Which university should I apply to, Cambridge or Oxford?

There are 32 medical schools in the UK currently and you will only be able to choose 4 (plus one biomed) - so it is understandable you may have some difficulty narrowing them down. Cambridge and Oxford are in a bracket of their own, hence you can only apply to one. If you want to get into Oxbridge, targeting the right university is probably the most important part of the application process; many people spend very little time on this aspect thinking the selection process is the same for each of them. It isn't!

These are the two universities, where the type of student they are looking for is different; they are looking for what essentially is a scientist at heart. Don't get me wrong, you have to still have excellent communication skills and be able to work in a team, but what makes an application stand out is an emphasis on science - your first three years are basically a Biological Natsci degree. However, saying this, they place emphasis on different aspects of the process themselves. 

Lifestyle

Firstly, there is the normal repertoire of things you have to look at. Do you want to be living in a big city such as Oxford or a smaller student city like Cambridge? Do you like the general feeling of Cambridge or Oxford better? (Visit them both!)

Subject strength

Generally speaking, Cambridge is better at science subjects but Oxford ranks higher for the arts. In terms of medicine rankings, Cambridge topped Oxford last time out.

Academics

Oxford look at GCSE's and BMAT more in the main, with a low emphasis on A-levels. However, Cambridge, look at A-levels very highly, especially UMS scores (96 is the average UMS score for a successful Cambridge medic). If your UMS is comparatively low, then they will look at your BMAT. For both these two universities, interviews can make or break applications! These interviews are science based, assessing how you can think logically through a problem on your own. Having been through a number of these science based interviews myself, I have a series of questions that we can go through together! Once you have mastered the technique, it isn’t as hard as it sounds.