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Medicine without biology?


alexalexalex

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Hello guys, so I am in between wanting to study...

- physics/mechanical engineering

OR

- Medicine

The problem is, as you're all probably familiar with is that (if I choose to do the regular IB diploma) I can only have two sciences.

I have to choose my subjects pretty soon and I haven't decided if im more interested in Physics or Medicine so my plan is to choose:

HL: Maths, Physics, Chemistry

SL: Economics, English, German

This means I won't have any bio.. I NEED Maths and Physics at HL to study physics, my question is now is it possible to apply for Medicine with only Chemistry? My highest level biology done would be an IGCSE coordinated science double award...

Thanks for answers or any other suggestions! :))

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Generally, both Chemistry and Biology are prerequisites. But it honestly depends on the university, some want one or the other, or both. 

 

I say the safest bet is to either make up your mind now on whether you want to go medicine or engineering. If not, then you can take an extra 7th subject like Emilia suggested but that would just be too much, unless you're great at time management.

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You could always go to med school after getting a bachelor's in something else. My plan is to get a bachelor's in biochemistry and applying to med school afterwards is my back-up plan in case a career in biochem related areas isn't right for me after all. So you could think of something like that as well. There are people with English bachelor's and other non-science subjects that get into med school in some countries so you really don't have to go into medicine right after the IB. I think you could easily get into med school after getting a bachelor's in physics as long as you do well in the entrance exams and such. But definitely do your own research to be certain of what your options are.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello guys, so I am in between wanting to study...

- physics/mechanical engineering

OR

- Medicine

The problem is, as you're all probably familiar with is that (if I choose to do the regular IB diploma) I can only have two sciences.

I have to choose my subjects pretty soon and I haven't decided if im more interested in Physics or Medicine so my plan is to choose:

HL: Maths, Physics, Chemistry

SL: Economics, English, German

This means I won't have any bio.. I NEED Maths and Physics at HL to study physics, my question is now is it possible to apply for Medicine with only Chemistry? My highest level biology done would be an IGCSE coordinated science double award...

Thanks for answers or any other suggestions! :))

You can switch out Eco for Bio and take an irregular diploma

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Hello guys, so I am in between wanting to study...

- physics/mechanical engineering

OR

- Medicine

The problem is, as you're all probably familiar with is that (if I choose to do the regular IB diploma) I can only have two sciences.

I have to choose my subjects pretty soon and I haven't decided if im more interested in Physics or Medicine so my plan is to choose:

HL: Maths, Physics, Chemistry

SL: Economics, English, German

This means I won't have any bio.. I NEED Maths and Physics at HL to study physics, my question is now is it possible to apply for Medicine with only Chemistry? My highest level biology done would be an IGCSE coordinated science double award...

Thanks for answers or any other suggestions! :))

It depends entirely on where you wish to study, and also in what country, but for most universities worldwide, HL Biology is usually a requirement, and if that's not possible, than a 7 in Biology SL. Not having studied any sort of biology will limit your choices extremely. Some universities however will be fine with Chemistry and another science (Edinburgh, St Andrews, Bristol and Oxbridge), but for the rest biology is a requirement. 

Hypothetically, you could go for an irregular diploma, but your subject combination is hard as it is, and graduating with 35+ points (which you'll need for medicine) with 7 subjects will be very, very hard.

Try to make up your mind right now about what you truly want to go for, and if you can't, then by all means go for HL Math, Physics and Chem, but be prepared to have your med school choices narrowed down.

Edited by beth-
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