Going to University in England?

robert12345

Is anyone going to University in England? I will be taking the 2013 Leaving cert exam and wondering how the point system works there. I have no clue how to apply though but I am sure that I'll learn how next year. I'm hoping to go to Oxford University in any college to do Medicine maybe. I heard that you have to take the BMAT which I assume is similar to HPAT and you must go into a interview. Is there any chance of me being able to get in a course down there or is it only available for people living in England?

partyatmygaff

It's all done through UCAS in the UK.

To get an interview for Oxford medicine you'll need the following:
- A reasonably good JC. Nothing too amazing but i'd say 5/6 As at minimum with at most a single C in Irish (Which is obviously irrelevant to a British University). All at Higher Level of course.

- Predicted LC grades that all hover around A1 with at most a single B1. Irish is again irrelevant. Note that your teachers predict your grades, not you.

- A BMAT score of about 17.5 or over.

- A perfect UCAS personal statement including history of voluntary work and most importantly relevant work experience.

- A good academic reference.


If you fulfill all those requirements you may get an interview. The interview is supposedly a fairly straightforward examination of your scientific knowledge and your "personality" if you can say that. What I know is that there are the scientific questions, the ethical questions and the so-called wildcat questions.

The scientific questions are fairly straightforward. One I remember hearing about was "Why do cows not laugh?". They expect you to be able to give the physiological reason for their inability to laugh (Anatomy of the throat/lungs essentially) and the evolutionary reason behind that inability to laugh. For the case of that particular question, it would be that they aren't very social animals and have relatively low cognitive ability. Before you ask, yes I am serious. These are the types of questions they ask. They want to see that you're able to analyse things for yourself, see the detail in everything and not just regurgitate information. I've also heard of other styles of question such as "Here is a diagram of the nerves connecting the auditory centre to the brain. Tell me why they're arranged like that.". The thing is they ask hard questions and don't really expect you to give them a perfect answer. What they're looking for is the way in which you tackle a challenge and difficult questions. They're analysing the way you respond to a challenge.

Next up are the ethical questions. Essentially just ethical dilemmas that you have to discuss with the interviewer. Answers here aren't black or white but varying shades of grey. There are some answers you can give that will obviously bring your application to a screeching halt but by and large a dose of common sense and good morality ought to see you through.

Finally there are the wildcat questions which are completely random. Some i've heard are "Tell me about a banana." and "Why is a manhole round?". Again, they're seeing how you approach novel and unusual questions.

There may be other sections to the interview but i'm not altogether sure about them.



Finally, if you succeed in the interview and get a conditional offer you'll need to meet the terms of their offer which is usually in and around 5A1s/A2 - 6A1s from what i've heard.


Quite a challenge but well worth it if you're dead set on Medicine in Oxford. I considered it last year but the prospect of moving to England put me off.


Good luck anyway.

robert12345

The interview sounds very putting off. Also I haven't done any voluntary work or work experience that I can put in the UCAS statement which makes it even more difficult.

I got 5 A's in Junior Cert and it's great that Irish is irrelevant because I do ordinary Irish.

How can you take BMAT score in Ireland or do you have to do it abroad?