B M A T 2008

Aiex

so well read <_<

i still have time i guess, though i'm not sure if those books are the best source?

wouldn't finding research papers be better as they are peer reviewed? it's all great to know something but aren't what they are more interested in is how to find out more via experiments etc?

Those books simplify a lot of complicated scientific ideas, e.g. Dawkins really gives you a concise and easy to digest view on Evolutionary Game Theory.

As for New Scientists, most of it is rubbish. Some of it is interesting every now and then, but for the large part, it's not that good, and the focus lately has been on physics (uncertainty principle not being uncertain etc)

Nature is a real journal, although I probably wouldn't understand any of it.

Research papers?? Good luck trying to understand them at this stage :p:

Reply 443

x.beth.x

Someone told me those sorts of questions were just rumours - not real questions asked.

I think it'd be interesting so see where that conversation actually led to :p:

They are real questions. People who applied to Cambridge last year from our school had a chat with us. They do lead somewhere.

E.g. storage of starch in a banana, how it is stored or transported to the site of storage?? i.e. core and rind etc etc

Reply 444

DrDomDom

TP and Beth...you scare me.

You're...very well read.

I've hardly done any. :frown:

No idea what I'd talk about in interview, probably medical ethics... sadly that's not really a scientific issue. :frown:

Reply 445

Aiex

Toiletpaper8

Those books simplify a lot of complicated scientific ideas, e.g. Dawkins really gives you a concise and easy to digest view on Evolutionary Game Theory.

As for New Scientists, most of it is rubbish. Some of it is interesting every now and then, but for the large part, it's not that good, and the focus lately has been on physics (uncertainty principle not being uncertain etc)

Nature is a real journal, although I probably wouldn't understand any of it.

Research papers?? Good luck trying to understand them at this stage :p:

hmm, perhaps...

NS is quite good catching up on quite basic ideas, also they give you the links to papers which is pretty good :cool:

i don't think the research papers are that bad... they cut out the narritive so is nice and concise...

Reply 446

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2008/10/why-do-bananas-glow-blue.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=specrt13_head_Blue%20bananas

:p:

Calumcalum

I've hardly done any. :frown:

No idea what I'd talk about in interview, probably medical ethics... sadly that's not really a scientific issue. :frown:

In that case, let the interviewers control the direction of the interview. Although you'll miss opportunities such as: "So, what area of medicine interests you?" etc...

With Oxford though, the hard bit, I would imagine, is getting the interview :wink:

Reply 447

Aiex

Toiletpaper8

They are real questions. People who applied to Cambridge last year from our school had a chat with us. They do lead somewhere.

E.g. storage of starch in a banana, how it is stored or transported to the site of storage?? i.e. core and rind etc etc

Reply 448

x.beth.x

11

Toiletpaper8

They are real questions. People who applied to Cambridge last year from our school had a chat with us. They do lead somewhere.

E.g. storage of starch in a banana, how it is stored or transported to the site of storage?? i.e. core and rind etc etc

I know - that's what I meant. I do actually think it would be interesting. There's so many possibilities of where it could lead to.

Reply 449

Isometrix

11

DrDomDom

TP and Beth...you scare me.

You're...very well read.

they make us mere mortals look bad

Reply 450

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2008/10/why-do-bananas-glow-blue.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=specrt13_head_Blue%20bananas

:p:

Aiex

That's quite interesting actually. I assume the chemical fragments absorb light in the UV range and emit in the visible.

Reply 451

Toiletpaper8

They are real questions. People who applied to Cambridge last year from our school had a chat with us. They do lead somewhere.

E.g. storage of starch in a banana, how it is stored or transported to the site of storage?? i.e. core and rind etc etc

I asked that question in a mock interview today... everyone thought I was just weird :biggrin:

Reply 452

Toiletpaper8

In that case, let the interviewers control the direction of the interview. Although you'll miss opportunities such as: "So, what area of medicine interests you?" etc...

With Oxford though, the hard bit, I would imagine, is getting the interview :wink:

But what will I do if they do ask what interests me? :redface:

And do they not interview that many? I wonder how many interviewees there are per place...

Reply 453

Aiex

hmm, perhaps...

NS is quite good catching up on quite basic ideas, also they give you the links to papers which is pretty good :cool:

i don't think the research papers are that bad... they cut out the narritive so is nice and concise...

The extract is as far as it goes when I read that stuff :p:

Reply 454

Calumcalum

But what will I do if they do ask what interests me? :redface:

And do they not interview that many? I wonder how many interviewees there are per place...

You could say:

"I am interested in EVERYTHING! :proud:

"

Mmm, but more realistically:

"I find the subject as a whole very interesting, but I don't have any specific areas which I am most interested in at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to develop an interest in a particular area at medical school"

Or something that sounds less cheesy, I'm just thinking on the spot here :p:

Reply 455

Toiletpaper8

You could say:

"I am interested in EVERYTHING! :proud:

"

Lolll I would look SO smug saying that! :biggrin:

Mmm, but more realistically:

"I find the subject as a whole very interesting, but I don't have any specific areas which I am most interested in at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to develop an interest in a particular area at medical school"

Or something that sounds less cheesy, I'm just thinking on the spot here :p:

Hehe fair enough, I mean there's certain areas that interest me, I just haven't really researched them... I have other things to be doing!
I'm a bit worried I'm not interested enough in medicine to be a doctor/get into medical school. :frown:

Reply 456

Aiex

Calumcalum

Lolll I would look SO smug saying that! :biggrin:

Hehe fair enough, I mean there's certain areas that interest me, I just haven't really researched them... I have other things to be doing!
I'm a bit worried I'm not interested enough in medicine to be a doctor/get into medical school. :frown:

that's always the difficulty... it's a bid strange medicine at oxbridge, i think they want people who love science and maybe research but it's a course for medicine, not sciene lol

Reply 457

Calumcalum

Lolll I would look SO smug saying that! :biggrin:

Hehe fair enough, I mean there's certain areas that interest me, I just haven't really researched them... I have other things to be doing!
I'm a bit worried I'm not interested enough in medicine to be a doctor/get into medical school. :frown:

To be fair most medical applicants don't research this stuff anyway. Most applicants, if I may dare venture, don't even have an interest in an area of medicine. It shouldn't take long to just read up on something though. It doesn't have to be a book. It could just be an article in New Scientist or summit. There was a recent one I think, on Schizophrenia and people's rights, and a while back there was an article on how carbon-monoxide can be good for you. This is why I dislike New Scientist. It doesn't go into detail.

It just says stuff like: "Wow, so and so has discovered the cure for cancer."

And we're all going... "And.... ...."

But Oxbridge are somewhat different, especially with the science-based interview and course.

I'm sure you'll get into medical school though :yep:

Reply 458