Medicine - Workload and information

Ok, so i got an offer yesterday from st. annes, for medicine, very happy indeed :biggrin:

few questions though:

Preclinical:
1) whats the workload like? do you get time to enjoy yourself? how much of it? whats the social life like? (big deal to me tbh).
2) How much independant study do you need to do as opposed to that of lectures/seminars/tutorials
3)what exactly are tutorials like? how many do have per week, are the tutors friendly?
4)how much contact time do you have per week, work on saturdays/sundays?

Clinical:
5) is it guaranteed that you'll get a clinical place somewhere in:
oxford, cambs or london?
6)if you do your clinical years at another uni what degree do you get? one from oxford or a totally different degree?
7) if you want to do your clinical years at oxford how high is the chance that you will be able to? and what degree will you get exactly?

you don't have to answer them all but any info would be appreciated really.
thanks in advance.

p.s (i know i could gather all this information from a lot of forum searching, and i have done some, but no specific info has really popped up)

Reply 1

T kay

3

Saro_656

Ok, so i got an offer yesterday from st. annes, for medicine, very happy indeed :biggrin:

few questions though:

Preclinical:
1) whats the workload like? do you get time to enjoy yourself? how much of it? whats the social life like? (big deal to me tbh).
2) How much independant study do you need to do as opposed to that of lectures/seminars/tutorials
3)what exactly are tutorials like? how many do have per week, are the tutors friendly?
4)how much contact time do you have per week, work on saturdays/sundays?

Clinical:
5) is it guaranteed that you'll get a clinical place somewhere in:
oxford, cambs or london?
6)if you do your clinical years at another uni what degree do you get? one from oxford or a totally different degree?
7) if you want to do your clinical years at oxford how high is the chance that you will be able to? and what degree will you get exactly?

you don't have to answer them all but any info would be appreciated really.
thanks in advance.

p.s (i know i could gather all this information from a lot of forum searching, and i have done some, but no specific info has really popped up)

Maybe this should have been done (or most of it at least) before you applied to Oxford?

Reply 2

Saro_656

OP

10

T kay

Maybe this should have been done (or most of it at least) before you applied to Oxford?

some of it has been, enough for me to know i want to go there, i just want a wide variety of opinions and info, hence why i'm doing this :smile:

Reply 3

Elles

17

Saro_656

1) whats the workload like? do you get time to enjoy yourself? how much of it? whats the social life like? (big deal to me tbh).

Relatively heavy - isn't it everywhere for medicine?
Yes.
Good! See various general threads on here.

2) How much independant study do you need to do as opposed to that of lectures/seminars/tutorials

Independent study during term time = writing essays/preparing for tutorials.
So as long as that took - depends how prepared you want to be and how long you spend writing essays!
Then during holidays I found it was a good idea to consolidate learning - sort out notes, make revision notes.

There are timetables online?
Usually mornings were lectures/practicals, then 1-2 afternoons a week of practicals/seminars/doctor patient.
Then tutorials late afternoon/early evening a few days a week.
So I needed to make time in the afternoons/early evening/late evening/weekends for independent work.

3)what exactly are tutorials like? how many do have per week, are the tutors friendly?

Erm, like small group teaching? Norm was write essays - they read and mark them. Discuss any questions on the topic that came up, talk through the topic, be asked questions to check understanding.
College dependent.
I had 2-5 per week - varied with the term.
They're people - some more friendly than others. The people who interviewed you at a college are likely to be people teaching you!

4)how much contact time do you have per week, work on saturdays/sundays?

Timetables online?
I'd usually have some independent work to do at the weekend, if you were super-organized you could probably work really hard during the week and have weekends more free.

Clinical:
5) is it guaranteed that you'll get a clinical place somewhere in: oxford, cambs or london?

Yes.
There being sufficient places in the system (there should be!) & you've passed everything/no fitness to practise issues.

6)if you do your clinical years at another uni what degree do you get? one from oxford or a totally different degree?

BA Medical Sciences from Oxford.
Medicine/Surgery degree from wherever you do it.

7) if you want to do your clinical years at oxford how high is the chance that you will be able to? and what degree will you get exactly?

Have you read the prospectus?! :eek:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/courses/medicine.html

University of Oxford

Degree awarded: BM BCh (includes an Honours BA)

...

Progress to clinical school
In December of year 3, students must apply to and be accepted by a clinical school. Of those who choose to apply to the Oxford Clinical School, about 85% have been successful in past years. The rest mostly go to London or to Cambridge. No student is guaranteed a place in Oxford, but all qualified students will find a place somewhere (there being sufficient places available in the system).

<disclaimer> Pre-clinical was a while ago for me - hence the vague-ness with those specific answers. It was hard work but good fun.

Reply 4

T kay

3

Saro_656

some of it has been, enough for me to know i want to go there, i just want a wide variety of opinions and info, hence why i'm doing this :smile:

Ok, well congrats on the offer.

I'm in my final year of sixth form so I don't know too much, but I'm thinking of applying to Oxford after a gap year so I can tell you what I know I guess.
Pre- clinical

1. From what I've heard, the workload is pretty heavy. After all, it is Oxford and it is medicine. But people say if you manage your time well then you certainly have time to enjoy yourself (you should ask current medics at Oxford about time for social stuff, it would be important for me too so I would if I applied)

2. Similar to number one, you have to work darn hard! Again, ask some Oxford medics what their day to day routine is.

3. I don't know anything about Medicine Tutes to be honest, don't even know if they have any for medicine, I could talk about the history and english ones though :biggrin:

4. As far as I know, contact if very little to none during pre-clinical. If this is important to you, don't be disheartened. You can always organise work experience at a local hospital for your holidays, this will be easier if you have a contact.

Clinical

5. You are pretty much guaranteed a placement, most likely at Oxford but those who can't get places in one of the unis at London.

6. Don't know the answer to that one I'm afraid.

7. Same as 6...

Hope some of this helps, I guess you knew most of it anyway.

Reply 5

T kay

3

Elles' post answers most questions!

Reply 6

Cirsium

19

To answer the social life bit:
All the medics I know are either quiet, work-hard, but I still see a lot of them types; (i.e. not big party goers but definitely not recluses - oddly I know no reclusive medics) or work hard play hard types. I think you're less likely to get the "I got into Oxford now I will sit back and chiiiiiiiiiill" people than you might in subjects where you can get away with it, like English or History (which is not to say that the majority of them don't work hard - but when all you have to produce in a week is one essay, you could get by doing very little work, although you'd probably get a 2:2 at the end of it!) but it would be completely wrong to assume that you'll have no social life: I know many incredibly sociable medics :yes:

Reply 7

Physics_lover

1

I was told that Medical students at Oxbridge read from 200 to 300 pages per week. Is that even true? And how can you even actually learn the stuff?

Medicine - Workload and information

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