Oxford Medicine Students and Applicants

Which option?

Does anyone have any comments on MVR? That's the one I'm leaning towards now.

I did MVR. I would say that there is a pretty clear cardiac/respiratory divide if you want it. Resp tends to be hard to get tutorials though, as Keith Dorrington is pretty much the only person in Oxford who does it! He does literally all of the lectures for the last 3 options.

You can take a molecular approach if you want to, just like what is pretty much compulsory in the other 4 options, but you also have the option of viewing things on a more systemic basis, which is why i chose it. I hated Pathology with its long lists of signalling factors and receptors and all of that. I find mechanisms interesting, rather than names and data. MVR was choice most like that, i felt.

The only thing I feel could be a problem is the primary literature - there's way fewer good articles out there on most physiology topics compared to pathology or neuro topics like schizophrenia. Am I just looking in the wrong places or is that the case?

Initial short-listing was based heavily on available GCSE and BMAT data (both quantitative and objective measures). If applicants had not taken GCSEs or IGCSEs more weight was given to the BMAT score. Source

Hallo!

So I'm thinking of applying to do Medicine at Oxford next year and I've been accepted to do an EPQ at my school. Currently my EPQ idea focuses more on the ethics of medicine. I know Oxford is all about the research (and for medicine, there's a year dedicated to it- no idea about other courses), so would it put me at an advantage if I did something more closely linked to medical research (perhaps for the interview)?

Bearing in mind that I would enjoy doing both types of topic and (strictly speaking) the EPQ doesn't contribute massively to the admissions process.

Thanks!

You could do something about brain transplants...

My friend's brother, who currently studies medicine at Oxford, said that he had two interviews: one academic and one on ethics. He said they asked him: if you had the choice between the two of them, who would throw of a plane: Hitler or Stalin? He said he'd kill both...leaving the interviewers unimpressed but it shows that such academic institutions have at least some interest in medical ethics.

You could do something about brain transplants, perhaps delve into a bit of philosophy about what constitutes the self, stream of consciousness etc. But I'm sure you'll find yourself entangled in medical research regardless of your choice...just ensure it's something that you find interesting and you reckon the tutors will find interesting.

having an entire interview dedicated to ethics is unusual though, based at least our year, most people have 2 academic interviews per college of which ethics may have come up partly in one of them. That question is totally ridiculous though and i find it hard to believe that a tutor genuinely asked it.

brain transplants?! why? such a ridiculous thing to talk about.

Hi,

I was just wondering what the standard offer for Medicine at Oxford is if you take four A2 subjects (Biology, Chemistry, History and Physics).

(If this has been asked and answered then I apologise - I did not see it)

Muppet Science

Hi,

I was just wondering what the standard offer for Medicine at Oxford is if you take four A2 subjects (Biology, Chemistry, History and Physics).

(If this has been asked and answered then I apologise - I did not see it)

Muppet Science

they usually ask for A*AA, if you're doing 4 they'd probably ask for an A in that too. plus BMAT.

Thanks, but to confirm would that be A*AAA then?

You don't need to do 4 at A2; they don't want you to since their standard offer for Medicine is A*AA. By taking 4 A2 subjects, you're giving the impression to Oxford that you're a conceited smart ass (I'm sure you're not), and that you can handle extra work that most other applicants who are doing 3 A2's cannot. Oxford then respond to this by thinking: 'Let's see if this guy is as smart as he thinks he is, let's make him get an A in the fourth subject', which creates unnecessary work and pressure for you.

It's happened to 3 people in my school who applied for Oxford, not for Medicine though. They know have to get an A in their fourth A2.