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Gap year or university? Advice please!!!

Hi, my situation is a bit more complex than the title, here is the jist of it. I hoped to go through clearing for med this year, as I didn't receive any original offers, I thought I would get better grades than I did however I got ACC...
My options are as follows:
1. I take my offer at the University of Liverpool to study biochemistry. At the end of my 3 years there I either decide to do a masters in the subject or I decide to apply for graduate med.
2. I take a gap year where I resit my biology and chemistry where I would need to get 2A*'s and then reapply for med also needing to resit my UCAT.

Both options have their pros and cons, like a gap year would allow me to work and save money for uni however going from 2C's to 2A*'s is going to be very challenging. I'm looking for any advice at all, or if anyone has been in a similar situation and what they did and how it worked out for them. Anything is appreciated!!!! Thanks

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Hi @sleepystudent9

I'm sorry you didn't get the grades you needed. I thought I wasn't going to get the grades I needed to meet my offer, and I'd decided before results day that I would do biochemistry if this happened, but with hindsight, I don't think that would have been the right decision. If you're really set on medicine it might be worth doing a gap year- if you think doing your UCAT again would be too stressful, you could apply to BMAT universities instead.

That being said, you may find that biochemistry grows on you, and graduate entry medicine is always an option.

Best of luck!

Nellie (Third Year Medical Student)

Reply 2

Scotland Yard

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

Another vote for a gap year.

If you put it to good use, you'll be much more prepared for your A-Levels and your Medicine application. Going to a C from an A* seems daunting but all you need is a healthy dose of willpower and time to achieve it - you can gather plenty of both during your gap year! Working will also do you good. When you start spending money that you actually earnt, you'll start realising just how quickly money can go so you'll find that by the end of the year, you're trying to make it last as much as possible so you'll have better finance management at university than you otherwise would.