Can I still get into Medicine with these GCSE grades?

First off, congrats for completing your GCSEs even though your personal circumstances were less than optimal. However, it's unlikely you would attain a place at med school with the grades you have, including the AS grades. Like a poster above mentioned, straight As and A*s won't earn you a place at med school automatically either. I know you probably mean everything you say when you mention that you're going to work really hard, but everyone else will probably be saying that, even those with amazing GCSE grades. Not too sure whether the universities will be able to award you with extenuating circumstances, unless you applied for them at the time of the exams? I'm not too sure, but double check anyway

Either way, it's not impossible for you to get into medicine. You could take a different degree or try for an access course to medicine if you wanted to. Not sure of the criteria for these, but have a look. I'm pretty sure the University of Bradford does something like that, but don't quote me on that. Just work hard from now on and you can reconsider after your summer exams. Best of luck

Do you honestly think you are the sort of person who could cope with a 5 year intensive medical degree? If you struggled through your GCSEs and then were incapable of knuckling down during the first 5 months of your AS levels, what makes you think your dream of medicine is anything other than, well, a dream?

Although Chemistry is pretty much vital to study Medicine, there are 7 universities that don't require Chemistry provided you have Biology - according to my History teacher - one of her past students is now studying Medicine without an A level in Chemistry. However, that being said I'm not trying to give you false hope. The odds are that applications for these courses will be more than high. Talk with your parents and your tutors to see which option will be more viable to you.

Hey everyone,
I've been really struggling lately wandering on what on earth I can do with the GCSE's I got. These are;

A - Art
B - Maths
B - IT
B - Science
B - Additional Science
C - English Language
C - English Literature
C - Religious Studies
C - Child Development

OP, no chance. sorry. poor GCSE's, very poor A levels so far and no chemistry.

Sorry but I disagree with the phrase NO CHANCE and all the other unintentional but very demotivating replies back to OP who clearly hasn't had the best start. Yes there's a difference between being realistic and optimistic. But never say never, anything is possible.

My proof is that I know a couple of people who have got Cs and Bs at GCSE and are retaking their a levels (3yrs in total) because they got Ds and Cs first time at end of yr 13. And now they are holding offers for Medicine in which the only need BBB. (They applied to the 6 year foundation courses).

I would strongly recommend that you pick up Chemistry alevel plus retake english language and achieve minimum B grade and take a few other and aim for A*. The more you retake and improve the better ofcourse it is. BUT MATHS,ENGLISH,SCIENCE are mains ones for GCSEs and for alevels BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY are the main ones.

I know how you feel OP but hang in there and always keep a positive attitude. If you can't get into Medicine it's not the end of the world. But don't give up you'll get there eventually I'm sure.

Chemistry is vital; and not many med schools will accept a third year of A-Levels. I see you had Architecture noted as your second choice of course, and I had a few points to bring up about that too.

-Architecture courses can be just as selective, and they are intensive degrees. With accreditation etc, it's a long path to becoming an architect, and you may need to seriously consider if it's for you.
-They are two very different courses, if you were passionate about Medicine I would've thought your secondary course would be straight Chemistry, or Biomedical Sciences or something in that field. Are you sure you're making the right course choices? Don't feel pressured into two of the longest and selective courses if you don't absolutely want to do one or the other.
-You seem able at Science, but you did better at Art. Have you considered an Artistic course as a degree path?

Again I'm not trying to push you into anything - if you really want to go for Medicine then good luck. But I don't want you to get to the application stage just to be rejected for not having Chem, and for needing to take an extra year, because that would suck. Good luck with whatever you do, keep us posted.

It's great to see someone so passionate about the medical course, however from experience of my brother studying it not sure if it is right for you. He got A*AA in Scottish A level equivalent, and received 5 A's at AS equivalent even with extenuating circumstances where he was seriously ill and didn't attend school. The course is an extremely intense 5 years, but also remember there are the foundation years, registrar years and the years where you have to specialise. In actual fact its atleast a 10 year intense course.

If you try still, very best of luck; but perhaps look at more realistic options.

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Now that you mention it, I probably won't like that at all, I love the whole idea of the learning and the science and the fact that I end up doing it, but knowing that it will be taking me over 7 years, it puts me off a little bit, thank you for reminding me!

You talk abour retakes but make sure you revise for everything. A GCSE resit usually requires 2 hours of study a week. An A Level on the other hand requires 4 hours of extra study per week, per subject. It's pleasant to see that you're motivated but develop your work ethics. As for your AS subjects this year, you'll easily be able to achieve C grades as there are still more than two weeks left till your exams. In regards to the parents situation .. I feel for you. So pass your exams and then make a fresh start. I've seen people in their 40s with no previous further education enter the world of Medicine - anyone who tells you you can't be a paedetrician: well, perhaps they're too cynical.

Maybe look in to a degree in medical science. It's basically the theory of a medicine degree without the clinical practice of it.
Not entirely sure what entry requirements are though...but worth a shot.

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Don't give up on your dreams just because you messed around and learned the hard way. People are allowed to be human but you have to prove you have learned from your mistakes.

There are other routes into medicine if that's what you really want but they will all take longer.

There is nothing to stop you applying as a mature student. Course fees are the same and age is not a barrier.

Get a job rather than , make progress in it. At the same time, go to night school and get those A/A* A-level grades or do an Access University science course whilst holding down the job. Do voluntary work at a hospital, talk to the doctors there. I'm sure they will tell you of the different non-standard routes into medicine.

The thing is, you have to prove to the university that you are 100% committed, passionate with motivation and fully capable of undertaking the very heavy academic workload demanded. They want to know you are capable and will cope.

Good grades go some way to proving have the mental ability, doing it off your own back whilst dealing with the pressures of a job show you have determination, stamina and can manage your priorities. Mature students are generally looked on favourably because they have lived in the real world and have made a critical choice to return to education. In other words you can show you have grown-up.

Put your back into your revision now and see what you can achieve in the time you have left. You may surprise yourself.

There is no guarantee, but if you want it badly enough and can honestly say you have the academic ability, tenacity, determination and have conquered your past errors, I say plan your strategy, map out the steps you need to take and then put everything you are into it.

Never let anyone say it cannot be done, only you know the answer to that.

Good luck and best wishes.

Sorry but I disagree with the phrase NO CHANCE and all the other unintentional but very demotivating replies back to OP who clearly hasn't had the best start. Yes there's a difference between being realistic and optimistic. But never say never, anything is possible.

My proof is that I know a couple of people who have got Cs and Bs at GCSE and are retaking their a levels (3yrs in total) because they got Ds and Cs first time at end of yr 13. And now they are holding offers for Medicine in which the only need BBB. (They applied to the 6 year foundation courses).

I would strongly recommend that you pick up Chemistry alevel plus retake english language and achieve minimum B grade and take a few other and aim for A*. The more you retake and improve the better ofcourse it is. BUT MATHS,ENGLISH,SCIENCE are mains ones for GCSEs and for alevels BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY are the main ones.

I know how you feel OP but hang in there and always keep a positive attitude. If you can't get into Medicine it's not the end of the world. But don't give up you'll get there eventually I'm sure.

I'm sorry but 'never say never' is not a philosophy to abide by in a situation like this.

There is 0% chance the OP will be considered for undergrad medicine, so the OP will have to do a diff. degree to begin with. - that's already 3 years.

Further, it's not like the OP has done 'okay' academically and would easily get onto a medical sciences or biochemistry undergraduate program. OP will actually struggle to get onto one, though, might, at a push, luckily find one that accepts them.

OP would need to get a first to compensate for the poor academic attainment prior to their degree.

Then OP still won't be prepped for grad medicine. Graduate medicine is ridiculously competitive - much more so than undergrad.

But before this, maybe two years' exp. is necessary, as the OP will have an extremely hard time persuading an admissions tutor that they were passionate to study medicine if they had such poor A Levels and little exp. And then I would advise that OP's chances of being successful are about 15%.

In grad medicine you have tonnes of people who have demonstrated academic excellence consistently and have merely decided they want to medicine - it's hard enough for them to get it but they take priority over someone who's always wanted to do medicine but just hasn't really attained well enough in their earlier education.