Rejected!

[big_pink_flower]

so the "i like challenges so ill take up physics, which for me is a challenge," was a bad idea then?

yes.

[R2B]

yes.

I have to disagree. Med schools don't care what subjects you do (as long as you do chemistry/biology if req.) The health service needs a variety of skills. This includes people with a physics a level as much as somebody with a language alevel. Take whichever subject you want to take, which one you enjoy, and can achieve well in. You'll be studying it for atleast a year, so if you hate it, you'll have a pretty shitty time of it.

[Gizmo says -]

physics is the king of shit man.
its mildly like alcoholism, the world is never the same after you tek it on board.

(although perhaps psychology is like that too, macca).

[Kinkerz]

I have to disagree. Med schools don't care what subjects you do (as long as you do chemistry/biology if req.) The health service needs a variety of skills. This includes people with a physics a level as much as somebody with a language alevel. Take whichever subject you want to take, which one you enjoy, and can achieve well in. You'll be studying it for atleast a year, so if you hate it, you'll have a pretty shitty time of it.

*nods*

The truth!

[big_pink_flower]

I have to disagree. Med schools don't care what subjects you do (as long as you do chemistry/biology if req.) The health service needs a variety of skills. This includes people with a physics a level as much as somebody with a language alevel. Take whichever subject you want to take, which one you enjoy, and can achieve well in. You'll be studying it for atleast a year, so if you hate it, you'll have a pretty shitty time of it.

thats such a lie.
this is what it says on the UCL medical school website, you know.. UCL... that really good medical school.

"We wish to actively encourage students to broaden their studies as much as possible. Some preference will be given to those applicants who will offer an non-science subject as one of their A or AS-levels."

as we can see - its a lie to say they don't care about what subjects you do.
it also says that 50% of their applicants do all science a levels - mm.. enoy being just someone in that 50%.. wheras the other 50% will be doing a variety of things, where each person could be doing something different for their 3rd a level - may even bring up discussion at interview.

so there.

[2009?]

Hmm.. well UCL only give a small number of interview out to people before BMAT results have come out.. and my friend was one of them and went on to get an offer a couple of weeks later.. his A level subjects you ask?- Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further maths.. so they can't care too much!

[Kinkerz]

thats such a lie.
this is what it says on the UCL medical school website, you know.. UCL... that really good medical school.

"We wish to actively encourage students to broaden their studies as much as possible. Some preference will be given to those applicants who will offer an non-science subject as one of their A or AS-levels."

Key things to point out here:
1) The section I highlighted above - "some preference". Nobody really knows how much that means. It does not mean that all people ith a non-science A-level will get interviews and all that do all sciences will be rejected.
2) This is specific to UCL. No other medical school really takes this stance. Most couldn't give a shit providing chemistry and biology are there, and the third is a "rigorous, academic" subject.

A-level subject choice has such a minimal direct impact on your application, if any impact. Chill out and take subjects you reckon you'll like, or get the most out of.

as we can see - its a lie to say they don't care about what subjects you do.
it also says that 50% of their applicants do all science a levels - mm.. enoy being just someone in that 50%.. wheras the other 50% will be doing a variety of things, where each person could be doing something different for their 3rd a level - may even bring up discussion at interview.

so there.

This bit made me chuckle. It highlights my earlier point that subject choice barely matters at all...

[Gizmo says -]

as we can see - its a lie to say they don't care about what subjects you do.
it also says that 50% of their applicants do all science a levels - mm.. enoy being just someone in that 50%.. wheras the other 50% will be doing a variety of things, where each person could be doing something different for their 3rd a level - may even bring up discussion at interview.

so there.

if you're interested in the truth, you may want to read this. ucl's tack on not showing bias against arts subject A lvl takers is only a recent trend. up till about 6-7 years ago, they marketed just as 'eavily for sciences A lvl students as much as 'the golden sphincter' med skools ever did (oxbridge apart prob).
i suspect that this latest venture is an attempt to win back its own market of applicants of the golden circle of oxbridge-london.

[Gizmo says -]

i'd be interested to know what the 'some preference' is exactly - that sounds far too arbitrary to mean anyfing.

[abi_carey]

Just got a rejection from Birmingham. But they were starting to annoy me with their stuffiness already so maybe it's a good thing! I love the city and the campus but they were winding me up focussing so much on GCSEs. And they're well down on the league tables so they need to get a grip!