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Got my AS level results, Want to Do Medicine. Please Help.

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Reply 20
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Original post by Hofstad_
Hi everyone,
Gonna try keep this short and quick.
Got my AS level results on Thursday. Biology, Chemistry and Maths - EED.
You may get shocked seeing those grades, so imagine how shocked and depressed I am. I am not someone "Who didn't work hard" or "Didnt take it seriously" blablabla. I worked my socks off, I just don't know how this happened. Now I am here to get some serious advice, not just people commenting things like "forget about medicine it's too competitive" because I know people will be commenting such phrases, let me tell you one thing.. I'm still gonna apply. I just need some expert advice if possible to make it easier for myself as My grades aren't good at all.
Now due to A level reforms, my bio and chem grade don't count. I will be sitting AS and A2 for bio and chem at the end of year 13. But the problem with those two subjects is that even though they dont count, teachers will make predictions based on thise grades, so if I can make my teachers predict me high (they know my abilities etc) than It's not too bad right?
And for maths.. My AS level grade is a D, again if teacher predict me high, I could still have a chance, however uni's will find out about my D and they may find out about my E too.. what Do I do about that?
I booked my UKCAT, what if I smash that? Get extra work experience, and an amazing personal statement? I know uni's want a well-rounded personal that done well in evertyhing including grades, but I dont know what happened...am sure there were some external factors that effected me during my exams but I understand uni's dont accept excuses..
Please only comment if you're confident and know you can make me feel better..
Thanks a lot for reading :smile:

My friend who got similar AS grades as you and didn't have an amazing UKCAT ( but it was better than mine). She had an interview with Cardiff university and relieved an offer from UEA. with that being said her GCSEs are amazing (straight A*).
Original post by Hofstad_
Hi everyone,
Gonna try keep this short and quick.
Got my AS level results on Thursday. Biology, Chemistry and Maths - EED.
You may get shocked seeing those grades, so imagine how shocked and depressed I am. I am not someone "Who didn't work hard" or "Didnt take it seriously" blablabla. I worked my socks off, I just don't know how this happened. Now I am here to get some serious advice, not just people commenting things like "forget about medicine it's too competitive" because I know people will be commenting such phrases, let me tell you one thing.. I'm still gonna apply. I just need some expert advice if possible to make it easier for myself as My grades aren't good at all.
Now due to A level reforms, my bio and chem grade don't count. I will be sitting AS and A2 for bio and chem at the end of year 13. But the problem with those two subjects is that even though they dont count, teachers will make predictions based on thise grades, so if I can make my teachers predict me high (they know my abilities etc) than It's not too bad right?
And for maths.. My AS level grade is a D, again if teacher predict me high, I could still have a chance, however uni's will find out about my D and they may find out about my E too.. what Do I do about that?
I booked my UKCAT, what if I smash that? Get extra work experience, and an amazing personal statement? I know uni's want a well-rounded personal that done well in evertyhing including grades, but I dont know what happened...am sure there were some external factors that effected me during my exams but I understand uni's dont accept excuses..
Please only comment if you're confident and know you can make me feel better..
Thanks a lot for reading :smile:


Dont worry about it! Many unis this year are not even looking at AS grades at all this year they say, such as UCL and imperial. There is a list somewhere of how unis are using them. And with the unreformed, luckily you can still resit a unit in these ones next summer so will still be done in the two years!

You're only real issue will be getting the AAA+ prediction... Depends on your teachers. Also, the unis that say they are not looking at AS to select people may still see then and wonder "is the prediction likely to happen" so it depends
Original post by Hofstad_
Hi everyone,
Gonna try keep this short and quick.
Got my AS level results on Thursday. Biology, Chemistry and Maths - EED.
You may get shocked seeing those grades, so imagine how shocked and depressed I am. I am not someone "Who didn't work hard" or "Didnt take it seriously" blablabla. I worked my socks off, I just don't know how this happened. Now I am here to get some serious advice, not just people commenting things like "forget about medicine it's too competitive" because I know people will be commenting such phrases, let me tell you one thing.. I'm still gonna apply. I just need some expert advice if possible to make it easier for myself as My grades aren't good at all.
Now due to A level reforms, my bio and chem grade don't count. I will be sitting AS and A2 for bio and chem at the end of year 13. But the problem with those two subjects is that even though they dont count, teachers will make predictions based on thise grades, so if I can make my teachers predict me high (they know my abilities etc) than It's not too bad right?
And for maths.. My AS level grade is a D, again if teacher predict me high, I could still have a chance, however uni's will find out about my D and they may find out about my E too.. what Do I do about that?
I booked my UKCAT, what if I smash that? Get extra work experience, and an amazing personal statement? I know uni's want a well-rounded personal that done well in evertyhing including grades, but I dont know what happened...am sure there were some external factors that effected me during my exams but I understand uni's dont accept excuses..
Please only comment if you're confident and know you can make me feel better..
Thanks a lot for reading :smile:


There are a lot of options available for you so don't even worry about it :smile:
My advise would be for you to focus solely on your A Levels this year so that you come out with the top grades and then try to reapply with those grades. That way you won't have to deal with the stress of doing A Levels and the ukcat, BMAT, interviews etc.
You could also apply to some medicine courses with foundation years which have lower entry requirements and can be found in this link: http://www.medschools.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/MSC-Entry-requirements-for-UK-medical-schools.pdf
But you might want to be careful as some of them only take those without certain science subjects.
If you get the predicted grades to apply to medicine then go for it as you have nothing to lose but if not then there are always other options available. Good luck :smile:
Reply 23
Avatar for Hofstad_
Hofstad_
OP
Original post by TianaEsther
There are a lot of options available for you so don't even worry about it :smile:
My advise would be for you to focus solely on your A Levels this year so that you come out with the top grades and then try to reapply with those grades. That way you won't have to deal with the stress of doing A Levels and the ukcat, BMAT, interviews etc.
You could also apply to some medicine courses with foundation years which have lower entry requirements and can be found in this link: http://www.medschools.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/MSC-Entry-requirements-for-UK-medical-schools.pdf
But you might want to be careful as some of them only take those without certain science subjects.
If you get the predicted grades to apply to medicine then go for it as you have nothing to lose but if not then there are always other options available. Good luck :smile:


Thanks for that.. But I have already booked my UKCAT so I will have to apply this year. If I take gap year and apply with my grades then this UKCAT test score won't count anymore right? I will have to pay again and sit the test again
Reply 24
Avatar for Hofstad_
Hofstad_
OP
Original post by isabella1999
Dont worry about it! Many unis this year are not even looking at AS grades at all this year they say, such as UCL and imperial. There is a list somewhere of how unis are using them. And with the unreformed, luckily you can still resit a unit in these ones next summer so will still be done in the two years!

You're only real issue will be getting the AAA+ prediction... Depends on your teachers. Also, the unis that say they are not looking at AS to select people may still see then and wonder "is the prediction likely to happen" so it depends


I know at the end of the day my A level grades matter at the end of year 13..
And that's the thing, how can I make my teachers predict me high grades. I was thinking of asking them to give me an AS mock in september again that I can do and if I do well I may be able to give them more faith
Original post by Hofstad_
Thanks for that.. But I have already booked my UKCAT so I will have to apply this year. If I take gap year and apply with my grades then this UKCAT test score won't count anymore right? I will have to pay again and sit the test again


No worries :smile:
I'm about 90% sure that you can cancel the UKCAT up to 1 day before the exam and get a full refund. And unfortunately if you take the ukcat this year and apply next year you'll have to redo the ukcat :frown:
I'm afraid applying post A-level seems like your only option.

No matter how good your UKCAT or personal statement is, there will be a huge surplus of candidates that will have a good PS and UKCAT score AND have straight A*'s at GCSE and straight A's at AS Level (many of whom won't even get an offer).

If your only goal is medicine, then I suppose you can attempt to apply but it is highly doubtful that you'd even be considered for an interview. Your best chance is to really ace your a-levels and maybe resit a couple of modules from AS and take a gap-year.
Original post by Hofstad_
Hi everyone,
Gonna try keep this short and quick.
Got my AS level results on Thursday. Biology, Chemistry and Maths - EED.
You may get shocked seeing those grades, so imagine how shocked and depressed I am. I am not someone "Who didn't work hard" or "Didnt take it seriously" blablabla. I worked my socks off, I just don't know how this happened. Now I am here to get some serious advice, not just people commenting things like "forget about medicine it's too competitive" because I know people will be commenting such phrases, let me tell you one thing.. I'm still gonna apply. I just need some expert advice if possible to make it easier for myself as My grades aren't good at all.
Now due to A level reforms, my bio and chem grade don't count. I will be sitting AS and A2 for bio and chem at the end of year 13. But the problem with those two subjects is that even though they dont count, teachers will make predictions based on thise grades, so if I can make my teachers predict me high (they know my abilities etc) than It's not too bad right?
And for maths.. My AS level grade is a D, again if teacher predict me high, I could still have a chance, however uni's will find out about my D and they may find out about my E too.. what Do I do about that?
I booked my UKCAT, what if I smash that? Get extra work experience, and an amazing personal statement? I know uni's want a well-rounded personal that done well in evertyhing including grades, but I dont know what happened...am sure there were some external factors that effected me during my exams but I understand uni's dont accept excuses..
Please only comment if you're confident and know you can make me feel better..
Thanks a lot for reading :smile:


I am pretty much in the exact situation as you, with only minor differences. I would say the good thing about biology and chemistry is that our grades this year does not affect the a level. However with maths, we would need to resit in order to get the minimum A grade medical schools require because it is still old spec. Do you have extenuating circumstances? Are you planning to resit maths? Please reply, I think we are in similar situations
Original post by adesola15
If you don't get three A predictions then don't bother. I've got AAC in my subjects and I've been told I may have to take gap year because of my C.

Not to be harsh but I knew a girl with 12 A*s and predicted 3As who didn't get an interview. How likely is it that you will with Es?

Your best option is to apply with a gap year and concentrate really hard on your grades to get AAA this year because 2017 entry may not be possible.


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The girl who got 12A* probably didn't get an interview because of a number of things including her PS, UKCAT etc it's not just about grades
Reply 29
Avatar for Hofstad_
Hofstad_
OP
Original post by 123apple
I am pretty much in the exact situation as you, with only minor differences. I would say the good thing about biology and chemistry is that our grades this year does not affect the a level. However with maths, we would need to resit in order to get the minimum A grade medical schools require because it is still old spec. Do you have extenuating circumstances? Are you planning to resit maths? Please reply, I think we are in similar situations


We can still smash bio and chem and get an A* at the end of year 13. But I'm not sure what to do with Maths, I think I need to just do really well in A2 to bring the D to an A or perhaps resit Core 1 as that brought my whole grade down.
Don't give up, give it a try you never know something may impress the uni to give you an offer
The thing you need to consider is that medicine is a highly strenuous and mentally demanding course.If you are finding AS levels so hard then you will find a medicine degree extremely hard.Id advise you to maybe thing of a different career path because even if you manage to get an offer will you be able to handle a medicine degree
Original post by Hofstad_
We can still smash bio and chem and get an A* at the end of year 13. But I'm not sure what to do with Maths, I think I need to just do really well in A2 to bring the D to an A or perhaps resit Core 1 as that brought my whole grade down.
Don't give up, give it a try you never know something may impress the uni to give you an offer


thank you for replying!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Mrs House
The girl who got 12A* probably didn't get an interview because of a number of things including her PS, UKCAT etc it's not just about grades


To be fair the reason she didn't get in was because she got a bad reference (saying she was shy and didn't participate in school events). Her UKCAT and PS were good, and she got another statement after a gap year and got into UCL.

The point I was was trying to make was that even the best of candidates get rejected, let alone those that don't meet the requirements for grades.
Apply to Europe. Debrecen in Hungary is fantastic. I wouldn't bother unless you get triple A prediction.
Original post by Hofstad_
Hi everyone,
Gonna try keep this short and quick.
Got my AS level results on Thursday. Biology, Chemistry and Maths - EED.
You may get shocked seeing those grades, so imagine how shocked and depressed I am. I am not someone "Who didn't work hard" or "Didnt take it seriously" blablabla. I worked my socks off, I just don't know how this happened. Now I am here to get some serious advice, not just people commenting things like "forget about medicine it's too competitive" because I know people will be commenting such phrases, let me tell you one thing.. I'm still gonna apply. I just need some expert advice if possible to make it easier for myself as My grades aren't good at all.
Now due to A level reforms, my bio and chem grade don't count. I will be sitting AS and A2 for bio and chem at the end of year 13. But the problem with those two subjects is that even though they dont count, teachers will make predictions based on thise grades, so if I can make my teachers predict me high (they know my abilities etc) than It's not too bad right?
And for maths.. My AS level grade is a D, again if teacher predict me high, I could still have a chance, however uni's will find out about my D and they may find out about my E too.. what Do I do about that?
I booked my UKCAT, what if I smash that? Get extra work experience, and an amazing personal statement? I know uni's want a well-rounded personal that done well in evertyhing including grades, but I dont know what happened...am sure there were some external factors that effected me during my exams but I understand uni's dont accept excuses..
Please only comment if you're confident and know you can make me feel better..
Thanks a lot for reading :smile:


"Yup, very similar, A-level is just on another level of effort, so
1-don't worry,
2- look into resits
3- Try and convince your teachers that you can achieve those grades, if they predict them for you on paper, then I don't think the unis care, just know that you will have to actually achieve them and work very very hard throughout the year, (unless you resit in November, which I did for some subjects).
4- You will see that the gap between AS and A2 is much smaller, so you will feel relieved
5- Don't give up, you can still get high grades for high courses.Good luck!P.S Good idea to start looking at unis now concerning resits etc."

This is a copy of my post from another thread since it's the same question.

I might also add although I was in your situation, yes, but with slightly better grades, so don't know if that might count for something.

Also if you do smash the UKCAT aim for UKCAT unis

And finally if you do apply this year and and fail, you've lost nothing, so I don't see why you shouldn't give it a shot. You're only at a disadvantage if you get invited for an interview and then get rejected, at that particular uni. Do email them though, just to be sure
(edited 7 years ago)
Hi,

As medicine is highly competitive I would suggest that you resit the maths modules next year and try to maximise your grades. Don't worry about the E's in Bio and Chem, with hard work and sleepless night you could possibly bring that up to an A or A* depending on your work ethic. Sometimes to improve, we all need a bit of knocking down :smile:

I understand that you want to do medicine, however, the chances of your teachers predicting you three A's is near impossible. At my school, if you got less than a D as AS they wouldn't let you continue with that subject to A2.

What I would do if I were you is apply for a biomedical/medical sciences degree (or something similar) and then transfer into medicine after the first year of the degree. That way uni's will not look at your AS's or predictions but look at your A2 results (which hopefully you'll have smashed them - A*A*A* :wink: )

I think if you desperately want to do medicine then sit your UKCAT/BMAT this year anyway as you could get lucky and there might be a space available for medicine after you have completed your A2's in clearing and you may be able to bag a space. (this year St.Georges went into clearing offering a medicine degree)

Basically, what I'm saying is DO NOT APPLY FOR MEDICINE THIS YEAR. Honestly, it will save you a year if you get rejected and then have to take a gap year (unless you wanted to take a gap year anyway to gain more work experience ect)

If you don't want to waste a year (i.e you have gotten all your work experience and are against the idea of a gap year) then apply for a medical science related degree which requires chemistry and biology. Yeah it means that you have to wait an extra year to get into medicine, but its better than getting 4 rejections and then taking a year out to resist exams as medicine does not accept applicant that do A-Levels over the course of three years.

Sorry for the long winded reply, but I hope this helps.
Original post by candyyfloss
Hi,

What I would do if I were you is apply for a biomedical/medical sciences degree (or something similar) and then transfer into medicine after the first year of the degree. That way uni's will not look at your AS's or predictions but look at your A2 results (which hopefully you'll have smashed them - A*A*A* :wink: )


This is generally not possible for most medical schools. And furthermore, the few med schools that do accept transfer applications will look at your A-levels

OP's only chance would be to go for a widening participation foundation year or Graduate entry
Original post by Asklepios
This is generally not possible for most medical schools. And furthermore, the few med schools that do accept transfer applications will look at your A-levels

OP's only chance would be to go for a widening participation foundation year or Graduate entry


ohh i thought that you could only apply for a foundation year if you qualified to fit their criteria. e.g: you had a household income of less than 35K or somethings

sorry :smile:

or you could always do medicine as a second degree :wink:
i mean biomedical sciences is amazing <3
I'd say the most important thing you need to do now is establish what went wrong last year- obviously you need to change something if you want to come out with better results. Were there any extenuating circumstances? Were you extremely stressed in the exams? You did a lot of work but what kind of revision? If you didn't work on past questions enough your exam techniques was probably quite poor, which could have dropped you a lot of marks in biology and chemistry. When you did papers in exam conditions and got them marked by teachers what did you get?

If you can point to what went wrong and make a plan to change it your teachers will have much more confidence in your ability to go up a lot of grades so may give you the predictions and most importantly you'll be more likely to come out with great results next summer, allowing you to confidently apply next year.
Original post by 1c8e2
Hi Hofstad,

Sorry about your results, they look similar to what i got back in college :frown:
I hated college, i had so much interest in maths and physics but i just couldn't do exams, you'll find later on that exams are a game and once you figure it out they're all the same. In my A2 year i ended up taking 12 exams in the summer and it was really hard as i couldn't put the work in i needed. I ended up leaving college with a C in Modern History and an E in Physics, i completely failed Maths. I knew i wasn't stupid, i just couldn't handle the difference between high school and college. Now i'm in my final year of Mechanical Engineering on track for a first class with a year in industry with a huge company where other students had AAA at A-Level.

Medicine is a bit different though. I have a friend who applied for Medicine at Manchester and he got ABB. They didn't let him on the course and he ended up doing a foundation degree in MechEng. There's no doubt you can improve on your results but a lot of unis will go off your predicted grades. If i was you i'd look at every UK university that offers medicine and look at their entry requirements, do they do a foundation year with lower grades? Apply for the ones which are ABB rather than AAA, at the end of the day a Medicine degree is worth its weight in gold from anywhere in the UK. Maybe even look at other courses... When i started college i wanted to Medicine, then Physics, then i left with no idea and got told to apply for engineering and it's the best decision I've made.

Good luck


Did you re-take all your subjects after you failed? If dont me asking what did you get? or did you a foundation year?

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