Do I have a chance?

I apologise for (yet another) "Can I get in?" threads, but I really want some help with this.

My GCSE grades are 4 A*, 7 A and 1 B (because it's in something so unimportant as sports science, I don't actually mention it in my sig :p:

)

I do the IB diploma so unfortunately I don't have AS-levels. My predicted grade will be at least 40 points out of 45, having received 37 for my mocks. Cambridge ask for 38-40 while Kings and Soton 36, and Imperial only ask for 32 (strangely).

I've done four months voluntary work in a geriatric ward, and a week at A&E, orthopedics, and observing surgery in an operating theatre.

I want to apply to the following universities:

•

Cambridge

•

Imperial College

•

King's College

•

Southampton

Am I being too ambitious in my choice of universities? I have loads of extra curricular activities, such as Karate, swimming, Piano, and I organise events in and out of school, so I'm not really worried about that, and I think I'll make the prediction -- it's just the GCSEs. My headteacher told us in assembly today that, for the first time, she's actually unable to envisage exactly who is going to get into medicine this year because the competition is so tough. She said that many schools are placing a bar so that applicants with x A*s or less are rejected automatically. While I am aware that this is the case at some (Birmingham, for example), is this the case with all? Do the universities that I mentioned above have such a policy, or are the GCSE grades fine for those universities?

Thanks a lot in advance, I know that there are countless threads on this but I just really want to know. Cheers :smile:

Reply 1

Mustard-man

Yep, I think your GCSE's are fine, just check out the uni websites to see if there are specific requirements, as I know a few do.

I don't know about IB's though...

Reply 2

pianofingers

Thanks, Mustard-man. I know that there are a few, like Birmingham, who operate a cut-off policy. But other universities seem to have a rather strange one:

Take Imperial for example, when I went to their open day, the admissions tutor said: AAABB in Maths, English and Science, in any order. Sounds too good to be true. Is it? NB: He also said, however, that the BMAT is taken into consideration FIRST, and a cut-off point is established with the BMAT; then and only then is the rest of the application considered.

Reply 3

iceman_jondoe

Threads like this just get on my nerves :rolleyes:

Reply 4

general-david

what is with you ppl, you get excellent results and you ask 'do i have a chance?'!!!!!!!! (lol, even though i asked a similiar question b4)

Anyway, even if you got crap results you would stand a chance, but just not as such a good 1. :wink:

Reply 5

pianofingers

I'm sorry, I knew it was just another "one of those" threads, but compared to some on TSR, with a straight flush of A*s :eek:

, my results seem to be below par. It was a seriously genuine question, as I expressed that our (cruel) headteacher stated that she wasn't sure whether any of us would get into medicine this year. :eek:

(although not directly to our faces -- it was in a letter to the governors, and my friend just happens to be the daughter of one :biggrin:

and she read the E-mail out to me lol :biggrin:

) It was for this reason that I was concerned, because for the first time I actually considered something else!

Reply 6

cowsgomoo

yeah, TSR makes you feel pretty average.

Reply 7

Greenmile

mmmm......
Everyone does seem to have pretty good grades (except me - lol!).

Either only the really really brainy people are on this forum or some are embellishing their actual grades.

I think it's the former in most cases.