Are my aspirations unrealistic? ( A-level Bio, A-Level Chem and A-level psychology )

Hey,
Don’t worry - have a look into pharmacy courses with lower grade requirements, there are plenty. Remember, for pharmacy it doesn’t matter which uni you go to as long as it is credited by the General Pharmaceutical Council. You can get offers with ABB or BBB I think. 1. Ask yourself why you are getting these grades. Are you not grasping the underlying concepts? Have you been doing practice questions? Have you done AS past papers? Do you understand the content thoroughly? Even though you only have a few weeks left prioritise chem and bio!! I would recommend going though the CGP big textbooks and go back with a fine tooth comb until you fully understans the basics - do the questions at the end of the chapters. Move onto practice questions. Ensure you are comfortable with year 12 science content because it doesn’t get any easier. For e.g. lots of y2 chem relies on strong y1 knowledge and understanding. If you are doing resits for end of years make sure you are thoroughly revising to try and make your teachers predict you higher - otherwise your chances applying for pharmacy school would be low. I’m not sure about foundation courses but maybe have a look. Hope that helps and ask any questions if needed.

I picked bio Chem and psych and during year 12 I found psych very very easy and got consistent A/A*. In Chem I originally struggled a lot and got U and E and in bio I was always on Ds . I did my end of year exams however , a week before my exams I had surgery and I also got a infection which I feel disadvantaged me from doing my best but nevertheless, I got my Chem grade to a very low C ( just one mark onto a C) and my bio grade was a very very low D . In psych unfortunately I got a B as I didn’t revise for the exam at all due to being too worried about my Chem and bio grades . I feel as though everything makes sense to me understanding wise however I’m anxious about my grades and I’ve seen people say it’s not realistic to drastically improve grades . I have 3 weeks of the summer left and I’m anxious I won’t get the grades I need . I wish to study pharmacy and need AAB by the end of year 13 . I’m willing to put in a lot of effort I just want to know if my aspirations are realistic and if I should continue with year 13 or re do year 12 . Also if anyone has any tips of bio Aqa I would appreciate it as the markschemes are very confusing. Would appreciate any advice as soon as possible . Thankyou .

Your teachers will have a better understanding of what you are likely to get than commentators here on TSR. Have they provided you with predicted grades yet? A minority will end up beating their predictions, but very few will beat them by more than 1 or 2 marks overall.

But having said that push yourself as hard as you can, make sure you keep testing yourself, both by doing past papers and using flash cards to test your memory, and don’t forget you have 5 uni choices, so it is good to have some aspiration choices, as long as you have some secures ones. Best of luck.

Thanks

Hi I agree with your points however my teachers are very dismissive. Especially in bio. From the start of the year they have been telling almost everyone that they can’t do it and that they don’t have the correct work ethic . One of my class mates went from a D to A and they accused her of cheating so it feels as though they believe we will all fail . Which is why sometimes my self esteem gets quite low and makes me question if I can do it .

Do you have any mocks soon after you go back in Sep? If not could you ask for these, as in some schools they set additional mocks after the summer for those that never did as well as they expected in the end of year ones? They then use these for the UCAS predicted grades. Most schools also have mocks just before or just after xmas, but these are too late for the UCAS predictions.

All you can do is try your best, and if you do well at your next test, that will naturally boost your confidence / self esteem, and will also prove your abilities to your teachers.

Hi . Yes I do have mocks I think they are around October time but do you think I will have enough time I need my predicted to be BBB and I’m currently on B in psychology, D in bio and C in Chem .
Obviously I understand that it’s hard to determine as it will depend on my work ethic but do you think it’s a feasible plan .

Yes it is very achievable if you put the work hard and work smart. BDC to BBB is not that much of a huge jump. Also, schools often predict one grade above mock grades, especially where a student gets near the next grade. Finally, even with say a BBC prediction, you still have a reasonable chance to get into a BBB course.