Alternatives to Medicine after strong A level results and no interviews

[nomoreforks]

So my YP applied for Medicine with good predicted grades and 9s/8s and GCSE. Got no interviews (UCAT was not amazing) and withdrew application. Has received A*AA in A level. Has no idea what to study and does not want to sit the UCAT again. Is feeling really lost about what to study and where. I studied English at University so I am of no help at all. She does not want to be a pharmacist. Does anyone have any recommendations?

25+yrs ago I did biomed at Birmingham and was one of few who hadn’t applied to medicine originally. An update on what my course mates ended up doing in case useful ideas for your DD:

• about half went on to do medicine (post-grad med didn’t exist then so they went in at yr1 again)
• Allied profs (physiotherapist, radiographer, clinical geneticist, dietician)
• Academia (embryologist, neuroscientist, anatomist, microbiology - all profs now incl at oxbridge and MIT)
• Industry (pharma research, pharma commercial sales, biotech software design, research tech, med comms agency)
• Publishing and education (medical journals eg BMJ, OUP; funding charities eg Wellcome, Cancer Research; Royal College of Surgeons central team etc)
• Government (MHRA, NHS management, NICE, DFID).

I didn’t want to be a doctor but didnt want to study anything else. I adored my degree and have ended up in a career I love that pays just as much as medicine with none of the stress and lots of flexibility for family life.

If nothing else I hope this list shows the range of options open to your DD for when shes ready to make next decisions. I wish her all the best!

Nearly thirty years ago now but I know someone who missed out on medicine and did anatomy, then moved to medicine.

Remembered another important one as your DD clearly very smart. One friend did a law conversion afterwards and now works in medical-legal cases; shes v impressive woman!

Much easier to apply this year with grades already in the bag.

My son's friend did poorly in UCAT and while he had good final grades he assumed he would need to repeat UCAT but got into medicine at Brighton uni so worth asking there

Same thing happened to a friend’s daughter and she is doing Medical Pharmacology. Just did a years placement with GSK and never looked back. No longer interested in medicine after experiencing this.

Educational psychology? There's been a cry-out for Ed Psychs for years (so job security is good), the work is meaningful, they're well respected, they earn decent money and they get the school holidays off.

Mum still reckons I should have gone down that route rather than law 😏

I was going to say you've had some excellent suggestions here.

What about Neuroscience?

Or Psychology - she'd need to commit to getting a PhD to do Clinical or Forensic

Educational Psych as @SpicyMargFTW mentions is definitely in demand

Neuroscience can be tightly related to the medical field, OP, and it is populated by intelligent people. That’s a really good possibility from @NameforaDay77 .

You may need a PhD to work intensively in the field but it would very likely be sponsored.

It isn't clear from your posts what aspect of medicine appeals to your dd. Knowing that might help guide suggestions. One option is STP training. She would do an undergraduate science degree then sign up to a training program. Things like genetic counselling, embryology etc

nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/programmes/stp/applicants/introducing-the-scientist-training-programme/what-are-the-stp-specialties/

I think this is true really. You can't magic up an answer. She has to think things through.

How would she feel about studying dentistry?

Dietetics might be of interest.

What was her fifth, non Medicine UCAS choice? Would that still be an interest?

I would leave her to it for a bit. Plenty of time to retake the UCAT again if she really wants to do medicine.
I’m a doctor of nearly 30 years and also recruit to a local med school. In the last 15 years I’ve seen people admitted to our medical course from all kinds of professions and backgrounds. All is not lost if she does something else then decides she wants to do medicine.
All I would say is she needs to really really want to do medicine. It is not an easy option with many pressures during the training from academic pressures to frequent moving location and then the pressures that come with the job itself. She needs to make the decision herself which might take time. Good luck with whatever she decides to do

I wonder if it might help to have a year working in an NHS setting before reapplying. Any role would do, as long as it gave patient contact and a real understanding of how the NHS works.

A lot of applicants don't do a fifth choice. Some have the idea that it is just medicine for them. And will reapply the following year.
DD did this (only got one offer as UCAT not great but there were alternatives at the time).
If medicine is what she wants to do then reapply

Thanks everyone for all your replies! They have been so useful. So DD has decided to take the UCAT as she has some time to study(I booked a late September spot) and see how she does (but not necessarily applying for medicine). She is planning on working and travelling this year and hopefully she will get more of an idea of what kind of work would appeal to her. She is also considering studying Chemistry/BioChem or another science subject. Thanks for all the suggestions of different careers that I could suggest to her as areas to investigate.

The route to Educational Psychology is long. You need to be a teacher in addition to having a doctorate. None of the Ed Psychs I know get school holidays off.

A GP I know started out doing biomedical science.

Just be aware that if she does apply for medicine she'll need to be in country for interviews (between Nov and May depending on where she chooses). Can be hard to travel until these are done so must choose to work first 6 months and then travel.

PS Strategy matters ! Have a handy spreadsheet if you'd like it - making sure you apply where your stats fit is so important.

CampbellFairfax - great list