(help pleaseee) A Level Options for Medicine
I'm planning to do bio, chem, maths (and food science & nutrition; i'd probably drop this after or within the 1st year) with the ambition of doing medicine in uni.. my current predicted grades for bio & chem is A* but for maths a higher B.. maths isn't my biggest strength but all the unis i want to get in to prefer maths as an additional A level apart from bio and chem.. To all the current med students/ A level students planning to do med or doing the same subject as I mentioned, do you think this is a good combination to do? How is the workload, stress etc.? I'm getting really stressed over this (along with my current exams) so I'd like some advice please and thank you
(edited 3 months ago)
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I'm planning to do bio, chem, maths (and food science & nutrition; i'd probably drop this after or within the 1st year) with the ambition of doing medicine in uni.. my current predicted grades for bio & chem is A* but for maths a higher B.. maths isn't my biggest strength but all the unis i'm looking at prefer maths as an additional A level apart from bio and chem.. To all the current med students/ A level students planning to do med or doing the same subject as I mentioned, do you think this is a good combination to do? How is the workload, stress etc.? I'm getting really stressed over this (along with my current exams) so I'd like some advice please and thank you
**(posted this on the GCSE forum too)
**(posted this on the GCSE forum too)
Original post by miniverse
I'm planning to do bio, chem, maths (and food science & nutrition; i'd probably drop this after or within the 1st year) with the ambition of doing medicine in uni.. my current predicted grades for bio & chem is A* but for maths a higher B.. maths isn't my biggest strength but all the unis i'm looking at prefer maths as an additional A level apart from bio and chem.. To all the current med students/ A level students planning to do med or doing the same subject as I mentioned, do you think this is a good combination to do? How is the workload, stress etc.? I'm getting really stressed over this (along with my current exams) so I'd like some advice please and thank you
**(posted this on the GCSE forum too)
**(posted this on the GCSE forum too)
Bio, chem and maths is definitely the textbook subject pairing for medicine so there's nothing wrong there, but it's not the only option. I'm a medical student and I took physics, not maths - several friends of mine didn't even take a STEM subject for their 3rd a-level and I can assure you that many of them are a lot better at the course than I am. The general rule of thumb is that the best choice for medicine is the one that combines the essential subjects (biology and chemistry) with something you feel you can comfortably get an A/A* in, as its a rare medical school is going to give you an offer of anything lower than AAA. For you, I see no reason why you couldn't take Biology, Chemistry and Food & Nutrition and still get an offer for medicine - the unis really don't care that much provided you satisfy the key requirements of bio and chem. It's also important to pick something you enjoy - the content's only going to get harder and you're going to have to do it more or less every day for the next 2 years!
Another bit of advice I would give you is to find ways to keep your stress under control - a little bit of stress its good, but if you're feeling a lot of stress a lot of the time, that's just not sustainable or healthy. If you do pursue a career in medicine you're going to be very busy and have a lot of exams, so you need to know how to keep all those plates spinning without becoming paralysed with stress or totally burnt out. Maybe just something to think about as you finish your GCSEs and head into sixth form.
Original post by miniverse
I'm planning to do bio, chem, maths (and food science & nutrition; i'd probably drop this after or within the 1st year) with the ambition of doing medicine in uni.. my current predicted grades for bio & chem is A* but for maths a higher B.. maths isn't my biggest strength but all the unis i'm looking at prefer maths as an additional A level apart from bio and chem.. To all the current med students/ A level students planning to do med or doing the same subject as I mentioned, do you think this is a good combination to do? How is the workload, stress etc.? I'm getting really stressed over this (along with my current exams) so I'd like some advice please and thank you
Hey!
Your alevel combination sounds good however I am not sure which website you are looking at because I can’t think of any med school that needs maths as well as bio and chem. no medical schools as far as I am aware in the UK require all three not even oxford or Cambridge. Most require chem with EITHER maths or bio with a third alevel that can be any. Also if you do choose maths with bio and chem you won’t have a better chance of acceptance compared to those who don’t choose maths.
In my opinion, if you don’t think you can get an A in maths, do something you are more confident in. Cause maths is not an easy one if you don’t enjoy it.
Use this for any entry requirements you want to check https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/3060/uk-medical-school-entry-requirements-2024-entry.pdf
I hope you make the best decision based on your circumstances,
Good luck!
(edited 3 months ago)
Thank you so much for replying, I understand that it would only get harder as I progress through, but I spoke to my careers advisor and they said it's better to choose a STEM subject for my 3rd option if I'm looking for applying to Russel Group unis (which I am) 
I'll try and focus on my current GCSEs and see if its right for me.. Also while I'm at it, what are some pieces of advice you wish you'd been told (or things you wish you knew) before joining uni for medicine? And I've heard it's good to get experience through volunteering etc to put on your personal statement, so is there any advice on seeking experience or like the things they look for in your personal statement? sorry for the extra questions, and TYSMM once again, you're a lifesaver
I'll try and focus on my current GCSEs and see if its right for me.. Also while I'm at it, what are some pieces of advice you wish you'd been told (or things you wish you knew) before joining uni for medicine? And I've heard it's good to get experience through volunteering etc to put on your personal statement, so is there any advice on seeking experience or like the things they look for in your personal statement? sorry for the extra questions, and TYSMM once again, you're a lifesaver(edited 3 months ago)
Original post by AspiringSurvivor
Hey!
Your alevel combination sounds good however I am not sure which website you are looking at because I can’t think of any med school that needs maths as well as bio and chem. no medical schools as far as I am aware in the UK require all three not even oxford or Cambridge. Most require chem with EITHER maths or bio with a third alevel that can be any. Also if you do choose maths with bio and chem you won’t have a better chance of acceptance compared to those who don’t choose maths.
In my opinion, if you don’t think you can get an A in maths, do something you are more confident in. Cause maths is not an easy one if you don’t enjoy it.
Use this for any entry requirements you want to check https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/3060/uk-medical-school-entry-requirements-2024-entry.pdf
I hope you make the best decision based on your circumstances,
Good luck!
Your alevel combination sounds good however I am not sure which website you are looking at because I can’t think of any med school that needs maths as well as bio and chem. no medical schools as far as I am aware in the UK require all three not even oxford or Cambridge. Most require chem with EITHER maths or bio with a third alevel that can be any. Also if you do choose maths with bio and chem you won’t have a better chance of acceptance compared to those who don’t choose maths.
In my opinion, if you don’t think you can get an A in maths, do something you are more confident in. Cause maths is not an easy one if you don’t enjoy it.
Use this for any entry requirements you want to check https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/3060/uk-medical-school-entry-requirements-2024-entry.pdf
I hope you make the best decision based on your circumstances,
Good luck!
Hi!! Yeah that's what I meant, I understand now that I've worded my post wrong, my apologies.. Thank you for your reply, but what exactly do you mean by "you won’t have a better chance of acceptance compared to those who don’t choose maths," do they (unis) not prefer maths as a 3rd subject? and what is the recommended 3rd subject choice? Thank you once again!
Original post by miniverse
I'm planning to do bio, chem, maths (and food science & nutrition; i'd probably drop this after or within the 1st year) with the ambition of doing medicine in uni.. my current predicted grades for bio & chem is A* but for maths a higher B.. maths isn't my biggest strength but all the unis i'm looking at prefer maths as an additional A level apart from bio and chem.. To all the current med students/ A level students planning to do med or doing the same subject as I mentioned, do you think this is a good combination to do? How is the workload, stress etc.? I'm getting really stressed over this (along with my current exams) so I'd like some advice please and thank you
There is only one medical school that prefers a STEM subject (which need not be maths - physics is also fine) and that's Cambridge.
All other UK medical schools don't care for the most part - a couple specify the third subject be "academic" (so food tech wouldn't be accepted as the third subject for those) but most have no specifications or preferences.
(edited 3 months ago)
I would say if there is a fourth subject that you would enjoy more/find easier than maths you are much better off doing that as you'll probably find you actively want to do the work rather than just having to to pass which can make the workload feel a lot easier - I did music as my third A level purely cause I enjoy it and it hasn't caused any problems for my applications
Original post by miniverse
Hi!! Yeah that's what I meant, I understand now that I've worded my post wrong, my apologies.. Thank you for your reply, but what exactly do you mean by "you won’t have a better chance of acceptance compared to those who don’t choose maths," do they (unis) not prefer maths as a 3rd subject? and what is the recommended 3rd subject choice? Thank you once again!
Sorry for the late reply, but like @artful_lounger said no specific alevel is needed for the third one. Any alevel you think you can do amazing at can either be English literature or a language, or philosophy literally any unrelated to stem alevel subject you enjoy, there is no restriction or recommendation that will make you have a better chance.
The only thing that make you more advantageous/preferred to other applicants is an extremely good UCAT score! Mainly because people applying for med school generally speaking have three As so as long as u believe you will get an A in the third alevel you are good to go.
One last thing, pls don’t try to juggle 4 alevels, even if you think you can. Zero universities in the UK take in account the 4th alevel. And its better that you already know that you will drop it so why take the stress? Focus on your three main ones and cement the knowledge before the big yr 13 starts.
Hope that clears it, if you still have any questions, ask me!
Original post by artful_lounger
There is only one medical school that prefers a STEM subject (which need not be maths - physics is also fine) and that's Cambridge.
All other UK medical schools don't care for the most part - a couple specify the third subject be "academic" (so food tech wouldn't be accepted as the third subject for those) but most have no specifications or preferences.
All other UK medical schools don't care for the most part - a couple specify the third subject be "academic" (so food tech wouldn't be accepted as the third subject for those) but most have no specifications or preferences.
Now that I rechecked it, you're right.. Idk what my careers advisor was on about but thank you for the info!
Original post by ims_m
I would say if there is a fourth subject that you would enjoy more/find easier than maths you are much better off doing that as you'll probably find you actively want to do the work rather than just having to to pass which can make the workload feel a lot easier - I did music as my third A level purely cause I enjoy it and it hasn't caused any problems for my applications
ooh yeah you're right, tysm!
Original post by User_F1
Wouldnt bother doing 4, so much stress and a waste of time as most unis won't even look at it. I did psychology which was easy in comparison to bio n chemistry.
I do psychology as a GCSE and I don't really like or hate it, but I heard the A-level is very heavy on essays and long answers.. Also did you do bio, chem and psych A-levels all the way till the end or did you drop any of them? How was psychology overall? I was actually contemplating to choose it
Original post by AF2Dr
Why are you bothering with Food Science and Nutrition?
I really like the subject but after everything everyone said, maybe I should just focus on my main 3
Original post by AspiringSurvivor
Sorry for the late reply, but like @artful_lounger said no specific alevel is needed for the third one. Any alevel you think you can do amazing at can either be English literature or a language, or philosophy literally any unrelated to stem alevel subject you enjoy, there is no restriction or recommendation that will make you have a better chance.
The only thing that make you more advantageous/preferred to other applicants is an extremely good UCAT score! Mainly because people applying for med school generally speaking have three As so as long as u believe you will get an A in the third alevel you are good to go.
One last thing, pls don’t try to juggle 4 alevels, even if you think you can. Zero universities in the UK take in account the 4th alevel. And its better that you already know that you will drop it so why take the stress? Focus on your three main ones and cement the knowledge before the big yr 13 starts.
Hope that clears it, if you still have any questions, ask me!
The only thing that make you more advantageous/preferred to other applicants is an extremely good UCAT score! Mainly because people applying for med school generally speaking have three As so as long as u believe you will get an A in the third alevel you are good to go.
One last thing, pls don’t try to juggle 4 alevels, even if you think you can. Zero universities in the UK take in account the 4th alevel. And its better that you already know that you will drop it so why take the stress? Focus on your three main ones and cement the knowledge before the big yr 13 starts.
Hope that clears it, if you still have any questions, ask me!
It's okay, tysm for your reply! I've only now started to realise that; I only chose to do a STEM subject as a third a-level bc my careers advisor said so.. I've decided to drop the fourth a-level :')) Thank you once again
Original post by miniverse
It's okay, tysm for your reply! I've only now started to realise that; I only chose to do a STEM subject as a third a-level bc my careers advisor said so.. I've decided to drop the fourth a-level :')) Thank you once again
Yep, you should only do 3, especially for med where getting 3 top grades is critical, and where any spare time you have will be taken up with getting work experience, doing other supercuriculars such as maybe EPQ, and preparing for UCAT etc. As others have said, the 3rd should be whatever you can get a top grade in. Cambridge is the one uni that prefers 3 STEM, but the others don’t care, and it might even be beneficial to do an essay subject to develop those skills.
Original post by miniverse
I do psychology as a GCSE and I don't really like or hate it, but I heard the A-level is very heavy on essays and long answers.. Also did you do bio, chem and psych A-levels all the way till the end or did you drop any of them? How was psychology overall? I was actually contemplating to choose it
Yeh I did bio, chem and psych for the whole 2 years. Psychology I just found quite easy - but I was interested. I didn’t end up revising it very much as the knowledge just sunk in compared to biology and chemistry it’s lot of concepts and more so applying the knowledge where as psychology was more so regurgitation of knowledge if that makes sense but I really enjoyed it I put it as my 5th option when applying for medicine.
Original post by lalexm
Yep, you should only do 3, especially for med where getting 3 top grades is critical, and where any spare time you have will be taken up with getting work experience, doing other supercuriculars such as maybe EPQ, and preparing for UCAT etc. As others have said, the 3rd should be whatever you can get a top grade in. Cambridge is the one uni that prefers 3 STEM, but the others don’t care, and it might even be beneficial to do an essay subject to develop those skills.
ooh alright, thank you so much!!
Original post by User_F1
Yeh I did bio, chem and psych for the whole 2 years. Psychology I just found quite easy - but I was interested. I didn’t end up revising it very much as the knowledge just sunk in compared to biology and chemistry it’s lot of concepts and more so applying the knowledge where as psychology was more so regurgitation of knowledge if that makes sense but I really enjoyed it I put it as my 5th option when applying for medicine.
ohh, okay thank youu
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