Cambridge Demystified - Medicine

thank you @_.angelica._ for writing the long awaited Cambridge medicine chapter

PRSOM. How did I actually guess that you would be the first keen bean to read this chapter??

@stereotypeasian

Why did you want to study your subject?
This is the million dollar question for most aspiring medics - and the reason will be different for each person!
For me it was:
- Medicine’s strong grounding in science which I really enjoy
- The ability to connect with lots of different kinds of people and learn different things from each patient (which you couldn’t necessarily learn from a textbook)
Why Cambridge?
After I went to a summer school at Cambridge I just fell in love with it - the people there, the strong focus on academics and also the scenery (which was a lot like Harry Potter 🤓).
Did any of your teachers inspire you? Or any other expert (TV presenter etc)
I wasn’t directly inspired by a person, rather just the institution itself. It was just imagining being able to work with world class academics that really drew me to Cambridge in the first place. That being said, seeing youtubers like Ibz Mo and meeting students from Cambridge humanised the place a bit, and made me feel as if I could actually go there.
Which resources did you use (please name as many as possible) Which books/journals did you read? Which did you like best, and why? What did they teach you?
While doing my research project I was able to read a lot of academic journals on cardiology and in my own time I read some on neurology too. I also read a few books: When Breath Becomes Air, This Is Going To Hurt, Being Mortal, GMC Tommorow’s Doctors (which is also a great help for UCAT) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat. These really helped in allowing me to understand realistically what medicine was going to be like and also the struggles you’d go through when practising. If I had to pick my favourite, it would be Being Mortal, as it really shed a new light on the concept of death and aging.
Did you attend any lectures, or take part in any competitions? If so, would you recommend them, and why?
I attended many lectures on a range of different topics such as emergency medicine and neuroscience (just at my local university). I would recommend lectures as not only is it a good place to be introduced to topics you might want to look at further, it also gets you used to the learning format of university. I took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and also both the British Biology and Chemistry Olympiads. I would highly recommend these as it gets you thinking outside the box and in the conceptual way that Cambridge wants. Also, I love a good challenge so it was kinda fun too!
Did you have any work experience? If so, how did you find it?
I got some work experience at my local hospital in neurology. I just asked the hospital, they gave me a form, I filled it in and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go there.
Did you have a specialist subject/EPQ? What was it? How did you go about your research?
I didn’t do an EPQ but I did do a Nuffield research placement, and my topic was based around SCD (sudden cardiac death). I was lucky enough to work with a research team in my local area and write a scientific report on the topic afterward.
What did you mention in your personal statement and why?
My personal statement was based around academics and my work experience. I wrote about why I did medicine first, continued into work experience and what I learnt from it, then the last part was about academia (books I’d read, topics I enjoyed, olympiads, research project etc) and then I put a line or two in for extra curriculars.
Which techniques did you use for the entrance test?
For the BMAT I used BMAT ninja and the 700 questions book, as well as the past papers. My big tip is practice under timed conditions ASAP as the BMAT is incredibly time pressured.
How did you choose your college? Did you go to an open day and if so, did it help you to decide?
I attended Trinity’s residential for biology and medicine and fell in love with the college. After that, I knew I had to apply there.
How did you find the interview process? (NO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS PLEASE - this is against TSR guidelines)
The interview was challenging but also really (surprisingly) fun too! I enjoyed talking about different topics with the interviewers and explaining my reasoning. Don’t worry if you don’t get everything - I certainly didn’t - just give it your best shot.
Any interview tips?
Do:
- Listen carefully and don’t feel you need to answer straight away
- Practice talking about science before the interview and asking yourself why things work the way they do
- Ask the interview to repeat the question again if you didn’t get it the first time
- Explain your reasoning behind answers clearly
- Try to relax!
Don’t:
- Say the first thing that comes to mind - ie rush
- Change your viewpoint or consider different things if you get something wrong
- Be late! (Fairly obvious but still...)
How did you feel after the interviews?
Most of all I felt relieved when they were over, but I still kicked myself over things I got wrong and things I could’ve said better.
Where were you when you got your offer? How did you react?
I got my offer in chemistry at about half 9 in the morning - not exaggerating it was one of the happiest moments of my life 😊
Are you looking forward to coming up to Cambridge?
I’m praying that I get the grades I need to go, so trying my best not to keep my hopes up, but nevertheless I’m eternally grateful that I got this opportunity!

Hey, thanks for the great feedback @Oxford Mum! I’m so glad to be helping people who were in my position last year! @stereotypeasian feel free to ask anything else you may need 😊

Also in regards to the articles, I just searched them up on PubMed - it’s really easy to use! The format of the articles take a bit of getting used to, but there’s a whole lot of amazing scientific discoveries to read on there.

Thank you so much. I found this so helpful.

Oh my goodness - have just been on PubMed and looked up sudden cardiac death... 1700 articles came up, including some from the Lancet. This is a priceless find, and something to be doing on lockdown.

Thanks for this amazing tip!

Another fab chapter! Lots of helpful advice here, I’m sure applicants will find this really helpful! The tips about extra reading and the BMAT seem especially useful! Best of luck with everything, and I hope you get the grades you want

Why did you want to study your subject?
This is the million dollar question for most aspiring medics - and the reason will be different for each person!
For me it was:
- Medicine’s strong grounding in science which I really enjoy
- The ability to connect with lots of different kinds of people and learn different things from each patient (which you couldn’t necessarily learn from a textbook)
Why Cambridge?
After I went to a summer school at Cambridge I just fell in love with it - the people there, the strong focus on academics and also the scenery (which was a lot like Harry Potter 🤓).
Did any of your teachers inspire you? Or any other expert (TV presenter etc)
I wasn’t directly inspired by a person, rather just the institution itself. It was just imagining being able to work with world class academics that really drew me to Cambridge in the first place. That being said, seeing youtubers like Ibz Mo and meeting students from Cambridge humanised the place a bit, and made me feel as if I could actually go there.
Which resources did you use (please name as many as possible) Which books/journals did you read? Which did you like best, and why? What did they teach you?
While doing my research project I was able to read a lot of academic journals on cardiology and in my own time I read some on neurology too. I also read a few books: When Breath Becomes Air, This Is Going To Hurt, Being Mortal, GMC Tommorow’s Doctors (which is also a great help for UCAT) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat. These really helped in allowing me to understand realistically what medicine was going to be like and also the struggles you’d go through when practising. If I had to pick my favourite, it would be Being Mortal, as it really shed a new light on the concept of death and aging.
Did you attend any lectures, or take part in any competitions? If so, would you recommend them, and why?
I attended many lectures on a range of different topics such as emergency medicine and neuroscience (just at my local university). I would recommend lectures as not only is it a good place to be introduced to topics you might want to look at further, it also gets you used to the learning format of university. I took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and also both the British Biology and Chemistry Olympiads. I would highly recommend these as it gets you thinking outside the box and in the conceptual way that Cambridge wants. Also, I love a good challenge so it was kinda fun too!
Did you have any work experience? If so, how did you find it?
I got some work experience at my local hospital in neurology. I just asked the hospital, they gave me a form, I filled it in and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go there.
Did you have a specialist subject/EPQ? What was it? How did you go about your research?
I didn’t do an EPQ but I did do a Nuffield research placement, and my topic was based around SCD (sudden cardiac death). I was lucky enough to work with a research team in my local area and write a scientific report on the topic afterward.
What did you mention in your personal statement and why?
My personal statement was based around academics and my work experience. I wrote about why I did medicine first, continued into work experience and what I learnt from it, then the last part was about academia (books I’d read, topics I enjoyed, olympiads, research project etc) and then I put a line or two in for extra curriculars.
Which techniques did you use for the entrance test?
For the BMAT I used BMAT ninja and the 700 questions book, as well as the past papers. My big tip is practice under timed conditions ASAP as the BMAT is incredibly time pressured.
How did you choose your college? Did you go to an open day and if so, did it help you to decide?
I attended Trinity’s residential for biology and medicine and fell in love with the college. After that, I knew I had to apply there.
How did you find the interview process? (NO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS PLEASE - this is against TSR guidelines)
The interview was challenging but also really (surprisingly) fun too! I enjoyed talking about different topics with the interviewers and explaining my reasoning. Don’t worry if you don’t get everything - I certainly didn’t - just give it your best shot.
Any interview tips?
Do:
- Listen carefully and don’t feel you need to answer straight away
- Practice talking about science before the interview and asking yourself why things work the way they do
- Ask the interview to repeat the question again if you didn’t get it the first time
- Explain your reasoning behind answers clearly
- Try to relax!
Don’t:
- Say the first thing that comes to mind - ie rush
- Change your viewpoint or consider different things if you get something wrong
- Be late! (Fairly obvious but still...)
How did you feel after the interviews?
Most of all I felt relieved when they were over, but I still kicked myself over things I got wrong and things I could’ve said better.
Where were you when you got your offer? How did you react?
I got my offer in chemistry at about half 9 in the morning - not exaggerating it was one of the happiest moments of my life 😊
Are you looking forward to coming up to Cambridge?
I’m praying that I get the grades I need to go, so trying my best not to keep my hopes up, but nevertheless I’m eternally grateful that I got this opportunity!

This is another "godsend" by the helpful TSR community and Oxford Mum

Why did you want to study your subject?
This is the million dollar question for most aspiring medics - and the reason will be different for each person!
For me it was:
- Medicine’s strong grounding in science which I really enjoy
- The ability to connect with lots of different kinds of people and learn different things from each patient (which you couldn’t necessarily learn from a textbook)
Why Cambridge?
After I went to a summer school at Cambridge I just fell in love with it - the people there, the strong focus on academics and also the scenery (which was a lot like Harry Potter 🤓).
Did any of your teachers inspire you? Or any other expert (TV presenter etc)
I wasn’t directly inspired by a person, rather just the institution itself. It was just imagining being able to work with world class academics that really drew me to Cambridge in the first place. That being said, seeing youtubers like Ibz Mo and meeting students from Cambridge humanised the place a bit, and made me feel as if I could actually go there.
Which resources did you use (please name as many as possible) Which books/journals did you read? Which did you like best, and why? What did they teach you?
While doing my research project I was able to read a lot of academic journals on cardiology and in my own time I read some on neurology too. I also read a few books: When Breath Becomes Air, This Is Going To Hurt, Being Mortal, GMC Tommorow’s Doctors (which is also a great help for UCAT) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat. These really helped in allowing me to understand realistically what medicine was going to be like and also the struggles you’d go through when practising. If I had to pick my favourite, it would be Being Mortal, as it really shed a new light on the concept of death and aging.
Did you attend any lectures, or take part in any competitions? If so, would you recommend them, and why?
I attended many lectures on a range of different topics such as emergency medicine and neuroscience (just at my local university). I would recommend lectures as not only is it a good place to be introduced to topics you might want to look at further, it also gets you used to the learning format of university. I took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and also both the British Biology and Chemistry Olympiads. I would highly recommend these as it gets you thinking outside the box and in the conceptual way that Cambridge wants. Also, I love a good challenge so it was kinda fun too!
Did you have any work experience? If so, how did you find it?
I got some work experience at my local hospital in neurology. I just asked the hospital, they gave me a form, I filled it in and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go there.
Did you have a specialist subject/EPQ? What was it? How did you go about your research?
I didn’t do an EPQ but I did do a Nuffield research placement, and my topic was based around SCD (sudden cardiac death). I was lucky enough to work with a research team in my local area and write a scientific report on the topic afterward.
What did you mention in your personal statement and why?
My personal statement was based around academics and my work experience. I wrote about why I did medicine first, continued into work experience and what I learnt from it, then the last part was about academia (books I’d read, topics I enjoyed, olympiads, research project etc) and then I put a line or two in for extra curriculars.
Which techniques did you use for the entrance test?
For the BMAT I used BMAT ninja and the 700 questions book, as well as the past papers. My big tip is practice under timed conditions ASAP as the BMAT is incredibly time pressured.
How did you choose your college? Did you go to an open day and if so, did it help you to decide?
I attended Trinity’s residential for biology and medicine and fell in love with the college. After that, I knew I had to apply there.
How did you find the interview process? (NO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS PLEASE - this is against TSR guidelines)
The interview was challenging but also really (surprisingly) fun too! I enjoyed talking about different topics with the interviewers and explaining my reasoning. Don’t worry if you don’t get everything - I certainly didn’t - just give it your best shot.
Any interview tips?
Do:
- Listen carefully and don’t feel you need to answer straight away
- Practice talking about science before the interview and asking yourself why things work the way they do
- Ask the interview to repeat the question again if you didn’t get it the first time
- Explain your reasoning behind answers clearly
- Try to relax!
Don’t:
- Say the first thing that comes to mind - ie rush
- Change your viewpoint or consider different things if you get something wrong
- Be late! (Fairly obvious but still...)
How did you feel after the interviews?
Most of all I felt relieved when they were over, but I still kicked myself over things I got wrong and things I could’ve said better.
Where were you when you got your offer? How did you react?
I got my offer in chemistry at about half 9 in the morning - not exaggerating it was one of the happiest moments of my life 😊
Are you looking forward to coming up to Cambridge?
I’m praying that I get the grades I need to go, so trying my best not to keep my hopes up, but nevertheless I’m eternally grateful that I got this opportunity!