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

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Reply 40

Helenia

Iscariot

Surely this could almost belong in the medicine angst thread?

Good point :wink:

Reply 41

TG777

Don't know if this is the correct forum to be posting on, however will the following be sufficent:

AS: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Economics - Getting an B in Physics and dropping it.
A2: Chemistry, Biology, Economics

Would that be fine when applying for Medicine at Uni's eg Leicester, Aston, Notts

What are the chances of being accepted with an A in Biology A in Physics but a B in Chem?

Reply 42

username43584

Aston? Aston doesn't do medicine. And yes, dropping physics is more than sufficient.

If you mean a B in the overall A level, then it will depend on your offer. Some unis will specify As in bio and chem and then B in physics or economics (whichever you pick) Others will be more lenient.

Reply 43

Afterglow

Iscariot

Dunno, since I had a moment of doubt there I looked through UCAS for 3 minutes and quite a few said "Chemistry to HL along with one other science and Biology at least at SL". Ok I didn't look through every single school but... At least BSMS say they only require one of Biology or Chemistry at HL. Although I heard they had 25 applicants per place last year - which made it the most applied to medical school in the UK I read somewhere on this forum.

So in other words, I'm not really good enough for med school with Bio HL and Chem SL? :frown:

Do you think there is a way to pass around it or something I should do? Like should I either take up Chem, apply for foundation or apply for another science course and then afterwards, go for graduate entry?

Reply 44

Afterglow

Oh and I looked through almost all unis and their requirements and these are the ones with the 'chemistry and/or biology HL'.

- Brighton Sussex
- East Anglia
- Keele
- Kings
- Newcastle
- St George
- Cardiff
- Peninsula (I emailed them and they said 'include 6 in a science and a non science subject at the Higher level')
Manchester told me to take foundation year.

Reply 45

username43584

I'd love to have applied to Newcastle. Fantastic student city (or so I've heard)

But that's by the by! Which ones are you interested in?

Reply 46

*shooting_star*

Iscariot

Without wanting to sound like Dr. House (or insert arrogant know it all's character name here) (plus since I find that show annoying), everyone should think about what does this actually mean in the bigger picture when applying to medicine.

Does being head girl really make you more suited to a career in medicine or has it taught you anything about a career in medicine? Does it prove you are anything more than the teacher's favourite? Does being in the band prove anything except that you enjoy playing an instrument? I'm not saying head girl or being a band member are worthless, all I'm saying is that you have to work out why they're worth something when it comes to applying to become a doctor.

I've heard that they like you to have a bit more than just academical stuff, so that you can join their clubs and make the uni look good. I row as well, so I was thinking that it showed I had a bit of diversity and that.
I am planning on doing some volunteering at either my local GP surgery or something like that.

But thanks for the advice, I shall indeed heed it :biggrin:

Debz xxx

Reply 47

Iscariot

Afterglow

Go for it

Good luck.

Reply 48

Afterglow

Alright then. Now its just a matter of choosing four, doing the UKCAT and ps :p:

*hopes*

Thanks btw.

Reply 49

wutang

Does Nottingham have some sort of hidden prejudice against Private Schools?
Quite a few medical schools arent as transparent as they insist they are.

Reply 50

Helenia

Not that I'm aware of. Anecdotal evidence only, but I got an offer, and two of my friends also from private schools have just graduated from there.

Reply 51

Riquelminho

Hello, Im currently thinking of applying for medicine, but have been sort of "put off" by people who have been rejected with overall better grades than myself. Would my grades be good enough for medicine? I want to apply for Manchester, Liverpool or Queen Mary's. My GCSEs are A*AAAAAAAAABBB (2 B's in english) and I've been predicted AAAA for AS level (taking bio, chem, maths and economics). WOuld applying for Manchester be a waste of a UCAS space? Or do I not meet the requirements to apply for med at all, and think about going into dentistry instead?

I want honest opinions please :smile:

Thankyou

Reply 52

flakey18

Vegetto

Thankyou

I reckon, if you have the determination, then don't be put off. Applying to study medicine is a bit of a gamble, many of the so-called 'best' applicants get rejected and vice-versa. As long as you fulfil the minimum criteria for GCSEs then you'll be fine.

But a word of advice, don't in any way apply for dentistry as a back up!!! It's harder to get into than medicine in terms of applicants per place (because there are fewer dental schools), and the grades required are exactly the same (AAB, becoming AAA in a couple of dental schools as far as i'm aware). It's also just as competitive, with interviews and suchlike.

Hope that helped!

Reply 53

Billyboy02

Allright, new here but seeing as how everyone else was enquiring, thought I'd give it a go myself.

Currently studying AS Physics, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Critical Thinking but I'm resitting the last four as I didn't do particularly well in my initial modules ( Got A,B,C,C,D respectively ). I also got 4 A*'s, 5 A's, 2 B's at GCSE and was a peer mentor during high school for which I won a Diana Memorial Award ( Is this of any use ? ). I've got my heart set on Manchester uni but have heard its nigh impossible to get in and as a local, I've been told by some that my chances are slimmer apparently. I should mention that I have a penchant for swearing which doesn't go down too well with my Tutor and as such, I'm not expecting a particularly dazzling reference as she isn't too fond of me but will this factor significantly? Also, with regards to my resits, I contacted a number of universities on the matter and was told that they would only negatively discriminate against me if I resat after obtaining final A2 grades, i.e. resits taken during AS year would have no bearing on my application but realistically, are they winding me up?

Any comments would be much appreciated, thanks a lot,

Billy

Reply 54

Ribbons

Vegetto

Thankyou

You most definitely meet the minimum requirement of most places. Check the Manchester website/prospectus for specific details.
As for your last question, dentistry requires similar grades. There is, AFAIK, more competition for it in statistical terms due to the limited number of seats.

Reply 55

Ribbons

Billyboy02

You are retaking your AS modules? That would not be such a problem, however if you were redoing the A2 year, then you would be discriminated against, as the tutors have informed you.
So, no, they are not 'winding you up'.
Your GCSEs look alright to me..
By all means mention the Diana Memorial Award with regards to the peer mentoring, but is this the only work experience-y thing you've done?
As for the reference, are you sure your tutor will give you a bad reference just for swearing? :s-smilie:

And yes, a reference is an important part of your application..

Reply 56

Riquelminho

Ribbons

Sorry, what does AFAIK stand for?

As Far As I Know.

Thanks for that :smile:

Reply 59

MOLEYMOO

Vegetto

Or do I not meet the requirements to apply for med at all, and think about going into dentistry instead?

I want honest opinions please :smile:

Thankyou

Lord Knows why anyone would want to go into dentistry. I literally have no idea why anyone would want to apply. It's harder to get into than medicine, you spend your life with your fingers in peoples mouths, you make less money than Medics (it's true, they make a lot less) and have to learn to resist dry retching everytime some smoker opens their mouth. I know that obviously medicine can be really drab and disgusting at some points, but from this side the grass looks greener on the doctors side rather than the dentist's. And you can't imagine a dentist having an argument with his father about it:
"Don't hold me down Dad! THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO DO! I WANT TO LOOK AT PEOPLES GUMS AND PRESCRIBE DENTAL MEDICATION!"

Misinformed Rant Over

Sorry if i've offended anyone who wants to be a dentist or whose relatives are dentists, that's just what i think dentistry is like, office work for the sciency type, obviously though if i become a doctor, the likelyhood is that i'll probably become a GP like every other medical student does. But anyway, i thought t'would be better to offload my thoughts here than on the dentistry forum like that idiot who had an argument with everyone on this site because he thought maths was more interesting.