I would really like to go to Oxford medicine but I’m asking myself if applying there isn’t useless as the competition is really big.Would I have any advantage of being Czech? (maybe they want more diversity?)My predicted grades are German - 1, Czech - 1, Biology - 1 and Chemistry - 1. Which is basically the best in our maturita exam (an analogy of A-levels). I will have a good reference (my american teacher will write it so she knows how to do it compared to the czech teachers).I don’t have any work experience because here it’s not allowed here to have a job at a hospital (even unpaid). However I’ve been attending a genetics club at my school for the last four years. We have a fully equipped genetical laboratory where we do experiments (such as implementing new genes into bacteria), often in cooperation with the Charles University. This year we’re doing a big research about the GADPH gene in plants.
Furthermore I had an internship at the Institute of Botanics of the Academy of Science where I did a research about changes of vegetation in a forest near my city. I also had an internship at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry where I performed some experiments with the help of the scientists who work there.
I have a pretty broad knowledge of biology. Two years ago I got the opportunity to take a course of AP Biology, provided by Johns Hopkins University in the USA. I had to study for it all on my own without any help, but I successfuly finished it. This course was followed by the AP exam, in which I scored really well too.
Apart from that, I also have a lot of other extracurricular activities - I play in the Drama club at my school, I’ve been playing the piano for 12 years. I’ve taken part in various political models such as model UN and I like attending political debates. I also enjoy reading literature about political systems and the history of human conflicts. My passion is learning foreign languages both at school and outside of school. I’m interested in volunteer work - in the summer I took part in a workcamp in Dachau where we learned about nazism and holocaust. Next summer I would like to participate in a workcamp where I would be helping to renovate a school in a less developed country.
Also I’ve been an exchange student in America for one semester, whoch taught me how to live on my own in a strange country.
The school that I go to is really competitive, the acceptance rate is only about 16%, so pretty much everybody there is really smart.
I scored only 660 in my UKCAT but that’s because I prepared for it only for 2 days (I initially thought that it’s more of a psychological test), so I think that I could score pretty good in the BMAT if I start preparing.
Do they ask about any other grades apart from A-levels?
Do you think that I have any chance of being accepted to Oxford or should I save the application for a school that is less competitive? (I will be also applying to St. Andrews, Glasgow and Dundee.)
If you are an EU resident, your chances are the same as a UK student - about 1/3 of applicants are short listed and 1/3 of those get offers.
You should spend some time on the website ([here](http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study)). Oxford and the US are completely different systems (so your American teacher may not know how to write an Oxford recommendation either- some advice [here](http://oxundergrad.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/Oxford_Teachers_Guide/)).
Oxford will ONLY care about your ECs that relate to medicine, and will expect you to have spent some time in a medical setting. Your marks (achieved and predicted) plus your BMAT score will be used to make the short list for interview; the interview is key (and is not psychological or get to know you, but a cross between an oral exam and a tutorial).
Are you a Czech citizen who has been resident in the EU for at least the last 3 years, not solely for the purpose of education (i.e. you’re not at boarding school while your parents are living elsewhere?). If so, you will almost certainly be considered a “home” (EU) applicant and apply through UCAS (www.ucas.com) like everyone else with the same chance as a UK student. You will also have to pay £9000 per year tuition fees in England (not Scotland) and pay for your living expenses. You should be eligible from the same UK government student loan as UK students as far as I’m aware.
If you are not a home applicant your chances of admission to medicine are negligible, because there is a quota of EU applicants to fill the vacant places in the UK National Health Service. About 8 overseas students are accepted per year.
It sounds like you have been preparing for a US education. The UK is NOT the 51st state. You are NOT going to get your all American experience there. I strongly suspect that applying for UK admissions is a lot more similar to apply to a Czech uni. Fill in the form and add your grades. The scores needed for admission from the Czech education system are actually clearly given on the Oxford website. It took me 30 seconds to find them. The scores needed from the US education system are listed also. The search function is a useful thing.
ECs are irrelevant. Only grades are important for most subjects. However, nearly all UK applicants for medicine have extensive hospital-based work experience. I am not sure there is any way round this for ANY UK university for medicine. You should telephone all of your choices and ask about this I think. Your best chance of admission may be to take a year out after (high) school and spend that year doing work experience (somewhere else if it’s not allowed in your country).
If your teacher is about to write a US-style recommendation on your UCAS form you’re probably doomed. S/he should be writing about what a focussed student you are, how academic you are, and how you have always wanted to study medicine. All the personal journey touchy-feely stuff just sounds insane to most Brits. That goes for your UCAS personal statement (the part you write) too.
Understand that medicine in the UK is a 5-6 year undergraduate degree. It’s not a US-style pre-med course. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re applying to the wrong country,
Finally, the deadline for Oxbridge applications for 2016 entry is 15 October 2015. You only have 3 days if you want to start next year!
Good luck with your application.