disappointment if you focus on just one uni. Apply with an open mind! :smile:

I had my heart set on Kings and was pretty disappointed when I didn't get over 700 for my UKCAT (they base interviews on GCSE+UKCAT and my gcses are low in comparison to other Kings applicants) so I didn't get in and felt pretty crap :frown: so don't do the same thing :tongue:
okay. thank you both :smile:

I'm not set on one med school, but Sheffield is my top choice.

I also wanted to ask.. Do they care about the components ?
Say I get the required 37 points (or maybe more :colondollar:), but I get a 5 at Chem HL when they require all 6s at HL. Will they still consider my offer ?

thanks again ! :smile:
Reply 8158
Original post by Beska
The most important aspect for Sheffield is the UKCAT. If you meet the minimum academic requirements, the UKCAT is the overriding factor for getting an interview.



Original post by tania<3
Liked Beska said, its all about the UKCAT with Sheffield.

However, I would advise you not to have your heart too set on one specific medschool, purely because the whole application process is such a gamble... You sort of put yourself up for more disappointment if you focus on just one uni. Apply with an open mind! :smile:

I had my heart set on Kings and was pretty disappointed when I didn't get over 700 for my UKCAT (they base interviews on GCSE+UKCAT and my gcses are low in comparison to other Kings applicants) so I didn't get in and felt pretty crap :frown: so don't do the same thing :tongue:


That is no longer correct. Sheffield has changed its admission policy and has placed a much lower emphasis on the UKCAT. Their UKCAT cutoff score for 2012 Entry was 625 for Home / EU applicants.

Original post by echelon_m
okay. thank you both :smile:

I'm not set on one med school, but Sheffield is my top choice.

I also wanted to ask.. Do they care about the components ?
Say I get the required 37 points (or maybe more :colondollar:), but I get a 5 at Chem HL when they require all 6s at HL. Will they still consider my offer ?

thanks again ! :smile:


See above :smile:

You may be given an offer stating that you must achieve Chem HL grade 6 with an overall of 36 points. Medical schools are generally oversubscribed so I wouldn't advise you on hoping that they are lenient should you miss your offer. In most cases, you will have missed your offer and will not be considered.
Original post by Vulpes
That is no longer correct. Sheffield has changed its admission policy and has placed a much lower emphasis on the UKCAT. Their UKCAT cutoff score for 2012 Entry was 625 for Home / EU applicants.



See above :smile:

You may be given an offer stating that you must achieve Chem HL grade 6 with an overall of 36 points. Medical schools are generally oversubscribed so I wouldn't advise you on hoping that they are lenient should you miss your offer. In most cases, you will have missed your offer and will not be considered.


Ahhh okay thanks for pointing that out :smile:

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