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Oxford biomedical application

Hi everyone, I was wondering what my chances of getting into Oxford for undergraduate biomedical sciences were? I have been predicted a 45/45 for my IB diploma, I have obtained gold in multiple competitions including the senior maths challenge, British biology olympiad, etc. as well as achieved distinction in multiple essay completions such as John Locke. HOWEVER, my GCSE results were absolutely awful. I got a 9 in maths, 9 in chemistry, 9 in biology, BUT a 8 in physics, 8 in latin, 7 in English language, 6 in English literature, 6 in computer science, 6 in history, and 6 in religious studies. This was however a very severe underperformance as I was going through very major mental health problems during the time of my examinations following some family issues during the summer term. Is it still possible for me to get into Oxford? Many thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous #1

I think your best shot on getting an interview is to ace the BMAT, which is the only common denominator among all applicants. An excellent BMAT will compensate for your GCSEs (which are not awful and by no means a deal breaker). Your excellent predicted results and academically related will help your application too.

Start BMAT prep as early as possible as there is material that is not covered in the IB that you need to learn (nothing too onerous but it will take time). And get familiar with the interview style well in advance, the offer for interview is made just a couple (if you’re lucky) weeks’ in advance so you won’t have time to prepare.

Once you get an interview, you have a one in three chance if an offer. But the interview itself seems to have a disproportionate weight on the outcome ie if you excel at interview, it can compensate for weaker results but the reverse does not seem true.

Google biomed oxford admissions stats FOI - plenty of data to help you understand where you stand.

It’s a tough process but your gcses are not a hindrance. Good luck!