3 A Levels for medicine when everyone else is doing 4

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DS is at a well-known grammar where 4 A levels is the norm for medicine applicants. He’s done his EPQ and is doing 3 sciences & maths A level. He wants to drop physics. School (strong on Oxbridge) say “because his peers are doing 4, his doing 3 will be seen as a less competitive application”. He’s getting good BMAT scores in practise but who knows on the day? He isn’t applying to Cambridge where l know many have taken 4 A levels. More interested in the London med schools. He’s emailed and asked and they just quote the standard “3 A levels required”. He doesn’t know his predicted grades yet but it’s more the risk of missing an offer together with the extra work load of the 4th A level that is bothering him. If many of his peers at school are doing 4 and he does 3 will admission a Tutor think “hmm despite going to X School he’s only take 3 A levels..”. His school have a huge cohort of medicine applicants every year.

If many of his peers at school are doing 4 and he does 3 will admission a Tutor think “hmm despite going to X School he’s only take 3 A levels..”.

No.

He will be fine. My dd was at a well-known high achieving indie. Some of the medicine applicants did four A levels but most did three. It made no difference to the number of offers received or to success with Oxbridge medicine.

There is only room on the UCAS form for 3 A levels. DD is taking the same subjects as your DS and at a girls' Grammar. She has also done an EPQ and she was encouraged to drop one and focus on getting really good grades in 3 A levels. The unis won't care. They want AAA, not AAAA. Also hugely important is a part time job. Even more so than medical work experience. DD is a Lifeguard. She has done about 3 days of observation in a surgery and a few months helping at a disabled swimming club.

He might be ok, but is there potenial for that subject to be a banker? My DS was looking to drop history as he was doing 4. But was already halfway through the second year so was persuaded to keep going. Ended up getting A* which may have helped him get a clearing place with Bath

An A* is sometimes required for chemistry so having the four A levels is a risk of spreading himself too thin he thinks. I’ve read of a few people’s DC on here in past threads who have lost a place due to a missed grade in chemistry. Seems to be the last potential pitfall for applicants after all that hard work.

There is room for more than 3 A levels on UCAS form

Better to have three top grade A levels . You only need three . I don’t know if it’s still applicable but at Cambridge for those two of their four were Maths and Further Maths they only look at one .

I don’t know if it’s still applicable but at Cambridge for those two of their four were Maths and Further Maths they only look at one

This is the case for most medical schools. Also, if they've taken the maths A-level in year 12 many medical schools won't accept it (see Sheffield's entry requirements, for example).

Dd started with 5 as did not have any clue what she wanted to do.

Dropped FM as there is no point in doing it if applying for medicine
Dropped Economics ( long story why) at the end of first year without taking any exams.
Ended up with Maths, chemistry and biology - had interviews from all the universities she applied. Cambridge and UCL did not seem to be bothered by her having three A levels.
She went to a private school and did only three subjects. Clearly she was not disadvantaged..

I don't think doing 3 will affect his offers.

However I think often capable students will do just as well doing 4 as 3. Because with 3 there's so much spare time and the temptation to doss. Plus you've got 2 spares as such, so room to mess up maths if there's also physics. If he wants to medicine I would honestly recommend doing 4

If he isn't capable of doing 4 A levels and getting 3 As I really think he's not suitable for med school. And at the end of the day if he's really struggling with 4 he can always just stop focusing on it and focus on the other 3.

My d is starting at imperial in 5 weeks. She did A levels in maths, chemistry and biology. She got four interviews and three offers, she withdrew from the 4th because she was happy with the offers she had and the 4th was taking too long. She didn’t do an epq.

They want to see three strong grades - (many of the London unis want A*AA) and good marks in the BMAT/ukcat

D went to a super selective grammar with a higher than average number of Oxbridge/medical applicants, the majority of the medics started with 4 a levels but dropped the 4th part way through year 12. The process of applying to medical school is far more stressful and time consuming than you might think, especially if they do have outside jobs/sports/volunteering to fit in

There is only room on the UCAS form for 3 A levels.

No there isn't.

Also hugely important is a part time job. Even more so than medical work experience.

Be very careful about this. Some medical schools (a small number, admittedly) do require "medical" work experience. More require some kind of caring/supporting/person-contact experience, which is just as likely to be from voluntary/comminity work as part-time employment. Being a lifeguard is a very specific example of commitment to looking after people, handling responsibility and being employed. It's pretty difficult for a lifeguard to write a poor personal statement/transferrable skills form, although I've seen a few have a damned good try.

Remember, also, that as more and more medical schools only select for interview on aptitude test and/or GCSEs, some applicants will never get an opportunity to have these experiences looked at. Unless you're applying somewhere that does use personal statements of some kind - whether UCAS's or their own - the experiences are more valuable for developing yourself as a person, which will be apparent at interview, rather than to tick boxes.

If he isn't capable of doing 4 A levels and getting 3 As I really think he's not suitable for med school.

I completely disagree with you. The most outstanding medical students I've taught (and selected for admission in the first place) over the past 15+ years have had three A-levels.

“If he isn't capable of doing 4 A levels and getting 3 As I really think he's not suitable for med school.”

Really? The majority of med students have 3. Who knows what students are capable of? You have to calculate the risks at the outset and make a decision by guessing what you might be capable of when the exam paper is in front of you.

It’s not about being ‘not capable’ of 4 A levels. My D was predicted AAA*A before she dropped further maths. But dropping the extra few hours allowed her to have a (paid) part time job, continue training and coaching in her sport, to pursue and participate in work experience/shadowing which was really difficult to find, prepare for the entrance tests, research and make decisions on courses, prepare for interviews, have a social life.

The choice isn’t necessarily about being capable, more about deciding how they want to spend their time, both in terms of putting in a strong application but also about how they spend two years of their lives.

My d got AAA* so was probably very capable of the fourth A level. But it was her choice to not do it, she feels that all of the extra stuff she could fit in instead made her a stronger applicant - and she’s had a great time.

Argh A A A*

Hostess trolley is spot on - particularly pleased she’s pointed out the having a social life .

I'd like to take HostessTrolley's post and send it to every head of sixth form in the country.

Dd predicted 4 A stars but dropped FM as it was not necessary for medicine. It has got nothing to do with capability but knowing what you need to get into medicine as well having an active social life..
No medical school asks for 4 A levels - better to have good grades in the three you are doing. I know of children doing medicine at Cambridge with 3 A levels from DD's private school.

The sentiments from his form Tutor were as follows;
That’s all very well for the average school applicant but from THIS school questions will be asked. And re Oxbridge with the new emphasis on contextual information more is to be expected of students who are in academically rigorous schools. More will be asked of them as more has been given. Four A levels with lots more besides etc
Why will parents continue to send their children to grammars if they are going to have to jump higher than everyone else?

3 good A levels are what you need. Relevant experience, care work, life guarding etc. You really don't need 4 A levels and you certainly are capable of being a dr with 'just' 3. Lots of reading of matters of medical interest in the press. Confidence at interview.
Look at each med school and find the ones that she feels she is best matched to.

Ability to bounce back from rejection and resilience are skills to have. Lots of people with fab grades and the whole package don't get in to med school.
Be aware that although there is an increase in the number of med schools and places, this year over 400 med degree graduates were left without junior Dr placement. Getting in is just the start!

aMoreNmore
I'm interested to know which grammar school this is, my experience is that Oxford seemed unaware of the top grammar my child went to! Think the schools especially certain grammar schools have an overinflated sense of self importance.

Your Head is talking total rubbish. My DD got 4 offers with 3 A Levels having had a part time job and a v nice social life. Universities want candidates who can get 3 As or the odd A* for a few Unis but most importantly who can perform best in the UCAT/BMAT. Contextual offers are not for every bog standard comp, but for the few who struggle to get decent grades due to under funding or areas of severe deprivation. My kids went to a Comp and no allowances were made for them or their Oxbridge friends. Stick to your plan - get the best 3 A Levels he can, ace the tests and have a bit of fun. They certainly do at Medical School so being able to study and party hard is good training 😁

What HostessTrolley said.

The most important things are getting three good A Levels ( or realistic predictions ) and a good score in the BMAT/UKCAT. This will get him an interview.

The work experience and shadowing will help him do well at the interview and get an offer. Being able to balance all these things is important.

Remember that these things come in this order, for most student applying straight out of school:

Do first year of A level studies AND work shadowing AND paid work AND contribute to life of school, hobbies, sports etc

Summer - research universities, go on visits, prepare for entrance tests, Sit UKCAT and BMAT, get results, write PS.

September - put UCAS form into school .

October - March .Wait and prepare for and do interviews while doing 2nd year of A levels and all of the above - paid and voluntary work, sports, music etc.

August - get results and place
September - leave for uni

This is a two year process minimum and the A level grades part is right at the end. Nothing seems to happen for a year and then it all happens in a few weeks.

The grades are important but they are not everything by a long way. There’s no benefit to doing four and quite a few disadvantages.

Even if you are not sure of one subject, it’s better either to swap for a safer bet or, if its a compulsory subject, do some extra work / get a tutor / more help from school.

Remember many medical schools will only interview those who score in the top half of the entrance test. That might sound easy but remember everyone sitting it is a prospective medic / dentist - they are all smart. Either they have the grades already or they have a good chance. Quite a few are already graduates. It’s a tough field.

Most state schools only allow 3 a levels theses days (further maths tends to be the exception. Do what he thinks is best not the school, and suggest he has a plan b just in case - dd spent the weekend showing would be medics who were predicted a*'s the biosciences dept because I'm reality it was A's and b's