[Vulpes]

The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread MK III

Here is the third part of "The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst" Megathreads, following on from this thread.

This thread is for applicants looking for advice on which medical schools will be more suitable for them to apply to based on their applicant profiles. All future threads on this topic will be merged into this one.

Please read the FAQ before posting.

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Academic Requirements

• Medical School A Level Requirements - Summary of A level requirements for each medical school, including required subjects and typical offers.
• Medical School GCSE Requirements - Summary of the minimum GCSE requirements for each medical school.
• Medical School Requirements for Scottish Students - Summary of each medical schools requirements for Scottish students.
• Medical School IB Requirements - Summary of IB requirements for each medical school, correct for 2011 entry.
  
  
• UKCAT - All about the UKCAT. Who needs it? What does it test? Practice questions.
• BMAT - All about the BMAT. Who needs it? What does it test? Practice questions.
• GAMSAT - All about the GAMSAT. Who needs it? What does it test?
  
  
• Applying to Medical School Using Your Strengths - A guide on how to apply 'smart', with admissions policies for all forms of entry into medical school.

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Useful Articles

• Access to Medicine - A summary of the degree courses that allow entry into medicine without standard A Levels.
• Medical School Foundation and Widening Access - A summary of the Foundation and Widening Access programmes offered by UK Medical Schools.
• Medical School Resit Policies - A summary of the policies of each medical school when it comes to resit students.
• Medical School Competition Ratios - Comparisons of how many applications each medical school have compared to their offers given.

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Miscellaneous

Top Posters from the Previous Thread

myyrh 485
Beska 211
TooSexyForMyStethoscope 145
Markh1000 115
Vulpes 102
ryan118244 80
Natalie21 63
gozatron 62
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BethaneyJ 58

For More Information

[connorfielding]

Hi i got 6A* 8As at GCSE and do bio chem maths and eco for AS levels. I have no idea but things went terribly wrong yesturday with results and got CDDD for AS. im 2 marks of a B in maths and 2 marks of a C in eco. I surely can't apply medicine this year but if i can resit my AS modules like bio1,bio2 and chem 2, C2 maths along side my normal A2 course and get close to as possible to AAA at a-level, is it worth it? Many unis say they dont like me doing 3 years of A-level and wont consider my application

[zainahmed72]

Someone I know got straight a* got turned down to do medicine. He also did his a levels in 2 years but there is too much competition and epically if you show them that you stayed In college for three years they will turn you down straight away.

[myyrh]

(Original post by connorfielding)
Hi i got 6A* 8As at GCSE and do bio chem maths and eco for AS levels. I have no idea but things went terribly wrong yesturday with results and got CDDD for AS. im 2 marks of a B in maths and 2 marks of a C in eco. I surely can't apply medicine this year but if i can resit my AS modules like bio1,bio2 and chem 2, C2 maths along side my normal A2 course and get close to as possible to AAA at a-level, is it worth it? Many unis say they dont like me doing 3 years of A-level and wont consider my application

The resitting during your A2 year is absolutely fine and is your best option at the moment. Avoid the three year span at all costs.

[connorfielding]

Thanks for the repIies guys! If I resit my AS modules next year, then that would mean I would be applying to medical school next year, not this year cuz my AS's are so bad. But how could they make an offer on "actual" a-level results ? Does that mean I'll be taking a gap year as well if I apply next year for medicine?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[lsaul95]

(Original post by kiren 786)
Hi im in the same position, I'm doing physics, biology, chemistry and maths results were BCCE.
Gap year seems like the only option, but there are also some foundtion courses for medicine which have requirements such as BBB.
Does anyone know anything more about the pre-clinical courses?

Foundation courses are usually for people that didn't take sciences at A-level.

There is a list of requirements and everything somewhere on here

[REEPER]

(Original post by kiren 786)
Hi im in the same position, I'm doing physics, biology, chemistry and maths results were BCCE.
Gap year seems like the only option, but there are also some foundtion courses for medicine which have requirements such as BBB.
Does anyone know anything more about the pre-clinical courses?

kings do a foundation med course, but I belive youhave to have lived in certain london bouroughs to be consideredfor it.

[HarryMWilliams]

(Original post by connorfielding)
Thanks for the repIies guys! If I resit my AS modules next year, then that would mean I would be applying to medical school next year, not this year cuz my AS's are so bad. But how could they make an offer on "actual" a-level results ? Does that mean I'll be taking a gap year as well if I apply next year for medicine?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I think what you are asking there is if you have your a level grades how can they make a offer? Instead of the offer being "conditional" on getting certain grades the offer would be "unconditional", essentially you have a place whatever happens because you already have your grades and they arent going to change.

(Original post by kiren 786)
Hi im in the same position, I'm doing physics, biology, chemistry and maths results were BCCE.
Gap year seems like the only option, but there are also some foundtion courses for medicine which have requirements such as BBB.
Does anyone know anything more about the pre-clinical courses?

Before you rule out A100 completely, just get in touch with the universities! I have done and explained the situation... I'm essentially in the same position as you. There does seem to be this "myth" that if you dont get AAAA at AS or BBBB at AS then your chances are completely blown out of the water, which granted is correct for some universities but NOT ALL.

I have already had confirmation back from Exeter and Plymouth saying that they would accept an application (with no bias) from myself reliant on the AAA at A2 prediction from my teachers, and I got BDEU (A/A* in an EPQ) on Thursday! Whilst my chances of getting an application accepted at Oxbridge are, well -100000% but apply strategically to the universities who either don't care or don't place emphasis on the AS results like the Peninsula schools that I have mentioned above.

There are a handfull of universities that have the same policies such as Southampton who have told me and I quote: "AS levels would only come into play if you could not offer Chemistry at A Level grade A." so get out your email client and fire off some emails to universities.

Talk to the universities, explain the situation and see what they say. You may just get a surprise! I certainly did..

[HarryMWilliams]

(Original post by kiren 786)
I guess luck also plays a part and sometimes bad AS results still get you the place.

Well I would like to think luck plays a somewhat smaller role than actual hard work and impression.

(Original post by kiren 786)
But i also havent yet revised for the UKCAT test yet, and have literally less than a month to revise for it
would that be enough time?

I revised for about a month and got 675 in the UKCAT, its not too little time at all.

(Original post by kiren 786)
I was just really gutted with my results, and which uni's dont look at AS results?
isit better to ring and ask the universities or email?

As am I! Try looking at Exeter, Plymouth, Leeds, Southampton and to a degree Newcastle but in any case contact the universities. I have chosen to do so via email so I have a written record of the conversations between myself and the admissions staff so that if I need to reference them I can.

(Original post by kiren 786)
I really am thinking of giving up medicine as a whole

Why? This has simply emboldened me to persevere.

[Rafiiki]

(Original post by connorfielding)
Hi i got 6A* 8As at GCSE and do bio chem maths and eco for AS levels. I have no idea but things went terribly wrong yesturday with results and got CDDD for AS. im 2 marks of a B in maths and 2 marks of a C in eco. I surely can't apply medicine this year but if i can resit my AS modules like bio1,bio2 and chem 2, C2 maths along side my normal A2 course and get close to as possible to AAA at a-level, is it worth it? Many unis say they dont like me doing 3 years of A-level and wont consider my application

Hi,

It's possible, providing there were extenuating circumstances, that you could convince your teachers to predict you AAA, and hence you can apply for medicine this year

Explain to them why it is you didn't achieve the grades you expected at AS

And yes of course you can still do medicine! Don't give up before you even try

About the 3 years thing, yes it's true, many schools don't exactly have a preference for re-sit students, which is why it's advisable to resit your modules now within the 2 years you spend at college, your grades aren't too bad to be honest, people say it's hard to move up several grade boundaries, I moved up from a D in Chemistry to an A, so as long as you are committed and you put in the effort, anything is possible

All the best.

[Newbie123]

(Original post by connorfielding)
Hi i got 6A* 8As at GCSE and do bio chem maths and eco for AS levels. I have no idea but things went terribly wrong yesturday with results and got CDDD for AS. im 2 marks of a B in maths and 2 marks of a C in eco. I surely can't apply medicine this year but if i can resit my AS modules like bio1,bio2 and chem 2, C2 maths along side my normal A2 course and get close to as possible to AAA at a-level, is it worth it? Many unis say they dont like me doing 3 years of A-level and wont consider my application

Not to be cruel or anything but in short, no, you have virtually no chance at Medicine at any university - seeing as it's extremely competitive regardless of where you apply.

There are many, many people with straight A's getting 4 out of 4 rejections on a yearly basis. Doing A-Levels over 3 years would absolutely kill your Medicine application as well as your application to other top universities for other competitive courses (the reason they dislike it so much is that if you get your grades over 3 years, regardless of whether they're good or bad, don't reflect your ability as well as the grades of others that were obtained in 2 years).

[kiren 786]

Thanks for the advice i'll email a few universities.
Oh sounds great, i guess i'll give the UKCAT a shot, its just that everyone i've asked has found it ridiculously difficult.
How did u revise for it?
Any books you'd advise me to use?

[Newbie123]

(Original post by kiren 786)
Thanks for the advice i'll email a few universities.
Oh sounds great, i guess i'll give the UKCAT a shot, its just that everyone i've asked has found it ridiculously difficult.
How did u revise for it?
Any books you'd advise me to use?

Most people I know used this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/into-Medical.../dp/1905812094

That should be a good place to start, but be aware that the actual test itself won't necessarily be too similar to the practice questions in this book (that was what many people told me).

With the UKCAT, speed is so important because you literally will not have enough time to finish the test, so basically it's a case of "do as much as you can", but make sure you are accurate as well, so basically, be super-efficient with your time, particularly in the reading section, don't get too bogged down on the passages.

[Podcaster]

(Original post by connorfielding)
Hi i got 6A* 8As at GCSE and do bio chem maths and eco for AS levels. I have no idea but things went terribly wrong yesturday with results and got CDDD for AS. im 2 marks of a B in maths and 2 marks of a C in eco. I surely can't apply medicine this year but if i can resit my AS modules like bio1,bio2 and chem 2, C2 maths along side my normal A2 course and get close to as possible to AAA at a-level, is it worth it? Many unis say they dont like me doing 3 years of A-level and wont consider my application

3 Ds? Not even alternative medicine would take you.

[Paddy S]

(Original post by kiren 786)
Hi im in the same position, I'm doing physics, biology, chemistry and maths results were BCCE.
Gap year seems like the only option, but there are also some foundtion courses for medicine which have requirements such as BBB.
Does anyone know anything more about the pre-clinical courses?

The foundation courses are for students who don't have a scientific background i.e didn't study chemistry or biology etc.
You won't be eligible.

[KD35]

resit the modules you need to do next year and I'd say drop eco so you've got less work or resit eco AS but don't carry it onto A2.

You're gonna have to put in a lot of work, you'll have resits and A2 but it can be done, good luck.

[Bazingaa]

Sorry for yet another one of these threads, but my schools not offering much help with this!
in my gcse's I got 6 A*'s, 4 A's and a B
and in my AS results I got AAAB (chem,history,eng lit, biology)
Ive been volunteering in a hospital for the last 6 months and a special needs school for a year ish.
I'm worried the B in biology will stop me getting offers. I was only a couple of marks off so am determined to get an A at A level.

Basically, do you think it's worth applying still?
Thanks

P. s I'm wanting to apply to Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, liverpool, leeds

[Helloworld_95]

Have you shadowed a doctor?

Otherwise your grades are great, predictions are what they look at more than AS grades.

Also what's your UKCAT score? Sheffield and Newcastle like them quite high.

[amojamo]

A friend of mine got four As at AS, predicted 3A*s and 1 A for A2, didn't get in to do medicine. D:

[Bazingaa]

My UKCAT score was 2650 ish I think. I'm trying to set up a shadowing placement at the moment but don't seem to be getting much luck with it!