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Medicine advice, help please!

So basically I've decided I want to do medicine but I'm already in my last year of a levels and haven't done the right subjects.

I currently do English literature, French and Biology and am hoping to get A's in all of them.

Don't know what to do now, if I'm going to apply for 2012 entry should I try and do say chemistry and/or maths in a year? Or is that totally unrealistic?

Any advice appreciated :smile:
Reply 1
Do chemistry in the year, but in the person statement you would need to explain why the change etc.
Medicine is SO difficult to get into though, so make sure you have a plan B in case you don't get in.

If you done chem you would just receive a conditional on your grades. Probably to be worthwhile to do Chem and Maths though, to give you a bit of an advantage.

Check out TSR stuff on medicine, there's a tonne of info on here and get some work experience to see if this is what you really want to do.

Hope I helped :smile:
contact some unis, some places only want biology like peninsula, so you may not have to take another subject, as long as you have As in the three you mentioned :smile:
also some unis have special exceptions for people who have taken subjects not sciency, and want to do medicine, i think you have to apply for medicine with a foundation year, (i think southampton do this)
good luck!:smile:
Reply 3
Foundation years are for people who've done humanities subjects.
Reply 4
Original post by BigDirty
Do chemistry in the year, but in the person statement you would need to explain why the change etc.
Medicine is SO difficult to get into though, so make sure you have a plan B in case you don't get in.

If you done chem you would just receive a conditional on your grades. Probably to be worthwhile to do Chem and Maths though, to give you a bit of an advantage.

Check out TSR stuff on medicine, there's a tonne of info on here and get some work experience to see if this is what you really want to do.

Hope I helped :smile:


Thanks for the quick reply :smile: and yeah I figured maths and chemistry would be an advantage but pretty difficult in a year.. I'll have a think about it though.

I've already had some work experience as a carer and in a care home (nothing special I know but something to build on I suppose) thanks for the advice :smile:
Reply 5
I definitely agree in the contacting the universities, some of them as said, only want biology, but I know most want Chem to AS. Try using http://www.ukmedicalschools.com/Forum/database5yr.php for an idea of which schools need chemistry at As etc.
Otherwise as said you could do apply for the foundation courses, though these are very competitive again. Email a couple of unis and ask their opinion whether you should apply for the foundation year or do chemistry etc, cos some might not like you being in college for 3 years see. I know with my friend who's applying for biology next year at manchester, they won't accept his application because he's been at college for 3 years, so just drop them an email. The majority of admissions tutors are really nice, you may not get a reply quickly as some, like Cardiff and Bristol are still organising this years application cycle, nd still interviewing, but the sooner you know the better :smile: Hope this helps!
Reply 6
Original post by niharika.jha
contact some unis, some places only want biology like peninsula, so you may not have to take another subject, as long as you have As in the three you mentioned :smile:
also some unis have special exceptions for people who have taken subjects not sciency, and want to do medicine, i think you have to apply for medicine with a foundation year, (i think southampton do this)
good luck!:smile:


Thank you, I think I need to contact some unis and see what they would advise :smile:

And I thought having done biology may have excluded me from a foundation year as I've already done something sciencey... Just need to do some research I think.
Reply 7
Original post by kayla:)
I definitely agree in the contacting the universities, some of them as said, only want biology, but I know most want Chem to AS. Try using http://www.ukmedicalschools.com/Forum/database5yr.php for an idea of which schools need chemistry at As etc.
Otherwise as said you could do apply for the foundation courses, though these are very competitive again. Email a couple of unis and ask their opinion whether you should apply for the foundation year or do chemistry etc, cos some might not like you being in college for 3 years see. I know with my friend who's applying for biology next year at manchester, they won't accept his application because he's been at college for 3 years, so just drop them an email. The majority of admissions tutors are really nice, you may not get a reply quickly as some, like Cardiff and Bristol are still organising this years application cycle, nd still interviewing, but the sooner you know the better :smile: Hope this helps!


Yeah I was thinking of emailing some admissions people to see what they reccommend.

It was the three years at college that I was worried about but wasn't sure if this would be an issue providing I do well this time round?

Guess I just need to do some research, thanks for the advice!
(edited 13 years ago)
Reply 8
Most of the advice I'd give has already been done, but I would add that you don't need to do Maths at all (unless you want to apply for Cambridge in which case you need 3 science ASs) - just Chemistry.

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