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Gap year medicine application with AAA achieved???

For years I was planning on applying for medicine, I've done a lot of hospital work experience and 10A*s at GCSE. However, due to a bad volunteering experience close to the application time last year, I had a self confidence drop and applied for biological sciences instead. Soon after, I started having regrets and wished I had stuck with medicine. I spoke to my uni advisor at school and he said that although med schools say that they require AAA, because there are so many applicants in order to be a competitive applicant on a gap year and to be seriously considered, you need A*A*A or A*AA at least. He said its partly also because a lot of the people who are applying who haven't done their a levels yet will have been predicted lots of A*s... So I guess my question is, could I apply with AAA and still be accepted anywhere, and are there people who reapplied successfully for medicine with AAA - I was thinking of unis like Exeter, Bristol, Southampton etc.
Please help!
Thanks

Reply 1

junior.doctor

Absolutely, you can definitely apply to medicine during a gap year with AAA. There is NO need to have higher grades just because you’re doing a gap year. Your careers advisor is incorrect.

You will often even be at an advantage by applying with grades in hand rather than awaited grades. You would need to check this but I believe Cardiff and possibly others,give more points for grades already achieved.

The main thing you will need to do is demonstrate in your personal statement that you are doing something productive with your gap year and not just sitting in your bedroom playing on the internet for a year. It doesn’t have to be medicine related, just something constructive like working to save money, travelling, volunteering, whatever.

But you can very definitely apply with your grades, so please don’t let anyone make you think otherwise! If you are set on medicine - it is much better to take a gap year and apply for undergraduate, Han to go through a bioscience degree and then try to apply as a graduate, which is much more competitive and has financial implications.

Reply 2

Popeye_ukuk

Daughter took gap year and had 4 offers this year . Achieved A levels at A,A and A*. GCSE were nothing outstanding and UKcat was 620avg band 2 . Offers were Cardiff Bristol QUB and Keele. I would say the advisor is incorrect. Ps daughter had no hospital or shadowing experience. She did Red Cross volunteer. Hope this helps