My AS results were worse than I expected- can I still do Medicine? (Please help!)

-Working very hard on my A2s, resitting relevant modules and aiming for AAA (with a particular focus on Chemistry, which I will need to dedicate a lot of time to.) Also gaining as much work experience as possible for the courses I have applied for (I already know several people who could help me gain experience in Physiotherapy.)

-If my A2 results are AAA, I will apply to some of the medical schools that accept resits (eg. Hull York, Bristol...etc) and then take a gap year, gaining relevant experience (apparently universities really favour people with life experience, so this could give me an advantage anyway.)

OR

-If my A2 results are AAB, which is a possibility due to my C in Chemistry AS, then I will still be successful if I accept any offers from the alternative courses I apply to this year (as many Physio and Psychology courses are AAB.) I will hopefully go to university at the usual time, and enjoy the course I take.


The main issue is whether to take Chemistry or to drop it. If I take it, Medicine's still a possibility and some of the top Physio and Psychology courses require two sciences. However, I may get a B in it (or even a C, but hopefully not!)

If I take Geography, which I got a high A in, I would most likely get an A or A*. My grades as a whole would probably be higher, and I may be able to apply to better courses in Physio or Psychology. However, that's my dream of practising Medicine over with.

What is the best option for me? Am I thinking along the right lines, or are there any alternative routes I should consider? (post-grad isn't really an option)
I would appreciate any feedback, and in particular the stories of people who have been in similar situations to me.

Thanks

I have wanted to do Medicine for years, and been very committed to the career path- it's the only thing I really want to do, and I'm very passionate about it. However, my AS results were not as good as I expected.

I got high As in Geography and Philosophy & Ethics, B in Biology and C in Chemistry (which I could have worked much harder at.) In my GCSEs I got 6.5 A*s, 4 As and a B, and my UKCAT score is 2440. I have done a lot of relevant work experience.

I am making plans with teachers and my careers advisor to discuss options, but at the moment this is what I consider doing:
-Researching alternative careers/courses (I have an interest in Psychology and Physiotherapy, if anyone has any advice about that) and universities, and applying this year for a course that isn't Medicine (as my predicted grades from my AS results won't be high enough to apply to Medicine this year). Hopefully I will get an offer or two.

-Dropping Geography as originally planned and continuing with Chemistry (although this may be sacrificing a possible A* for a possible B in Chemistry A2.)

-Working very hard on my A2s, resitting relevant modules and aiming for AAA (with a particular focus on Chemistry, which I will need to dedicate a lot of time to.) Also gaining as much work experience as possible for the courses I have applied for (I already know several people who could help me gain experience in Physiotherapy.)

-If my A2 results are AAA, I will apply to some of the medical schools that accept resits (eg. Hull York, Bristol...etc) and then take a gap year, gaining relevant experience (apparently universities really favour people with life experience, so this could give me an advantage anyway.)

OR

-If my A2 results are AAB, which is a possibility due to my C in Chemistry AS, then I will still be successful if I accept any offers from the alternative courses I apply to this year (as many Physio and Psychology courses are AAB.) I will hopefully go to university at the usual time, and enjoy the course I take.


The main issue is whether to take Chemistry or to drop it. If I take it, Medicine's still a possibility and some of the top Physio and Psychology courses require two sciences. However, I may get a B in it (or even a C, but hopefully not!)

If I take Geography, which I got a high A in, I would most likely get an A or A*. My grades as a whole would probably be higher, and I may be able to apply to better courses in Physio or Psychology. However, that's my dream of practising Medicine over with.

What is the best option for me? Am I thinking along the right lines, or are there any alternative routes I should consider? (post-grad isn't really an option)
I would appreciate any feedback, and in particular the stories of people who have been in similar situations to me.

Thanks

I have wanted to do Medicine for years, and been very committed to the career path- it's the only thing I really want to do, and I'm very passionate about it. However, my AS results were not as good as I expected.

I got high As in Geography and Philosophy & Ethics, B in Biology and C in Chemistry (which I could have worked much harder at.) In my GCSEs I got 6.5 A*s, 4 As and a B, and my UKCAT score is 2440. I have done a lot of relevant work experience.

I am making plans with teachers and my careers advisor to discuss options, but at the moment this is what I consider doing:
-Researching alternative careers/courses (I have an interest in Psychology and Physiotherapy, if anyone has any advice about that) and universities, and applying this year for a course that isn't Medicine (as my predicted grades from my AS results won't be high enough to apply to Medicine this year). Hopefully I will get an offer or two.

-Dropping Geography as originally planned and continuing with Chemistry (although this may be sacrificing a possible A* for a possible B in Chemistry A2.)

-Working very hard on my A2s, resitting relevant modules and aiming for AAA (with a particular focus on Chemistry, which I will need to dedicate a lot of time to.) Also gaining as much work experience as possible for the courses I have applied for (I already know several people who could help me gain experience in Physiotherapy.)

-If my A2 results are AAA, I will apply to some of the medical schools that accept resits (eg. Hull York, Bristol...etc) and then take a gap year, gaining relevant experience (apparently universities really favour people with life experience, so this could give me an advantage anyway.)

OR

-If my A2 results are AAB, which is a possibility due to my C in Chemistry AS, then I will still be successful if I accept any offers from the alternative courses I apply to this year (as many Physio and Psychology courses are AAB.) I will hopefully go to university at the usual time, and enjoy the course I take.


The main issue is whether to take Chemistry or to drop it. If I take it, Medicine's still a possibility and some of the top Physio and Psychology courses require two sciences. However, I may get a B in it (or even a C, but hopefully not!)

If I take Geography, which I got a high A in, I would most likely get an A or A*. My grades as a whole would probably be higher, and I may be able to apply to better courses in Physio or Psychology. However, that's my dream of practising Medicine over with.

What is the best option for me? Am I thinking along the right lines, or are there any alternative routes I should consider? (post-grad isn't really an option)
I would appreciate any feedback, and in particular the stories of people who have been in similar situations to me.

Thanks

This post is long and a little confusing!!

If you have AABC at AS level, then it is not impossible to get AAA but it will be hard. Mot unis accept resits within your 2 years of a levels.
Have you looked into widening participation courses? They have lower entry requirements but socioeconomic requirements instead.
I would say stick with the chemistry if you want to keep doors open

For my AS exams last year, I got BCC and after a year of the hardest work I have ever done, I managed to turn both of those Cs into As though I was unsuccessful in improving the B which was in physics. However, despite falling short by one grade, after persuading Bristol Medical admissions office to look over my application as a whole and badgering them for a couple of days, they let me in with only AAB, the As being in Chemistry and Biology so anything is possible, you just have to be prepared to annoy people.

I've researched the medical schools that allow resits, and am discussing with my teachers about my grades (I'm expected to get an A in Biology and an A or B in Chemistry at A2 after a couple of resits). I'll find out about widening participation courses, and I will stick with Chemistry- thank you!

This isn't the end of the line, although it may be very difficult. Chemistry is very important to med schools, and A2 is a lot harder. You would have to probably resit AS units as well as working super hard at the A2 units for chem and bio, and doing all this in June exams will be hell, but if you are determined enough you could do it.

If I were you I would either try and carry on all 4 if possible to keep your options open. If you think you can't cope with 4 and get As, drop one of the non-sciences and concentrate on working hard at the others. My reason for this is that you can always do the A2 in geo or phil at a college in a gap year, but doing science A-levels is difficult outside of school.
In any event you would be in a stronger position applying in a gap year with your A-level results in hand, and you can complete the other A2 in this year as well (just make sure that there is a FE college offering that subject nearby), this way if you don't get into medicine the first time or your A-level chem isn't an A you can apply for psych or physio more easily.

Doing psych or physio isn't the end of your dream to be a doctor, both of these degrees are very acceptable to graduate entry medicine courses, if medicine is really what you want to do. They also lead to very good careers that are very similar to some doctors anyway.
Why isn't post-grad an option?

If you have science A-levels there aren't really any alternative routes.

Very rarely it can be possible to transfer from a biomed programme to medicine within unis that allow this (I think sheffield is one) but competition is stiff. There is also Medipathways which is a biomed degree in 2 years at Birkbeck with the view to getting onto a GEP in less time.