a levels for medicine

this question is specifically for medicine students at university as they would have gone through the process before, but any suggestions will help :smile:

.. what a levels are generally needed to study medicine at university?
at the moment i'm thinking of taking
chemistry
biology
psychology
english literature
do you think i need to change any? i have heard that mathematics is a must but i'm not sure? any suggestions?

Reply 1

Economist1

13

Having wanted to study medicine for most of my life, I know that some top universities would prefer you to have 3 of your options to be sciences (including Chemistry) / Maths. I would replace the Psychology with Maths. But that's just a personal opinion.

It really depends upon where yo want to apply.

Reply 2

DMed

15

Well IIRC, the only obligatory course is Chemistry (or at least it was at the ones I looked at when I was researching), but they want that plus two strenuous courses (ie >50% exam).

Reply 3

whf555

I would definitely recommend having maths. Biology you need to have done at least to AS, while Chemistry is a necessary requirement. As for the 4th subject, it helps if it is something different that allows you to receive a broader knowledge. I would recommend Religious Studies esp. considering you'll talk about topics such as euthanasia, clinical testing etc...

Reply 4

A Stranger in Moscow

12

I think those sound fine, I know people who have gone into Vet. Med. and Medicine with subjects like that (even that exact combination for one of them!)

Reply 5

Malsy

18

Most uni's only require 2 science's. Only some uni's in the country require 3 sciences at least up to AS, so unless the uni's you're wanting to go to specify otherwise I would stick with two, unless, of course, you want to do more science based subjects :smile:

so 3 is not a must for most uni's unless you want to go to these particular uni's that do require 3..Maths is also not a must, although it is a really respected subject. So unless you want to do maths, and you're good at it, and enjoy it, pick it, otherwise it's not a necessity.

Reply 6

Sine

Yep,they look fine :smile:

.....

Reply 7

bodybuilder22

16

Ideally:

Maths
Biology
Chemistry
Physics/something else
F. Maths AS

Reply 8

freej

i do chemistry biology and psychoilogy, and so far have got 2 interviews for 2009 entry. so those shouldnt be a problem.

psychology is now seen as a pretty good alevel to have for medicine as it can be quite relevant (heard that at the manchester open day this year)

as far as i know, for most med schools, you need chemistry, one other science (so either bio or physics) and another academic subject at AAB.
i also never did maths at AS, i did german instead, so maths is not nescassary as far as im aware. although, this may not be the case for all med schools, so just check with admissions criteria.

hope that helps :smile:

Reply 9

SaphMB

2

They look fine to me, I know someone studying Medicine with that exact combination; she dropped English Literature after her ASs

Reply 10

i'm no superman

15

They're really strong subjects, the important ones are Chemistry and Biology and you've got that covered. You certainly do not need Maths or Further Maths or Physics...in fact some medical schools (like UCL) explicitly state that they prefer it if you offer a contrasting subject (arts, humanities, modern foreign languages...etc) alongside the main ones and both English Literature and Psychology definitely tick that criteria.

I've applied to study Medicine and I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computing. Looking back now, I wish I had took English Literature and Religious Studies instead of Mathematics and Computing but meh, I've just got to stick by them for one more year and that's it.

Reply 11

La Esmerelda

17

Try and replace something with maths but only if you're good at it.
Also if you wanna do medicine get work experience at a hospital-this will more than make up for your lack of maths.

Reply 12

scaryhair

12

In no way whatsoever is Maths compulsory for Medicine. Oxbridge are about the only universities that like an applicant to have three sciences at A level, so if you don't want to take Maths, don't take it - especially if you think you'll achieve a better grade in Psychology or English Literature.

But, as I am sure you are aware, Medicine is about more than grades. Get yourself some long term voluntary work under your belt, some work experience and hopefully you already participate in extra curricular activities!

I've applied to Medicine this year and I'm doing A levels in Chemistry, Biology, Maths and French. I chose Maths because I enjoy it and I'm quite good at it, not because I'm applying to Medicine. I think it's brilliant that you have such a range in your choices - if you do well in them it shows that you're not just a one-trick pony.

If you have any questions about medicine applications, feel free to PM me or any of the other guys applying this year/current medical students. Everyone is pretty friendly and usually happy to help :smile:

Good luck

Reply 13

Lollipop207

OP

ahh thanku all so much .. i think i know what i want to do now .. thanks for the help :smile:

Reply 14

goats

9

biology and chemistry are the vital ones if you want to be accepted by ALL universities then

maths,physics,chemistry and biology will leave you open for any uni and incase you dont want to do medicine in the future maths and physics will keep massive career options open.

Reply 15

indie_couture

13

so long as you have the 2 sciences you will be fine. You do not need to have maths. English lit is equally respected. If you will do better in english lit than maths then stick with the english cos its the grades that matter.
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Reply 16

Lollipop207

OP

indie_couture

so long as you have the 2 sciences you will be fine. You do not need to have maths. English lit is equally respected. If you will do better in english lit than maths then stick with the english cos its the grades that matter.
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i really can't stand maths.. i forget everything that i learn, but love english :biggrin:

Reply 17

Lollipop207

OP

!MEna

They're really strong subjects, the important ones are Chemistry and Biology and you've got that covered. You certainly do not need Maths or Further Maths or Physics...in fact some medical schools (like UCL) explicitly state that they prefer it if you offer a contrasting subject (arts, humanities, modern foreign languages...etc) alongside the main ones and both English Literature and Psychology definitely tick that criteria.

I've applied to study Medicine and I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computing. Looking back now, I wish I had took English Literature and Religious Studies instead of Mathematics and Computing but meh, I've just got to stick by them for one more year and that's it.

i see that you've applied to kings' college, that's where i preferably want to go. i've looked on their site and got a bit confused.. so far i think that you need biology and chemistry and 1 other a-level? .. is that right? :s-smilie:

Reply 18

Malsy

18

Lollipop207

i see that you've applied to kings' college, that's where i preferably want to go. i've looked on their site and got a bit confused.. so far i think that you need biology and chemistry and 1 other a-level? .. is that right? :s-smilie:

for most uni's, yes.