The "Am I good enough for Cambridge?" thread

**abhatia** · 31-01-2010, 06:52 PM

I live in India, and will I will be applying to Cambridge next year. Luckily, since Im doing the IB, I dont have to give my A levels and TOEFL.
My grades are average, and in my GCSE's, I managed 5A* and 4As.
My extra curriculars include international karate, and basic inter-school football in the sports, and I have also set up an NGO, which is a non-government organisation, whose main focus is health.
I have also volunteered in 5 Hospitals for about 200 hours, as well as done 3 research projects, out of which 2 are now published in med journals. As of now, I am working with a new concept called the 'Mobile Medicare Van', which heads out to the villages to do health check ups as well.
I still am yet to do my BMAT and UKCAT.
If it makes any difference, i have gotten a 2300 in my SATs.

Is there anything I need to do, in order to raise my chances?
Thanks

**Undulipodium** · 20-02-2010, 11:02 AM

Your extra curricular stuff is very good (though Cambridge will care more about your academic potential than anything you've done EC-wise).

You'll be up against stiff competition (especially as most colleges - those with under 12 medical places - have a limit of 1 offer/year for international medics) so it's vital to do as well as possible in the BMAT/interview.

**premja** · 13-03-2010, 12:35 AM

abhatia, your work experience and research is impressive! But first and foremost, Cambridge cares about your academic ability/potential. Getting good grades (BMAT, IB, GCSEs) seems to be a necessary but not sufficient condition. Since nearly every applicant (esp. international ones) have amazing grades, IMO the deciding factor is the interview. Make sure you know the principles of your science subjects because they'll ask you to apply your basic knowledge to an unknown situation.

**Rippy** · 13-03-2010, 02:22 AM

Originally Posted by premja

abhatia, your work experience and research is impressive! But first and foremost, Cambridge cares about your academic ability/potential. Getting good grades (BMAT, IB, GCSEs) seems to be a necessary but not sufficient condition. Since nearly every applicant (esp. international ones) have amazing grades, IMO the deciding factor is the interview. Make sure you know the principles of your science subjects because they'll ask you to apply your basic knowledge to an unknown situation.

IMO:

I don't really agree with that. I don't think there's any "deciding factor". Every applicant will be looked at individually, so people with weaknesses in one area could presumably make up for it in other areas. Perhaps, as you say, more people have good GCSEs and AS UMS, so other things distinguish better. However, everyone wouldn't have a brilliant BMAT score, so that would be a good differentiator as well as an interview.

**Dr.Black Knight** · 19-03-2010, 08:34 PM

Got My results
C1 98/100
C2 100/100
M1 87/100(retaking)
Chem 1 118/120
Chem 2 120/120
Chem 3 53/60
bio 1 120/120
bio 2 doing this June
bio 3 38/60(retaking)
phy 101/120
phy 2 96/120 (retaking)
phy 3 56/60

WHat are my chances for doing medicine at Cambridge?
I'll be doing A2 this jUNE
Chem phy and maths
Would I get invited for interview??

**zzj166** · 26-08-2010, 04:42 PM

Hi guys I am wondering if you could help me with my first choice..Basically I want to apply to Cambridge but I have heard rumours that Cambridge colleges don't like gap year reapplicants (I haven't applied to Cambridge before but applied somewhere else with no offers)..Also is that true that Cambridge cares a lot about academic merits on top of everything else? If that is the case do you think my A2 grades will work to my full advantage as opposed to applying somewhere like UCL? I have to point out though that I am an international applicant, and i am aware of the fierce competition...

Also on the topic of college choosing...I seriously don't have a preference...My only preference is to GET IN!! However, I read statistics and there wasn't a huge difference between admission rate of open applicants and college-specific applicants. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to make up my mind (provided that I can't physically be in Cambridge to look at every college...and even if I can, I doubt I will become any less confused than I am now...)

Thanks!!!!!

My work experience and EC activities:

- Work shadowing at a hospital in Edinburgh
- Watching a laparoscopic lung cancer operation
- First aid volunteering for British Red Cross
- Volunteering at a old people's care home in China
- Volunteering in Tanzania for two weeks(service trip with the school)
- School Basketball team
- DofE Gold
- Piano Grade 8 Distinction - working towards DipABRSM Diploma in music performance.

**paranoid_android** · 30-08-2010, 11:04 PM

Hey everyone, I'm applying this year for entry in 2011. I have got enough work experience, read books and got 12A* my GCSEs.
I recently got my AS level results and they were as follows:
Chemistry: A (95%, with full marks in module 2)
Maths: A (95%)
Physics: A (93%, with full marks in module 3 - practical)
Biology: A (91%, with full marks in module 2)
General Studies: A (94%) (Not that any universities i'm thinking of look at it)
I'm really really pleased with them, BUT one thing is worrying me - i got 40/60 i.e. a C in my Biology module 3, the practical.
Will this count against me a lot considering i got 100% and 94% in the other 2 written modules?

**geekchic** · 15-11-2010, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by paranoid_android

Hey everyone, I'm applying this year for entry in 2011. I have got enough work experience, read books and got 12A* my GCSEs.
I recently got my AS level results and they were as follows:
Chemistry: A (95%, with full marks in module 2)
Maths: A (95%)
Physics: A (93%, with full marks in module 3 - practical)
Biology: A (91%, with full marks in module 2)
General Studies: A (94%) (Not that any universities i'm thinking of look at it)
I'm really really pleased with them, BUT one thing is worrying me - i got 40/60 i.e. a C in my Biology module 3, the practical.
Will this count against me a lot considering i got 100% and 94% in the other 2 written modules?

What college did you apply to?

**paranoid_android** · 15-11-2010, 12:57 AM

Caius :/

Got an interview on the 8th!

**Medilord** · 15-11-2010, 01:12 AM

I got a Caius interview on the 6th and my academics are worse than everybody else's on this page. They interview 90% of applicants anyway, so my chances aren't any better. They interview everyone they could give an offer so that proves academics aren't everything.

And no, I'm not from a poor background.