[scottkincaid]

Hello everybody!

I'm Scott Kincaid, I've just finished high school and I've opted to do A level biology, chemistry, law and history.

I have already spoken to a few universities that have said I could go down an alternative route and do biomedical science at university and then apply for medicine after I complete the course. Would this be a good idea?

My only concern is that most universities ask for five A's at GCSE and I'm very unsure at how I've done and I don't think I will get them. Would doing Biomedical science first remove the need to get the A grades?

Any other suggestions/tips will be appreciated too. I'm planning to volunteer at a care home or something.

Any other things to help make my application stand out?

Thank you.

[Vulpes]

(Original post by scottkincaid)
Hello everybody!

I'm Scott Kincaid, I've just finished high school and I've opted to do A level biology, chemistry, law and history.

I have already spoken to a few universities that have said I could go down an alternative route and do biomedical science at university and then apply for medicine after I complete the course. Would this be a good idea?

My only concern is that most universities ask for five A's at GCSE and I'm very unsure at how I've done and I don't think I will get them. Would doing Biomedical science first remove the need to get the A grades?

Any other suggestions/tips will be appreciated too. I'm planning to volunteer at a care home or something.

Any other things to help make my application stand out?

Thank you.

That is incorrect. There are a lot of medical schools that have very low GCSE requirements as they usually place more emphasis on A2 predictions and additional entrance exams.

The graduate-entry route is significantly more competitive and as long as you are predicted AAA or higher at A2, you should have no problem applying through the school-leavers route.

You should aim to get some work experience in a medical profession (shadowing a GP / hospital doctor). Extra curricular activities and things that can demonstrate leadership, teamwork, commitment etc will all be beneficial to your medical application.

Hope that helps.

[Think-positive]

(Original post by Vulpes)
That is incorrect. There are a lot of medical schools that have very low GCSE requirements as they usually place more emphasis on A2 predictions and additional entrance exams.

The graduate-entry route is significantly more competitive and as long as you are predicted AAA or higher at A2, you should have no problem applying through the school-leavers route.

You should aim to get some work experience in a medical profession (shadowing a GP / hospital doctor). Extra curricular activities and things that can demonstrate leadership, teamwork, commitment etc will all be beneficial to your medical application.

Hope that helps.

Which medical schools place more emphasis on A2 predictions?

[scottkincaid]

(Original post by Vulpes)
That is incorrect. There are a lot of medical schools that have very low GCSE requirements as they usually place more emphasis on A2 predictions and additional entrance exams.

The graduate-entry route is significantly more competitive and as long as you are predicted AAA or higher at A2, you should have no problem applying through the school-leavers route.

You should aim to get some work experience in a medical profession (shadowing a GP / hospital doctor). Extra curricular activities and things that can demonstrate leadership, teamwork, commitment etc will all be beneficial to your medical application.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the help!

I've taken a look at a few so far... Manchester and Sheffield (especially) want very high GCSE grades, even for the foundation year.

[myyrh]

(Original post by scottkincaid)
Thank you for the help!

I've taken a look at a few so far... Manchester and Sheffield (especially) want very high GCSE grades, even for the foundation year.

Peninsula, Newcastle and Durham have low GCSE requirements.

[Helloworld_95]

(Original post by myyrh)
Peninsula, Newcastle and Durham have low GCSE requirements.

As do Imperial, UCL and Glasgow, although they put much more weight on AS results and the BMAT or UKCAT.

[Democracy]

(Original post by scottkincaid)
Hello everybody!

I'm Scott Kincaid, I've just finished high school and I've opted to do A level biology, chemistry, law and history.

I have already spoken to a few universities that have said I could go down an alternative route and do biomedical science at university and then apply for medicine after I complete the course. Would this be a good idea?

My only concern is that most universities ask for five A's at GCSE and I'm very unsure at how I've done and I don't think I will get them. Would doing Biomedical science first remove the need to get the A grades?

Any other suggestions/tips will be appreciated too. I'm planning to volunteer at a care home or something.

Any other things to help make my application stand out?

Thank you.

Hi Scott Kincaid, I'm Democracy.

I have to say, you're opting to get into medicine via a very convoluted route. Which will ultimately be more costly and competitive (take it from someone who's been through the process, getting into medicine as a graduate is not a cakewalk). It might remove the need for amazing A levels, but you kinda have to get a 2:1 at your biomedical sciences degree, which again (trust me), is not a piece of cake.

My advice to you is to do some more research as not all med schools are that fussed about GCSEs. This page might help you:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki...E_Requirements

Best of luck

[scottkincaid]

(Original post by Democracy)
Hi Scott Kincaid, I'm Democracy.

I have to say, you're opting to get into medicine via a very convoluted route. Which will ultimately be more costly and competitive (take it from someone who's been through the process, getting into medicine as a graduate is not a cakewalk). It might remove the need for amazing A levels, but you kinda have to get a 2:1 at your biomedical sciences degree, which again (trust me), is not a piece of cake.

My advice to you is to do some more research as not all med schools are that fussed about GCSEs. This page might help you:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki...E_Requirements

Best of luck

Thank you a bunch!

I will check it out now!

[pdk]

(Original post by scottkincaid)
Hello everybody!

I'm Scott Kincaid, I've just finished high school and I've opted to do A level biology, chemistry, law and history.

I have already spoken to a few universities that have said I could go down an alternative route and do biomedical science at university and then apply for medicine after I complete the course. Would this be a good idea?

My only concern is that most universities ask for five A's at GCSE and I'm very unsure at how I've done and I don't think I will get them. Would doing Biomedical science first remove the need to get the A grades?

Any other suggestions/tips will be appreciated too. I'm planning to volunteer at a care home or something.

Any other things to help make my application stand out?

Thank you.

Mate, i hope you will take in this advice. I'd defo advice you to forget what you have done with GCSEs and just focus on future - like A-levels - get the best grades that you can, do plenty of volunteering, work shadowing or working with people in places like care homes - not just for the sake of getting into medical school, but actually enjoy doing it...and when it comes to applying for medical school, make sure you do enough research into which medical schools are most likely to invite you for interview and narrow the medical schools in terms of where you would like to spend the next 4/5 years of your life, which course do you like etc. If after completing your A-levels, if you think you don't have much chance for medicine, I suggest doing a degree in something where you can have a career with later on...its because getting into medical isn't easy, and most people drop their enthusiasm and carry on with whatever career their degree led them to...I did biomedical sciences, which was great as I now have a wealth of info that other undergrads may not have, but I still dont think I made the right decision to do biomedical sciences...if I had to go back, I would have done something like nursing or physiotherapy or something similar where I'm still involved with people and could make a career out of it, in case I didn't get into medicine...Anyway, for you, my advice is to do really well and make the most of your A-levels and weigh your options later. And most importantly, if you really want to become a doctor, make sure you don't let anything or anyone lose your motivation! Good luck with everything

[scottkincaid]

(Original post by pdk)
Mate, i hope you will take in this advice. I'd defo advice you to forget what you have done with GCSEs and just focus on future - like A-levels - get the best grades that you can, do plenty of volunteering, work shadowing or working with people in places like care homes - not just for the sake of getting into medical school, but actually enjoy doing it...and when it comes to applying for medical school, make sure you do enough research into which medical schools are most likely to invite you for interview and narrow the medical schools in terms of where you would like to spend the next 4/5 years of your life, which course do you like etc. If after completing your A-levels, if you think you don't have much chance for medicine, I suggest doing a degree in something where you can have a career with later on...its because getting into medical isn't easy, and most people drop their enthusiasm and carry on with whatever career their degree led them to...I did biomedical sciences, which was great as I now have a wealth of info that other undergrads may not have, but I still dont think I made the right decision to do biomedical sciences...if I had to go back, I would have done something like nursing or physiotherapy or something similar where I'm still involved with people and could make a career out of it, in case I didn't get into medicine...Anyway, for you, my advice is to do really well and make the most of your A-levels and weigh your options later. And most importantly, if you really want to become a doctor, make sure you don't let anything or anyone lose your motivation! Good luck with everything

Thank you mate.

I'm really going to try my hardest.

Same to you mate, good luck in whatever you do next too.

[scottkincaid]

I've had an email from the University of Southampton and they have said that their requirements are a minimum of five C's (Including English language and maths) and BBC at A level (including chemistry and biology) - This looks like the easiest to get into, but when you think about the amount of people applying because their requirements are more relaxed it makes it more uncomfortable.

[pdk]

(Original post by scottkincaid)
I've had an email from the University of Southampton and they have said that their requirements are a minimum of five C's (Including English language and maths) and BBC at A level (including chemistry and biology) - This looks like the easiest to get into, but when you think about the amount of people applying because their requirements are more relaxed it makes it more uncomfortable.

As far as I know, Soton doesn't interview applicants (very weird!), so I think you'll need a 'more-than-excellent' PS and grades to get in there

[myyrh]

(Original post by pdk)
As far as I know, Soton doesn't interview applicants (very weird!), so I think you'll need a 'more-than-excellent' PS and grades to get in there

I think scottkincaid is referring to the BM6 course because the BM5 minimum A level requirement is AAA. Applicants are interviewed for the BM6 but not for the BM5.