Idk what course to study at uni

Hey guys so I've just started year 12 and idk what course to study but I do know that I want to get into drug development (making medicinal drugs and NOT illegal ones) and I really wanna go to a russel group uniting the midlands. If anyone has any advice on what courses would help me achieve this pls lmk. For a levels I do bio, chem, maths and psych

Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemistry for Drug Discovery etc.
Btw, 'Russell Group' means nothing significant - its just marketing fluff.
Pharmacology | Aston University
Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry BSc (UCAS F121) (Warwick)
Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery BSc - University of Birmingham
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry BSc | Undergraduate study | Loughborough University
Etc etc

hi Acees123s,
Here are the russel groups im aware of within the midlands:

I have also went onto these universities websites and typed in what courses they do around drug development and there's quite a few so i will leave them link below!
Birmingham - Search - University of Birmingham
Nottingham mainly do courses for pharmacologists instead but could still lead you into that career - Search results | The University of Nottingham
Warwick, couldn't find any courses directly related to drug development but found some medical courses - Undergraduate courses at the University of Warwick
Hope this helps!
Katy,
LJMUStudentRep

Hey guys so I've just started year 12 and idk what course to study but I do know that I want to get into drug development (making medicinal drugs and NOT illegal ones) and I really wanna go to a russel group uniting the midlands. If anyone has any advice on what courses would help me achieve this pls lmk. For a levels I do bio, chem, maths and psych

For the Russell Group just think of a club that everyone has hyped up but when you get in there you realise that it's no better than any others. The Russell Group was formed by unis that are research intensive to get together to lobby the government for funding specifically for research. Most employers by the way would not care that you went to a Russell Group uni.
The A levels you require are Biology and Chemistry plus another - you do not need four. So the third should realistically be the one that is likely to get you the best grade. Pharmacology appears to be the best degree to get to the employment you want. Please note that unlike certain subjects, employers will not care which uni you went to. Personally I would be looking for a uni that offers a year in industry as this offers much needed work experience.

Thank you sm, the chemistry and medicinal chemistry genuinely described the type of thing i wanted to do to a tee. Also why do you say that about russel group?

Thank you so much. I'm gonna show this to my dad because he's been telling me that the uni you go to matter so much and my brothers have been tryna tell him that its a lie😭.
For the industry placement thing, I saw a course at uni of Notts about a masters with biological and medicinal chemistry and honestly, I think I might do that because i does cover what I want but its also quite broad and covers stuff like climate change. Idk what if ill be able to do a PhD for that (because I really want to get a PhD) so if you know anything about what it'll look like and whether I'll have to apply to another uni pls lmk 🙏🏾

Any sort of placement or study abroad will add enormously to your graduate CV.
Highly recommended.

I don't mean to sound stupid or anything but can you please elaborate on what you mean by study abroad. Also does placement just mean like an industrial placement.

Study Abroad - an extra year within a degree program where you study at an overseas Uni, or sometimes a work placement overseas.
Work Placement / Industrial Placement - inbuilt work experience within your degree, often a whole academic year, usually paid, but can sometimes be for only a term etc.
These are either 'named degrees' (titled "with Study Abroad" or "with placement") or at some Unis you can still opt to do this even if its not designated in the degree title.
Examples :
Pharmacology (Study Abroad) BSc Hons (B212) - Lancaster University - look at 'course structure' then Year 3 for details of where you could go etc.
BSc Pharmacology with Industrial/Professional Experience (2026 entry) | The University of Manchester - info about this Uni's placements Industrial and professional experience | Biosciences | The University of Manchester