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What universities would be good to apply with my GCSE results

For my gcses I managed to get 5 grade 8s, 3 grade 7s and 2 grade 6s. I was wondering whether that would be good enough to apply medicine, and if it is what universities I should consider that don’t have a massive emphasis on gcse grades or only require you to generally achieve the minimum requirements.
Original post by A040707
For my gcses I managed to get 5 grade 8s, 3 grade 7s and 2 grade 6s. I was wondering whether that would be good enough to apply medicine, and if it is what universities I should consider that don’t have a massive emphasis on gcse grades or only require you to generally achieve the minimum requirements.

As long as you meet the minimum GCSE requirements for a course, your GCSEs shouldn't disadvantage you massively. I would recommend focusing on a mix of medical schools with different GCSE requirements to give you the best chance possible. University of Manchester, for example, require 7 GCSEs at grade 7 or 8, which you have, so this could be one of your 2 options that have higher GCSE requirements. On the other end of the spectrum, UCL only require a 6 in English language and mathematics, which could be one of your 2 options that don't place a large emphasis on GCSE grades. I wouldn't worry too much about GCSE grades as long as your UCAT score and A level grades meet the requirements and fall within the thresholds, you should be fine in terms of qualifications. I would recommend having one or two safety options, which would be medical schools with higher offer rates or lower requirements than the ones you end up choosing. Some good safety choices are Aberdeen (21% offer rate), St Andrews (29% offer rate), Lincoln (32% offer rate) and Queen's Belfast (23% offer rate). I've linked a comparison tool that the Medic Portal created in order for you to see the different requirements and offer rates at different medical schools below:

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/comparisontool/

I hope this has helped and good luck on your journey to medicine!

Reply 2

Original post by bibachu
As long as you meet the minimum GCSE requirements for a course, your GCSEs shouldn't disadvantage you massively. I would recommend focusing on a mix of medical schools with different GCSE requirements to give you the best chance possible. University of Manchester, for example, require 7 GCSEs at grade 7 or 8, which you have, so this could be one of your 2 options that have higher GCSE requirements. On the other end of the spectrum, UCL only require a 6 in English language and mathematics, which could be one of your 2 options that don't place a large emphasis on GCSE grades. I wouldn't worry too much about GCSE grades as long as your UCAT score and A level grades meet the requirements and fall within the thresholds, you should be fine in terms of qualifications. I would recommend having one or two safety options, which would be medical schools with higher offer rates or lower requirements than the ones you end up choosing. Some good safety choices are Aberdeen (21% offer rate), St Andrews (29% offer rate), Lincoln (32% offer rate) and Queen's Belfast (23% offer rate). I've linked a comparison tool that the Medic Portal created in order for you to see the different requirements and offer rates at different medical schools below:
https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/comparisontool/
I hope this has helped and good luck on your journey to medicine!

Thank you so much I really appreciate it!

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