They’re really not interchangeable in an important way. Aat Oxford you would just do biology, at Cambridge you would have to do Natural Sciences, meaning at least one more science subject in depth. take A close look at the websites of the respective universities and departments to get a clearer picture of how the degrees are structured.
higher acceptance rates are a bit illusory. They just reflect numbers of applicants per place, rather than the actual difficulty of getting in.
Thank you so much for the advice! I was originally a bit confused about what it meant by Natural Sciences, me not having someone to consult just thought it meant that I would have to choose one of several science classes. Knowing this, I would probably now lean more toward Oxford. Thanks guys.
The full description of all the required and optional courses is on the website, because there is far less flexibility than in the US. You need to understand and be comfortable with the list of courses you would be taking. So for example don’t expect to have the choice of taking computational biology before the third or fourth year.
There are incredibly detailed admission statistics, example entrance tests and all sorts of other information on the website. You should read it.
A pre med student would be more able to take all the required pre-med claaases.in a natsci program than in straight biology at Oxford. But it would still be difficult.
I was actually planning on just staying in the UK if I got in, given that the time required to earn a PHD is less, the only reason I would like to move back to the US for grad school or med school is for sentimental purposes, all in all, back to the main question, do you think I’ll be able to get into Oxbridge?
I’ve also heard about the interview and the TSA, and I’ve been going through past TSA’s
There is nothing which would disqualify you from getting a place, but since the admission decision is entirely dependent on the interview, it is impossible to say whether you would get in. It is reasonable to assume that your chances are likely better than your chances of getting into Stanford, assuming you don’t have any major hooks, and worse than your chances of getting into Berkeley L&S. However if you give the impression that Oxbridge is a backup to top US schools (for example by saying you’d like to become a doctor), then that would be viewed negatively (i.e. they really hate to be turned down). Remember that the yield for domestic UK applicants who meet their offer is something like 99%.
And read the statistics. They state the proportion of applicants each year who were admitted by subject and TSA score. Indeed looking on The Student Room you can find the full spreadsheets of admissions data by candidate (anonymized) released under the UK’s freedom of information act.
@VickiSoCal, I’m pretty certain that pre-med requirements also require a humanities component. I know some pre-health majors have that.
@KingDward, note that while American MD-PhD and STEM PhD programs (which you enter straight from undergrad) are funded, UK grad programs generally are not (unless you win scholarships).
@PurpleTitan most med schools reuire
Most medical schools require the following courses:
One year of Biology with lab.
One year of General Chemistry with lab.
One year of Organic Chemistry with lab.
One semester of Biochemistry.
One year of Physics with lab.
One year of English.
I think the right NatSci combo could get those in except the English, but you could take that over the summer back home.
Thanks for the list VickiSoCal, just to clarify, this is for UK med schools right? And I also noticed that you put down Organic Chemistry and Physics as a requirement. I am actually planning on taking organic chemistry and physics 3 senior year (both are college courses offered at my school), will this affect anything? Does this allow me to skip these classes if I do pursue higher education in Britain?
No. That is for US med schools.
UK Med school is direct entry after A levels.
I am very confused as to what your goals/plan are.
American med schools would want to see your transcripts from all colleges (but classes taught at a HS won’t count). You won’t be able to get out of any required classes at Cambridge. They often let you choose from a list of classes to fill some slots, however.
Given OP’s stated ultimate aim of doing medical research, I’m not convinced a medical degree is necesssary. A PhD in the right subject would be fine.
Yes OP could do research as only a PhD, but many pharma/biotech/med device companies will only allow MDs to be PIs (Principal Investigator, OPs stated goal). Although PIs do not technically have to be MDs, the very large majority are, as an MD is needed to make all trial related medical decisions—so if PI is not, an MD has to still be involved. Lastly, most PIs are MDs because they also have patients to fill up the clinical studies, which a PhD would also not have.
Of course with a PhD only, OP could do research in any number of companies or government entities.
OP should also pay close attention to the many helpful points in post #25.
Thanks for everything guys, the list was particularly helpful. I understand that studying medicine is, unlike America, a choice that is made right at the beginning, however I also heard it was possible to receive an undergrad degree in another subject and still apply to graduate entry medicine as long as I have honors in a medical science. From there, if the UK offers dual PHD and MD programs, I would like to take that path. Also to clarify, while I will be learning organic chem and physics 3 at my high school, they are COLLEGE courses. Taking these would allow me to skip these classes in any college in the US and can be though of as higher level AP’s in my school. I was just wondering if this rule applied to the UK as well, as I would be able to skip these classes in US colleges given that I took them ahead of time in HS.
Thanks PurpleTitan for all your feedback, Oxbridge does have an MD-PhD program with the NIH, the part I’m mostly concerned about is how I would apply as a potential international student. As for why I am focusing on the UK, I believe that I will be able to qualify for more intensive and honored schools there.
Why does an “honored” school matter to you?
Others may correct me if I’m wrong, but for your chosen path (as opposed to, say, banking), research opportunities and resources seem to matter more. And those can be found (arguably more readily) even in good honors programs at regular publics even if you strike out at Ivies/equivalents.
The Oxcam MD-PhD program seems aimed at American undergrads (from American colleges).