Going to med school without A Level Chemistry

**DH2005** · 19-07-2005, 02:00 PM

Dan1979 - I didn't mean to suggest that the course content is identical; I meant more that the complexity of the matieral is similar... and Sheffield's figures for last year make for a grossly unrepresentative set of data, if I may say so. As I understand it, their undergraduate course attracted the highest number of applications seen by any UK medical school in history.

DB - I don't know you at all, but if you're bright enough and sufficiently confident to anticipate straights As in other subjects, there's no reason why you can't apply yourself to Chemistry and get a good grade - a B will do, more often than not.

**Dangerbird** · 19-07-2005, 02:08 PM

DB - I don't know you at all, but if you're bright enough and sufficiently confident to anticipate straights As in other subjects, there's no reason why you can't apply yourself to Chemistry and get a good grade - a B will do, more often than not.

I think I'll talk to my chemistry and biology teacher next year when I start 6th form to basically ask him whether he thinks I would do well at A Level chemistry.

I didn't revise at all for the GCSEs, but for the A Levels I'm really ready to work hard.

However, other subjects come naturally to me, whereas I find science more difficult...

**DH2005** · 19-07-2005, 02:19 PM

It's your call, kiddo. You want to be a doctor, so you're going to have to lock horns with science sooner or later. I say do it sooner.

**Dangerbird** · 19-07-2005, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by DH2005

It's your call, kiddo. You want to be a doctor, so you're going to have to lock horns with science sooner or later. I say do it sooner.

Yeah I see your point, but I find medical science a LOT more interesting. For example, I would love not to have to learn about plants in biology and other irrelevant stuff in chemistry.

The other aspect is teachers too... the science teachers at my current school are absoloutley hopeless. It's a very hard decision to make!

**DH2005** · 19-07-2005, 02:33 PM

Yes, that does make things tougher...

**Cymro** · 19-07-2005, 02:35 PM

A Medical degree is a lot of science. I hate to be the one to break it to you but most of it isn't interesting either. I thought that everything I learnt in med school would be absolutely fascinating. It's not. It's tedious, dull and pedantic most of the time, but you just wade through it because there is an end somewhere in sight. If you really dislike science enough to avoid it at A Level I think you'd find the pre-clinical years a very hard task.

Cymro.

**DH2005** · 19-07-2005, 02:41 PM

So speaks the voice of a jaded medical student... but he's absolutely right.

**Dan1979** · 19-07-2005, 03:20 PM

Blimey, the amount of posts I miss when I go to lunch

DH - True, Sheffield had a higher application rate than usual last year. It may be somewhat harder to get a place on a premed course, but that's not to say a strong candidate doesn't have a good chance. Unforunately I can't seem to get specific course information from UCAS stats so I can't say exactly what the difference is in applications:acceptances.

Dangerbird - On the one hand, you say you think you can achieve straight 'A' grades in humanities subjects, which gives you a strong starting point for your application. You may also find the science more relevant on a premed course. The downside is you'd face increased competition for a place. On the other hand, you don't sound very confident about A-level chemistry with your worries about teaching quality and so on, but if you did achieve a good grade you could apply for 5-year entry with somewhat better odds.

As the others have said, you will need to get stuck into science at some point, although personally I've found the new course at Sheffield (which I will stop harping on about eventually, I promise

) is very clinically orientated, which makes it easier to digest.

Ultimately you're the best person to judge your position, so it's really your decision. Perhaps talking with your teachers might give you an impartial insight?

**DH2005** · 19-07-2005, 03:25 PM

Harp away, mate. I'm interested to know about Sheffield's new course.

**Dan1979** · 19-07-2005, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by DH2005

Harp away, mate. I'm interested to know about Sheffield's new course.

Harping away

The course was completely revamped for 2003, my year being the second on it.

65% of the biochemistry has been stripped out because they found it had no relevance in achieving the aim of the course, i.e. producing a PRHO (or F1 or whatever we'll be these days). Instead, clinical experience starts in the first year, with three weeks on the wards after Christmas.

You also get clinical demonstrations in lectures - a doctor will take a progressive history from a (usually) real patient, and expect feedback on questions to ask etc from the students.

Finally you spend the year meeting with either a pregnant woman or someone with a long-term illness/disability and write a report on their condition towards the end.

There is an element of PBL, with bi-weekly Independant Learning Activities (ILAs) based on a case study presented in one of the clinical demos I mentioned earlier - so the science learning is very much integrated with a clinical outlook.

In terms of the premed course, mine was the first year it was held at Sheffield College (it moved from Barnsley at the last minute). There were clinical aspects, but not as many as I believe there are now that they've had time to polish it a bit.

Anyway.. harping over!