Are my GCSEs good enough for medicine? (Entry 2017)

Eng lit - A*
Eng lang - B
Maths - A
Statistics - A
ICT - A
Art - B
History - A
German - A
Core - B
Additional - B
Further - A
RS - A*

I'm taking Biology, Chemistry and German at ALevel

They're good enough for the non-GCSE-heavy medical schools. Don't get me wrong, they're great results, but the competition is such that people tend to apply to their strengths so you wouldn't really have a chance at places like Cardiff, Oxford or QUB because most of the people applying there will have quite a few more A*s at GCSE.

Why aren't you taking four AS subjects? This may be a problem since a lot of medical schools specify that you have a certain grade in a fourth AS subject (usually B but bumped up to A if this is either chemistry or biology).

I'm not taking 4 because of the workload. I looked on the Barts website, and it says this for 2017 entry: 'Minimum entry from 2017 is expected to be 3 A levels at AAAChemistry or BiologyAnother Science or Maths( Chemistry ,Biology, Physics or Maths)Any A level except Critical Thinking or General StudiesPlease be aware there are changes to the UKCAT test in 2016 for entry in 2017 and the website should be consulted for all information'. So this means the requirement is now three, right? Because, with the new courses, the AS Level no longer exists - it's all one qualification now, with exams at the end of Year 13, not 12.

What universities are less GCSE heavy?

The ones that are less GCSE-heavy are usually the ones that focus on other things such as the UKCAT. One example would be Exeter. You can get a good list on what each university values by looking at this (although it's old):

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

I don't know whether that means if the requirement is now three A Levels but I do know this: never treat the minimum requirements as a target. Barts uses UCAS points to rank applicants and invite them to interview so most people applying there, knowing this, will likely have four or more full A Levels in addition to other things that are worth UCAS points such as the EPQ, music grades 6 to 8, the Welsh Baccalaureate and so on.

I also suggest that you look at other universities. Medicine is very competitive, which is why it's strongly advised to apply to the maximum of four universities to study medicine to maximise your chance of getting an offer.



On a more personal note: If four AS subjects are too much of a workload for you, it's not going to reflect well on you when the admissions people have to choose between you and somebody who's done four AS subjects. A medical degree/career is hard work and the workload will always be 'too much' so you may want to reconsider your aspirations to be a doctor if you're not willing to manage heavy workloads.

P.S. The AS Level very much does continue to exist; it's simply separated from the full A Level qualification in the sense that your AS marks don't contribute to your A Level grade. Most universities, I'd imagine, will want AS Levels anyway because otherwise the only qualification that all their applicants would have by which they could be judged would be GCSEs.

They are really good, how come you're taking German for a -levels?

Because I enjoy it.

I have a backup plan though - to do a degree in biochemistry/biomedical science/medical sciences first, then reapply for medicine

I love GCSE German and i thought i were the only one, i wanna take it for a level but dunno cos i wanna go into dentistry?

You only need chemistry and biology to study dentistry in the UK. The other two subjects, one of which you can drop at A Level, can be anything although some universities like it if it's another academic subject. German would be just fine as a third subject for dentistry as long as you do chemistry and biology as well.

I thort it was Chemistry, Biology and Physics/Maths? Don't you have to choose either Physcis or Maths

Nope. That's one of the biggest myths about medicine and dentistry. You don't need maths or physics unless you want to. Every dental school in the UK is fine with chemistry, biology and one other academic subject.

See here for more information.

That's a less foolproof backup plan than you'd think. Graduate entry medicine is more competitive, more expensive, and takes a longer time than regular medicine. It's the backdoor for a lot of people who don't get the grades for regular medicine so it's always going to be ridiculously competitive.

This problem is made worse by the fact that there are actually fewer places nationally for graduate entry courses than there are for conventional route so you get applicant-to-place ratios of 30:1 or higher on some graduate entry courses.

By all means have it as your backup plan but it's important not to focus more on the backup than on the original plan. Saying that it's your backup doesn't change the fact that you will most likely need four AS subjects (the three A Levels requirement refers to full A Levels in most cases, not AS) for the conventional route into medicine. You'll save yourself a lot of time and money if you just take that fourth subject while you have the chance.

Also, I'd wager that achieving AAAb at A Level is quite a bit easier than achieving a First or 2:1 in Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or any other science-based degree. Have a look here for more information on graduate entry medicine:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15889-graduate-entry-medicine-a-guide

Edit: You can still apply to the normal five-year courses as a graduate but the downside of that is that you're not eligible for funding that you'd get if you did graduate entry because student finance, strictly speaking, only covers your first degree.

Wow, you're really giving me confidence here

Wow, you're really giving me confidence here

Hydeman is giving you good advice. I wouldn't suggest Barts, Oxford, Cambridge or Nottingham to someone with your GSCEs. You need an AS then take a look at Imperial as they like a different subject at A level. You might get away with doing an extended project, Keele will accept that instead of an AS.

What's an extended project?

That's a less foolproof backup plan than you'd think. Graduate entry medicine is more competitive, more expensive, and takes a longer time than regular medicine. It's the backdoor for a lot of people who don't get the grades for regular medicine so it's always going to be ridiculously competitive.

This problem is made worse by the fact that there are actually fewer places nationally for graduate entry courses than there are for conventional route so you get applicant-to-place ratios of 30:1 or higher on some graduate entry courses.

By all means have it as your backup plan but it's important not to focus more on the backup than on the original plan. Saying that it's your backup doesn't change the fact that you will most likely need four AS subjects (the three A Levels requirement refers to full A Levels in most cases, not AS) for the conventional route into medicine. You'll save yourself a lot of time and money if you just take that fourth subject while you have the chance.

Also, I'd wager that achieving AAAb at A Level is quite a bit easier than achieving a First or 2:1 in Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or any other science-based degree. Have a look here for more information on graduate entry medicine:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=15889-graduate-entry-medicine-a-guide

Edit: You can still apply to the normal five-year courses as a graduate but the downside of that is that you're not eligible for funding that you'd get if you did graduate entry because student finance, strictly speaking, only covers your first degree.