The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Do I need physics to do medicine at Manchester?

I just read that

"Physics and Biology are required either at AS or at GCSE at minimum Grade C"

I'm doing double science (core and additional), and have not chosen physics for my A levels and I'm not doing it at GCSE as a separate subject. Does this mean I'm not eligible to apply. :confused:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Avatar for Captain Hob
Captain Hob
Sounds like you'll be fine. A friend of mine who's applying for medicine this year had to do GCSE Physics last year, but he doesn't need anything beyond that.

Having looked at your A-Level choices in your sig, by the way, I strongly recommend doing Maths. Just sayin'.
Original post by Captain Hob
Sounds like you'll be fine. A friend of mine who's applying for medicine this year had to do GCSE Physics last year, but he doesn't need anything beyond that.

Having looked at your A-Level choices in your sig, by the way, I strongly recommend doing Maths. Just sayin'.


Why should he do maths? It won't make a difference at most med schools (incl. Manchester)

EDIT: @ OP.. ring the med school up, they will provide a definite answer for you :smile:
Reply 3
Avatar for DingDong!
DingDong!
OP
7
Original post by Captain Hob
Sounds like you'll be fine. A friend of mine who's applying for medicine this year had to do GCSE Physics last year, but he doesn't need anything beyond that.

Having looked at your A-Level choices in your sig, by the way, I strongly recommend doing Maths. Just sayin'.


Original post by InItToWinItGetIt?
Why should he do maths? It won't make a difference at most med schools (incl. Manchester)


Oh thank goodness for that! I didn't really like the idea of going to a different city as I live 5 minutes away from Manchester city centre anyway.

And I didn't choose maths because I suck at it. I'm getting As in it. And don't really want to chance my grades in college either. Thanks for your help :smile:

EDIT:

InItToWinItGetIt? I'll be sure to do that. But seeing as I'm in my last year of high school, I don't really think I can do anything. I'll be sure to get around to it though. Good luck with your application! What grades did you get?
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 4
Avatar for Organ
Organ
13
No. Don't need to maths either - they don't give a flying monkey about maths.
Reply 5
Avatar for Captain Hob
Captain Hob
Original post by InItToWinItGetIt?
Why should he do maths? It won't make a difference at most med schools (incl. Manchester)


I'm not applying for medicine so I don't know for sure, but all the prospective medics I've talked to have said it helps and regret not doing it.
Original post by DingDong!
Oh thank goodness for that! I didn't really like the idea of going to a different city as I live 5 minutes away from Manchester city centre anyway.

And I didn't choose maths because I suck at it. I'm getting As in it. And don't really want to chance my grades in college either. Thanks for your help :smile:

EDIT:

InItToWinItGetIt? I'll be sure to do that. But seeing as I'm in my last year of high school, I don't really think I can do anything. I'll be sure to get around to it though. Good luck with your application! What grades did you get?


Don't choose Maths if you are not good at it. A-level maths makes GCSE maths look like a joke. It won't really matter anyway if you don't do it.

GCSE: 7A*s 1A, 2Bs and 1C
AS: straight As
A2: Maths already achieved grade A (i don't know how because it was a bitch) - rest are predicted straight A*s

Original post by Captain Hob
I'm not applying for medicine so I don't know for sure, but all the prospective medics I've talked to have said it helps and regret not doing it.


Did they tell you why they thought that?
Reply 7
Avatar for DingDong!
DingDong!
OP
7
Original post by InItToWinItGetIt?
Don't choose Maths if you are not good at it. A-level maths makes GCSE maths look like a joke. It won't really matter anyway if you don't do it.

GCSE: 7A*s 1A, 2Bs and 1C
AS: straight As
A2: Maths already achieved grade A (i don't know how because it was a bitch) - rest are predicted straight A*s



Did they tell you why they thought that?


Nice grades! I'm 'hoping' to achieve at least 8A*s and 2 As. Hope that's good enough.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 8
Avatar for Captain Hob
Captain Hob
Original post by InItToWinItGetIt?
Did they tell you why they thought that?


Couple of reasons, some of them are struggling with some maths in their other subjects, some of them think it would make them more attractive applicants, stuff like that. Two guys in particular won't stop talking about how they wish they had done it, so I assumed it was quite big thing. Sorry for being a bit preemptive.
Original post by DingDong!
Nice grades! I'm 'hoping' to achieve at least 8A*s and 2 As. Hope that's good enough.


Those GCSEs would be superb if you get them. Good luck for your exams :biggrin:

Original post by Captain Hob
Couple of reasons, some of them are struggling with some maths in their other subjects, some of them think it would make them more attractive applicants, stuff like that. Two guys in particular won't stop talking about how they wish they had done it, so I assumed it was quite big thing. Sorry for being a bit preemptive.


Ok I took Maths one year early, 'forced' by my school and..

(1) It doesn't help with other subjects. Physics is probs the only one it does. A-level Maths won't help you a single bit in bio or chem. When is integration by parts going to help with Nucleophiles and circulatory system?!!

(2) Most unis don't give a **** whether you do maths or not for medicine. Sorry if I sound angry or anything (plz don't take it personally - it isn't aimed at you), it's just that a lot of people seem to think you NEED maths to be a good medicine candidate and it is utter crap.

(3) On a related note, if you take subjects one year early, some unis (e.g. Manchester) won't count that subject as your offer for medicine.
Reply 10
Avatar for DingDong!
DingDong!
OP
7
Original post by InItToWinItGetIt?
Those GCSEs would be superb if you get them. Good luck for your exams :biggrin:



Ok I took Maths one year early, 'forced' by my school and..

(1) It doesn't help with other subjects. Physics is probs the only one it does. A-level Maths won't help you a single bit in bio or chem. When is integration by parts going to help with Nucleophiles and circulatory system?!!

(2) Most unis don't give a **** whether you do maths or not for medicine. Sorry if I sound angry or anything (plz don't take it personally - it isn't aimed at you), it's just that a lot of people seem to think you NEED maths to be a good medicine candidate and it is utter crap.

(3) On a related note, if you take subjects one year early, some unis (e.g. Manchester) won't count that subject as your offer for medicine.



Thank you :biggrin:. Good luck to you as well!!

I'll phone 'em up some time next week as I have mocks 'till Tuesday. Also, you need to explain that to my friend who keeps telling me I won't get accepted without maths, and they 'prefer' someone who does do maths. Which is utter tripe.
Mathematics AS is required at some, but not all medical schools.
Reply 12
Avatar for OS92
OS92
Original post by InItToWinItGetIt?
Those GCSEs would be superb if you get them. Good luck for your exams :biggrin:



Ok I took Maths one year early, 'forced' by my school and..

(1) It doesn't help with other subjects. Physics is probs the only one it does. A-level Maths won't help you a single bit in bio or chem. When is integration by parts going to help with Nucleophiles and circulatory system?!!

(2) Most unis don't give a **** whether you do maths or not for medicine. Sorry if I sound angry or anything (plz don't take it personally - it isn't aimed at you), it's just that a lot of people seem to think you NEED maths to be a good medicine candidate and it is utter crap.

(3) On a related note, if you take subjects one year early, some unis (e.g. Manchester) won't count that subject as your offer for medicine.


Maths isn't necessary but you'll see that if you want to understand physics or chemistry properly, you'll need maths. For example: why are the half lives for first order reactions constant? Use differential equations, taught in A level maths, and you can see it. Same goes for other things.

By no means is maths necessary for medicine, but it's very useful, just because it's a logical subject which compliments lots of things.
Original post by OS92
Maths isn't necessary but you'll see that if you want to understand physics or chemistry properly, you'll need maths. For example: why are the half lives for first order reactions constant? Use differential equations, taught in A level maths, and you can see it. Same goes for other things.

By no means is maths necessary for medicine, but it's very useful, just because it's a logical subject which compliments lots of things.


For the purpose of getting through A-levels, taking maths won't really give you any extra help in other subjects.

I do agree with you in that it is a useful subject and it can teach you useful problem solving skills which are VERY helpful in medicine for obvious reasons.
Take 3 sciences (inc maths) if ure applying for Cam, defo.
Reply 15
Avatar for Fat-Love
Fat-Love
15
Maths does help in chemistry to that other guy. It's connected to rates of reaction which is calculus. In fact my chemistry interviewer for cambridge used the calculus notation. I remember looking through my brother notes once (he does medicine) and there was something about logarthmic scales in medicine (they are also in chemistry A-Level). Logarithms, natural logarithms, exponential functions and calculus is something that's really only taught in maths as it's poorly taught (if it even is taught) at chemistry A-level. There's a crapload of calculations that need to be performed though in the second year of chemistry ( quite a lot in the first year as well come to think of it). Can't speak for the medicine course though so I won't say maths is required for medicine but it does help I suppose indirectly. It will make your chemistry A-level easier.

P.S To answer your questions OP. You're core science and additional science should probably cover your physics requirement as it's meant to teach you physics to a standard that enables you to study physics at AS standard at least. Phone them up to be sure though and then hopefully as long as you get good grades in your two science it should be okay.
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 16
Avatar for Beska
Beska
21
Original post by Mr Inquisitive
Mathematics AS is required at some, but not all medical schools.


Reply 17
Avatar for Organ
Organ
13
Original post by Mr Inquisitive
Mathematics AS is required at some, but not all medical schools.


It's required at no medical school. Some colleges at Cambridge do. That's it.
Reply 18
Avatar for Beska
Beska
21
Original post by Organ
It's required at no medical school. Some colleges at Cambridge do. That's it.


Maths, really? I had in my head that they required three sciences (so, you could do biology/chemistry/physics) and get in without maths.
Reply 19
Avatar for Organ
Organ
13
Original post by Beska
Maths, really? I had in my head that they required three sciences (so, you could do biology/chemistry/physics) and get in without maths.


A few random colleges want maths. Plently of people go to colleges without it - and you can go to Oxford with two sciences (like everywhere else).





Basically, if you really don't like maths - don't do it :smile:

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you