This entry for International Insights was written in 2020/21, hence the format of this post is different to the other upcoming posts on International Insights.
Please keep this in mind when reading - enjoy!
This entry was written jointly by Marcus and Alistair, two Malaysian medical students in their 2nd year at Cambridge at the time. Marcus did his A-Levels in Malaysia whereas Alistair did his A-Levels in the UK. In this post, they discuss their experiences applying to UK medical schools and studying at Cambridge!
Q1) Please introduce yourself.
Alistar:
I’m currently a second year medical student at St. Catharine’s college, Cambridge. I did A levels in the UK before med school.
Marcus:
I’m currently a 2nd year medic in King’s College, University of Cambridge. I did CIE A-levels in Malaysia before entering med school.
Q2) Which universities did you apply to and why did you choose Cambridge?
Marcus:
I applied to Cambridge, Imperial, Glasgow and Newcastle.
I chose Cambridge simply because I preferred that traditional approach Cambridge has for medicine. Cambridge is also a ‘’collegiate’ university, which means it comprises University faculties and departments in different academic subjects, and a number of Colleges. The partnership between the University and the Colleges offers a huge amount of individual pastoral and academic support for every student by providing superb facilities, contact with the very best minds, and personal supervision and support to help develop your academic interests.
Alistair:
I applied to Cambridge, Imperial, Sheffield and Leicester.
Q3) What kind of classes do you have and how do you find them?
Marcus:
In Cambridge, first 3 years would be pre-clinical and last 3 would be clinical.
For 1st year, we have Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Bioethics and Epidemiology.
2nd year, we have Pharmacology, Pathology, Neurobiology and Human Behaviour, Head and Neck Anatomy.
3rd year, you intercalate, which means you study a particular subject in depth and either come up with a research project or dissertation.
Also, in the 3 years, you will have patient contact where you learn communication skills. However, because the way the course is structured, it is very rigorous academically and you have plenty of scientific essays to write every week.
Q4)Do you get early patient contact?
Alistair:
There is limited patient contact compared to most other medical schools i.e. in the first year we have a couple placements to GP clinics and in second year to hospitals, however in 4th year onwards it is very clinical so lots of patient contact there.
Q5) What have your placements been like? Do you have to travel far for them?
Marcus:
Placements are randomly assigned, so you either get one that is near Cambridge, or one that is rather far away. All the placements will be in Cambridgeshire though.
Q6) Pros and Cons of studying at Cambridge?
Alistair:
The course material can be extremely overwhelming as there is a high emphasis on detail when it comes to the scientific aspect of medicine. The workload is incredibly high with multiple long essays being set as work each week (I had to do about 3-4 each week in first year, each one I was told to spend 5-7 hours on). It’s definitely possible to maintain a work-life balance but will probably be a lot more difficult compared to studying at other universities.
Q7) Stats? (exam results, aptitude test)
Marcus: My UCAT was 3k-ish, BMAT section 1 and 2(5-6ish), Section 3(4.5A).
Alistair: My UCAT score was also around 3000, I got high 6’s for BMAT.
Q8) What was your experience of the aptitude test?
Marcus: I didn’t really have time to prepare for the admission tests as I was occupied with my AS exam, but I feel like for both tests, as long you had enough practice, you would generally do well.
Q9) What was your experience of the interview at Cambridge like?
Marcus:
I had my interview in Malaysia simply because I didn’t want to travel to the UK for it. It was only for half an hour and it was rather academic. So, me and my interviewer just worked through a few medicine related questions. There wasn’t anything related to ethics or personal questions. I think Cambridge interview is slightly more challenging but a lot more interesting compared to other interviews I had. Advice: think aloud, talk about your thought process, do wider reading.
Alistair:
I interviewed in Cambridge since I was studying in the UK. Interviews at Cambridge are unique in that they try to emulate the experience of a supervision (small group teaching which usually occurs in Cambridge). Usually there are two to three interviewers (who are usually the supervisors at that college) and two interviews of about half an hour each.
Q10) What was the nature of the questions like (for example, were most of the questions about getting to know you as an applicant, about current news, or medical related questions like medical ethics?
Alistair:
The questions are mostly scientific, building on what you have already studied up until your application. The interviews also tend to push you to see how you respond to unfamiliar topics, but guidance will be given throughout the interview and there is a lot of critical thinking involved. Both my interviews were of this nature and they didn’t touch on anything else like medical ethics or medical news. They asked one question about my personal statement at the start and that was it. I was also asked to draw graphs and diagrams on a whiteboard.
Q11) How difficult was the interview compared to other medical schools?
Alistair:
I found it the most difficult as there was the most to prepare for in terms of learning content beyond what we were learning in A levels. A lot of the reading I did ended up not being helpful as the topics never came up and I often felt like there was no end to how much you could prepare for the interview. The interview also tends to be earlier than other medical schools so is likely the first interview you would have.
Q12) Any tips for the interviews?
Alistair:
Read a lot. Like as much as you can possibly do. It is also important to be articulate as to convey your thought process clearly when working through problems.
Q13) What should someone coming to that city for an interview do while they’re there?
Alistair:
Rest well the night before and walk around the city if you have time. Cambridge is small, so it won’t take too long anyway.
Q14) What was your first impression of the city? How do you think it compares to your hometown?
Alistair:
My first impression was that it was old. A lot of the buildings feel like they are falling apart but some people like that, I guess. I’m from Sheffield so it felt like any other UK city except it was smaller? It is also really flat which is nice if you’re planning to walk everywhere.
Q15) How did you choose your accommodation? Did you go for somewhere university owned or private?
Alistair:
Cambridge provides accommodation throughout your course of study so no one really moves out to private accommodation.
Q16) How did you settle down in your city? Did you have any hardships as an international student moving there?
Alistair:
It wasn’t too difficult personally since I had already been to boarding school for sixth form.
Q17) Favourite restaurants in Cambridge?
Alistair:
There are quite a few Asian restaurants which are really good! Jack’s Gelato and Aromi also have really good ice cream.
Marcus: Love the Half Price promo from Sushi Mania!
Q18) Favourite place(s) for grocery shopping? Any places to get ingredients for home food?
Alistair:
There’s only one Sainsbury’s in town which is big enough to be worth going to, but if you live far from city centre you could get deliveries from Tesco or Asda.
Q19) Favourite study spots?
Alistair:
There are hundreds of libraries across Cambridge which are really pretty and you can probably use most of them. Some cafes are also nice but can be a bit noisier.
Q20) What extracurriculars have you been involved in (in med school)?
Alistair:
Most colleges have a Medsoc and so does the uni, I mainly did sports in first year like playing football for college and athletics for uni. I also did Cambridge union which is a free speech and debate society, they invite a lot of famous people to come and speak which is pretty cool.
Marcus:
I did rowing for the 1st term and played college basketball during 1st year. I also joined the Cambridge Scientific Society, where they organized many interesting talks and seminars.
Q21) To do and not to do for med school applications?
Alistair:
Spend as much time as you can and don’t be lazy. Chances are you will only need to do this once in your entire life so might as well do the best you can then chill once you’re in medical school.
Q22) Tips/advice for incoming first years at your medical school?
Alistair:
If you think you’re going to have lots of fun you will probably be disappointed.
Marcus:
Time management is important because you need to have fun but also the workload can be a lil overwhelming sometimes.
Q23) Anything else you would want aspiring medical students to know about Cambridge?
Alistair:
As an international student, studying medicine at Cambridge is a lot more expensive than at other universities. Along with the 6-year duration, this can add up to quite a sum so definitely something to think about when applying.