Cambridge Medical School – undergraduate entry

Factfile at a glance

Entry requirements

A levels
A*AA with Chemistry being highly desirable. Most applicants have at least three science/maths A levels. All Colleges will consider applicants offering two science/maths A levels plus one or more non-science subjects, however, they will be considered equally with applicants with three sciences. The following Colleges prefer applicants to have three science/maths A levels:

• Christ’s
• Jesus
• Magdalene (must also include A level Maths)
• Newnham
• St John’s
• Trinity

Scottish Advanced Highers
Offers are not normally made on the basis of Highers alone and applicants would normally be expected to have achieved a minimum of four A grades at Higher plus Advanced Highers. Typically, Scottish applicants receiving offers are asked for AAB or AAA in three Advanced Highers.

International Baccalaureate
Total point score of 38-42. At least 7, 6, 6 at Higher level.

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 undergraduate entry course at Cambridge is 6 years duration and consists of the following:

Years 1-3 (pre-clinical)

Topics covered in Year 1:

• 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.

Topics covered in Year 2:

• 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.

Year 3

Students will choose from a range of varied options for their (intercalated) BA year. Options include: biological and biomedical sciences including pathology, physiology, zoology, history and ethics of medicine to subjects unrelated to medicine such as anthropology, management studies or philosophy.

Students will continue their ‘Preparing for Patients’ course during Year 3, regardless of which subject they are studying.

Years 4-6 (Clinical)

These three years form the Clinical Course element of the curriculum and are spent at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and other affiliated teaching hospitals in East Anglia and the South East as well as attachments in general practices.

Following an introduction to Clinical Method, the curriculum consists of three stages:

• Stage 1 – Clinical Method: Students will become proficient in basic clinical methods including history taking, physical examination, differential diagnosis and interpretation of basic investigations.
• Stage 2 – The Life Course: Students will study the major causes of ill health, disease and its prevention throughout the human lifespan. Covers paediatrics, women’s health, cardiovascular, oncology, ageing and degenerative disease and psychiatry.
• Stage 3 – Preparation for Practice: this consists of attachments in general practice, medicine, surgery and emergency medicine and critical care.

There is a 5-week SSC in Year 4 and a 4-week SSC in Year 6 from a wide range of topics on offer, which may be clinical or lab-based. Some students will undertake audits and research projects. Non-medically related topics such as languages are popular.

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 years 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 each 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 Year 4, 5 and 6 and also after some specialty attachments. Pathology exams in Year 5 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.

Electives

Students take a 7-9 week elective at the start of Year 6. Students may choose to visit up to 3 destinations during their elective and these may be either clinical or research-based. There is no restriction on location and all students are away at the same time. Upon their return, students must submit a 1,000 word report on their experiences.

The pros & cons of studying medicine at Cambridge

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010