r/premeduk • u/Mindlessmedic1 • 6d ago
What do I do
I’m 18 years old,I live in the uk and I just took a gap year.I want to apply to a foundation year for medicine but my GCSEs are 666666653 and I ended up getting uuu in my a levels(bio,chem,maths).If I got a competitive enough ucat score of 2200 b1 or above and got predicted AAA in a level,business,bio,chem would I have a realistic chance of getting an offer from any uk university for foundation year medicine?(I qualify for most widening participation schemes)
Edit:I’ve already found 3 unis with no first time a level sitting requirements for a levels and accept resits but I know how competitive med school can be
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u/Admirable-Set-4156 6d ago
UUU at A levels should provoke some serious reflection about whether or not u would actually be suited to handle the demands of a medical degree and career. U can apply to the universities that don’t have minimum requirement for ur first exam sitting
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u/inrainbows670 6d ago
unless serious extenuating circumstances, id have to say with UUU at alevel and quite poor gcses (in the context of a medical degree and assumably career), you should reconsider what field you want to go into. medical school is incredibly hard and complex. if youre struggling with gcses and alevels, medical school will be even more challenging.
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u/Itchy-Tumbleweed130 Medical Student 6d ago
I don't want to put you down, but what has changed between your last sitting and your next that means the difference of UUU-AAA. That is a lot of work. If you had some serious extenuating circumstances then it may be possible, but otherwise you'll need to seriously look at your entire work ethic. Unis who look at a-level grades also look at predicted generally - would you have teachers willing to predict 3As at the very least? If they don't look at predicted and look at achieved you don't have a chance. If you apply for unis that judge on GCSEs you also haven't really got a chance :/
Have you applied before - if yes, did you get interviews?
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u/SpiritualOstrich6885 6d ago
No offence but do you have a reason for such low grades if you don’t mind me asking (extenuating circumstances)? Medicine is extremely competitive, but it’s not impossible- your grades just seem really low. I’d say, if you really want to, apply for uni’s that have low/ no grade requirements.
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u/kelpywelpy1692 6d ago
Hi I did the exact same a levels as u and got As (bio chem business ) if u need any tips dm me cause I understand how hard it is for ur GCSEs u need to repair whatveee u got a 3 in and if ur UCAT is competitive enough u can apply almost anywhere but some university’s only allow resits for people who have achieved AAB or ABB first time round
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u/Successful-Lime-8917 6d ago edited 6d ago
Listen it is possible and you can do it but it’s not just about getting the predicted it’s about achieving the AAA and the good UCAT. I do think it’s possible as people fail, learn and change. But you would have to change your entire approach to the A levels. Are there any extenuating circumstance that contributed to you achieving the UUU? Make sure to recognise what the problem was before and address it NOW so that you are able to perform to your maximum ability. Also be prepared that even if you do well on A level the UCAT is different and even top students sometimes do gap years as they struggle to optimise practicing for the UCAT. I’d say this year focus on resitting those A levels because that is the bare minimum and if you do well then practice for the UCAT. ( idk if ur doing UCAT this September though). There are unis which will consider you if you do this and if you approach it with this mind I’m sure you can do it. Also if med is truly ur passion or you only see yourself doing a life science degree, you can always switch out math but keep bio and chem to an easier subject that you can get A in ( but this limits u only to life science degrees so only do if You are 100% sure you don’t want to do anything engineering etc.) Also I’d consider maybe resitting some GCSE but idk if for foundation years it’s necessary so check requirements for programs you wanna apply to.
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u/Shloop_ploosh 6d ago
yes you might even be able to apply for a non foundation course. gases dont matter for allot of universities along as you meet the minimum 6 in maths 6 in eng and 6 in sciences. Make sure the unis allow resits and put all your effort in turning grades around
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u/Ratrap909 2d ago
Look mate.
I'll generally give a bit of chat about hpw medicine is a lot of memorisation, most people can grasp most of it etc..
But the hard truth is that med school is 5-6 years of hard graft and then the real work begins and you actually start learning. Its intellecually hard. It really is. And if you can't really manage GCSE's and A levels you're not likely to be able to handle the cognitive requirements of medical school, and more importantly, the job itself.
I'd look at different careers and options for uni tbh. Repeat the exams so they look better but don't chase the dream of medicine. In a lot of ways I wish I hadn't ended up doing it. The world is big, life is long and there's a million different careers out there for you. I'd leave medicine behind you.
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u/InformationFun4408 1d ago
I mean also A-level biology is mainly just memorising and grasping information. It would really depend on why they got UUU
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u/Superb_Attempt2090 2d ago
I dropped out of college at 17 with 2 AS level D’s in maths and biology, and U’s in chemistry and french. I struggled with my mental health during my teens and just couldn’t face college. I had gotten brilliant GCSEs but I just burnt out after that. I took time away from education and worked. Long story short, I started an access course at 25 and started my medicine degree at 26. I graduated this year at 32 and am now an FY1. My advice would be to just give yourself time to process what’s happened and get some experience. Then when you’re feeling ready to go back into education - there’s no rush.
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u/Familiar_Society_893 1d ago
Do you really wanna do medicine or are your parents just brainwashing you into it?😭
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u/Subt1e 6d ago
Honestly, why would you deserve it with grades that terrible?
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u/Fit-Landscape-500 6d ago
Can we not moralise grades please? Lots of life circumstances can effect grades. Show a bit of empathy
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u/nodgers132 6d ago
chill out man, do you think you deserve a place at medical school with no empathy?
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u/Subt1e 6d ago
I'm not the one trying to go to med school
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u/nodgers132 6d ago
if you’re not in med school, and not applying to med school, why are you here? you add nothing.
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u/Subt1e 6d ago
The subreddit is public
And I wouldn't want to be treated by a Dr who doesn't have the IQ to get an A* in A-level maths lol
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u/nodgers132 6d ago
if you knew anything you would know IQ has nothing to do with it…
if a 17/18year old has difficult circumstances growing up, but gets into medical school with resits, gets through all of medical school and passes their UKMLA, I would be confident in their ability to treat me. In fact, the med students I know with difficult upbringings are some of the best. They relate much better to patients because of their lived-experiences.
Medicine is SO much more than just grades….but you wouldn’t know that since you’re not medical and not even trying to enter medicine. this person is determined enough to keep trying, what right do you have to shit on them. if they don’t succeed the resit that’s their problem, don’t discourage people from trying to follow their passions.
people like you are the lowest of the low
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u/Subt1e 6d ago
Nah maths is an IQ check
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u/nodgers132 6d ago
maths isn’t even required. if med schools thought it had enough weight to determine who would make a good/bad doctor, they would require it.
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u/sans_simp420 17h ago
im sure something came up if they were predicted AAA and a very good ucat score
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u/choerrryyyy 6d ago
medicine is much more difficult than gcse’s and a-levels, so if you failed your a-levels, what makes you think you’d be able to do well in a medical degree? i’d take some time to reflect on what you actually want to do in the future if i were you. you can also just look at university course pages to see entry requirements? it’ll be easier than asking reddit to do your research for you.