3 A Levels for medicine when everyone else is doing 4

[MoreNmore]

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.

Peterenas is massively keen on Eton and massively keen on the London schools but not at all keen on Oxbridge, since around January 2012 (before that he or she was very keen). But her DS seems to be doing extremely well. He did four A levels not three and got A* in all.

Just filling in in case Peterenas does a no show or is on his or her hols (I can't do the link to show all the best research being done in London though or the league tables of this and that).

Yawn. Nope Eton kid goes to Notts too. Comp kid goes to Cambs and Grammar kid goes to UCL. Apologies I missed a person out - thought 2 at Notts didn't really matter. Kids all know each other from a sport thing they do/ex boyfriend/work. DD knows a few more at other places too. Anyway, off to do some work so hope OP has all the information they need now to make an informed decision.

No idea Indicative, you'd have to address the poster in question! I have to say I'm puzzled too as to why drawing on long experience in the grammar school sector and at sixth form level and as a parent of a medical student is a no go area even when it's square on the OP . Please don't mention my DC again incidentally unless I mention them first.

Ah yes you did miss one out mumsneedwine....

I'm off too. I don't think much more can be said which is helpful to the OP. The Ho6 is the person to get advice from at the start of term.

Thank you for the advice 🙂

Goodbye - can you point me to any thread where you don't mention (at least one of) your DC? Also you frequently refer to other posters previous posts on other threads (citing your memory) so why do you think it ok to impose this rule on me when you clearly think it is ok to draw on the past posting history of others?

Once again I would point that other people's actual experiences are just as valid as the next poster including yours.

You have a priviliged background (by your own admission), chose to educate your children in the state system (but have access to a top grammar but refuse to accept this infers a certain amount of privilege in itself), your children are clearly exceptionally clever based on their destination unis but this does not invalidate other people's experiences and routes through their education and life including those who go to Oxford. All this is gleaned from your own posts. I do not have an exceptional memory like you to remember a myriad of poster's posts but you are very prolific in your posting and have made us all aware of all those things mentioned above ad nauseum.

For someone who clearly is involved in and an advocate for access and outreach (or at least purports to be) your tone is very patronising at the least and downright condescending at the worst. If you want to be called out then here goes - it is you that kills off a number of Higher Education threads or at least scares the OP off!

I am hoping not to have breached any guidelines and for this to be deleted as I would like Goodbye to see this before it is if I have. She has specifically asked me to address the poster in question.

They certainly know about my DD & happy to bring them up 😇. I only comment on posts if think I can be helpful about something I deal with every day, like Uni applications. Take my advice or don't. But don't tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, as I do.
And just heard one of our remarks has come back and a C is now a B. Yeah.
Anyone want to plan my lessons today ? It's sunny and I should be lazing in the garden.

It's been enlightening 😂😂. Think I might have a cheeky 🍺 later - bit early even for me.

Delurking - rarely post - it is too scary on these threads!

@Goodbyestranger, the first statement below is at odds with the rest of your statements, insofar as all your statements are based upon your DC experiences - if they weren't, your views would be redundant if not an admissions expert like @sirtobybelch.

Please don't mention my DC again incidentally unless I mention them first.

My own DC never look at league tables either

If you don't, then your practice differs from the places my own DC and their peers have interviewed at.

My other DC all took three A levels only from the same school and those were completely sufficient

I would like to add I work with Dr’s in a highly complex high tech area and it is never discussed where they originally trained. Many teach or are involved in research at a local university (Cambridge) as well as others. Several are likely to have trained abroad but all are there based on post university experience and merit.

I may have missed something, but why are the A level results and educational background of random MNer's DC, who doesn't appear to have been anywhere near this thread, being referred to in a bid for privacy for the most widely quoted DC on the higher education topics?

Indicative I think I'll let you trawl through my posts on this lovely sunny day while I go down to the beach :) You'll find that I rarely mention my DC in any way which could amount to giving them a puff (or myself vicariously). That in itself draws criticism! A lot of criticism! But you're welcome to send me any posts you find which fail the no puff test (but possibly by private message so that you don't bore the pants off other people?) Incidentally I've never ever mentioned my DCs' personal lives (unlike many other posters talking about their own DC) and never ever would; I've also never ever mentioned mine (including professional details) and never ever would (with that one exception about haematoIogy above and only after being informed that I've had no tricky medical conditions - very odd). I also keep to the educational topics and to issues I know a good deal about: the grammar school sector, and a small number of universities and subjects. Obviously eight DC will trigger more mentions than a family of a more usual size - they have one hundred and eleven school years between them and fifty five school years at a superselective. Nowhere on MN will you find a comment I've made which isn't based on sound experience, unless I've included a caveat. I do note all the personal attacks but am so seriously unmoved by them I can't tell you. Honestly, genuinely, water off a duck's back. Largely because almost all say so much more about the attacker than the attacked, as is usually the case. Anyhow, there are more pleasant people on these threads than unpleasant and the attacks always come from those who are shirty for one reason or another (the reason is fairly obvious actually) and they often distort what was said. It's not always clear whether that's intentional or not. For that reason I wouldn't dream of asking for any post to be deleted unless it named me or my DC or their school or a college they were at. But I'd counsel against using such a lovely day to analyse my posting history - I think it's a pretty unwholesome use of beautiful weather.

I realise I haven't picked up all your points - including the one about privilege (have I ever 'admitted' to being privileged?! I'd be surprised) - but I really just can't be fagged.

Late to the thread, but the several among my sons' friends from a highly selective independent school who applied for medicine mainly did 3 A levels - some did 4 but there was no recommendation from the school that they did (and I say this having sat through 2 of the A level information sessions at which the parents of would be medics and Oxbridge applicants dominated the Q&A and asked that specific question among others). They were also specifically told that medical schools were not in the least interested in EPQs and that they could do one if they really wanted to but it wouldn't improve their chances. They all seem to have been successful with offers. My niece, also at a superselective private, went to Cambridge to study medicine with 3 A levels and got her first choice of placement after clinical etc - this was 10 years ago though.

So I would think if kids from a superselective private school aren't being advised to do 4 it should be no different at a superselective grammar.

I have been reading this with interest/despair (warm sunny day on a deckchair in the garden having just finished my book)

Goodbye - I think I get what Indicative is trying to say. Sometimes your posts are worded in such a way as to make us mere mortals feel a bit inferior.....hey, I feel a bit intimidated which isnt something I often feel!! I can see why some posters may feel 'scared' to contribute but your posts are normally full of wise words of experience and invaluable for those of us try it to navigate the intricacies of Oxbridge/Medicine but they sometimes come across as a bit 'superior' which I really don't think you mean. It's hard to read someone's real intent via the written word.
Sorry, I know I am not as eloquent as many of you but hopefully we can get this back on track?

Peace?

most of the present senior consultants ie in their 50's were at medical school when the standard offer was BBB and outside oxford you would probably get in with BBC ( so long as C wasn't chemistry)
of course some of them may have got A's but no-one is asking

of course back then I think far fewer people got A grades

Perhaps there should be a golden rule of no more than 20 posts on any thread regarding university applications? The OP usually has their question answered on the first page of each thread before it descends into chaos. I hadn't realised that the HE threads are more fun than AIBU until recently. Maybe we need the voting buttons they've introduced over there!

Bit of healthy debate never hurt anyone. And we all have different experiences and perspectives - all valid. And, most importantly, meant I did no planning yesterday and had a day off 😁 🥂.

How's the head? Let's face it, a nice sunny Bank Holiday Saturday deserves another glass!

Good on you mumneedmore wine.

TBH I would like nothing more than a cool glass of wine/beer in a pub garden tonight. Sadly on the wagon after an indulgent holiday - stupid amounts of food but copious drinks too.

I just keep reminding myself that it's good for me 😁

Mmmm mumsneedwine!!!
Just as well I am not drinking

G and T for me

I may have started again 🥂. Hope all enjoying this lovely day. Youngest at Reading Festival and I'm hoping she has drunk enough water. Not the vodka she sneaked in as mouthwash.
Cheers all 🍻