studying medicine at oxford
Hi so i am a year 12 student and i achieved 5 grade 9s, 5 grade 8s and one grade 7 in my gcse results last year, in which i came in the top 3 of my school, due to which my school has asked me to keep oxford or cambridge in mind whilst applying for uni however i am really confused on whether i should apply or not, and how likely i am to get in and what oxford considers during the applications process could someone please give me some guidance on this
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@Oxford Mum would know best 
I hope it’s alright to tag.
I hope it’s alright to tag.Original post by HALEE189
Hi so i am a year 12 student and i achieved 5 grade 9s, 5 grade 8s and one grade 7 in my gcse results last year, in which i came in the top 3 of my school, due to which my school has asked me to keep oxford or cambridge in mind whilst applying for uni however i am really confused on whether i should apply or not, and how likely i am to get in and what oxford considers during the applications process could someone please give me some guidance on this
thank you
thank you
this might be a bit long but i'll try my best to explain everything clearly for you.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
Original post by pkchan
this might be a bit long but i'll try my best to explain everything clearly for you.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
I can echo this. As someone who's just been rejected, it's a rather brutal process, and with Medicine, it's even more cut-throat. I'm also interested to hear OP say that their school says to "keep Oxbridge in mind" but at the same time, has no idea what they actually want to do.
OP, don't let anyone push you into an application or feel obligated to do so, that's the biggest mistake you could make, and you'll either end up regretting wasting a choice, or alternatively, regretting going somewhere you might end up despising.
Original post by HALEE189
Hi so i am a year 12 student and i achieved 5 grade 9s, 5 grade 8s and one grade 7 in my gcse results last year, in which i came in the top 3 of my school, due to which my school has asked me to keep oxford or cambridge in mind whilst applying for uni however i am really confused on whether i should apply or not, and how likely i am to get in and what oxford considers during the applications process could someone please give me some guidance on this
thank you
thank you
Hi @HALEE189
My younger son is in his final year of Oxford medicine (in fact, he is in the middle of his finals, and his last exam is on Friday) so I hope I can help. 5 grade 9s and 5 grade 8s are fine, as 9s and 8s are viewed exactly the same. You need 10 x 8/9s so your gcses are good enough.
Your school is correct to say keep it in mind. Translated that means your gcses are good enough. However this is just the beginning and it will involve a lot of studying. If you love the idea of this, you can try for it, however view getting a place as a bonus. Also you only have three more choices and 40% of medical applicants (even with excellent grades) don't get into any medical school at all. However if you truly want to be a doctor, this will not put you off.
Also, are you from a UK state school? If so, you could be eligible for a free mentoring scheme called Zero Gravity
https://www.zerogravity.co.uk/
This will mean a free one hour mentoring session over your mobile phone with a current Oxford medical undergraduate. Statistically, this will double your chances of getting in.
I wrote an Oxford Demystified chapter on how my son got into Oxford medicine. Here it is:
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6019726
My son replied to it with a chapter of his own, talking about what he felt whilst applying and the interviews etc
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6044384
He has inspired many people on TSR, even Cambridge medics too.
Look at what he has done to get in, and see whether you would like to do the extra work needed to get in.
At the very least, I would advise you to join St John Ambulance, whichever medical school you apply to.
Good luck.
Original post by sleep_supremacy
@Oxford Mum would know best I hope it’s alright to tag.
I hope it’s alright to tag.Thanks and replied
Original post by pkchan
this might be a bit long but i'll try my best to explain everything clearly for you.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
First of all, congratulations on your Cambridge medicine place.
8s and 9s are viewed exactly the same and 10 is the magic number of 8/9s an Oxford medical applicant will need, so OP is on the right track. However, as you well know, this is just the beginning of a long process!
For Oxford, OP will need to get a certain mark or above to secure an interview in the admissions test. (my son only just made it, having scored an average of 6.2 in his BMAT.) I hear they are now getting rid of the BMAT but whatever it is replaced by, OP will still need to score highly.
The interview is all-important. For son's interview, the tutors only saw his personal statement 5 minutes before the interviews, to help them pick out 2 icebreakers to ask. Therefore, I would conclude that the personal statement (which itself is being phased out) is arguably more important for the other medical schools. Then the interviewers will ask some science/medical questions which have nothing to do with the science syllabus, but requires you to use your science grounding to make the leap to answer these more advanced questions. Then, after that, they all get together and (using your photos to remember who you all are) they will fight for their favourite candidates. They are looking for those who answered the questions best and someone who is teachable (ie likeable and someone who has the beginnings of a "bedside manner" (a Cambridge medicine don said this). I can remember meeting my son's tute partners and expecting intimidating old Etonians. However what I got were 4 giggly, laughing girls, with my son towering above them, that sounded like they had just come out of a technical college class. They were happy, approachable and lovely. No way in a million years, speaking to them in the pub, would you imagine they are Oxford medical undergraduates. Many of them came from a state school background. Even my son comes from a humble background, as I am a single parent, and he was on free school meals at primary school. Oxford and no doubt Cambridge, is very different to how you imagine, and in a good way.
It is true that it doesn't really matter which medical school you go to (when you leave and start in hospital, it is almost like a re-setting of the clock, and those who are emotionally intelligent and go that extra mile with the patients will prosper, wherever they come from). However, the Oxbridge medics tend to do very well in future examinations. All of this extra studying means you have a very solid theoretical foundation, which my son has often been grateful for. It helped when he applied for a junior doctor research post (75% hospital, 25% research). There were only 30 posts in the country. He was offered two, one in Oxford and one in London. His score for the London interview was 100%. Also he applied to a Boston lab for his elective and just fired off speculative emails. He got several offers and he said his Oxford background helped.
Original post by BarnabyK
I can echo this. As someone who's just been rejected, it's a rather brutal process, and with Medicine, it's even more cut-throat. I'm also interested to hear OP say that their school says to "keep Oxbridge in mind" but at the same time, has no idea what they actually want to do.
OP, don't let anyone push you into an application or feel obligated to do so, that's the biggest mistake you could make, and you'll either end up regretting wasting a choice, or alternatively, regretting going somewhere you might end up despising.
OP, don't let anyone push you into an application or feel obligated to do so, that's the biggest mistake you could make, and you'll either end up regretting wasting a choice, or alternatively, regretting going somewhere you might end up despising.
I would echo this. The school is trying to do OP a favour, but at the end of the day it is their choice. Wild horses would not have stopped my son from applying to Oxford and he absolutely loved the extra research he needed to do. Nobody ever had to drag an Oxford student into a library!
Nobody, but nobody, should apply to Oxford if they do not want to do the extra work involved, or feels the learning style is not for them. No, you will not set foot in a hospital until you have finished your first degree (all theory). Yes you will have to do twice as many essays. My son said the Oxford medical course is "ten times better than I imagined" and he has very high standards. What I am saying is, it all depends on your personality.
Wow I really did not expect all these replies I just wanted to say a hugeee THANK YOU to everyone who replied, and took out time to help me , it means a lot. I don’t think i mentioned this before but my school is barely helping me with my admissions process and I felt quite lonely during this time as they expect a lot from me. I will 100% take everything all of you have said on board and I will work extremely hard to achieve a place in Oxford but if I don’t get in at least I would be satisfied that I gave it a shot
Original post by HALEE189
Wow I really did not expect all these replies I just wanted to say a hugeee THANK YOU to everyone who replied, and took out time to help me , it means a lot. I don’t think i mentioned this before but my school is barely helping me with my admissions process and I felt quite lonely during this time as they expect a lot from me. I will 100% take everything all of you have said on board and I will work extremely hard to achieve a place in Oxford but if I don’t get in at least I would be satisfied that I gave it a shot
It might be worth checking out the Zero Gravity mentorship scheme or looking into summer-school eligibility with The Sutton Trust (might be contextual flags required due to the competitive nature of medicine, FSM, income, etc.) - if you're a UK state-school applicant with good GCSEs (you more than meet their profile for Zero Gravity), you should qualify for some sort of assistance.
Original post by HALEE189
Thanks for the advice I have signed up with zero gravity as I go to a state school hopefully this will be very beneficial for me
So... did you get in?
Original post by pkchan
this might be a bit long but i'll try my best to explain everything clearly for you.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
as you probably know, medicine is extremely extremely competitive. your gcse's are incredible, but most medicine applicants do have pretty much all 9s. if you applied to oxford, however, your gcse's would actually look much better to oxford (here's where it gets a bit complicated) than if you were applying to newcastle/UCL/liverpool (anywhere that isn't oxbridge). basically, oxford takes contextual details into consideration: they compare your gcse results to the gcse's that your school typically gets. (e.g. i got all 9s at gcse but that's not uncommon at my all girls grammar school, so someone from an inner city comprehensive who got all 9s looks much more impressive than me because they've had to work harder to overcome educational barriers). therefore in your case, since you came in the top 3 in your school for gcse and oxford can see that your grades are typically better than other students at your school, they won't mind that your gcse's aren't all 9s. (don't think i'm implying here that your gcse's aren't absolutely incredible, i'm just saying that the most competitive courses like medicine look for anything to differentiate candidates because there are so many applications, and someone identical to you but with better gcse results could be more appealing to a university).
basically in conclusion, your gcse results not being all 9s (as most medicine applicants' are) would be more easily looked past at oxford, because they take contextual data into account, than at any other university which doesn't take that contextual data into account and therefore doesn't realise that you did significantly better than all your peers. so it would actually give you an advantage in applying to oxbridge.
in terms of the the general admissions process, it is quite a draining process (i have a cambridge offer rn and applying was difficult). you have to submit a personal statement full to the brim with (for a medicine personal statement) all the work experience you've done and books you've read/why you want to be a doctor etc (on top of the UCAT/BMAT which you have to take for medicine as well). then 50% of applicants progress to interview stage, which you have to prepare for insanely well. you could literally do everything perfectly, but the course is so oversubscribed that you could still be rejected because someone was just slightly better than you. however, this process is obviously so rewarding if you do get an offer - oxford is such an incredibly beautiful place to study and you'll get first-hand teaching from world-class experts. however, there is such a high likelihood that all your hard work will go to waste and you won't get in because there's just not enough space for you.
in terms of medicine though, because you only get 4 choices to apply to university for medicine, you have to think really carefully about how confident you are that you'll get an offer. going to oxbridge is actually way less beneficial to study medicine, though - (obviously, someone doing economics at oxford university is going to have incredible career prospects over someone doing economics at keele, whereas someone doing medicine at oxford ends up in exactly the same place - a doctor - than someone who studied medicine at keele). you have to weigh up a) whether you want to risk one of your four choices for somewhere you're probably not going to get in to, b) if you do get in, whether you want to take that huge oxford workload on when you'll end up in exactly the same place as someone who studies your course at birmingham but has a much less intense workload and a better social life.
hi, im in year 11 and I was considering applying for medicine at oxford. However, I dont really have a good set of gcse results and i have no work experience so far, so I highly doubt I have a chance of getting into such a competitive course. I was wondering whether there is any benefit to studying medicine at oxford at all? I acknowledge that it is one of the best universities in the world in terms of teaching, but are there any other factors that make it the best medical school (facilities, technology, opportunities etc)? Are you more likely to get a job in healthcare if you were to study at Oxford? I think I've read somewhere that hospitals don't look at the university you went to when applying for a job, but I'm not sure if this is 100% true. Also, looking at the oxford website, i think the course is 6 years instead of the typical 5 years so would this be a disadvantage? (again, I'm not 100 percent sure this is true, i'll have to confirm).
I'm really debating whether I should apply to medicine at Oxford. I already lack the work experience, extracurriculars and grades to form a competitive application, and truthfully the only reason I have to study medicine at oxford is to make my parents proud. So what would be the benefits of going to Oxford to study medicine?
Original post by Oxford Mum
I would echo this. The school is trying to do OP a favour, but at the end of the day it is their choice. Wild horses would not have stopped my son from applying to Oxford and he absolutely loved the extra research he needed to do. Nobody ever had to drag an Oxford student into a library!
Nobody, but nobody, should apply to Oxford if they do not want to do the extra work involved, or feels the learning style is not for them. No, you will not set foot in a hospital until you have finished your first degree (all theory). Yes you will have to do twice as many essays. My son said the Oxford medical course is "ten times better than I imagined" and he has very high standards. What I am saying is, it all depends on your personality.
Nobody, but nobody, should apply to Oxford if they do not want to do the extra work involved, or feels the learning style is not for them. No, you will not set foot in a hospital until you have finished your first degree (all theory). Yes you will have to do twice as many essays. My son said the Oxford medical course is "ten times better than I imagined" and he has very high standards. What I am saying is, it all depends on your personality.
Is there benefit to the extra work they set at Oxford? I love the subject of medicine itself and just learning everything there is to Biology, but I have a chronic illness caused by stress and I'm not sure if Oxford would be the right environment for me. Is the extra work set to help build a student's resume or is it just to nurture a student's interests?
Medicine is a stressful profession, so that's worth bearing in mind. Every new doctor from every medical school is likely to obtain a medical job, so in that respect all medical schools are equal. I am not a medic. My friends who studied medicine at Oxford think that the deep, wide and intensely academic nature of the course gave them a very good grounding in the fundamentals of medicine and helped them when they chose their specialisms and did their postgraduate training. Doctors learn and train constantly. My friends all ended up as Consultants with teaching posts in large hospitals. Good luck, whatever you choose.
Original post by Stiffy Byng
Medicine is a stressful profession, so that's worth bearing in mind. Every new doctor from every medical school is likely to obtain a medical job, so in that respect all medical schools are equal. I am not a medic. My friends who studied medicine at Oxford think that the deep, wide and intensely academic nature of the course gave them a very good grounding in the fundamentals of medicine and helped them when they chose their specialisms and did their postgraduate training. Doctors learn and train constantly. My friends all ended up as Consultants with teaching posts in large hospitals. Good luck, whatever you choose.
does studying medicine at oxford have more benefits when it comes to jobs compared to other medical schools?
I am no expert on that. Every junior doctor can get a starter job, regardless of where he or she trained, and AFAIK there are no duff medical schools in the UK. They all have high standards.
Later on, progress into a specialism depends on things such as doing well in Royal College exams, and it may be that some graduates have an edge over others when competing for positions as Registrars with top Consultant teams, and what not. Medicine, like every profession, has its high flyers and its backwaters.
In general, many (not all) Oxbridge graduates do well in their careers not simply because of being Oxbridge graduates, but because they tend to be people who have been high flyers throughout their educations and they continue to be so when in the world of work. The Oxbridge teaching system and intensity of study may also favour some career paths which have a high academic content.
In my world (commercial law), if my chambers tests two candidates university-blind about the law of contract, the Oxford graduate who has studied the law of contract with Oxford intensity may well outperform the non-Oxford graduate who did lots of optional modules and studied the law of contract at a more superficial level.
But I reiterate that every new doctor from every UK medical school can get a job as a doctor.
Later on, progress into a specialism depends on things such as doing well in Royal College exams, and it may be that some graduates have an edge over others when competing for positions as Registrars with top Consultant teams, and what not. Medicine, like every profession, has its high flyers and its backwaters.
In general, many (not all) Oxbridge graduates do well in their careers not simply because of being Oxbridge graduates, but because they tend to be people who have been high flyers throughout their educations and they continue to be so when in the world of work. The Oxbridge teaching system and intensity of study may also favour some career paths which have a high academic content.
In my world (commercial law), if my chambers tests two candidates university-blind about the law of contract, the Oxford graduate who has studied the law of contract with Oxford intensity may well outperform the non-Oxford graduate who did lots of optional modules and studied the law of contract at a more superficial level.
But I reiterate that every new doctor from every UK medical school can get a job as a doctor.
Original post by seagull11
hi, im in year 11 and I was considering applying for medicine at oxford. However, I dont really have a good set of gcse results and i have no work experience so far, so I highly doubt I have a chance of getting into such a competitive course. I was wondering whether there is any benefit to studying medicine at oxford at all? I acknowledge that it is one of the best universities in the world in terms of teaching, but are there any other factors that make it the best medical school (facilities, technology, opportunities etc)? Are you more likely to get a job in healthcare if you were to study at Oxford? I think I've read somewhere that hospitals don't look at the university you went to when applying for a job, but I'm not sure if this is 100% true. Also, looking at the oxford website, i think the course is 6 years instead of the typical 5 years so would this be a disadvantage? (again, I'm not 100 percent sure this is true, i'll have to confirm).
I'm really debating whether I should apply to medicine at Oxford. I already lack the work experience, extracurriculars and grades to form a competitive application, and truthfully the only reason I have to study medicine at oxford is to make my parents proud. So what would be the benefits of going to Oxford to study medicine?
I'm really debating whether I should apply to medicine at Oxford. I already lack the work experience, extracurriculars and grades to form a competitive application, and truthfully the only reason I have to study medicine at oxford is to make my parents proud. So what would be the benefits of going to Oxford to study medicine?
what are you predicting for your gcses?
and defo get some work experience this summer
Original post by Anonymous
what are you predicting for your gcses?
and defo get some work experience this summer
and defo get some work experience this summer
well i'm predicting majority 8s, maybe 1 or 2 7s, and like 3 9s. My predicted grades are 4 9s and 6 8s or something like that, but I think oxford and cambridge have now started to differentiate between 8s and 9s?
Original post by seagull11
does studying medicine at oxford have more benefits when it comes to jobs compared to other medical schools?
If you want to study medicine you can study it at any medical university - every medical school trains doctors the same. Oxford should not be your priority. Getting into any medical school should be. Oxford and Cambridge are also overrated.
They have had lots of time to build up their reputation which is why they're prestigous. Just because a doctor studies at Oxbridge does not mean that they are better. It doesn't mean they are superior. It doesn't mean they will have more job opportunities because,, All. Doctors, Are, Trianed, The, Same.
Don't have the 'My dream is Oxford' mindset
Have the 'I want to be a Doctor' mindset
From personal experience, please don't think too far ahead into the future - if you have done your gcses, focus on your a levels, UCAT, work experience and supercurriculars.
One step at a time.
Realistically, im not trying to put you down - even those with all 9s at gcses, 4 A* at a level and suspiciously high UCAT are rejected from Oxbridge. So change your mindset. If you want to be a doctor you should want to help society instead of wanting to go to a over hyped university where you will be trained the SAME.
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