Oxford A100 2023 entry Applicant and Offer Holders thread

hello!

currently looking at oxford medicine (applying next year) and I was wondering whether anyone had any suggestions for super curricular programmes/schemes/essay competitions/summer schools that I could do to further my interest? literally any opportunities would be amazing. any help would be appreciated!!

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Reply 1

jakihddis

Original post by 123amelia

read medical books!! e.g., i read the knifes edge by professor stephen westaby and the guide to dealing with demetia by Dr.Keith souter.
i also listened to a podcast on spotify about the scientific side of dementia
i also did a young health champion course (but idk if your school offers it)
i also participated in rare disease day by royal holloway
i talked about all of these in my personal statement
you could also sign up to university webinars on medicine and read medical journals but i think the main thing is, you dont have to do everything, just do like 3-5 things that you can then talk and write in detail (what you liked, criticisms, reflection) about in ps and have convo about with the interviewer

Reply 2

123amelia

wow thank you that's really useful!

Reply 3

TheVine

I wanted to ask how Oxford are viewing Teacher Assessed grades for GCSEs. I have 11 9s, an A* in the HPQ, but a 7 in PE, since I broke my ankle before when the practical assessments were taking place. I don't have a huge preference as of yet between Oxford and Cambridge medicine, but given that I will probably get 3 A*s at A-level, is it worth applying to Oxford medicine, given that I might be disadvantaged slightly by my grades, or should I just apply Cambridge, since they don't value GCSEs as much?

I did an extra GCSE in Classical Greek, along with a HPQ, but I've been told that Oxford look at consistency, rather than how many 9s you get. Oxford doesn't have an SAQ either, so I can't really explain my circumstances in my application. Any advice as to what I should do?

Reply 4

maple's_marbles

Hi

I'm posting this because I feel quite rubbish about UCAS etc. at the moment and I thought it would be nice to chat to some other people applying for Oxford med.

Why do you love medicine? What are your other hobbies? Which colleges are you interested in?

Please don't use this as a place for boasting or making people feel dumb.

Reply 5

Tanyme

Hey, i was wondering, why is the GCSE requirement so high, you practicallly need all ur GCSES to be all A*'S but with A level's they're only looking for A*AA, which is not fully A*'s?

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 6

bea_murray0

Original post by Tanyme

Hey, i was wondering, why is the GCSE requirement so high, you practicallly need all ur GCSES to be all A*'S but with A level's they're only looking for A*AA, which is not fully A*'s?

Different medical schools value different things. Oxford just happen to believe that their ideal candidate is someone with all 8s+9s and a high BMAT score. Bear in mind 3A*s is very difficult to achieve (hard to find figures but I'm fairly sure more applicants will achieve all 8/9s than 3A*s) and Oxford may not get enough applicants meeting their offer to fill places if they asked for A*A*A* as well as straight A* at GCSE and a high BMAT score, since it's just a lot to ask. Not quite sure what is happening this year, but they didn't score GCSEs last cycle so they may not again this year, you could email to find out. If you don't have straight 8/9s it's not the end of the world as there are plenty of med schools that don't look at GCSEs above minimum requirements, and medical schools value different things, e.g. Keele and Sunderland value caring experience more than academics, so look around and find 4 that suit your strengths

Reply 7

Tanyme

Original post by bea_murray0

Thanks!

Reply 8

Dr.JansonGray

Hi everyone,

I've frequently heard of medics going on placements abroad at some point during their medical degree at Oxford. It's an elective, I'm sure but I cannot find any information about it online. Can someone explain to me where I can find more information or if this is even possible.

Reply 9

davidthomasjnr

Original post by quagmiretoilet

AFAIK, all medical schools in the U.K offer an elective for at least 6 weeks in the final year of the medical degree. However, some medical schools also offer scholarships and additional programmes that would allow you to do something similar during your summer(s) or term time as a student-selected component. I'm not sure about Oxford specifically though (for the latter type of electives)

Reply 10

sunnyoon

Hey everyone,
I've finished year 10 as of now and will be going into year 11 in a few weeks.. I wanted to know if there are possibly any science or math related competitions/ programmes that I could do? I wanted to know in advance so that I had time to prepare for any competitions. Also, what relevant volunteering/ shadowing experiences are helpful? Would shadowing a pharmacist at my local pharmacy which is affiliated with the NHS going to help me since it is a branch of healthcare?

Reply 11

bea_murray0

Original post by sunnyoon

You might be better off posting in a general undergraduate a100 thread (I know there’s one for 2024 entry, I’m not sure about 2025 entry). In terms of competitions, generally medical schools don’t really care about things like that, but you could ask your school if they offer any chemistry/biology olympiads, maths challenge, etc. Essay-writing competitions might also be ones to look for, medic mentor does one and I think Oxford does one too. Any shadowing you can get is good as long as a you can reflect well on it. So shadowing a pharmacist would be fine if you are able to learn and link it back to skills necessary for medicine, although shadowing a doctor would obviously be preferable (you might need to wait until you’re at least 16 though!). You’re very early, so at this stage focus on getting good GCSEs, if you can get work experience then great! You can try online work experience such as BSMS or observe GP as well.

Reply 12

Tremelim

Original post by quagmiretoilet

All med schools do elective (at the moment - it does feel under threat). Oxford seems to really value them though - used to be 11 weeks, after all exams done, no requirements, lots of financial aid in a way that's pretty unique to Oxbridge.

You can also do some very limited other placements abroad, but have to self-fund.

Reply 13

Tanyme

Hey, does anybody know if oxford is using gcses to give out interviews this year? Thanks

Reply 14

bea_murray0

Original post by Tanyme

Hey, does anybody know if oxford is using gcses to give out interviews this year? Thanks

I suggest emailing them, no one on TSR will be more knowledgable than the admissions team themselves!

Reply 15

Tanyme

Original post by bea_murray0

I suggest emailing them, no one on TSR will be more knowledgable than the admissions team themselves!

I know that, they havent responded so was thinking somebody might know on here, besides theres a lot of people who might have knowledge on this, or have contacted the uni on tsr.