What subjects should my daughter choose in S3, S4, S5, and S6 if she wants to study medicine and become a doctor?

[mithileshbhende]

Hello all,
I am new in Scotland and stay in East Renfrewshire. My question is for my daughter who is currently in S2 and going to select subjects soon.
My daughter is very strong academically and is determined to pursue a career in medicine. As she prepares to choose her subjects, I'm a bit concerned about making sure she selects the right ones to ensure she qualifies for medical school in Scotland.

• What subjects should she choose in S3 and S4 to build a strong foundation for medical school?
• What Highers should she select in S5 to meet the medical school requirements?
• What does S6 involve, and what should she focus on during that year to stay on track?
• Are there common subject combinations that students generally stick to for medical school admissions?
• When do students take the National 5 tests, and how do they fit into the subject combinations for medicine?

I want to make sure she makes the right choices and doesn't miss anything important. Any advice from parents or students who have been through this process would be greatly appreciated!

I was reading through the following and am a little confused. This link gives the entry requirements for the 5 universities in Scotland

https://insights.gostudent.org/en/which-highers-are-needed-for-medicine#general-info

Maths & the 3 sciences.

Then 6th year AH Chemistry & Maths & one of Physics or Biology.

Look at the uni admissions pages. They are quite detailed on their requirements.

She will need 5 As at Higher at 1st attempt plus do well on the MCAT exam.

She will also need medical related work experience.

As previous poster said, but UK medical schools like candidates who appear well rounded, so not just academic high achievers. Most students accepted to medicine will participate in sport regularly, often compete at regional or national level and most play at least one instrument.

Medicine is not such an attractive career as it used to be, many years of post graduate training and exams after university, and being required to move around the country to different hospitals and work nights and weekends. Your daughter should keep an open mind and not commit herself completely to medicine from S2.

They all seem to require 5 As at higher, all achieved in one sitting (so 5th year in reality). Highers definitely need to include Chemistry, and then it depends on the University. For instance Glasgow seems to want Chemistry, Biology, and either Maths or Physics, as 3 of the 5 required. Others don't specify so much.

I would focus on each step. So for S3 choices I would definitely take chemistry. English and maths are compulsory at that age. Then definitely another science. Whether she takes all 3 is partly down to whether the school can timetable it. The other choices are entirely up to her, and I would recommend taking things that she enjoys, and excells at. There is no point in taking French for instance if she hates it. Its early days, a wide breadth of subjects will allow her to keep her options open as she may well change her mind.

If it helps my daughter also wants to do medicine and took Nat5s in:
English, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Modern Studies, French,Graphic Communication and PE (PE is compulsory at her school).
For highers she is taking English Maths Chemistry Biology and French

Chemistry and biology best science combos at both Nat 5 and Higher. Lots take both those subjects up to S6 Advanced Higher too. If she has maths at Higher then lack of the third science physics won't be such a concern and she may still have an option of crashing the third science as part of her subject combinations in S6 if she absolutely feels she wants all three sciences plus maths (even though universities don't require all 4 science/maths subjects.)
Even if schools can timetable all three sciences in S3/S4 they'd probably have a preference for a wider variety of subject to be taken as lots can change from S2 to S4.

Even if she gets As across the board she'll still face the UCAT assessment as part of medical school entry which can make or break offers, so encourage her to keep her options open at this stage but take the safe sciences to keep her in the running for medicine should it stay as her preferred option.

To be honest if she's as bright as you say she'll have much wider career options beyond medicine that would probably be far less stressful and much more lucrative. Medicine not as attractive to a lot of kids as it once was for many reasons.

Lots of kids with excellent academics and work experience don’t get any offers for medical school. She’ll probably need at least chemistry and one other science at higher (A) and probably advanced higher (A or B) as well. Also UCAT and work experience. Many more clever and dedicated kids than available places sadly.

My DD has applied for medicine for next year and has received offers based on her getting higher maths, English, biology and PE,. Most unis want chemistry and maths and are flexible in the others so your DD can focus on the subjects she is strong in.
its a long slog though applying to medicine, my DD has conditional offers as you need 2 or 3 advanced highers depending on which uni it is

Know lots of kids who have gone to medical school in recent years from the school my kids are at.

Most common combination appears to be Highers in : English, Maths, Chemistry, Biology + one other subject (typically something like History, Geography, French, Physics)

Then in S6 Advanced Highers in Biology and Chemistry, maybe Maths as well.

I would ensure my child took 3 sciences and maths. Achieved at A. Universities will have more information on their websites. Get in touch with them to speak through, open day visits for medicine. As pp said extra curricular sports, experiences, etc good to show well rounded individual. Relevant work experience and a backup option essential as it's so competitive. Encourage your child to do their research into a career as a medic - it's a vocation rather than a career.