sixth form help for medicine at cambridge
Hi everyone,
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
Reply 1
I feel you deserve the best shot you can get at Cambridge and the grammar school is the best way to go for that. You wont be the only person who has come from a state school and will likely meet new people who you can spend downtime with instead of competing. You have a lot more control over your sixth form experience than you think. In all honesty those 2 years will fly by. I go to a non selective doing 4 a levels and often day dream about having a proper structure to motivate me. Ultimately, go with your gut - Cambridge or otherwise, your future is gonna be bright!
Reply 2
2
Original post
by tryhardgigsI feel you deserve the best shot you can get at Cambridge and the grammar school is the best way to go for that. You wont be the only person who has come from a state school and will likely meet new people who you can spend downtime with instead of competing. You have a lot more control over your sixth form experience than you think. In all honesty those 2 years will fly by. I go to a non selective doing 4 a levels and often day dream about having a proper structure to motivate me. Ultimately, go with your gut - Cambridge or otherwise, your future is gonna be bright!
thank you sm! i'll definitely keep that in mind. gl in ur a levels <33
Reply 3
Original post
by tryhardgigsI feel you deserve the best shot you can get at Cambridge and the grammar school is the best way to go for that. You wont be the only person who has come from a state school and will likely meet new people who you can spend downtime with instead of competing. You have a lot more control over your sixth form experience than you think. In all honesty those 2 years will fly by. I go to a non selective doing 4 a levels and often day dream about having a proper structure to motivate me. Ultimately, go with your gut - Cambridge or otherwise, your future is gonna be bright!
I go to a non-selective doing 5 and it's perfectly fine. The extra freedom that comes with lower expectations really helps, and to be honest I wouldn't even go to school if I didn't have to. I don't need school to learn (learnt all of maths and fm in the 4 months after gcses ended), school's just slowing me down tbh
Reply 4
12
Original post
by jasminek712Hi everyone,
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
hi 🙂 i go to a non-selective, doing four a levels and just applied to cambridge! of course it varies a lot from school to school but imo at a non-selective school you don't get the support needed for applying to competitive courses. there isn't much structured help at my school and most of the opportunities i've gotten have been based on building relationships with teachers myself and seeking out opportunities. it's a great skill to be self-sustaining in this way but it is very stressful with such a competitive process to have to figure it all out for yourself! it's also quite isolating being the only or one of the only people applying to oxbridge in your school so i'd bear that in mind too
doing four a levels should be fine - i do maths, fm, physics and chem and it's not too bad. my school has really reduced contact hours for further maths so it is a bit of a squeeze, but especially as you go into year 13, there's a very large overlap between maths and fm and you'll find that it doesn't feel like four distinct subjects
if you're worried about the competition at a grammar school, i still think you should go for it. after all, if you're aiming for cambridge, the environment there will be even more competitive and stressful than the grammar school you're thinking of. a more pressured environment might actually be better prep for life at cambridge
hope this helps, and best of luck
(edited 1 month ago)
Reply 5
Original post
by jasminek712Hi everyone,
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
My daughter's friend studied 3 A levels at a state secondary school sixth form non selective. She received an offer from Cambridge. Unfortunately on offer day she missed a grade and Cambridge would not consider her. Another friend of my daughter is studying medicine. This small state non selective school ended up getting four students into medicine.
Reply 6
Original post
by jasminek712Hi everyone,
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
I'm a Year 11 student currently at a non selective school and want to do these a levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and want to pursue Medicine at Cambridge. This is the dream goal.
Im struggling to decide between staying at my school or going to a grammar school sixth form to get into cambridge. Here is some info and thoughts about each:
The grammar school:
Pros: proven track record for Oxbridge/Medicine, used to students taking 4 demanding A-Levels, dedicated support and pipeline.
Cons: I'm worried about the intense pressure and competitive environment. I come from a non-grammar state school and fear I might not cope with the stress or feel behind.
my current school:
Pros: Familiar environment, known teachers who can give me lots of 1-to-1 attention. Less intense pressure, which might be better for my wellbeing. They get 2-3 students into medicine each year (but not Oxbridge).
Cons: No track record for Cambridge. Very few students attempt 4 A-Levels (most drop one and no has successfully done 4 STEM a levels). I'm scared the lack of calibration and high-level competition might mean I don't realise I'm not at the Cambridge standard until it's too late.
My main dilemma is that my heart leans towards staying at my school because it's familiar and supportive, and I believe I can supplement my own learning.
But my head (and everyone's advice) says that the grammar school's sixth form is the "safe bet" for Cambridge because of its proven system. My biggest fear is that if I don't get into Cambridge, I'll always blame myself for not choosing the grammar school.
Would you mind saying what you're currently predicted? I'm also in the exact same situation as you, except I'm looking at Imperial and doing either med or biochem there. My a level choices are biology, chemistry, maths and/or psychology and/or epq. Honestly, I can more or less see from your perspective. I would definitely say go to the grammar school. You are not necessarily competing with people at that school, you will be competing with everyone applying to Cambridge. You are choosing to do 3 A levels and 1 AS level which is a common choice at good schools. If you are good at maths, then go for further maths. It simply crams 1.5-2x the amount of maths work into the same span of time as the normal maths a level. If your dream is Cambridge, then go for the thing that helps you achieve that. A good selective grammar school is also a good thing on your track record, and if Cambridge sees that, they may also be more likely to choose you later. And trust me, your new sixth form is going to feel just as 'familiar and supportive' once you settle in. PLENTY of students and I mean thousand across the country go to other sixth forms than their original school and do just fine. Don't worry, and I hope you do great in your GCSE's and A levels
Reply 7
Original post
by AltAccount00I go to a non-selective doing 5 and it's perfectly fine. The extra freedom that comes with lower expectations really helps, and to be honest I wouldn't even go to school if I didn't have to. I don't need school to learn (learnt all of maths and fm in the 4 months after gcses ended), school's just slowing me down tbh
zawg leave some learning for the rest of us 😭
Reply 8
Original post
by Bananaman575zawg leave some learning for the rest of us 😭
if it helps i'm also cracked asf at tmnf
Reply 9
Original post
by AltAccount00if it helps i'm also cracked asf at tmnf
does me being cracked at ultrakill do anything
Reply 10
Original post
by Bananaman575does me being cracked at ultrakill do anything
depends how cracked, you got a montage?
Reply 11
2
Original post
by Bananaman575Would you mind saying what you're currently predicted? I'm also in the exact same situation as you, except I'm looking at Imperial and doing either med or biochem there. My a level choices are biology, chemistry, maths and/or psychology and/or epq. Honestly, I can more or less see from your perspective. I would definitely say go to the grammar school. You are not necessarily competing with people at that school, you will be competing with everyone applying to Cambridge. You are choosing to do 3 A levels and 1 AS level which is a common choice at good schools. If you are good at maths, then go for further maths. It simply crams 1.5-2x the amount of maths work into the same span of time as the normal maths a level. If your dream is Cambridge, then go for the thing that helps you achieve that. A good selective grammar school is also a good thing on your track record, and if Cambridge sees that, they may also be more likely to choose you later. And trust me, your new sixth form is going to feel just as 'familiar and supportive' once you settle in. PLENTY of students and I mean thousand across the country go to other sixth forms than their original school and do just fine. Don't worry, and I hope you do great in your GCSE's and A levels
Imperial is also something im thinking about! thank you for your perspective and heres what im predicted currently:
Lang - 8
Lit - 9
Math - 9
FM - 8
RE - 9
CS - 9
Comp- 9
BTEC HSc - L2D
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