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Doing AS level in A2 year

I want to do something like Pharmacy or Medicine but havent taken Chemistry at AS level, so my school have told me I can do AS chemistry next year when I take my A2's.

But is it worth doing it at all, will it make any difference to my university applications or would i be wasting my time?

Thanks

Reply 1

ryancheema

Obviously it will be important taking chemistry as this is vital for pharmacy.

Chemistry is the fundamental subject for taking pharmacy from what i understand.

I would do some research and find out whether unis accept people who don't do chemistry on to there courses.

However, it will be a lot more work and it will be a struggle to keep on top of.

However, if your an organised individual, it really should be fine in taking the extra subject.

Reply 2

nuodai

17

To be honest, you probably won't get into Pharmacy or Medicine without full A-level Chemistry unless you do a Foundation year or take a gap year to complete the A-level.

Reply 3

paperclip

18

I did an AS Economics with my A2s, it was a bit more work, but it didn't take up too much of my time and i got a C, i think it'll be worth it if you're interested.

Reply 4

Minerva

17

sheepytodd

I want to do something like Pharmacy or Medicine but havent taken Chemistry at AS level, so my school have told me I can do AS chemistry next year when I take my A2's.

But is it worth doing it at all, will it make any difference to my university applications or would i be wasting my time?

Thanks

AFAIK you will need AS chemistry at least for both of those and might be at a disadvantage without A2 - so if I were you I would research it thoroughly before making any decisions.

Reply 5

TheTallOne

18

Chemistry at A2 is vital for Medicine.

What other sciences have you done? You may need a great deal of scientific knowledge for the BMAT/UKCAT tests.

Reply 6

Minerva

17

TheTallOne

Chemistry at A2 is vital for Medicine.

I thought that too, but there is a small number of Med schools that will accept AS chemistry if you've got A2 biology. In practical terms though, most medicine applicants do have A2 and therefore one with AS only will be at a disadvantage.

Reply 7

River85

17

nuodai

To be honest, you probably won't get into Pharmacy or Medicine without full A-level Chemistry unless you do a Foundation year or take a gap year to complete the A-level.

Minerva

I thought that too, but there is a small number of Med schools that will accept AS chemistry if you've got A2 biology.

It's true, there are a small number who only ask for one of biology or chemistry. I know that Newcastle (and, as far as I know, Durham) accept applicants who have only one of biology or chemistry providing they have the "absent" science subject at GCSE grade A. So just having biology A-level is OK, providing there's chemistry at GCSE grade A.

UEA don't ask or chemistry at all. They only specifically ask for biology. There are one or two others. So a small number, but enough to make a reasonable application. Just means limited choices, of course.

This isn't to say that having chemistry A-level/AS-level won't bring benefits. I'm sure advanced knowledge of chemistry is perhaps useful in the BMAT (used by Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and Oxford's 6 year courses plus Imperial's GEP). The UKCAT, used by the majority of medical schools, sticks to reasoning skills afaik. But don't think you can't do medicine just because you only have chemistry at AS-level or even GCSE level but do have full biology A-level. There are many students who achieve places at medical school without chemistry A-level (and on normal direct entry courses, not foundation courses)

I'd say chemistry is more essential in pharmacy and that an applicant without chemistry A-level will find more immediate obstacles when applying for pharmacy degrees. I don't know any universities who accept students without chemistry A-level (there may be a handful, I just can't remember them and pharmacy isn't my area, but chemistry is more directly relevant to pharmacy than medicine). But there are the foundation year courses.

As others have said, it's important to do your research and you should probably get the opinions of current med and pharmacy students. They'll be the ones who'll be able to tell you what kind of chemistry knowledge is required and whether or not an applicant without chemistry AS/A-level will be at a disadvantage when applying for medicine.

But as for the general question, should you take an AS in your A2 year, then that's obviously a very personal decision. Remember that A2 tends to be more intensive than AS and many will drop a grade, you need to be careful and balance your studies. So I'd express caution, but taking an AS during the A2 year is something that's relatively common and many manage with those extra few hours. All comes down to your own work ethic and how you feel you'll be able to balance the wordload. I suggest you try and talk to some chemistry students if you haven't already. They'll be able to give you a rough guide as to how many extra hours you'll create for yourself. Certainly get the opinions of pharmacy and med students.

Doing AS level in A2 year

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