Welcome back to another blog post in our Oxbridge Resources series! Today, we will be addressing what makes Oxbridge different from other medical schools.
In our last post, we mentioned some of the common misconceptions regarding Oxbridge; though the universities may look similar to Hogwarts, we can confirm you don’t have to be the next Hermoine to get an offer! In reality, there is no Oxford or Cambridge ‘type’. Students there come from all over the world and from various walks of life. The admissions tutors are committed to recruiting the best students nationally and internationally through a fair process based on achievement and potential. If you meet the academic requirements, show your passion for medicine and your ability to thrive in an Oxbridge environment, you are on the right track and this won’t go unnoticed by the admissions panel.
Before we begin, please make a note of a few reasons you may have for applying to Oxbridge and how you think the experience may be different compared to other medical schools.
Stuck? Not to worry, we’ve got you covered!
So, what makes Oxbridge different from other medical schools?
Oxford and Cambridge are regarded as two of the most prestigious medical schools in the UK with a strong emphasis on medical research. The course at Oxbridge follows a ‘traditional’ style, where the course is clearly split into three years of preclinical and a further three years of clinical studies. The third year of preclinical studies includes the completion of a compulsory intercalated degree (we will discuss this great opportunity further in later blog posts). The other medical schools in the UK follow a more integrated structure, with a few specialising in PBL (problem-based learning).
It is important to research and reflect on whether a course where there is little to no patient exposure in the first three years would be best suited for you. That being said, the advantage of the Oxbridge course structure is that you will have a strong foundation of the science underpinning medicine, which will help you solve problems from first principles and feel better prepared when dealing with patients.
The tutorial/supervision system is a unique selling point for Oxbridge. During the preclinical stages of the course, students see their tutors (who are leading experts in their field) and are regularly taught in small groups. This teaching is tailored to individual needs and interests, allowing students to clarify any doubts they may have following lectures.
Additionally, the collegiate system is an essential part of the Oxbridge experience. The course is centralised with the medical school setting the curriculum and organising lectures and practicals, but students reside and have their tutorials/supervisions with the tutors at their college. Colleges also provide pastoral care, facilities (such as libraries, gyms, canteens, etc.), and most importantly, a community of undergraduate students, lecturers, and other members of staff who are there to help ease your journey and to support you if needed. The collegiate system also allows you to mix with students reading a variety of subjects. In addition, you can represent your college in different sports/activities you may be interested in!
We know that this must be a lot to take in, so we hope we have made life easier by summarising the main similarities and differences between Oxbridge and other medical schools below:
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We recognise that we have just given you a lot of information to process, which you should help guide you with your own research and decision of where you want to apply. We hope we have given you a realistic insight into what makes Oxbridge different from other medical schools and hope that you have a better idea as to whether Oxbridge suits you. In the next blog post, we will be addressing what makes Oxbridge special from the perspectives of current and former medical students, as well as comparing Oxford and Cambridge Feel free to comment down below with any questions you may have. Thank you for reading this blog post and we hope you join us next time!
You might be wondering what we just explained about the course structure translates into, so we added some sample timetables.
Below is a sample timetable for a 1st Year Cambridge medical student:
FAB = Anatomy MIMS = Biochemistry HOM = Physiology
ISBM = Statistics Module SECHI = Social and Ethical Module
2nd Year:
NAB/NHB = Neuroscience BOD = Pathology MODA = Pharmacology
(other 2nd year modules not shown include: HNA – head/neck anatomy)
Oxford – 1st Year (Anatomy Modules not shown)
http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/medicine
This is probably more helpful than the timetable below as it takes into account more than the first term! Go to Structure and ‘Typical Week’
If you have any Questions about the content of this blog, please post them below for Koby and Laura to answer.
Hi Koby and Laura. Thanks for the resource it’s really useful! What do you mean by “though the BA is upgraded to a Masters after a few years” when talking about the compulsory intercalated year?
Hi Aryan,
Thanks for your kind words and we’re glad that you’re enjoying the blog series!
This was actually something I was unaware of myself until researching into this but at both Oxford and Cambridge, the BA (Bachelor of Arts) earned from your intercalated degree can be replaced/”upgraded” to a MA (Master of Arts), 6/7 seven years after your matriculation from the college that you have studied at.
For more detail with regards to this, please have a look at the following links:
https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/your-course/graduation-and-what-next/cambridge-ma
https://www.alumniweb.ox.ac.uk/balliol/graduation/ma-degrees
I hope this helps as it can be somewhat confusing but it’s just an additional thing that happens with Oxbridge compared to other medical schools that we thought we should include.
That being said, I think there are many more important factors that you should consider when thinking of applying to Oxbridge so think about whether the Oxbridge course structure with a strong scientific foundation will suit you, as more of a priority 🙂
Koby
I was about to ask the same thing! How does that happen, is it once you graduate as a doctor ?
I think it is referring to this:
Cambridge – https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/your-course/graduation-and-what-next/cambridge-ma
Oxford – https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/graduation/verification?wssl=1
(for the Oxford link, see The Oxford MA)
Note, though, that the Oxford link states that this is “not an upgrade of [students’] BA”
Hope that helps!
Yes definitely check out the links above but basically you’re BA can be replaced by a MA after 7 years of matriculating if you pay a small amount of £10 and follow the procedures in the link due to some sort of tradition. This surprised me and I don’t why they do it to be honest as it’s seemingly a bit unfair on other universities but I suppose Oxbridge likes it’s tradition!
Koby
Thank you for this – it’s a great resource! What is your favourite aspect of studying medicine at Oxbridge (relating to the differences you clearly mentioned)? What did you least expect in the transition from A-Levels to studying medicine there?
Thanks for taking the time to make this!
With regards to part time jobs, is it not possible to have one in term time due to the large workload? Would it not even be possible to work one weekend day a week?
Hiya Lola! As Oxbridge terms are so short, the 8 weeks you spend at university a term is extremely busy. In addition to the timetable above, students will have roughly 3-5 hours of tutorials/supervisions a week, with essays and additional work required for each of these. As a result, the University states that no student should be working during term time in order to focus on their studies, not even for one day a week. In my experience as a Cambridge medic, you will really thank yourself for focusing on your studies during the term time and using any spare time you have to socialise! Both Oxford and Cambridge have lots of financial support for students and so a part-time job should not be necessary. However, if you are interested in a part-time job to build your skill-set your Director of Studies would likely support this professional development through an unpaid, voluntary role. Remember that term times are only 8 weeks long and you would have long vacation to take up some part time work.
Hi Lola,
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it is not possible to have a part-time job, which means that you would not be able to work one weekend day a week. Terms at Oxbridge are much shorter (eight weeks), meaning that the time you spend at your college is intense. However, you are allowed to work during your holidays (which are longer than at other medical schools.)
Best wishes,
Laura
Hi Dhanyata,
Thanks for your kind words. Koby and I are Year 13 students, so we have not experienced studying at Oxbridge yet. Our next blog will address current and former student’s perspective on their experiences at Oxford and Cambridge, so this will answer your question in much more depth. For now, I can say that I am really looking forward to learning from tutorials, as they are a great way to be stretched and learn from experts in their field.
Best wishes,
Laura
Hiya Dhanyata! I’m sure Koby and Laura will be able to give you a more in depth answer once they begin University in October but for the time being I am the resident Cambridge medical student so I hope I can help.
My favourite aspect is the degree of support you get from the college environment. At other universities, you’re just one of 300 students in the general medical school. Whilst the cohort size is similar at Oxbridge, the students are divided amongst the 30 odd colleges. As a result, in my year there are 7 other medical students in my college and we are able to build a great, more personal relationship with our Director of Studies (DOS) rather than just being an unrecognised by the general medical faculty. This means there is so much tailored support and advice in your studies and particularly in seeking external opportunities such as research projects. For example, my DOS helped me secure a research internship at Yale and gain funding for my own research project. I really do not think that this support is as extensive and personal at other universities! Even though the medics are divided across the colleges, you do really intermingle with all the students on the course in lectures and practicals. So my favourite aspect of studying at Cambridge is definitely the college system – they’re my family!
In terms of the transition, I think it was just a shock to have so much free time. Even though our timetable has a lot more contact hours in than other universities, it was still less than the 9-3 timetable of school and so managing my time productively at first was a challenge and it’s difficult to get the balance right between working too little and too much. Supervisions were also difficult to get used to – it was like having a mini test on your knowledge of the subject every week. It might sound daunting but it’s such a positive environment – your supervisors aren’t wanting you to fail, they want to see where you stumble to help you learn where your weaknesses lie so you can focus on building these skills.
Hope that helps!
Sorry about that Laura and Koby – you’re so knowledgeable that I must have misunderstood!
Thank you so much for this wonderful insight into your personal experiences at Cambridge Lucy, it’s really helpful to know what I’m signing up for.
Thank you so much for this blog series! I’m finding it so helpful and I can’t wait for more. I was wondering how you would go about organising some research work experience in a lab. How do I find a lab and contact them? Also, how would I reflect and be able to talk about it in an interview?
Hi Sophia,
Thank you for your kind words!
To organise some research work experience, you can have a look at what research projects are going on at Universities near where you live and contact them to see if they take on work experience students. Make sure to give a clear explanation of who you are, why you want to undertake the placement and attach your CV and a cover letter.
You might be able to get a placement this way, so it’s worth trying!
To reflect on your experiences, you can make a note of them at the end of every day, do some more research on the things you learnt and how they link back to medicine. A good way to structure your reflections is using the Gibb’s reflective cycle.
In order to be able to talk about it at interview, you want to understand what you saw and be able to explain it clearly. Reflecting on your experiences can help you structure your ideas, and you could also practise explaining your research placement to your family and friends so that you can confidently discuss it at interview.
I hope this helped. Good luck! 🙂
Laura
Thanks for all the well organised information.What do you think is the main difference between Oxbridge and other colleges that can make us like it or want to be in that university?