Medicine/Natural Sciences at Cambridge

Critical Thinking will help you with your UKCAT/BMAT. Medicine is a very intensive course. And I'd recommend Chem, Bio, Physics, and Maths or a good Humanity like History.

Firstly, if you want to do Medicine, you really need to think hard about it. You need to focus on getting into Medicine, not Cambridge specifically, because it's hard. As well as good grades in GCSEs and A-Levels and a good BMAT/UKCAT performance, you need to have work experience, voluntary work and generally be able to show why you want to be a doctor and why you'd be good at it. So first of all I'd recommend you get some work experience, do some reading and decide if you want to do Medicine or NatSci, rather than how best to get into Cambridge.

Now, with regard to your questions:
1)What A levels would you recommend to take? For Medicine at Cambridge, Chemistry is essential, and it's compulsory for lots of other places too. I'd also recommend Biology if you want to do Medicine anywhere, and maybe one more science (there are a few colleges at Cambridge requiring 3 sciences still but all other unis now only require 2). Other medical schools e.g. UCL like you to have a humanity/arts subject though. If you want to do NatSci, again you'll need Chemistry, plus whichever sciences you're more interested in. I'd recommend doing at least one Maths; two if you want to do physical NatSci. There is, however, no need for Further Maths if you end up going for Medicine.

2)Is the following a good combination for A levels?
Biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics(only up to AS), and a language(something like german or chinese). Yes, if you think you can cope with (by which I mean get high As in) all 5. Otherwise ditch one of the sciences, unless you want to go for NatSci, in which case ditch the language and do more Maths.

3)My school requires everyone to do an AS level in critical thinking or general studies. Which one is a better one to do? And in addition, is critical thinking suitable for someone (who enjoys english the least) to take? I doubt Cambridge give a monkeys, to be honest. I took neither. If pushed, I'd go for CT as everyone seems to think GS is a doss.

4)How much work experience is one advised to have? See the Medics forum for more information on this. It's as much about quality as quantity. But Cambridge care less about this than most other places, from what I've seen. As for NatSci, I have no idea.

5)How intensive is the medicine course? Is it the hardest course out there? It's the hardest Cambridge course I've ever taken. Seriously though, it IS hard work, especially 2nd year (generally - or at least among my friends who I've terrorised - acknowledged to be the hardest year of any Cambridge degree), but it's tolerable. And I wouldn't say it's MUCH more than most other subjects, just different.

Off topic but so is CT, basically you do no work for a year at AS and then take an IQ test at the end. At A2 you need a cursory knowledge of some philosophy, a little essay writing ability and to know how to write to a mark scheme. No work involved at any point.

Maybe fewer people have realised this yet... I have no idea really, but I know that almost nobody worth talking about cares about General Studies.

Actually a friend of a friend is part of admissions for Manchester I think, and their opinion was that gs was the best overall indicator of intelligence. I think they're an idiot and it's a one off but to me it's an example of the arbitrariness of the application system, and also never ever to give anyone anything that looks like a sign of weakness cos that exam which "didn't matter" and you tossed off you could be judged on.

4)How much work experience is one advised to have? See the Medics forum for more information on this. It's as much about quality as quantity. But Cambridge care less about this than most other places, from what I've seen. As for NatSci, I have no idea.

Now, with regard to your questions:
1)What A levels would you recommend to take? For Medicine at Cambridge, Chemistry is essential, and it's compulsory for lots of other places too. I'd also recommend Biology if you want to do Medicine anywhere, and maybe one more science (there are a few colleges at Cambridge requiring 3 sciences still but all other unis now only require 2). Other medical schools e.g. UCL like you to have a humanity/arts subject though. If you want to do NatSci, again you'll need Chemistry, plus whichever sciences you're more interested in. I'd recommend doing at least one Maths; two if you want to do physical NatSci. There is, however, no need for Further Maths if you end up going for Medicine.

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Cambridge say two. They mean three (maths is included as a science). I spent a long time researching this when I applied, emailing all the colleges individually, and basically the answer was 'Theoretically you can get in with two sciences, but it rarely happens'.
Yes, I am aware that lots of people with 2 science A levels will now post to prove me wrong, but that's what I was told!
Beware that if you do lots of A levels they might give you an offer based on all of them (i.e. 4As, 5As), or on specific ones - so don't do anything you don't think you can get an A in!
I did biology, chemistry, physics and English, and my offer was specifically for 3As in the sciences.