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Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2023 Entry

Welcome to the A100 Medicine 2023 entry thread.

Other useful threads
Medical Schools Index 2023 entry (for specific med school entry discussions): https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7247513
GEM 2023 entry discussion: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6655172
UCAT 2023 entry discussion: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7161733
BMAT 2023 entry discussion: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7211426
GAMSAT 2023 entry discussion: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7126849

Previous A100 threads
A100 2022: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6545350
A100 2021: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6101390
A100 2020: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5476254
A100 2019: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4874330

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Post originally created by ecolier.
(edited 2 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Hi im in year 11 now and am hopefully going to do medicine in university. I was just wondering loads of things like what alevels do you need, the grades, the best unis. Or even any advice to do with it or how to prepare for example work experience😁
Reply 3
I’m a law student however my partner is a med student and so I think this is how it goes.

You’re going to have to take Chemistry and Biology for A level. I think you can choose for your third subject ( it’s better if it’s physics, maths, further maths or psychology )

Most universities will require you to achieve AAA and you’re going to need to do a test called the UCAT or BMAT. The extra test is to show that you can stand out since medicine is so competitive.

You’re also going to need a lot of work experience such as volunteering. A lot of hospitals do accept volunteers so maybe get in touch when you feel comfortable to do so ( considering it’s the pandemic ).

There are also other routes such as doing a biomedicine degree for 3 years then doing a medicine post graduate degree for an extra 4-5 years. However it’s way more competitive than undergraduate and I think you may need to self fund.

You can also study medicine in other countries, that typically have very low a level grade entry requirements ( such as Bulgaria ) and teach in English. After your degree is finished then you just have to do a conversion test.
Thank you so much this was so so helpful. Yes for alevels i would like to take biology, chemistry and then either health and social care or psychology. My mum is a mental health nurse and there are loads of volunteering work in her department. Hopefully by the time im doing my alevels covid will be over and i would love to go on a volunteer trip to somewhere like Uganda or Nepal. What type of things does the UCAT test contain do you know?
Original post by unknowgal
Hi im in year 11 now and am hopefully going to do medicine in university. I was just wondering loads of things like what alevels do you need, the grades, the best unis. Or even any advice to do with it or how to prepare for example work experience😁


Original post by unknowgal
Thank you so much this was so so helpful. Yes for alevels i would like to take biology, chemistry and then either health and social care or psychology. My mum is a mental health nurse and there are loads of volunteering work in her department. Hopefully by the time im doing my alevels covid will be over and i would love to go on a volunteer trip to somewhere like Uganda or Nepal. What type of things does the UCAT test contain do you know?

:hi:
Read https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine - It contains all the information you need to know about applying to Medicine, the admission tests, entry requirements etc :biggrin:

And in terms of work experience, there’s virtual work experience you can do. Here are the links:

https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE

https://www.rcgp.org.uk/training-exams/discover-general-practice/observe-gp.aspx

And there’s no “best” unis for medicine. All medical degrees are accredited by the GMC so all medical schools in the UK are good. So pick your med school according to your stats, location, teaching styles, student satisfaction etc.

Hope this helps and good luck! :biggrin:
Reply 6
Original post by unknowgal
Thank you so much this was so so helpful. Yes for alevels i would like to take biology, chemistry and then either health and social care or psychology. My mum is a mental health nurse and there are loads of volunteering work in her department. Hopefully by the time im doing my alevels covid will be over and i would love to go on a volunteer trip to somewhere like Uganda or Nepal. What type of things does the UCAT test contain do you know?

Your welcome! Sorry I don’t know much about what’s on the UCAT, I think there are videos about it on YouTube :smile:
Thank you so much for all the links and information its so helpful😁
Original post by unknowgal
Thank you so much for all the links and information its so helpful😁

No problem :h:
Original post by unknowgal
Thank you so much for all the links and information its so helpful😁

Also when you want to reply to someone on here or any other thread, you can click “quote” which is under the post you want to reply to, so that the user can get the notification that you have replied to them or the user can see you’re talking to them :yep:
Original post by unknowgal
Thank you so much for all the links and information its so helpful😁


Also when you want to reply to someone on here or any other thread, you can click “quote” which is under the post you want to reply to, so that the user can get the notification that you have replied to them or the user can see you’re talking to them :yep:


Or if you’re on a phone, hold down the message you want to reply with by touching the screen for like 2 seconds then the ‘quote’ button should come up.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by npic9
I think you can choose for your third subject ( it’s better if it’s physics, maths, further maths or psychology )

Not sure this is the case. Only 1 or 2 specific colleges at Cambridge prefer a 3rd A level in a STEM subject. All other universities for Medicine within the UK would happily accept a 3rd A level in Maths, German, English Lit, Sociology, Philosophy etc.
Reply 12
Original post by Quick-use
Not sure this is the case. Only 1 or 2 specific colleges at Cambridge prefer a 3rd A level in a STEM subject. All other universities for Medicine within the UK would happily accept a 3rd A level in Maths, German, English Lit, Sociology, Philosophy etc.

I did mention that you can choose for your third subject, I got told that doing a third stem subject may be more helpful
Original post by npic9
I did mention that you can choose for your third subject, I got told that doing a third stem subject may be more helpful

Doing a third science subject (including maths) is helpful if you know you can get an A/A* in that subject and you enjoy it, but if you don’t enjoy it and you think you can’t get an A/A* in that subject, it’s better if you choose a subject you enjoy most and you think you can get the necessary grade in. It’s better to have AAA where the third subject is not science rather than AAD where the third subject is a science
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 14
Hi, Im a year 12 student wanting to do medicine. I’ve moved back to the uk last august and unfortunately since I wouldn’t have lived in the uk three years prior to the start of my academic year of university, I would be considered an international student. Since I can not afford that, i've been forced to take a gap year so I would be considered a home student when I apply. I was wondering about the timeline for applying to universities after a gap year. From my understanding, I would apply around October after year 13, however wouldn’t that mean i've actually only got a few months after college to build my application instead of a year off? Thats not really a whole year to build my application as everyone says it is? Im just really confused... hope someone can help
Reply 15
Ive moved back to live here as a resident, so i would definitely be considered a home student if i attend university on September 2022. So i guess i wouldn’t really have a whole year to prepare my application? I actually havent done any gcses since ive just moved back, but i am studying for the maths and english gcses right now, just to have that extra qualification. Would i really need gcses when i apply as a gap year student tho?
Reply 16
Sorry, i've made a typo. i meant to say September 2023, so that means id apply in October 2022. When i emailed manchester university about not having the right number of gcses to apply with, they told me i could apply with my a level exams instead?
I’m not GANFYD sorry :biggrin: but this is what it says on their website:

If you have already achieved your A-level grades (and these meet the above requirements) but do not have the required GCSE grades you may still be considered.
To be considered you must have a minimum of grade B (6) in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. Dual Award Science must be offered at minimum BB (66) or the sciences at minimum grade B (6) at GCSE or AS-level.
This is not an automatic right and you should contact the admissions team prior to application to determine your eligibility to apply.
Reply 18
Well some universities such as UCL, Kings, Imperial, Bristol and Brighton only require maths and english gcses but Manchester requires like 7 and liverpool 9, most say they require a minimum of 5. Since im obviously studying for my a levels i can only do english and maths gcses this year.
Reply 19
I’m not GANFYD sorry :biggrin: but this is what it says on their website:

If you have already achieved your A-level grades (and these meet the above requirements) but do not have the required GCSE grades you may still be considered.
To be considered you must have a minimum of grade B (6) in GCSE English Language and Mathematics. Dual Award Science must be offered at minimum BB (66) or the sciences at minimum grade B (6) at GCSE or AS-level.
This is not an automatic right and you should contact the admissions team prior to application to determine your eligibility to apply.

yea that makes sense, thanks!