What extra curriculars do you do to get into medicine at Oxbridge, UCL, Imperial etc?
Just clocked I only have like 6 months till uni applications and im acc ****ing myself because I have no extra curriculars I've been consistent with.
Any recommendations from people who are applying/applied to the unis mentioned above?
I dont really play an instrument or have some sport im amazing at and I go to a private school now where everyones a prodigy so I need some activities to help me stand out.
Any ideas? Thanks xx
Any recommendations from people who are applying/applied to the unis mentioned above?
I dont really play an instrument or have some sport im amazing at and I go to a private school now where everyones a prodigy so I need some activities to help me stand out.
Any ideas? Thanks xx
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For medicine it is hard to get into any uni; you need the same extracurriculars and amazing ps and admissions scores for all universities when applying for medicine. What don’t people understand?
I'd recommend getting some work experience and volunteering. Also, just focus on getting a top 10% BMAT and UCAT score. Use medify
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by lanky_giraffe
For medicine it is hard to get into any uni; you need the same extracurriculars and amazing ps and admissions scores for all universities when applying for medicine. What don’t people understand?
by 'same extracurriculars' do you mean instruments, sports, running clubs or volunteering, work exp, shadowing. Because I can get the latter ones but it's too late for me to start a new instrument or sport now ygm?
Original post by lanky_giraffe
You’re a private school kid; ask your personal tutor.
i dont have one. I fr should have stayed at my old school and just begged my parents to get me a tutor or summ.
Original post by lanky_giraffe
I'd recommend getting some work experience and volunteering. Also, just focus on getting a 10% BMAT and UCAT score. Use medify
calm. ty for suggestion : )
The term you are looking for is super-curriculars, not extra-curriculars.
Extra-curriculars are things you do outside of school for your own interest (Duke of Edinburgh, sports, performing, volunteering.)
Super-curriculars are things you do outside of school to satisfy your interests in your future degree subject (reading books on X, watching documentaries about Y, visiting museums about Z).
Extra-curriculars are things you do outside of school for your own interest (Duke of Edinburgh, sports, performing, volunteering.)
Super-curriculars are things you do outside of school to satisfy your interests in your future degree subject (reading books on X, watching documentaries about Y, visiting museums about Z).
Original post by nowayy
by 'same extracurriculars' do you mean instruments, sports, running clubs or volunteering, work exp, shadowing. Because I can get the latter ones but it's too late for me to start a new instrument or sport now ygm?
They won’t care about you being able to play an instrument. You do need to do something to show you are a team player, being part of sports team is often a good way of showing that.
Original post by 04MR17
The term you are looking for is super-curriculars, not extra-curriculars.
Extra-curriculars are things you do outside of school for your own interest (Duke of Edinburgh, sports, performing, volunteering.)
Super-curriculars are things you do outside of school to satisfy your interests in your future degree subject (reading books on X, watching documentaries about Y, visiting museums about Z).
Extra-curriculars are things you do outside of school for your own interest (Duke of Edinburgh, sports, performing, volunteering.)
Super-curriculars are things you do outside of school to satisfy your interests in your future degree subject (reading books on X, watching documentaries about Y, visiting museums about Z).
So are super curriculars prioritised more? Say I enter some essay competitions, read some books and do a few MOOCs, would that make up for my lack of extra curriculars like no instrument and no sports? thx
Original post by lanky_giraffe
They won’t care about you being able to play an instrument. You do need to do something to show you are a team player, being part of sports team is often a good way of showing that.
thanks. but the thought of joining some sports team now just sounds so awkward. guess I need to find another team work activity
Original post by nowayy
So are super curriculars prioritised more? Say I enter some essay competitions, read some books and do a few MOOCs, would that make up for my lack of extra curriculars like no instrument and no sports? thx
Absolutely. By doing this you show your attitude and aptitude towards your subject (which is what you're applying for). The university wants people who are going to work hard to learn without needing motivation from them. It helps to show you're a real human being by mentioning your swimming badges etc. but the more important thing is to show that you have already started reading and studying your subject outside of that which your A Level studies requires you to do.
Original post by lanky_giraffe
You do need to do something to show you are a team player
Can I ask where this has come from?
Original post by nowayy
thanks. but the thought of joining some sports team now just sounds so awkward. guess I need to find another team work activity
I didn't apply to medicine but I know people that did, and by the sounds of it, things like volunteering at a food bank, old peoples home, school etc look good - they show you are selfless, good in a team, empathetic, hard working, good with people, and don't just spend the whole time studying. If you can link it well in your personal statement to the skills you learned/need for medicine, I'm sure that will look good.
And make sure you have lots of work experience!
Original post by nowayy
thanks. but the thought of joining some sports team now just sounds so awkward. guess I need to find another team work activity
Part-time job would work as well.
Can’t speak about the others but Oxbridge don’t care about extracurriculars at all if it isn’t relevant to your subject.
Original post by 04MR17
Can I ask where this has come from?
Admissions teams surely must look for application of teamwork during the interview. Right? I mean, I wouldn't want someone who doesn't work well in a team in my operating room.
(edited 1 year ago)
(Moved to the Medicine section.)
Just to add that you need to apply selectively for medicine as you only have 4 choices. Don't just apply for traditionally prestigious unis imagining it's going to give you some sort of leg up.
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
Just to add that you need to apply selectively for medicine as you only have 4 choices. Don't just apply for traditionally prestigious unis imagining it's going to give you some sort of leg up.
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
Original post by nowayy
So are super curriculars prioritised more? Say I enter some essay competitions, read some books and do a few MOOCs, would that make up for my lack of extra curriculars like no instrument and no sports? thx
To be quite honest Oxbridge doesn't care about your extracurriculars, it's your super curriculars that matter. Think about it - they're Russel Group universities that are heavily research and academics-based - they're not going to care much whether you can kick a ball or play the piano (unless you want to do a degree in music of course).
Original post by lanky_giraffe
Part-time job would work as well.
Honestly the best advice if u are struggling to find any volunteering - it shows you can work with people and it also is a great way to illustrate key skills like teamwork empathy etc. at interview
Original post by Admit-One
(Moved to the Medicine section.)
Just to add that you need to apply selectively for medicine as you only have 4 choices. Don't just apply for traditionally prestigious unis imagining it's going to give you some sort of leg up.
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
Just to add that you need to apply selectively for medicine as you only have 4 choices. Don't just apply for traditionally prestigious unis imagining it's going to give you some sort of leg up.
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
PRSOM
Original post by nowayy
Just clocked I only have like 6 months till uni applications and im acc ****ing myself because I have no extra curriculars I've been consistent with.
Any recommendations from people who are applying/applied to the unis mentioned above?
I dont really play an instrument or have some sport im amazing at and I go to a private school now where everyones a prodigy so I need some activities to help me stand out.
Any ideas? Thanks xx
Any recommendations from people who are applying/applied to the unis mentioned above?
I dont really play an instrument or have some sport im amazing at and I go to a private school now where everyones a prodigy so I need some activities to help me stand out.
Any ideas? Thanks xx
As above, where you do your medical degree will not directly influence your future career as a doctor. The GMC and by extension the NHS consider all medical schools equal, and as the NHS is the only provider of postgraduate medical training posts in the UK, that's really the be all and end all of it for the most part. When applying to specialty training your medical school is specifically blinded from the recruiters to ensure they cannot be biased by that (and foundation posts are allocated by algorithm and medical school is not a variable in it). You should apply tactically based on your profile to maximise your chances of an interview and hence offer.
Also "standing out" when applying to medical school is rarely a good thing by all accounts - as usually those that "stand out" are for all the wrong reasons. Applying to medical school is very much a box ticking exercise; check that you take the right subjects at A-level for that medical school, that if they score GCSEs your profile is competitive (and if they don't, that you meet any minimum requirements), that you have done the requisite work experience and crucially reflected on it, and that you can bring those reflections to bear in an interview, understand the format of the interview what kinds of questions they will ask in interview and be adequately prepared for those (without having completely rehearsed answers) etc, etc.
The only medical schools that might really look for much beyond that would be Oxford or Cambridge due to their emphasis on the basic medical sciences, so wider reading around the science subjects you are currently taking and around what kinds of things are researched in medicine today would be relevant for those two (and might be of interest regardless, but probably isn't required so much for other medical schools). Note also for Oxford and Cambridge specifically, they are very clear that unrelated extracurricular activities aren't really considered much at all. Otherwise the emphasis I gather is more on how well you actually understand what it means to be a doctor in the NHS - extracurricular activities may help you demonstrate some of those qualities, but there are other ways besides that.
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