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Medicine Entry?

Hello,

I am thinking about doing Medicine for Uni 2007, are my A-Levels of Biology, Chemistry, Geography and History OK? I will be continuing Bio, Chem and Geo for A2. I have achieved 70% in both Chem (top in class) and Biology (2nd top) mocks and hope to achieve just as good in Geo although History is another matter.

My GCSEs are 3A*, 7A and 1B (Biology : A, Chemistry : A and Geography : A) I didnt take History GCSE.

I dont think I will get an A in History AS (I find it very difficult), will a B get me entry into Medicine? Will they look at my B or even C in AS History and will this put them off? Or will I have to MAKE SURE I get an A, which will probably be near impossible!

Please advise!

Thanks in advance :tsr:

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Reply 1

mypaperheart

Just wondering, why did you take History at A-level if you didn't do it at GCSE? :confused:

Surely this would put you under pressure, which now, you're worried about as you don't think you'll make the grade? How come you didn't take a subject you got an A* in instead? However, saying this, it's your choices and so all the best with your exams. :smile:

Universities will look at AS grades when you apply, but for medicine the main ones they look at are Chemistry, and sometimes Biology. However, if you want to get into a medicine course then A's and B's (A's preferably when it comes to A2) are reccommended for all subjects as Medicine is competitive. However, I cannot talk from experience as I myself haven't applied yet (also applying for 2007 entry) - I can only comment from what I've read. :smile:

Your GCSE results look good, and if you're confident with the AS's (even if you're maybe not with History) then you should be okay. :smile:

Reply 2

Lecter

Additionally as well as exam results alot more medical schools are taking up admissions exams; Barts and GKT - MSAT; UCL IMP and Oxbridge as you know BMAT but i hear manchester and nottingham may as well.

Reply 3

mypaperheart

Yep sayed_samed :smile:

and they also look at extra-curriculars and work experience, not just exam performance, although this does play a big role.

Reply 4

Lecter

Rosalily

Yep sayed_samed :smile:

and they also look at extra-curriculars and work experience, not just exam performance, although this does play a big role.

oh yeah of course, use your gap year constructively, well no you the thread starter!

Reply 5

spoon1

You should be fine with those. My friend got a C in her history AS (which she then dropped) and she's got a nice AAB King's offer in her pocket. You might wanna check the grade requirements of the Unis you're interested in - some don't care if you get an E in your AS, some prefer you to have a B or even an A.

Reply 6

Saffie

You say 70%, but that's B's, you want A's....

I'd say you should be aiming for at least AABB at AS, I mean that's not essential, but considering the competition, I think that's something decent to aim for...

BTW, what you got at GCSE in your specific subjects is likely to have absolutely NO impact on what you get at AS/A2. Your overall good grades show you're likely to do well etc. But GCSE's and AS are totally different. My friends compared them and it was all over the place, some subjects they'd gone up a grade, in others they'd gone down! I got a B in bio GCSE and an A at AS. I got an A in chem GCSE, and a B at AS. :rolleyes:

Reply 7

WantA*

Thanks for the replies everyone. I didnt take something like Business Studies or RS (which I got A*) because RS clashed inside my timetable and I was told that Business Studies wouldnt be considered as a sutiable AS level when applying for Medicine. I enjoy History although I am getting extra help from teachers and will try my hardest to make that grade!

Thanks again,
Bill

Reply 8

ba_ba1

get yourself a lot of work expereince and do voluntary work. A lot of uni's look for this and i know people with AAAA predicted and amazing GCSE's but have been rejected by all the london medical schools because of lack of work experience.

Reply 9

stephc

Some unis like 3 sciences (maths is included as a science) but don't let that stop you- just check the entry requirements first! :smile:

Reply 10

xx hannah xx

First of all, your A level choices are fine. Not all medical schools (especially the less traditional ones, e.g Newcastle, Manchester etc) want 3 sciences at A level. In fact, most actually prefer it if you have another non science subject - it shows you're a general good all-rounder. I did bio, chem and geog at A level. Geography is a good subject to do, as it involves a bit of everything - I did my A level coursework on the global HIV pandemic too, which is highly relevant to medicine!

Grades wise - You need to make sure you get predicted at least AAB for your A levels. When I did my AS's, I got AABC - with a C in chem! However, I pulled them up, and got my place. So it is possible, but 2007 will have even more demand for medicine, and so the grades may sneak up! I advise to just work as hard as you can, try to get a B in history, and either an A/B in chem, and/or an A/B in bio. Those 2 subjects are the most important ones.
Make sure you do LOTS of work experience, especially voluntary. Universities like work experience thats a bit different - I spent a week working with severley autisitc children, hard work but good experience. Try to get some shadowing of a doctor too - call your local hospital, they usually have schemes for this.
Final point - get hold of some prospectuses from different universities - see what subjects they ask for, and what grades. Some want 3 sciences, some may only need 2, some may want an A in chem at A2, some want AAB, some want AAA. You get the idea!
Good luck, PM me if you need any further help

Reply 11

friendlyneutron

Saffie

Completely irrelevant, but I might trade in my cat for the one in your signature, Saffie. CUTE. :biggrin:

While I'm here might as well reiterate what everyone else has said - make sure your work experience is varied, plentiful and worthwhile; make sure you can talk about it in interview. What I found helped me was to write a log of everything I'd seen that day on my work experience so I had record of it that I could look over when prepping for my interviews. Best of luck!! :smile:

Reply 12

Whizz

Your choices are fine. Some universities even stipulate that they prefer a varied third A level. But then, it totally depends on where you apply.

As for *only* getting a B in History, thats fine. As long as you get AAB at A Level (with an A in chem i might add), you'll be fine.

I got into uni with a B at AS...

Reply 13

wednesburywench

you should be fine...I had ABB for my AS levels and got 2/4 offers, I managed to pull my grades up to AAB at a level and got my place at bristol. Dont worry so much about it, but try not to get a c as that may disadvantage you perhaps. Try your best is all you can do, good luck

Reply 14

Elles

xx hannah

in fact - which medical schools say they "want 3 sciences at A level"? :confused:

last time i checked (&posted various links etc. in this very subforum), there were a clutch of colleges (of the ~20-30 i imagine) of one university that said they "prefer" 3 sciences at A2... & that was it! :p:

Reply 15

itz_ant

is computing considered a science? if not, under what grouping of subjects does it come?

Reply 16

xx hannah xx

Elles

in fact - which medical schools say they "want 3 sciences at A level"? :confused:

Hmmm...wasn't that more or less what I said? Just without the specific stats? That's what I meant at least.. I was just trying to reassure the OP that 3 sciences aren't usually necessary for medicine.

Reply 17

Elles

I'd say the inference was verging to the "less" actually, hence why i queried it! :p:

Not all medical schools (especially the less traditional ones, e.g Newcastle, Manchester etc) want 3 sciences at A level.

"not all" to me implies that the majority of entire medical schools officially still do..? which is pretty far from a few colleges of one uni expressing preference that the "specific stats" i found a while back suggested.

then the reference to especially the "less traditional" seemed slightly confusing... suggesting the "more traditional" would want 3 sciences at A level? or that more traditional unis retain some sort of 3 science bias anyway? so it's only the less traditional "especially" not wanting 3...?
& how exactly are you defining traditional? to my mind its either on course type - Oxbridge, St A's, Imperial, Nottingham, GKT with compulsory/prevalent intercalation/BMedScis, or history that would also bring in B&L, Edinburgh... & of these 7 example unis, still only a few colleges of one officially prefer sciences AFAIK (but open to corrections!)

so to my mind it seems pretty damn far from "not all" & more like or "very, very few" of even those "more traditional" with colleges within universities with medical schools. :wink:

but anyhow, yay for reassurance that 3 sciences at A2 aren't necessary (whether plenty of candidates do offer them is another issue!) for medicine these days & that's what i'm aiming to do too. :smile:

itz_ant, generally sciences for medical schools seem to be Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Maths... or at least that's how Cambridge (the place with colleges that "prefer" 3!) define them. for most others i think they generally seem to specify which sciences they want rather than X out of Group Y.

Reply 18

xx hannah xx

Okk...very close inspection of my wording there. There was no misdirection intended. Just trying to be helpful but I guess I'll just have to draft out my posts a few times in the future, before finally submitting them...