Oxford and Cambridge Medicine Preparation?

Oxford (I don't know about Cambridge) are not particularly interested in you being a 'well rounded person'. They care mostly about your A Levels, GCSEs, admissions test, personal statement and interview.

However, work experience and experience related to medicine will be necessary, as so many people are interested in medicine. When you are 17, you will be able to do work experience in hospitals, until then you could volunteer in a care home, for the British Red Cross or St Johns Ambulance. Doing a course in first aid could also be useful.

Law is less competitive than Medicine as there are more courses, whereas Medicine courses are very limited. This means that there are more people who have done Law degrees looking for work. However, Law is also very competitive, and different subjects will be helpful for the two courses, so you should decide relatively soon what you want to do. Doctors are paid well, but it is an extremely high pressure job (my friend's dad is one) and it takes a lot of work to get to the point of actually working. However it is worthwhile. Law is also difficult to get into, especially if you want to be one of the best paid lawyers.

I have heard that Oxbridge prefer their candidates to focus on medically related things rather than non-related. So if I were you, I would put a little more focus on work experience, volunteering, and medical placements than things like sports etc (although this is still important). All I mean is it would be better for you to get an extra month's experience in a hospital than joining an extra sports team.

Also just because you go to a grammar school doesn't mean that you should be snobby about your university choice. If you manage to get in, you will end up working with a lot of different people and colleagues from other universities and you can't take the attitude 'my education is superior to yours'. It will not get you very far in medicine to be prejudiced.

Well, you need to demonstrate to them that a) you are genuinely interested in medicine, and b) that you're not working flat out just to get good grades at a school level.

a) you'd do through work experience and through spending some of your spare time doing things which are medicine or people-related, such as volunteering.

b) you'd do through any activity, preferably more than one. It doesn't matter what. Though you're already at a disadvantage if you've got to year 9 while having zero hobbies. What do you spend your spare time doing? If it's "watching TV and hanging with my mates" then you need to take something up as a matter of urgency. If it's "playing the violin and growing prize radishes" then you're fine.

At this point, there is nothing you can take up which will impress them in itself - impressive extracurriculars are things like "I competed in the Olympics".

I'm a 1st year medical student at Imperial College and I applied to Cambridge, so I can give you some pinters and tips.

~ First off all, Medicine is THE hardest course and most competitive degree, not only in England but all over the world, is is the most popular. Places are in high demand and places are tight. There are many people who are very good enough to study medicine, however only a lucky few will be offers and if you are made an offer, then congratulations. Law is competive too, however it is not as hard as medicine and it is harder to get into. For medicine you have to be a well rounded student and be good in Chemistry, Biology, Maths and English, where as for Law you just have to be good at Law and English. Medicine is also the hardest course as you have so much to remember in very little time, lots of exams to do, essays and assignments while being on hospital placement - so you have to be able to manage your time and be good at keeping clam and not stressed out.

~ In your GCSEs make sure you get straight A* and A's however A-Levels are more important. I got 14 A*s in my GCSEs and 4 A*s in my A-Levels. I studied Chem, Bio, Maths and Latin in my A-Levels. For medicine you need Chem & Bio, however I also suggest you do take maths, as there is a lot maths involved and most of the people in my year have taken maths. I also took Latin and I would suggest it as it is a foreign language which universities love, it's a forgotten language which many people do not study and will make you stand out from the crowd and lots of medicines are written in Latin, so you will remember them a lot easier. I suggest taking a foreign language, English, History or Geography as they are tough subjects and liked by top universities

~ You have to have to experience in a hospital, or GP pratice or in a medical setting. If you don't have this, you wont even be interviewed, as they will think you are lazy and you are not showing your interest and passion and motivation to study medicine. I worked in a hospital for 2 years and for over 5 years doing voluntary work in my dad's GP pratice. When you have experience you can write it in your personal statement and talk to them about it in your interviews, as they want real life experiences and facts

~ Universities want you to be outgoing and do a lot outside & inside school. In school I was head girl, prefect, captain of the girls hockey team, I done yoga, second degree black belt in karate, I play the piano and guitar, I do art and I joined the biology & maths club in school, while voluntaring in a hospital and I worked in Hollister as a floor model. They want people like this, as you are showing you are not a slacker and you can do a lot of things and do good in school

~ There are 3 stages to the interviews - pass stage 1, then you go stage 2, pass that and then stage 3, pass stage 3 and you may be made an offer however there are many people who are very good and pass all the entrance exams and are not made an offer, there are too many good people, and seeing as Oxbridge are the best, they have applicants from all over the world and many from China and Japan

The school you go to is irrelvant - yes the majority who get in are from gramma and private schools, however it doesn't make you better from state school students. You have to do your best and it's pot luck. 9/10 of Oxbridge applicants do not get in, so if you dont get in, dont be too upset, there are many top universities and you will be successful no matter where you go. I am at Imperial College, number 3 in England and I love it there so much - you're in London and you train at the best hospitals

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