medicine, what gcse and a levels do you need, where do you apply?

[Mummiehunnie]

dd is thinking of becoming a gp, so when choosing her gcse's and a levels what should she go for? any other tips? what uni's are considered good?

have not got a degree myself and her father has no contact, so not sure how you go about it all, thanks x

Med schools have differing GCSE requirements; Birmaingham for example wont consider an applicant with

Good gcse's are important because they are taken into account when shortlisting
A levels should include Chemistry (compulsory for almost all medical schools) to full A2. Biology as that will help with the BMAT which is an entrance exam held by some of the more competitive medical schools and perhaps an essay based subject such as English lit/history/languages etc to show breadth. Many students will add in maths or physics to at least AS level.
Extracurricular activities should include those which will help DC cope with stress in future life ( eg music) those which contribute to physical health (eg sport) and those which demonstrate team working and leadership.
Work experience should include- voluntary work with a disadvantaged group to show capacity for empathy- attachment to a GP or hospital or both.
Personal statement will include evidence of an interest in science eg extra reading/scientific journals such as New Scientist/school science project/Nuffield science bursary
as well as all the above.
Make sure you have a robust budget for 5 years of medical school. One of the key stressors for students is lack of finances and the course is very full time so part time jobs are not that much of an option.
All medical schools are good as they all have to conform to a national standard set by the General Medical COuncil so perhaps choose at least two near home.

May well be a lot easier next year, at a possible £9000 a year fees for five or six years

Leos dad you are too right. A lot easier I expect. And the bunfight to get jobs in lucrative areas with a lot of private patients will probably escalate.

just thinking if parents/grandparent actually pay the £9000 a year
a) will student get taxed as it is a gift and above personal allowance

b) will parent/grandparent get penalised for giving away savings early to avoid nursing home fees and/or inheritance tax (these come in at a much lower level than you would think)

My daughter just had an interview at Oxford for medicine. Fingers crossed she got in. We used an agency to help with the application, www.oxbridgemedicine.com - they seemed good, and hopefully it was money well spent. But I wanted to ask people what they thought about extra tuition for university/ob interviews. Are they worth it?

Well.....when you know whether she got in you can tell us all. Try the thread for parents of DC doing oxbridge it might help..

What do Oxbridgemedicine actually do and how much is it and does your DC think it helped?