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.

It's the advice of Admissions tutors and UCAS.

Yes but is it the you know, ADVICE. The nod-nod wink-wink, middle finger tap handshake, advice only given to certain Heads of 6th?

... medicine tutors in real life talking to certain schools give ...different advice to those in charge at certain high achieving schools

😎.

Excellent post ZandathePanda

In my, admittedly very limited, experience the advice given by admissions tutors at the university open days we went to was often the complete opposite of the advice DD was given at school.

DD decided that university admissions tutors knew what they were looking for far more than heads of 6th forms.

Haha Tapas you are aware that those are my words in italics?!!!! I wrote them this morning in relation to one of my DDs/ a poster with a DD in a similar position applying for the same subject (History) from a similar school. As Zanda says, she wasn't applying for Medicine. At some point mumsneedwine may understand that different courses at different unis and applicants from different schools can't take one universal approach but I'm not expecting it to be anytime soon.

Saying that medical schools want the best people is a fairly meaningless statement given that it's so bleedingly obvious. And 'ace the aptitude tests'? I mean, no applicant is going to bring home a middling result are they? The strongest applicants can do it all and those with educational privilege can't knock all those without it off the perch or certain stakeholders would be up in arms.

Silly language and distorting what I've said won't alter the facts. I've never implied cloak and dagger. Just that things are a little less black and white than a few posters here would suggest.

This is just such a lot of nonsense. No-one is getting masonic style info.

That should say no applicant is going to intend to bring home a middling result. Lots will of course but everyone is going to do their best. I don't think empty soundbites are going to bag an offer tbf.

CaravaggioLover I have a DD who, while not in the 'geeky' camp at all, was certainly very reserved at the time of interview. She applied for History, was at a state grammar which gave no direct Oxbridge prep other than a single practice interview with the relevant teacher (though not in the Oxbridge format) and did three A levels in a year when most of her peers were required to do four. One of those was even Art shock. She is however ferociously bright and very interesting - once she's relaxed. The tutors were fantastic at getting her to talk without wasting a lot of interview time. They really do know what they're doing. They didn't seem to care two hoots about the fourth A level being dropped (she took French to AS), and even in the face of having her bag with all her belongings (including much needed cigarettes) pinched from her shoulder by the Radcliffe Camera, she was fine. I really don't think you should worry - rely on the tutors' experience and good sense of what type of applicant they're dealing with. She certainly shouldn't worry about the fourth subject - particularly not now with the new exams.

There you are Tapas, the unabridged version of what I wrote earlier today :) One size doesn't fit all.

It wasn't Art shock it was Art .

Tapas was aware

Do you have large feet Zanda?! :)

I was also aware.

Cross post Zanda. So Tapas was aware that I'm able to differentiate according to particular circumstances and said what was written was excellent.... Because she assumes it applies to a top grammar school kid applying for a top medical school - when it doesn't?

Well of course you were aware Zanda the post had my name at the top! I give you credit for spotting that at least!

There's nothing to suggest Tapas knew. But perhaps there are nods and winks going on which I know nothing about :)

Tapas was replying to my previous comment.

Apologies Goodbye but I thought it was obvious that Tapas was replying to my post about 6th form head advice, not your words in italics. It’s not nice to start a post with ‘haha’ though, especially when you’ve got it completely wrong that it’s all about you.

I am glad you are seeing the light about 3 subjects rather than 4 though. That’s why I quoted you.

...must try harder not to bite!
Peace and love everyone x

I'm sure she'll agree with that now Zanda, whatever the reality. It seems likely that she was referring to the thing about not giving two hoots but there's pressure to stick with the crowd :)

I advised my DD in 2008 Zanda. 2008. I'm just able to apply common sense and knowledge to different situations and to move with the times - education has been moving fast in the past decade. It sounds to me as though you've misunderstood what I was saying, and when I was saying it, and made another boo boo. That's fine - we all do it, just some more than others :)

Yes absolutely - all good natured, on my part at least.

Not sure why your immediate reply was Tapas was aware grin then. No matter, let's move on!

Quoting the obvious (again), I hope OP has now taken the Admissions tutors advice. The wonderful Julian at Sheffield must still be around somewhere 😁. I miss him.

Bloody hell!

Have a 🥃 Tapas. And a large dollop of humour. I deal with teenagers every day so find the latter helps. 😎

Apologies Goodbye it was too good not too. You have said in the past you don’t get offended so I thought you would see the funny side.

OP came back this morning and gave us an update mumsneedwine. Perhaps you missed it.Also, no-one mentioned Sheffield! London BMAT unis yes, Sheffield and similar no.

I mean, humour is great but really there aren't many funny posts on this thread.

Tapas Zanda posted a comment of mine without attributing it, to which you responded. It's very mild in the scheme of things!