E grade at AS Level Chemistry-should medicine dream be forgotten?

There are accelerated medicine courses for those with degrees already including nursing.

Yes, it's a slog- but the process is part of it, not just something to 'endure'. You really must have that approach; at least for the greater part of it.

fortunately I had a pm so came back to this thread. Re-sits ARE accepted by some, not all, medical schools. There are a few who accept resits after A level and quite a lot who accept resits of modules within the A level period. The Student Room guide is here www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Where_to_Study_Medicine
however it should be checked as policies can change each year. I know that UCL have recently said they will accept a single resit, for example, post A level.

Those who do accept resits post A level will, however, often ask for an A* - and this is unlikely to be available to the OPs child unless the remark produces an improvement. Although Chemistry marks do not often change dramatically there have at times been a few very substantial errors in the marking process and that should not be ruled out until the remark is back. As an example remarks can sometimes show entire questions not being marked at all, or clerical errors in transcription. OP I hope you requested a copy of the paper. Module resits do not generally increase the grade requirement so if the OP's child can retake in January and then achieve at A at A2 there would be schools that would accept it.

While most medical schools require Chemistry to A2 some do not. There was a programme or spreadsheet somewhere on the Student Room website that was accurate on that when produced but policies do change. There are several that accept Chemistry only at AS level if biology is taken to A2 and two or three with no formal requirement for Chemistry at all provided Biology is offered at A2. Where Chemistry is accepted at AS they are likely to require an A grade but I believe (I would have to check) that isn't true for all schools. Of course these are minimum requirements but applications are considered and other factors - such as the personal statement and the reference - come into play.

My comments relate entirely to the 5 year medical courses, requirements for the 6 year courses offered by a few schools differ and application for those could be considered.

Sorry, posted too soon.

Since re-sits aren't ok for med school, are they? ( but is it an absolute rule?).

zara I don't want to put a damper on anything but if the re-mark doesn't push your DD over the grade boundary then you should really ask for advice as to whether an A at A2 is numerically possible, even assuming 100%. Most med schools do seem to stipulate an A in Chemistry at A2.

If she has a language ability - would she consider Linguistics? My DD just graduated in Linguistics (but started as a straight language degree then specialised) and one career offered to linguists is Speech Therapy (which you can even study as an Undergraduate course sponsored by NHS) and then do work with children, stroke pts etc??

Just considering other Healthcare options.

Ps few unis take resits for medicine you need to check before doing it and finding out it's no help.

I looked seriously into graduate medicine and the majority of the tiny number of unis that offer it require a science-y degree. A few will take any degree, some will only take actual science degrees.

Several of my friends who applied for medicine as undergrads didn't get in with A, A, A, B at A2 and graduate medicine is just as competitive and has little in the way of loans until the 2+ year.

Wanting to heal people is also quite vague. Is she aware of the realities of a medicine degree? Practicing internal exams etc on fellow students, how long it is before you actually start working as a medic. Maybe she should find a current/recent student to talk to about it.

I personally wouldn't encourage nursing as that's a very long road to becoming doctor if that's the only reason she's doing it.

Any public service job "helps people".

Maybe a session with a life coach would help her gain some clarity. I've certainly found it helpful in the past.

if she studied well for the chemistry exam and failed, I would think about whether she would manage the medicine degree. There is so much to be learnt and either you are good at retaining facts and reproducing them when needed or you tick a bit differently.

I would resit chemistry if it were me and I really wanted to do it and then try and work maybe overseas on a voluntary project and get some real practical experience in the medical field, even just observing and helping out where she can and otherwise being a general dogsbody. I would also think about applying overseas if she cannot get a place in the UK atm. She could make a start overseas and then apply to continue in the UK for instance.

It depends how much she really wants to do it. One exam shouldn't throw you off your life plan. There are other careers in the medical field with which she could work abroad and be needed and do a lot of good. It isn't just medical doctors that are needed. Good luck to her

BTW, I didn't do medicine in the end. I opted to take out a loan for a house extension instead

I only did Chemistry to O level, as the boiling acid shennanigans scared me off Higher Chem.

I did a Biology degree (1st), an MSc and eventually a PhD. I was offered Medicine as a post-grad for all of my 5 choices, all unconditional.

It did help that DH was a doctor, that my PhD supervisor was a medic, so I had kind of inside knowledge on the inner workings of the NHS. I never changed my name to DH's when I married, or mentioned him in the. Interview so there was no nepotism involved. It didn't seem to matter what altruisitic volunteering I hadn't done; my slightly more realistic views on medicine and life experience counted for an awful lot.

Keep going with her current subjects to A level. She could do a dual French/Biology degree and do placements in French research labs. This may even open the door for summer volunteering overseas in orphanges in Africa - her French will be damn useful.

The other option is an NHS Clinician Scientist. For Band 5 jobs, there will be a specific degree that qualifies you to apply for Band 5 Technologist jobs (bit routine and dull though). For Band 6 and above, the NHS offers post-graduate trainingbfor 3 years. Most applicants these days have a PhD.

Instead of going through the mill for 2013 entry, why doesn't she wait for her actual A level results and apply from there for 2014? I know it seems the end of the world, but a planned gap year hanging out volunteering in hospitals etc without the stress of applications, exams etc may enhance her application.

I was 34 when I applied. It reaaly doesn't matter if she takes a slightly round about route for a few years; it really won't count against her.

Good Luck!

OP I'm sorry to ear how upset your daughter is, but tell her to wait for the remark. Mistakes happen and there's no point feeling her dream of studying medicine is over until the fat lady sings!

My son has received an odd English GCSE result in similar circumstance. High A grade predicted in coursework, with an A/A* grade predicted overall. He's gained a low B grade and is more angry than upset, however this does not affect his career path and so now as devastating as your daughter's situation.

I hope you hear some good news soon, but it is sensible to talk to your daughter about other options. Maybe she's not explored these because she was so focused on studying medicine? She may even find an alternative course that suits her skills better?

Very good luck to her and I hope the remark comes back as an increased grade and/or she finds a wonderful preferred university course.

*strongly not wrongly lol, sorry!

Just reading this thread takes me back nearly twenty years to my own Alevels, when it became glaringly obvious there was no way I was going to med school. Alevels just weren't for me. Not that I wasn't clever enough, I just wasn't suited to the exam type.

I went with what I enjoyed. Geology as it happens. I did a four-year B.Sc. Including a years sandwich placement, and had the chance to work out what I wanted (kind of). I had the chance of a Masters, which I passed well, in addition to my 2:1. I decided to work in Local Government, and took a job in Environmental Health.

An opportunity arose to more to a more generic role and after a few years, a role in Public Health became available. I work very closely with Consultants and Nurses now. I love my work. I also have the opportunity to train as a Consultant in Public Health myself, if I so choose. Yes, the girl who realised she was never going to be 'a doctor' has another bite at the cherry now.

I didn't expect that to happen, I didn't know that things would work out that way and I certainly didn't try to influence that outcome, it just happened. I was always going to stay in science and that I have a B.Sc. Keeps doors open that a B.A. Would have closed.

There are many paths to the same destination, I would wrongly suggest your daughter looks at other related disciplines, pharmacy, pharmmacology, biomedical sciences, nursing, hell, send her over to Geology, at she'll get to do some travelling :) e everything is so black and white at 17/18 and the more interesting degrees are the ones in 'pure' subjects that you don't get the chance to experience at the lower levels.

She can easily graduate in say pharmacology with french, which gives her even more options.

Talking to one of colleagues the other day and her MIL is both a trained nurse and midwife. She is currently in Nepal working for VSO apparently both nursing and midwifery are very sought after professions in the developing world.

The thing she will have to study lots of chemistry related subjects in some depth during medical degree: biochemistry, organic and physical chemistry, pharmacology etc. Without an applitude for the subject she would struggle to even pass her first year.

She is still wanting medicine but the idea behind french degree-is that she wants to work with the poor in places

That might be more achievable as a nurse or midwife. A Dr in the UK does a 5 or 6 year course, 2 years as a foundation doctor and then more exams / training. She would not be in a possition to work abroad as a Dr for about 10 years.

A nurse is fully qualified after three years.

I think there is practically 0% chance of someone without science A levels (or equivilant) getting into a UK medicine school these days.

As you can see in this summary chemistry is the most desirable A level and is an absolute requirement by nearly all Medical School. You do not need 4 A levels. This summary is regularly updated and is usually accurate but, as I mentioned before, the only definitive, info is in the Uni's prospectuses.

Not sure if this site is still totally up-to-date but there is some good general info about routes into medicine www.medschoolsonline.co.uk. As someone else said, it's worth talking to some of the medical schools for first hand information and advice.

Hi zara77. Your daughter sounds lovely and a caring person.

FairPhyllis beat me to it! I wanted to ask whether being a doctor is the most important thing for her or whether it is overseas aid she us mainly concerned with? As FP says, many orgs need help from people who are not doctors.

I work for the UN and I can tell her that lots of help is needed apart from direct medical aid. Along the way, even as admin staff, she could get involved with direct help, but also the translators, conference staff etc are working towards the same goals. Someone had to administer that help, even on (dangerous) location.

Let her look at the UN website and see the employment options (www.un.org/en/employment/) also WFP and FAO. There is so much need for people who think as your dd does and not just as doctors. I get the impression her school think she us more talented in languages. UN working langs are English and French ;-)

She doesn't have to give up on her dream, but she could alter it slightly, with the prospect of taking medicine down the line

All the best to her!!!

I've just re-read your thread title. I don't think you should ever forget a "dream" of that type. Yes, probably forget the idea of it as a first degree (subject to the remark etc); but give up on the idea completely - no.

I know two people who are now doctors having done non-science A-levels. One of them started off with an arts degree, the other trained first as a nurse.
I don't think there is much point in studying prospectuses for the entry requirements for postgraduate medicine, because the chances are they will have changed by the time she gets to that point.
I would suggest she does a degree in her strongest subject (and pure degrees always look better than mixed ones). Meanwhile she should do lots of voluntary work etc, to test what it is that she really likes about medicine (if anything). Practical abilities and people skills can be more important than pure scientific genius. I wouldn't recommend tutoring at this stage; as other posters that said, if she has to be tutored to get a good grade in chemistry, then she will really struggle when she gets to medical school as an undergraduate. But as a graduate, if she is committed and determined, then anything is possible.