EPQ for medicine

should I do one?
I know I want to go into medicine and my school says I should but I am doing 4 a levels so would it be too much work load or manageable. if you did one how was it? did it add significantly to your workload or not?

I would say it is a lot of work and I have way too much but mine is quite extreme. Do it for the transferable skills it gives you that you could reflect upon at interview or personal statement not the abilities to get a lower offer at some unis. With three a levels I find it quite a stretch still so it’s kind of dependent on how you manage your time.

I did one and it was very interesting for me but at times it can be a lot of work especially when deadlines come and that’s usually when we had mocks for our other subjects. But I really liked it and was very pleased with my grade. It’s your choice tho. Do you think you can handle it?

I got an A* in my EPQ and as much as I enjoyed it, it was a LOT of work, including all the reading and then writing it up etc. I'd say you're doing enough and quite frankly unis would rather you had good grades in your A Levels than have an EPQ and average grades, especially as Medicine is so competitive.

I am not sure if I can handle it I am doing maths further math bio and chem and thoses are pretty heavy a levels. and I dont want the epq to effect my grades in those. did you find a epq took time away from your alevel studies?

I got an A in EPQ after writing it over 3 all-nighters (total wordcount was around 5000 words) in 2013. I only spent two weeks planning its structure and content, while reading through all the journals and resources I needed to support my arguments about the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. Although I really enjoyed it and it opened my eyes to how important academic research is, for medicine, the majority of medical schools do not take it into account when making an offer. Therefore, I would not recommend taking it unless you need it, or are really interested in a medical topic and want to expand your knowledge and understanding. One exception nowadays to this rule is Manchester, but that is only when they make a holistic assessment of your application; you have to meet specific criteria to be eligible for this.

thanks you this was very useful. do you think it will give an edge to my university application if I apply to cambridge?

I think Cambridge normally prefer students to take biology, chemistry, and physics, with maths at AS or another subject, rather than maths and further maths; 90%< of students that get an offer took at least three sciences/ two sciences and a mathematics subject, which is fairly similar to Oxford as well. Your subject combination is suitable for a Cambridge application though, as long as you meet the minimum requirements (A*A*A).

I think taking an EPQ could help you stand out more, however, assuming you are planning to take all 4 A-Levels at A2. This would also stand you in good stead at Manchester, as they like students that take 4 A-levels and EPQ as well. But most likely, Cambridge would only make you an offer based on your main 3 A-Levels (whichever those might be).

I think Cambridge normally prefer students to take biology, chemistry, and physics, with maths at AS or another subject, rather than maths and further maths; 90%< of students that get an offer took at least three sciences/ two sciences and a mathematics subject, which is fairly similar to Oxford as well. Your subject combination is suitable for a Cambridge application though, as long as you meet the minimum requirements (A*A*A).

I think taking an EPQ could help you stand out more, however, assuming you are planning to take all 4 A-Levels at A2. This would also stand you in good stead at Manchester, as they like students that take 4 A-levels and EPQ as well. But most likely, Cambridge would only make you an offer based on your main 3 A-Levels (whichever those might be).

Is it really advantageous to do 4 A levels to A2 for medicine? Because I do maths physics chemistry and biology and I've done an AS in physics (in which I got an A in) and now am considering dropping physics so i can concentrate on bio chem maths

Is it really advantageous to do 4 A levels to A2 for medicine? Because I do maths physics chemistry and biology and I've done an AS in physics (in which I got an A in) and now am considering dropping physics so i can concentrate on bio chem maths

No, it's not really that advantageous in general, because most medical schools only look at the predictions for 3 A-Levels, plus your entrance exam (BMAT for Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, UCL etc; UCAT for the majority of other medical schools), GCSEs and any contextual/ widening participation criteria. The personal statement for most medical schools is not as important as it used to be. I would recommend dropping physics unless you have a passion for it and can do better in it than another subject, in which case you should drop something else.

should I do one?
I know I want to go into medicine and my school says I should but I am doing 4 a levels so would it be too much work load or manageable. if you did one how was it? did it add significantly to your workload or not?

Don't think they'll care about EPQ. Why are you doing further maths if you know you want to do medicine? not much point

my school is telling me its beneficial to take an epq and unis like that. but most people I have talked to who have done an epq say different. I'm taking furthermaths because I really like maths and believe it or not it's kind of a break for me from bio and chem

my school is telling me its beneficial to take an epq and unis like that. but most people I have talked to who have done an epq say different. I'm taking furthermaths because I really like maths and believe it or not it's kind of a break for me from bio and chem

what topic are you doing if I may ask. also are you doing it in 1 yr or 2 because my school offers it for both and I thought it would be good to have finished it in yr 12