Bear with me!
Basically today I had a serious think about whether I could have a path into medicine, and I deduced this...
I am currently studying Maths, Further Maths, Geography and Physics, and I hope to achieve ABAB respectively. I will however put in sufficient work to achieve higher grades in physics, as of my disappointing As result of a C. At the start of this year I had not thought of doing medicine really, however by visiting a hospital and seeing doctors at work sparked my interest.
Now, whether this is a viable option is what I would like you to cast your eye over. I would continue with a 3rd year, and study Biology and Chemistry, doing both the AS and A2 course in separate lesson blocks essentially meaning I could complete the course in one year.
Also, would this be looked down on by the medical schools, in the fact I will have spent an extra year at college?
Thanks in advance for any advice given!
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Chris the Mathematician!
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- 13-11-2008 16:58
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- 13-11-2008 17:20
There are medical courses which accept applications without biology or chemistry - mostly foundation/6 year degrees. However if you have to spend another year out due to you missing this year's application deadline, doing another A-level in chemistry/biology would not be a disadvantage. I don't think any medical school would look down on you simply because of your choice of A-levels a few years ago meant you had to reassess once you decided to do medicine.
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Chris the Mathematician!
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- 13-11-2008 17:41
(Original post by Iscariot)
There are medical courses which accept applications without biology or chemistry - mostly foundation/6 year degrees. However if you have to spend another year out due to you missing this year's application deadline, doing another A-level in chemistry/biology would not be a disadvantage.
I am frustrated at myself, since i have not always thought of doing medicine so obviously my choices were quite broad, however in geography I received a near 99.3% AS level pass meaning all my teachers pushed me into a kind of geographical degree, and to be honest I just went with the flow. However after a long and hard think I dont think its for me... Now I know this sounds odd, but its just not something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. Seeing that my UCAS is sent, and the deadline is gone makes me cringe
This decision is obviously a huge choice, and a year in terms of ones life is barely anything, but at this moment in time, it feels like a terrible decision to have to make... -
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- 13-11-2008 18:22
(Original post by Chris the Mathematician!)
Thats the thing, I have missed this years deadline...
I am frustrated at myself, since i have not always thought of doing medicine so obviously my choices were quite broad, however in geography I received a near 99.3% AS level pass meaning all my teachers pushed me into a kind of geographical degree, and to be honest I just went with the flow. However after a long and hard think I dont think its for me... Now I know this sounds odd, but its just not something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. Seeing that my UCAS is sent, and the deadline is gone makes me cringe
This decision is obviously a huge choice, and a year in terms of ones life is barely anything, but at this moment in time, it feels like a terrible decision to have to make...
sorry mate, but personally, i'd apply for something else! -
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- 13-11-2008 18:38
I think you need to really decide if medicine is for you first of all. Get some work experience if you haven't done any, stick around on here and look at what the current students do and see if that's what you want. THEN you need to think about your options. There are a lot of places which don't like you to have taken A-levels over 3 years, but you'd need to check with individual med schools about whether this would be a problem. You could also look into ones with a foundation year. But either way you're looking at a gap year next year if you decide to go for medicine, so start planning for that as well.
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Destiny2006
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- 13-11-2008 18:40
personally i would ignore the above post. if you want to do medicine you do it. it doesnt matter if you ve known all your life you've wanted to do it or you ve recently discovered its something you wnat to do.fact is regardless of time you want to do it! ring up all the unis and say that you havent got the right a levels. ask about taking a yeat our to complete chem and bio and find out individual unis view on it. Alternatively take a gap year get loads of work experience and apply for the foundation course for 2010 entry as you would meet the criteria for manchester sheffield bristol dundee keele. just dont take no as answer if its something you really want. where theres a will theres a way.
Best of Luck!!x -
Destiny2006
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- 13-11-2008 18:41
i mean 2 posts above - ADREAM's response
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- 13-11-2008 22:59
(Original post by Destiny2006)
i mean 2 posts above - ADREAM's response -
username153949
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- 13-11-2008 23:25
Medical schools WILL look down on people who spent more than 2 years to complete their A levels, some of them ill not consider your application at all, whilst some will require you to get AAA instead of the normal AAB
Having said that, i think you should go for medicine, as it is what you want to do and you certainly do not want to look back in 30 years time and say to yourself "i should have tried going for medicine"... it is certainly going to be tough, but if you think you are capable of handling it, then go for it i would say
Also another thing which would compensate for you spending an extra year at secondary school is to do LOADS AND LOADS of work experience! Show that you mean business to the medical schools! -
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- 13-11-2008 23:28
(Original post by billykwok)
Medical schools WILL look down on people who spent more than 2 years to complete their A levels, some of them ill not consider your application at all, whilst some will require you to get AAA instead of the normal AAB
Having said that, i think you should go for medicine, as it is what you want to do and you certainly do not want to look back in 30 years time and say to yourself "i should have tried going for medicine"... it is certainly going to be tough, but if you think you are capable of handling it, then go for it i would say
Also another thing which would compensate for you spending an extra year at secondary school is to do LOADS AND LOADS of work experience! Show that you mean business to the medical schools! -
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- 14-11-2008 00:00
(Original post by billykwok)
Medical schools WILL look down on people who spent more than 2 years to complete their A levels, some of them ill not consider your application at all, whilst some will require you to get AAA instead of the normal AAB
Chris - If I were you I'd forget about biology and chemistry. Use the gap year to do some really good work/voluntary experience and make your application stand out, and then apply for foundation courses. -
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- 14-11-2008 00:03
Hey.
I have the same problem as you, except I was just unable to do chemistry at my school.
All the schools I have emailed asking about this said it is perfectly acceptable to sit chem and bio in a third year of study. What they do not like is RE SITs and you can do a 3rd year providing you still get AAA or AABb [depending on where you want to apply) in your first set of A levels.
Make sure you make it clear the biology and chem are not re sits because what often happens is people don't make it clear in their statements and they are rejected because it looks like re sits in a 3rd year when in fact they are new subjects..
I will be doing the same, taking up chemistry in my gap year then applying.
I do bio,english,history and philospy at the moment.
Alternative would be applying to foundation degrees but as you take maths and physics it would make you exempt from some cos usually you can only have one science or none to apply. -
Chris the Mathematician!
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- 14-11-2008 07:28
Thanks for the informative replies!
I really appreciate it!
I know a surgeon so Ill have a chat to him about visiting the local hospital and having more of a look into what the jobs are like, and whether it is an absolute certainty for me.
However today I will have a talk to a senior tutor, and see her outlook on this, and whether she thinks I should do Bio/Chem or have a gap year and do the work experience for a more experience based statement.
And obviously if I were to sit the 3rd year I would have 6 A-Levels, hopefully at around AA(AB perhaps)BB with the brackets for bio/chem.
However as far as work experience would go, I would have the coming summer and then any time off college available, plus I do have friends through clubs who work for the NHS as docs/surgeons so this shouldnt be a problem as such. Just at the moment my medicine experience is just above zero, so this would have to be quite a lot of work exp!
I know this doesnt have to be a NOW decision as I have quite a lot of time, but as they say the sooner the better!
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eulerwaswrong
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- 14-11-2008 07:48
a know a person who got AAAA in maths further maths physics and economics then decided he wanted to medicene after going out to africa for three months. He came back to sixth form for a thrid year and did biology and chemistry in a year - practically self teaching most of it due to the overlap and he ended up with 2As. He got 3 offers for medicine and ended up in imperial i think.
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Spencer Wells
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- 14-11-2008 11:40
(Original post by theatrical)
The three year rule applies to resitters, he's not a resitter. -
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- 14-11-2008 12:22
(Original post by Spencer Wells)
The three year rule does tend to apply to resitters. However, UCL say that you must offer the three A2 levels that will meet the offer (AAA for 2010 entry including chem and bio and one other) must be sat in one sitting (so, for example, if a normal candidate took one A2 level a year early, they'd have to pick another one up, so that they offer 3 A2 levels in their final year of sixth form). I'd advise the OP to check with the medical schools that they're interested in.
I take it having 3 A2s in the final year (regardless of whether they already have one is to even out the workload for all applicants?
Btw check the minutes for the GM when they're out, some changes are in the pipeline... -
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- 14-11-2008 18:25
(Original post by Chris the Mathematician!)
Bear with me!
Basically today I had a serious think about whether I could have a path into medicine, and I deduced this...
I am currently studying Maths, Further Maths, Geography and Physics, and I hope to achieve ABAB respectively. I will however put in sufficient work to achieve higher grades in physics, as of my disappointing As result of a C. At the start of this year I had not thought of doing medicine really, however by visiting a hospital and seeing doctors at work sparked my interest.
Now, whether this is a viable option is what I would like you to cast your eye over. I would continue with a 3rd year, and study Biology and Chemistry, doing both the AS and A2 course in separate lesson blocks essentially meaning I could complete the course in one year.
Also, would this be looked down on by the medical schools, in the fact I will have spent an extra year at college?
Thanks in advance for any advice given!
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JesseLacey
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- 14-11-2008 23:47
(Original post by Wangers)
Btw check the minutes for the GM when they're out, some changes are in the pipeline... -
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- 15-11-2008 11:39
(Original post by JesseLacey)
any idea when they'll be released? -
Chris the Mathematician!
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- 17-11-2008 22:40
Hi guys, sorry for the delay!
My college are not going to let me do the AS+A2 level during one year
I spent a couple of days with a surgeon and i loved his days, exciting and challenging.
My senior tutor seemed really pessimistic about my choice, saying how i should not be doing this, medicine is for the best, and she almost said how im not good enough against all the competition.
Obviously i disagree.
Anyways, ill keep you posted!
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