Cambridge Medical School – graduate entry

Factfile at a glance

Entry requirements

At least a 2.1 Honours degree in any discipline. A level Chemistry should normally have been passed within 7 years of application.

The application process

Applications for Cambridge medical school are screened to ensure they meet the minimum entry requirements. All applicants are required to sit the BMAT exam on 3 November 2010.

Cambridge try to interview all applicants meeting the minimum course requirements and with a realistic chance of being offered a place and it’s likely that if applicants have a good examination record and favourable reference, they will be asked to attend an interview. Most interviews take place in the first 3 weeks of December although some are earlier.

Interviews take place at the individual Colleges and will vary depending on the College’s requirements. There are likely to be two interviews lasting 20-30 minutes each with 2 or 3 interviewers in each. Questions can be quite science orientated. Some Colleges impose additional written tests and applicants should check with them for specific information.

Why Cambridge?

A world-renowned University and widely recognised as one of the top teaching and research institutions in the world.

Cambridge is one of the most beautiful Universities in the country, set on the river Cam and bestowed with ancient traditions. The medical course itself is also very traditional and Cambridge places great emphasis on the scientific basis behind clinical medicine.

The Collegiate system means that although students are still part of Cambridge University as a whole, they will live, study and socialise with other students from the full range of subjects rather than just medics.

Course overview

The graduate entry course at Cambridge is 4 years in duration and consists of the following:

Level 1 (pre-clinical)

This is an intense year for graduate students who will study for 48 weeks a year and follow the same core medical sciences course as students in the first two years of the 6-year standard programme.

• Functional Architecture of the Body - involves examining and dissecting the human body.
• Physiological systems - nerve function, neuromuscular transmission, muscle, circulation, respiration, excretion, water balance, digestion, absorption and thermoregulation.
• Molecules in Medical Science - provide students with an understanding of how cells and organisms work and metabolic processes.
• Preparing for Patients - involves meetings with patients on attachment in general practice and starts to relate basic science to the practice of clinical medicine.
• Biology of Disease – looks at the nature and mechanisms of disease processes and explores abnormalities which may be found in the structure and functions of living tissues and organs and their causes.
• The Mechanisms of Drug Action – provides an understanding of basic mechanisms of drug action.
• Neurobiology and Human Behaviour – a study of the brain and mind, covering the structure and function of the sense organs and central nervous system and the effects of drugs on the brain function. Psychological aspects are also covered including the study of emotion and emotional disorders, aspects of child development, intelligence, learning and memory.
• Human Reproduction – the biology of human reproduction, its social context and influence on demographic trends.

Level 2 (clinical)

This consists of placements in the medical specialties which may be at Addenbrooke’s Hospital or other hospitals in the region, learning alongside the standard 6-year Clinical Course students.

Level 3 (the 'final' year)

This is spent in clinical placements in West Suffolk with an emphasis on the intergration of primary care, secondary care and the specialties.

Anatomy

Anatomy is taught from Year 1 by cadaveric dissection in small groups of 6. Students are supervised by demonstrators and attend 4 hours of anatomy classes a week, which is supplemented by 3 anatomy lectures a week. At the end of each Semester students must take mock practical exams called ‘steeplechases’. Students also attend a 2 hours seminar every 2 weeks which covers the clinical procedures which link in with the anatomy they are being taught at the time.

Exams

The exams during the pre-clinical year at Cambridge lead to an ‘exemption from 2nd MB’ with mark distributions contributing to the ‘Tripos’ (another name for the degree course at Cambridge). Exams are held at the end of the year with pass marks set by each department. Any students failing to achieve the pass mark and ‘exemption from 2nd MB’ will need to re-sit the exams before being allowed to progress to the next year.

In the clinical years, exams will comprise OSCEs, MCQs, EMQs, essay questions and data interpretation. Exams will take place at the end of each year and also after some specialty attachments. Pathology exams in Year 3 are hard. Students must repeat the year if they fail a clinical exam or more than one written paper in the Finals.

Teaching

Teaching at Cambridge is usually in small groups or lectures and practical sessions in all subjects.

The pros & cons of studying medicine at Cambridge

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010