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Cambridge Medicine Students and Applicants

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Do they base them on your personal statement (UCAS and additional) and also do they ask about your further reading if you mentioned it on the SAQ?...

I have actually read it all and done everything I wrote but I'm not sure whether going over things I mentioned would be relevant to the interviews (if I get one)
Original post by Athena
Personal statement discussion is likely to be used more as an ice breaker
Yip that's what mine was like. You should be able to talk about the things in your personal statement comfortably so it makes a nice starting point :-)
Hey Everyone,

I am currently an AS Level student studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths. I am hoping to apply to Cambridge University for medicine next year. I got 12 A*'s and 1 A for GCSE's. I was wondering if anyone has any advice that they wouldn't mind giving potential Cambridge Medical Applicants. (e.g. any useful courses or extra-curriculum activity that would be beneficial)

Thanking you for your help,
Savio:smile:
BMAT is the most important exam you'll ever take.

Thats my best advice!

With your grades, u'll have a good chance.
Original post by Vazzyb
BMAT is the most important exam you'll ever take.

Thats my best advice!

With your grades, u'll have a good chance.


Thank you very much for the advice. Very much appreciated :smile:
Get really high UMS for your AS levels.

And don't forget that you're applying to three other medical schools as well, so make yourself attractive to them too.
Original post by Helenia
Get really high UMS for your AS levels.

And don't forget that you're applying to three other medical schools as well, so make yourself attractive to them too.


Thank you very much :smile:
Seems the task is a no brainer- Get a high AS grades (and UMS of course) and get a high BMAT score
On to revision...
Hi! I'm a linguist, not a medic, but I can offer some advice on your first question. Can I ask if you're aware of the Cambridge Special Access Scheme? It's a form that your school is asked to fill out with reference to any extenuating circumstances. There's also a section on the Supplementary Application Questionnaire, if I remember correctly, that allows you to make clear any relevant information yourself.

Hope this info helps! Hopefully a medic will come along shortly and will be able to answer the other questions in depth.
Reply 1248
Avatar for *Liana*
*Liana*
1
1. See the info about CSAS etc posted above.

2. MBBCh = MBBS = BMBS = the same as the medical degree at any other uni in the UK. It is just that Cambridge have stuck to the Latin form.

3. All Cambridge students doing Medicine as a normal undergraduate do an intercalated degree (though we don't call it that really) in their third year. After you've done this you get a Cambridge BA (most people do a science but it's still called a BA because all three-year undergraduate degrees at Cambridge are called BAs).

4. Lectures, practicals and supervisions (small group teaching). A tiny amount of PBL. Different in the clinical years.

5. For clinical years you have to apply to the joint application system for Cambridge, Oxford and the London medical schools, as Cambridge does not have enough places for everyone who is an undergraduate. You will definitely get a place somewhere, but that may not be at Cambridge as more people apply there than they have places for.
(edited 12 years ago)
How did you feel about the application process second time round?
Also, did you think it was worth re-applying, my mind's all over the place since I got rejected and I'm not sure if i'm ready to give up on Cambridge yet :frown:
Reply 1250
Avatar for SabreT
SabreT
4
Original post by hunter'sdaughter
How did you feel about the application process second time round?
Also, did you think it was worth re-applying, my mind's all over the place since I got rejected and I'm not sure if i'm ready to give up on Cambridge yet :frown:

It was a bit less daunting since you kind of know what to expect. But even then there's quite a large degree of uncertainty. It was certainly worth me re-applying, but I only re-applied because I got all 4 rejections. If I had an offer, I wouldn't have bothered. Its too risky, and not all re-applicants get in anyway.

I think if you get/have an offer from any of your other choices, then think hard before you decline it. Cambridge is just another medical school at the end of the day, and the ultimate aim is to become a doctor, not necessarily to go to Cambridge. I think making it Cambridge or nothing is dangerous because it can end in bitter disappointment. But if you feel that Cambridge is the sole place for you, then I guess its worth giving it another shot.
Reply 1251
Avatar for Sl1234
Sl1234
Original post by SabreT
It was a bit less daunting since you kind of know what to expect. But even then there's quite a large degree of uncertainty. It was certainly worth me re-applying, but I only re-applied because I got all 4 rejections. If I had an offer, I wouldn't have bothered. Its too risky, and not all re-applicants get in anyway.

I think if you get/have an offer from any of your other choices, then think hard before you decline it. Cambridge is just another medical school at the end of the day, and the ultimate aim is to become a doctor, not necessarily to go to Cambridge. I think making it Cambridge or nothing is dangerous because it can end in bitter disappointment. But if you feel that Cambridge is the sole place for you, then I guess its worth giving it another shot.


And were you successful this time? What college did you apply to before and which did you apply to now? (if you dont mind me asking haha)
Reply 1252
Avatar for ragaa
ragaa
Original post by hunter'sdaughter
How did you feel about the application process second time round?
Also, did you think it was worth re-applying, my mind's all over the place since I got rejected and I'm not sure if i'm ready to give up on Cambridge yet :frown:


so sorry to hear you got rejected.
I too got rejected and I'm also thinking of reapplying.
I chose not to apply to Cambridge this year simply out of fear that I wasn't good enough and I'd be wasting a choice but now in hindsight I believe I've made a mistake and I should've atleast gone for it. I'm extremely tempted to re-apply regardless of what happens with my application this year. I went to two summer schools there and I loved the place a lot but it'd be foolish to reject a place at any medical school but I really want to be a part of the Cambridge environment at some point during my education. In 10 years I don't want to regret not having taken the chance once I realised that I really want to be there.

Is it wise to apply to Cambridge if you're a re-applicant? Are there ways of doing post-graduate study at Cambridge?
Original post by hunter'sdaughter

Also, did you think it was worth re-applying, my mind's all over the place since I got rejected and I'm not sure if i'm ready to give up on Cambridge yet :frown:


You should by all means request feedback (ask you referee to mail them) and also could specifically ask whether they think a re-application has the potential to be successful. Feedback should help you make an objective decision as tutors usually show your weaknesses honestly and directly. I was rejected with, what I/many thought, a very strong application (only BMAT was average) and so know exactly how you feel. I only will reapply under the condition that I am rejected from my three other choices. And although this outcome is rather unlikely, I do secretly hope, this would be the case.:wink:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 1255
Avatar for Sambo2
Sambo2
10
Hello! so after cambridge medics do three years and get their BA, they then apply to cambridge clinical school/somewhere else. I am at St Andrews atm doing my BSc in Pre-clinical medicine - st a is only a pre-clinical school.. thus I am interested in applying to cambridge for the clinical element of my course. I know this is a reasonably common thing to do and I have already sought information from my own faculty but can anyone give me the inside track on st andrews clinical students in cambridge/ a bit more detail on the processes involved.

Cheers Guys.
Yes, this does happen, and there were about 8 students in my year who transferred from St Andrew's. I think you may have to do an extra "honours" year or something like that before being able to transfer here, though tbh you'd be best speaking to one of your own people about that side of things. I'm not exactly sure how the application process works for you, but you'd be applying in competition with all the Cambridge medics and anyone else who wanted to get in; they look at your results for the first two years, what work experience you have, any special academic achievements or interests etc. I'm pretty sure they interview everyone who puts Cambridge down as their first choice. If you get a place, then you will join the Cambridge students at the start of their 4th year and just go through the normal clinical course with them.

Hope that helps, sorry I can't be more specific on the application process. For Cambridge undergrad students, there is a form to fill in on which you rank Oxbridge and the 5 London medical schools in order of preference, but I would imagine that you have to do something different as my understanding is that most St. Andrew's students do not come this far south! There doesn't seem to be much info on the Cambridge website on a quick search, but you can always try contacting the clinical school directly.
I'm an international student and applied to Cambridge for medicine and got rejected after interview.
My BMAT performance was not good enough though it wasnt bad either.
I got rejected from Imperial and UCL as well but got an offer from Bristol to study medicine there.
the thing is I'm not sure what to do, whether to cancel my Bristol offer and reapply to cambridge next year or just to go to Bristol.
I'm currently doing A2.

any advise?
I'm not sure if you are the same student but there was someone with a remarkably similar position just the other day, rejected from Cambridge but accepted at Bristol.

Applying post-A2s is certainly a nicer position to be in, for I did the same. However, just because your BMAT results will improve doesn't mean your chances are any better, as they'll be aware that you're more likely to improve on them the second time around. Perhaps Oxford may be the place to look at if you're interested.

However, whilst I'm all for people following their dream to go to their favourite university, you have to remember that you're going for medicine. You have a guaranteed job once you've finished, there's no scary graduate market where having (Cantab) might just make the difference. Going to Bristol is not going to affect your chances of success in the future. I also point out that it's medicine, there's no shame in being rejected for medicine anywhere let alone at Cambridge, you did incredibly well to get an offer at Bristol alone.

Because of all this, unless you dislike Bristol as a place or university and you dream particularly of Cam/UCL/Imp then no it wouldn't be worth reapplying. Cambridge isn't everything and for medicine in particular you really are in the wonderful position. You'll probably earn more in 10 years time than I'll ever earn! Good luck for the future :smile:
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by comrade_jon
I'm not sure if you are the same student but there was someone with a remarkably similar position just the other day, rejected from Cambridge but accepted at Bristol.

Applying post-A2s is certainly a nicer position to be in, for I did the same. However, just because your BMAT results will improve doesn't mean your chances are any better, as they'll be aware that you're more likely to improve on them the second time around. Perhaps Oxford may be the place to look at if you're interested.

However, whilst I'm all for people following their dream to go to their favourite university, you have to remember that you're going for medicine. You have a guaranteed job once you've finished, there's no scary graduate market where having (Cantab) might just make the difference. Going to Bristol is not going to affect your chances of success in the future. I also point out that it's medicine, there's no shame in being rejected for medicine anywhere let alone at Cambridge, you did incredibly well to get an offer at Bristol alone.

Because of all this, unless you dislike Bristol as a place or university and you dream particularly of Cam/UCL/Imp then no it wouldn't be worth reapplying. Cambridge isn't everything and for medicine in particular you really are in the wonderful position. You'll probably earn more in 10 years time than I'll ever earn! Good luck for the future :smile:



thanks
I have always wished to study at a top uni, so getting an offer from Cambridge or atleast Imperial would be nice.
Will be bristol give me an offer if I apply next year round?

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