GCSES good enough for medicine?

[maiacam]

Hi my sons results are 7 A* including all sciences 2 A's English and one B French are these grades good enough for Medicine firstly and if yes would they be okay for Cambridge or not?
Any advice/input welcome thanks x

The whole process seems a balancing act from start to finish! DD pondered for quite some time whether to take Further Maths or not. We know that it won't add to her application as she is already doing Maths, so no benefit at all for Medicine but we had to have the 'what if you don't get into med school, and she decided that if it didn't work, she would want to consider studying Maths as ultimately, it is the subject that she is really gifted at.

DD 'lost out' going to a large secondary school which focus is on getting as many pupils to get C grades, however, she is now in an independent (LA funded) 6th form which likes to act as a private school. They are only 120 pupils per year and she already knew quite a lot of them through doing her various other activities outside of school. It is others who suggested she goes for Headgirl. She is quite well liked, so it really was no big deal at all. If it can help in anyway for her application, all the better, but it was never going to take her away from volunteering. As I think I've wrote before, I have read on a number of sources that what they are looking for is commitment and that volunteering even a couple of hours a week long term is going to be valued over a short full-time spell.

We debated for some time last year whether she should attend a college more than an hour away, but with excellent result, or this local independent school which is only in it's 2nd year of 6th form but less than 10 minutes walk away. We ended up picking the second and so far, I think we definitely made the right choice as the school certainly seems to be providing the right academic level and attitude, and being so close, it allows her to be much more involved in outside activities.

My worry is how quickly it is all going!

Is that the new sixth form in Central London? I understand their first set of A level results were good, and presumably they will continue to improve as the school becomes established.

To be honest the medical school application process felt so confusing and daunting that DD decided she was who she was, and that this would have to be enough. At the end of the summer term she was invited to speak to would be medics amongst soon-to-be sixth formers, and was surprised at the emphasis on "roundedness". Apparently there has been a shift in policy at some medical schools. Who knows if this is right, and it certainly won't replace good grades, but it would be a shame if bojo's DD felt she had had to give up good personal development opportunities in order to gain a place at medical school.

DD also kept up additonal A levels to allow herself scope for a Plan B. She found she really enjoyed maths and physics in Yr 13, and we noted that related courses like biomedical engineering were will to accept late applications so she did not need to add a fifth choice to her UCAS form. The advantage of having maths is that it increases intercalation options, and presumably could be a second Plan B if medicine stops appealing.

No, it's on the South Coast, small town!

Reading your post NMS have restored my positivism! 'Roundedness' is probably her strongest attribute. She always does very well in interviews and just comes across as an enthusiastic, friendly, intelligent and mature individual. She doesn't know what anxiety is which is great, but also means that sometimes she can be a bit too laid-back in my opinion!

I personally don't mind which path she takes as long as she is happy, I just feel a responsibility to ensure that she is not missing out on her aim because of the complexity of the 'rules' to get in.

Thank God DS isn't expressing any interest in Medicine!

I don't disagree with yoy on principle but I just see it as something additional. DD cane home from her new tennis lesson last night to say that she'd been asked to help teach a class (6-7yo) and by doing that she will work towards some sort of leadership award.

I think on paper neither mean much. You could have responsibility as a Head Girl that involved having to make key decisions that impact on others whilst volunteering in a nursing home could be nothing more than doing the dishes having little or no interaction with other staff or residents.

I expect the 'whole rounder' is about evidencing various personal skills essential to become a good clinician. Experience making decisions especially unpopular ones I would think would score quite highly. The fact that you would most likely be elected to that role and so well liked again would be I would think a positive point?