Extra Activities section help

Hi everyone,

I've bullet pointed some context about myself below to make it easy to answer my question:

•

I have 9 GCSEs with the lowest grade being 7.

•

I have A-levels in Biology (A) Chemistry (B) and Religious Studies (B).

•

I began studying Biomedical Sciences at Uni of Leeds in 2023 but left August 2025 as I decided I wanted to study Pharmacy. I left with a Diploma of Higher Education with a Merit (meaning my average grade was between 60-70).

I am now applying to study Pharmacy in 2026 academic year via UCAS but I was unsure what to put in the extra activities section. It does say "Please select any activity you have taken part in to prepare for higher education." so I assume I don't need to put anything.

When I was applying for Biomed I completed the following:

•

Step into the NHS programme 2022

•

Won an award in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad 2022

•

Elephant Access 2022 Summer School.

Should I still include the things listed above or would it not be necessary since I have already been in higher education and based on my diploma I did very well?

Also while at Uni of Leeds I completed a 2-week internship as a student consultant for a start-up in the sustainability/tech industry, where I analysed carbon emissions of Fortune 500 companies and created a final report of the findings.
Would this count towards that Extra activity section and is it worth putting in?

Thank you for reading, I look forward to your responses!

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

McGinger

Its only worth including them if they are directly relevant to Pharmacy.

Reply 2

springy-goatee

Original post

by McGinger

Its only worth including them if they are directly relevant to Pharmacy.

So would you agree the Step into the NHS 2022 programme would be relevant since it discussed different healthcare careers, including a pharmacist with an activity to complete alongside it?

Reply 3

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Original post

by springy-goatee

Hi everyone,
I've bullet pointed some context about myself below to make it easy to answer my question:

•

I have 9 GCSEs with the lowest grade being 7.

•

I have A-levels in Biology (A) Chemistry (B) and Religious Studies (B).

•

I am now applying to study Pharmacy in 2026 academic year via UCAS but I was unsure what to put in the extra activities section. It does say "Please select any activity you have taken part in to prepare for higher education." so I assume I don't need to put anything.
When I was applying for Biomed I completed the following:

•

Step into the NHS programme 2022

•

Won an award in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad 2022

•

Elephant Access 2022 Summer School.

Should I still include the things listed above or would it not be necessary since I have already been in higher education and based on my diploma I did very well?
Also while at Uni of Leeds I completed a 2-week internship as a student consultant for a start-up in the sustainability/tech industry, where I analysed carbon emissions of Fortune 500 companies and created a final report of the findings.
Would this count towards that Extra activity section and is it worth putting in?
Thank you for reading, I look forward to your responses!

Hi,

For the “extra activities” section on UCAS, you can definitely still include your previous experiences if they relate to what you’re applying to. Even though you’ve already been in higher education, these still show your long-term interest for studying a healthcare-related course, especially since Pharmacy is connected to your earlier STEM experiences.

Hope this helps,

Tayba
Student Rep