Would I get into Cambridge Medicine?
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
Scroll to see replies
Cambridge is more holistic than oxford. Meaning they are more likely to give you an interview if your GCSEs aren’t ‘perfect all 9s’, whilst Oxford for medicine sort of ranks students for interviews on GCSEs and UCAT.
So knowing that you’d have more of a chance at Cambridge. If you work on good supercurriculars and work experience for your personal statement, and smash your UCAT, I don’t see why you couldn’t get an interview there? That being said at the end of the day they can be ambiguous with how they judge these things, but I think it would be possible.
St andrews would definitely be a contender I think. Your GCSEs are still very strong, if you have a good UCAT and especially a good statement for St Andrews, you definitely have a chance.
So knowing that you’d have more of a chance at Cambridge. If you work on good supercurriculars and work experience for your personal statement, and smash your UCAT, I don’t see why you couldn’t get an interview there? That being said at the end of the day they can be ambiguous with how they judge these things, but I think it would be possible.
St andrews would definitely be a contender I think. Your GCSEs are still very strong, if you have a good UCAT and especially a good statement for St Andrews, you definitely have a chance.
For all of these people obsessed with Oxford/Cambridge medicine: sit the ucat and see what happens. You genuinely need at LEAST a top 5% score which is incredibly difficult to achieve even for the best of candidates with all 9s and 4 A*s predicted.
(edited 2 months ago)
Original post by study23!
Cambridge is more holistic than oxford. Meaning they are more likely to give you an interview if your GCSEs aren’t ‘perfect all 9s’, whilst Oxford for medicine sort of ranks students for interviews on GCSEs and UCAT.
So knowing that you’d have more of a chance at Cambridge. If you work on good supercurriculars and work experience for your personal statement, and smash your UCAT, I don’t see why you couldn’t get an interview there? That being said at the end of the day they can be ambiguous with how they judge these things, but I think it would be possible.
St andrews would definitely be a contender I think. Your GCSEs are still very strong, if you have a good UCAT and especially a good statement for St Andrews, you definitely have a chance.
So knowing that you’d have more of a chance at Cambridge. If you work on good supercurriculars and work experience for your personal statement, and smash your UCAT, I don’t see why you couldn’t get an interview there? That being said at the end of the day they can be ambiguous with how they judge these things, but I think it would be possible.
St andrews would definitely be a contender I think. Your GCSEs are still very strong, if you have a good UCAT and especially a good statement for St Andrews, you definitely have a chance.
Cambridge are less holistic than Oxford when it comes to people not expecting the very highest A Level grades though.
Original post by Picnicl
Cambridge are less holistic than Oxford when it comes to people not expecting the very highest A Level grades though.
As in if they have lower predicteds? Haven’t heard this, but I have seen Cambridge applicants be asked to get 4A*s over the minimum offer whilst I haven’t seen this with Oxford applicants, so is that what you mean?
Original post by study23!
As in if they have lower predicteds? Haven’t heard this, but I have seen Cambridge applicants be asked to get 4A*s over the minimum offer whilst I haven’t seen this with Oxford applicants, so is that what you mean?
I mean Cambridge entrants on average tend to have slightly higher A Level scores than Oxford's. There are exceptions to this, where Oxford entrants on average tend to have slightly higher A Level scores than Cambridge's, such as Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, History (sometimes), Languages (sometimes), Law (sometimes), Physics (sometimes).
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Picnicl
I mean Cambridge entrants on average tend to have slightly higher A Level scores than Oxford's. There are exceptions to this, where Oxford entrants on average tend to have slightly higher A Level scores than Cambridge's, such as Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, History (sometimes), Languages (sometimes), Law (sometimes), Physics (sometimes).
Ah ok thanks for the explanation
I wouldn’t count St Andrews as a high ranking medical school - I think people are often drawn by the prestige of the university without really thinking it through for medicine. St Andrews is a small town of 20,000 in Fife and as such doesn’t have a hospital, let alone a large teaching hospital. The nearest large hospitals are Ninewells in Dundee (where Dundee Medical School is based) and Kirkcaldy (used by Edinburgh Medical School). This meant up until last year St Andrews only offered pre-clinical training with no patient contact (three year BSc) after which you go to a linked university for three years to get your medical degree. They do now offer a community based medical degree but you would not get any significant hospital experience in that as they do not have access to a large teaching hospital (hence ‘community based’). It would be interesting to see how that works out for graduates from that course who don’t want to do primary care. That’s not to say you wouldn’t have a brilliant time there.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Nina1992929
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
All Medicine degrees are equivalent so don't focus on these universities. You need to apply to those which best fit your grades, UCAT etc.
Original post by Nina1992929
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
Unless your contextual , don’t expect an offer (I’m just being realistic don’t come at me) ik someone with all 9s, 4 A* predicted + A* EPQ and 3000+ UCAT B1 who was rejected. Realistically I wouldn’t even expect an interview unless your UCAT is crazy high . Sorry
Original post by Nina1992929
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
If you knew you wanted to try for Oxbridge med then you should have worked harder in your GCSEs…
Original post by Anonymous
If you knew you wanted to try for Oxbridge med then you should have worked harder in your GCSEs…
This is just a question for anyone who might know the answer: Would you say people are invited to interview by competitive universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, KCL and Edinburgh) largely due to a high UCAT score? For example, if an applicant had maximum GCSE grades (all 9s) and maximum predicted grades (4 or 5 A*s at A Level or 45 points for IB) but a lower UCAT (let's say 2800 or lower), would they be less likely to receive an interview invite than someone with a very high UCAT (let's say 3100 or higher) but lower GCSE grades (only a couple 9s, mostly 8s and 7s) and lower predicted grades (A*A*A for A Level or 41 points for IB)? Also, have there been cases of anyone with a UCAT score lower than 2800 being given an offer from any of these universities?
Original post by Anonymous
This is just a question for anyone who might know the answer: Would you say people are invited to interview by competitive universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, KCL and Edinburgh) largely due to a high UCAT score? For example, if an applicant had maximum GCSE grades (all 9s) and maximum predicted grades (4 or 5 A*s at A Level or 45 points for IB) but a lower UCAT (let's say 2800 or lower), would they be less likely to receive an interview invite than someone with a very high UCAT (let's say 3100 or higher) but lower GCSE grades (only a couple 9s, mostly 8s and 7s) and lower predicted grades (A*A*A for A Level or 41 points for IB)? Also, have there been cases of anyone with a UCAT score lower than 2800 being given an offer from any of these universities?
Yes your UCAT sadly is the be all end all now.
For Cambridge this year the lowest I’ve seen have an offer is about a 2900 something (not to say that is the lowest). But if we consider it is, that shows UCAT is important. And that’s for Cambridge which is more holistic than Oxford who would rank you by UCAT and gcse.
Imperial cutoff was about 3000 something this year and I think a high cutoff per subsection. KCL and Edinburgh seem to be similar in wanting higher UCAT scores for interview 2800+.
A lot of these unis (except Oxbridge who will care lots about GCSEs) will have asked you to pass GCSEs and maybe have 7s+ in sciences, but above that they won’t care, they’ll have a UCAT cutoff and you either meet the threshold or you don’t.
Other medical unis are better for GCSEs. For example Cardiff and Belfast who score your GCSEs and then have a lower score usually for UCAT, so these are more realistic if you’re UCAT score ends up being on the more average end.
I know it’s extremely frustrating and puts a lot of pressure on you, but if you want to study at one of these universities you have mentioned you’ll need to smash the UCAT.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by study23!
Yes your UCAT sadly is the be all end all now.
For Cambridge this year the lowest I’ve seen have an offer is about a 2900 something (not to say that is the lowest). But if we consider it is, that shows UCAT is important. And that’s for Cambridge which is more holistic than Oxford who would rank you by UCAT and gcse.
Imperial cutoff was about 3000 something this year and I think a high cutoff per subsection. KCL and Edinburgh seem to be similar in wanting higher UCAT scores for interview 2800+.
A lot of these unis (except Oxbridge who will care lots about GCSEs) will have asked you to pass GCSEs and maybe have 7s+ in sciences, but above that they won’t care, they’ll have a UCAT cutoff and you either meet the threshold or you don’t.
Other medical unis are better for GCSEs. For example Cardiff and Belfast who score your GCSEs and then have a lower score usually for UCAT, so these are more realistic if you’re UCAT score ends up being on the more average end.
I know it’s extremely frustrating and puts a lot of pressure on you, but if you want to study at one of these universities you have mentioned you’ll need to smash the UCAT.
For Cambridge this year the lowest I’ve seen have an offer is about a 2900 something (not to say that is the lowest). But if we consider it is, that shows UCAT is important. And that’s for Cambridge which is more holistic than Oxford who would rank you by UCAT and gcse.
Imperial cutoff was about 3000 something this year and I think a high cutoff per subsection. KCL and Edinburgh seem to be similar in wanting higher UCAT scores for interview 2800+.
A lot of these unis (except Oxbridge who will care lots about GCSEs) will have asked you to pass GCSEs and maybe have 7s+ in sciences, but above that they won’t care, they’ll have a UCAT cutoff and you either meet the threshold or you don’t.
Other medical unis are better for GCSEs. For example Cardiff and Belfast who score your GCSEs and then have a lower score usually for UCAT, so these are more realistic if you’re UCAT score ends up being on the more average end.
I know it’s extremely frustrating and puts a lot of pressure on you, but if you want to study at one of these universities you have mentioned you’ll need to smash the UCAT.
Thank you for your response.
Original post by Nina1992929
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I don’t take med, but I did get an offer for ComSci (I think about the same competitiveness as med) cam with lower gcse’s than you
Just show the dedication youre willing to give in your subject! Good luck!
Original post by Nina1992929
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
Ja miałem (predicted) 5A* (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Polish)
W GCSE miałem 999999(Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, History, Theology) i 888(English Literature, English Language, Mathematics)
Mój UCAT był 3120 Band 2 (97th percentile).
Miałem wywiad w zeszłym grudniu..... i nie chcieli mnie.
Ludzie z niższymi stopniami ode mnie dostali oferty.
Z takimi GCSE results, bez WP (widening participation/contextual), wydaje mi się że taka proba sie nie uda.
Ale zawse można spróbować!
Original post by Nina1992929
Hi,
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
I am a year 12 student and I am worried my GCSE grades will prevent me from getting into Oxbridge or St Andrews. I am aware that factors like the interview and my UCAT are taken into consideration however I would like to simply focus on my GCSEs as I am very worried about them not being 'good enough' for Oxbridge (especially Cambridge). I would like to hear some opinions from student who have been accepted to high ranking medical schools if these grades would hinder my application in any way. I know that my GCSEs aren't taken into too much consideration however I am wondering if applying to Cambridge over oxford would be a waste of time with my grades?
Thank you so much.
Biology - 7
Chemistry - 9
Design and Technology - 7
English Literature - 7
English Language - 7
History - 8
Mathematics - 8
Physics - 7
Polish - 9
Religious Studies - 8
Spanish - 7
Hey i got rejected from aston and leeds with a very high ucat and slightly higher gcses so i would be quite careful where you apply
Original post by med.25
Hey i got rejected from aston and leeds with a very high ucat and slightly higher gcses so i would be quite careful where you apply
Statistics?
Original post by Aaron Hornbeam
Statistics?
GCSEs
9998888777
7 in english language which is why aston rejected me
ucat 3050 band 3
Quick Reply
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