Choosing A level subjects for medicine+other questions

3) what do you do after completing degree

Hi, i'm approaching the near end of sitting all of my GCSE exams which leaves me with a summer break to kick back and relax after the tight stress that has been present for the past few months. However, i also need to have confirmed which A level subjects i want to pursue for the next 2 years.

i am thinking of going ahead with Biology, Chemistry and English Literature, however, before this i was confident on taking Mathematics instead of English, but the more i think about it, the more i feel that i'm more likely to achieve an A/A* in English rather than maths.
This leads me to my question which is would it be okay for me to pick English Literature instead of mathematics, as i still have Biology and Chemistry which of course are compulsory, but will a university value an a level in english for a student who wants to do medicine.


In addition to this, i have a few other questions and it would be EXTREMELY helpful if anybody could answer to any ones that they know
1) Work Experience/Voluntary work- i'm 16 and just finished year 11, i just wanted to know what kind of things i should be looking to do for work experience or voluntary stuff. i'm taking part in NCS this summer and a pharmacy near by have offered me a part time job for the summer. they also said they would be able to train me in the pharmacy. is this worth taking up? would it count as good experience?
2) If my GCSE results don't go down so well (touch wood i'll be happy with them!), will it really matter if i didn't get straight A's/A*'S???? Do universities consider your gcse grades just as much as a level grades and will it have a massive impact if i don't do so well in gcse's
3) what do you do after completing degree

that combination of subjects is absolutely fine and I know many a medic who got into my uni (cardiff) with those grades.

1) for medicine the pharmacy would only count as you knowing you dont want to do pharmacy. You will need some work experience and voluntary work in a caring role (so hospital ward, care home, working with disabled children, working with disadvantaged people).

2) Universities for medicine do look at your GCSE grades. you need a minimum of B in english language, maths, and the three sciences ideally and that will get you into the ones that dont look at your GCSEs. but a lot use your GCSE grades more than your AS/A2 results. My university Cardiff wanted 8A* at GCSE for an interview, and I know most places use them to decide where you rank. My best advice is 6A*/A grades is competative, and strong AS/A2 predicted and entrance exam scores can make up for poor GCSE grades at some universities. its all about applying to your strengths.

3) for medicine you go straight into foundation training and do 2 years (known as F1 and F2) doing 4 month rotations in hospitals to gain skills of working on the actual job, and gain some experience. after this you begin to specialise.

Hope this helps.

I know this is not aimed at me, but I'm curious about what mentioned about three sciences. My school no longer offered triple science so I have to do additional science plus an extra GCSE in chemistry. Would this affect me in terms of offers.

no no not at all, it will mean you have 1 GCSE less than other applicants, but they still accept it (generally you will need AA in it), I just always say seperate science because thats what most aspiring medics take xx

that combination of subjects is absolutely fine and I know many a medic who got into my uni (cardiff) with those grades.

1) for medicine the pharmacy would only count as you knowing you dont want to do pharmacy. You will need some work experience and voluntary work in a caring role (so hospital ward, care home, working with disabled children, working with disadvantaged people).

2) Universities for medicine do look at your GCSE grades. you need a minimum of B in english language, maths, and the three sciences ideally and that will get you into the ones that dont look at your GCSEs. but a lot use your GCSE grades more than your AS/A2 results. My university Cardiff wanted 8A* at GCSE for an interview, and I know most places use them to decide where you rank. My best advice is 6A*/A grades is competative, and strong AS/A2 predicted and entrance exam scores can make up for poor GCSE grades at some universities. its all about applying to your strengths.

3) for medicine you go straight into foundation training and do 2 years (known as F1 and F2) doing 4 month rotations in hospitals to gain skills of working on the actual job, and gain some experience. after this you begin to specialise.

Hope this helps.

food technology
african studies
bowling engineering

are all gr8 a level subjects for medeezin

Thank you so much!!!!!!
That was extremley helpful

Just one more question, does all that you said apply to going for universities in London aswell as i've only looked at ones which are currently near by instead of on a broad range

With medicine, you really do need to look at a broad range. You need to be applying to universities that match your strengths, rather than whether they are nearby to you.

I also think you miss out on a significant part of the University experience by staying close to home, but that's a different topic.

no no not at all, it will mean you have 1 GCSE less than other applicants, but they still accept it (generally you will need AA in it), I just always say seperate science because thats what most aspiring medics take xx

Hi, I am currently doing my GCSEs and I want to be a doctor in the future. Do you actually need qualifications such as NCS and dofe even if you have good grades to get in to medicine. According to the people that I have talked to apparently its compulsory. I am aiming for at least 7A*s at gcse and 4 A's at alevel. If you don't mind will you be able to tell me what you got for your GCSE's and alevels so it can motivate me? Thank you.x

I had neither and ive just finished first year... It depends where you apply!

I got 9A* 1A for GCSE and A*AAb for alevel


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Oh ok, thank you. Wow that is so good. I wish my results are like that. What subjects did you pick for your alevels? Also if you don't mind what did you get the A* in?

You can do well as long as you try hard enough!

I picked Bio, Chem, Geog and Maths. Dropped maths after AS as i hated it, and got the A* in bio! Hope that helps


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Hi, i'm approaching the near end of sitting all of my GCSE exams which leaves me with a summer break to kick back and relax after the tight stress that has been present for the past few months. However, i also need to have confirmed which A level subjects i want to pursue for the next 2 years.

i am thinking of going ahead with Biology, Chemistry and English Literature, however, before this i was confident on taking Mathematics instead of English, but the more i think about it, the more i feel that i'm more likely to achieve an A/A* in English rather than maths.
This leads me to my question which is would it be okay for me to pick English Literature instead of mathematics, as i still have Biology and Chemistry which of course are compulsory, but will a university value an a level in english for a student who wants to do medicine.


In addition to this, i have a few other questions and it would be EXTREMELY helpful if anybody could answer to any ones that they know
1) Work Experience/Voluntary work- i'm 16 and just finished year 11, i just wanted to know what kind of things i should be looking to do for work experience or voluntary stuff. i'm taking part in NCS this summer and a pharmacy near by have offered me a part time job for the summer. they also said they would be able to train me in the pharmacy. is this worth taking up? would it count as good experience?
2) If my GCSE results don't go down so well (touch wood i'll be happy with them!), will it really matter if i didn't get straight A's/A*'S???? Do universities consider your gcse grades just as much as a level grades and will it have a massive impact if i don't do so well in gcse's
3) what do you do after completing degree

Hi! I'm in the same position as you! I've chosen Biology, Chemistry and German for A Level with an EPQ. This summer I've got some work experience in the biology department of the university where I live looking at Alzheimers in fleas! Very interesting! I'm also training to be a lifeguard and have a job in a cafe :-) From september I will be volunteering in the hospital and also in a care home, I'm also aiming to get some GP work experience and also some volunteering with Snappy, which is a scheme for children with special needs :-) I've also done DofE Bronze and Silver and starting Gold in September :-) Unfortunately I can't do NCS as it just doesn't fit in my summer as I'm very busy lol. I've also done some work experience in a dentist but that doesn't count if I'm going to do medicine!!

I'm considering going to study medicine in Germany- does anyone know if medicine degrees in Germany are compatible with UK and the NHS?

Thank you.Wow thats so good. I thought you have to do an A2 in physics and maths as it is compulsory. A* in biology is good, you must have worked so hard. Why is maths alevel hard because I've picked it? I have picked maths,biology,chemistry and psychology.

no no only biology and chemistry are compulsary, its oxbridge that want either maths or physics alongside but any other medical school will accept another subject. I dont know why this is a common misconception, and its also why so many people fail to get AAA each year, I wish certain school teachers would read up on the application process before telling fibs.

I hate to say it but I got very little satisfaction out of maths, and I think thats why I didnt like it. Learning about something which gave me little satisfaction (and having an awfully bland teacher) meant I really struggled.