E grade at AS Level Chemistry-should medicine dream be forgotten?

[zara77]

Hi Everyone
Really need some honest advice. My dd got an E grade at Chemistry AS Level. She got 1 A,2 B in other subjects. She had her heart set on medicine. But we have looked online and most medical schools require Chemistry. Post Grad Medicine is tough to get into,so she is a little lost. Her school recommends, her playing to her academic strengths and pursue a totally different degree. I don't really want her to do 4 A Levels but am getting the Chemistry remarked. My dd wants to resit the exam but i am concerned too much focus on one subject will let her down in her other subjects.
Should we follow the Schools advice? Would a tutor in Chemistry make a difference?
Thank you all in advance for your input.
Zara

I think it doesn't seem quite right. When I did a module of my psychology A level, I came out with an N (not even a pass). I had a place at Oxford, conditional on AAB grades and had been predicted an A. It was a total shock. My mum paid for it to be remarked. Over a month later we found out it had been a clerical error and I'd actually achieved an extremely high A! So mistakes do happen.

It wouldn't be the first clerical error I have heard of either. Not trying to get your hopes up, but I know someone who went from a D to an A - they didn't even remark. They just openend the paper and saw a mark of 18/20 had been inadvertently documented as 18%. Similarly the other marks previously had been excellent, prompting the remark.

I'd wait for the remark if you can.
Good luck.

One of my students got straight Asand still did not get onto medicine. She took a gap year and got in....her Ucas form had a couple of grammatical errors her tutor had missed and that was enough for her to be rejected.
She could retake the as year if she thinks she could get straight a s. that is the cheapest option.

not a single medical school pitmountain accepts retake years at AS/A2! do you really advise your students to do this if they want to do medicine?

Just read through all the replies,very informative. I think we will wait for the remark and maybe start investigating into other science based subject-with post
grad medicine in mind.

I know three doctors who trained as nurses first! One of them was a nurse lecturer, the others clinical frontline.

Worth a thought. They entered an accelerated course in medicine as mature students, one late twenties, the others in their early thirties.

Other careers highly valued in overseas healthcare- Physiotherapists, Radiographers both diagnostic and therapeutic, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists and Audiologists. Bio medicine is also useful.

Losad.i was involved with her in a different capacity rather than advising her.....I think her tutor let her down by not suggesting she proof read her Ucas form.the point is she was predicted straight As and got them at AS and A2 but still did not get in first time.
But thanks for pointing that out if I ever work advising students on what to do, you have enlightened me with your superior knowledge.

Mignonette has a great idea there....get the nurses training degree and then do medicine. I also know of people who have done this.

I did my a levels before they did as's but was predicted E and came out with b after tutoring And hard work and the penny just dropped, took me til my 2nd year. I know med school may not accept resits but can you help her to get penny to drop anyhow with a tutor?

Are her other subjects science or language?

If the OP dd does a nursing degree then her dd will not have to pay fees as its an nhs career. Also her dd would be able to work as an agency nurse during the holidays of a post grad medicine course.

And she could still go abroad to help people if she was a nurse :)

I have today one of my brightest students from some years back was considering post graduate medicine after her degree....straight A grades at A2.
She chose nursing and she is loving it.it is not a bad idea at all. Imagine what a good doctor she would be with a nurses training behind her too.and subsidized training.

knowsabitabouteducation- I am surprised to here you say tha. At my DSs school it is the coursework bit that pulls everyone down.The school is very strong at chemistry though and one yeargot the best results in the country for A level chemistry.

hear

Sorry I have not replied today,was on a work conference. DD seems so miserable,I have never seen her so upset. I will look into the nursing aspect for her. She is doing biology,maths and french. She is considering doing a french degree. I am not sure about job prospects or even career types-apart from the obvious. A friend of mine said i should look at american uni's for her but I don't know where to begin. I want to get her a tutor-again never got one before. How much should i expect to pay? Any good ones in London for maths and chemistry.
Thank you all again for taking the time to read and reply.
Zara

If she did a degree in French she would be spending time in France, why not have a look at French medical schools? She may need to do somesort of foundation to polish her language skills.

I'm not an expert but I believe you start your first year in France as a 'health student' and at the end of the first year take exams to allow you to progress to training as a doctor, pharmacist or some other health care profession. It is at the end of the first year when the selection takes place, although I believe only 10-20% pass.

America would be very expensive without a bursary, and it involves 4 years 'pre med' followed by 4 years medicine.

Other options if she doesn't mind studying abroad are eastern Europe and India, nut if she studied in India I think she would need further studies to work iin the UK.

You can't do medicine as an undergraduate degree in the US. You have to take a first BA (usually one with a science major) and then apply to med school. Very, very expensive - I wouldn't recommend it.

Get the Chemistry paper remarked and see what happens. I think that if the Chemistry grade doesn't change or if she continued to struggle with it then medicine is probably a no-go - sorry. There is a LOT of biochemistry in any medical course.

Other options: I think from reading another thread on here recently that if you do the postgrad medicine course the funding situation is going to be different in future - you would need to check this out. I think to get on the accelerated course you would need an excellent first degree in a science field, and quite possibly chemistry A Level as well anyway. Other degree courses that come to mind: nursing, psychology (I know someone who did this and then medicine), medical biology, healthcare science, speech and language pathology, medical physics, radiography, audiology. I think there are also non-degree routes too - check the NHS careers website.

What are her other subjects? If she could do a language degree, that would help if she wanted to work in the developing world - being able to speak French in particular would be a real asset. She could always do a masters in international development if she wanted to work in that field.

Medicine in France is extremely competitive. She may get on to the first year course, but they cull 70% of the students after the first year. To be good enough to get through in a foreign language she would have to be VERY good.

Zara - I just wonder if she could apply after she has done her A2's and take a gap year. If she gets very high results at A2 should would have more of a chance and can build up a good portfolio of work experience once the pressure is off. Perhaps she can even spend some time volunteering abroad?

as you've been told America is not a good option. There are other places within the EU but they are also likely to want Chemistry. Graduate medicine is a possibility with a degree in non-medical subjects but she would have very limited choices as most expect a degree in something like biomedical science or pharmacology.

Medicine is not for everyone and if she is seriously considering a French degree instead then perhaps she doesn't have the commitment or confidence necessary. If she was determined to be a doctor she'd be convinced a mistake had been made, be demanding a remark and studying for a resit. There are medical schools that accept resits, more than accept resits during the A level course than accept them afterwards. It is quite feasible for her to resit Chemistry, although she might need a gap year and to apply with known grades. The student room website will help you identify medical schools that do accept resits.

Medicine involves life-long learning, long hours, disrupted family life. It amazes me that intelligent young people who could choose much easier careers still want to do it. Most employers are less interested in the subject of the degree than the level.

I'm surprised she's not doing physics. Most people going into medicine have an interest in and flare for science subjects and generally are high achievers in all science subjects.
I'd encourage her to look at other career options. With the current price of tuition fees I wouldn't be encouraging anyone to do 2 degrees. If it's the helping disadvantaged people thing that appeals to her rather than medicine itself there are plenty of careers she can go into to do that.
If she's considering doing a french degree instead then maybe she has changed her mind about that though.

Oh I see you said what her other subjects are. Was the A in French? Is that why she is thinking French degree?

It also depends on what her GCSEs were like - I'm sure I've read somewhere that GCSEs are a better predictor of success at degree level than A level results. In any case, they get taken into account in admissions decisions too.

My niece missed out on getting into medicine due to getting a B in her A levels (offer was for three As). She did a degree in maths with a minor in Spanish, during which time she did weekly voluntary work at a local hospital, volunteered with St Johns and spend her summers doing health related jobs/ work experience/ volunteering. When she then applied for postgrad medicine she had no issue getting in (with a 2:1 degree), and they really loved the fact she had such a high level in a language.

If after the remark she still doesn't look likely to get into medicine at undergrad level, would combining her French with a natural science or maths be an option? At least then she could study something she really enjoys while helping the ultimate dream alive.

Biology, chemistry, maths and another subject are spot on for medicine.

I do wonder a bit why the alternative would be a languages degree rather than a science subject. Not for postgraduate medicine chances, I don't know about that, but more a question of which subjects to take to A2. Or is she taking all four through?