Cambridge medicine reject thinking about reapplying
Hi guys! I'll just give you some info about me first. I'm doing biology, chemistry, maths and physics A levels (and already took Spanish last year) and I applied to Cambridge to do medicine for the course starting this October (2019).
I applied to Pembroke college and got an interview but then was rejected post-interview. I got rejected from one of my other med schools as well but I did get into Queen Mary (Barts med school) and Cardiff. I think I am more suited to the medicine course at Cambridge and I'm thinking about giving it another shot and applying as a post-qualification applicant. However, I would have to decline my 2 offers. I don't know if it's worth declining these offers, taking a gap year and reapplying to Cambridge, or if that would be too risky because I could reapply and not get any offers.
Basically, should I risk it and reapply to Cambridge (if I get the grades), or should I just take one of the offers I received and start this October in another med school?`
I applied to Pembroke college and got an interview but then was rejected post-interview. I got rejected from one of my other med schools as well but I did get into Queen Mary (Barts med school) and Cardiff. I think I am more suited to the medicine course at Cambridge and I'm thinking about giving it another shot and applying as a post-qualification applicant. However, I would have to decline my 2 offers. I don't know if it's worth declining these offers, taking a gap year and reapplying to Cambridge, or if that would be too risky because I could reapply and not get any offers.
Basically, should I risk it and reapply to Cambridge (if I get the grades), or should I just take one of the offers I received and start this October in another med school?`
(edited 5 years ago)
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I always think people in this situation should go with their current offers - esp considering Barts is said to be a really good medical school. I do think if you've gotten offers this time round, you'd be able to get offers again if you reapply, but nonetheless there's still a risk, and I think it's more that you'd be taking a gap year, and essentially pushing graduation and becoming a doctor even further away. 6 and potentially 7 years is a long way to go - at least in my eyes!
And do consider if you really do think you'd be better suited at Cambridge - I'm personally jealous of my friends at other unis who are getting science in their course and still have more than 6 hours of clinical contact in the entire year...
but in the end if you don't mind a gap year, and are confident in your ability to get offers again/willing to put in the same/more effort then go for it! Good luck!
And do consider if you really do think you'd be better suited at Cambridge - I'm personally jealous of my friends at other unis who are getting science in their course and still have more than 6 hours of clinical contact in the entire year...
but in the end if you don't mind a gap year, and are confident in your ability to get offers again/willing to put in the same/more effort then go for it! Good luck!
(edited 5 years ago)
Did you request feedback from Cambridge on why you were rejected? What did they say? Is it something you can realistically improve on in a gap year? These are some of the things worth considering before making any major decisions.
I'd certainly suggest holding off on declining any offers hastily, you can always just contact them on results day to let them know you don't want to take up your place in the new academic year, and spend the meantime thinking about whether you do want to reapply. Also if you find on results day you get the results necessary for your current offers, but not for Cambridge (e.g. if you have an offer for A*AA currently and get that, but not the A*A*A required for Cambridge, it will be a moot point).
Given that you're applying for medicine though, I think you should also spend some time reflecting on whether it's more important you become a doctor or to go to Cambridge. You can become a doctor by going to any medical school, and while yes the teaching formats will be different you'll still end up with roughly the same background knowledge by the time you start your foundation post. Is the teaching format for 5-6 years of your degree going to be that important in the 30 years when you're a consultant (or whatever)? That may also be something to consider.
I would clarify that I'm not suggesting you definitely not reapply; just think very carefully about the reasons for doing so and whether it's a good idea. The important thing is to take your time in coming to a decision - you're in a good position now, so take advantage of that. For the time being, choose your firm/insurance as appropriate and focus on doing as well as you can in your exams. Then you'll have time to think about your options, reflect on how you think your exams went etc, in the run up to results day, and you can make a decision at that point (or shortly after).
I'd certainly suggest holding off on declining any offers hastily, you can always just contact them on results day to let them know you don't want to take up your place in the new academic year, and spend the meantime thinking about whether you do want to reapply. Also if you find on results day you get the results necessary for your current offers, but not for Cambridge (e.g. if you have an offer for A*AA currently and get that, but not the A*A*A required for Cambridge, it will be a moot point).
Given that you're applying for medicine though, I think you should also spend some time reflecting on whether it's more important you become a doctor or to go to Cambridge. You can become a doctor by going to any medical school, and while yes the teaching formats will be different you'll still end up with roughly the same background knowledge by the time you start your foundation post. Is the teaching format for 5-6 years of your degree going to be that important in the 30 years when you're a consultant (or whatever)? That may also be something to consider.
I would clarify that I'm not suggesting you definitely not reapply; just think very carefully about the reasons for doing so and whether it's a good idea. The important thing is to take your time in coming to a decision - you're in a good position now, so take advantage of that. For the time being, choose your firm/insurance as appropriate and focus on doing as well as you can in your exams. Then you'll have time to think about your options, reflect on how you think your exams went etc, in the run up to results day, and you can make a decision at that point (or shortly after).
Think about it and make a decision on results day. If you do really well in a levels that can help if you take a gap year and apply again, but defo ask for feedback to see if there's anything you can realistically improve in. Personally, I think I would have taken a gap year and reapplied, but thats mainly because I really like the city, the vibe, and the unique cambridge stuff you get to do, and wouldn't have really liked to go to my other choices as much (also because I like how you can do more or less any degree in third year compared to the much more strict intercalation degrees elsewhere). If you just want to be a doctor asap then probably don't reapply because cambridge doesn't really give you an advantage in becoming a doctor, but there are definitely other advantages of it (and the experience is unique), so you have to think about if those other reasons are worth taking the risk of reapplying for.
Reapplying for Oxbridge in general is a reasonable thing to do if you are fine with taking a gap year, but for medicine it's a bit different for a few reasons. Medicine is more competitive: there's no guarantee you'll get an offer from your second choice when you reapply, and even if you smash your A-levels you might still be rejected based on non-interview factors (someone reapplying for say English with 4 A*'s will be one of the strongest applicants on paper, but that won't be true for medicine). And medicine is unique in that there's a very clear career path after you graduate, and all universities have to teach more or less the same thing, which means Oxbridge loses a lot of its usual advantages. So I'd be inclined against it.
Am thinking the same for Cambridge Medicine too. If I do get 3A*s this year I might think of reapplying, but I really won’t want to risk my offer in another university.
Original post by moonsilhouette
Am thinking the same for Cambridge Medicine too. If I do get 3A*s this year I might think of reapplying, but I really won’t want to risk my offer in another university.
PM me if your considering it on results cause I’m thinking the same for oxford but idk whether it’s a stupid decision
Original post by dx31
I'm thinking the same for Oxford tbh
Original post by moonsilhouette
Am thinking the same for Cambridge Medicine too. If I do get 3A*s this year I might think of reapplying, but I really won’t want to risk my offer in another university.
So, medicine courses vary a lot and its obviously a long course so there is plenty of merit in considering your university choices. A year is a long time to spend just for that - you'd definitely want there to be other benefits to your gap year in terms of personal development/achieving life goals etc. But if you think it would do that then maybe it might seem to have viable benefits.
But the risk is not getting in on reapplication. Which is quite possible right - 60% of applicants get no offers and there is undeniably an element of luck in an application. Even if you think the chance of that happening is only 10% or 5%... if it does happen, you've literally gone from having a lifelong career set out for you to being cast adrift, for the benefit of... what exactly? Something about academic course blah blah? That's a huge risk!
I'm more than happy to sing Oxbridge's praises and had a great time there myself but... you'd be risking so much. I would personally not recommend this.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by nexttime
So, medicine courses vary a lot and its obviously a long course so there is plenty of merit in considering your university choices. A year is a long time to spend just for that - you'd definitely want there to be other benefits to your gap year in terms of personal development/achieving life goals etc. But if you think it would do that then maybe it might seem to have viable benefits.
But the risk is not getting in on reapplication. Whilst is quite possible right - 60% of applicants get no offers and there is undeniably an element of luck in an application. Even if you think the chance of that happening is only 10% or 5%... if it does happen, you've literally gone from having a lifelong career set out for you to being cast adrift, for the benefit of... what exactly? Something about academic course blah blah? That's a huge risk!
I'm more than happy to sing Oxbridge's praises and had a great time there myself but... you'd be risking so much. I would personally not recommend this.
But the risk is not getting in on reapplication. Whilst is quite possible right - 60% of applicants get no offers and there is undeniably an element of luck in an application. Even if you think the chance of that happening is only 10% or 5%... if it does happen, you've literally gone from having a lifelong career set out for you to being cast adrift, for the benefit of... what exactly? Something about academic course blah blah? That's a huge risk!
I'm more than happy to sing Oxbridge's praises and had a great time there myself but... you'd be risking so much. I would personally not recommend this.
Thank you so much for writing this out!
I’m in the same situation, except I’m a veterinary applicant. I need to watch this thread😂 I love Cambridge as much as the subject, so I’m torn.
Original post by mirandapec
Hi guys! I'll just give you some info about me first. I'm doing biology, chemistry, maths and physics A levels (and already took Spanish last year) and I applied to Cambridge to do medicine for the course starting this October (2019).
I applied to Pembroke college and got an interview but then was rejected post-interview. I got rejected from one of my other med schools as well but I did get into Queen Mary (Barts med school) and Cardiff. I think I am more suited to the medicine course at Cambridge and I'm thinking about giving it another shot and applying as a post-qualification applicant. However, I would have to decline my 2 offers. I don't know if it's worth declining these offers, taking a gap year and reapplying to Cambridge, or if that would be too risky because I could reapply and not get any offers.
Basically, should I risk it and reapply to Cambridge (if I get the grades), or should I just take one of the offers I received and start this October in another med school?`
I applied to Pembroke college and got an interview but then was rejected post-interview. I got rejected from one of my other med schools as well but I did get into Queen Mary (Barts med school) and Cardiff. I think I am more suited to the medicine course at Cambridge and I'm thinking about giving it another shot and applying as a post-qualification applicant. However, I would have to decline my 2 offers. I don't know if it's worth declining these offers, taking a gap year and reapplying to Cambridge, or if that would be too risky because I could reapply and not get any offers.
Basically, should I risk it and reapply to Cambridge (if I get the grades), or should I just take one of the offers I received and start this October in another med school?`
Hi all! … My daughter is at a Cambridge college, currently preparing for second year exams. She knows several undergrads who re-applied successfully and in a range of subjects. … And I work with schools which, together, send many boys and girls up to Cambridge each year. … We also know many doctors; some of these took a long and unconventional route to qualifying as a doctor and are now very successful.
You need clear and robust feedback on where your application fell short. How will you fix these shortcomings? …. Were you considered good enough but kept out by the NHS Quota or were you considered good enough to be a doctor but not at Cambridge or were you considered not good enough to be a doctor? What was your final ranking across the University and out of how many? Most applicants are interviewed so, I’m afraid, being interviewed tells you nothing.
The only thing I would then do for now is focus on academic work and deliver the very best grades this summer. Achieved high grades and high raw marks may give you an edge as a re-applicant competing against many candidates with predicted grades.
Then, from mid-August, have a clear plan for your ‘Year 14’ up to Christmas as a re-applicant and then from January to September. Plan it carefully and do get maximum personal value from it.
There is a risk to all options from here on. One major risk is wondering what might have been if you do not try again.
If the college feedback is positive enough and my teachers are supportive, then I would definitely re-apply. … If you are really bothered about being a doctor, you will find a way even if Cambridge says no twice, whatever happens next year.
Good luck!
Original post by ParentSaraG
Hi all! … My daughter is at a Cambridge college, currently preparing for second year exams. She knows several undergrads who re-applied successfully and in a range of subjects. … And I work with schools which, together, send many boys and girls up to Cambridge each year. … We also know many doctors; some of these took a long and unconventional route to qualifying as a doctor and are now very successful.
Just a small thing on this - if the OP is holding Medicine offers elsewhere it's very risky to reject them just to re-apply to Cambridge. It's by no means certain they would be re-offered and there's a reasonable chance they could end up with no offers at all.
Better to accept the offers already achieved. Future patients don't care which medschool someone studied at...
(edited 4 years ago)
I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but if you like Cambridge as much of the subject are you sure vet med is for you? You’ll be at Cambridge 6 years (and the Cambridge vet med experience is very different to the standard Cambridge experience), but you’ll be a vet 30+ years. Feel free to ignore me, but it’s a very expensive, stressful, and time consuming degree if by the end you realise you don’t want it that much.
Am I right that you have other vet offers? Because if you do, I would take them as there is very much no guarantee you’ll get in anywhere next year. And Cambridge has not got the best reputation for vet med anyway.
Am I right that you have other vet offers? Because if you do, I would take them as there is very much no guarantee you’ll get in anywhere next year. And Cambridge has not got the best reputation for vet med anyway.
Original post by hi_imcatherine
I’m in the same situation, except I’m a veterinary applicant. I need to watch this thread😂 I love Cambridge as much as the subject, so I’m torn.
Original post by stimtothesky
I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but if you like Cambridge as much of the subject are you sure vet med is for you? You’ll be at Cambridge 6 years (and the Cambridge vet med experience is very different to the standard Cambridge experience), but you’ll be a vet 30+ years. Feel free to ignore me, but it’s a very expensive, stressful, and time consuming degree if by the end you realise you don’t want it that much.
Am I right that you have other vet offers? Because if you do, I would take them as there is very much no guarantee you’ll get in anywhere next year. And Cambridge has not got the best reputation for vet med anyway.
Am I right that you have other vet offers? Because if you do, I would take them as there is very much no guarantee you’ll get in anywhere next year. And Cambridge has not got the best reputation for vet med anyway.
I’m aware that Cambridge’s vet course is quite unique. It’s why I like it so much. This doesn’t mean I’m not suited to veterinary medicine, it means the other 8 vet schools aren’t varied enough in their teaching style.
I have no other veterinary offers. I’m a little offended you thought I was so naive.
Original post by hi_imcatherine
I have no other veterinary offers. I’m a little offended you thought I was so naive.
That this is a thread about rejecting offers in order to reapply to Cambridge. Want to have a re-read maybe
Original post by ParentSaraG
Most applicants are interviewed so, I’m afraid, being interviewed tells you nothing.
*all applicants are interviewed.
If you get 3A*s including Bio and Chem and you really want to reapply, then I'd say go for it - since you would have a fairly strong application.
And it would be very unlikely you wouldn't bank an offer at another uni if you missed Cambridge the second time.
But given the fact that the choice to reapply is heavily conditional on your grades in August, you shouldn't think about it too much. Leave the thinking to after your exams.
Btw you can firm offers now and reject them in august.
And it would be very unlikely you wouldn't bank an offer at another uni if you missed Cambridge the second time.
But given the fact that the choice to reapply is heavily conditional on your grades in August, you shouldn't think about it too much. Leave the thinking to after your exams.
Btw you can firm offers now and reject them in august.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by hi_imcatherine
I have no other veterinary offers. I'm a little offended you thought I was so naive.
You didn't say that you had no other offers until now. You originally said...
Original post by hi_imcatherine
I’m in the same situation, except I’m a veterinary applicant. I need to watch this thread😂 I love Cambridge as much as the subject, so I’m torn.
...and the person you are "in the same position" with has offers elsewhere:
Original post by mirandapec
I got rejected from one of my other med schools as well but I did get into Queen Mary (Barts med school) and Cardiff.
I don’t personally think the Cambridge vet course is especially unique compared to other vet courses, what I meant was that the Cambridge vet course is unique compared to other courses at Cambridge (so you get a different experience). I applied to and got into the Camb vet course this year, what it made me realise is all the courses are incredibly similar (they all have to teach and examine the same skills for RCVS accreditation at the end of the day), but some courses are more streamlined/better course formats. The only real advantage of Cambridge is the freedom in the intercalated year.
As others have pointed out, this is a thread about rejecting offers for Cambridge. I’ve seen you on the vet med forum and I had thought you didn’t have offers, which is why I asked instead of just assuming that because you were on this thread you had offers. Seeing as you don’t have any offers, it’s quite reasonable to want to reapply to Cambridge, and not really the same situation as the initial post.
As others have pointed out, this is a thread about rejecting offers for Cambridge. I’ve seen you on the vet med forum and I had thought you didn’t have offers, which is why I asked instead of just assuming that because you were on this thread you had offers. Seeing as you don’t have any offers, it’s quite reasonable to want to reapply to Cambridge, and not really the same situation as the initial post.
Original post by hi_imcatherine
I’m aware that Cambridge’s vet course is quite unique. It’s why I like it so much. This doesn’t mean I’m not suited to veterinary medicine, it means the other 8 vet schools aren’t varied enough in their teaching style.
I have no other veterinary offers. I’m a little offended you thought I was so naive.
I have no other veterinary offers. I’m a little offended you thought I was so naive.
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