Optometry or medicine?

I've got 1 A 7B's and 4C's at GCSE but generally most people have told me I would be better off going into Optometry. I was wanting to know would i get flat out rejected and would it be better if i applied to optometry and carried on and if I'm unhappy i should apply to go into Graduate Medicine? (even though it is more competitive).

optometry might be a safer bet, i'm actually wondering which course to take...

If you're not 100% set on Med, don't go for it.

If your A level predictions are good enough then I think you'd have a chance at Med, but some unis do look to grade requirements - you just have to check out which ones. It's a gruelling waiting process, and unfortunately they will often not even consider your personal qualities, and go straight to grades.

If you really want Med I think you have a chance Optometry is also a good degree though

If you're not 100% set on Med, don't go for it.

If your A level predictions are good enough then I think you'd have a chance at Med, but some unis do look to grade requirements - you just have to check out which ones. It's a gruelling waiting process, and unfortunately they will often not even consider your personal qualities, and go straight to grades.

If you really want Med I think you have a chance Optometry is also a good degree though

Originally i wanted to do it but after talking to many people , I've rethinked because i had a chat with my careers advisor and she said if she was an admissions tutor she'd reject me. I tried to tell her certain universities like Imperial don't look at GCSEs but she disagreed with me without a reason

Hmmm, that's annoying. I mean if you're really set on it this year for application there might be the chance to retake certain GCSEs, but then again that's a whole lot of work considering you'd be applying for a very hard course (I'm a dental applicant so it's a similar process). A lot of medical applicants have at least 2 A*'s (that's only from what I've seen though) but graduate entry could be an option - they only look at the degree then.

Hope this helps
Mo

Thanks I was thinking of getting into Optometry and try Graduate entry but the problem with that is ,it is really competitive 1:30 in terms of places instead of the usual 1:10

I've got 1 A 7B's and 4C's at GCSE but generally most people have told me I would be better off going into Optometry. I was wanting to know would i get flat out rejected and would it be better if i applied to optometry and carried on and if I'm unhappy i should apply to go into Graduate Medicine? (even though it is more competitive).

Yeah, there is that. I mean there is the option to study Med abroad, if you've considered that?

Hopefully, I can give you some informed advice because I have done both:

Medicine
Pluses: More rewarding;
more academically stimulating;
more diverse, therefore could consider more interesting.
more choice of career at the end - various clinical specialties, OR non-clinical e.g. pathology, radiology OR pharma industry.
great if you are driven by a challenge.

Minuses: V demanding course
longer + unsociable hours in junior years after qualifying
less money unless you become superb/exceptional and get Harley Street private position 20 years later
you may not like some subjects e.g. I found otorhinolaryngology (ENT) boring, or you may not like waiting hours on end for a baby to be born OR standing in the operating theatre for hours (you have to do ALL specialties as a student).

Optometry
Pluses
Easier course and shorter
Daytime job
Income v low in pre-reg year but then improves to £35-50000 per year after passing PQEs.
Can work flexible days as a locum (earn more and can claim expenses (travel, parking, home office costs) off tax.

Minuses
Routine work might seem monotonous as need to do same procedure on every patient, although it depends how interesting you make it in terms of picking up ocular or systemic pathology (disease), and referring to GP accordingly.
Although income v good, there is not much scope for further progression unless you open your own practice (this is tough these days with multiples like Vision Express advertizing on TV (you could get a franchise with one of them [if you can't beat them. join them!])

IF MONEY IS A PRIMARY OBJECTIVE FOR YOU, DO NOT DO MEDICINE (go into accountancy or business)!

As far as admission is concerned, of course medicine is tougher, but where there's a will, there's a way as I say to my students - check out my reply to your other post.

Good luck!

Look into foundation medicine, lower requirements though still competitive.

Thanks for the idea , unfortunately no because its for people that haven't taken the right subjects and can't get in through the normal route. There is gateway to medicine and placement year but they no longer have that. Leeds have indisciplanary science but the chances to do medicine is small

Actually, its to do with grades. See Kings University and Nottingham! A year extra.

I got a C in English language and a C in Physics

Nottingham require 5B's. Do a quick google search and some research.