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*MEGATHREAD* - Medical School Foundation & Widening Access Courses Questions & Advice

As there has been a lot of questions popping up recently regarding Foundation Courses and Widening Access Courses I thought it might be a good idea to create a megathread so all relevant information can be bought together. All future posts regarding these two courses will be merged with this thread.

What are Foundation/Widening Access Courses?

Some UK medical schools offer 6 year programmes. These courses normally begin with 1 year of science-based teaching, after which you join the standard 5 year programme at the medical school. Alternatively, some courses spread the work of the normal degree over a longer period of time, to help people keep up with the course. These courses are usually designed to widen access to medical profession. As a result, courses are either aimed at people from a particular part of the country, people from less advantaged backgrounds or those who do not have a scientific background.

Having more than one science A level or a degree in a scientific subject may generally make you ineligible for these courses. In contrast, some 6 year courses do require science qualifications so make sure you read through the criteria carefully.

Which medical schools offer these courses?

For more information and a list of universities that offer the course, check out this page on the TSR Medicine Wiki.

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Reply 1
I couldnt find any threads on 2012 entry...

So whos applying for this course and what is ypur applications like....

Im not so confident with my grades.. what do you think ?

Gcse's- 3 a* , 3 a, 3 c...

a level- AAbb

LOADS OF WORK EXPEREICE AND REALLY GOOD REFERENCES ...

UKCAT- DONT KNOW ITS ON OCTOBER 4th...

do i have a chance?

ps. im eligible for this course
Reply 2
Does anyone know how competitive the medicine with foundation year (A104) courses are?.
There don't seem to be any numbers in any of the prospectus's or online
I was thinking about UEA, Southampton and Manchester.
Do they have a different view on postgraduates as well?
thanks everyone


p.s.
I have contacted them individually, but I thought I might get a reply on here faster.
Reply 3
I think, think that Manchester only has like 20 places for their foundation course...which would make it quite hard to get a place however, Medicine is competitive no matter what route you take it, but it is probably less competitive with a foundation course - and I'm only saying this because I think that those who are 'hardcore' about Medicine early on, will have chosen their A-levels to specifically gear themselves towards that career direction. I am unsure though, go to the website and check how many places:tongue:upils apply they have?

EDIT: Since being negged, i've re-read this and realised that this isn't totally factually correct, sorry for any misinformation, it was written over a year ago! I've since applied to medschool and know a lot better!
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 4
I seem to recall the foundation course being more competitive in general. Most universitites only have a small amount of places on them, Cardiff only has 16.
Yeah they have very small numbers of places each year. I'm applying to two pre-med courses and two med courses because I only have Chemistry and not Biology in IB. They are all competitive, obviously, but with Manchester for instance they only ask IB students for 33 points overall, compared to 37 for the 5 year course. The offers tend to be lower, but the competition is still very high. I guess you're limited to pre-med cause of your subject choices too. As long as you demonstrate a real passion for your course in your ps and stuff, and get really good grades you've got a shot. Southampton have 206 places for the 5 year course and 30 for the 6 year pre-med. Although, that actually works out as 14 applicants per place anyway, so you have pretty much the same amount of competition. Hope that helps :smile:
i don't get it

do you get taught the same things in years 2-6?

what is the difference of a year tbh?
Reply 7
It is for people who didn't do science A-levels. The foundation year is spent learning the relevant A-level science topics and then they join the normal A100 course after that year.
Original post by mkhan
Does anyone know how competitive the medicine with foundation year (A104) courses are?.
There don't seem to be any numbers in any of the prospectus's or online
I was thinking about UEA, Southampton and Manchester.
Do they have a different view on postgraduates as well?
thanks everyone


p.s.
I have contacted them individually, but I thought I might get a reply on here faster.


I applied and have an offer from them....

tbh, if you apply with an application tailored to them and a killer UKCAT....its pretty easy to get in, provided you don't mess up the interview.....

if not...harder than normal entry
Original post by Elwyn
It is for people who didn't do science A-levels. The foundation year is spent learning the relevant A-level science topics and then they join the normal A100 course after that year.


I do biology and chemistry....I have an offer from them.....
Reply 10
Original post by infernalcradle
I do biology and chemistry....I have an offer from them.....


Ah right, I know the UEA A104 is for people who don't meet the grade requirements for A100, BBB right? But most A104 courses are as above.
Original post by Elwyn
Ah right, I know the UEA A104 is for people who don't meet the grade requirements for A100, BBB right? But most A104 courses are as above.


yep :biggrin:
Original post by Elwyn
It is for people who didn't do science A-levels. The foundation year is spent learning the relevant A-level science topics and then they join the normal A100 course after that year.


Or in the case of IB which all unis seem to hate (sigh), it's also if you only took one science, even if it is HL Chem.
Reply 13
Those who have offers.................. what GCSEs do you have? (I want to apply for A104 at Manc but I'm worried about mine- A*A*AAAAABBB)

thank you for any help :wink:
Reply 14
They do tend to be extremely competitive, varies from medical school to medical school but you're looking at along the lines of 3% of applicants gaining a place at their chosen university. You applications are assessed with the same criteria as the normal A100 applicants which goes the same for the interview process. The academic grades required also tend to be slightly higher for A104 than they do for the A100 course though this may also be variable from university to university. Good luck with your application, hope you get a place! :smile:
Reply 15
Original post by infernalcradle
I do biology and chemistry....I have an offer from them.....


Where do you have an offer from?
Reply 16
Original post by Athené
Those who have offers.................. what GCSEs do you have? (I want to apply for A104 at Manc but I'm worried about mine- A*A*AAAAABBB)

thank you for any help :wink:


That's same as me (GCSE grades) and I'm applying for A100 course.
Reply 17
Original post by Besakt
That's same as me (GCSE grades) and I'm applying for A100 course.


where are you thinking of applying? I'd love to do the normal 5 year route but I'm only doing Chemistry A Level :frown:
Reply 18
Original post by Athené
where are you thinking of applying? I'd love to do the normal 5 year route but I'm only doing Chemistry A Level :frown:


Haven't decided yet it all depends on my UKCAT which I should be revising for instead of being on here.

There are some universities which do not require you to have Biology.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medical_School_A_Level_Requirements
Original post by Besakt
Where do you have an offer from?


from UEA for the foundation course...

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