Yr 12 - Thinking about Medicine - 1 Flaw..please help.

Hello, currently i am studying towards my four AS subjects being:

Maths (Target A/B)
Biology (Target A/B)
Physics (Target A)
ICT (Target A)

Spot the missing Science :frown:

of which i intend to continue Maths, Biology and Physics to A2.

Until now i had no real direction towards any potential career choice and realistically i suppose i have being aiming towards a more computer science/physics related degree. However the more i continue learning, i have dramatically changed ideas and have been far more interested in biological related careers...in particular genetics but moreso medicine.

Now i understand that my lack of Chemistry as an AS/A2 level would dramatically hamper my chances of studying medicine but i wondered if there is 'any' chance for me whatsoever.
I have been looking at courses such as the foundation course at Manchester but realised that it is more for artistic people who dont currently study sciences and i wondered if my physics/biology could play a part for me and where i could look.

Thanks for any help - mark

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Reply 1

Villa_Reject

lessthanthree

:\ why don't you at least pick it up for AS in year 13?

tbh i wouldnt mind doing this but would it really be THAT beneficial. Isnt the medical side of chemistry in the second year anyway.

Reply 2

MonkeyOnIce

Some universities do foundataion years which is for people like you who havn't taken the right A-levels..but these tend to be more competitive.
Best thing to do would be to speak to some universitys and see if any would consider taking you with an as (although thats quite unlikly).
Another option would be to only carry on say 2 subjects and to see if you can do the whole a level in one year. I know someone who went to my college a few years back and was in the same situation, and she was able to do that...just means twice as much cheistry a week.
If not then maybe just stay on an extra year.

Reply 3

Muse

Hi, getting on a traditional medicine course without AS or A2 chemistry is not heard of. If you took AS Chemistry that would open some doors for you as a few med schools require just an AS as opposed to the full A2.

Reply 4

Muse

Take a look here http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/t88300.html and you'll see what I mean with regards Chemistry.

Reply 5

Helenia

Villa_Reject

tbh i wouldnt mind doing this but would it really be THAT beneficial. Isnt the medical side of chemistry in the second year anyway.

On the syllabus I did (OCR) there wasn't much what you could call "medical" chemistry at all, apart from the optional Biochemistry module, but most of that was the same as what I'd already learned in Biology. The point of having chemistry is that in med school it provides an important background to all sorts of things - Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology etc. It's easier to teach if people understand more than GCSE level Chem. I'd definitely recommend taking up Chem AS next year, possibly dropping one of the others if it'll give you more time.

Reply 6

idiopathic

Villa_Reject

Hello, currently i am studying towards my four AS subjects being:

Maths (Target A/B)
Biology (Target A/B)
Physics (Target A)
ICT (Target A)

Spot the missing Science :frown:

of which i intend to continue Maths, Biology and Physics to A2.

Your best bet is to do AS chemistry, along with your intended maths, biology and physics A2. If you're unfortunate and unsuccessful in your application next year, you could take a gap year (undertake more work experience etc.) and complete A2 chemistry during your gap year?

Email some universities and see what they say.

p.s. from the top of my head I know University of East Anglia definitely only require A level biology.

Reply 7

Fluffy

Villa_Reject

tbh i wouldnt mind doing this but would it really be THAT beneficial. Isnt the medical side of chemistry in the second year anyway.

A-Level chemistry is a requirement for nearly all (but not all) medical schools. Doing AS Chem *might* be enough though - if you get into a dialogue with the med schools first.

Reply 8

datwyn

UEA definitely don't need chemistry. Not sure if Durham do either...

Reply 9

Blates as

I think Newcastle only reqiure AS as well

Reply 10

Abbas6

Blates as

I think Newcastle only reqiure AS as well

I know someone who got 2 offers for Medicine this year on the 5 year courses from SGHMS and Exeter with only an AS in Chemistry! So like lessthanthree and others have said, you should try to get in contact with the Admissions staff at the different Uni's you're interested in and see what they say!

Reply 11

keyka

UEA(norwich) is the only univesity that doesnt ask for chemistry- as long as you have biology and another science with the right grades and experince they should accept you.

Reply 12

Naveed

newcastle want one of chem or bio, i did physics maths and chem and i got an offer. so like if u dont do chem but do bio it'll be ok. this guy in my maths class did AS chem, dropped it cause he didnt like it and continued on with physics maths and bio at A2, and he got into southampton and st georges. so if u do AS chem next year you'll be schorted, and AS chem is a piece of piss anyway so dont worry.

Reply 13

Villa_Reject

thanks for your help. im going to e-mail a few unis. The newcastle one has really caught my eye and i agree AS chemistry is a good idea.
I cannot believe - for 240 places for sheffields medicine degrees (foundation and normal) 4500 applications were recieved.

amazing.

Reply 14

Chris.

Peninsula don't require chemistry at all either, only biology is neccessary and standard offer is ABB, a possibility as an insurance to Newcastle/East Anglia maybe?

Reply 15

foxo

I understand that Edinburgh Univeristy offer a 6 Year Medicine course. You need English, Maths, one language and one science at GCSE, and AABb at A Level.

Or, you could maybe do a distance learning AS / A2 Chemistry at a college in your spare time?

Reply 16

Chris.

I'm baffles by these courses with foundation years that only allow you to have one science subject. Surely the people most likely to want go into medecine are the science based people who do maths/physics or biology/maths as opposed to Chemistry, it seems unfair that people who do history english and french are allowed the oppurtunity but those with science a-level background but no chemistry are not even considered.

Reply 17

Blates as

Chris.

The foundation courses are for people without chemistry - you are allowd to have biology etc. Though I would assume you'd need a reason for not having done it.

Some schools and colleges don't offer chemistry, mine didn't so I had to travel 20 miles to Exeter twice a week. Those unable to do chemistry for whatever reason are given the opportunity to do medicine in the 6 year course. Some people also begin there A levels without a clear career path in mind and may only decide on medicine later on having already chosen the wrong subjects - wanting to be a doctor doesn't mean you have to love the sciences, people do it for many reasons!