MEGATHREAD Medicine A-Level subjects queries UPDATED for 2022 entry

Thank you! This is so helpful too. It's for the A100 undergraduate course at St Georges. I'm inclined just to continue the course and do the A-levels as I've come this far! And along with the additional knowledge, I suppose doing them will also allow me to refresh my study and revision skills before I begin.

Original post by TCL

It also depends on whether you are doing A100 or A101 and where you are doing it. For example, my son is at St Andrews where Chemistry is compulsory and they use a lot of Chemistry. If you are doing A101 I think lots of places do a very intense first 2 years, so if you start behind the others, that is not great. If it is just for knowledge and not to add to your list of qualifications, and you have already paid the full A level course cost, you could complete the A level course, but not sit the exams. It is extremely unlikely to affect opportunities later in your career.

Where is your offer for? You may be able to connect with a medic from the right course through Unibuddy and ask. Or great question for the offer holder day.

Reply 3681

Maria.Sierra

7

Hello all,

Are A levels required if you hold a BSc?
I am finishing my first year of nursing, having had a background of healthcare assistant in ED and I now realise my passion is medicine. Working alongside multidisciplinary teams have opened my eyes to the diagnosis and treatment of disease as opposed to care management.

I looked at entry requirements for many universities online and they mention a BS degree and some also mention A levels and GCSEs. My educational background is from the US, apart from my ongoing degree, so please forgive my misunderstanding.

Would anyone be able to clarify at all?

Many thanks,

Maria S.

Reply 3682

happygirl02

7

Hi,

I currently do maths, further maths, computer science and econ a levels. I am starting yr 13 in september. I've realised that I really wanna do medicine, but even if I convince my school that i drop fm and computer science for chem, will I be disadvantaged by not having bio? I'm really stressed, I wasa top student at gcse, getting all 8-9s and I feel as though I've ruined my chances in med from a good base a year ago. Will I be able to do whole of a level chem by may/june? Can i still get into good unis like oxbridge?

Please advise. Many thanks.

Reply 3683

mass63

14

First I suggest you do both biology and chemistry and keep one of your existing subjects in which you can guarantee an A* . Theses 2 required subjects for medicine and an A* will both increase your chances and put you on the track. I also suggest you do UCAT now just to get practice for next year when you have to do it again for real.
I have no idea how your school will respond to your request but over the last 4 years of looking at TSR I may have come across someone who said he was able to do the whole of Y12 during the summer holidays.

Reply 3684

medic0975

Universities Forum Helper

13

Original post by happygirl02

Hi,

I currently do maths, further maths, computer science and econ a levels. I am starting yr 13 in september. I've realised that I really wanna do medicine, but even if I convince my school that i drop fm and computer science for chem, will I be disadvantaged by not having bio? I'm really stressed, I wasa top student at gcse, getting all 8-9s and I feel as though I've ruined my chances in med from a good base a year ago. Will I be able to do whole of a level chem by may/june? Can i still get into good unis like oxbridge?

Please advise. Many thanks.

Most if not all medical schools require 3 subjects at A-level. I know of some who consider Maths and Further Maths as the same subject even though it's 2x the workload. So you're definitely making the right decision dropping 2 subjects for 1 subject. While having a Biology A level will allow you to access more medical schools, it's not the end of the world if you do Chemistry and not Biology, particularly as you have Maths at A-level which medical schools like Sheffield consider as another 'science subject' in addition to Chemistry. There is literally only 1 month till the end of the UCAT testing cycle so if you're thinking of applying to medicine for 2024 entry, I'd suggest getting your head down ASAP. If not (i.e. taking a gap year), then get revising year 12 Chemistry as it takes a while to get your head around the markscheme (a level up from GCSE definitely). You'll also need to have a look at work experience or volunteering even if it is at a local charity shop. Clinical experience is good however not a must - definitely gives you something to talk about in your personal statement and interviews though. Any questions, free feel to ask.

Reply 3685

mass63

14

Hi medic0975
the question of happgirl02 is interesting to me.
Am I wrong thinking she can not apply to medicine this October because she does not have the required subject to meet the entry requirements for medicine. the suggestion o
to her to do UCAT now is only to get practice for meet year
I am curious to know if the way forward assuming thr school accepts the charge of two subjects is to learn y13 contents by attending lessons and y12 contents by either self teaching or private. . I am just wondering of the school will allow happygirl02 to attend Y12 lessons although she is not part of the cohort. I am just curious to learn.

Reply 3686

ksksbde

1

Hello,
I need some advice. I’m planning on doing Medicine at university so I’ve decided to choose chemistry and biology for A levels, but for my third subject i don’t know whether to pick RS (Religious studies) or English Literature.

Those two subjects (English Lit and RS) are the only ones i want to pick from for the last subject.

Which one would be best for my med school application?

Thank you so much!!

Reply 3687

the mumivator

12

Original post by ksksbde

Hello,
I need some advice. I’m planning on doing Medicine at university so I’ve decided to choose chemistry and biology for A levels, but for my third subject i don’t know whether to pick RS (Religious studies) or English Literature.

Those two subjects (English Lit and RS) are the only ones i want to pick from for the last subject.

Which one would be best for my med school application?

Thank you so much!!

Hi
The 2 you need are Bio and Chem. For the third, pick the one you are most likely to get the highest grade. If both are equal, pick the one you enjoy the most.
Having said that, RS is a very interesting subject and covers a lot of ethical situations that you might find useful when considering medical ethics.

Reply 3688

the mumivator

12

Original post by happygirl02

Hi,

I currently do maths, further maths, computer science and econ a levels. I am starting yr 13 in september. I've realised that I really wanna do medicine, but even if I convince my school that i drop fm and computer science for chem, will I be disadvantaged by not having bio? I'm really stressed, I wasa top student at gcse, getting all 8-9s and I feel as though I've ruined my chances in med from a good base a year ago. Will I be able to do whole of a level chem by may/june? Can i still get into good unis like oxbridge?

Please advise. Many thanks.

So - am I right in saying that you will be doing A levels next summer and have already done 1 year of A levels?
Are you planning on doing chem or bio in 1 year?
To begin with, do not worry too much about "good unis like Oxbridge". If you are at the start of this process, you will come to realise that a med degree is a med degree and you apply to where you can get in with your stats and not necessarily where you want to go. It is totally different to any other degree where 8\9's at GCSE nad A/ A*'s will get you in to almost anywhere you want.
There are some med schools that will accept just chemistry - check out this link...
https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/#:~:text=If%20you%20don't%20take,another%20science%20subject%20or%20Maths.

I would say though that the best thing is to start sixth form again with your 3 subjects - maths, chem and bio as you will also need work experience, volunteering, UCAT to support application and this can be done in first year of A levels.

Reply 3689

LRakelle

3

Original post by TSR George

Please use this thread to ask Medicine related A-Level subject queries.

Thanks to @TCL for the list below. Feel free to rep him at https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5611422&p=90924126#post90924126!

A level subject requirements

Chem + 2 other sciences (Bio, Phys or Maths)
Most Cambridge colleges

Bio and Chem + anything else
Aston
Birmingham
Brighton and Sussex
Cardiff
Edge Hill
Exeter
HYMS
Imperial
King's
Lincoln
Nottingham
St George's
UCL

Chem + 1 other science (Bio, Phys or Maths) + anything else
Aberdeen
Bristol
Buckingham
Dundee
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Liverpool (3rd subject academic)
Oxford
QUB
St Andrews
UCLAN (3rd subject academic)

Bio + 1 of (Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Environmental Studies or Geography) + anything else
Southampton

Bio + 1 of (Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology) + anything else
Plymouth

Bio or Chem + another maths/science + anything else
ARU
Leeds
Barts
Sunderland

Bio or Chem + another maths/science/psychology + anything else
Manchester
Sheffield
Kent and Medway
Leicester
Keele

2 out of (Bio, Chem, Psychology) + anything else
Lancaster

Bio or Chem plus any other 2
UEA

Any 3
Newcastle

Common questions answered:

(1) Read this (https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2877/entry-requirements-document-2022-digital.pdf)
before posting. It's medical schools requirements for 2022 entry. It will be similar (but not identical) for 2023 and beyond

(2) Chemistry is required in most med schools, and Biology is required in most of the rest. Some medical schools may require both. Newcastle doesn't require either.

Note from @GANFYD:
There are 18 med schools who require Biology and 25 who require Chemistry (out of 35, omitting Buckingham and UCLAN). Of those, several require both. People should really take both if they have the option and don't want to limit their choices.

(3) The 3rd subject can be anything of your choosing - not General Studies or Critical Thinking (which are both now discontinued), Further Maths or a foreign language for which you are a native speaker. Except for Cambridge (click here for college-by-college requirements) - they would prefer your third subject to be Maths or Physics.

(4) Most medical students will have picked Chemistry, Biology and Physics or Maths. You don't have to do this of course

(5) Finally, doing a 4th A-Level confers no advantage at all (because med schools give out offers for 3 A-Levels - typically A*AA or AAA), it only means you are studying harder.

Post originally created by ecolier.

I do chem music bio and maths a level. I’m struggling in maths and I’m worried I’m not going to be able to get the grades I need for medicine in May. Im also worried the extra maths work ima have to do will start to negatively affect my other subjects. But if I drop maths I’m worried my application won’t be competitive (I want to apply Oxford Bristol kings and Nottingham). Would chem music and bio still be a competitive application? Would stopping maths decrease my chances at all (especially for Oxford)? Has anyone gotten into competitive unis for medicine with music a level?
My UCAT score is 2940 and predicted grades are A*A*A in chem music and bio (in that order)
I’m at a B predicted in maths and could probably get it pushed up for my application but my teacher is worried about my ability to progress to an A with my workload.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 3690

GANFYD

18

Original post by LRakelle

I do chem music bio and maths a level. I’m struggling in maths and I’m worried I’m not going to be able to get the grades I need for medicine in May. Im also worried the extra maths work ima have to do will start to negatively affect my other subjects. But if I drop maths I’m worried my application won’t be competitive (I want to apply Oxford Bristol kings and Nottingham). Would chem music and bio still be a competitive application? Would stopping maths decrease my chances at all (especially for Oxford)? Has anyone gotten into competitive unis for medicine with music a level?
My UCAT score is 2940 and predicted grades are A*A*A in chem music and bio (in that order)
I’m at a B predicted in maths and could probably get it pushed up for my application but my teacher is worried about my ability to progress to an A with my workload.

Only Camnbridge care what your 3rd subject is, so drop maths - it will make no difference to your application anywhere else

Reply 3691

TryingMyBest333

2

Is it still possible to apply with Bio+Chem or would I need to take a 3rd subject?

Reply 3692

A. S.

1

I need to choose my A levels soon and I’m stuck between Computer Science and Further Maths as my fourth option. I definitely want to start with 4 A levels and Biology, Chemistry and Maths are the ones I’m definitely taking. I just don’t know how Med Schools would view either further maths or computer science as one of my options if I take either one.

I just need some help on my pro/con lists for each subject.

Reply 3693

GANFYD

18

Original post by A. S.

I need to choose my A levels soon and I’m stuck between Computer Science and Further Maths as my fourth option. I definitely want to start with 4 A levels and Biology, Chemistry and Maths are the ones I’m definitely taking. I just don’t know how Med Schools would view either further maths or computer science as one of my options if I take either one.

I just need some help on my pro/con lists for each subject.

Most med schools will ignore Further Maths if you also offer Maths. But 4 A levels is of no benefit over 3, so that does not matter. Take the one you like most/can do best in but make sure you do 3 in one sitting that you can get AAA+ in. Some places sit maths early, if doing FM and this would be fine as long as you did not then drop the FM - you must do 3 together and achieve AAA or better

Reply 3694

Medpapa

9

Original post by GANFYD

Most med schools will ignore Further Maths if you also offer Maths. But 4 A levels is of no benefit over 3, so that does not matter. Take the one you like most/can do best in but make sure you do 3 in one sitting that you can get AAA+ in. Some places sit maths early, if doing FM and this would be fine as long as you did not then drop the FM - you must do 3 together and achieve AAA or better

Why has the student room gone purple???

Reply 3695

GANFYD

18

Original post by Medpapa

Why has the student room gone purple???

Wokery gone mad! (does it say something that my phone autocorrects that to "winery"? :lol:

)

Reply 3696

reducto7082

2

Which medicine universities have different requirements for undergrad applicants who have completed A Levels and done a Gap Year? E.g. Cardiff add points to the GCSE scoring. Thank you!