Which universities would be realistic?

Hello, I'm a year 12 student currently studying biology, chemistry and history for my A-levels. I think I want to pursue medicine (at least something stem related) but I don't know if I would be competitive enough for the top universities since medicine as a course is inherently competitive.

For reference, my GCSES are 999998888 with a L2D* in the Health and social L2 BTEC. Even though these are quite high, I've really been struggling in my A-levels but hopefully it'll get better as time passes!

Would I be academically competitive enough to study medicine at universities like Oxbridge, UCL, Imperial, etc.?

To be honest it’s all about applying strategically and getting work experience. For Oxbridge you’d definitely need to be looking at AAA* in your Alevel predicted grades and then also consider how your UCAT goes and if you want to take the BMAT as well, but Id say your GCSEs are competitive for a med applicant.

Thanks for the response, so I've already done a week of pharmacy work experience but am also planning on applying for a medicine placement too when that opens up at my local hospital, are there any other areas of healthcare I should look into or anything else I should try doing? Also, do you mind elaborating on what you mean by applying strategically?

Any healthcare work experience is valid to have and discuss even if its not directly related to medicine as it means you’re more able to justify why medicine over other healthcare careers. Applying strategically just means looking at what unis consider when interviewing and offering, for example I did well on my UCAT so applied to Newcastle as the only consideration factor for interview is UCAT score. That doesn’t mean you can’t apply aspirationally for 1 or 2 Unis but Medicine is so competitive that you want to apply based on your strengths to ensure you get interviews.

Hello, I'm a year 12 student currently studying biology, chemistry and history for my A-levels. I think I want to pursue medicine (at least something stem related) but I don't know if I would be competitive enough for the top universities since medicine as a course is inherently competitive.

For reference, my GCSES are 999998888 with a L2D* in the Health and social L2 BTEC. Even though these are quite high, I've really been struggling in my A-levels but hopefully it'll get better as time passes!

Would I be academically competitive enough to study medicine at universities like Oxbridge, UCL, Imperial, etc.?

There is no such thing as a "top university" for medicine. The GMC accredits all medical schools and considers them all equal, and the NHS is the only provider of graduate training posts for medics and takes the GMC stance that all medical schools are equal. To ensure this is upheld, specialty recruitment is blinded to your medical school to ensure there is no bias based on where you studied medicine. By design your medical school literally cannot directly affect your future medical career. You should choose a medical school on the basis of how well your profile fits with their shortlisting methodology and then on whether you like the teaching style, location, etc.

In terms of shortlisting, Imperial and UCL don't score GCSEs for medicine. Oxford sees 8 and 9 grades at GCSE equivalently so you have a good start there, although you have slightly fewer than average in terms of total number of GCSEs. Might be a little more of a long shot as a result but possibly not completely out of the realm of possibility. Cambridge requires a third STEM subject at A-level to be competitive. As you don't have this you should avoid applying to Cambridge.

Didn't know that, thank you for the information!