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 looked seriously into graduate medicine and the majority of the tiny number of unis that offer it require a science-y degree. A few will take any degree, some will only take actual science degrees.

Several of my friends who applied for medicine as undergrads didn't get in with A, A, A, B at A2 and graduate medicine is just as competitive and has little in the way of loans until the 2+ year.

Wanting to heal people is also quite vague. Is she aware of the realities of a medicine degree? Practicing internal exams etc on fellow students, how long it is before you actually start working as a medic. Maybe she should find a current/recent student to talk to about it.

I personally wouldn't encourage nursing as that's a very long road to becoming doctor if that's the only reason she's doing it.

Any public service job "helps people".

Maybe a session with a life coach would help her gain some clarity. I've certainly found it helpful in the past.

Ps few unis take resits for medicine you need to check before doing it and finding out it's no help.

If she has a language ability - would she consider Linguistics? My DD just graduated in Linguistics (but started as a straight language degree then specialised) and one career offered to linguists is Speech Therapy (which you can even study as an Undergraduate course sponsored by NHS) and then do work with children, stroke pts etc??

Just considering other Healthcare options.

Just read through today's advise from everyone. Thank you all again. DD is has been looking at all the options suggested. It is a shame that everything has to be decided so young but i am very much encouraged by the personal journeys shared on here. DD is going to do the resit for jan. She needs a tutor,so i am searching the internet. We have never had a tutor before-I have been quoted £45 per hour-is that good?
A gap year sounds appealing to her but she only got back from doing some school related overseas volunteering(during the summer hols). I am happy to support whatever she wants to do, I just do not want her to regret anything.
Hope everyone is having a good bank holiday-i will post again tomorrow evening. I am going to take dd out for the day-to celebrate all her other marks(so far she has not even acknowledged them).

zara I don't want to put a damper on anything but if the re-mark doesn't push your DD over the grade boundary then you should really ask for advice as to whether an A at A2 is numerically possible, even assuming 100%. Most med schools do seem to stipulate an A in Chemistry at A2.

Sorry, posted too soon.

Since re-sits aren't ok for med school, are they? ( but is it an absolute rule?).

fortunately I had a pm so came back to this thread. Re-sits ARE accepted by some, not all, medical schools. There are a few who accept resits after A level and quite a lot who accept resits of modules within the A level period. The Student Room guide is here www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Where_to_Study_Medicine
however it should be checked as policies can change each year. I know that UCL have recently said they will accept a single resit, for example, post A level.

Those who do accept resits post A level will, however, often ask for an A* - and this is unlikely to be available to the OPs child unless the remark produces an improvement. Although Chemistry marks do not often change dramatically there have at times been a few very substantial errors in the marking process and that should not be ruled out until the remark is back. As an example remarks can sometimes show entire questions not being marked at all, or clerical errors in transcription. OP I hope you requested a copy of the paper. Module resits do not generally increase the grade requirement so if the OP's child can retake in January and then achieve at A at A2 there would be schools that would accept it.

While most medical schools require Chemistry to A2 some do not. There was a programme or spreadsheet somewhere on the Student Room website that was accurate on that when produced but policies do change. There are several that accept Chemistry only at AS level if biology is taken to A2 and two or three with no formal requirement for Chemistry at all provided Biology is offered at A2. Where Chemistry is accepted at AS they are likely to require an A grade but I believe (I would have to check) that isn't true for all schools. Of course these are minimum requirements but applications are considered and other factors - such as the personal statement and the reference - come into play.

My comments relate entirely to the 5 year medical courses, requirements for the 6 year courses offered by a few schools differ and application for those could be considered.

There are accelerated medicine courses for those with degrees already including nursing.

Yes, it's a slog- but the process is part of it, not just something to 'endure'. You really must have that approach; at least for the greater part of it.

Hi Everyone,read all of today's post and we will start ringing/emailing a pile of uni's in the morning for further clarification. I will also ring around for a tutor. DD is considering a gap year,not applying this academic and try next year. Although this can only be done with the schools permission. Will reply tomorrow evening to all.