Oxford Medicine Students and Applicants
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Original post by helloitsmee
Thank you so much! Please could you also advise whether you think the amount of interviews taken may impact how well one performs? For example, apparently Univ does one, and a lot do two, would any one of those interview patterns be more convenient in your opinion?
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(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by MrSupernova
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Haha yes I did listen, sorry I guess I posted the message just after your reply. Thank you so much, yes that quite makes sense. I first thought that maybe one interview would be better, but you're right, thinking about it, I think it wouldn't increase my performance, might as well bring it down. Aw thanks so much for your help, I'm quite relieved now, I'll just try and find out which college, like college college and not their interview process/admissions, would suit me best. Thanks
Original post by MrSupernova
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MrSupernova, I seriously don't mean to annoy you with the amount of questions I'm asking, but apparently you got allocated to St Anne's too (I'm not stalking you personally or anything, saw it on the Medicine Stalking page). I quite like the idea of St Anne's too, how many interviews did you have there, and what was the overall atmosphere like? Do they have nice accommodation? Did you like it better than your University interview?
Thanks ever so much 
Original post by helloitsmee
Haha yes I did listen, sorry I guess I posted the message just after your reply. Thank you so much, yes that quite makes sense. I first thought that maybe one interview would be better, but you're right, thinking about it, I think it wouldn't increase my performance, might as well bring it down. Aw thanks so much for your help, I'm quite relieved now, I'll just try and find out which college, like college college and not their interview process/admissions, would suit me best. Thanks
Original post by helloitsmee
MrSupernova, I seriously don't mean to annoy you with the amount of questions I'm asking, but apparently you got allocated to St Anne's too (I'm not stalking you personally or anything, saw it on the Medicine Stalking page). I quite like the idea of St Anne's too, how many interviews did you have there, and what was the overall atmosphere like? Do they have nice accommodation? Did you like it better than your University interview? Thanks ever so much
Thanks ever so much Chill ya beans, I was kidding! :P I had two interview at St Anne's; one science-based and one ethics-based. I'd probably say I preferred my Univ interview, but that's only because a lot of the science part was based around my favourite part of the body. In terms of difficulty, I wouldn't say they were any differently really. I found the ethics easier and less stressful than the science at both colleges, as it was no different to any of my other uni interviews really. According to the feedback my sixth form college's headteacher got back to help future applicants, I got pretty much the same score in both, so I guess that says a lot, and the interviewers were quite friendly at both, so no real difference there either.
St Anne's was ok I guess, but it's not somewhere I'd pick personally. I think I was a bit sulky about having to stay somewhere I hadn't chosen tbh... The building's aren't very pretty, but the room I stayed in was nice and spacious. Bed was crap though - cheap mattress and felt really short for some reason (I'm only 5'9"/5'9"!). Food was also awful. I guess the atmosphere was good though; I met some alright people. The other subjects being interviewed for while I was there were maths, geography, earth sciences and engineering, so possibly a bit of a geeky crowd but that's probably gonna be Oxford in a nutshell haha.
I don't know if this is the right place to ask this, but I've already started a new thread in the Oxford section and no one answered, so..
I hope to study the accelerated graduate entry 4 year medicine course after I graduate. I am currently a first year Biomed student at Brighton, and I am hoping to get a 1st when I graduate. My A level grades however are terrible and my GCSEs are average. It says on their website that they do not consider A level and GCSE grades when selecting candidates, but surely they must consider them to a certain extent, otherwise how would they determine between candidates. I realise that work experience, personal statement and the entrance exam play a big part, but I just can't imagine Oxford accepting anyone who got CDDb at A level, no matter how excellent everything else is. If anyone has any experience with this, opinions would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to waste an application with a university who won't even acknowledge my application.
I hope to study the accelerated graduate entry 4 year medicine course after I graduate. I am currently a first year Biomed student at Brighton, and I am hoping to get a 1st when I graduate. My A level grades however are terrible and my GCSEs are average. It says on their website that they do not consider A level and GCSE grades when selecting candidates, but surely they must consider them to a certain extent, otherwise how would they determine between candidates. I realise that work experience, personal statement and the entrance exam play a big part, but I just can't imagine Oxford accepting anyone who got CDDb at A level, no matter how excellent everything else is. If anyone has any experience with this, opinions would be greatly appreciated as I don't want to waste an application with a university who won't even acknowledge my application.
Hi
So I am currently thinking about applying to Oxford to study medicine and I wanted to ask a current Oxford student about this particular course. I would like to know about your typical timetable, whether or not you have enough free time, social activities, medsoc (if there is one?) and just about the course in general.
Thanks
So I am currently thinking about applying to Oxford to study medicine and I wanted to ask a current Oxford student about this particular course. I would like to know about your typical timetable, whether or not you have enough free time, social activities, medsoc (if there is one?) and just about the course in general.
Thanks
Original post by AccidentalGenius
First and second year weekdays you'll have 2-3 hours of lectures in the morning then most days you'll have labs/dissection room (pre-prepared specimens or 'pro-section') in the afternoon lasting until around 4 usually (though you get Wednesday afternoon off). You'll also have 2-3 (or for some colleges more) tutorials per week lasting 1-2 hours, for which most you'll need to prepare a short essay. You do this by essentially paraphrasing textbooks and lecture notes (if you're lucky you'll have just had the lecture on the required topic).
3rd year is a lot more self-directed on topics you have far more choice over. 4th year and beyond is clinical years and very different - i can elaborate if you ask.
Free time varies person to person. If you had to work really hard at sixth form and remain keen on getting good marks then the work hours can be very long. Otherwise, there is plenty of free time. A 2007 survey had average workload as 42 hours per week for medicine, equivalent to 9-5 on weekdays only (though if you're anything like me, it'll be more like do nothing for days then have to work through the night to finally get the essay done before the deadline). Plenty of medics do multiple sports, go to societies and go out clubbing regularly.
What would you like to know about 'social activities'? I'd imagine its the same as any other group of 18 year olds - do sport, get drunk a lot, generally have fun. I guess activities like music, drama, debating, speaker events etc are more highly represented though.
Medsoc is perhaps less active than at other universities, largely because college dominates social life and we're far less insular and cliquey as medics than at other universities. It does exist and holds regular events though, at least when i was an undergraduate. Osler is the equivalent for the clinical students - that is a bit more more active. Has its own sports teams, runs its own BoPs (parties) etc.
Its a very academic course with a very distinct pre-clinical/clinical split (though be wary of the gimic 'early clinical contact' courses out there). By third year most people are kind of itching to get into clinical, though i don't think many regret not going for an early clinical contact course. The clinical school is very well organised and Oxford graduates do extremely well out of university (even though initial FY1 jobs are university-blind).
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Endless Blue
Forget Oxford medicine with those GCSEs. You've got 4 choices for medicine, so make them smart ones - I can't see why there are so many medics obsessed with going to Oxford or Cambridge.
Original post by qwertyuiop1993
Sorry to put a downer on things, but even with contextual data I don't think Oxford would be a wise choice. A look on the Medicine application website will show you that in 2012 no-one with lower than 60% A*s at GCSE even got invited to interview. Doubtless some of these applicants went to bad schools and some did poorly in GCSEs but had a great BMAT score - even taking these into account, the threshold for that year was 60% A*s (note it's not an imposed minimum, just how things worked out). You keep mentioning there being hope if you do well in ASs and medical exams but Oxford explicitly states a heavy focus on GCSEs for pre-interview and the stats suggest that even candidates with brilliant scores in the things you mention just aren't interviewed if they have low GCSEs.
It's admirable that you want to try, but I would suggest Cambridge as being a more feasible 'reach' choice - medical applications are horribly competitive and you want every advantage you can get.
http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/statistics/
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It's admirable that you want to try, but I would suggest Cambridge as being a more feasible 'reach' choice - medical applications are horribly competitive and you want every advantage you can get.
http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/statistics/
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I know these posts are massively old, but having sat my AS exams, and actually spoken to admissions tutors from Oxbridge they said my application isn't hindered at all by my GCSEs. Infact, I meet the Oxford criteria to be 'strongly recommended for interview', (if minimum entry standards are met), and at Cambridge they showed how people with 0-3 A*'s got in and how people with 10+ A*'s did not, I've learnt GCSEs mean about as much as work experience that your mum organised for you and you took nothing from. So to anybody not thinking about Oxbridge because of GCSEs, have a little look into it, because now I'm seriously considering applying to Cambridge for medicine this October (depending on my UMS, but my exams went really well so I am hoping for the best), good luck to everybody applying for Medicine this year; at Oxbridge or anywhere else!
Original post by Eskyy
I know these posts are massively old, but having sat my AS exams, and actually spoken to admissions tutors from Oxbridge they said my application isn't hindered at all by my GCSEs. Infact, I meet the Oxford criteria to be 'strongly recommended for interview', (if minimum entry standards are met), and at Cambridge they showed how people with 0-3 A*'s got in and how people with 10+ A*'s did not, I've learnt GCSEs mean about as much as work experience that your mum organised for you and you took nothing from. So to anybody not thinking about Oxbridge because of GCSEs, have a little look into it, because now I'm seriously considering applying to Cambridge for medicine this October (depending on my UMS, but my exams went really well so I am hoping for the best), good luck to everybody applying for Medicine this year; at Oxbridge or anywhere else!
Good luck with your application
For anyone else considering applying to Oxford Medicine with 'poor' GCSEs then this the FAQ response on the official website:
I performed badly at GCSEs - am I eligible to apply?
As you may already be aware, we draw heavily on quantitative and objective measures in order to select applicants for interview, and one of these measures is performance at GCSE. If you have performed badly at GCSE, our website should help you to determine whether you might have a realistic chance of a place.
Our average applicant has 80% of GCSE grades at A* and 8.5A * grades- although there is no cut-off, and we will look at your performance within the context of your school, this should give you a good idea of what is expected (mostly As and A*s). In general terms, if you have a lower than average set of GCSE grades, you will need a stronger performance in the BMAT in order to be short-listed automatically. You can try some of the specimen tests available on the BMAT website at www.bmat.org.uk to assess your likely performance in the test.
All applicants who do not make the initial short-list are reviewed in detail by our tutors, taking into account any individual circumstances that might indicate that GCSE performance is likely to underestimate their potential. So, if you feel that you underperformed at GCSE because of extreme circumstances beyond your control, it is important that these extenuating circumstances are mentioned by your teacher in the academic reference.
Hi everyone!
I was wondering about the 3rd pre-clinical year. As far as I got it, people mainly do academic stuff throughout their 3rd year. At Imperial, you also do academic research/smth like that and you work towards BSc. Is it the same at Oxford? Do people get BSc in addition to the medical qualification?
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I was wondering about the 3rd pre-clinical year. As far as I got it, people mainly do academic stuff throughout their 3rd year. At Imperial, you also do academic research/smth like that and you work towards BSc. Is it the same at Oxford? Do people get BSc in addition to the medical qualification?
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Original post by evazilber57
Hi everyone!
I was wondering about the 3rd pre-clinical year. As far as I got it, people mainly do academic stuff throughout their 3rd year. At Imperial, you also do academic research/smth like that and you work towards BSc. Is it the same at Oxford? Do people get BSc in addition to the medical qualification?
I was wondering about the 3rd pre-clinical year. As far as I got it, people mainly do academic stuff throughout their 3rd year. At Imperial, you also do academic research/smth like that and you work towards BSc. Is it the same at Oxford? Do people get BSc in addition to the medical qualification?
Yes.
Almost all unis have the option (variably available) to do a BSc taking an extra year. At Oxford and Imperial (plus Cambridge and UCL) its just compulsory.
Original post by nexttime
Yes.
Almost all unis have the option (variably available) to do a BSc taking an extra year. At Oxford and Imperial (plus Cambridge and UCL) its just compulsory.
Almost all unis have the option (variably available) to do a BSc taking an extra year. At Oxford and Imperial (plus Cambridge and UCL) its just compulsory.
That's great news, thank you for your reply!
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Hi everyone!
I've applied to Oxford for Medicine at Brasenose college
I'd love to chat to anyone about how they're finding BMAT prep, or could any students share their experiences of interview? I heard last year that my friend was asked 2 days before interview to prepare a presentation on a medical topic and that Oxford interviews are usually very scientifically based?
Thanks and good luck with your applications
I've applied to Oxford for Medicine at Brasenose college
I'd love to chat to anyone about how they're finding BMAT prep, or could any students share their experiences of interview? I heard last year that my friend was asked 2 days before interview to prepare a presentation on a medical topic and that Oxford interviews are usually very scientifically based?Thanks and good luck with your applications
Original post by charharrison
I heard last year that my friend was asked 2 days before interview to prepare a presentation on a medical topic...
They can in theory do what they want. That would be very unusual though and i've personally never heard of anything like that. For the sciences, its almost always based on questions given to you at the time, not prior work.
...and that Oxford interviews are usually very scientifically based?
Yes, they are.
Original post by charharrison
Hi everyone!
I've applied to Oxford for Medicine at Brasenose college I'd love to chat to anyone about how they're finding BMAT prep, or could any students share their experiences of interview? I heard last year that my friend was asked 2 days before interview to prepare a presentation on a medical topic and that Oxford interviews are usually very scientifically based?
Thanks and good luck with your applications
I've applied to Oxford for Medicine at Brasenose college
I'd love to chat to anyone about how they're finding BMAT prep, or could any students share their experiences of interview? I heard last year that my friend was asked 2 days before interview to prepare a presentation on a medical topic and that Oxford interviews are usually very scientifically based?Thanks and good luck with your applications
Hi! I've just applied to Magdalen ^) How did you chose your college, btw? And what are your three other unis?
BMAT freaks me out ._. I'm Russian so I need SERIOSULY great BMAT score, otherwise I have no chance :/ Just did 2010 past paper, got 7.7 and 6.1, aiming for 8.5 and 7.5, but science is sooo difficult for me, lots of new stuff I need to learn in physics and biology. I've also printed out original Section 3 answer sheets and now trying to fit my essays there - hate that the paper is lined, only 30 lines for the whole thing. What about you?
Yeah, I've also heard that Oxford interviews are very science heavy, but I think I'd rather have a mini-tutorial than answer questions like "Why do you think you will be a good doctor?"...
Original post by evazilber57
Hi! I've just applied to Magdalen ^) How did you chose your college, btw? And what are your three other unis?
BMAT freaks me out ._. I'm Russian so I need SERIOSULY great BMAT score, otherwise I have no chance :/ Just did 2010 past paper, got 7.7 and 6.1, aiming for 8.5 and 7.5, but science is sooo difficult for me, lots of new stuff I need to learn in physics and biology. I've also printed out original Section 3 answer sheets and now trying to fit my essays there - hate that the paper is lined, only 30 lines for the whole thing. What about you?
Yeah, I've also heard that Oxford interviews are very science heavy, but I think I'd rather have a mini-tutorial than answer questions like "Why do you think you will be a good doctor?"...
BMAT freaks me out ._. I'm Russian so I need SERIOSULY great BMAT score, otherwise I have no chance :/ Just did 2010 past paper, got 7.7 and 6.1, aiming for 8.5 and 7.5, but science is sooo difficult for me, lots of new stuff I need to learn in physics and biology. I've also printed out original Section 3 answer sheets and now trying to fit my essays there - hate that the paper is lined, only 30 lines for the whole thing. What about you?
Yeah, I've also heard that Oxford interviews are very science heavy, but I think I'd rather have a mini-tutorial than answer questions like "Why do you think you will be a good doctor?"...
Aww cool! I chose Brasenose because I stayed there while on a summer school at Oxford and really loved it, I did look into others but I think Brasenose is lovely (and so central too!). I've also applied to Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff - how about you?
You shouldn't be freaked out if you're doing that well! On the Oxford website they ask for about a 6 in sections one and two so that's the aim for me, plus I need to learn lots more Physics and Maths (since I don't study either now
)I haven't attempted the essays yet, I'm actually kind of looking forward to it, since it's quality not quantity - but we'll see how that goes... Hahah
True, I just hope the pressure doesn't get to me I guess - goodluck!!
Original post by nexttime
They can in theory do what they want. That would be very unusual though and i've personally never heard of anything like that. For the sciences, its almost always based on questions given to you at the time, not prior work.
Yes, they are.
Yes, they are.
Do you think I'd be at a disadvantage by not studying Maths at AS or A-level? Thanks!
Original post by charharrison
Aww cool! I chose Brasenose because I stayed there while on a summer school at Oxford and really loved it, I did look into others but I think Brasenose is lovely (and so central too!). I've also applied to Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff - how about you?
You shouldn't be freaked out if you're doing that well! On the Oxford website they ask for about a 6 in sections one and two so that's the aim for me, plus I need to learn lots more Physics and Maths (since I don't study either now )
I haven't attempted the essays yet, I'm actually kind of looking forward to it, since it's quality not quantity - but we'll see how that goes... Hahah
True, I just hope the pressure doesn't get to me I guess - goodluck!!
You shouldn't be freaked out if you're doing that well! On the Oxford website they ask for about a 6 in sections one and two so that's the aim for me, plus I need to learn lots more Physics and Maths (since I don't study either now
)I haven't attempted the essays yet, I'm actually kind of looking forward to it, since it's quality not quantity - but we'll see how that goes... Hahah
True, I just hope the pressure doesn't get to me I guess - goodluck!!
Yeah, Brasenose's location is perfect, it's true
I've never been inside, actually :/ but I'm sure it's pefr as well) What kind of summer school did you take part in? I went to Oxford Royale Academy's Med Prep and we stayed at Balliol which was absolutely lovely, I was considering applying there. But then I just fell in love with Magdalen ^) I've applied to Imperial, King's and Nottingham; I'm quite hesitant about studing outside London as I've spent my whole life in a huge city and I'm not sure I want to change that. For Oxford it's another thing, of course, because I love the traditional course and an opportunity to intercalate in Oxford seems just so exciting! So, the only UKCAT place you're applying to is Cardiff, right? How did your test go? I found UKCAT so much harder and just more annoying than BMAT .-.
Oh, having both Maths and Phys to study for BMAT must be tough. Btw, I'm quite good at Maths, so if you ever want any explanaitons - feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to go through some BMAT questions
Good luck to you tooo! We'll nail it
Original post by evazilber57
Yeah, Brasenose's location is perfect, it's true I've never been inside, actually :/ but I'm sure it's pefr as well) What kind of summer school did you take part in? I went to Oxford Royale Academy's Med Prep and we stayed at Balliol which was absolutely lovely, I was considering applying there. But then I just fell in love with Magdalen ^)
I've applied to Imperial, King's and Nottingham; I'm quite hesitant about studing outside London as I've spent my whole life in a huge city and I'm not sure I want to change that. For Oxford it's another thing, of course, because I love the traditional course and an opportunity to intercalate in Oxford seems just so exciting! So, the only UKCAT place you're applying to is Cardiff, right? How did your test go? I found UKCAT so much harder and just more annoying than BMAT .-.
Oh, having both Maths and Phys to study for BMAT must be tough. Btw, I'm quite good at Maths, so if you ever want any explanaitons - feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to go through some BMAT questions
Good luck to you tooo! We'll nail it
I've never been inside, actually :/ but I'm sure it's pefr as well) What kind of summer school did you take part in? I went to Oxford Royale Academy's Med Prep and we stayed at Balliol which was absolutely lovely, I was considering applying there. But then I just fell in love with Magdalen ^) I've applied to Imperial, King's and Nottingham; I'm quite hesitant about studing outside London as I've spent my whole life in a huge city and I'm not sure I want to change that. For Oxford it's another thing, of course, because I love the traditional course and an opportunity to intercalate in Oxford seems just so exciting! So, the only UKCAT place you're applying to is Cardiff, right? How did your test go? I found UKCAT so much harder and just more annoying than BMAT .-.
Oh, having both Maths and Phys to study for BMAT must be tough. Btw, I'm quite good at Maths, so if you ever want any explanaitons - feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to go through some BMAT questions
Good luck to you tooo! We'll nail it
It was a UNIQ summer school! It was great but I applied for Chemistry because I wasn't certain on Medicine at the time, so that was a little frustrating but still fantastic.
Ohh cool! Yeah fair enough
I just loved the college and tutorial system of Oxford - it seems so friendly and I think I'd learn better in discussions than lectures. Yes - it actually went better than I expected with an average of 718, and comparing to the prelim averages that are on the website I'm really happy! How about you? Aw that's lovely, thank you so much! I may (because I will probably need it). Wouldn't it be great if we both got in? Lets hope we nail it
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by charharrison
It was a UNIQ summer school! It was great but I applied for Chemistry because I wasn't certain on Medicine at the time, so that was a little frustrating but still fantastic.
Ohh cool! Yeah fair enough I just loved the college and tutorial system of Oxford - it seems so friendly and I think I'd learn better in discussions than lectures. Yes - it actually went better than I expected with an average of 718, and comparing to the prelim averages that are on the website I'm really happy! How about you?
Aw that's lovely, thank you so much! I may (because I will probably need it). Wouldn't it be great if we both got in? Lets hope we nail it
Ohh cool! Yeah fair enough
I just loved the college and tutorial system of Oxford - it seems so friendly and I think I'd learn better in discussions than lectures. Yes - it actually went better than I expected with an average of 718, and comparing to the prelim averages that are on the website I'm really happy! How about you? Aw that's lovely, thank you so much! I may (because I will probably need it). Wouldn't it be great if we both got in? Lets hope we nail it
Oh, I'm sure Chemisty boosts your application just as much
And, after all, fantastic experiences matter more than impressive PS features. I got an average of 785, spent ages preparing for it :/ My friedns and family actually think I'm crasy by now, as the application season in Russia starts in June and none of my friends have started their prep lol. But oh well, we'll hopefully get our offers in January
Well, you are very welcome
I actually love explaining Maths, so really do feel free. Are you using any books for BMAT prep? I bought 'How to master BMAT' and 400Q and there are past papers, but I think that's not enough material for three weeks of preparation, so now I'm just struggling to spread it out evenly .-.
Yeah, getting in together sounds perf) Let's keep our fingers crossed
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