Extra and super curriculars for medicine at oxford

Thank you for reading this,
I am 3 weeks into year 12 and i have acheived 10x9s and an 8 in my GCSEs this year. I should be predicted As and A*s come next year for UCAS (bio chem maths as fm), and assuming I am able to get a decent UCAT (although it is quite far away), I am hoping to apply to Oxford (something i have been buzzing about since the open day this month).
I am also in the process of sorting out some work experience and volunteering. (I should also be appointed as a prefect)

I understand that i should not set my heart on a university just yet, as there are a lot of time and a lot of factors in play however, I believe that there is no harm in trying.

That brings me to my main question:
Besides grades, are there any super (and extra) curriculars anyone would be able to reccomend, that might strengthen my application for medicine in general, along with giving me a variety of opportunity to reflect on them.

Thanks again for taking the time to read ❤️

*if its relevant, i am not WP/contextual

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

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

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 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
GANFYD's "Which medical schools accept retake A-Levels" list

2026 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry
Medicine 2026 entry for resit/retake/gap year applicants
International Students for Medicine 2026 Entry (overseas students applying to the UK)
UCAT 2026 Entry Discussions Megathread
GAMSAT Megathread 2026/2027 entry
GAMSAT Megathread 2025/2026 entry
2026 entry A100/ A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2026 entry
Medical Schools Index 2025 entry

UCAS Extra and Clearing:
Medicine UCAS Extra for 2025
Medicine UCAS Clearing for 2025

Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2027 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2027 Entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2028 Entry

Current Medical Students and Doctors:
Guidance on posting in this subforum
So, you're going to medical school.... MKII
OSCE Tips and Advice
Increase in the NHS Bursary and expenses for placement
The postgraduate exams thread

Useful Articles:
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

Our Community:
Medicine Community Feedback and Suggestions
Medicine Gap Year Stories
Project: Minimum UCAT Score Trends

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

lanky_giraffe

Just get work experience and do a research project like an EPQ and please stop obsessing over one uni especially for med. At the end of the day, everyone studying medicine becomes a doctor and is in equal competition for speciality posts.

Medicine at Oxford, is, in my opinion, the hardest course to get into in the UK (bar maybe E&M + CS Oxford) and the ucat is pretty unpredictable (and by the sounds of it, you will need a top 5ish% score which is not easy given you can’t just revise loads) so just keep it very much in the back of your mind until post ucat.

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 3

jasmineva3128

I agree with the above user that you shouldn't get too set on any one uni.

However, having said that, you will want to do some supercurriculars, regardless of which unis you apply to.

Work experience at a gp surgery, a&e, ect, are great, as well as volunteering at a care home, in a charity shop that fundraises for a health condition, ect.

I recommend watching Isabella Cass and Amy Cheah on YouTube, as they recently posted videos on how they got into biomed and med respectively.

Doing MOOCs (free online courses), as well as free introductions to uni courses on Springpod, is a great idea.

Listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, ect. You want to be learning outside of school and outside of the A-Level curriculum.

Reply 4

Muu9

Original post

by lanky_giraffe

Just get work experience and do a research project like an EPQ and please stop obsessing over one uni especially for med. At the end of the day, everyone studying medicine becomes a doctor and is in equal competition for speciality posts.
Medicine at Oxford, is, in my opinion, the hardest course to get into in the UK (bar maybe E&M + CS Oxford) and the ucat is pretty unpredictable (and by the sounds of it, you will need a top 5ish% score which is not easy given you can’t just revise loads) so just keep it very much in the back of your mind until post ucat.

What about medicine at Cambridge or CS at Cambridge?

Reply 5

jasmineva3128

Original post

by Muu9

What about medicine at Cambridge or CS at Cambridge?

Hey.

For both medicine and computer science, my advice is the same as above (however you don't need work experience or volunteering for cs unless you really want to).

Learning more about these subjects out with the school curriculum is what's important, and you can do this through reading books and articles, listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and taking (free) online courses.

Hope this helps 😊

Reply 6

Foodis8ae

From my experience, some extracurriculars like a sport or an instrument may help as you can use this to show work-life balance.
But for medicine supercurriculars are usually more relevant as they show your own passion for the subject. So some volunteering (doesn't have to be a hospital just anywhere patient centred e.g care home) and work experience in person or online (e.g Springpod).
One of the questions this year is related to somewhat academics so you want to show that you are learning more than the specification by doing presentations (especially in biology or chemistry) if allowed, an EPQ or Welsh Bac project, getting involved in the school newspaper and writing medical articles, attending online and in person webinars and conferences, keeping on top of the latest medical news on the BMJ or The Scientist.
Im pretty sure Oxford has a list of books related to medicine somewhere, but I would recommend Being Mortal or The Human Body
Obviously you don't have to do all these things, but the main reason is to develop skills and reflect on what you've learned and how it shapes you into wanting to do medicine xx