GCSEs 2018 (9) Will we get to half term, for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and who is Banquo

[Stickerrocks]

Thread 8

Oratory That's why dd is thinking of Biomedical instead of Medicine. She too much of an introvert to do well with dealing with patients so much. She loves the idea of helping doctors achieve great results in the background.
What uni is your dd going to? I don't know where to begin with helping her decide that one.

I have to admit, i'm a bit worried about you, Sostenueto. You got up a 5 the other day to drive everyone around for hours. You need to be looking after yourself and letting others look after you, but you are putting everyone else first.

If you can't tell your DGD's mother until after the exams are over, because she'll not be able to hide it from your DGD, what about just confiding in someone else in your family and let them covertly help you? Even if its only having someone to talk to about it, I think that would help a lot. A problem shared is a problem halved, etc.

Medicine is the hardest of all degrees to get onto (and to actually do), isn't it? Even medicine at one of the less prestigious universities is harder to get onto than almost any other degree course at any other uni?

Dd keeps autocorrecting to Ds!

Exactly that is why I want to look at other options for DS, I can see him loving the study of medicine but not so sure about the patient side......also although I would never say to him we have to be realistic in that it is very rare for anyone from DS's school to do medicine, although he will be entitled to a contextual offer I don't think that makes getting the offer any easier! Anyway the 23rd August might result in a rethink as he is going to need quite a few 8's to even be in the running.

Oratory thank you for your reply that is very helpful, pleased your DD is loving the course.

Chemistry A-level results are better at present school 45% A*/A. I think the cohort will be larger this year because Chemistry is appearing in 3 of the 5 blocks and Biology in 4 out of 5 block but classes are always small (less than 10 girls in each class). Lots of the girls going down medicine route at DD's school because parents are in that field.

That’s impressive teen - medicine is hard to get into due to limit on places. Unfortunately some schools and parents push the brightest dc down that route but you have to really want to do it. Different med schools use different selection criteria so a slip at gcse wouldn’t necessarily rule you out - some place more store in gcse than others. Real desire and work experience just as or even more important (and A level chemistry 😀)

Teen that sounds really good and the fact that a lot of the girls go down the medicine route shows the school are good at preparing them.

At DS's school the percentage getting chemistry at A/A* is 12% not impossible but..........

Looked at Physics and Biology results too - Physics was very high at 72% A*A (an amazing teacher who currently teaches DD at GCSE level)and Biology not so great at 36%...lots of the girls are pushed by parents into medicine because they own medical or dentistry practices ...
Bluebelle is your DS at a large school - how big is the Sixth form?

Going to look into work experience (albeit late at this stage for this summer)...

I think Medicine is the hardest to get into because of all rigorous admission process. However I think Vet Med is even harder. The spaces on courses are really low and the grades required very high.

For those of you considering the Bio Med route it's worth noting that it doesn't cut off the option of medicine. St George's in London allows Bio Med graduates a fast track into medicine. A family friend did it after she missed the grades for medicine and she's now qualified!

DS1 is planning on chemistry or chemical engineering. Ideally he'd be doing FM but school want a 9 in Maths and he'd rather keep his options open with chemistry, physics, maths and history.

Another 60 posts and we will need another thread - number 10.
How many days has this one lasted?? 4?!

Any name ideas? How about Hard Labour to keep the momentum going.

mmzz* sadly not an early riser - just in a different timezone to UK. Actually slept in today until 8am which was lovely

If we all keep posting at this rate, the number of threads might catch up with the number of exams our DC have to sit...but undoubtedly still a long way behind the number of given or and consumed! Keep randomly singing 'We will write 10,000 posts and we will write 10,000 more'

Hope UK weather cooperates with Bank Holiday weekend and there's a chance for much relaxation to be had outdoors. A bit of rain here today is cooling things down to the mid-30s. Always nicer when the first number isn't a 4...

You're doing well to be able to tolerate that heat, Farangatang. I get very irritable from 35+. 25-27 is about perfect imho, which is what I think it might be right now. Am in the garden having had to work flat out to get the house visitor ready since 11am
Why did I offer to have them stay??!

Hard Labour to keep the momentum going
mmzz I may be over reading your meaning or, to be more fitting these days, using too much inference but this sounds to me like a rather brilliant political headline

Teen DS 6th form has anything from 140-160, last year only 13 took it to the full A level and I don't think many are choosing it this year.
I'm also encouraging DS to get work experience over the summer mainly because if he decides not to do medicine he would drop biology and do FM instead, plus I'm very conscious what a difficult profession it is so want to try and get him to go in with his eyes open (it wouldn't be my choice for him!) He's had experience as a patient and that's what sparked the interest......how about your DD?

If we could fit ooo Jeremy Corbyn in there somewhere...

Just off to see Deadpool 2 with DS2. DS3 has done his stint of revision and will be out with his friends for a 16th birthday party (not his) in half an hour or so. They're also watching Deadpool 2 but I'm under strict instructions not to bump into them!

I think chemistry physics and maths is a great combination of you r not certain and want to keep options open especially if you might switch to physical science rather than bio. But replace physics with bio if your sure you want to go that route or if you prefer it

Most uni s gave an option to switch from biomed to medicine / some see it as an easier route in but the numbers are still small so you have to perform well on the biomed course - and the one downside of studying biomed sciences is most people assume your a Med school reject 😀😀

Left ds to chil and do a bit of work today while we had a fun day out - hopefully he might have provided me with another paper to mark 😂😂

Back to a full day tmrw

DS has come down with a cold (man flu), so hasn't done much today but you will all be relieved to hear that he will be up to watching the champions League final tonight ......

we've bought a recliner for the garden on dd's instructions!

I told both of them to do some revision today, even an hour is better than at the last minute (next week) thinking, oh if only I'd had a chance to revise through an hour's worth of x, what a difference it would have made.. Both dcs seem determined that now is holiday catchup time.

Dh and I have been for a very long walk in a beautiful part of London where we don't actually live but still- Enormous queues to see the Temperate House at Kew Gardens, we decided not to go in. It is nice to be able to leave the dcs alone nowadays and Not make them lunch!

re: medicine, I was under the impression that what really mattered was Chemistry not Biology, and that you can do Maths and Chemistry and still be considered. Certainly the IBacc wouldn't be contain anything like the detail in biology or chemistry and still people are considered for places at medical schools. I may be wrong of course.

Day off revising for dd today. She’s done a workout, made cups of tea & took a walk up the shop before disappearing off to her room (probably to watch episodes of Drag Race). Tonight is takeaway & Supergirl/Flash night.