A level Oxbridge Medicine

Hi
I want to get into an Oxbridge Uni Medicine Course. Currently in Year 11. I need to pick 4 A levels. Decided on 3: Maths, Biology and Chemistry. Thinking of Computer Science till I heard that these Unis like essay based subjects to ‘broaden’ your horizons. Is this really necessary? Anyone in a similar position or has gotten into medicine in Oxbridge without an essay subject? (Any statistics would help if possible, I have tried researching but can’t seem to find any.) I am not particularly keen on picking any essay subject to be honest.
I recently have heard about Oxbridge essay writing competitions. Are they worth doing for medicine? If they are, is it worth doing even if you are likely to fail or come last(would this reflect negatively or positively on you?) ? When should you apply and how many times can you try?
Thanks for the support everyone! (:

P.S. My school makes me do 4 A levels, 3 is not an option!

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

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Reply 2

pagan-scimitar

Original post by A_P_ME

Hi
I want to get into an Oxbridge Uni Medicine Course. Currently in Year 11. I need to pick 4 A levels. Decided on 3: Maths, Biology and Chemistry. Thinking of Computer Science till I heard that these Unis like essay based subjects to ‘broaden’ your horizons. Is this really necessary? Anyone in a similar position or has gotten into medicine in Oxbridge without an essay subject? (Any statistics would help if possible, I have tried researching but can’t seem to find any.) I am not particularly keen on picking any essay subject to be honest.
I recently have heard about Oxbridge essay writing competitions. Are they worth doing for medicine? If they are, is it worth doing even if you are likely to fail or come last(would this reflect negatively or positively on you?) ? When should you apply and how many times can you try?
Thanks for the support everyone! (:
P.S. My school makes me do 4 A levels, 3 is not an option!

I'm not an expert but usually 4th A levels don't matter at all so u could pick whatever u wanted. I've not really seen anyone choosing essay subjects for medicine, so I don't think it will help u that much. I think for Oxbridge med they prob prefer STEM A levels (So Physics/Further Maths as a 4th)

Again I'm not an expert so u should check this yourself, but don't worry too much. Bio/Chem/Maths is already the best 3 for med so ur 4th won't matter.

Reply 3

A_P_ME

Original post by pagan-scimitar

I'm not an expert but usually 4th A levels don't matter at all so u could pick whatever u wanted. I've not really seen anyone choosing essay subjects for medicine, so I don't think it will help u that much. I think for Oxbridge med they prob prefer STEM A levels (So Physics/Further Maths as a 4th)
Again I'm not an expert so u should check this yourself, but don't worry too much. Bio/Chem/Maths is already the best 3 for med so ur 4th won't matter.

Thank you! 😊

Reply 4

adamedicine

An EPQ might be helpful, you can show your research skills and it is a nice thing to talk about at the interview. Especially NHS related, service evaluation type of EPQ will be really good to have under your belt. Although it's only half points of an A level but it will reflect your dedicated interest in medicine.