should i bother even looking into med?

i’ve wanted to do med for a long time, though i had to drop higher chemistry as my predicted grade wasn’t a pass. is it just impossibly to apply for graduate medicine without it? i’m from scotland.

most require the 2:1 honours degree which would be hopefully fine, but i’m not doing higher chemistry. should i just not think about graduate entry medicine?

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

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Reply 2

LucyDuggan

Original post by lmah_

i’ve wanted to do med for a long time, though i had to drop higher chemistry as my predicted grade wasn’t a pass. is it just impossibly to apply for graduate medicine without it? i’m from scotland.
most require the 2:1 honours degree which would be hopefully fine, but i’m not doing higher chemistry. should i just not think about graduate entry medicine?

Hi

From looking at the universities websites which offer medicine in Scotland:

•

Glasgow requires higher chemistry (Additional requirements: Higher Chemistry, Biology and Physics or Mathematics).

•

Dundee does not require higher chemistry (Essential subjects: Higher - either chemistry or biology and another science (mathematics is an acceptable science))

•

Aberdeen requires chemistry (Higher qualifications: Chemistry (Grade B minimum))

•

St Andrews requires chemistry (Highers must include Chemistry and one of Biology (or Human Biology), Mathematics or Physics, to be taken at the same sitting. If not passed at Higher, applicants must also have National 5 grade B in Biology (or Human Biology), Mathematics, and English.)

•

Edinburgh requires Chemistry, but if your in S5 right now you can take it in S6 (SQA: Highers: Chemistry and two from Biology, Mathematics/Applications of Mathematics or Physics. For some applicants this subject combination is not possible at S5. Students who meet the grade requirements in S5 but are missing one or more sciences may take the missing subject(s) in S6)

You have a couple of other options available to you if you still want to get into medical school

•

Going into a Gateway to medical school programme (most/if not all of these programmes require you to be a certain low SMID or a young carer)

•

Completing a life science degree (e.g. anatomy, genetics, human biology, etc) and then applying to medical school, though SAAS would not cover your medical school years, as you would have used your available free tuition on your life science degree

•

looking into schools in England/abroad, though you would need to fund your tuition

I hope it all goes well!

Reply 3

Democracy

Original post by lmah_

i’ve wanted to do med for a long time, though i had to drop higher chemistry as my predicted grade wasn’t a pass. is it just impossibly to apply for graduate medicine without it? i’m from scotland.
most require the 2:1 honours degree which would be hopefully fine, but i’m not doing higher chemistry. should i just not think about graduate entry medicine?

What stage are you currently at?

Reply 4

lmah_

Original post by LucyDuggan

Hi
From looking at the universities websites which offer medicine in Scotland:

•

Glasgow requires higher chemistry (Additional requirements: Higher Chemistry, Biology and Physics or Mathematics).

•

Dundee does not require higher chemistry (Essential subjects: Higher - either chemistry or biology and another science (mathematics is an acceptable science))

•

Aberdeen requires chemistry (Higher qualifications: Chemistry (Grade B minimum))

•

You have a couple of other options available to you if you still want to get into medical school

•

Going into a Gateway to medical school programme (most/if not all of these programmes require you to be a certain low SMID or a young carer)

•

looking into schools in England/abroad, though you would need to fund your tuition

I hope it all goes well!

thank you! i think honestly i need to look into unis abroad more, as i wont be able to do gateway

Reply 5

lmah_

Original post by Democracy

What stage are you currently at?

about to sit my highers this month

Reply 6

Lewis T K

Original post by lmah_

about to sit my highers this month

If medicine is your ambition you should try and go for traditional undergraduate entry instead of GEM. GEM is a long way to do medicine and is typically far more competitive than standard entry.
Even if it means taking a year out, it’s still a far quicker way than GEM.

Best of luck with your application