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Oxford experiences from Dutch students

Hello! I’m a Dutch student currently in year 12. However, my dream is to study Medicine at Oxford uni. I know this now for quite a while, but I find the process actually exhausting: I’m not sure what grades I should get, which leaves me restless and there’s certainly a lot of work involved in getting the grades, which lately does not work out as I want. Does anyone know what grades are sufficient for Oxford Medicine? And does someone has tips for the application process?
(edited 4 years ago)

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Aim for the equivalent of A*A*A.

Score in the top 10 percent of the UG medical test.

Get work experience at a doctor's office.

But if your too lazy to research the requirements.... Honestly maybe it's not for you. Also a side note, you won't earn more or be a better doctor if you study at Oxford necessarily... You can easily go to one of the Netherlands amazing medical schools.
The UK requirements are A*AA, including A or A* in Chemistry and at least one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics.

According to the website, this is equivalent to VWO with 8 or more overall, and 8 or more in all your specialised subjects.

However, a lot of people applying for medicine at Oxford will have these grades or even higher. There's no way to guarantee getting in, no matter how good your grades are.
Reply 3
Original post by Realitysreflexx
Aim for the equivalent of A*A*A.

Score in the top 10 percent of the UG medical test.

Yes, I read this on the Oxford website, but the thing is: I don’t know what the equivalent of A*A*A is. Also because our school system is completely different from the UK’s A-levels. For example, we still have approx. 9 subjects, in comparison with the 3/4 studied at higher level in A-levels.
Reply 4
Original post by KittyN
The UK requirements are A*AA, including A or A* in Chemistry and at least one of Biology, Physics or Mathematics.

According to the website, this is equivalent to VWO with 8 or more overall, and 8 or more in all your specialised subjects.

However, a lot of people applying for medicine at Oxford will have these grades or even higher. There's no way to guarantee getting in, no matter how good your grades are.

Okay! Would you say that BMAT is probably more important than grades from your school? Because indeed, almost everyone willing to study medicine has good grades...
Original post by MaxOxMed
Yes, I read this on the Oxford website, but the thing is: I don’t know what the equivalent of A*A*A is. Also because our school system is completely different from the UK’s A-levels. For example, we still have approx. 9 subjects, in comparison with the 3/4 studied at higher level in A-levels.

9 subjects at minimum vs 3 subjects to depth. Aim for a 9 overall. That would put you in the top 4-5 percent of Dutch society... Which might put you in that range of Oxford Medicine. But it's a world cohort of overacheivers. I mean the grades might get you an interview. But then you could cough up there and not be selected for an entirely subjective and random reason. I would do this...aim for Oxford Medicine, and then you should easily qualify for the selection in the dutch system. Which is also very competitive. Besides, I'm not sure why you would want to straddle yourself with the excess debt or alternatively, spend your parents hard earned money on an Oxford degree for i think it's 4-5 year's. It's a massive financial commitment... That's the reason I've done my undergrad in the UK (at Nottingham, obv not comparable to Oxford), and am doing my master in the Netherlands... Groningen, it's really expensive to live in Oxford. Probably costs similar to living in Amsterdam lol. But alot LESS fun.

Lastly, there's no difference in quality in UK medical schools. There are about 25 and deliver the same standardised courses with minimal variation for obvious safety reasons. You could also look into my Uni if your so inclined. It's much cheaper to live in Nottingham then Oxford and you would have a much funner student life with 65,000 students in one city.
Reply 6
Original post by Realitysreflexx
9 subjects at minimum vs 3 subjects to depth. Aim for a 9 overall. That would put you in the top 4-5 percent of Dutch society... Which might put you in that range of Oxford Medicine. But it's a world cohort of overacheivers. I mean the grades might get you an interview. But then you could cough up there and not be selected for an entirely subjective and random reason. I would do this...aim for Oxford Medicine, and then you should easily qualify for the selection in the dutch system. Which is also very competitive. Besides, I'm not sure why you would want to straddle yourself with the excess debt or alternatively, spend your parents hard earned money on an Oxford degree for i think it's 4-5 year's. It's a massive financial commitment... That's the reason I've done my undergrad in the UK (at Nottingham, obv not comparable to Oxford), and am doing my master in the Netherlands... Groningen, it's really expensive to live in Oxford. Probably costs similar to living in Amsterdam lol. But alot LESS fun.

Lastly, there's no difference in quality in UK medical schools. There are about 25 and deliver the same standardised courses with minimal variation for obvious safety reasons. You could also look into my Uni if your so inclined. It's much cheaper to live in Nottingham then Oxford and you would have a much funner student life with 65,000 students in one city.

Thank you for your reply! You're right, it is a massive decision to take and I also haven't sorted the financial part out exactly, because it is quite complex and a lot to comprehend :wink:. However I would definitely want to take the shot and see if I'd be good enough to study and one of the worlds' best universities for medicine to really become an expert in my field and to be more internationally orientated, if that makes sense. Specialisations in the Netherlands are also competitive, which would hopefully give me an advantage for applying for specialisations. Groningen and Nottingham seem nice! If I understand it correctly, you did your BSc Medicine in Notingham and currently MSc in Groningen?
Original post by MaxOxMed
Thank you for your reply! You're right, it is a massive decision to take and I also haven't sorted the financial part out exactly, because it is quite complex and a lot to comprehend :wink:. However I would definitely want to take the shot and see if I'd be good enough to study and one of the worlds' best universities for medicine to really become an expert in my field and to be more internationally orientated, if that makes sense. Specialisations in the Netherlands are also competitive, which would hopefully give me an advantage for applying for specialisations. Groningen and Nottingham seem nice! If I understand it correctly, you did your BSc Medicine in Notingham and currently MSc in Groningen?

Not exactly 😂 I'm not that clever...i can't even stand the sight of blood. I'm in my final semester of BSc Management and will do be doing my MSc in change management at Groningen.
Original post by MaxOxMed
Hello! I’m a Dutch student currently in year 12. However, my dream is to study Medicine at Oxford uni. I know this now for quite a while, but I find the process actually exhausting: I’m not sure what grades I should get, which leaves me restless and there’s certainly a lot of work involved in getting the grades, which lately does not work out as I want. Does anyone know what grades are sufficient for Oxford Medicine? And does someone has tips for the application process?

This will be very hard, firstly!

The first consideration is Brexit - by the time you apply, what will uni funding arrangements be? Will you be awarded UK tuition fees, or will you be needing to pay the ~£250,000 an Oxford med degree costs for an international? Will you be considered domestic, where comeptition is about 9 to 1 (although EU applicants do do worse on average), or will you be considered international, where over the last 3 years competition had been 80 to 1?

You'd do well to get very familiar with UCAS, with expectations in terms of personal statement, with the BMAT, and with the NHS and what the GMC considers ethical. Much of the Oxford interviews will avoid that stuff, but turning up with no knowledge would not be a good idea, and turning up to interviews at other UK unis without this would be a terrible idea.
Original post by MaxOxMed
Okay! Would you say that BMAT is probably more important than grades from your school? Because indeed, almost everyone willing to study medicine has good grades...

Yeah probably. For UK students getting the A-levels is easy, getting a high enough BMAT is very competitive. Its probably the same for you.
Original post by Realitysreflexx
.. spend your parents hard earned money


Unsure what you refer to here. Do you mean paying for tuition fees? Do you mean paying for living costs? What grants would you get if you were going to uni in the Netherlands to cover living costs?

on an Oxford degree for i think it's 4-5 year's

6 years.

it's really expensive to live in Oxford.

It is.

Its not very expensive to live in Oxford college accommodation, though. You can get as low as £3750 per year - much less than the average price for say Nottingham.

Probably costs similar to living in Amsterdam lol. But alot LESS fun.


Eh. Oxford is the youngest city in the UK, and I found it was more fun than where I had been previously (London). That was partly because of the colleges and uni societies and sports clubs and all that, but also going clubbing in London was expensive, required transport arrangements, was full of older people and the chance of getting stabbed was non-zero. Oxford is walk everywhere, very cheap, all students, it was great fun.

Lastly, there's no difference in quality in UK medical schools. There are about 25 and deliver the same standardised courses with minimal variation for obvious safety reasons.



Wow that is so not true!

Quality is debatable (what makes a good doctor? How would you measure that?) but the courses vary massively in both teaching methods and content taught. I'd go as far as to say its the most varied course out there - you've got PBL vs lectures, early clinical contact vs only clinical later, focusing on basic science and research vs focusing on communications skills and practical work. Even making you sign in and out of the wards, versus considering you an adult and not monitoring attendance whatsoever.

Two med students at two schools can have completely divergent experiences, honestly.
Original post by nexttime
This will be very hard, firstly!

The first consideration is Brexit - by the time you apply, what will uni funding arrangements be? Will you be awarded UK tuition fees, or will you be needing to pay the ~£250,000 an Oxford med degree costs for an international? Will you be considered domestic, where comeptition is about 9 to 1 (although EU applicants do do worse on average), or will you be considered international, where over the last 3 years competition had been 80 to 1?

You'd do well to get very familiar with UCAS, with expectations in terms of personal statement, with the BMAT, and with the NHS and what the GMC considers ethical. Much of the Oxford interviews will avoid that stuff, but turning up with no knowledge would not be a good idea, and turning up to interviews at other UK unis without this would be a terrible idea.

Yeah probably. For UK students getting the A-levels is easy, getting a high enough BMAT is very competitive. Its probably the same for you.


Unsure what you refer to here. Do you mean paying for tuition fees? Do you mean paying for living costs? What grants would you get if you were going to uni in the Netherlands to cover living costs?


6 years.


It is.

Its not very expensive to live in Oxford college accommodation, though. You can get as low as £3750 per year - much less than the average price for say Nottingham.



Eh. Oxford is the youngest city in the UK, and I found it was more fun than where I had been previously (London). That was partly because of the colleges and uni societies and sports clubs and all that, but also going clubbing in London was expensive, required transport arrangements, was full of older people and the chance of getting stabbed was non-zero. Oxford is walk everywhere, very cheap, all students, it was great fun.




Wow that is so not true!

Quality is debatable (what makes a good doctor? How would you measure that?) but the courses vary massively in both teaching methods and content taught. I'd go as far as to say its the most varied course out there - you've got PBL vs lectures, early clinical contact vs only clinical later, focusing on basic science and research vs focusing on communications skills and practical work. Even making you sign in and out of the wards, versus considering you an adult and not monitoring attendance whatsoever.

Two med students at two schools can have completely divergent experiences, honestly.

Obviously living costs etc I'm sure OP understood as his replies indicated.

Obviously there is a difference in how courses are delivered. But I'm fairly certain there is no poor medical training allowed in the UK. I doubt there's an easy place to get a medical certification to practice. As there would be say easy places to get a business degree lol. 😂 But I'm no expert. Your insight and knowledge is noted.
Reply 10
Original post by Realitysreflexx
Not exactly 😂 I'm not that clever...i can't even stand the sight of blood. I'm in my final semester of BSc Management and will do be doing my MSc in change management at Groningen.


Haha well, it both start with an M doesn't it :wink:?
Reply 11
Original post by nexttime
This will be very hard, firstly!

The first consideration is Brexit - by the time you apply, what will uni funding arrangements be? Will you be awarded UK tuition fees, or will you be needing to pay the ~£250,000 an Oxford med degree costs for an international? Will you be considered domestic, where comeptition is about 9 to 1 (although EU applicants do do worse on average), or will you be considered international, where over the last 3 years competition had been 80 to 1?

Thanks for your reply and you're definitely right about the complexity with Brexit, I've been thinking about this a lot too. However, this is something which we will not know till the start of 2021 or so and so it would be a shame to not even have tried to get a place due to Brexit in my opinion. Therefore I just think working hard and getting good grades is the best I can do at the moment, also to stand out from the other (international) applicants.

About Oxford as a city and the course, I actually fell in love with the place the first (and only) time I was there. Only just getting an interview to experience what it would be like there would be a dream come true and a sufficient outcome of my application :wink:.

Original post by Realitysreflexx
9 subjects at minimum vs 3 subjects to depth. Aim for a 9 overall. That would put you in the top 4-5 percent of Dutch society... Which might put you in that range of Oxford Medicine. But it's a world cohort of overacheivers. I mean the grades might get you an interview. But then you could cough up there and not be selected for an entirely subjective and random reason. I would do this...aim for Oxford Medicine, and then you should easily qualify for the selection in the dutch system.

Hmm yes, I think indeed a 9 would be competitive. Where did you find the information of overall grades and percentages of people to get those averages in The Netherlands? As term ends tomorrow my grades are currently 8.5 average with an 9.0 for Chemistry, 8.2 for Biology, 8.8 for Physics and 8.4 for Maths B. I'm not quite sure whether this would be competitive for my Oxford application, because indeed, almost everyone applying has good grades. However, the BMAT will also be one part for deciding which applicants will be shortlisted of course.
Original post by MaxOxMed
Thanks for your reply and you're definitely right about the complexity with Brexit, I've been thinking about this a lot too. However, this is something which we will not know till the start of 2021 or so and so it would be a shame to not even have tried to get a place due to Brexit in my opinion. Therefore I just think working hard and getting good grades is the best I can do at the moment, also to stand out from the other (international) applicants.

About Oxford as a city and the course, I actually fell in love with the place the first (and only) time I was there. Only just getting an interview to experience what it would be like there would be a dream come true and a sufficient outcome of my application :wink:.


Hmm yes, I think indeed a 9 would be competitive. Where did you find the information of overall grades and percentages of people to get those averages in The Netherlands? As term ends tomorrow my grades are currently 8.5 average with an 9.0 for Chemistry, 8.2 for Biology, 8.8 for Physics and 8.4 for Maths B. I'm not quite sure whether this would be competitive for my Oxford application, because indeed, almost everyone applying has good grades. However, the BMAT will also be one part for deciding which applicants will be shortlisted of course.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_Netherlands

And the University of Groningen rates it about the same with only 4% getting 9 albeit at University level.

Screenshot_20200213_123841_com.google.android.apps.docs.jpg
You can see the mark dispersal at the top. I doubt it varies much between university and highschool.
Original post by MaxOxMed
Haha well, it both start with an M doesn't it :wink:?

That's about where the similarities end lol. 😂 Before they even began.
Original post by MaxOxMed
Hello! I’m a Dutch student currently in year 12. However, my dream is to study Medicine at Oxford uni. I know this now for quite a while, but I find the process actually exhausting: I’m not sure what grades I should get, which leaves me restless and there’s certainly a lot of work involved in getting the grades, which lately does not work out as I want. Does anyone know what grades are sufficient for Oxford Medicine? And does someone has tips for the application process?

Please see below my book, "Oxford Demystified". There is a chapter written by my son (Currently a 3rd year Oxford Medic) and another chapter by me with resources etc.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6100480

International grades requirements

https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/requirements/academic

Note there are only 14 PLACES PER YEAR for international applicants. Thus you can apply, but the chances of getting in as an international are slim. Just treat it as a bonus if you do and don't feel guilty if you don't get in.
Reply 15
Original post by Oxford Mum
Please see below my book, "Oxford Demystified". There is a chapter written by my son (Currently a 3rd year Oxford Medic) and another chapter by me with resources etc.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6100480

International grades requirements

https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/pre-clinical/requirements/academic

Note there are only 14 PLACES PER YEAR for international applicants. Thus you can apply, but the chances of getting in as an international are slim. Just treat it as a bonus if you do and don't feel guilty if you don't get in.

Thank you so much for sharing your book! This will be very useful and I genuinely enjoyed the chapter written by your son. Luckily, your description is exactly as I view my application: it would be great if I would get in, but if I don't then this will have been a very special journey which surely will have a positive impact. This actually makes me very impatient for having to wait 1.5 years till applying :wink:.
Reply 16
Original post by Realitysreflexx
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_Netherlands

And the University of Groningen rates it about the same with only 4% getting 9 albeit at University level.

Screenshot_20200213_123841_com.google.android.apps.docs.jpg
You can see the mark dispersal at the top. I doubt it varies much between university and highschool.

I see, thanks!
Original post by MaxOxMed
Thank you so much for sharing your book! This will be very useful and I genuinely enjoyed the chapter written by your son. Luckily, your description is exactly as I view my application: it would be great if I would get in, but if I don't then this will have been a very special journey which surely will have a positive impact. This actually makes me very impatient for having to wait 1.5 years till applying :wink:.

Fabulous, I am so pleased I could be of use. The earlier you start the better, so do think of an aspect of medicine you would like to research.

Plus the extra work you do will wow the hell out of the other med schools soon.

Do keep in touch and let me know how you get on
Hoi, ik weet alleen iets over Brexit, niet over Oxford uni. Ik woon op dit moment nog in Amsterdam maar wil studeren aan de universiteit van Gloucestershire en maak me ook zorgen over Brexit en tuition fee loans. Ik heb Student Finance England gebeld en een vrouw vertelde mij dat ze alleen weten dat EU-studenten voor schooljaar 2020-2021 nog hetzelfde krijgen als 'home-students'. Het jaar daarop (dus vanaf september 2021) kunnen ze nog niet bevestigen of er iets gaat veranderen voor EU studenten.
Ik belde de universiteit en die vrouw vertelde me dat de overheid normaal gesproken het collegegeld voor het nieuwe schooljaar bekendmaakt rond oktober/november net na de start van het huidige schooljaar.
Ik moet een eerst Access to HE jaar doen dus ik legde uit dat dat geen zin heeft als ik in 2021 niet naar de universiteit kan. Zij zei toen dat ze zo'n idee heeft dat de overheid het misschien om die reden wel eerder loslaat, omdat EU-studenten dit moeten weten.
Dus hopelijk komt er deze zomer meer informatie over Brexit en de leningen!
I think you should have a plan B so that if your dream does not become reality, you can study medicine elsewhere. I did a language course at Utrecht University and really enjoyed it, and on my visit to Groningen found it a lovely place. I hope studying in the Netherlands should that be the outcome brings you happiness.

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