Taking A Levels three times to get into Medicine

Permission has been given by him to post his opinions on our website. 

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I retook A levels twice during NS (first and second years). Scores were: 85, 80, 88.75 (which was 2020 A levels).

I have recently received interview offers for NUS and NTU med using the best result of three attempts

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• It is tough but doable, you will have to know what you are willing to sacrifice, if it's worth it and if you have confidence to do better

• It was the mental aspect which is demanding, rather than the actual studying. I.e. dealing with possibility of not doing well, you probably fear wasting a year as compared to your peers as well (but is one year really a lot in comparison to a 40+ year career in medicine?)

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In 2019 (took 2018 As), I got 85rp as my first A level results, I was devastated as I knew in my heart that my chances of getting into local medical school are slim to none. For the longest time, I died inside (this is my best description of how I was feeling without calling it a depression although I do think I was eventually depressed as I went through a breakup shortly after and couldn't handle it well). Long story short, I didn't get in, I tried both NTU bad NUS with the ABAS scheme for both but I didn't even reach the interview. My portfolio consist of much volunteering throughout 2 years (CCA EXCO), nothing exceptional really but it was something I guess. I didn't want to give up, so I signed up and retook A Levels in NS, it was tough as looking back, I wasn't in the right state of mind and I simply didn't perform, my results were BBAD/BA (80RP). Again I was lost and felt super shit, praying that my initial grades will hopefully give me a shot at the interview, but of course I didn't get it.

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I felt even worse than before, because I was hoping for better grades yet I achieved less. It took some time to recover, and I decided I'd do it a third time, which was last year 2020, and I received 88.75rp! 

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The reason I'm telling you this is to let you know that life is not a scripted book. I read on Reddit two years ago, a post made by another user in a similar situation, whereby someone commented along the lines of "if you really wanted medicine so much, why give up now?". I don't doubt your passion and tenacity to study Medicine, but I think you should take some time to ask yourself "how much am I willing to sacrifice for this (medicine)"? And the reason for doing so is to allow yourself to find a sense of purpose and have the drive to proceed with an action which will allow you to reach your goal of getting into medicine. I, by no means, have yet to get a placement, but by retaking A levels I have placed myself in a better position than I was in 2 years ago. It was a tough tough journey, it really sucked, and right now I'm not sure if it's worth it (I haven't yet achieved a placement), but I want you to know it can be done, and if medicine is really what you want, so much so that there is nothing else you even remotely wish to study in (after giving other courses a fair consideration of course!), you should pursue a similar path as I did.

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Realistically speaking, these are the options you have: Firstly, retake A Levels and obtain a good enough score >87.5rp, preferably >88.75rp. Otherwise, take a related undergraduate course and pursue postgraduate medicine at DUKE-NUS. Lastly, apply overseas (even then I'm not sure if 80 is possible). All of these options (barring the overseas one) carry a risk that you may not get it even if you retry, for example, the entry requirements to Duke-NUS is tough. It requires a high GPA and a good MCAT percentile.

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Not everyone can afford going overseas to study, especially for an expensive course like medicine. It is indeed a privilege to be fortunate enough to afford going overseas, but one must no forget that there has to be commitment and some level of aptitude to excel in the field - something which money/wealth cannot replace. Furthermore, it takes courage and a heart to pursue Medicine. 

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The reason I retook A-levels was because my family couldn't afford sending me overseas. 

With regards to repayment, it is unlikely that in the first ~10 years, one will be able to repay his/her parents, but certainly, it will be more than possible in the following 10 years. Regardless, when it comes to education and a happy future for your children, can you put a price on it?