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For those mediocre students wanting to do medicine...

Hey!
I thought I'd start up a thread for everyone who really wants to do medicine, but doesn't have like 15a* GCSE, and predicted A* across the board at A level lmao.
I'm hoping for 2016 entry, and really like the look of Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and Leicester. I got 7A's, 3B's, 2C's and a distinction* at GCSE, and I'm doing AS Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Maths. What about everyone else? What did you get at GCSE? How are you finding the as exams? Do you know which uni you're wanting to go to?
Look forward to hearing back from everyone!

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Reply 1
Right so...
My GCSES are actually good - I'm just nowhere near the standards of other medics in my year at AS level. Very depressing sometimes - especially coming out of my physcs paper thinking about looking for alternative careers and they all say it was a doddle! :angry:

Looking at Manchester, St George's, King's and Nottingham so far, Southampton and Sheffield also look good.

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Original post by El_42
This is me! Exactly the same as you Claudia, worried about maths and chemistry. I want to study medicine so badly but scared I haven't got the a level grades required :s-smilie:

You don't need to have good A level results if you're willing to go abroad and learn! You just need to be passionate about it! You just need to do an entrance exam and that too only for some Unis which is much easier than A levels!
Why are you calling yourself mediocre? Do you have no self-esteem whatsoever? Or self-respect?

As if 7As is a mediocre set of results anyway...
Original post by Democracy
Why are you calling yourself mediocre? Do you have no self-esteem whatsoever? Or self-respect?

As if 7As is a mediocre set of results anyway...


Not a med student, but you do have a point here.


Medicine is a great degree and med students have my respect, but I do think that sixthforms put able students off, by creating this sense that to become a med student is this herculean task, only attainable by the most intelligent, ruthlessly industrious students. It really isn't.
Reply 5
Original post by morningstar49
You don't need to have good A level results if you're willing to go abroad and learn! You just need to be passionate about it! You just need to do an entrance exam and that too only for some Unis which is much easier than A levels!


That is true! I'm so dedicated to this career. I think I will probably end up studying abroad but if you have the passion it doesn't matter where you go i guess.

How is everyone finding their a levels at the moment? I can't help but think they are really trying to make these exams rigorous and not just about straight recall of facts and information.
Reply 6
Original post by morningstar49
You don't need to have good A level results if you're willing to go abroad and learn! You just need to be passionate about it! You just need to do an entrance exam and that too only for some Unis which is much easier than A levels!

...and have a load of cash behind you.
Im scared about not getting my A grades for as level
I'm probably looking at 2A's and 2B's but hopefully it will be 3A's if I work extremely hard for next weeks exam!

I got 4A*'s, 4A's and 3B's
I'm hoping to get a high UkCAT score!!

And I want to go to Hull/York or Keele university
I might apply to St. George's and Sheffield but haven't really decided yet


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Original post by Claudiawalker98
Hey!
I thought I'd start up a thread for everyone who really wants to do medicine, but doesn't have like 15a* GCSE, and predicted A* across the board at A level lmao.
I'm hoping for 2016 entry, and really like the look of Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield and Leicester. I got 7A's, 3B's, 2C's and a distinction* at GCSE, and I'm doing AS Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Maths. What about everyone else? What did you get at GCSE? How are you finding the as exams? Do you know which uni you're wanting to go to?
Look forward to hearing back from everyone!


" Medicore students " doesn't really suit the thread tbh
Original post by yo radical one
Not a med student, but you do have a point here.


Medicine is a great degree and med students have my respect, but I do think that sixthforms put able students off, by creating this sense that to become a med student is this herculean task, only attainable by the most intelligent, ruthlessly industrious students. It really isn't.


Definitely dude. If studying medicine's taught me anything, it's that it isn't all that. I remember when I was applying it seemed like trying to gain entrance to Mt. Olympus itself. But once you're there it's like, oh, okay. This is all pretty normal.
I hate it how passionate I am about wanting to do medicine, it is literally all I want to do, but then compared to so many of my friends it seems like I have no chance:')
How've you found the exams so far?
Original post by El_42
This is me! Exactly the same as you Claudia, worried about maths and chemistry. I want to study medicine so badly but scared I haven't got the a level grades required :s-smilie:
Original post by Democracy
Why are you calling yourself mediocre? Do you have no self-esteem whatsoever? Or self-respect?

As if 7As is a mediocre set of results anyway...



I understand that they're not the worst, I didn't mean for it to come across like that sorry. I was meaning compared to some people who are applying to medicine, who seem to have got all A's and A*'s, not C's haha :smile:
Original post by Bloom77
Im scared about not getting my A grades for as level
I'm probably looking at 2A's and 2B's but hopefully it will be 3A's if I work extremely hard for next weeks exam!

I got 4A*'s, 4A's and 3B's
I'm hoping to get a high UkCAT score!!

And I want to go to Hull/York or Keele university
I might apply to St. George's and Sheffield but haven't really decided yet


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I really wanted to go to Hull-York, but they require a B at a 4th AS, but I really doubt I'll get that in maths so I thought it was probably more sensible for me to go for ones which only require 3 A's, rather than a high 4th AS :smile:
Original post by Orlando225
" Medicore students " doesn't really suit the thread tbh

Sorry, as I've already said above I meant it relative to other candidates who have cleared the floor with A*, rather than B's and C's. I know they're good grades still, but I just meant it in comparison to others.. Sorry haha :smile:
I want to discuss in this thread but im not mediocre. It should be called lower achieving students or something. Even that sounds kind of better.
Original post by Claudiawalker98
I understand that they're not the worst, I didn't mean for it to come across like that sorry. I was meaning compared to some people who are applying to medicine, who seem to have got all A's and A*'s, not C's haha :smile:


You do realise a lot of people BS on this site right?
Original post by El_42
They have definitely not been easy, i'll put it that way haha. I'm quite worried about chemistry and maths to be honest, what about your exams?


I thought that overall they've been better than I was expecting tbh, but still not great haha. Which exams boards are you sitting?
Mine are OCR biology and psychology, and AQA Chemistry and Maths :smile:
GCSEs aren't the be all and end all for medicine

It's your A levels where the **** hits the fan - don't get the grades, no medicine. Or graduate entry medicine - if it still exists of course..
Top grades aren't the be all and end all! I got straight A* at GCSE and didn't get past any of my interviews, whereas others in my year who got A / Bs have got in. Tbh it was work experience and knowledge (or lack of) the NHS/current affairs that let me down, so yes get the grades, but also get as much work experience as you can!

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Original post by boods8897
Top grades aren't the be all and end all! I got straight A* at GCSE and didn't get past any of my interviews, whereas others in my year who got A / Bs have got in. Tbh it was work experience and knowledge (or lack of) the NHS/current affairs that let me down, so yes get the grades, but also get as much work experience as you can!

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I've been lucky in the sense that I have pretty decent work experience, and have some other good stuff lined up:smile:
Sorry to hear that you didn't get past interviews, what are you doing now?

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