Oxford med with A* A* A

Is it possible/worth it to apply at oxford for med with A* A* A ? the A being in chem and A* in bio and maths...I have also been doing lots of super curricular activities and am aiming for high UCAT score

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

11

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Megathreads
(Please read the first post, before then posting any further questions you have within that thread.)
The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

2023 Applicants:
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2023 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2023 Entry
Medicine 2023 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2023 Entry
Medicine Interview discussion 2023 Entry
2023 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Index of Individual Medical School Applicants' threads 2023 Entry

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread
Medicine 2024 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2024 Entry
Medicine Interview Discussion 2024 Entry
2024 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2024 Entry

2025 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2025 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
GAMSAT 2025 / 2026 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2025 Entry Discussions Megathread

Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree

If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked above, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by srija08

Is it possible/worth it to apply at oxford for med with A* A* A ? the A being in chem and A* in bio and maths...I have also been doing lots of super curricular activities and am aiming for high UCAT score

Since they only require A*AA there's no reason not to. However note that Oxford do not shortlist on predicted grades - they only shortlist on contextualised GCSEs and UCAT score. Pre-covid at least the applicants to Oxford had on average more than 10 A* equivalent grades at GCSE, and you realistically need to be on par for this to be competitive - you should have all A* (8/9) grades at GCSE realistically, as well as a very strong UCAT score.

If you don't have as strong GCSEs I'd suggest looking at less GCSE heavy medical schools (e.g. UCL, Imperial, Cambridge).

Reply 3

Jasmine6789

13

Original post by srija08

Is it possible/worth it to apply at oxford for med with A* A* A ? the A being in chem and A* in bio and maths...I have also been doing lots of super curricular activities and am aiming for high UCAT score

What were your GCSEs and UCAT score?

Reply 4

gilmoregirl04

5

Original post by srija08

Is it possible/worth it to apply at oxford for med with A* A* A ? the A being in chem and A* in bio and maths...I have also been doing lots of super curricular activities and am aiming for high UCAT score

As an Oxford student with quite a lot of friends doing medicine - It is deffo worth it! I know someone who got in with AAAB on results day even though that meant they missed their offer, and 3/4 people on my course in my college also missed their offer! So there is leniency. That being said, applying with less than 3 A*s, despite being above their grade requirement does unfortunately make a difference.
Some things to consider is whether you could talk to your chemistry teacher and see if there is anyway at all you can increase that grade, maybe explaining that even if you didnt get an A* in the actual A level, you wouldn't miss any offers but you would greatly increase your chances of getting an interview. Ofc this depends on circumstances, but they might be open to this perspective if they find out it could make the difference to open up an amazing opportunity. I would also consider the college you apply too- I think some will be harsher than others depending on how oversubscribed they are (maybe go for a modern one, chances are you will get pooled somewhere else anyway at interview as most people are).
Overall, definitely worth a go, it is very possible, and I think once you get to interview A levels don't matter as much anyway, so it's just about getting over that first hurdle. However, as I'm sure you already will just ensure the rest of your application is as strong as possible to keep your chances high!

Reply 5

GANFYD

18

Original post by gilmoregirl04

As an Oxford student with quite a lot of friends doing medicine - It is deffo worth it! I know someone who got in with AAAB on results day even though that meant they missed their offer, and 3/4 people on my course in my college also missed their offer! So there is leniency. That being said, applying with less than 3 A*s, despite being above their grade requirement does unfortunately make a difference.
Some things to consider is whether you could talk to your chemistry teacher and see if there is anyway at all you can increase that grade, maybe explaining that even if you didnt get an A* in the actual A level, you wouldn't miss any offers but you would greatly increase your chances of getting an interview. Ofc this depends on circumstances, but they might be open to this perspective if they find out it could make the difference to open up an amazing opportunity. I would also consider the college you apply too- I think some will be harsher than others depending on how oversubscribed they are (maybe go for a modern one, chances are you will get pooled somewhere else anyway at interview as most people are).
Overall, definitely worth a go, it is very possible, and I think once you get to interview A levels don't matter as much anyway, so it's just about getting over that first hurdle. However, as I'm sure you already will just ensure the rest of your application is as strong as possible to keep your chances high!

Oxford have previously stated they do not even look at predicted A level grades for medicine. They shortlist using GCSEs and UCAT (previously BMAT), so A*A*A* predicted would be of no benefit. Offers will be A*AA

Oxford med with A* A* A

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you