HELP where should i apply to for medicine with low GCSE??

hello please give me advice, i have A*AA predicted and band 1 UCAT but my GCSEs are horrible, i have two 7s and five 6s at GCSE what do i do??? has anyone got accepted with these GCSE's?? would i be competitive enough im really stressed

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Megathreads
(Please read the first post, before then posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

2023 Applicants:
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2023 Entry
Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2023 Entry
Medicine Interview discussion 2023 Entry
2023 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread

Other application years:
Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2025 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

study23!

Original post by cocoroses123

Cardiff and Oxford score GCSEs so avoid them (although your gcses aren't bad, if you are worried it's best to avoid). There's definitely some other too but I'm not sure what they are you'd have to do more research.

Reply 3

Tatakae L

Original post by cocoroses123

I know sheffield uni doesnt take placed with low gcses unless you have like special considerations for them gcses, i think leeds or the next cosest to sheffield does but other than that i dont know much sorry.

Reply 4

circusqueen

Hi, I think you have a couple of similar threads on the go ? So you may have had this info already elsewhere. But in case not I will cut and paste something I posted elsewhere.

Good luck.

In terms of absolute requirements, this document might help as an indication. But please do bear in mind this is for 2024. The year you apply for some of the entry reuirements will differ.

https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/making-an-application/entry-requirements-for-2024-start?type=standard-entry-medicine

The biggest definite difference is that BMAT will no longer exist so those med schools that currently use it will need to change. They may take the opportunity to change their entry requirements at the same time. So keep looking on the schools websites for their application policies and read them very carefully when they are published. However, those that are UCAT may have less incentive to change now. So it's worth having a read now. There is a difference though between what a med school requires and what it values or requires for sifting.

This is a much harder and more complex question to answer because it is asking for how they sift for interview.

Most do it on a combination of GCSEs and UCAT in various weightings.If you meet the entry requirements above then the thing that will help you be strategic is your UCAT (or whatever the current BMAT lot identify). So nobody can suggest where to apply until you have that score. It is essential to have that before any concrete advice can be given. When you have it post on the which medical school megathread at the top of this forum.If you want to see the impact of UCAT you could read through a bit of the megathread from last Sept to see the sort of discussions. So as UCAT is so important and is likely to be a big factor in your summer this year, rather than focus on which medical school now, I suggest you learn about that in more detail. No need to start revising now as it's easy to burn out. Most people on here seem to do 6-8 weeks solid prep. But everyone is different.But, learn what it is, what it looks like, when you book it and plan your summer carefully to think about the best time for you to do it working around exams and time off. And then if possible block it out in your calendar and any other stuff around it.

If you can, see if you can save up a bit of money to pay for medify or medentry online resources. They are really the best way to simulate the tests. They can be quite expensive for a sort period. So think carefully about when you will want to start it etc. Personally I rate medify, but there are lots of hard core medentry fans out there. Have a read to see what you think.

If you can, also see if you can get hold of a number pad for your keyboard this will be extremely helpful. If you want to help with UCAT before starting to revise. A lot of it is about pace and comprehension.

So worth focussing on reading speed and similar skills if that would be helpful. It's a balance, doing it later in the season may give you a bit more time to revise/ do it. You get your score immediately, so the later you leave it the less time you will have to work out the strategic options for you and craft a strategic personal statement by your schools early entry deadline.

Ask your teachers when that is (some schools ask for a month before the UCAS deadline) and work back from there.

Read up on the UCAT bursary and see if you are eligible. If you are, make sure you apply as some unis factor that sort of stuff into their admissions policy so is important to make sure you sign up if you are eligible.

Sorry for the really long ramble but I hope it was useful. It's not really the answer to your question, but it also is.

Because the answer to who values your gcses is also who values UCAT(or BMAT as was).

UCAT as a defining factor becomes more important.

You can however start to build a bit of a spreadsheet shortlist by looking at the A level and O level basic subject entry requirements if you want to refine it down a bit. On the same link I provided earlier.

Again. Caveat. This is for 2024 entry. But they are unlikely to go down.

Reply 5

600409

Original post by cocoroses123

I only took 5 GCSEs and I strategically applied to unis which don't take GCSEs into account, e.g. Imperial.
However, I am an international applicant so it may be different. I think you are still competitive, just make sure to apply strategically, check their website and see how they select applicants, and only choose unis that say they don't care about GCSEs.