I'm very upset...

I really want to do medicine, but my GCSE'S were 1A^ 4A's and 4B's and a C.
I'm in sixth form and always being told by my friends and teachers that I shouldn't even try for medicine and I tell them that I put the hard work in everyday, but they tell me that medicine is very compeitive and mainly A*'s are needed. Espeacially when the teacher told me I was very upset as I'm fully aware how competitive it is and how a string of A*'s is needed. Also, I checked the medicine forum and I could the lowest GCSE grade I could find were 7A's and 3B's and they were rejected from all the unis for medicine. Can you guys be honest with me and if I should still be putting in hard work and effort into get my desired grades for A-level or should I think of another career path...

Yes, medicine is one of the most difficult uni courses to get onto, there are thousands of applicants each year to each university. And with that comes that fact that grades are not the only thing to look at, if they have 100 places and get 200 applicants with all A*s (which they do), then they look at other factors.

It is still worth trying your hardest and aiming for those high grades, your GCSE’s are more important than the perhaps once were regarding uni, but you have all B’s and above which is great, the main things they will look at is English, Maths and the Sciences. If you got a B in History for example, they won’t be as concerned as if it was a B in Science.

The key with medicine is all you other things, you have to undergo several aptitude tests, physical and background check, have a SOLID personal statement that can demonstrate your passion and experience. You NEED work experience, so try to shadow a doctor, get some work experience in a hospital (even in the labs or somewhere not stereotypically medicine related is good), get a mass of experience that is going to put you ahead of the competition.

Do not let anybody tell you that you can’t do something, you need to be determined and absolutely solid in your decision, if people telling you that you can’t do it is making you want to completely switch career paths then maybe medicine isn’t right for you, because you will get that all throughout your life until you actually become a fully qualified doctor. You need that conviction and that drive to become a doctor because the amount of work you need to do is unconscionable.

You should never let the opinions of others dictate what you do, if you want to study medicine and if that is what you want to do as a career, then do it! Just know and be prepared for the hardest test in your life, you must study constantly, you have to get amazing grades ON TOP of a good work experience background, you then need good scores on the aptitude tests and need to make sure you do not have any criminal convictions. Medicine is a degree that is much more than the grades you get at A-Level

I got 7A’s and 3B’s at gcse and the only reason I was rejected was because of my performance at interview.
I got 4 interviews which was the important part, as many people are rejected without even getting an interview (unfortunately I was only able to attend 3).
Some universities like oxford and Birmingham look heavily on GCSE scores while some don’t really matter that much and much prefer just predicted A Level grades.
I wouldn’t be applying if I didn’t think I had a good chance, and your GCSE’s are close to mine so you should be fine asking as you research which unis don’t really consider GCSE’s

Thanks, that's the thing though I got BB in double science, a B in english language, a 7 in english literature and an A in maths. It's english language and the sciences that let me down

If I do well at A-levels I'm thinking to applying to:
Exeter, Imperial, barts and brighton as i don't think they put as much weight on GCSE'S like other medical schools

Yeah go for it, I applied for imperial and Brighton last year, couldn’t make Brighton’s interview date though
But I’ve applied to Exeter this year so hopefully I can get in this time, I’d definitely recommend applying though 👍🏼

Even if you didn't get the grades they wanted, try to work experience, Duke of Edinburgh, volunteering, NCS etc.
Something you can write in your personal statement which makes you stand out. I know some people who got the grades needed for medicine but didn't get in because they just had the grades and nothing else.
Never listen to people who say you can't do it etc.
YES YOU CAN!

So you think I should give it a shot and work very hard for my A-levels?