what are my chances of getting into a medical school?

sarahr1995

i really want to study medicine when i leave school, but my careers advisor told me that my chances where very low! im currently doing chemistry, maths, biology and history at AS level and my GCSE grades are:
Maths-A*, History-A*, Chemistry-A, Physics-A, Biology-A, Religion-A, Enligsh lanugage and literature-AA, P.E-B and French-C.
i really want to study medicine, so i was just wondering what my chances were and if there is anything i can be doing to give me a better chance of being accpeted when i apply next year!
help much appreciated, thanks! :smile:

Reply 1

NewCrack

your 'careers advisor' is a piece of ****! Your GCSE's are great! I guess the standard work experience, a good UKCAT and/or BMAT score a long with top AS results will pull you through

oh, and a solid PS

Reply 2

Bubble87

I agree your GCSE results are great and if you get A's at A level too you'll be well on your way. Deffo get some shadowing experience though, and it wouldn't hurt to get some basic care experience as well. I'm currently working with 2 medicine hopefuls as a healthcare assistant and it's perfect to give you the patient contact experience and communication skills you need. Maybe apply to go on the nurse bank after you've finished your A levels, a reference from a ward manager would be an amazing help!

Reply 3

sarahr1995

ahh really?! thats great news!! thankyou :biggrin:

Reply 4

MeWantConsultant

2 A*s, 6 As, 1B and 1C

They're not brilliant. My maths teacher had a big go at me how a guy in my Six form got Six A*s in all the relevant subjects(Three sciences, Two Englishes, One math) and still got rejected from the worst universities.

I honestly think you don't stand a chance. The only people who stand a chance now-a-days of getting into medicine are geniuses or people wtih more than 8 A*s.

Reply 5

Quackers93

Original post by MeWantConsultant

1) In medicine there aren't really any worst universities :facepalm:

2) She may not have as many A*s as other medicine applicants but if she applies smartly she might stand a chance - so no applying Birmingham OP
3) It may be the case that people with high grade's don't always get accepted but it's certaintly not the case that people with low gcse grades never get accepted. Has no one ever told you it's not just about the academics? :rolleyes:

Reply 6

MeWantConsultant

Original post by Quackers93

1) Has no one ever told you it's not just about the academics? :rolleyes:

This is medicine. If you're not an acadamic, then you may aswell be jumping into a bull-pen painted red. Thought you're right, i do have some friends who took a Vocational route at GCSE and still got into medicine, these people got 8 A*s. She dosen't stand a chance with only 2.

Reply 7

Quackers93

Original post by MeWantConsultant

The key word in that sentence was just :rolleyes:

Just because you didn't get many A*'s at gcse doesn't mean you're not an academic. Some people with bad gcse's just didn't try at school, some may have had stuff going on in the background that affected their performance and maybe for some they just became a lot more academic when doing their A-levels than at gcse, as if something just clicked into place.

I didn't say she had a strong chance but if she applies smartly, does well in the UKCAT/BMAT and does very well at AS level then she might stand a chance, even if only a slight one. Op: with your gcse's you might want to consider potentially taking a gap year and applying with your results? You'd probably stand a stronger chance if you had the obtained A-level grades :smile:

And just so you know OP my friend has an offer from Barts and he got 2A* at gcse. Albeit he had reasons behind it and has applied with his grades (currently on a gap year) but it is still possible!

Reply 8

louistoffee

Original post by MeWantConsultant

i couldn't agree with you any less. my profile is 6A* 5A with the A* in the less relevant subjects. but the three universities which have offered me a place didn't take GCSE performance into account when weighing up candidates. They just want you to exceed the minimum requirements. I see your point and i know this is an old thread. Some unis look at them (birmingham liverpool cardiff bristol, oxford (not cambridge)), but most don't, if you apply strategically there's no prob

Reply 9

grammaticus

I'm an HE advisor who has a specific brief to work with Medicine (and Vet Science, Dentistry and all Oxbridge) applicants. I can assure you that your GCSE grades really won't matter too much as long as you get plenty of work experience (the more varied the better), good AS levels and A or A* in your A levels (including Biology and Chemistry). You also need to write an excellent PS and practise interview techniques, as these are often the make or break element. Our Med applicants generally have at least three practice interviews before going for the real thing.

You should also read the BMA's guidelines, which contain everything you want to know. Here's the link:

http://bma.org.uk/developing-your-career/becoming-a-doctor

Good luck

Reply 10

JammyGit07