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Oxbridge help!!

Hi,
I'm hoping to apply to Oxford or Cambridge next year, to study Medicine, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences or ????
( I'm still undecided!! Any tips with deciding??)

What should I do in my first year of A Levels to prepare??
Any tips / advice for the admissions tests and personal statements??
How do I decide on a college??

I've researched quite a bit but I think that the best thing is to ask people who've been through it!

Any help is appreciated , thank you!!
:smile:
Firstly, probably not medicine since people who want to do it will have decided before Year 12, at least in Year 10 (maybe 11 at a push), and will have worked towards it accordingly with some work experience. If you haven't got any relevant experience atm, you'll have to work quite hard to get a sufficient amount within less than a year and it might be a wasted effort. That said, if you haven't firmly decided on medicine by now, it's probably not the one for you and if I were you, I would stick to Biomed or Biosciences

Obviously, work as hard as you can- get in the teachers' good books and keep your performance constant
Maybe do a little extra, if you are capable sign up for Olympiads etc. and good scores here could indicate your strengths in sciences
It might be a little disadvantageous for as you don't sit AS levels and so there will be heavier reliance on admissions tests and GCSEs- ask around from current Year 13s to see what the admissions tests for the courses you are considering are like and how much prep they would recommend
Deciding on a college- have a look around when you go there and if you go to an open day for a particular course, pick up a college brochure for that course which will basically tell you about each college in relation to the uni in general and the course- people often pick colleges based on student intake and also proximity to where they will be studying
Personal statement- make it quite academic; focus on particular parts of different sciences, maybe throw in a couple of relevant books and try to do related EPQ if you can- you can talk about this
As for picking between Ox and Cam, just see which one you feel more attracted to. If you have strong GCSEs maybe Ox since they have always put a stronger emphasis on them
Original post by plasmodesmateve
What should I do in my first year of A Levels to prepare??
Make sure that you really understand the material. I don't know about the extra stuff that will be required for medicine.

How do I decide on a college??

This thread just asked the same.
Thanks - I've got experience in a hospital and also a 2 year commitment at disability swimming club ???
Original post by HistoryWhiz6
That said, if you haven't firmly decided on medicine by now, it's probably not the one for you and if I were you, I would stick to Biomed or Biosciences


I agree that most people start before year 12 and that it will be hard to catch up. I very much disagree with the notion that that is somehow a valid reason to not choose it.

This thread opens with 'I want Oxford but which subject', which isn't really the right way around but could be overlooked. However as soon as you throw medicine into the mix you are suddenly talking about an entire career, lifestyle even, versus just a 3 year degree. That is the much more important decision here, and it is well worth working hard during year 12 or even taking years out to get it right. 'Oh sorry too late choose something else'... not the right approach.

Decide on subject first. Then decide on uni. Then quibble over college choice and personal statement tips.

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