Would I stand a chance doing medicine at Cambridge?

My GCSE results are as follows:

5 A* - Double Award Science, Maths, Chinese (Mandarin), French

5 As - English Lit/Lan, Latin, Geography and RS

I'm currently doing Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Biology and RS for my AS, and if I work hard I can probably get high As in all these subjects.

I would love to be able to get into Cambridge and study medicine, but I have heard from a friend who won a scholarship at Imperial College that I would need at least 7A*s at GCSE if I wanted to get into any half decent universities.

For work experience, I've applied for a placement in the local hospital, shadowing a doctor, heling out at an old people's home and I'm planning to go to Medlink this December.

Unfortunately I didn't know that DoE Gold took 18 months, so would I be able to pt "Currently doing DoE Gold" on my UCAS form? As I don't have enough time to finish it.

Any advices about increasing my chance (due to bad GCSEs) would be appreciated.

Thanks :biggrin:

Reply 1

Collins1991

I may have misunderstood but I heard to study medicine at uni you need an A-level in Physics!! I'm, not sure if you have to or it is just recommended! I would suggest you look at uni websites to find out what grades you need!!

Reply 2

sweetfloss

15

Collins1991

I may have misunderstood but I heard to study medicine at uni you need an A-level in Physics!! I'm, not sure if you have to or it is just recommended! I would suggest you look at uni websites to find out what grades you need!!

I know 2 people doing medicine who never studied physics, both at good universities :smile:

- besides double maths is not a bad substitute.

Reply 3

Cirsium

19

Your grades are fine for most places (ignore your friend...) I can't be authorative about Cambridge, but at Oxford whether or not you get an interview is based on GCSEs combined with BMAT score - there's a conversion table somewhere of the score you need with your GCSE results - will see if I can find it for you.

Obviously you'll need a good score, but it's by no means out of reach. You can easily write about D of E in your statement - plenty of people say they're in the progress of doing it (I'm forever having to tell people that if they've finished it they can put it under qualifications!)

Reply 4

Unforgiven

OP

Collins1991

I may have misunderstood but I heard to study medicine at uni you need an A-level in Physics!! I'm, not sure if you have to or it is just recommended! I would suggest you look at uni websites to find out what grades you need!!

Are you sure about this? I haven't heard about that lol, anywhere where I can check?

Reply 5

Cirsium

19

Here we go:
http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/courses/preclin/applying/assessingchances/
According to this you'd need to be in the top 24% of the BMAT exam-takers. Which is a tall order but not unachievable.

Reply 6

Collins1991

Unforgiven

Are you sure about this? I haven't heard about that lol, anywhere where I can check?

My current Physics teacher mentioned something about it! He mentioned it before we chose our A-levels! He mentioned a uni that has made it compulsary that you have to do Physics (can't remeber which one it was) and he also said it's more than likely other unis will follow!! I didn't listen too much into it though because I'm not going to do medicine! :p:

Reply 7

Cirsium

19

Unforgiven

Are you sure about this? I haven't heard about that lol, anywhere where I can check?

It's not true for every university. Look at any of the universities' web pages. The vast majority say it would be useful but not essential

Oxford for instance say:
"Chemistry with either Maths or Biology or Physics"
http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/enreq.shtml

Reply 8

Jackathon

Well, Cambridge and Oxford, aren't the best places for a Medicine degree, so keep that in mind, its not that bad if they dont accept you!

But your A-levels seem fine, I think Cambridge requires UMS scores aswell, right?

Reply 9

sweetfloss

15

Collins1991

My current Physics teacher mentioned something about it! He mentioned it before we chose our A-levels! He mentioned a uni that has made it compulsary that you have to do Physics (can't remeber which one it was) and he also said it's more than likely other unis will follow!! I didn't listen too much into it though because I'm not going to do medicine! :p:

Your Physics teacher was selling his course :p:

Reply 10

wiji

Umbrella

Well, Cambridge and Oxford, aren't the best places for a Medicine degree, so keep that in mind, its not that bad if they dont accept you!

A bit more of a personal opinion than anything else if you ask me.

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php?AC_sub=Medicine&sub=24&x=27&y=18

And yeah I know that League tables are unreliable/shouldnt listen to them etc.

But for Medicine at the end of the day you're a doctor wherever you study, so yeah its not the end of the world if you're rejected from oxbridge.

You're grades are fine, there are lots people in my year with lower GCSEs than yours who are in. You dont need physics, I didnt do physics, in fact most people I know in any medical school did either maths OR physics rather than both (and most people did maths)

Reply 11

Helenia

20

Collins1991

My current Physics teacher mentioned something about it! He mentioned it before we chose our A-levels! He mentioned a uni that has made it compulsary that you have to do Physics (can't remeber which one it was) and he also said it's more than likely other unis will follow!! I didn't listen too much into it though because I'm not going to do medicine! :p:

Oh, that's total rubbish. I can't think of a single university which has Physics as a requirement. Lots have Chem/Bio or both, and a few colleges at Cambridge like you to have a third science (including Maths) but there is nowhere where it's compulsory. Your teacher was trying to sell his course.

(And I'm a 5th year here with no Physics A-level :wink:

)

Reply 12

*Liana*

1

Helenia

Oh, that's total rubbish. I can't think of a single university which has Physics as a requirement. Lots have Chem/Bio or both, and a few colleges at Cambridge like you to have a third science (including Maths) but there is nowhere where it's compulsory. Your teacher was trying to sell his course.

(And I'm a 5th year here with no Physics A-level :wink:

)

Yeah. What she said.

(I'm a second year with no Physics A-level) :smile:

Reply 13

visesh

17

Umbrella

Well, Cambridge and Oxford, aren't the best places for a Medicine degree, so keep that in mind, its not that bad if they dont accept you!

But your A-levels seem fine, I think Cambridge requires UMS scores aswell, right?

It's not worse here, but different. There seems to be more emphasis on basic sciences and learning from first principles and less clinical contact in the first three years. I'm sure it all evens out (clinically) over the next three years.

A third year, no physics.

Reply 14

TheSandyman

Hi, i was hoping to do medicine at Clare college but noticed that they wanted 3 sciences. Im doing maths, chemistry, biology and Spanish and though that these would be fine. Am i wasting my time trying to apply to Clare???

Reply 15

mpppp

TheSandyman

Hi, i was hoping to do medicine at Clare college but noticed that they wanted 3 sciences. Im doing maths, chemistry, biology and Spanish and though that these would be fine. Am i wasting my time trying to apply to Clare???

i think maths counts as a science so you should be fine

Reply 16

Helenia

20

TheSandyman

Hi, i was hoping to do medicine at Clare college but noticed that they wanted 3 sciences. Im doing maths, chemistry, biology and Spanish and though that these would be fine. Am i wasting my time trying to apply to Clare???

This is a very old thread to ask this on, but never mind. I can't actually see anywhere either on Clare's site or the university admissions site that you have to have 3 sciences to A2 - though they do specify that to AS at least is preferred. Maths is fine though - I'm a Clare alumna and I did Maths, Biology, Chemistry and German!

Reply 17

*Liana*

1

Original post by Helenia

This is a very old thread to ask this on, but never mind. I can't actually see anywhere either on Clare's site or the university admissions site that you have to have 3 sciences to A2 - though they do specify that to AS at least is preferred. Maths is fine though - I'm a Clare alumna and I did Maths, Biology, Chemistry and German!

There used to be a helpful page on the uni website listing which colleges mandated three sciences to A2, which preferred it and which didn't mind. Unfortunately I can't find it and assume it has gone. Though actually I think the wording of the entrance requirements across the university has changed, seems to require Chemistry + 2 of the other sciences to at least AS, rather than it being a preference to have 3.

But yes would like to add my voice of agreement that Maths is a science subject in this case.

Yes this is an old thread, I posted as a 2nd year med student and am now an F2... came here as got rep for my 2007 post!

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 18

Helenia

20

Original post by *Liana*

There used to be a helpful page on the uni website listing which colleges mandated three sciences to A2, which preferred it and which didn't mind. Unfortunately I can't find it and assume it has gone. Though actually I think the wording of the entrance requirements across the university has changed, seems to require Chemistry + 2 of the other sciences to at least AS, rather than it being a preference to have 3.

But yes would like to add my voice of agreement that Maths is a science subject in this case.

Yes this is an old thread, I posted as a 2nd year med student and am now an F2... came here as got rep for my 2007 post!

Same here with the rep! And I'm about to be a registrar... :s:

Reply 19

Chief Wiggum

20

Original post by *Liana*

There used to be a helpful page on the uni website listing which colleges mandated three sciences to A2, which preferred it and which didn't mind. Unfortunately I can't find it and assume it has gone. Though actually I think the wording of the entrance requirements across the university has changed, seems to require Chemistry + 2 of the other sciences to at least AS, rather than it being a preference to have 3.

But yes would like to add my voice of agreement that Maths is a science subject in this case.

Yes this is an old thread, I posted as a 2nd year med student and am now an F2... came here as got rep for my 2007 post!

Maths counts as a "science" for the purposes of the medicine requirements.

I'd say that anyone who wants a realistic chance of an offer should do 3 science/maths subjects to full A2, regardless of college. I imagine not doing so would be a huge disadvantage at any college.

Would I stand a chance doing medicine at Cambridge?

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