Hello everyone and welcome to the much-awaited first Oxbridge Resources blog post!
What comes to mind when you think of Oxbridge? A mystical land beyond your reach? Harry Potter? A place where only perfect card-board cutout students belong to?
In this series of blog posts, we hope to debunk the myths associated with the application process and provide you with a realistic insight into Oxbridge Medicine. Our intention is to reassure you in these confusing times where you may feel concerned as to what will happen in the year ahead. We will do this by sharing our advice and personal experiences with you. We understand that the system is not going to work in the same way for you due to the current circumstances preventing you from going on open days, and undertaking work experience and volunteering you may have had planned. However, with this resource, we hope to guide you each step of the way from aspects such as your decision to apply to Oxbridge, their entry requirements, volunteering, work experience, interview preparation and beyond. Additionally, we will be directing you to a myriad of opportunities within Medic Mentor and outside, in order to strengthen your application to medical school and Oxbridge in particular.
So, who are we?
We are Koby and Laura, two Year 13 students who managed to secure four medical school offers each, including Cambridge and Oxford respectively. We have both been part of the Medic Mentor family for the past year and can’t begin to imagine where we would be without their support. Talking to medical students who have been through the Oxbridge application process has been incredibly useful, and we aim to replicate this in our resource. This journey will require you to invest your time and effort, but with the guidance we will be providing, we hope to set you on the right path so you can push yourself and rise to the challenge.
We plan to release a blog post on a weekly basis every Tuesday, so make sure to check them out! Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have regarding the Oxbridge application process as the course goes on. We will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible and will include our responses in later blog posts if relevant. We wish you all the best in your medical school applications and hope that you make the most out of this resource we are putting together for you!
The Oxbridge resource is dynamic, so if you have any specific questions about Oxbridge that you would like to know, post them in comments section and Koby and Laura will be sure to include them in future blog posts.
The next post will be released on Monday in time for discussion at the VMS meeting on Tuesday and will answer the big question: Why Oxbridge?
In the Video below, Koby Kalavannan and Laura Stirling have a discussion about what it was like applying to Oxbridge and their tips on becoming a successful Oxbridge applicant.
The Oxbridge resource is dynamic, so if you have any specific questions about Oxbridge that you would like to know, post them in comments section below (on this page) and Koby and Laura will be sure to include them in future blog posts.
The next post will be released on Monday in time for discussion at the VMS meeting on Tuesday and will answer the big question: Why Oxbridge?
Interviews At Oxbridge
Oxbridge Interviews Welcome back to our final blog post in our Oxbridge Resources series! We hope this series has been beneficial in guiding your application process and making it easier to understand which bits you may have to focus on more. Following our blog post...
BMAT Tips
Introduction Welcome back to another blog post in our Oxbridge Resources series! Following our blog post on the personal statement, we will now be giving you some advice and top tips on how to prepare for the BMAT. Buckle up, whether you’re thinking of applying to...
Tips and Tricks for the Personal Statement
Tips and Tricks for the Personal Statement Welcome back to another blog post in our Oxbridge Resources series! Following our blog post on the non-academic opportunities available, we will now be giving you some advice on how to write an amazing personal statement that...
Hey guys, this is Koby. Laura and I have created this resource to try and help out anyone who may be thinking of applying to Oxbridge (and other medical schools too!) as we understand this is a difficult time where you may be a bit worried as to what will happen with your application process. We are going to be covering various aspects as mentioned above but want to keep this as interactive as possible so if you have any questions or anything in particular that you want us to cover, feel free to comment below and we would be more than happy to help out! We hope you enjoy this series!
Hi, guys, this is Laura. Koby and I are really excited about sharing our advice and experiences with you, as this should hopefully demystify the application process. Both of us have had great mentors who have helped us get where we are today and aim to do the same for you through this resource. Please, do not hesitate to drop us a comment and engage as much as you can, as we would be very happy to help you.
We look forward to posting this series and hope that you find it useful!
Thank you so much. This looks like a fantastic resource! Well done on your offers!
Thank you, Karen. We look forward to posting the rest of the series!
Thank you Karen! We’re really glad you are enjoying it so far and definitely make sure to keep up to date with it because it’s only going to be getting better and more useful, here on in!
Hi guys,
I was wondering if you could talk about the extracurricular/out of academic things you have to do to make yourself stand out as an applicant.
Thanks, your blogs really helpful! 🙂
Hi Shahnoor,
Thank you for your comment. We will include a section on extracurriculars in future posts. You don’t have to do any peculiar extracurriculars to stand out. The most important thing is that you learn from your experiences by reflecting on them. Oxbridge tutors are interested in your academic ability and potential, so they will only look at your extracurriculars if they address the selection criteria.
Hi Shahnoor,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
As Laura mentioned, Oxbridge are more academic based and do like seeing initiatives you have taken part in to show your passion for the sciences (can be shown through entering Medic Mentor essay competiton, EPQ etc.). That being said, they ultimately want you to make great doctors and as well having a strong scientific foundation, it is important to have other things going on in life to help you de-stress and maintain that work-life balance. Extracurriculars are a great way of doing this and hence you should do things that you enjoy so that you will be able to talk about them confidently at interview. The main things they are looking for is for you to reflect upon your extracurriculars and the skills you have learnt from doing them and it’d really make you stand out if you explain how these skills you have learnt will help make you a better doctor in the future and if you can link these skills back to a time you saw a healthcare worker demonstrate these skills during your work-experience placements. That would show great reflection and would really make you stand out!
Hope that helps!
Hiya! This is so great and useful. Was wondering whether you could create a WhatsApp group for this? Thanks Ips
Hey there! We’re glad that you’re enjoying this resource. We’ll definitely see if this can be done as it’s a great idea but for the time being, if you let us know if you have any questions using the comment section of these blog posts, we will keep checking them and try and respond to you as soon as possible.
Such an amazing blog and interview. I was wondering what kinds of super curricular activities you got involved with? (especially things we can do at home)
Hi Hannah,
Thank you for your comment. In terms of supercurriculars, I got involved in reading books outside of the A-Level curriculum, writing an article for the Mentor magazine, listening to podcasts, and doing some online courses.
The link below is worth checking as a starting point:
https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/applying/reading
Dear Hannah,
I’m a 2nd year Cambridge medical student and I think it’s so great that you’re already looking at ways to ace your Oxbridge medical application! A great thing to do from home is look at building your research experience. When I was applying to Cambridge, I entered one of the College’s essay competitions and met some incredible mentors that I am still in contact with at University today! Medic Mentor is currently running an essay competition that you should definitely check out too.
Lockdown is also a fantastic opportunity to ace your wider reading so make sure you check out the the University of Oxford recommended reading list! I know Medic Mentor have an incredible new resource that will focus on wider reading tips so keep an eye out for that blog post too!
Not all your extracurriculars have to be academic though so make sure you enjoy some down time and have some awesome non-medical hobbies to keep you motivated throughout your application and beyond!
Good luck! 😀
Thanks so much, Laura and Lucy really helpful 🙂
Hey I wanted to asked a question regarding Cambridge specifically. On the website is said for maths and English gcse grades c and above were applicable. Let’s say you did really well in some gcses and not so well in others. If we manage to ace our a levels to you think our application to Cambridge will have some significance and wether it is still worth applying ?
Hey Liza,
Thanks for your question as it’s a common worry many applying students have but you should obviously go into it with a realistic attitude as you don’t want to waste an application if you don’t have the right supporting grades.
If you’ve got some really strong GCSE’s that will definitely work in your favour and if you have a few (not too many hopefully!) weaker grades then it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, especially for Cambridge over Oxford as they use more of a holistic attitude and take all aspects into consideration (i.e interview, A-levels, personal statement, BMAT etc.) as long as you try and make up for it by having strong a-level predictions and perform well in the BMAT as they will look at that quite heavily.
If you want to know your BMAT score before applying I would recommend doing the September sitting so you know your result beforehand but if you don’t feel prepared enough to do it by then don’t worry about it and you can also do it in the Novemeber sitting – you just won’t know your result until after your application has gone through!
We will be taking about this further in future blog posts though so hopefully we will provide greater clarity in the future and that will help you decide as to whether you want to apply or not!
Hope that helps to a certain extent! 🙂
Koby
Thanks for this great resource! Congratulations on your offers
Thank you! We’re glad that you’re finding this helpful! Let us know if you have any questions 🙂
So how obtainable do you think getting into Oxbridge is within a years work? I know you both said you only joined medic mentor in the last year before your application and I’m in the same position and so would you say you guys were worked off your feet so to speak or it was very manageable on top of other stresses which come with your final year?
Hi Ryan,
I think that it is difficult to answer how obtainable getting into Oxbridge is as everyone is in different circumstances. Most people have been working towards achieving this goal from earlier than they realise. As Koby mentioned in the video, getting into Oxbridge is a result of 17/18 years of work. Not only have you already taken your GCSEs, but also you have spent time studying for your A-Levels and working on your application to medical school up to this point.
I wouldn’t say I was worked off my feet; however, I did put in a lot of time and effort into my application. Along the process, I learnt how to manage my time better so that I prioritised the most important aspects, such as getting my predicted grades and a strong result on the BMAT. I would say that if you work efficiently, you can also allow yourself time to spend doing other things you like. That being said, for me, there were times when I made a conscious decision to stay in instead of going out with my friends, which I believe paid off in the end.
The most important piece of advice I can give you is that while you work, you also need to take care of yourself as this is ‘a marathon rather than a sprint’ (cheesy, I know, but definitely true.)
Being part of Medic Mentor offers you so many opportunities for developing yourself you want to make the most of. I decided I wanted to study Medicine late into Year 11, and joining Medic Mentor in Year 12 played a significant role in obtaining my medical school offers.
Thank you Laura for the response, this was insightful and good to get a better idea.
Hi Ryan,
Laura’s answer was amazing and I hope she’s reassured you that you can still get offers from Oxbridge if you knuckle down this year as you’ve probably already done many things towards your application without knowing it!
It is important to be realistic about your chances of getting a place at Oxbridge so firstly, it would be helpful to reflect on whether you’ve got the right supporting grades at GCSE (The averages grades of students alongside other stats and advice are going to be on future blog posts so make sure to look out for them!). If you have got fairly strong GCSEs as I’m sure you have, then if you carefully plan out your time, you can definitely make the most of this time and have a strong application for Oxbridge.
I second what Laura has said completely about how I wasn’t fully overloaded with work but that I just had to work a bit more smartly as such and make sure I was staying organised. I thought I could maybe give a few suggestions of things you could get up to during this time so have listed a few here.
Things I’d do: Definitely think about developing your research experience currently as Oxbridge are a bit more academic and quite like seeing you show your passion for the science behind medicine – you can do this through writing an article for the Medic Mentor magazine, entering the Medic Mentor national essay competition or just writing a few notes on a topic that may interest you at the moment to possibly fit into your personal statement. Also start reflecting upon your work experience, volunteering and other activities you may have already done in the past because as Laura mentioned, these experiences have built you as the person you are today and you can definitely learn a lot from them and if you show that you have reflected on how you are looking to transfer to medicine the admissions tutors would really like that.
Those are just a few things you can be doing, but please don’t be daunted! If you’ve got the supporting grades it’s definitely within your capabilities. We hope to guide you guys with our resource so definitely keep checking it and let us know if you have any questions.
Hope that helps!
Thank you again, you’ve given me some food for thought so to speak and some good ideas about what to do to prepare, thanks!
Hi I was worried about the cost of Oxbridge. Is it similar to other medical schools or more expensive?
I’m pretty sure that all UK universities cost £9,250 per year
Dear Alice,
I know Oxbridge has some pretty nasty stereotypes about all of their students being massively rich and privileged but as a Cambridge student I can honestly say that it’s really not true. The benefit of going to a university that is world renowned means that they have so much money to support their students so please do not let money deter you from applying! At Cambridge, eligible students can receive up to £3000 from the university a year that you will never have to pay back, and there are hardship funds at each college to support students. All universities believe that no student should be held back from applying to university because of financial difficulties and so there is so so much support out there. Make sure to check out episode 9 of the Becoming a Doctor podcast that talks all about finances!
Hello! I was wondering what exactly you did for extracurricular and work experience. Could you give some examples?
Hi Francesca,
Thank you for your comment! We will discuss this in our future blog posts. Personally, for extracurriculars, I enjoy playing the piano and swimming, helping me maintain a work-life balance. Do bear in mind that what extracurricular activities you get involved in does not matter as much at Oxbridge than at other universities when it comes to the admissions process.
For work experience, I did four different placements: at my local hospital, regional hospital, a GP Practice, and at a Neuroscience lab.
All the best with your medical school applications 🙂
Hi Francesca!
I hope you are enjoying our blog post series!
There is no set list of extracurricular activities or work experience that universities are looking for so definitely in terms of extracurriculars do things that you enjoy and it’s a great way to de-stress from your school work. Personally I play chess quite a lot as well as enjoying violin and singing so I included these in my personal statement but it’s important to not just leave it as that!
What would make it look even better, whatever extracurriculars you’re involved in is if you reflect upon what skills you’ve developed from these activities and how these skills will help you as a doctor in the future. E.g for chess, I talked about how it helped me develop my problem-solving, decision-making, time-management etc. and how I understand the importance of this through seeing doctors applying these skills in my work experience placements where they were busy yet had to make big decisions quickly and always put the patient at the centre of their decisions.
In terms of work experiences, it’s the same sort of thing really – ultimately, the admissions tutors are looking for what you’ve learnt from them. Personally, I shadowed a cardiothoracic surgeon, a GP and a haematology consultant but in my personal statement I actually only talked about my GP placement as that is where I felt as though I had learnt the most and could link it best with the rest of what I was saying. My volunteering at a dementia care home was also a great learning experience that I talked about in my personal statement and linked to it being particularly prevalent as we have an ageing population.
Hope that helps!
Congratulations on your offers! I was just wondering how you guys prepared for the ucat and the bmat and your oxbridge interveiws ?
Hi Deepthi,
Thank you for your comment! We will cover the topics you mentioned in our future blogs. For now, I can tell you that I used using Medify (an online course) to prepare for the UCAT. Make sure to check out Rebecca’s UCAT blog as I believe that I would have benefitted from reading it when I was preparing for the UCAT!
For the BMAT, I used BMAT Ninja (an online resource), as well as the resources available on the official BMAT website such as the assumed knowledge guide and past papers.
In terms of interviews, we will go into far more detail in our blogs. As an outline, I prepared by revising my Year 12 and 13 Biology and Chemistry content, going through what I wrote on my personal statement and getting as much practice as I could with various people from Medic Mentor, my school, family and friends.
All the best in your medical school application 🙂
Hi Deepthi,
The resources Laura has mentioned for BMAT and UCAT are exactly what I used too and we will have a small section discussion this in future blog posts too so hopefully that’ll help further. Alongside what Laura has said, I would definitely add that practise is the biggest thing for both of them so definitely try and practice consistently for both of them around 4-6 weeks before your exams.
In terms of interview, we’ve also got this as part of our blog series so we’ve got you covered! As the Oxbridge interviews are a bit more scientific, it is helpful looking over your A-Level content for the sciences as they are likely to base questions off of this. I think that mock interviews are probably the best source of preparation so once you get back into school, definitely start arranging mock interviews with your science teachers and Medic Mentor as the experience is invaluable and it makes the actual interview so much easier as you’ve been through it multiple times. Also know your personal statement back to front as Laura mentioned and if you want further interview tips and tips for medicine in general, definitely check out Ali Abdaal’s youtube channel which is incredibly helpful and covers key topics!
Hope that helps!
Hi guys,
Thank you for that talk it was really helpful. I just wanted to know if you had any advice about how to write a personal statement and any other tips for things to do to include in your personal statement
Hi Suwetha,
We will be discussing this subject in much more detail in future blog posts, so make sure to check those out once they are published.
For now, this might be a good starting point to see what type of personal statement Oxbridge are looking for:
https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/applying/ps
Are there any wider reading books which really helped or inspired you as there are so many out there !
Hi Mya,
You’re right: there are so many wider reading books out there! Personally, my top three books that changed my perspective on Medicine were: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and The Citadel by A.J. Cronin.
However, the most important thing to bear in mind is that you should be developing your own interests and learning from what you read. Make sure to take note of key points from your wider reading and reflect on them, so you don’t forget all your hard work when you start writing your personal statement and preparing for your interviews.
How possible is it to get in? I want to apply but I’m afraid of being rejected. How did you know you wanted to apply?
Dear Sharika,
I was 99.9% sure I wasn’t going to get into Cambridge. My BMAT score was low, I didn’t come from a great school and I wasn’t confident at all about my chances of getting in. After my BMAT results, I was so sure I wouldn’t get in that for a few days I decided not to waste a choice by applying to Cambridge. Thankfully, my mum convinced me that it was worth trying for and a few years down the line I’m a medical student there!
Don’t let the fear of rejection stop you trying – the fear is only there to show you how much you want it and to keep you motivated! Just remember that someone has to get into Oxbridge – and that person could well be you!
You’ve got this – stay passionate and stay focused 🙂
Hi,
Thank you for creating this blog!
I just wanted to ask how/ if you incorporated scientific extra reading about school topics, because I’ve heard that at some Oxford interviews they ask about biology concepts. Did you also add a scientific basis to your personal statements?
Also, you’ve probably been asked this on countless occasions but honestly how hard is it to get into Oxford, Laura?
Thank you and best wishes! 🙂
Hi Liz,
Thank you for your comment. I incorporated my scientific extra reading by keeping a log of my reflections about science books and articles that stood out to me, intending to make sure I could remember what I learnt by the time I started writing my personal statement and started preparing for my interviews. I did add some scientific basis on my personal statement, highlighting the areas of medicine I am most interested in and some of my research experience. I balanced this academic section of my personal statement showing my personal qualities and key skills I have begun to develop through work experience, volunteering, and extracurricular activities.
I think that it is quite challenging to give you an answer for how hard it is to get into Oxford because everyone’s circumstances are different. Feel free to check their admissions statistics to give you an idea as to what GCSE grades and BMAT scores you would need to get an interview. Hopefully, with this resource, we will provide you with a realistic insight into this application process, allowing you to evaluate your decision to apply and showing you ways to strengthen your application.
All the best in your medical school applications 🙂
Also, Personally, I went through a period when I was filled with self-doubt, which meant that I almost didn’t apply to Oxford. In hindsight, it’s easy to tell myself that I should have been more confident in my abilities; however, if used positively, this uncertainty can help you push yourself and rise to the challenge!
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for the encouragement!
What research experience did you have? I’m participating in the MM essay competition, do you think that this would be sufficient research or would it be wise for me to do further research.
Thank you again and best wishes.
🙂
Hi Liz,
You’re welcome. Yes, the MM essay competition is a great way to obtain research experience!
I undertook an EPQ, wrote an article for the Mentor magazine, and did a week of work experience at a Neuroscience lab.
I think that if research is something that interests you, it is wise to get involved with it as much as you can. It is up to you to decide if you want to do some more, but you are on the right track by making the most of the opportunities Medic Mentor has to offer!
Hello Koby and Laura! First of all congratulations to you both on your medical school offers! Your blog is soo inspiring! I have a question about how to reflect upon your experiences? Did you follow any reflection structures and how did you talk about this in your interviews? Thank you!
Hi Sarayu,
We’re glad that you are enjoying the blog and hope it continues to help!
Reflection is incredibly important as it allows you to improve by seeing where you may have gone wrong whilst doing something but it also allows you you think about how you can transfer key skills that you’ve learnt from your extracurriculars, work experience etc. to being a good doctor. The Gibbs reflective structure is a commonly used reflective structure that you are advised to use and whilst talking about this at interview, I talked about my experiences during work experience/volunteering and the key skills that were shown here and then I linked this to how I believed I had demonstrated these skills and am continue to develop them through my extracurriculars and this is how I structure my answers. I think they quite liked this as it showed how I had reflected upon what skills I had seen and since demonstrated in my own experiences, as well as showing that I had a realistic insight into medicine to a certain degree as I understood the skills required of a doctor.
So you can use a format similar to this at interivew and this is based off the “STAR” method so check that out and practise using it and hopefully that’ll help! 🙂
Thabk you so much for your advice Koby!
Hi Guys! Well done on your amazing offers! I was wondering how different the interview processes were for the oxbridge universities compared to the other medical schools – were they similar or were the oxbridge ones more challenging?
Hi Anna,
Thank you for your comment! The interviews at Oxbridge are more scientific than at other medical schools, seeking to assess your academic ability and potential, your personal qualities and skills, as well as your suitability for the tutorial/supervision teaching system.
While we will discuss this subject in future blog posts, it might be worth checking the following websites:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/interviews
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/interviews
Hi Koby and Laura,
I recently joined Medic Mentor and it seems quite daunting. I am part of the awards programme and not sure how to begin. Cambridge is one of my options, do they consider grades equally as extracurricular activities? How do you make the most out of Medic Mentor (what activities would you recommend more?) How do you make your application stand out and what kind of extracurricular activities would you recommend?
Thanks and congratulations for the blog 🙂
Hi Rittaj,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
I can imagine how you must be feeling, I was in a similar boat where I initially actually wanted to be a banker until the beginning of Year 12 and the National Healthcare Weekend was the first exposure of a medical setting but from there I’ve developed leaps and bounds and I can honestly credit Medic Mentor for most of that so you’re in safe hands, don’t worry! If you want to see my presentation at a National Healthcare Weekend it’s on the Medic Mentor channel on Youtube, so definitely go and check that out and hopefully that’ll reassure as it explains my journey.
With regards to what to do with the awards programme, you’ve probably already done half the things you need to do for the bronze award already, if not more without knowing it so check the criteria on the website and pack that must have been sent to you as you will only need to evidence it and you’ll already be on your way to getting the awards, which will make you stand out! Also, contact your supervisor and ask for any help at any time as they are only one email away and though they may be quite busy, I’m sure they’ll try and respond to you as soon as possible!
Regarding your question to do with grades and extracurriculars for medical schools, the grades are probably most important as you need them to meet your offer and it shows your academic potential but obviously extracurriculars are incredibly important to show your work-life balance. Oxbridge don’t look at extracurriculars as much as they care more about the academics and your passion for research and the science behind medicine. That being said, extracurriculars can be incredibly useful and I still talked about them as you can learn many skills from them and the interviewers definitely like it if you can relate to how the skills you have learnt from these will help you become a great doctor from what you’ve learnt from your work experience placements as it shows you have reflected upon your skills and also have a realistic insight of the skills required of a doctor. You can learn skills from whatever extracurriculars you do so do things you enjoy for sure and there is no set of list of extracurriculars you must do. In order to reflect as effectively as possible, I would definitely recommend to reflect on each experience you have had using the Gibbs Reflective cycle and I’ve mentioned this in more detail whilst responding to other people so definitely go and check those responses out!
In terms of how to make the most of the opportunities available at Medic Mentor – the possibilities are almost endless! There are so many incredible opportunities from applying for the student leadership programme which helps you build key skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication, to writing an article in the Medic Mentor magazine (a national publication!!) as well as doing the national essay competition which shows your passion for research which Cambridge will love! I did all of these and this certainly strengthened my application so I would recommend this as well as doing various things such as volunteering to help organise a national healthcare conference or even presenting at one as this goes a long way in boosting your confidence! Obviously this may be difficult to do currently but definitely pop Dr Siva and admin an email using the email somewhere in this comment section and that would be a great opportunity! Also nearer the time of your interviews, Medic Mentor are a great support in providing mock interviews etc. so trust me, the possibilities are endless and you’re just on the beginning of a great journey.
Finally things I’d do to make your application stand out: definitely think about developing your research experience currently as Oxbridge are a bit more academic and like seeing you show your passion for the science behind medicine – you can do this through writing an article for the Medic Mentor magazine, entering the Medic Mentor national essay competition or just writing a few notes on a topic that may interest you at the moment to possibly fit into your personal statement. Also, online courses can provide you an insight into a wide range of topics, and help you develop your interest in Medicine (examples of websites where you can find these are: Futurelearn, MOOCs, Coursera, etc.) Additionally, start reflecting upon your work experience, volunteering and other activities you may have already done in the past. Even if you haven’t had too many opportunities yet, try reflecting upon what you’ve learnt from your extracurriculars! These experiences have built you into the person you are today and you can learn a lot from them and if you show that you have reflected on how you are looking to transfer these skills to medicine the admissions tutors would really like that.
I know that was a lot but I really hope that helps! Best of luck! 🙂
Koby
Thank you so much Koby!
Your tips and message is quite reassuring
I am going to start with reflections as you suggested and have asked to write for the magazine
Thank you so much once again 🙂
Hi, thank you for creating this resource, it’s really helpful!
I read that Oxbridge are looking for people who are fascinated by science, and those with academic potential. What would you say about this, and did you find it difficult to ‘tailor’ your personal statement for Oxbridge, without compromising aspects that other medical schools are interested in? (ie. extra curriculars)
Hi Will,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, the admissions tutors do assess academic ability and potential, as well as your personal qualities that make you suitable for Medicine. What I can say about this is that you need to be genuinely interested in Medicine and be able to show areas of your life where you have demonstrated the selection criteria. For more information on their selection criteria, please visit:
https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/requirements/criteria
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/key_criteria_for_medical_admissions.pdf
Personally, it was not possible to fit in everything I had done since the beginning of Year 12 in my personal statement, which is why you need to choose the most valuable experiences you have had that have reinforced your desire to study Medicine. I do think it is possible to ‘tailor’ your personal statement, making sure you discuss your work experience, volunteering, supercurriculars and extracurriculars in sufficient depth. We will expand more on personal statements in future blog posts, so make sure to check them out once they are published.
Hi there! I have a few questions. Firstly, what do you think successful Oxbridge applicants have done differently compared to unsuccessful applicants (because most people have good grades, work experience usually, do supercurriculars)? Also, do you have any advice for the UCAT and BMAT? Did you go on any day courses to help with these exams? Did you do an EPQ and if so, do you have any advice? What is one thing that you wish you did/started earlier in the application process? Thank you so much!
Hi Shreya,
Thank you for your comment and for the great questions!
I think that it is quite challenging to answer what makes the difference between a successful and unsuccessful Oxbridge application as we have all had unique experiences in our own way. Therefore, even all successful applicants are different and there is no given thing that is done in order to obtain an offer – it is more an accumulation of experiences and reflections!
As advice of things you could do now to strengthen your application is as follows: definitely think about developing your research experience currently as Oxbridge are more academic and like seeing you show your passion for the science behind medicine – you can do this through writing an article for the Medic Mentor magazine, entering the Medic Mentor national essay competition or just writing a few notes on a topic that may interest you at the moment to possibly fit into your personal statement. Also, online courses can provide you an insight into a wide range of topics, and help you develop your interest in Medicine (examples of websites where you can find these are: Futurelearn, MOOCs, Coursera, etc.) Additionally, start reflecting upon your work experience, volunteering and other activities you may have already done in the past. Even if you haven’t had too many opportunities yet, try reflecting upon what you’ve learnt from your extracurriculars! These experiences have built you into the person you are today and you can learn a lot from them and if you show that you have reflected on how you are looking to transfer these skills to medicine the admissions tutors would really like that.
In terms of entrance exam preparation, both of us used Medify (an online course) to prepare for the UCAT. Make sure to check out Rebecca’s UCAT blog as we believe that we would have benefitted from reading it when we were preparing for the UCAT! She scored 3120 (a score in the 1% of people who sit the exam) and is a great mentor, so there’s literally no one better to guide you through it and it’s free!
Also, for the BMAT, we used BMAT Ninja (an online resource), as well as the resources available on the official BMAT website such as the assumed knowledge guide and past papers. Practising is the most important thing to do for both of them, so try and practice consistently for both of them around 4-6 weeks before your exams. In terms of courses, both of us attended the Medic Mentor summer school, where we received plenty of teaching, advice for the entrance exams, personal statement support and mock interview prep. It was an incredible experience where we learnt a lot and have talked about in more detail in our promotion video, so definitely check that out! Additionally, I (Koby) attended a few Medic Portal 1 day courses for BMAT and UCAT prep help but honestly I wouldn’t really recommend them unless you go about following them up properly. I say this as although the information is fantastic, these 1 day courses are quite intense and after they are done it is likely that over time due to the forgetting curve you will inevitably forget the information if you don’t recap it. Most people don’t, myself included at the time so it ended up being quite useless but if you do go definitely make sure to reflect upon what you’ve learnt and using the idea of spaced repetition, repeatedly revisit what you’ve learnt and that will help massively.
Regarding the EPQ, I (Laura) undertook one and I am happy to share my learning experiences with you. My main advice would be to do a bit of initial research so that you can scope the subject, which will not only help you decide on the focus of your EPQ but will also give you a general understanding of the current literature. Also, another tip is to research and then write your findings. I made an outline on the areas I wanted to cover, which I expanded on when I wrote my first draft. Having done my research, selecting and pre-evaluating my sources meant that I didn’t have to change most of the ones initially chose. When it came to evaluating my sources in depth much more efficiently once I finished writing my dissertation. Last but not least, keeping the activity log up to date is really important. This is something I didn’t do at the beginning of my project, which made it harder to remember the reasoning behind my decisions when completing the log. Setting some time aside every week for keeping the log updated helped me stay on top of it, allowing me to provide the evidence required in detail.
One thing I (Laura) wish I had started much earlier in the application process would be keeping a reflective log of my experiences as this would have helped me make the most of them from early on. I (Koby) completely second that and it is actually one of the regrets I have as I forgot a couple of things from work experience I wanted to include as I didn’t reflect immediately so as Laura mentioned I would definitely say that you should keep a log of your various activities and reflect upon what you’ve learnt using the Gibbs reflective cycle as that will help so much not only for interview prep but also with your personal statement! On top of this, with anything I would suggest you to be as proactive as possible and be resilient when applying for work experience as it is quite difficult to get but if you go about it as Olivia mentioned in the VMS meeting yesterday by writing a cover letter expressing your interest to find work experience as well as attaching a CV summarising your past achievements and what you’ve done and send that off to as many hospitals as possible, that would make a huge difference and you’ll be rewarded for your persistence!
We know that must be a lot to digest but really do hope that it all helps! Good luck! 🙂
Koby and Laura
Thank you so much for taking out the time in your day to provide me with such a detailed reply! I really appreciate it!
Shreya
Is there an Oxbridge group chat I can join?
Hey there! We’re glad that you’re enjoying this resource. We’ll definitely see if this can be done as it’s a great idea but for the time being, if you let us know if you have any questions using the comment section of these blog posts, we will keep checking them and try and respond to you as soon as possible.
Hi Koby and Laura! Congratulations on your offers from your chosen universities and for managing to push through with so much confidence throughout your journey into medicine so far! I wanted to ask about all the volunteering and work experience you both did. How did you manage to find posts, what sort of work did you do and how did you reflect upon your experiences? Also, what non-fiction texts would you recommend for wider reading? Thank you and wishing you all the best for the future!
Dear Arnav,
Work experience is particularly tricky at the moment because of the lockdown and the need to protect patients in hospitals from possible sources of infection (such as lovely work experience students!). RCGP are currently running an online work experience module called Observe GP that you should definitely check out during the lockdown. Once this is over, apply to the work experience coordinators at all your local hospitals. If this doesn’t work, email doctors directly by going onto the department page of the hospital and finding some contact details. It’s a lot harder for people to say no over the phone, so don’t be afraid to give them a ring!
I did work experience in paediatric surgery and A&E but it doesn’t matter where you do it or how much – it’s all about what you learn from it about the skills and life of a doctor. Make sure to reflect on it as much as possible and see where you recognise similar skills in yourself and which skills you need to develop, then go and find extra-curricular that will help you develop them!
Oxford has a great list of recommended books that you should definitely check out, and I know Medic Mentor has an excellent resource on the way all about wider reading.
Hi Arnav,
Thank you for your comment! Personally, my top three books that changed my perspective on Medicine were: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and The Citadel by A.J. Cronin.
You can find the reading list Lucy refers to at the following link:
https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/applying/reading
However, the most important thing to bear in mind is that you should be developing your own interests and learning from what you read. Make sure to take note of key points from your wider reading and reflect on them, so you don’t forget all your hard work when you start writing your personal statement and preparing for your interviews.
Hi Arnav!
We’re glad that you are enjoying the blog and hope it continues to help!
I know Lucy has talked amazingly about how to get work experience during these difficult times so definitely follow her advice and also once the situation gets better, as Olivia mentioned in the VMS meeting, definitely compose a letter expressing your desire to get work experience alongside a CV and send that off to as many people as possible as well as using any family connections you may have. That’s what worked for me and hopefully you’ll be able to get work experience too by doing this!
Reflection is incredibly important as it allows you to improve by seeing where you may have gone wrong whilst doing something but it also allows you you think about how you can transfer key skills that you’ve learnt from your extracurriculars, work experience etc. to being a good doctor. The Gibbs reflective structure is a commonly used reflective structure that you are advised to use and whilst talking about this at interview, I talked about my experiences during work experience/volunteering and the key skills that were shown here and then I linked this to how I believed I had demonstrated these skills and am continue to develop them through my extracurriculars and this is how I structure my answers. I think they quite liked this as it showed how I had reflected upon what skills I had seen and since demonstrated in my own experiences, as well as showing that I had a realistic insight into medicine to a certain degree as I understood the skills required of a doctor.
So you can use a format similar to this at interivew and this is based off the “STAR” method so check that out and practise using it and hopefully that’ll help!
Hey! This resource is great. I was wondering what kinds of work experiences/extracurricular activities that the both of you partook in to make your applications stand out. Did you link in personal hobbies (ie where Oxbridge interested in that) or keep it strictly science/medicine-related?
Thank you!
Hi Mariam,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
We will include a section on work experience and extracurriculars in future blog posts. Personally, I (Koby) shadowed a cardiothoracic surgeon, a GP and a haematology consultant but in my personal statement I actually only talked about my GP placement as that is where I felt as though I had learnt the most and could link it best with the rest of what I was saying. My volunteering at a dementia care home was also a great learning experience that I talked about in my personal statement and linked to it being particularly prevalent as we have an ageing population.
Yes, you can link in your hobbies and don’t have to keep them strictly science/medicine-related. You don’t have to do any peculiar extracurriculars to stand out, but the most important thing is that you learn from your experiences by reflecting upon them. Oxbridge are more academic-based and do like seeing initiatives you have taken part in to show your passion for the sciences (can be shown through entering the Medic Mentor essay competition, EPQ, etc.). That being said, they ultimately want you to make great doctors and have a strong scientific foundation, so it is important to have other things going on in life to help you de-stress. For example, I (Laura) enjoy playing the piano and swimming, helping me maintain a work-life balance and develop key skills such as teamwork, leadership, resilience, etc. Do bear in mind that what extracurricular activities you get involved in does not matter as much at Oxbridge than at other universities when it comes to the admissions process.
There is no set list of extracurricular activities or work experience that universities are looking for so definitely in terms of extracurriculars do things that you enjoy and it’s a great way to de-stress from your school work. Personally I (Koby) play chess quite a lot as well as enjoying violin and singing so I included these in my personal statement but it’s important to not just leave it as that!
What would make it look even better, whatever extracurriculars you’re involved in, is if you reflect upon what skills you’ve developed from these activities and how these skills will help you as a doctor in the future. E.g for chess, I talked about how it helped me develop my problem-solving, decision-making, time-management etc. and how I understood the importance of this through seeing doctors applying these skills in my work experience placements, where they were busy yet had to make big decisions quickly and always put the patient at the centre of their decisions.
Hope that helps!
Koby and Laura
Hi, thank you very much for creating this blog. I just had a couple questions, what would be some of your specific interview advice, on nailing the oxbridge style interviews, are there any good resources etc that you helped you out. Secondly, as a Year 12 student, I read online that it will be harder than ever to get into oxbridge for 2021 entry due to possibly a lot of current Y13 students deferring for one year, do you know about this, and possibly have any tips on the best possible ways of strengthening an application to oxbridge if this is the case. Thank you very much!
Hi Simon,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
Firstly although I unfortunately don’t know exactly what’s going to happen in the coming year as a lot is still undecided regarding the application process, I wanted to reassure you that the admissions tutors will make sure that the next year will be treated as fairly as possible and I personally believe that you won’t be disadvantaged and will be treated like normal even with the current situation. I say this as firstly, this tragic pandemic only started affecting us following most universities having given out offers so the application process hasn’t actually been affected that much for year 13s and hence there shouldn’t be that much of a change to what normally would have happened. On top of this, the education ministers understand that this is going to be a fairly tumultuous year and hence I think they’ve agreed to allow universities to accept 5% more students compared to their normal capacity so that should also mean that your year won’t be disadvantaged at all! If you see news like this in the future, I would recommend to view it with a pinch of salt as a lot is still undecided but I understand your concerns completely and hope I have reassured you.
Regarding advice for interview, in the end of the day the Oxbridge interviews are a bit more scientific and academic compared to the ones you will experience at other medical schools so I would definitely recommend going over your A-Level subject content prior to the interviews as the questions are likely to be based off of them. On top of this, the most important you should do is to practise vocalising your thought process and talk through your thought process as in the end of the day the Oxbridge interviews mimic the supervision/tutorial systems at those universities and the admissions tutors want to see your suitability to be taught in the environment and they would like someone who is able to learn from the them and also explain methodically. Linking to this also, remember that it is bound to be challenging so don’t worry if you are stuck at some point – most people actually get to this stage, myself and Laura included but if you try and link the question back to what you have already learnt and first principles, with their guidance, you are more likely to reach the final answer they are looking for!
I hope that helps and good luck with the admissions process! 🙂
Koby
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply, and I’ve really benefited from reading both of your responses to others as well, it has been very beneficial, thank you ever so much.
Hi Koby and Laura,
Congratulations on your offers and thank you for making this blog! I was wondering what your interviews were like, what questions did they ask? What was the layout? What was the duration of the interview? Also, out of all of the interviews that you did, which were the hardest?
Many thanks
Hi Hania,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
We will be discussing interviews in much more depth in upcoming blog posts. You are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement at nearly all medical school interviews, so we are not allowed to tell you the specific questions. However, we are more than happy to give you an idea of what the interviews were like.
In terms of the layout:
Both Oxford and Cambridge have panel interviews which are more science-based and academic compared to other medical school interviews.
Oxford – you get four interviews, two at one college and two at another (which means you stay overnight at a college.) They last about 20-30 minutes.
Cambridge – depending on which college you apply to/have been allocated to, you have 2-3 interviews at that college on the same day and they last around 20-30 minutes.
“Out of all of the interviews that you did, which were the hardest?”
Overall, we would say that all of our medical interviews were different and challenging in their own way. Nevertheless, we both feel like the Oxbridge interviews were the most challenging. The most important thing to bear in mind is that if you go in with the right mindset, you can enjoy your interviews, even though they may stretch your capabilities. The Oxbridge interviews are made to mimic a supervision/tutorial, aiming to assess your suitability for this style of teaching.
As a general word of advice, the critical thing to remember in interviews is to vocalise your thought process. You could say something like, “I’d initially jump to x but leaning on the Chemistry and Biology I already know I wonder if it’s to do with y.” The more you explain why you are going down a path, the more the interviewers get to learn about the way you draw conclusions.
Good luck! 🙂
Koby and Laura
Hi Koby and Laura, congratulations on your offers!. What subject did you do for your a-levels? and what’s your take on doing either 3 or 4 A levels?
Hiya Glory! After doing 4 A Levels and really struggling, I would definitely recommend just doing 3 brilliantly rather than 4 well. I was lucky that Cambridge offered me the typical 2A*s 1A offer even though I did 4 A Levels – my best friend was given an increased offer of 3A*s and 1A and so had even more pressure to do well in her exams than I did!
Unless you have a massive desire to do 4 A Levels, stick with the essential 3 and use the spare time you have to focus on your application tests, your work and research experience and personal statement. Believe me, you will thank yourself when it comes to application time!
Hi Glory!
Thank you very much for your kind words and we’re glad you’re enjoying the blog series!
I second what Lucy has said completely as I did Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Biology but was beginning to struggle a fair bit with Further Maths and wanted to drop it but unfortunately it was to late to do so. I have soldiered through it and am doing well enough now but I would definitely recommend doing 3 and doing those amazingly rather than doing 4 and struggling through it and not being able to prioritise other parts of your medical application!
If you really want to do 4 though as Lucy has mentioned and feel like you can cope, then go for it but make sure you keep organised.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Koby
I would like it if you could cover interview skills (frequent asked questions) and preparation needed as well as tips on how to obtain good ucat and bmat scores.
Hi Hayma,
Thank you for your comment! We will be covering interview skills, UCAT, and BMAT tips in more depth in upcoming blogs. In the meantime, I can tell you that I used using Medify (an online course) to prepare for the UCAT. Make sure to check out Rebecca’s UCAT blog as I believe that I would have benefitted from reading it back when I was preparing for it!
For the BMAT, I used BMAT Ninja (an online resource), as well as the resources available on the official BMAT website such as the assumed knowledge guide and past papers.
As a general word of advice for interviews, the key thing to remember is to vocalise your thought process. You could say something like, “I’d initially jump to x but leaning on the Chemistry and Biology I already know I wonder if it’s to do with y.” The more you explain why you are going down a path, the more the interviewers get to learn about the way you draw conclusions. Additionally, you might want to check out Ali Abdaal’s youtube videos on the Oxbridge interviews as they are really good at giving an insight into what they are like and give some helpful tips.
Good luck!
Laura
Hi Koby and Laura, thank you for such an amazing blog, it was so encouraging and very helpful. I was wondering if you have any advice on getting valuable work experience?
Hi Madeline,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
That’s a great question as work experience is particularly tricky at the moment because of the lockdown and the need to protect patients in hospitals from possible sources of infection (such as lovely work experience students!). RCGP are currently running an online work experience module called Observe GP that you should definitely check out during the lockdown. Once this is over, apply to the work experience coordinators at all your local hospitals. If this doesn’t work, email doctors directly by going onto the department page of the hospital and finding some contact details.
As Olivia mentioned in the VMS meeting, definitely compose a letter expressing your desire to get work experience alongside a CV and send that off to as many people as possible as well as using any family connections you may have. That’s what worked for me and hopefully you’ll be able to get work experience too by doing this! Finally, it’s a lot harder for people to say no over the phone, so don’t be afraid to give them a ring!
Hope that helps!
Koby (and a lot of helpful info that I’ve used from Lucy’s responses!)
Hi! Firstly, I’d like to say that this recourse is amazing and from watching the VMS video, I really took a lot away on how to apply to oxbridge and cambridge, especially in the aspects of confidence. I am currently, a year 11 student, and while I do understand that it’s probably far too early to ask this, would you recommend I do anything at home now in order to get ready for applying to Oxford or Cambridge and also building up confidence especially with regards to presenting?
Thanks
Samuel
Hi Samuel
If you want to present at a conference email admin@medicmentor.org with a preferred conference date and we will try to include you in the programme. It really is that simple! You can get a list of conference dates here (but bear in mind that the lockdown prevents us from running them at the moment) and future dates will also be added. https://medicmentor.co.uk/medicine-national-healthcare-weekend/
Also apply for the Medical Leadership Programme – great confidence builder! https://medicmentor.co.uk/school-ambassador-leadership-programme/
Dr Siva
Hi Samuel,
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping! Well done for starting as early as Year 11 – your proactivity is bound to pay off!
With regards to building confidence, there is no better person to ask than Dr Siva, so we hope that she has reassured you with her response. Definitely get involved with presenting as soon as you can as it has been a fantastic learning experience for the both of us!
In terms of things you can do to get ready for applying to Oxbridge, things we would do: definitely think about developing your research experience currently as Oxbridge are a bit more academic and like seeing you show your passion for the science behind medicine – you can do this through writing an article for the Medic Mentor magazine, entering the Medic Mentor national essay competition or just writing a few notes on a topic that may interest you at the moment to possibly fit into your personal statement. Also, online courses can provide you an insight into a wide range of topics, and help you develop your interest in Medicine (examples of websites where you can find these are: Futurelearn, MOOCs, Coursera, etc.) Additionally, start reflecting upon your work experience, volunteering and other activities you may have already done in the past. Even if you haven’t had too many opportunities yet, try reflecting upon what you’ve learnt from your extracurriculars! These experiences have built you into the person you are today and you can learn a lot from them and if you show that you have reflected on how you are looking to transfer these skills to medicine the admissions tutors would really like that.
Good luck! 🙂
Koby and Laura
Hi Koby and Lucy,
Thank you for doing this. I want to apply to three BMAT (ICL, UCL & Cambridge) Universities and one UCAT (Bristol) university do you recommend be doing the BMAT in September or November?
Hiya Josiah! I personally did the BMAT in September (the first time they ever offered this sitting!) when I applied as I wanted to know what score I got before I considered applying to medical school to see if it was even worth applying. In the end, my BMAT wasn’t as high as I had hoped and so I almost didn’t apply to Cambridge as I was scared I wouldn’t get in. Perhaps, if I had done it in November I would’ve had more time to prepare for the BMAT after my UCAT and done better, and then not have had the extra fear of knowing my grades weren’t brilliant! Ultimately, it’s about how confident you feel in your ability to ace your BMAT and the strengths of other parts of your application. As you’re thinking of 3 BMAT unis, I would recommend September as if you flop the BMAT in September you can still do the UCAT and apply more strategically to these universities. Hope that helps!
Hi Josiah!
Thank you for the kind words and we’re glad that the blog series is helping!
Obviously Lucy has already given you a fantastic response and I agree that if you are set on those options then you should probably think about doing the BMAT in September as you are applying to 3 BMAT unis and just in case it doesn’t go to plan it would be better if you could reassess your options and still give yourself a chance of obtaining 4 medical school offers.
I personally was initially planning to do mine in September too as I wanted to know my result but ended up opting for the November one as I feel I hadn’t had enough time to prepare having just completed the UCAT. Therefore I would definitely recommend planning it out allowing yourself enough time to prepare for both exams.
Doing it November did give me more time to prepare and hence I performed quite well but honestly this is a personal choice and depends on whether you feel you would have enough time to prepare for both. As a word of advice I would recommend spacing them around 1.5-2 months apart as that will give you enough time to prepare for both.
If you do end up choosing the September option, do remember as Lucy has mentioned that you shouldn’t be too disheartened if you wanted more as these are meant to be difficult exams but definitely check the websites of the med schools you want to apply to to see if you meet the cut off and will still be likely to get an invite for interview.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Kind Regards,
Koby
Hi, I was wondering how stressful it was for you guys in the run up to the application? Are there some things you may have gotten stressed over unnecessarily? What aspects of an application are worth putting extra work into compared to others?
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. I felt quite stressed at some points in my application when I had a lot going on at the same time. I needed to learn how to manage my time better, so I could prioritise what was most important for me. An essential piece of advice is that while you work, you also need to take care of yourself as this is ‘a marathon rather than a sprint’ (cheesy, I know, but true.)
I think at some point I got unnecessarily stressed about doing DofE Gold when it wasn’t really needed. Additionally, I wasn’t too sure about my GCSE grades, but it’s important to bear in mind that Oxbridge considers your grades within the context of the school at which you took them.
I think that the main aspects you want to focus on are obtaining your predicted grades, a strong BMAT score, and then have a solid preparation for your interviews. That is not to say that other factors are not necessary, as other activities (such as work experience, volunteering, extracurriculars, wider reading, etc.) will not only help you construct your personal statement, but also demonstrate that you have the qualities of a doctor and have begun to develop key skills at interview.
I hope you found this helpful!
Laura
Hi Laura and Koby and Lucy ,
Well done on your offers and for making it to Oxbridge, one thing I like and intrigues me about Oxbridge is their college system
I would like to ask you whether you sent an open application or if you picked a college?
If you picked a college , how did you narrow your choices of colleges and pick one and why that college in particular?
Hi Canbright,
Thank you for your kind words and it’s nice to speak to you again after the summer school!
I (Laura) picked a college instead of sending an open application. I narrowed my choice of colleges by drawing up a list of things that were important to me, such as how long they could accommodate me, its sports facilities, and its location. This resulted in a list of four colleges which I visited on the open day. I decided to apply to Brasenose (a beautiful college centred at the heart of Oxford) because I really liked the atmosphere there as the students and tutors were all very welcoming and friendly, making me feel like I would enjoy my time there if I got an offer.
I (Koby) also decided to apply for a college rather than sending in an open application, not necessarily because I had a strong preference for St Catharine’s beforehand but just because when I went there on the open day, it ticked most my boxes, with it being incredibly beautiful, located near the heart of the town alongside having amazing facilities. In hindsight, I would definitely recommend being more prepared before the open day like Laura was and shortlisting colleges you want to look at in particular as it is unlikely that you will be able to visit them all but if you look up what clubs and activities you want your college to have that should make your decision a bit easier.
There is not any difference between the colleges in terms of academics and chances of getting an offer, so we would recommend you to do an application to a specific college if you like one in particular because then at least you can talk about what you like about the college and your passion for going there, at the interview. Also, at Oxford, about a third of students get an offer from a different college than they originally applied to, so it goes to show that you shouldn’t worry too much when choosing your college.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the following websites.
Oxford:https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/do-you-choose-a-college?wssl=1
Cambridge: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/choosing-a-college
Best wishes,
Laura and Koby
Hi there, how good do your GCSE grades need to be to get into oxford? I heard that GCSE grades are very important in ones Oxbridge application.
Hi Rohan,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, your GCSE grades are very important for your application to Oxford. Feel free to check their admissions statistics to give you an idea as to what GCSE grades you would need to get an interview.
Here is the link: https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/statistics
Good luck!
Laura
Hi ,
I was just wondering if you guys did any essay competitions and if this aided your medical application in any way?
Thanks
Hi mystery man/woman,
I have done an essay competition previously regarding “the legal precedents governing bodily autonomy in modern UK medical practice” which I found incredibly interesting as it was a great opportunity to improve my ethical understanding which I then went on to talk about briefly in my personal statement. I feel as though taking part in these essay competitions is a great way in researching a topic in detail and is also a way of showing admission tutors your interest of research which they would love to see! You could also write in the Medic Mentor magazine which both Laura and I have done and this is a great opportunity to get a national publication which will make you stand out in your application so definitely think about getting involved with that as well as the essay competitions as they are both opportunities to show your passion for research which Oxbridge, amongst other medical schools will love!
Best of luck! 🙂
Koby
Hi!
What did you get in the bmat?
And I’m not really considering Oxbridge but do you have to be predicted A*AA to be considered or 3 A’s
Hi Fathimah!
Thank you for your questions and we hope that you are enjoying the blog series!
From the BMAT admissions website they say that the typical BMAT score is 5.0 which is roughly half marks, a good candidate scores 6.0 and a few exceptional students score 7.0 or above. That being said the scores vary year to year with some years the test being harder than other years so it is important to not look at these too deeply. Laura and I both scored fairly strong results close to what the average Oxbridge offer holder gets, getting high 5’s and 6’s in section 2 and then 3 (A) and above in section 3. Hopefully that helps give you an idea to the typical BMAT scores but we will talk about this further in future blog posts so definitely keep an eye out for them!
With regards to the predicted grades. As the typical grade offer for Oxford is A*AA and the typical grade offer for Cambridge is A*A*A (It is easier to get an interview at Cambridge though so it eventually balances out in terms of difficulty to get an offer and actually meeting it), you would need to be predicted at least an A*AA and preferably even more as that is what you would be expected to get.
If you are struggling to get this, I would definitely recommend trying to get this upgraded and being as proactive as possible by asking your teacher how you could improve them and showing your willingness to improve as this would help greatly with your application if you have strong predicted grades.
I hope that helps! 🙂
Koby
Dear Fathimah,
You need to be predicted A*AA for Oxford and A*A*A for Cambridge (but you can only apply to one on the UCAS form). Unless there are significant circumstances behind your predicted grades, anything applications with A Levels lower than the requirement will not usually be considered at all.
Application statistics for Oxford and Cambridge will be covered in another blog post as part of the Oxbridge Resource.
Just wondering how you chose between Oxford and Cambridge. Thank you
Hi Kiana,
We thought that would be a question that would be coming up so we’ve actually dedicated a whole blog post towards it and hopefully it’ll be coming out today or tomorrow! I hope it gives you a feel for what makes Oxford different to Cambridge and if you have any other questions, we would be more than happy to help! 🙂
Kind Regards,
Koby
Hi, I was just wondering how long you we should spend on preparing for the UCAT and the BMAT exams and also what would say is the most important aspect or specific thing the Oxbridge admissions tutors are looking for in a personal statement.
Thankyou
Dear Ayat,
I spent about five weeks preparing for the UCAT, while I spent eight weeks preparing for the BMAT. This is what worked for me, as I worked consistently from the start and ramped up my revision towards the end. I used using Medify (an online course) to prepare for the UCAT. Make sure to check out Rebecca’s UCAT blog as I believe that I would have benefitted from reading it back when I was preparing for it!
For the BMAT, I used BMAT Ninja (an online resource), as well as the resources available on the official BMAT website such as the assumed knowledge guide and past papers.
A specific thing for the personal statement would be demonstrating your passion for the science underpinning Medicine in a scientific paragraph. You do have to bear in mind that you are applying to other medical schools, so you should not neglect the criteria they are looking for, too. We will be covering this topic in much more depth in future blog posts.
Good luck!
Laura
Thankyou so much for taking the time out to reply!
Hello, for the supplementary application questionnaire (SAQ) for Cambridge, how different does it need to be to the personal statement and are there are any criteria or things we must include in it. also when should be start writing the SAQ?
Thankyou very much!
Hi Zara,
It’s great that you already know about the SAQ, as I certainly didn’t until around a month before submitting my application so that’s great. The SAQ is actually sent to you after Cambridge has received your application and often you are given a deadline of a week after the medicine application closing date (i.e. SAQ closing date was on 22nd October for me but the details will be on the email you will receive from Cambridge confirming that they have received your application).
In regards to the content of the SAQ, it is mainly just a list of questions so is quite different to the personal statement. The SAQ is used as a means of providing topics that you have just covered in school which will often be the basis of your interview questions but you are also given the option to write additional things you may not have been able to include in your SAQ. This additional section is by no means compulsory and won’t really add much to your application but if you want you could maybe add a scientific research paragraph to show your interest for the sciences that you may not have been able to add previously. That being said, if you are going to write something, I would advice that what you write is relevant and you are not writing for the sake of writing something.
I hope that helps and we will also be sure to include that in future blog posts so we hope the information we provide there will continue to help! 🙂
Kind Regards,
Koby
Thanks!
Hi, thank you so much for the Q&A session- it was really informative!
As there wasn’t time for this question to be answered I just wanted to ask this to Laura:
As Oxford requires the BMAT to be taken after the UCAS application and I am considering applying to two other BMAT unis in addition to Oxford, would you recommend still applying to 3 BMAT unis or should I chose UCAT unis instead? As I would not know the score when making my UCAS application.
Thank you and best wishes!
Hi Liz,
Thank you for your kind words!
Back when I was applying, I chose to apply to two UCAT and two BMAT universities to spread the risk, just in case I did not get the result I was expecting in the BMAT. Koby did the same, but nothing is stopping you from applying to three universities that require the BMAT. You should play your application to your strengths, and chose a medical school where you can genuinely see yourself studying for 5-6 years.
Of course, you want to put as much work as you can to get the best BMAT score possible. However, you have to be aware that it might not to go according to plan on the day, which would have a greater effect if you applied to three instead of two BMAT universities.
I hope you found this useful and good luck! 🙂
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much- that makes sense. I guess it will be wiser if I re-evaluate my choices!
Take care and best wishes.