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.

Cross post Zanda. Yes I'm completely fine with you copying the words. No problem at all. Not offended in the least. Why would I be? I just found it funny that you seemed to think you'd caught me out in some curious way when you hadn't at all. Rather, you've emphasised the point I've been making all along about different situations and circumstances. You seem to be really struggling. History and Medicine/ chalk and cheese.

If you'd been applying for medicine in the last few years you'd appreciate the lovely Julian, wherever you were applying. He was a bit of a star and he mentioned us lots on TSR.

I saw OPs update and I hope she gives the Head her opinion of his out of date info. Some staff who support Uni applications need to keep up to date better. Things change every year.

Goodbyestranger I was referring to the Zanda's post of Tue 27-Aug-19 14:21:18, not the later one.

Yes Tapas.

That's why she said Tapas was aware . Makes sense.

But Zanda nevertheless seems to thinks it's rabbit out of the hat time when in fact it's just a rather clumsy own goal (if we're scoring goals, which we're probably not - just a metaphor).

mumsneedwine I'm perfectly aware of Julian. What you say is shifting. Your position was that the comparison against school peers has never been a thing, now you appear to be saying it's merely out of date. I'm not clear why it would be, given the political backdrop of access but let that be. I think the new exams may require a re-think about just how many A levels it's wise to take without risking busting a gut, but the general principles for the top schools and most competitive courses hasn't changed.

You don't listen do you. You go and run with your thoughts that 'certain schools' have different rules. And the rest of us will live in the real world. And you can continue helping the hundreds of kids get to 'top' Unis each year - I can send you the volunteer links to the outreach programmes I work with. Very rewarding.

When my dgd went to a masterclass at Cambridge in April and again to an open day, she asked about the exams you have to take ( different for different courses) and she was told that they do not expect people to get much more than 25% right and unless you completely flunk them and get them all wrong the exams are basically just to see how you think.
As for 3 or 4 A levels as far as my dgds degree choice goes 3 is perfectly acceptable providing they are A*AA.
This is, of course, from speaking directly to admissions officers and tutors at Cambridge. This may not be enough 'verification' for some though.........

mums I agree with the pace of change - Gove has a lot to answer for. And with the internet parents can ‘arm’ themselves with good information to go back to school and argue their case. It was very easy to get the info from admissions depts over whether Dd doing an AS was in her best interests. Thankfully the school have taken it on board though their hand has been forced in the case of disappearing ASs! Mumsnet has been invaluable too - when Dd was despairing over the new harder papers in maths GCSE, teachers were on here saying the grade boundaries were ridiculously low. This gave her added confidence and less stress. So, going back to OP, I really think you have enough information from here to argue your case for 3 subjects if that’s what your child decides.

Blimey goodbyestranger you certainly get around on MN whenever I'm watching a thread on education up you pop!

DVDs school no longer offer AS subjects ( last 2 years).

Do 3. 4 not required. Simple as that. Three As Inc Chemistry are essential criteria, all credible candidates have that. What matters is the applicants BMAT, co-curricular profile and interview performance. Better to spend time on that than a fourth A Level. Have seen many 4 or 5 A Level candidates fail to gain an interview as their profile is asymmetrically aligned to their academic side. TLDR, do 3, school wants A Level reaults, MedSchools want rounded applicants.

As a teacher I would happily punch Gove. As a parent I'd like to disembowel him. The damage he has done to education is unforgivable. Changing the syllabus half way through teaching it and making mark schemes so schematic. All done by someone who knows sod all about learning. But hey, what do I know. I'm just a pleb who spends their day getting kids through the exams. And marks them. Sorry. I hate that weasel !!! Much like junior doctors hate Hunt (did I spell that right ?)

I feel sorry for all those DC swatting who go to private and grammar schools over the various pre entry tests for Oxbridge, all those super curricular activities, volunteering, working, studying for 4 A levels and probably other exams AND an active social life, private lessons etc etc. I feel sorry for them especially as not all will get into Oxbridge ( sigh).
My dgd has it really easy compared to them. Doesn't swat too much for pre entry exams because she's concentrating on her A levels, cannot afford to do super curricular activities, only volunteers a couple times a month, doesn't have a part-time job again because she's studying, no longer studies 4 A levels, doesn't have an active social life very often as all her friends live 37 miles away so logistics a bit tricky, absolutely no private lessons ( no way id pay £40+ an hour even if I could afford it) so she's having it real cushy and has as much chance of getting into Oxbridge as anyone else.

Zanda I think I referred to the pace of change.

mumsneedwine I don't need to be told about access initiatives cheers all the same.

Sostenueto you were on the GCSE thread last year for a great deal longer than me - I only popped in when exams started. You've now joined in with the Oxbridge 2020 thread since we both have a DC or DGC applying. The threads I'm on tend to be Oxbridge/ Durham/ any year in which my DC are doing public exams (since there are eight of them this happens to be the first year we've not had GCSEs/ ASs/ A levels). I'm not intending to apologise for eight DC. I accept it's unusual these days, but no matter of regret whatsoever. Eight DC mean more school years, more exams, more UCAS cycles - you name it, more of it. It's really that simple.

Sostenueto my DC are pretty relaxed and if you actually read some of these threads you say I'm on, you'll see my comments also that they have no prep at their school.

doesn't have a part-time job again because she's studying This seems a bit contradictory. Mine have all managed to work part time since Y9, for money. And done what's needed to be done. So yes, your DGD does seem to have it cushy if she doesn't do that too. Part-time jobs are good, not bad.

No social life also not good - genuinely. Never mind Cambridge, focus on the stuff which matters. I'm feeling really sorry for her. I hadn't read that when I commented re. part time jobs. Why is she 37 miles away from her friends?

I meant the first year for thirteen years that we haven't had exams/ results. Lovely!

mumsneedwine I think you need to chill (I'm reading backwards again). The reforms are good for a lot of DC and the better teachers have managed.

titchy I've just had to correct you over on the thread about the relative difficulty of GCSEs. Please get stuff right before you post - it's very misleading, especially when when you claim expertise. The issue on this thread is over generalisation. On the other thread you've made a factually incorrect statement about medical admissions and GCSEs.

goodbyestranger I knew you could not resist on commenting on my post and having a dig at me. It proves you bite very easily and you cannot resist in trying to prove your superiority over others. You do not know me personally even if we were on a thread for a while together and I do not know you. My post was my attempt at sarcasm. Poor, I know. But it got the response from you. I knew you just can't resist!

My dgd travels that distance to school every day goodbyestranger. She gets up at 5.30 am each morning. Is on a train at 7.15 am and doesn't get home on average till 5.30 pm. She has a friendship group of about 15 and actually they have been camping together during the summer for a week. Dgd does not 'do' social media and neither does a lot of her friends. So if you had been paying attention on the GCSE thread you would have known that my dgd goes to a school not in her county let alone town.

That's why ' logistics' are difficult for the friends to get together outside school terms. Some of her friends are from primary school where like the school she is at now 65% do not live in the town/city.

My dgd besides not having a lot of time to do a part time job does not work because we don't want her to. Concentrating on her education is her priority. There is time enough for work. Having had to slog all my life and her DM having to do the same doesn't mean she has to yet. She does voluntary work which is sufficient. Anyway I really don't have to explain everything to you GS.

But I began so I might as well finish. My dgd doesn't slog at revision for pre entry exams because she doesn't think (a) Oxbridge is the be all, end all and (b) for the maths/biology paper her average mark on past papers is 75% ( admittedly the other paper needs some practise).
Extra curricular activities are a no- no again because of time and money and ill- health. But she was county/ regional level swimmer at age 12 though she no longer swims in competitions.
So there you go goidbyestranger. I hope that cleats all up for you!

Clears.

Distance to school 37 miles. Distance back 37 miles.