Regretting A-Level Choices and Medicine

Hi,

I take Biology, Chemistry and Maths A-Levels and was going to take FM to keep my options open but ended up not doing so, and now I seriously regret it - I’ve always wanted to do medicine but recently I’m starting to doubt that and whether I really want to do it and I don’t really want to do things like Biochemistry at uni or go into research. I feel like I should’ve done FM to keep my options open as I’ve always liked maths but didn’t think I wanted to do it at uni but I’m also rethinking that now and I know you need FM to do maths at a top uni.

I don’t know if I’m just doubting Medicine due to the length of the course and how much commitment you have to put into it which can be daunting for anyone, or whether I genuinely don’t want to do it anymore.

Any advice is appreciated and I’m aware I have to be the one to make the decision at the end of the day but I feel quite lost as I only have like 6-7 months before Y13

Reply 1

Divinebandit

Original post

by leighnb

Hi,
I take Biology, Chemistry and Maths A-Levels and was going to take FM to keep my options open but ended up not doing so, and now I seriously regret it - I’ve always wanted to do medicine but recently I’m starting to doubt that and whether I really want to do it and I don’t really want to do things like Biochemistry at uni or go into research. I feel like I should’ve done FM to keep my options open as I’ve always liked maths but didn’t think I wanted to do it at uni but I’m also rethinking that now and I know you need FM to do maths at a top uni.
I don’t know if I’m just doubting Medicine due to the length of the course and how much commitment you have to put into it which can be daunting for anyone, or whether I genuinely don’t want to do it anymore.
Any advice is appreciated and I’m aware I have to be the one to make the decision at the end of the day but I feel quite lost as I only have like 6-7 months before Y13

You can still do lots of different degrees, which are not 100% biology and chemistry based. Geography might be a good choice, it's scientific in a traditional way and includes elements of social sciences. You can persue degrees linked to finance, economics and business with your A Levels. Those are just the ones on the top of my head, there are definitely others you can go for.

If you can go to visit universities or the UCAS convention near you and speak to unis you're interested in and see what other degrees you can do and what careers that can lead to, also do some of your own personal research especially on required A Level subjects for different courses.

It's okay that you are unsure, it's perfectly natural. You don't want to go through the rigorous and long process to become a doctor if you're not sure you want to be one. It's actually good that you are unsure now rather than when you are half way through a biochem, biomed or medicine degree.

Resitting thr year with a whole new set of A Levels is also an option but I would mainly recommend that if you are unhappy at your current college, don't do very badly at the end of year 12 and have no passion or motivation to complete any of current your A Levels or you really really want to do a specific course at uni and they require certain subject.

Good luck.

Reply 2

McGinger

Look at Pharmacy, Neuroscience, Psychology etc
And there are multi-science courses like Natural Sciences, Life Sciences etc.
Or, Law does not require any specific A level subjects.

Reply 3

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post

by leighnb

Hi,
I take Biology, Chemistry and Maths A-Levels and was going to take FM to keep my options open but ended up not doing so, and now I seriously regret it - I’ve always wanted to do medicine but recently I’m starting to doubt that and whether I really want to do it and I don’t really want to do things like Biochemistry at uni or go into research. I feel like I should’ve done FM to keep my options open as I’ve always liked maths but didn’t think I wanted to do it at uni but I’m also rethinking that now and I know you need FM to do maths at a top uni.
I don’t know if I’m just doubting Medicine due to the length of the course and how much commitment you have to put into it which can be daunting for anyone, or whether I genuinely don’t want to do it anymore.
Any advice is appreciated and I’m aware I have to be the one to make the decision at the end of the day but I feel quite lost as I only have like 6-7 months before Y13

Hi @leighnb,

It's completely normal to feel confused and conflicted, it’s a big decision, and it’s normal to have doubts, especially when you're keeping your future options open.

Doubting medicine is very normal, I wanted to do medicine during just before A-Levels too, but diverted just before I started A-Levels. The long, intense degree with a demanding career at the end, definitely influenced my decision. But doubts don’t necessarily mean you don’t want to do it—sometimes it may just the fear of commitment or imposter syndrome creeping in.

I think a few questions you could ask yourself are:

•

Do you enjoy learning about the human body and helping people?

•

Can you see yourself working in a hospital or clinical setting?

•

Have you done any work experience/shadowing? If so, what did you like/dislike?

If the idea of medicine excites you but the length of the course is the issue, remember that a lot of degrees are long (e.g., Law, Architecture, even PhDs in other fields). If you’re more worried about whether you truly enjoy medicine, it’s worth doing more research and trying to speak to medical students/doctors.

It’s okay to feel lost, you don’t need to have everything figured out right now. Keep your options open, reflect on what you enjoy, and remember that there’s always flexibility (you can switch courses in first year or even take a gap year if needed).

Hope this helps,
Danish
BCU Student Rep

Reply 4

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

Original post

by leighnb

Hi,
I take Biology, Chemistry and Maths A-Levels and was going to take FM to keep my options open but ended up not doing so, and now I seriously regret it - I’ve always wanted to do medicine but recently I’m starting to doubt that and whether I really want to do it and I don’t really want to do things like Biochemistry at uni or go into research. I feel like I should’ve done FM to keep my options open as I’ve always liked maths but didn’t think I wanted to do it at uni but I’m also rethinking that now and I know you need FM to do maths at a top uni.
I don’t know if I’m just doubting Medicine due to the length of the course and how much commitment you have to put into it which can be daunting for anyone, or whether I genuinely don’t want to do it anymore.
Any advice is appreciated and I’m aware I have to be the one to make the decision at the end of the day but I feel quite lost as I only have like 6-7 months before Y13

Hi @leighnb,

First off, it's completely normal to have doubts about whether or not medicine is right for you. Luckily, your A-Levels don't limit you to just medicine/science-fields - as Divinebandit said above, Maths A-Level opens up a lot of options in terms of business/finance degrees, and there are other STEM-related fields you could consider that don't strictly involve going into research (e.g. electrical/mechanical engineering).

In terms of the course length of medicine - as a student in my third and final year of an undergraduate degree, time at university really does fly by. Five years seems like a long time, but it likely won't feel like it on the course. Nonetheless, if you don't feel passionate about medicine, you shouldn't feel the need to study it at university.

You still have quite a while before you have to start making your UCAS choices, so I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. I would try and give yourself some time to think it over and consider your own feelings: is there any particular reason aside from course length that you don't think medicine is right for you? Are there any career paths that excite you more?

Hope this was helpful and best of luck,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 5

Iqster

i think you should talk to your school about taking further maths a level. You would be quite behind, but there a lot of resources online to help you catch up + you could probably self-learn the AS content
If 4 a levels are too much for you, you can always drop bio/chem (when you’re 100% that you don’t need them)

Reply 6

leighnb

Original post

by Iqster

I’ve thought about doing this but unfortunately at the start of the year I kind of unintentionally messed them about a bit deciding whether or not to take further maths so now I’m too scared to ask again

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