didn't get grades for medicine- need new direction

[Guest55]

There is more to a medicine application than just getting the right grades - if you go on TSR and read some of the threads that scenario is not uncommon.

[Catseye]

Just heard of another boy with 2 A* and an A being rejected for medicine and he really had his heart set on it

I don't quite get this, I assume he got an offer after passing BMAT/UKCAT,having good A Level predictions and having a good PS with appropriate work experience.

Having satisfied these conditions and having secured at least 1 offer from a Med School,which university requires >A*A*A ?Usually its AAA excluding Oxbridge.

So did he get an offer or not?

I'm a simple woman and easily confused.

[KB]

Important to review why the grades weren't as predicted. Needs to be honest with himself.
There is a difference between lack of application and lack of ability in those subjects. ( 'lacking' only in the sense of missing the predictions - they aren't exactly poor grades!)
Did something have a negative impact on his exam performance?

Even if he finds a route on to a medicine course ( would suggest most likely by resits and a first year then transfer course - used to be one that fed into Leeds as well) is he prepared for the work load involved.

It's a good opportunity to review why he choose medicine and either make the commitment to get there whatever or decide he'd prefer a different path.

Certainly wouldn't rush in to something totally different through clearing. It's a big decision that will have a big impact and shouldn't be taken in a matter of days.

[hermanmunster]

Just heard of another boy with 2 A* and an A being rejected for medicine and he really had his heart set on it

I don't quite get this, I assume he got an offer after passing BMAT/UKCAT,having good A Level predictions and having a good PS with appropriate work experience.

Having satisfied these conditions and having secured at least 1 offer from a Med School,which university requires >A*A*A ?Usually its AAA excluding Oxbridge.

So did he get an offer or not?

I'm a simple woman and easily confused.

Most likely didn't get an offer, there are quite a lot who don't and still go on to get v good A levels (which would have got them the place if they had had the offer)

[ToadMum]

Leicester also offers the possibility of a transfer (at least, they were doing so as recently as a couple of academic years ago when DS was looking at Biochemistry (in order to end up with a degree in Biochemistry - he has no interest in Medicine). I got the impression that most of the intake into Biological Sciences were there under the impression that it would be a 'side door' route into Medicine, but that is probably inaccurate.

[scary mum]

As an aside, DD has a few friends doing biomedical science. Her view - "they have to work awfully hard to not end up as a doctor".

[KB]

Brain back in gear - Bradford is the place that guarantees top (20?) performing students place at Leeds for medicine. Popular with DCs friends who 'underperformed' at A level for various reasons.

Bio med sciences also a good route to research careers.

If hes interested in computing, Maths and biology then bioinformatics is a growth field - Manchester? Newcastle? Birmingham?

[Amber]

DD briefly looked at Biomedical Sciences a few years ago and it was clear then that there were quite a lot of failed medics doing the courses in the hopes of getting a shoe-in to medicine. It was also clear that this wasn't a usual opportunity and most of those who did the course would either go into research (the 'better' universities, for want of another term) or into lab work (those who market their BMS courses as more vocationally based). Only the very top ones would get onto a medical course at the end of the first year - and then you are looking at 6 years of university. If that is the plan then it goes without saying that you must choose a university with a medical school -BMS is offered very widely, and many of the institutions offering it don't have medical schools .

I think personally that it would be a very risky strategy to approach BMS as a route into medicine and it would be much better if the young person is convinced they want to be a doctor to try and resit. Or maybe look at one of the foreign courses which have lower entrance requirements - we know someone doing it in Budapest who didn't get the grades for Med School here. This DC does have very wealthy parents though so is able to pop home very regularly - living in Budapest isn't for everyone.

[ToadMum]

As a former nurse, may I respectfully suggest not nursing, unless one's leanings were in that direction at an earlier stage? Nurses who really wanted to be doctors are sometimes (not always intentionally, of course) a bit of a burden to their colleagues, if you see what I mean?

A handful of medical schools will accept resit candidates - BSMS, Exeter and I think UEA being some of them. The PS would have to show careful reflection with regard to the need for the repeated year, I would assume.

[KB]

I think there is a big difference between a general biomed course and the ones with a direct link even if its by means of a competitive process to a particular med school.

While there are med schools who will look at resit candidates you will be competing with first timers and those who already have the necessary grades ( or above) but who failed to secure an offer and are spending the gap year getting experience while they reapply.

Agree about the importance of the PS and getting valuable experience underway very quickly.