What should I pick for a-levels???

4

So I am going to college this September and already planning to do bio chem and maths at a-level but am thinking I should take a fourth one. I wanted to do further maths and most people I have asked about this told me it wasn’t worth it as it’s extremely difficult and time consuming but I wanted to go to a top uni to do medicine which is super competitive and I want to give myself a better chance. For reference I got three grade 9s and six 8s. I got 9s in the subjects I am applying for. Should I take a fourth a-level?

Reply 1

5hyl33n

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post

by Sammie_16

So I am going to college this September and already planning to do bio chem and maths at a-level but am thinking I should take a fourth one. I wanted to do further maths and most people I have asked about this told me it wasn’t worth it as it’s extremely difficult and time consuming but I wanted to go to a top uni to do medicine which is super competitive and I want to give myself a better chance. For reference I got three grade 9s and six 8s. I got 9s in the subjects I am applying for. Should I take a fourth a-level?

No, doing a fourth A-level is not going to give you 'a better chance'. You need to focus on getting the best grades possible in A-Level biology, chemistry and maths to give yourself the best chances possible.

Remember you also have admission tests, interviews and personal statements to prepare for.

Reply 2

Afeef Khan

12

Original post

by Sammie_16

So I am going to college this September and already planning to do bio chem and maths at a-level but am thinking I should take a fourth one. I wanted to do further maths and most people I have asked about this told me it wasn’t worth it as it’s extremely difficult and time consuming but I wanted to go to a top uni to do medicine which is super competitive and I want to give myself a better chance. For reference I got three grade 9s and six 8s. I got 9s in the subjects I am applying for. Should I take a fourth a-level?

Yes, go for it! I have the same combo (Bio, Chem, Maths, and Further maths) and it def makes me more competitive for a medicine application especially at a top uni. The fact that its difficult is true at first, but then you get used to it quickly and don't think about it. Given your strong grades, I'd strongly recommend you to apply. Just make sure you balance the study times effectively, and if you do that you'd crack all the 4 A-levels. Any further qs about this and you can contact me, I'm always happy to help!
(Oh and even in the worst of scenarios, you'd still have the option of dropping it so its better to give this your best shot and if it doesn't work out then you could drop Further Maths)

Reply 3

5hyl33n

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

21

Original post

by Afeef Khan

Yes, go for it! I have the same combo (Bio, Chem, Maths, and Further maths) and it def makes me more competitive for a medicine application especially at a top uni.

Taking four subjects won't make any difference to your medicine application, except that you could risk losing your offer if you don't meet the required grades.

There is no such thing as a 'top uni' for medicine. They are all GMC accredited, so equal in terms of the qualification you receive and your ability to practise as a doctor in the UK.

Reply 4

Sammie_16

OP

4

Original post

by Afeef Khan

Yes, go for it! I have the same combo (Bio, Chem, Maths, and Further maths) and it def makes me more competitive for a medicine application especially at a top uni. The fact that its difficult is true at first, but then you get used to it quickly and don't think about it. Given your strong grades, I'd strongly recommend you to apply. Just make sure you balance the study times effectively, and if you do that you'd crack all the 4 A-levels. Any further qs about this and you can contact me, I'm always happy to help!
(Oh and even in the worst of scenarios, you'd still have the option of dropping it so its better to give this your best shot and if it doesn't work out then you could drop Further Maths)

Thanks so much! If you don’t mind do you have any tips of resources for revision and what type of volunteering or work experience do you think I should do? I’ve also heard the UCAT exam is really hard, how should I prepare for that and would it be beneficial to start preparing now ? If you’ve done it how did you find it and am sorry to bombard you with all these questions 😭

Reply 5

Afeef Khan

12

I'd love to. For volunteering, care home is the best place especially for under-18s. For WEx, whenever you go see a Dr, show your interest in medicine and that you are a really capable student and then ask if you could shadow them (for me it was my GP). Don't be disheartened for not finding WEx - I got rejected about 10 times over the span of 3 months before securing my first and only placement. Also, there are some free online WExs (one which I def recommend is the BSMS Virtual Work Experience but other good ones are there as well). Plus, you should do wider reading (reading medicine books) on either the medical experience, a good one being When breath becomes air, or you can be more specific and read in-depth about a medical topic which you like (I'm reading a book on the mechanisms on the heart). This may seem a lot but just do a few hrs every week consistently, u barely notice it and it slowly adds up to be a lot.

Now, about the UCAT, it is quite hard, but in a way its proportional to your hard work - the more hard work you do the better your results. It consists of 4 sections - VR (english), DM (logical reasoning), QR (maths), and SJT (judgement). Some YouTube videos explain the structure of UCAT quite well so I'd recommend watching those.

Its best to focus on this after your Year 12 finals, and maybe even when the summer starts. You can book this anytime during summer. For preparation, you would need abt 150-180 hrs to consistently get 95th percentile +, but you can divide that among 7-8 weeks by studying 2-3 hrs, and ramping it up to 4 hrs when the exam date is closer.

Now obv you need to do a lot of practice so the free official UCAT Q bank won't be enough so you should get either Medify or MedEntry (I used MedEntry and I highly recommend it). The strategy for preparing is to do a full mock, identify your weak areas and work on those one by one (I focused on VR for the first 2 weeks then moved on to DM and worked on that for 2 weeks). Keep in mind that you should not spend equal tiem preparing for each but rather spend more time on your weak areas and less time on your strengths (I barely did the QR but my UCAT practice was heavily VR-focused).

This is basically an overview and you don't need to worry about the specifics until the end of Year 12.

Last thing, Further maths is good but you should only do it if you love maths. And with all honesty, its better to do an EPQ rather than Further maths for medicine - its much more useful and showcases key soft skills which may otherwise be hard to evidence.

Reply 6

Sammie_16

OP

4

Bless you 🙏 thanks you’ve helped me a lot and to be fair I mostly considered doing further maths because I love maths and get pretty good grades. If I find it’s not too bad I might try do an EPQ as well.

Reply 7

Afeef Khan

12

Original post

by Sammie_16

Bless you 🙏 thanks you’ve helped me a lot and to be fair I mostly considered doing further maths because I love maths and get pretty good grades. If I find it’s not too bad I might try do an EPQ as well.

You're welcome. Oh and doing an EPQ alongside 4 A-levels is extremely hard but not impossible. I completed an EPQ in Year 12 alongside the 4 A-levels and did find managing everything to be hard but if you can pull it off then you'll be an absolute beast. As a final advice - don't let your grades drop in any subjects. Good luck!

What should I pick for a-levels???

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