Foundation year medicine

Hi I was wondering if I could still get into medicine without Alevel chemistry.
im in yr 12 so my first year of ALevels ( retaking )doing Biology maths and pyschology.
the only russell group university i found is Bristol so far that allows me get into the foundation year medicine course without chemistry a level.

im looking for other universities that does the same.

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Reply 1

claireestelle

Original post by 01Adana

what were your gcse grades like?

Reply 2

01Adana

I passed all my gcses and got B's mainly

Original post by claireestelle

what were your gcse grades like?

Reply 3

01Adana

how come they are irrelevant?

Reply 4

01Adana

Unis with the best resources, equipment, teaching and the most reputable.
As well as being the best for reaearch

Reply 5

Fernerose

Sorry Bs are unlikely to be good enough in my opinion

Reply 6

01Adana

They are my gcses not alevels.
Most unis aren't bothered about gcses

Original post by Fernerose

Sorry Bs are unlikely to be good enough in my opinion

Reply 7

Fernerose

Medical schools are though. Sorry I just think it’s important to be realistic. Everyone I know at med school has a crop of A*s or mitigating circumstances

Reply 8

meddad

Original post by 01Adana

This document has minimum entry requirements for each Uni and has a section related to applying with a Gateway year
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2357/msc-entry-requirements-for-uk-medical-schools.pdf

Of course, meeting the minimum requirements is only the first step. Getting into Medicine is highly competitive. All Med Schools will rank you to decide who to interview. Some put most emphasis on GCSE grades, others on the UKCAT or BMAT aptitude tests. Some don't accept A level resits.

I can't guarantee the document is 100% accurate, so you should also check individual Uni websites.

btw Russell Group is irrelevant to applying for medicine. All courses are delivered to GMC standards, and when you apply for post graduate training a Medicine degree from a non-Russell group Uni is ranked in the same way as one from Oxbridge. You have big enough hurdles to clear already without that distracting you.

Hope that helps

Reply 9

returnmigrant

The course at Bristol is a widening-participation course - its open only to applicants from very specific low-performing schools, and only if your predicted grades are too low to get you onto the 5-year course.

Check you are actually eligible before you apply - and go to the Open Day in June and ask lots of questions.

Reply 10

returnmigrant

Original post by 01Adana

how come they are irrelevant?

Because your patients will never ask you where you trained.

All Med Schools are accredited by the GMC and, given the current shortage of doctors in the NHS, 'which University' is never going to be important re. job prospects.

Reply 11

Fernerose

Sorry I don’t agree. 15% of my year at medical school doesn’t have chemistry A level - you can just apply to med schools that don’t need it and there are a few around. Our university actually finds those without chemistry a level perform better on the course overall (possibly because physics is what many of them take instead and that’s tough!)

However you do need to prove you’re academically strong without chemistry (and physics here in this poster’s case) and with Bs at GCSE it’s difficult to prove. Especially now AS levels have gone. I work on the board of interviewees and have yet to see someone at my medical school with Bs only at GCSE. And we don’t ask specifically for A*s; we technically consider a range but those that are good enough for the course typically do much better than our minimum requirements seeing as it’s 10 to a place.

Reply 12

Whata

Hi there,

I’m also in a similar boat. I have not done chemistry a level. I am about to sit Philosophy, Psychology and Biology A Level and I am in year 13. During year 13 I did some work expeirence and loved the hospital setting hence why I decided late that I wanted to do medicine instead. I applied for psychology at university but I am going to take a gap year instead to apply for medicine. I am going to apply for universities that do not ask for Chemistry A Level such as Manchester, Plymouth and East Anglia. There are quite a few more universities that don’t actually ask for chemistry

I also don’t have amaaaazing gcse grades I got only 1A* and 7As 2 Bs
Compared to those who apply for medicine who have like all A*s
Tbh I think you just have to be smart when you apply e.g researching universities and seeing those which have entry requirements that are suitable to you

Reply 13

Whata

Original post by Fernerose

Hey, which university do you attend if you do not mind me asking?

Thank you x

Reply 14

Whata

Original post by 01Adana

I feel like you actually have a lot more options open and should apply for medicine because you do biology and psychology look for unis that accept psychology as a second science. And also maths is great to have

Reply 15

returnmigrant

Original post by Fernerose

I work on the board of interviewees

Could you explain exactly what you mean by this.
Do you actually 'interview' Med applicants, and at which University.

Reply 16

01Adana

Original post by meddad

Thank you sooo muchhh, it really helped

Reply 17

01Adana

Yeah thanks i already have checked eveything and i triple checked if my sixthform was up there and yepp guess im lucky in thag sense

In terms of entry requirements bristols the best uni for me.

Original post by returnmigrant