Medicine - any chances without HL Chem?

[nicxl]

Hi,

I have been looking at some web pages of medical schools in the UK, and I'm starting to feel desperate: they all seem to require Chemistry at HL.

The problem is that I only study SL Chem, HL is not even an option at our school. But I do have HL Biology and HL Mathematics, which I would imagine to help. Are there any universities in the UK, or somewhere in Europe, in which HL Chemistry is not a requirement?

Also, I've heard that the tuition fees are lower in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, is this true?

[Bishup]

If you want to study medicine in the UK most of the time they require Chemistry HL and Biology SL but sometimes they require both at HL. You do need Chemistry HL if you want to study medicine in the UK.

[Sandwich]

Unfortunately HL Chem is pretty essential everywhere - it's the only subject you can't not do! One alternative, if you're really bent on getting into Medicine in the UK but can't switch to HL, is to apply for the course with a foundation year. I know for instance that they do it at Sheffield. [ http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/prospectus/courseDetails.do?id=3351182008 ] - it's basically for people who didn't pick to study sciences, so it teaches you the necessary to cope with the course. The downers are that firstly it's an additional year, and secondly that you will have done a LOT of what you're going to be taught, so it'll probably be quite a lot of repetition. I know somebody who ended up having to do this extra year because they didn't get enough IB points to get into the main programme (for which they had an offer) and it's more or less IB/A Level standard sciences.

It's a shame they don't let you do HL at your school! The other thing you might want to try doing is ringing around Universities and just asking the admissions staff whether they'd accept you, based on your situation (that HL Chemistry is not an option for you) and other subjects. After all, it's not your fault - and being honest they do usually quite like international students, on account of the fact you have to pay more in fees If you can get a definite 7 at SL Chem and explain you'll catch up on your own/study the HL stuff anyway so you're not too behind etc etc, maybe they'll give you some sort of exception, as your other two subjects are pretty ultimate.

As for the tuition fees, if you're British, they are cheaper in Scotland (especially if you're actually Scottish) but I'm not sure how that translates for international students.

[Taigan]

No, I think you really do need Chemistry HL to go into medicine. Of course, you could do your undergraduate in something else and then try applying for medicine Postgraduate. So you could study chemistry for your first three years of university and then do post-grad medicine for another 4 years (I know Warwick has a postgraduate medicine program)

[Latim]

No you dont. If you've got Bio HL and Math HL as you say you'll be able to get into uni's as long as you state that your school does not offer the HL course. Two of my friends are looking to study medicine without HL chemistry. But i would advise that you try to catch up on the HL chemistry sections and possibly some A-level chemistry during the summer after your IB to make sure you are ready for the beast that is Medicine. Good luck

[195]

this link has the requirements for medical schools in the uk.it seems not all universities require hl chemistry, as long as you have hl biology!

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Where_to_Study_Medicine

[Sandwich]

this link has the requirements for medical schools in the uk.it seems not all universities require hl chemistry, as long as you have hl biology!

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Where_to_Study_Medicine

These are 2 years out of date, though. Admissions requirements are very changeable in the UK! I know for a fact the admissions have changed since I applied to where I am last October (which again changed the year before that ). So I wouldn't use these without also checking the actual websites for the Unis.

[hermine0817]

You need chemistry HL for most of the medical schools in UK. Our school does not offer Chemistry HL either, so I ended up doing a self study. (Don't know how well it will turn out though).

Besides, you also have to keep in mind that if you want to study medicines in the UK, you need to do medical tests like the BMAT or the UKCAT (the deadlines for these are over this year) and the applying deadline is also the 15th of October instead of the 15th of January.

Good luck with your applications

[hermine0817]

Besides, the Scottish Universities being cheaper than other regions of UK isn't entirely true. They cost as much as the rest of Britain too, only that when you are living in Scottland (not England, Wales, Northern Ireland) or an EU citizen, your fees will be paid by an institution (whose name I've forgotten). You seem to come from Finland, so yes, your fees will be covered.

[Wootable]

University of East Anglia, Newcastle University and Peninsula Medical School will all take students without Chemistry HL. I think UEA and Newcastle just want Biology HL, and Peninsula want 2 from Chem, Biology or Physics HL so if you have Physics HL you'll be fine. Hope that helps

And Scottish fees are now cheaper as English fees have risen to around £9,000 at the top universities. Boo

[JehKhubchandani]

So I want to go to Medical school in the UK, but it is too late for me to change my subjects around now due to the school rules. Is there a chance that if I study the Chem HL portion on my own, I could still apply to Medical Schools like UCL or Imperial?