Medecine GCSE grades

So i got my GCSE grades on thursday and I know that i want to do medicine in the future and take maths, chemistry, biology and art for A level, but I was wondering if my grades were good enough to apply to universities such as cambridge of oxford.
My GCSE Grades are:
Chemistry: A*
Art: A*
French:A*
Maths:A*
English Lit:A
Biology:A
Physics: A
History: A
English Lang: B
Economics: B
I'm just not sure if I'd be a very competitive applicant. I have a secure voluntary placement in a hospital which will be good when I'm applying, but are my grades good enough? I know people ask if their grades are good enough a lot on here, but I'm not sure if they genuinely are as many of my friends doing medecine have all A's and A*s. Also, is my grade for english language too low? would have to re sit? I have an A in english lit, but some people told me language is more important for medecine.

Reply 1

emma0_0star

sorry realised i spelt medicine wrong

Reply 2

Calsiwm_Silicad

Original post by emma0_0star

sorry realised i spelt medicine wrong

If you're interested in Oxbridge I'd say that Cambridge would be a better choice - Oxford put a very very high emphasis on GCSEs for medicine..... people with 12a*s get rejected regularly.... yet people with less get in!

Work experience is pivotal for medicine! get as much as possible!!

You have to show you're passionate for medicine and caring for people so volunteer at a care home or something along those lines.

Your grades might not be the average for Oxbridge but if you don't shoot you don't score so definitely give it a go!

Congratulations on your excellent GCSE results by the way!!

Reply 3

emma0_0star

Original post by emma0_0star

sorry realised i spelt medicine wrong

Thank you for the reply :smile:

. How about places such as Imperial or University College London? Do they put much emphasis on GCSE results and if so, do you think mine would be good enough to be a successful applicant?

Reply 4

Calsiwm_Silicad

Original post by emma0_0star

Thank you for the reply :smile:

. How about places such as Imperial or University College London? Do they put much emphasis on GCSE results and if so, do you think mine would be good enough to be a successful applicant?

I can't speak for UCL but at my school ( a comp - remember the GCSE grades you get will be looked at differently depending on what type of school you go to) a few kids about two years ago got into Imperial for Medicine and I'm pretty sure they had similar grades to you , I'm not sure about subject specific grades but I know for a fact that there was this one guy who had 10 A*s and got rejected because of "lack of commitment and work experience" but someone with around four or five A*s got in! So your grades will definitely put you in for a shout (plus London would be an awesome place to study if you want to be a doctor!)

One thing I've found it says on UCLs website is that they pretty much require a level chem and bio so make sure you're doing them if you're interested in applying there!

Reply 5

whydoidothis?

For other unis you can get into medicine.
For Oxford i am going to say no.
Not sure about Cambridge, no AS UMS too look at now.

Reply 6

RagaZ

to be honest, getting into any university to study medicine should be the goal. Prestige of a university dosnt really matter, nor will it to your employers. Apply to universities that best serve to your strengths.

Reply 7

emma0_0star

Original post by Calsiwm_Silicad

Thanks, this is really helpful. I'm just worried because I go to a private school , so I'm not sure if my grades are too low, but I did have many changes in teaches ( I had four biology teachers over the course of two years) which idk if it is a problem compared to other peoples situations.

Reply 8

Calsiwm_Silicad

Original post by emma0_0star

Your GCSEs are over now , so it's important to focus on your AS levels now! Ace them and you can go on to do whatever you want (that is with regards to getting into a medical school) In addition , when choosing a university for Medicine sometimes location can be more important than reputation - remember that you'll be spending at least five years (and probably seven ) at this institution. Someone I know had offers from Aberdeen and I think it was maybe Southampton or somewhere like that? Despite Aberdeen being a 'better uni' he decided that the scottish accents of patients would be too much to cope with!! So what I'm saying is , don't get disheartened by your grades - there are many universities aside from Oxbridge /UCL/Imperial. If you really want to be a doctor , surely the course is more important than the uni because wherever you end up you'll still finish it being a doctor! Which is probably your long-term goal.

Reply 9

Lord Kim

There is no point in trying to apply for medicine now. As you know, I have developed a pill which cures everything.

Reply 10

aspiringmedic178

Hey everyone!
Do you think 7 A*s and 3 As are good enough for medicine?
Also I have heard that Cambridge pays more attention to the UMS grades of the AS exams than to GCSEs but I am doing IB. Are these equivalent to my results in the Year 12 exams?
Thanks in advance! smile emoticon

Reply 11