Reapplying to Cambridge: Guide for Reapplicants
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Hi all,
Thinking of applying to Cambridge for medicine next year, after getting rejected post-interview for Oxford at beginning of Jan.
Some context: Although I was utterly crushed at first, I actually wanted to go to Cambridge all along, and only started thinking about Oxford when I started dating my boyfriend (who was dead set on Oxford and couldn’t understand at all why I wanted to apply to Cambridge!). Long story short, I loved the idea of being at Oxford together and knew that the Oxford med course was very similar, so the idea took hold.
Following that, I got a B in one of my maths modules at AS (there were some pretty severe extenuating circumstances and I still got an A overall, but I’m redoing that module this summer anyway) and so I decided Oxford would be more likely to have me.
My stats are good - 11A*s GCSE, 4As at AS, predicted (and certainly hoping to achieve) 3A*s at A Level. My UKCAT was exceptionally good and whilst my BMAT was on the weaker side, it was still good enough for an Oxford interview.
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
Does anyone know of any successful reapplicants for med? Any advice about gap years? What are your thoughts on reapplying personally? Are any colleges known to be kinder towards reapplicants?
Thanks in advance! Good luck to everyone reading for applying/reapplying/exams this summer.
Thinking of applying to Cambridge for medicine next year, after getting rejected post-interview for Oxford at beginning of Jan.
Some context: Although I was utterly crushed at first, I actually wanted to go to Cambridge all along, and only started thinking about Oxford when I started dating my boyfriend (who was dead set on Oxford and couldn’t understand at all why I wanted to apply to Cambridge!). Long story short, I loved the idea of being at Oxford together and knew that the Oxford med course was very similar, so the idea took hold.
Following that, I got a B in one of my maths modules at AS (there were some pretty severe extenuating circumstances and I still got an A overall, but I’m redoing that module this summer anyway) and so I decided Oxford would be more likely to have me.
My stats are good - 11A*s GCSE, 4As at AS, predicted (and certainly hoping to achieve) 3A*s at A Level. My UKCAT was exceptionally good and whilst my BMAT was on the weaker side, it was still good enough for an Oxford interview.
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
Does anyone know of any successful reapplicants for med? Any advice about gap years? What are your thoughts on reapplying personally? Are any colleges known to be kinder towards reapplicants?
Thanks in advance! Good luck to everyone reading for applying/reapplying/exams this summer.
Original post by emmma_rach_
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
No, don't do this.
Embrace *any* medicine offer you get with open arms.
There is absolutely no guarantee you will get an offer from Cambridge next year, and every chance you won't even get a repeat offer from KCL.
Most medicine applicants get 4/4 rejections. Any offer is an achievement. Congratulations on yours from KCL!
Original post by emmma_rach_
Hi all,
Thinking of applying to Cambridge for medicine next year, after getting rejected post-interview for Oxford at beginning of Jan.
Some context: Although I was utterly crushed at first, I actually wanted to go to Cambridge all along, and only started thinking about Oxford when I started dating my boyfriend (who was dead set on Oxford and couldn’t understand at all why I wanted to apply to Cambridge!). Long story short, I loved the idea of being at Oxford together and knew that the Oxford med course was very similar, so the idea took hold.
Following that, I got a B in one of my maths modules at AS (there were some pretty severe extenuating circumstances and I still got an A overall, but I’m redoing that module this summer anyway) and so I decided Oxford would be more likely to have me.
My stats are good - 11A*s GCSE, 4As at AS, predicted (and certainly hoping to achieve) 3A*s at A Level. My UKCAT was exceptionally good and whilst my BMAT was on the weaker side, it was still good enough for an Oxford interview.
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
Does anyone know of any successful reapplicants for med? Any advice about gap years? What are your thoughts on reapplying personally? Are any colleges known to be kinder towards reapplicants?
Thanks in advance! Good luck to everyone reading for applying/reapplying/exams this summer.
Thinking of applying to Cambridge for medicine next year, after getting rejected post-interview for Oxford at beginning of Jan.
Some context: Although I was utterly crushed at first, I actually wanted to go to Cambridge all along, and only started thinking about Oxford when I started dating my boyfriend (who was dead set on Oxford and couldn’t understand at all why I wanted to apply to Cambridge!). Long story short, I loved the idea of being at Oxford together and knew that the Oxford med course was very similar, so the idea took hold.
Following that, I got a B in one of my maths modules at AS (there were some pretty severe extenuating circumstances and I still got an A overall, but I’m redoing that module this summer anyway) and so I decided Oxford would be more likely to have me.
My stats are good - 11A*s GCSE, 4As at AS, predicted (and certainly hoping to achieve) 3A*s at A Level. My UKCAT was exceptionally good and whilst my BMAT was on the weaker side, it was still good enough for an Oxford interview.
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
Does anyone know of any successful reapplicants for med? Any advice about gap years? What are your thoughts on reapplying personally? Are any colleges known to be kinder towards reapplicants?
Thanks in advance! Good luck to everyone reading for applying/reapplying/exams this summer.
Did your boyfriend get in?
Original post by AspiringUnderdog
Did your boyfriend get in?
Yep he did, v proud of him. No hard feelings there at all, he was a fab applicant.
Original post by emmma_rach_
Hi all,
Thinking of applying to Cambridge for medicine next year, after getting rejected post-interview for Oxford at beginning of Jan.
Some context: Although I was utterly crushed at first, I actually wanted to go to Cambridge all along, and only started thinking about Oxford when I started dating my boyfriend (who was dead set on Oxford and couldn’t understand at all why I wanted to apply to Cambridge!). Long story short, I loved the idea of being at Oxford together and knew that the Oxford med course was very similar, so the idea took hold.
Following that, I got a B in one of my maths modules at AS (there were some pretty severe extenuating circumstances and I still got an A overall, but I’m redoing that module this summer anyway) and so I decided Oxford would be more likely to have me.
My stats are good - 11A*s GCSE, 4As at AS, predicted (and certainly hoping to achieve) 3A*s at A Level. My UKCAT was exceptionally good and whilst my BMAT was on the weaker side, it was still good enough for an Oxford interview.
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
Does anyone know of any successful reapplicants for med? Any advice about gap years? What are your thoughts on reapplying personally? Are any colleges known to be kinder towards reapplicants?
Thanks in advance! Good luck to everyone reading for applying/reapplying/exams this summer.
Thinking of applying to Cambridge for medicine next year, after getting rejected post-interview for Oxford at beginning of Jan.
Some context: Although I was utterly crushed at first, I actually wanted to go to Cambridge all along, and only started thinking about Oxford when I started dating my boyfriend (who was dead set on Oxford and couldn’t understand at all why I wanted to apply to Cambridge!). Long story short, I loved the idea of being at Oxford together and knew that the Oxford med course was very similar, so the idea took hold.
Following that, I got a B in one of my maths modules at AS (there were some pretty severe extenuating circumstances and I still got an A overall, but I’m redoing that module this summer anyway) and so I decided Oxford would be more likely to have me.
My stats are good - 11A*s GCSE, 4As at AS, predicted (and certainly hoping to achieve) 3A*s at A Level. My UKCAT was exceptionally good and whilst my BMAT was on the weaker side, it was still good enough for an Oxford interview.
I have an offer to King’s College London for medicine so I do have other options, but the Oxbridge dream is still persisting!
Does anyone know of any successful reapplicants for med? Any advice about gap years? What are your thoughts on reapplying personally? Are any colleges known to be kinder towards reapplicants?
Thanks in advance! Good luck to everyone reading for applying/reapplying/exams this summer.
I rejected KCL last year for medicine (tough decision but ultimately didn’t want to spend 6 years there). I’d recommend waiting until results day that brought the confirmation I needed, if you get 3A*+ then reapply (probably to camb), if not probably best not to. Also you need to be confident in your UKCAT as you’ll most likely apply to a UKCAT uni. If you think you can smash BMAT then go for Oxford, if you think you can do well (mid 5’s) then camb might be better. Also try to improve your application (I’ve been more successful this year in general compared to last year)
Also think of it as at least you had an Oxford interview, you did all that you could. I was rejected pre interview by Cambridge last year so there was a lot of ‘what if’ in my mind
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by dkb73
Got rejected post-interview at Oxford, thinking of reapplying. Should I reapply to Oxford or go for Cambridge instead? I'm fine with the course for both uni's.
What course?
Original post by Rohan77642
What course?
Oriental Studies at Oxford and AMES at Cambridge. Tbh, it would probably make sense to reapply at Oxford again maybe because I'm familiar with the interview process already? Not sure how they do it at Cam.
Original post by dkb73
Oriental Studies at Oxford and AMES at Cambridge. Tbh, it would probably make sense to reapply at Oxford again maybe because I'm familiar with the interview process already? Not sure how they do it at Cam.
I cant really give any advice because I am also an Oxford reject.
Maybe @Doonesbury can give you advice.
Original post by dkb73
Oriental Studies at Oxford and AMES at Cambridge. Tbh, it would probably make sense to reapply at Oxford again maybe because I'm familiar with the interview process already? Not sure how they do it at Cam.
Original post by Rohan77642
I cant really give any advice because I am also an Oxford reject.
Maybe @Doonesbury can give you advice.
Maybe @Doonesbury can give you advice.
Well an interview at either Cambridge or Oxford will be more similar than different.
The main procedural difference at Cambridge is you don't have loads of interviews at different colleges across a number of days. You generally just have a couple of interviews at one college in one day (although for a small course like AMES it's possible one of your interviews could indeed be at a different college).
You need to pick the course that most suits you, rather than the admissions process
. The courses are not the same...Either Oxford or Cambridge welcome re-applicants, if they can demonstrate an improved application the next time around
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Doonesbury
Well an interview at either Cambridge or Oxford will be more similar than different.
The main procedural difference at Cambridge is you don't have loads of interviews at different colleges across a number of days. You generally just have a couple of interviews at one college in one day (although for a small course like AMES it's possible one of your interviews could indeed be at a different college).
You need to pick the course that most suits you, rather than the admissions process. The courses are not the same...
Either Oxford or Cambridge welcome re-applicants, if they can demonstrate an improved application the next time around
The main procedural difference at Cambridge is you don't have loads of interviews at different colleges across a number of days. You generally just have a couple of interviews at one college in one day (although for a small course like AMES it's possible one of your interviews could indeed be at a different college).
You need to pick the course that most suits you, rather than the admissions process
. The courses are not the same...Either Oxford or Cambridge welcome re-applicants, if they can demonstrate an improved application the next time around
Thank you for the quick reply!
In terms of admissions procedures, I was mainly thinking about what they would give you. I found this out from another successful applicant for Oriental Studies only after I've done my interviews (not very helpful then haha) but basically interview 1 you get given a pre-interview reading with a text of some sort and interview 2 in college you get given some archaeology. I guess it's some formula that they use, because I got exactly the same 2 years later.
Also, if I'm fine with both courses, does it make sense to choose based on faculty members and department?
Original post by Rohan77642
I cant really give any advice because I am also an Oxford reject.
Maybe @Doonesbury can give you advice.
Maybe @Doonesbury can give you advice.
what did you apply for?
Original post by dkb73
what did you apply for?
Mathematics.
Original post by dkb73
Thank you for the quick reply!
In terms of admissions procedures, I was mainly thinking about what they would give you. I found this out from another successful applicant for Oriental Studies only after I've done my interviews (not very helpful then haha) but basically interview 1 you get given a pre-interview reading with a text of some sort and interview 2 in college you get given some archaeology. I guess it's some formula that they use, because I got exactly the same 2 years later.
Also, if I'm fine with both courses, does it make sense to choose based on faculty members and department?
In terms of admissions procedures, I was mainly thinking about what they would give you. I found this out from another successful applicant for Oriental Studies only after I've done my interviews (not very helpful then haha) but basically interview 1 you get given a pre-interview reading with a text of some sort and interview 2 in college you get given some archaeology. I guess it's some formula that they use, because I got exactly the same 2 years later.
Also, if I'm fine with both courses, does it make sense to choose based on faculty members and department?
The format of the interview varies by college (I imagine it's like this at Oxford too but idk).
Look at the course specific pages at a few Cambridge colleges for info about interviews.
And regarding how to pick a college:
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/choosing-a-college
Note the bit about how *not* to pick one...
Original post by Doonesbury
The format of the interview varies by college (I imagine it's like this at Oxford too but idk).
Look at the course specific pages at a few Cambridge colleges for info about interviews.
And regarding how to pick a college:
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/choosing-a-college
Note the bit about how *not* to pick one...
Look at the course specific pages at a few Cambridge colleges for info about interviews.
And regarding how to pick a college:
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/choosing-a-college
Note the bit about how *not* to pick one...
the interview tests are putting me off Cam already....why 2 papers with an essay
for Oxford it was only a 30 min language aptitude test that was done before interview selectionOriginal post by dkb73
the interview tests are putting me off Cam already....why 2 papers with an essay for Oxford it was only a 30 min language aptitude test that was done before interview selection
for Oxford it was only a 30 min language aptitude test that was done before interview selectionCambridge =/= Oxford
But I wouldn't stress about the pre-interview assessment (it's not a test, there's no pass mark). They interview approx 80% of all applicants, unlike Oxford.
The AMESAA is currently generally used to positively add value to your application, not to deselect you. People do still get offers with very low AA scores.
Original post by Doonesbury
Cambridge =/= Oxford
But I wouldn't stress about the pre-interview assessment (it's not a test, there's no pass mark). They interview approx 80% of all applicants, unlike Oxford.
The AMESAA is currently generally used to positively add value to your application, not to deselect you. People do still get offers with very low AA scores.
But I wouldn't stress about the pre-interview assessment (it's not a test, there's no pass mark). They interview approx 80% of all applicants, unlike Oxford.
The AMESAA is currently generally used to positively add value to your application, not to deselect you. People do still get offers with very low AA scores.
now that is reassuring
if I do take a gap year and reapply, what's the best way to prepare for interviews? unlike other science and maths subjects, my interviews in Oxford were very personal statement centred rather than problem solving (apart from some random archaeology). my interview feedback came back as well that I didn't express myself as eloquently as others...maybe practice speaking more? (sorry if it seems like a dumb question to ask)Original post by dkb73
now that is reassuring if I do take a gap year and reapply, what's the best way to prepare for interviews? unlike other science and maths subjects, my interviews in Oxford were very personal statement centred rather than problem solving (apart from some random archaeology). my interview feedback came back as well that I didn't express myself as eloquently as others...maybe practice speaking more? (sorry if it seems like a dumb question to ask)
if I do take a gap year and reapply, what's the best way to prepare for interviews? unlike other science and maths subjects, my interviews in Oxford were very personal statement centred rather than problem solving (apart from some random archaeology). my interview feedback came back as well that I didn't express myself as eloquently as others...maybe practice speaking more? (sorry if it seems like a dumb question to ask)When did you get your feedback? I have been waiting for 2 weeks and received nothing.
Original post by RenéDescartes
When did you get your feedback? I have been waiting for 2 weeks and received nothing.
early last week. they got back to me after a weekend, probably because one of the teachers at school requested for it and my dad didn't know and so he requested again haha he also cc-ed a random tutor in the dept that had nothing to do with my application......lol
i heard that pestering them for feedback is the best way forward
I'm not gonna reapply to the same college so might as well...Original post by dkb73
early last week. they got back to me after a weekend, probably because one of the teachers at school requested for it and my dad didn't know and so he requested again haha he also cc-ed a random tutor in the dept that had nothing to do with my application......lol
i heard that pestering them for feedback is the best way forward I'm not gonna reapply to the same college so might as well...
i heard that pestering them for feedback is the best way forward
I'm not gonna reapply to the same college so might as well...Lol I am going to email them again then. I won’t be reapplying to the same college as well. I also hope that my college in 2017 burns and goes to hell lmao.
Do you feel burnt out about having to go through all that stress again? E.g doing the test, waiting for interviews invitations/rejections, writing personal statements, attending interviews and waiting a month for offer/rejection... i feel weak just thinking about it
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