Chances for Oxford in England

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hey everybody, I'm in North America and I want to do Oxford Medicine or Biochemistry (as pre med if you all suggest that medicine would be super high reach). Please be completely honest and offer suggestions :)</p>

<p>Oh, btw, I'm South Asian, if that affects chances at all.</p>

<p>My stats are: 2230 (highest in one sitting SAT), 2270 superscored,
33 Composite in ACT (36M, 35R, 33S, 29E, essay yet to be scored) one sitting
SAT 2: Chemistry 800
Math Level 2: 780
Biology M: 720
AP: a lot of APs Done really well in all the classes mostly fives, i presume as they still haven't released our scores.
GPA:4.0 UW
98 average throughout classes</p>

<pre><code> Rank: 2/600
EC: Key Club (president), ranked number one in Texas
NHS
Math and Science Team: Science Team Captain (Awards: First Place district, Top Chemistry, Top Three Chemistry in State, First Place Regional Chemistry Olympiad).
Competed in the National Chemistry Olympiad
Future Medical Proffessionals of America
Over 400 hours of community service, Over 160 in a hospital where I shadowed in the lab, surgeons, cardiology floor.(we have a nationally ranked stroke center)
Future Problem Solving (State Honors)
Individual Humanities Program
Indian Cultural Center
Piano for ten years
Research internships (one for SIEMENS, one for orgo and photochemistry)
Computer Science Team UIL
Quiz Bowl Captain
House of Delgates (law making body state wide delegation for key club, high honors basically)
Chess Club
Indian Cultural Center
Quest Club (Science oriented community Service)
Junior Varsity Soccer my frosh and soph years
Made varsity Swimming
Job at Maggie Moos
I have a lot of awards in all the departments at our school and have won and competed in serious science competitions.
</code></pre>

<p>Hooks: My well rounded activities even though I want to pursue science, and I have some pretty good research projects, SIEMENS, USNCO.</p>

<p>My AP Chem and AP English teacher are writing my recs, and they really like me and have known me for a long time. I'm getting supplement recs from my research profs and Key Club adviser. </p>

<p>My essays for other colleges which I guess I'll adapt for my personal statement, are funny to an extent but really show my personality and show that I'm worldly (I've lived in a lot of different countries and have picked up a lot of culture from each place).</p>

<p>Any tips and warnings. Sorry if this is a bit long, I just am unfamiliar with the admissions process for Oxford.</p>

<p>Thanks so much :)</p>

2

<p>The good thing about Oxford is that they are primarily concerned with your intelligence and academic ability. Thus your grades and test scores matter a LOT, and your ECs not so much (waay less than at an American university). Also, being South Asian matters not at all.</p>

<p>Your grades are pretty good. Work on getting all 5’s for over 5 academic subjects. SAT I is somewhat mediocre (well, it is Oxford).</p>

<p>You will probably get an interview, at which point that becomes the most important thing. Do well on your interview and you have a great shot at getting in!</p>

3

<p>With English schools, your EC’s will not matter that much, as peachaso pointed out, unless they are directly related to your potential major (of which you have a lot), so that’s a good thing for you.</p>

4

<p>echo earlier comments on importance of academic excellence versus extracurrics.</p>

<p>oxford medicine is competitive, and especially so for international students. you’ll need to have completed the entry requirements, which are outlined here: [Entry</a> requirements — Medical Sciences Division](<a href=“http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/courses/preclin/qualifications/entryreq]Entry”>http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/courses/preclin/qualifications/entryreq)</p>

<p>you said you’ve taken many APs – i hope these include biology, physics C, and calc BC (besides chemistry which you said)</p>

<p>you will probably need to take the BMAT – a sort of SAT for med applicants. [BMAT</a> — Medical Sciences Division](<a href=“http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/courses/preclin/qualifications/bmat]BMAT”>http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/courses/preclin/qualifications/bmat)</p>

5

<p>Thanks everybody, and I think I should clarify on my APs because I posted before I found threads on the importance of APs. Unfortunately, our school doesn’t offer most APs until our senior year, so the only APs I can report definitively are English Lang and Comp, US history, and Chemistry. However, senior year, I have Calculus, Physics C, Biology, Statistics, Gov and Eco, Lit, and French. Is a conditional offer a possibility? Or will the emphasis on Chemistry(as it is the main requirement for medicine) pull me through because of my AP test, and my SAT 2 Subject tests. Thanks again everybody for your input :)</p>

6

<p>i would say you would get an interview. but from there, it is your ball park. also remember that they will ask you many questions on what you say in your personal statement.</p>

<p>the statement should be about:
30-40% why wou want to study the program
30-40% why the program would be good for you, why you are good at it
20-30% extra stuff, like ECs, some more personal stuff</p>

7

<p>btw, almost everybody gets a conditional offer unless they have already graduated HS or they are super super super good and oxford truly wants you no matter what.</p>

8

<p>Thanks, do you know when they release decisions and conditional offers, and how Oxford admissions tie into Early Decision contracts in the US. (i.e. if a student is accepted to the binding Early Decision program in a US university, is he still eligible to study at Oxford if accepted, and would he be notified of his acceptance/conditional acceptance before the Early acceptance which is December 15th.)</p>

<p>I appreciate everybody’s input :slight_smile: Thanks so much!</p>

9

<p>With your academic stats you should get an interview.</p>

<p>However, that’s all Oxford is concerned about - your academics. Anything else you put in which makes it look like you are unfocussed will count against you. The application process is all about getting to the interview (you know you will have to take the BMAT test don’t you? No interview if you do badly in this).</p>

<p>Therefore, this is my advice on how to maximise your chances of getting an interview.</p>

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</p>

<p>Definitely mention</p>

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</p>

<p>Only mention if you can explain it briefly without taking up all of your personal statement.</p>

<p>

This is the most important thing to mention in your PS! UK students do LOTS of work experience. Do not bother with the rest of the community service. Write about the hospital stuff (and NO personal journeys of discovery! That quite simply sounds ludicrous to British ears. Write about your academic interest in the work and what you learnt from it)</p>

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Don’t mention any of these. You won’t have space and they make you look unfocussed.</p>

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<p>Well rounded is the VERY LAST THING Oxford want you to be. No, no and NO! A total anti-hook. Do not try and appear well-rounded in anyway. Yes, it will be nice if you do go to Oxford to have some outside activities from studying, but the professors who teach really won’t care. </p>

<p>

For UK applications you only need one recommendation. This should be someone who can comment on your academic apritude in sciences. In this case preferably your AP Chem teacher.</p>

<p>

This is the wrost possible thing you could do in your personal statment in my opinion. You should write wsomething along the line of</p>

<p>I would like to study Medicine because
-I am an academic superstar in sciences (ignore all other subjects)
-I am very focussed on the subject and have done lots of related work experience</p>

<p>If you make it funny, they will think you are a joker not committed to studying. This is NOT the place to be amusing. Do NOT write your PS in the style of a US admissions essay. It should be very factual. If you google uk Personal statements you will find some examples.</p>

<p>Good luck in your application. I think you could do well but understand you are applying to study in a foreign country and need to apply by their rules. Also, only about 7 international students per year get into Oxford medicine due to the quota. Therefore you will have to be the best of the best (and you can’t apply to biochem as well in the same year). You will be competing against students who come from countries such as Singapore where their education system is much more similar to the UK.</p>

10

<p>usually around december, like dec 15-25. it is really hard to tell, some cases are done really fast and others take a while, when they are deciding the last spots. but there is no one decision date as in the US. because this is overseas, you can in fact not go to your ED school. i know of one case where a girl got accepted to cambridge and stanford ED, she chose to go to cambridge and since then, not a single student from that HS has gotten into stanford. but it is possible, ethical? not a chance.</p>

<p>for further info and more facts and more people knowledgable about this stuff i want to direct you here: </p>

<p><a href=“http://■■■■■■/ahZmFQ[/url]”>http://■■■■■■/ahZmFQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>Wow Cupcake, thank you so much for those tips. I feel like I just dodged a bullet, all the colleges in the US, esp for pre meds, want to see non-science interests and I assumed UK would to. Thanks a million!</p>

<p>Thanks Reptil for those dates; the sad thing is that those are the release dates for ED to most Unis… But it’s possible. Anyway thanks everybody!</p>

<p>…And those numbers are scary!! I still haven’t decided whether I should apply, I know, no harm done in applying, but I just wanted to get some input.</p>

<p>More suggestions, tips and such are welcome :)</p>

12

<p>if you were afraid to click the link, it is a link to a brittish collegeconfidential focusing on brittish admissions. however, collegeconfidential doesnt allow to post full links so i used the link shortening website ■■■■■■. these links are legit, amazon uses em facebook too. =)</p>

<p>if you still are afraid to click it, go on google and search for “the student room” (but remove the spaces between the and student, and student and room) and then go to oxford subforum.</p>

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<p>Haha, I checked the link, no worries. I’ve been looking through the website, thanks :)</p>

14

<p>Medicine is nigh impossible for international students to be accepted to. I would advise doing Biochem as an undergrad and then med school in the US. Something to consider is, if you are planning to practice in the US, how US employers would react to a UK degree in medicine as opposed to a US one.</p>

15

<p>Good point. I have dual citizenship to USA and France, which is in the EU, but I live in the US, does that still make me international?</p>

16

<p>just bumping this because i was wondering the same thing about the dual citizenship :)</p>

17

<p>Even if you have dual UK/EU and US citizenship you will be treated as an international if you haven’t lived in the UK/EU for the past three years.</p>

18

<p>That’s a bummer. Perhaps I should consider something other than Medicine major and just do Chemistry as pre med (all my achievements are in Chemistry and I love the subject more than any other, excluding medicine :P).</p>

19

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<p>Exactly. I don’t know the details but a UK medical degree is not accepted in the US unless you take lots of tests again. Could be very expensive and time consuming. It will be accpted in European and Commonwealth countries though (you’ll have to move to Canada).</p>

<p>Basically you parents have to have paid tax in the UK/EU for at least the last 3 years for you to be counted as a home student. So you will be a foreign student regardless of nationality (this applies to Brits living abroad as well for example). Going to boarding school in the UK doesn’t count (because no taxes paid).</p>

20

<p>About the practicing, I found out that you have to take a series of proficiency tests upon return to the US. Apparently, if you’ve taken medical school seriously, there should be no question on doing well on the test, but it’s yet another standardized test…</p>

<p>So yeah, that quota of seven internationals for medicine… does such a quota exist for Chemistry? If so, does anybody know what it is? I’m still researching on the website and the other British version of CC, but just wondering if anybody who’s reading this thread knows. Thanks again :)</p>