Helped i missed my grades - What now?

[pr1]

I was 3 marks from an A in Chemistry. Upon remarking I ended up being 6 marks from an A. So marks can go down. Luckily I had A's in my other two subjects so wasn't a big issue for me....

[Maryam M]

Hey i really feel for you i was in your position last year. i needed AAb to get into manchester but got ABB. you need to take time to decide what is right for you dont be pressured by teachers or family to go into something your not 100%. the clinical science option at bradford is something you definately should apply for i did last year and they offered me a place. It is definately a good idea if you cant face resisting your A-levels. For me though clearing was too manic a rushed i decided to leave it until next year so i was sure i ended up doing something i would enjoy what i actually did is went back to six form and re-sat and it was the right decision for me i got my results yesterday AAA and i am going to manchester in september. although this will be a hard week for you and feel like its the end of the world it really isnt keep your chin up and there is always next year. Everyone told me to give up on medicine too and just take another course but i couldnt do it like you it is something i really wanted and had to give it another chance.
Good luck with it all
katie x

Hey Katie..i just wondered which 4 medical schools you applied to the second time round..the ones who dont discriminate against retake students..if i can find some ill probably take a year out and resit!
people are tryin to persuade me to do clearing degrees aswell but i feel like ive come too far and want it too much to not give it one more shot!
thanks alot...reading your message reminded me that all is not lost!
would be really grateful 4 any help!!
Maryam xx

[Rake]

Hey Katie..i just wondered which 4 medical schools you applied to the second time round..the ones who dont discriminate against retake students..if i can find some ill probably take a year out and resit!

+1 I got ABC; the really gutting thing is that the B and C were just a few marks off the next grade, and I only needed ABB or AAC. I'm not very hopeful about the Politics re-mark bringing me up seven points. On Friday, I rang around the medical schools; hardly any will consider me as a resitter.

Option 1: Resits
My parents have serious misgivings about resitting. They've pointed out that if I couldn't make the grade when I had classes every day (not to mention a tutor in chemistry), how on earth would I manage on my own? They're worried that I'm not disciplined enough to spend the next three months revising for a couple of distant modules - but I want this now more than ever, and I think that with only three modules in two subjects to revise for, I'd be able to be a lot more focussed than last time round. I'd be working from the same notes that almost got me an A and B.

Option 2: Biomedical Degree, then apply
I spoke to a friend of my cousin's, who's in fourth year at GKT; she said that if she were in my position, she would clear into a biomedical degree and apply for medicine as a graduate, because there are loads of graduates in her course and she wouldn't want to waste a year on work she'd already covered. On the other hand, my aunt said biomedical degrees don't have much currency, and that I'd be mad to try to re-sit on my own.

Option 3: Healthcare-Professional Degree, so I'll have a profession if grad medicine doesn't work out
My parents want me to clear into an optometry course (because optometry is nearly the same as medicine :? ) or Clinical Sciences at Bradford if I'm still set on medicine. They think I'm being very unreasonable and unrealistic to want to waste a year vainly resitting when I've proved I can fall short even in the most favourable possible circumstances.


I don't want to waste three or four years on a course I don't want to do: as algy_lacey pointed out, it wouldn't be easy to get a 2:1 or a First in any degree, let alone one you're not that into. And even then there's no guarantee of getting into medicine.

I don't want to look too seriously at Clearing when there's still the chance (albeit slight) that my politics will come up to an A and PMS will accept me for September.

I don't want to have to resit my A-Levels, but if there are medical schools that would be willing to accept me - and my first choice is one of them - then surely it's better to try and scrape up a few extra points in A-Levels than to try to get a good degree before reapplying?!

Above all, I don't want to give up on medicine. Does anyone have any advice? Apologies for the epic post btw.

[Maryam M]

Hi ..well im kinda in a similar situation...except that i PROPERLY messed up and dropped 2 grades!..and ive been going round in circles about what to do since wednesday!!

ive managed to find 2 med skools that dont mind retake students so far....but i need 2 more!!

with a biomedical science degree i serioiusly considered it but if my graduate entry wasnt successful id be stuk with no definate career ( i think?!)

so after tearing my hair out for days im gna take a gap year!

that because in that year i can retake my a levels ( for my own sake....to prove to myself that i CAN do it!)...and research into med skools that take retake students...and apply for something like pharmacy as a bak up...so i can do the degree..then if grad entry doesnt work...ill have a career, get a job ect, ect!

i would have been tempted to find a course in clearing...but all the good ones have gone and i dont want to rush into something for the sake of it!

any problems that in my desperation i have completley blocked out..please let me know....

ps...about the bradford thing...i was thinkin..there is a chance..but its small! and afterwards ud be left with a weird degree from bradford...ive been advised not to do that- coz there all brainy and lots of people are gona get over 60%!!

pps...my parents took ALOT of persuasion about the gap year..they sed similar things like i obviously cant do it...but deep down i know that if i want this enough i CAN!!!!!

[becki]

Just wanted to add somethng to this thread.

4 years ago I was in the same position as you guys I'd missed my grades by 3 marks and had absolutely no idea what to do! With no insurance I went through clearing and did a BSc in physiology which I graduated with a 2:1 in last year. I have just completed my first year of the graduate medicine course at Swansea

At the time when i didn't get the grades I was completely distraught and really thought medicine was over but having been through the route I have eventually taken to get to medicine I am so glad I did it this way! I think as a graduate you have the advantage that you have done something other than medicine and gained life experience and I met so many people I would never have had the chance to meet, including my fiance. Medicine is hard work from the word go and by doing another degree I had the full university experience. I also think that the people onthe graduate entry courses are extremely motivated and the standard is so high it can act as a incentive to do that extra bit of work and get a better results. The consultants also appreciate the fact that people have experienced something else.

Graduate entry is hard to get into and you do have to work your arse off when you get there but please don't discount it due to the length of time it would take to do a degree followed by medicine. I'm only actually spending 1extra year in uni compared to what I would have done and I think it will work out cheaper due to the NHS funding GEM from 2nd year

While it may seem horrific no you still have options and there are still chances to do medicine Not getting the grades is not the end of the world

[~...arzoo...~]

ive managed to find 2 med skools that dont mind retake students so far....but i need 2 more!!

wat med skools r they? so far iv only got a reply 4m 2 [manchester and nottingham] and they both say they dnt accept re-sitters. waiting 4 an answr from like another 4.

[Tabris]

BSMS and Peninsula do.

[Illaria07]

I think this coming year, i.e. for 2008 entry, overall you can only apply to 5 universities-therefore only 3 medical schools.

[Maryam M]

Yeh i could only find BSMS and peninsula...after two days of searching....after weighing up the pros and cons i have accepted to do a chemistry degree and looks like it grad entry 4 me! If i had the right grades i would def reapply tho!
feel kinda relieved now...this nightmare seems to be coming to an end!
God luck to every1 whatever you decide
Maryam xx

[~...arzoo...~]

im on a gap year anyway so have nothing to lose by re-sitting really. i was elated at prospect of getting chem coursework done & now have to do it again all i need is for 1 more uni 2 say they consider re-sitters. if not then pharmacy degree & grad entry 4 me too!