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Do i even have a chance at medicine

Just got my gcse results they werent bad but my current school told me i would probably struggle to even pass chemistry (found three other schools which will let me do chemistry thou) so that was ... anyway im wondering if i should even try to do medicine my science grade was disappointing as i usually get 8s and 9s my gcses btw also equivalent to 2 A*, 2 As, 5 Bs and 1 C
combined science -76
history -8
re 8
business 7
french 5
eng lang 6
eng lit 6
maths 6
computer science 6
(edited 8 months ago)
Original post by ricky joe
Just got my gcse results they werent bad but my current school told me i would probably struggle to even pass chemistry (found three other schools which will let me do chemistry thou) so that was ... anyway im wondering if i should even try to do medicine my science grade was disappointing as i usually get 8s and 9s my gcses btw also equivalent to 2 A*, 2 As, 5 Bs and 1 C combined science -76history 8re 8business 7french 5eng lang 6eng lit 6maths 6computer science 6

Yes you can. Medicine is about your work experience (virtual, springpod for the NHS, Brighton sussex medical school virtual work experience), your dedication (making a research project on biology/chemistry), your passion (reading books, ‘when breathe becomes air)

For the normal medicine course, they normally require 2 science A Levels (maths, biology, chemistry, physics).
If this is not your passion, you can do foundation medicine.
GCSE are a small piece in the puzzle, the bigger pieces are your personal statement, predicted grades, your entrance exam results (BMAT/UCAT)
(edited 8 months ago)
Reply 2
Original post by BankaiGintoki
Yes you can. Medicine is about your work experience (virtual, springpod for the NHS, Brighton sussex medical school virtual work experience), your dedication (making a research project on biology/chemistry), your passion (reading books, ‘when breathe becomes air)

For the normal medicine course, they normally require 2 science A Levels (maths, biology, chemistry, physics).
If this is not your passion, you can do foundation medicine.
GCSE are a small piece in the puzzle, the bigger pieces are your personal statement, predicted grades, your entrance exam results (BMAT/UCAT)


I am going to do biology, chemistry, and psychology most likely, but definitely biology and chemistry. I was just worried as I have been at this school for a long time and they wouldn't even consider my grades. It's not an amazing school by any means, so it was just a little depressing to be turned down and told I would fail. I also already have work experience placement set at NHS hospital for November just need teacher references.
Reply 3
Original post by ricky joe
Just got my gcse results they werent bad but my current school told me i would probably struggle to even pass chemistry (found three other schools which will let me do chemistry thou) so that was ... anyway im wondering if i should even try to do medicine my science grade was disappointing as i usually get 8s and 9s my gcses btw also equivalent to 2 A*, 2 As, 5 Bs and 1 C combined science -76history 8re 8business 7french 5eng lang 6eng lit 6maths 6computer science 6

You will need to get a least A’s in both of them to do medicine, ideally A*s. Not impossible if you got 76 in combined science, but it is going to be a challenge as they are a big step up from GCSE, plus by doing combined you did not cover some of the more difficult content. It might be worth considering doing A-levels in the subjects you are stronger at.
Original post by ricky joe
I am going to do biology, chemistry, and psychology most likely, but definitely biology and chemistry. I was just worried as I have been at this school for a long time and they wouldn't even consider my grades. It's not an amazing school by any means, so it was just a little depressing to be turned down and told I would fail. I also already have work experience placement set at NHS hospital for November just need teacher references.

You need to have predicted grades of A/A* for UCAS for the start of year 13. So work hard this year, you wont regret it
Reply 5
Original post by BankaiGintoki
You need to have predicted grades of A/A* for UCAS for the start of year 13. So work hard this year, you wont regret it


Thanks for the feedback its been useful and I am going to work harder this year to get those predicted grades.
Reply 6
Original post by ricky joe
Just got my gcse results they werent bad but my current school told me i would probably struggle to even pass chemistry (found three other schools which will let me do chemistry thou) so that was ... anyway im wondering if i should even try to do medicine my science grade was disappointing as i usually get 8s and 9s my gcses btw also equivalent to 2 A*, 2 As, 5 Bs and 1 C combined science -76history 8re 8business 7french 5eng lang 6eng lit 6maths 6computer science 6

Something else you should consider is retaking english language many med schools require at least a 6 in maths and english. If you can't then you could always focus on unis that allow a 5 in english language Though it would mean you need to do much better in other parts of your application.
Reply 7
Original post by lalexm
You will need to get a least A’s in both of them to do medicine, ideally A*s. Not impossible if you got 76 in combined science, but it is going to be a challenge as they are a big step up from GCSE, plus by doing combined you did not cover some of the more difficult content. It might be worth considering doing A-levels in the subjects you are stronger at.


I would rather do chemistry and biology. I'm not too interested in any other subjects, and in history I have been getting 3s and 4s all year, so no, I was considering swapping out psychology for business as I'm not that strong in essay-based subjects, but I was doing decent in business, and I don't know what I would go into career-wise, and quite frankly, I only want to do medicine, which is why I was worried as I didn't know what else to go into.
Reply 8
Original post by MiriGyu
Something else you should consider is retaking english language many med schools require at least a 6 in maths and english. If you can't then you could always focus on unis that allow a 5 in english language Though it would mean you need to do much better in other parts of your application.


I only got a 5 in French the way it posted was weird I got a 6 in maths and English lang/lit.
Reply 9
Original post by BankaiGintoki
Yes you can. Medicine is about your work experience (virtual, springpod for the NHS, Brighton sussex medical school virtual work experience), your dedication (making a research project on biology/chemistry), your passion (reading books, ‘when breathe becomes air)

For the normal medicine course, they normally require 2 science A Levels (maths, biology, chemistry, physics).
If this is not your passion, you can do foundation medicine.
GCSE are a small piece in the puzzle, the bigger pieces are your personal statement, predicted grades, your entrance exam results (BMAT/UCAT)

WEx will be needed for interview, not shortlisting, a research project will gain nothing whatsoever unless something relevant comes up at an MMI, reading books will not be assessed other than how you reflect upon it to answer interview questions.

There are now only 2 foundation courses for those with the wrong science A levels (plus 1 A100 course with no subject requirements and 1 only needing chem or bio). The rest of the courses require WP flags.

At some med schools, GCSEs are a massive piece of the puzzle, but OP just needs to avoid them. Predicted grades are generally just minimum requirements and virtually nowhere uses PS now.
It is about ticking minimum requirements and pretty much then comes down to admission test scores.

Original post by MiriGyu
Something else you should consider is retaking english language many med schools require at least a 6 in maths and english. If you can't then you could always focus on unis that allow a 5 in english language Though it would mean you need to do much better in other parts of your application.

You cannot compensate for a problem in one area with better stats in another unless it is part of a scoring system. The med schools that accept a 5 in Eng Lang are not going to look at it any further and you would not need higher stats in other areasto compensate

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