GCSE Grade 5 in Maths applying for Medicine

Hey guys so I’m applying for medicine and the university’s I want to go to require a grade 6 in maths at gcse but I have a 5 I meet all other requirements except this one. So can I still apply or will I get rejected???

Reply 1

Lailamehmood

OP

5

Hey guys I don’t meet the gcse maths requirement for medicine Cus I have a 5 and they need a 6.so I’m confused should I apply for a foundation year but I’m not sure if a foundation year still requires the same grade. And Wht is a foundation year for exactly

Reply 2

Lailamehmood

OP

5

I’m in year 12 so by now it’s too late Cus I will be applying in September I didn’t realise unis wanted a 6 so now I’m not sure what to do.should I just apply for a foundation year because I meet all other requirements just not maths

Reply 3

Lailamehmood

OP

5

Also I checked no other unis in London take a grade 5 in maths if there are any in London can you pls send me names thank youu

Reply 4

Lailamehmood

OP

5

Thank you I will look through the list but I don’t mind if it’s more expensive but should I call the uni and ask them if I dnt meet a requirement if they would take me for a foundation year

Reply 5

Lailamehmood

OP

5

And no unfortunately I’m not able to move outside of London which is why I need to find unis in London only

Reply 6

Lailamehmood

OP

5

It’s competitive but I have all the requirements and good predicted grades so should I just trial it and apply I’m sure I’ll get in and instead of wasting a year by gap year should t I just apply for a foundation and keep in mind I’m not applying to really good unis like ucl they are average ones so I have a slight higher chance of getting in

Reply 7

Lailamehmood

OP

5

Omgg thank you soo much that list you sent I read through the first few unis and I already found a good uni it’s university of Buckingham and they are only 2 hours away from where I live and they have no gcse requirements I think I may have miscommunicated myself I can go to uni outside of London but can’t live outside so I can travel like 2 hours or 3 that’s no problems but hank you soo much anyway

Reply 8

ForestCat

18

Original post by Lailamehmood

Omgg thank you soo much that list you sent I read through the first few unis and I already found a good uni it’s university of Buckingham and they are only 2 hours away from where I live and they have no gcse requirements I think I may have miscommunicated myself I can go to uni outside of London but can’t live outside so I can travel like 2 hours or 3 that’s no problems but hank you soo much anyway

I’ll just point out that travelling 2 to 3 hours each way isn’t really feasible for a medical degree. You will have absolutely no down time or social life as you will either be at uni (you will have lots of 8 hour days, with travelling etc that is your whole day gone) or travelling to/from uni.

It would be tough for a standard degree but once you start clinical years it would be extremely difficult

I commuted for medicine, but it was just under an hour each way and that was tough enough (and I was older and used to commuting).

I would highly recommend not signing up for a commute that long.

And I may be completely off base here but I think you need to speak to your family about living away for uni. You’re seriously limiting your choices and it may mean a choice between studying medicine or living at home... particularly if you don’t have the strongest academic background.

Reply 9

spingu101

13

A gap year is not wasting a year, it could give you a major opportunity to resit in September and you'd get the results by December/January.Yes, statistically the chances of getting into Cambridge or Oxford may appear lower in terms of percentages than Brighton, but you have to remember the average BSMS applicant has a different application profile than a Cambridge applicant.

Have you considered UCLan? They have lower grade requirements than most UK medicine unis. The cost of living away from home is a lot, but may be necessary in your case, and the student loans are very reasonable.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 10

GANFYD

18

Original post by Lailamehmood

Thank you I will look through the list but I don’t mind if it’s more expensive but should I call the uni and ask them if I dnt meet a requirement if they would take me for a foundation year

Original post by Lailamehmood

It’s competitive but I have all the requirements and good predicted grades so should I just trial it and apply I’m sure I’ll get in and instead of wasting a year by gap year should t I just apply for a foundation and keep in mind I’m not applying to really good unis like ucl they are average ones so I have a slight higher chance of getting in

Original post by Lailamehmood

Omgg thank you soo much that list you sent I read through the first few unis and I already found a good uni it’s university of Buckingham and they are only 2 hours away from where I live and they have no gcse requirements I think I may have miscommunicated myself I can go to uni outside of London but can’t live outside so I can travel like 2 hours or 3 that’s no problems but hank you soo much anyway

Original post by spingu101

A gap year is not wasting a year, it could give you a major opportunity to resit in September and you'd get the results by December/January.Yes, statistically the chances of getting into Cambridge or Oxford may appear lower in terms of percentages than Brighton, but you have to remember the average BSMS applicant has a different application profile than a Cambridge applicant.

Have you considered UCLan? They have lower grade requirements than most UK medicine unis. The cost of living away from home is a lot, but may be necessary in your case, and the student loans are very reasonable.

You have been given some good advice here. Foundation courses are not for people who just don't make the grade for standard entry medicine, they are either for people with widening access criteria or for people who have top grades but in the wrong subjects, so you cannot use it as a way to avoid usual entry criteria.

If you do not meet a med schools minimum requirements, even one of them with all your other stats being amazing, you will be rejected without further consideration.

Med Schools accepting a 5 in maths
Aberdeen, ARU, Aston, Cambridge, Exeter, Glasgow, Imperial, Newcastle, Plymouth and St Andrews.
Also HYMS, Liverpool, QUB and Leeds though they all use GCSEs as part of their scoring system, but you may be OK if the rest are 8s and 9s.

If you have widening access flags, you may find more places would accept your maths grade

Depending on where you are in London, Imperial or ARU may work for you, but as has been pointed out, you are almost certainly going to have to move out of London as a junior doctor, so you would only be delaying things by a few years.

There is no reason you cannot resit your GCSE maths in year 13 with your A levels, is there? You would then enter your pending grade as a B or better and that would be included as one of your entry requirements if you got an offer.

Buckingham is a private med school and you would not be eligible for funding through student finance for the course fees, so unless you can self-fund, this is unlikely to be suitable.
UCLan is similar and only takes standard UCAS applications for those who live in the NorthWest of England (which I am guessing rules you out).

I cannot reiterate strongly enough, where you study medicine is absolutely irrelevant in terms of your career, there or no "good" and "bad" medical schools and competition ratios do not follow standard uni rankings.

Your best bet if you are insistent on staying in London is to resit your GCSE maths next summer with your A levels (though check that places are happy with GCSE resits before applying) and you can also apply to Imperial and ARU who it seems will accept you with your current grade (they would not have a 6 at GCSE maths as part of your offer), however there are enough med schools you can apply to now if you widen your horizons, which as suggested makes most sense.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 11

Lailamehmood

OP

5

Thank you so much I think I’ll call unis and ask them if I could apply and resit my maths in November and get atleast a 6 so I can apply to the unis I originally wanted to like st George and queen Mary thank you I didn’t knw that you could do that but yh ur right first I’ll make sure I call them up to see if they do that if not then I’ll ask them abt the foundation year courses or if nothing works maybe a gao year would be my only option the only reason I insisted on not moving out is because I knw I won’t be able to handle it and as it s I feel like I am perhaps to young if.

Reply 12

GANFYD

18

Original post by Lailamehmood

Thank you so much I think I’ll call unis and ask them if I could apply and resit my maths in November and get atleast a 6 so I can apply to the unis I originally wanted to like st George and queen Mary thank you I didn’t knw that you could do that but yh ur right first I’ll make sure I call them up to see if they do that if not then I’ll ask them abt the foundation year courses or if nothing works maybe a gao year would be my only option the only reason I insisted on not moving out is because I knw I won’t be able to handle it and as it s I feel like I am perhaps to young if.

If you feel you are too young, then maybe a gap year is your best option? I do not know anybody who has done one and regretted it.
As I say, Foundation Years are not for people who just do not meet the standard entry criteria, you either have to have widening access flags or have studied the wrong subjects. If you are doing the correct A levels and have no contextual flags then you will not be considered for these courses.
Have a look at the end of the document ecolier sent you for more details.
We would still say you are limiting your choices if you insist on one geographical area to study; Barts requires a very high UCAS tariff or incredibly high UCAT, Kings needs a combination of good GCSEs and UCAT, Imperial and UCL are both BMAT unis requiring quite high scores, though Imperial did have the lowest competition for places of any med school last year. You may well stand far more chance of an interview at other med schools adn success in getting a place is all about applying strategically.

(edited 4 years ago)

OP

Oh okkk thank you

Ooops!
I am sure they have been told that Warwick only accepts GEM applicants now!!

@Lailamehmood maybe start finding out what a medicine application entails (I assume you have already done some work experience to find out what the job entails??). There is a wealth of information on here:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine

Or sites like
https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/ucas/

Reply 15

spingu101

13

You don't have to worry about moving out as much as you are, I'm scared to live over 100 miles from home too, but it'll give you the sense of independence you need to make decisions, for example, when you're alone on a ward as a doctor. Warwick is GEM only, which seems much harder to apply to than the "normal route.

more research = more well informed. I'd definitely strongly reiterate that you should consider resitting GCSE Maths, as this woud be an entirely preventable limitation to your medicine application.

GCSE Grade 5 in Maths applying for Medicine

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you