Aspire to Med's grade's and stats:

1. GCSEs: ​ 

• 4 A*s in English Language, English Literature, Child Development and Religious Studies

• 5 As in Mathematics, Chemistry, Sociology, Business Studies and ICT

• 2 Bs in Biology and Physics

2. AS Grades: Psychology (A), ICT BTEC (Distinction*), Biology (B), Chemistry (D)

3. A2 Grades: Psychology (A), Biology (B), Chemistry (B), Extended Project (A)

4. Undergraduate degree: Bachelor of Science (2:1 Honours)

5. UKCAT: 1780, 593 average (VR: 520, QR 650, AR 610), Situational Judgement: Band 3

6. Universities applied to and decisions: 

 

• Keele University: Interview and Offer (Firmly accepted)

• Queen's University, Belfast: Interview and Offer (Insurance choice)

• University of Bristol: Pre-interview rejection

• University of Aberdeen: Pre-interview rejection

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Aspire to Med's journey into Medical School:

I have decided to share a little more than my basic stats, as a brief summary, my 'journey' into medical school... Although I got into Medical School first time round, I want you to know that this journey was anything but easy, however, I never gave up. 

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     Firstly, sadly, I am anything but 'naturally clever', for as long as I can remember I had wished to be classed and 'Gifted and Talented' and always aspired to be one of the clever kids at school. Based on my performance in a few tests during first school, I was placed into low sets during high school and predicted Cs at GCSE. It's safe to say, I was pretty disappointed when I was placed on foundation tier for one of my GCSE Biology exams, and due to poor performance due to a lack of revision/confidence in some science exams, a number of teacher's felt that science was not something I should pursue. In GCSE Maths, I was also predicted a C grade. And, all throughout year 10 and 11, although my mock grade scores would increase, I remained at a C. During the Easter holidays before my upcoming GCSE exams, I did every past paper to exist and lived on BBC Bitesize, I left school with an A in GCSE Maths, which was actually 9 marks off an A*. In my first attempt at English Language GCSE (early entry) I attained a grade B which was 7 marks off an A. Again, through doing a numerous amount of past papers and endless support from my teacher, I attained A*s in both English Language and English Literature. 

     

     At A-Level, I chose to do the compulsory sciences required for medical school (Biology and Chemistry), I chose ICT and Psychology because they were subjects I found interesting and enjoyable. On AS Level results day, I was devastated to see I had got an D in Chemistry AS-Level. I also attained a C in Biology AS-Level, which went up to an B after a remark. With barely passing my Chemistry A-Level, a teacher thought it would be better to drop Chemistry altogether and thought it would be pointless for me to study a science degree at university, and that I should not apply to my first choice university altogether! However, I was adamant to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor, and doing a science degree as my first degree was the only way it would be possible, so after many discussions, I was finally allowed to continue studying Chemistry at A-Level. 

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     I finally got a B in Chemistry A-Level, which meant I got into my first choice university and course! Due to suffering from ill health, I had to temporarily suspend my degree and take an leave of absence. Upon my recovery, I returned to university and finally decided to apply to Medical school. And now, I think it would be appropriate to say... the rest is history! 

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Although, as you can see from my stats, my UKCAT score (1780) is not the highest in comparison to other candidates (the mean total score for my year of testing was 1893, and my score was just in the second-third decile. So, I was in the bottom 30% of UKCAT scores nationally. The reason why I am going into such detail regarding my UKCAT score and all these random statistics, is because choosing what medical school to apply to based on your UKCAT score is crucial. 

 

     My first ever Medicine interview was at Queens University, Belfast, however they did not tell me their decision until April 2016. My second, and only interview to study Medicine, in England was at Keele University. Three days before my interview, I was told that "you need to speak properly for interview's, you need more practise and your answer's are not good enough to impress an admission's tutor"... After that, I did even more preparation alone, and actually, Keele gave me my offer the morning after my interview! That is an absolutely amazing turn-around time to hear about offers, especially for Medicine, even if I do say so myself. 

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     Ultimately, the reason why I have gone into such intricate details regarding my academic background is because I want you to know, that irrespective of any obstacles you face, it is possible to get into medical school. Furthermore, I was very lucky, and to this date, feel grateful that I got into my first choice medical school on my first attempt of applying. But, I have friends who got in after their third attempt of applying to Medicine, and now, they are finally living their dreams! I also want you to know, that your circumstances should never become an obstacle to your academic success, and as Marvin Humes (JLS) once said "If you want something badly, you'll get it, as long as you work hard and strive for it." I hope that some of the advice you find on my website helps you during the application process, and I hope that whether it is your first, second or third time applying to medical school - you do get in. I feel, and know that one of the reason's my application to medical school was so, somewhat successful first time around is because of the hours I spent researching every little thing. I have shared all of my advice on this site, so I really hope that you can take something from it. Please feel free to email me any questions, or your success stories, as I would love to here from you! My email address is: aspiretomed@outlook.com