Getting into med school without the right a levels

Hey! I’ve been desperate to be a doctor since i was younger but i moved school for 6th form really suddenly for personal reasons and they didn't have space to take me in chem/bio/maths so i ended up choosing the subjects they had space in (art, r/s and English lit) with the view that i would swap once I got there. Unfortunately this was not a possibility and so I'm now doing none of the subjects that would help me with med school application😭 I was looking at doing an access to higher education diploma after finishing my exams but i cant find much info on which unis will accept me with this, which one to choose cus there seems to be so many and if ill just be so behind and confused once i get to uni. Im predicted A*A*A atm and got all 9s at gcse so do think i am capable of putting in the work but dont know where i would apply😭 Should i just give up on the med school dream or is there any chance I can make it work?

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

22

Original post by 1234321!

Hey! I’ve been desperate to be a doctor since i was younger but i moved school for 6th form really suddenly for personal reasons and they didn't have space to take me in chem/bio/maths so i ended up choosing the subjects they had space in (art, r/s and English lit) with the view that i would swap once I got there. Unfortunately this was not a possibility and so I'm now doing none of the subjects that would help me with med school application😭 I was looking at doing an access to higher education diploma after finishing my exams but i cant find much info on which unis will accept me with this, which one to choose cus there seems to be so many and if ill just be so behind and confused once i get to uni. Im predicted A*A*A atm and got all 9s at gcse so do think i am capable of putting in the work but dont know where i would apply😭 Should i just give up on the med school dream or is there any chance I can make it work?

You will have to really shop around for suitable foundation years.

A comprehensive list of foundation courses for medicine in the UK can be found on the following page: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/foundation-courses

See:
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2024/01430/mbchb-medicine-6-years-including-foundation-year/entry-requirements/#course-profile
https://www.uea.ac.uk/course/undergraduate/mbbs-medicine-with-a-gateway-year/2024-25/sep#entry_requirements
https://www.bradford.ac.uk/courses/ug/foundation-clinical-sciences-medicine/#nav-course-entry

Personally, I would try to do A Level Biology and Chemistry (including practical assessments) during a gap year to widen your options. Should

There are alternative qualifications to A Levels, but they are not as widely accepted: Access to HE (see: https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2655/access-courses-infosheet.pdf). You would need to look at the specific details of the entry requirements for each degree in medicine though, as unis can have specific requirements that they would accept from Access courses e.g. a specific Access course from a specific college local to the university. See the following on page 6 for example: https://www.bsms.ac.uk/_pdf/undergraduate/access-to-medicine-msc-guidelines.pdf

The preference would still be A Levels or at the very least a foundation year in medicine.

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 2

Greysgirl

2

Original post by 1234321!

Hey! I’ve been desperate to be a doctor since i was younger but i moved school for 6th form really suddenly for personal reasons and they didn't have space to take me in chem/bio/maths so i ended up choosing the subjects they had space in (art, r/s and English lit) with the view that i would swap once I got there. Unfortunately this was not a possibility and so I'm now doing none of the subjects that would help me with med school application😭 I was looking at doing an access to higher education diploma after finishing my exams but i cant find much info on which unis will accept me with this, which one to choose cus there seems to be so many and if ill just be so behind and confused once i get to uni. Im predicted A*A*A atm and got all 9s at gcse so do think i am capable of putting in the work but dont know where i would apply😭 Should i just give up on the med school dream or is there any chance I can make it work?

Hi there , I have just left school and I'm wanting to be a nurse. I didn't get the right grades either so I'm going to college to do Health and Social Care then after completing that I'm heading to uni to do Nursing and Midwifery then hopefully Nursing school - My Point is you can do anything regardless of school grades. That's why College and Uni exists. They help you succeed in doing any you wants
Good luck my love ❤️

Reply 3

Cat205

5

I was wondering if I might be able to get a bit ofadvice with regards to applying to med school. I am am 42, have a degree in English and previously worked as a journalist. Having decided to pursue a place at medical school, I have spent the last year working as a health care assistant, while also retaking GCSEs in maths,biology and chemistry. I have also been studying for an A level in Biology.

This coming September I am planning to undertake an Access to Medicine Course, and then to apply to med school in 2025. However, I was cautioned by the staff at the college about undertaking an Access to Medicine Course, having recently studied for an A-Level, as this could potentially hinder my application down the line.Just to be clear, I self studied for my A Level over a period of 10 months, as a private candidate, purely to expand on my knowledge, and never attended a college. I have not been in full-time education.

Does anyone know if this is likely to be an issue before I push the button on the access course, as I would hate to spend the money and undertake it, if it will not help with my application when the

Getting into med school without the right a levels

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