Can I apply to Oxbridge for Medicine without Maths A-level?

I'm a lower sixth student who is studying Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Latin and hopes to study Medicine at uni next year. I'm at the point in the year where we have to decide which subject to drop and, although going into the year I was very confident that I was going to give up Latin, I have since fallen in love with it and my teachers so would hate to stop it. On the other hand, I have previously loved Maths, but now my teachers have changed so I am starting to grow slightly bored with it. Therefore, I was almost certain that I would drop the Maths for AS.

I have had my heart set on applying for Oxbridge since I was little, due to my family connections, my many visits there over the years and the research I've done into their courses. However, when I was specifically looking at Cambridge entry requirements, they specified that 98% of their applicants do at least 3 sciences/maths at a-level and 30% of these are successful. Of the 2% who only had 2 sciences/maths, only 6% were successful. Obviously, it would be more pragmatic to keep the Maths along with Bio and Chem for A-level, but I love Latin too much to give it up. Also, I was hoping that Maths at AS could count for something...

My school isn't happy with me doing all 4 to A-level, even though I got 11 A*s at GCSEs so I definitely have to choose and within the next few days. I have also emailed an admissions tutor at Cambridge and she basically replied with the same info from the website...

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks! xxx

I'm a lower sixth student who is studying Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Latin and hopes to study Medicine at uni next year. I'm at the point in the year where we have to decide which subject to drop and, although going into the year I was very confident that I was going to give up Latin, I have since fallen in love with it and my teachers so would hate to stop it. On the other hand, I have previously loved Maths, but now my teachers have changed so I am starting to grow slightly bored with it. Therefore, I was almost certain that I would drop the Maths for AS.

I have had my heart set on applying for Oxbridge since I was little, due to my family connections, my many visits there over the years and the research I've done into their courses. However, when I was specifically looking at Cambridge entry requirements, they specified that 98% of their applicants do at least 3 sciences/maths at a-level and 30% of these are successful. Of the 2% who only had 2 sciences/maths, only 6% were successful. Obviously, it would be more pragmatic to keep the Maths along with Bio and Chem for A-level, but I love Latin too much to give it up. Also, I was hoping that Maths at AS could count for something...

My school isn't happy with me doing all 4 to A-level, even though I got 11 A*s at GCSEs so I definitely have to choose and within the next few days. I have also emailed an admissions tutor at Cambridge and she basically replied with the same info from the website...

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks! xxx

I was very confident that I was going to give up Latin, I have since fallen in love with it and my teachers so would hate to stop it

Firstly, if your heart is set on Latin then I think you should do it. A-Levels require so much more work than GCSEs and it’s harder to put the effort in if you aren’t in love with the subject and especially if you spend your time wishing you’d carried on with Latin. It doesn’t rule you out completely either and although the statistics look a certain way, there are other factors to consider.

Your admissions test/s hold weight too. Your personal statement needs to show a serious passion for the subject. And ultimately if you get invited to interview then that becomes a massive factor.

I’ve been offered a place at Oxford, not for medicine for Law, but I hope I can shed some light on what other things they may be looking for because on paper I wouldn’t be a traditional candidate like you are. Passion is a massive thing. You need extra activities that link to medicine and a lot of them, extra reading too!

Finally, don’t set your heart on Oxbridge alone! There are fantastic universities all over the country where you would get a wonderful education. I got a place over people with far better GCSE results, who go to private schools, who take more traditionally academic A-levels. It’s hard to say what Oxbridge look for especially but it isn’t just down to the obvious things like subject choice and having the very top marks in GCSEs. Be passionate and be dedicated is my best advice.

So from my knowledge only a few Cambridge colleges insist that you take at least 3 sciences for A-levels, and Oxford do not have such requirements. So it doesn't really matter, but if you want to be compatible with all Cambridge colleges then take the maths.

Just a small little thing to add..


Your choice shouldn't really be influenced by your teachers. All teachers hate to see good students go but it's your future remember!

Hi, thanks for the reassurance, I feel much better about it now. Also, I think I might not have been very clear, but I meant that I would be the one to hate giving up Latin because I love the teachers too much. My teachers have been very supportive, so there isn’t anything to worry about 😂 xxx

Hi, thanks for the reassurance, I feel much better about it now.

Hi, thanks for the reassurance, I feel much better about it now.

I don't think you should be overly reassured.

Why are you reassured? What a random TSR user says doesnt change your chances going from 30% to 6%!