There is no med student that has gotten into Ca. without straight As and A*s for GCSE

**Anitaisdabest** · 26-12-2006, 03:32 AM

True?or False??

I got 7A*s and 4Bs!!

Shall i giv up dreamin' about Oxbridge??(yr 12)

This statement was commented by my Physics teacher (although he's in his late 50s) . He said that they put all the straight A students into 1 pile and the rest into another and they hate Bs in GCSEs!!

Anyone got into Cambridge without straight As and A*s??

**Mark89** · 26-12-2006, 04:40 AM

Very good question - I don't know the answer to that. But again it comes down to how you are overall and how you are relative to everyone else. So having 4Bs might be ok depending on your whole application (and the fact the rest of your GCSEs are A*s lol), but then again if you're going to find people with straight As and A*s at GCSE at any university, its most likely to be at Cambridge and Oxford. That's just the way it is.

**Mark89** · 26-12-2006, 04:42 AM

There's nothing wrong with aiming high either - If I were in your situation, I would at least apply. Don't let some Bs hold you back, because that's what it sounds like. You'll only regret it if you didn't at least try.

**inventor-yen** · 26-12-2006, 06:38 PM

I'd sure hope there would be a few exceptions. Otherwise i'm screwed.

**hanaazainuddin** · 26-12-2006, 06:52 PM

The thing about Oxbridge is that they look at the applicant's potential,which probably explains why almost everyone who applies to and is accepted at Oxbridge have all As at GCSE. Getting all As at GCSE is, I believe, considered to be a 'forecast' (might not be the best word to use here) or prediction to an applicant's future potential. 7A*s and 4Bs at GCSE is very respectable, so you shouldn't be put off applying to Oxbridge by your results. One snag, though. You might find yourself extremely stressed in the application process since most people applying would have had straight As!

My advice for you is - do brilliantly at AS and in the BMAT. These could 'compensate' for what people might perceive as your 'not-so-dazzling' performance at GCSE. Although I still mantain that your results are great! If you're eyeing for Oxford more than you are Cambridge, then do extremely extremely well in the BMAT as they have a sliding scale for GCSE and BMAT results when it comes to shortlisting applicants... It's on their medical school website somewhere, try looking under 'statistics'.

Hope I've helped!

**Zaynab** · 26-12-2006, 08:50 PM

My advice:

Unless it's stated from a credible source (the Cam website, the prospectus, the Colleges, an Admissions tutor, a current medical student at Cam that you know personally not a friend of a friend etc, at an open day), ignore the advice - there are so many rumours and myths and urban legends about Cambridge and Oxford, you won't know what to believe or do.

Also, aim high - if you think you can do it , or want to give it a shot - why not? Who's really going to know what'll happen? You won't get another chance to try.

Good luck with your application.

**Bori** · 26-12-2006, 11:35 PM

As long are you have the 3As at A-level, 4 Bs At GCSE are not gonna be a problem in terms of academic redord. and still the interveiw is the key criteria,,*wish i did better

(

**nic_was** · 27-12-2006, 02:41 PM

I'm a second year at Cambridge and I got 4A*s 5A's and 1B. If you dont apply you definately wont get in. Concentrate on what you can do about your application, you can't change your GCSE's but you can ace the BMAT and get as good module marks as possible. Good luck!

**inventor-yen** · 27-12-2006, 05:07 PM

Your grades are similar to mine, nic_was. Though I had an additional B.
How was your BMAT score?

**rumble** · 27-12-2006, 08:32 PM

I think it just basically depends in what subjects u got ur B's in...if they are science subjects that could be a bit of a problem, but other than that ur GCSEs seem solid. Also you are given loads of opportunities at Cam, so if u think u can do better, ur UMS scores, BMAT and interview will allow you to wow them!!

Lol it seems ages ago when i was picking my Uni's