Plan to do medicine with Low a levels

12

Hello, I am a current a level student completing my A levels in Bio Chem and Psychology. I would like to do medicine however I’m almost sure my grades will be nowhere near med standards, this is because of a combination of private issues that occurred during my year 12 and 13. For reference in my last spring mocks I achieved C D U in Bio psych chem respectively.
I am not delusional and I’m aware these grades are extremely low and medicine is a pipe dream. I however do intend to enroll into a foundation biomedical science course and complete it (hopefully graduating with a 2:1 or above) and then do a post grad in med or either a physicians associate degree and then go on to specialise. My only concern is besides having to go the postgraduate route, will my A levels impact my ability to become a doctor and then perhaps specialise in surgery? Will the uni I achieve my biomed degree at (currently looking at Middlesex and ARU) impact the chances I have of being able to get into a med school?
Any help is appreciated and I am very thankful to those who have read this, i also welcome any criticism as I may have an overly ideal view.
Thank you
Edit: I’m currently in year 13 sitting a levels currently

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

11

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Megathreads
(Please read the first post, before then posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

2023 Applicants:
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2023 Entry
Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2023 Entry
Medicine Interview discussion 2023 Entry
2023 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread

Other application years:
Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2025 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

Ibmoahsa

9

Is there a way you can raise your grade as you still have year 13 which can make alot of different. As for going through long road to medicine it is better to do it undergraduate as it is less competitive than grad med.

If you worried about predicted grades then there is univs that don't look at it( Liverpool,Nottingham...etc) but the conditional offer will be AAA or less if you contextual.

Also did you look at foundation med they have contextual conditions but if you meet them then their offer is BBB/BBC.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

HyperActiv3

OP

12

Original post by Ibmoahsa

Is there a way you can raise your grade as you still have year 13 which can make alot of different. As for going through long road to medicine it is better to do it undergraduate as it is less competitive than grad med.
If you worried about predicted grades then there is univs that don't look at it( Liverpool,Nottingham...etc) but the conditional offer will be AAA or less if you contextual.
Also did you look at foundation med they have contextual conditions but if you meet them then their offer is BBB/BBC.

Ahh I should have specified I’m in year 13 sitting a levels rn!

Reply 4

Ibmoahsa

9

So you believe you will not get good grades in the exams , so it is better resitting the exams ( as it is cheaper and less time than doing a whole degree you get funding for one degree so if you do grad med you need to pay for it.

about the question about if A level will impact your applying to grad med then I am not sure . hopefully someone else can help.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 5

nikkinikkii

5

In the same boat rn. I do psych, bio and chem. My dream is to do medicine but my predicted grades from yr 12 was A* B C so I applied for foundation med but because my UCAT score was really bad (due to the fact I didn’t get to study I was abroad overseas with no wifi)…I didn’t get any interviews. So I got an offer for Biomed. However, I am worried because exams so far have been difficult and I’ve made silly mistakes in some papers and im extremely worried about my grade. Idek what to do anymore bc biomed route is super competitive too and i dont want to be stuck with just a biomed degree if they dont let me do postgrad medicine..i rlly want to pursue medicine too so idk whether to take a gap year, resit if a subject is bad, re-take my ucat.. i just dk

Reply 6

Lewis T K

12

Original post by HyperActiv3

Hello, I am a current a level student completing my A levels in Bio Chem and Psychology. I would like to do medicine however I’m almost sure my grades will be nowhere near med standards, this is because of a combination of private issues that occurred during my year 12 and 13. For reference in my last spring mocks I achieved C D U in Bio psych chem respectively.
I am not delusional and I’m aware these grades are extremely low and medicine is a pipe dream. I however do intend to enroll into a foundation biomedical science course and complete it (hopefully graduating with a 2:1 or above) and then do a post grad in med or either a physicians associate degree and then go on to specialise. My only concern is besides having to go the postgraduate route, will my A levels impact my ability to become a doctor and then perhaps specialise in surgery? Will the uni I achieve my biomed degree at (currently looking at Middlesex and ARU) impact the chances I have of being able to get into a med school?
Any help is appreciated and I am very thankful to those who have read this, i also welcome any criticism as I may have an overly ideal view.
Thank you
Edit: I’m currently in year 13 sitting a levels currently

Wait until you get your A-level results before making any decisions. If you feel you will not achieve your needed results, look into medical schools that allow for resits as it may be a safer route.
Graduate entry medicine (not postgrad medicine, this is entirely different usually MD, PhD, or MSc etc) is also an option, but it is a long winded way into medicine and is typically far more competitive in comparison to standard undergraduate entry, so if you were able to even take a gap year and resit, this is a safer option.
Your A-Levels will not impact you at all for specialisation, once you get into medical school your A-levels are virtually redundant. Specialism applications are a combination of your portfolio, MRSA exam and interviews post medical school.
Best to focus on your A-levels first and UCAT/BMAT and then once you have these results you can strategically apply to your strengths and get your spot in medical school.
Best of luck with your applications

Reply 7

University of Sunderland Student Ambassador

Official Rep

11

Original post by HyperActiv3

Hello, I am a current a level student completing my A levels in Bio Chem and Psychology. I would like to do medicine however I’m almost sure my grades will be nowhere near med standards, this is because of a combination of private issues that occurred during my year 12 and 13. For reference in my last spring mocks I achieved C D U in Bio psych chem respectively.
I am not delusional and I’m aware these grades are extremely low and medicine is a pipe dream. I however do intend to enroll into a foundation biomedical science course and complete it (hopefully graduating with a 2:1 or above) and then do a post grad in med or either a physicians associate degree and then go on to specialise. My only concern is besides having to go the postgraduate route, will my A levels impact my ability to become a doctor and then perhaps specialise in surgery? Will the uni I achieve my biomed degree at (currently looking at Middlesex and ARU) impact the chances I have of being able to get into a med school?
Any help is appreciated and I am very thankful to those who have read this, i also welcome any criticism as I may have an overly ideal view.
Thank you
Edit: I’m currently in year 13 sitting a levels currently

Hi there,

I would say wait for your results and see what they are before you make any decisions, you may do better than you think! But there are lots of different routes into medicine, including doing it as a postgraduate and doing foundation years as has been discussed previously in this chat. I think it would be worth looking at some individual university websites and seeing what their entry requirements are for graduates etc so that you can be better informed about what you would be aiming for.

I hope this helps,

Ellen
Y4 Medical Student
Uni of Sunderland

Plan to do medicine with Low a levels

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you