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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Is medicine a possibility at all?

71 replies

TipsyTiger · 20/09/2024 18:09

Asking on behalf of a friend, brief details are as follows -
9 GCSES grade 6-9, Maths at a 5
A levels Biology, History and Psychology - predicted BAA respectively.
UCAT 2450

I’m trying to support my friend to support her DS, but from reading the medicine threads I’m thinking a re-think may be needed?

OP posts:

Medicalstudentandchemtutor · 21/09/2024 14:00

Caramilk · 21/09/2024 13:39

@mumsneedwine
I hope you're right, but they told my dd (who only asked if they'd applied to UCAS yet at Christmas, so not needing to say this) that they had three offers for medicine already, which seems a bit precise if they hadn't. And from what you say this sounds unlikely.

They're not normally a boaster, which was why I took it at face value, and my cousin can be a bit pushy, but I wouldn't expect her to lie directly.

Show quote history

Perhaps they didn't mean to say offer but instead interview invite? I accidentally said that once but of course corrected myself!

NoNotHimTheOtherOne · 21/09/2024 14:04

nearly every med school in the country requires chemistry A level.

No they don't. There are 16 that don't require it.

mumsneedwine · 21/09/2024 14:13

Newcastle don't even need science A levels

Pinkissmart · 21/09/2024 14:23

I think parents who push their children toward careers their child doesn’t want are abusive.

OP perhaps ask why your friend won’t research more options? There are so many wonderful things in the world - why push children towards something they don’t like?
I despair.

SockFluffInTheBath · 21/09/2024 16:10

SpanThatWorld · 20/09/2024 18:55

Son can apply for Medicine but put something he really wants to do as non-Medicine choice. Then do that.

Some families are utterly fixated on their children becoming doctors. I've seen kids doing A levels they hate and either failing to get in - or worse, starting the course and then failing what is often a brutal first year.

I think this sounds like a plan. OP are you able to communicate this to the DS without his parents knowing/being in the loop?

This kind of thing annoys me intensely. DH and I are both engineers, not quite as sexy as medicine I grant you, but our DC are both on very different paths and that’s normal and fine. The poor lad needs to finish school and get away from his parents.

CherryValley5 · 21/09/2024 16:16

Why the lack of chemistry if medicine was always the plan? If his heart is set on medicine (which to be honest I don’t believe it is!) then he’ll likely have to apply post-grad after doing a related degree like biomed, anatomy etc. Things are still very competitive this way however and he would need 1st class honours to stand half a chance.

thing47 · 22/09/2024 14:20

Medicalstudentandchemtutor · 21/09/2024 11:59

Yeah I didn't realise he needed to get away from his parents. I'm doing med and living at home but I recognise for most people they want to have that independence and space after college/sixth form

Biomed is perfectly fine as long as its not done for the sole purpose of getting into medicine as like I said its not a guarantee

Show quote history

Biomed is a well-worn back door path into medicine, I think. DD2 did biomed and quite a few people on her course were hoping to do medicine – it's a long route though as in most cases a biomed degree only excludes the first year at med school, so you would most likely do 7 years in total.

As @Medicalstudentandchemtutor rightly says, there are no guarantees, although anecdotally some medical schools are impressed by the commitment shown by a student willing to go down that route.

ShamblesRock · 22/09/2024 21:44

Just a point about Lancaster specifically. My DD is going there to do Environmental Science and she has to do a chemistry module as she didn't do it for A level. She also needs to take a maths one because she got a 6 and they want a 7.

I'm aware that it is a totally different course, but if that is the stipulation for ES the expectation for Medicine is surely going to be higher, even if Chemistry isn't necessarily a requirement.

Original poster

TipsyTiger · 07/11/2024 13:57

Just to update, he managed to get school to talk to his parents, and now is applying for History at Oxbridge. (I may have showed him this thread so thanks to all who offered opinions!)

OP posts:

titchy · 07/11/2024 15:07

Oxford with BAA predictions.....

Brananan · 07/11/2024 15:54

Physiotherapy?

Oh god, just seen update! Well, good luck to him. Sad he's not managed to free himself from the weight of expectations!

Hols23 · 09/11/2024 12:10

titchy · 07/11/2024 15:07

Oxford with BAA predictions.....

Just one choice out of five to keep his parents happy I imagine 😉

Caramilk · 18/12/2024 20:59

mumsneedwine · 21/09/2024 13:21

@Caramilk work experience alone will not get you an interview. UCAT and grades (they don't need to be perfect but do need 7s). So possible they got lots of offers - just not before Christmas. Students have to wait for ages ! So maybe the medicine bit is right, but the timeline a little optimistic.

Unfortunately @mumsneedwine (in case anyone draws false hope from my posts) it's now come out through a mutual friend whose dc is doing the same course, that they're doing paramedic science at Birmingham City rather than medicine at Birmingham Uni.

I'm really sorry for her because she obviously couldn't be proud of herself for her achievements, and has felt (whether from pressure from cousin or herself) that she had to hide it to a point of lying to everyone. I don't even know if my aunt knows yet.
None of us would have cared; so why did she feel she had to?
I'm quite upset for her.

mumsneedwine · 18/12/2024 21:02

@Caramilk I'd be proud as punch if mine was a paramedic. Awesome job done by awesome people.

Caramilk · 18/12/2024 21:08

mumsneedwine · 18/12/2024 21:02

@Caramilk I'd be proud as punch if mine was a paramedic. Awesome job done by awesome people.

I know. That's what upsets me. We would have been so proud of her.

ByQuaintAzureWasp · 18/12/2024 21:12

Why the heck did he do history if he wants to be a doctor? No, he won't get in.

mumsneedwine · 19/12/2024 08:20

History is a v fine A level for medicine, although best to combine it with biology and chemistry.

Musicaltheatremum · 19/12/2024 08:59

mumsneedwine · 18/12/2024 21:02

@Caramilk I'd be proud as punch if mine was a paramedic. Awesome job done by awesome people.

So would I and I did medicine!!

Musicaltheatremum · 19/12/2024 09:00

mumsneedwine · 19/12/2024 08:20

History is a v fine A level for medicine, although best to combine it with biology and chemistry.

No he's applying to study history at university.

mumsneedwine · 19/12/2024 09:02

@Musicaltheatremum a degree I would love to have done. I sometimes teach history these days, because I love it as a subject. And I'm a chemistry teacher 😊

2kidsand1dog · 28/12/2024 13:21

TipsyTiger · 07/11/2024 13:57

Just to update, he managed to get school to talk to his parents, and now is applying for History at Oxbridge. (I may have showed him this thread so thanks to all who offered opinions!)

Did he get an interview at Oxford? Really hope he is going to do a subject he wants to 🤞🏻

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