Subject Profile
Medicine
Why did you pick your subject?
I chose Medicine because I wanted the necessary training in order to qualify as a Doctor.
However, whilst gaining a good clinical education, I wanted to retain an in depth study of
the scientific basis behind Medicine. It is this which the Oxford course focuses on, with the
first three years dedicated entirely to a traditional science degree. As part of this, you get
the opportunity to conduct a research project of your own, and it was this that attracted me
to the Oxford Medicine course in particular.
What is the most challenging/rewarding aspect of your course?
The most rewarding aspect of the course is getting to study topics which I find to be
interesting and engaging. The tutorial system lends itself to an in depth study with experts
in the field that you are studying, and in my opinion it is this learning style which makes the
course so rewarding.
The most challenging aspect of the course for me personally has been the workload, and in
particular time management. University brings great freedom in structuring your own work
schedule, and at times I've found this difficult due to the great variety of extra-curricular
activities on offer at Oxford. However, I would stress that this is most likely a personal
challenge and those with better time management skills may answer this question entirely
differently!
What advice do you wish you had been told before applying?
What’s the one thing that has surprised you about your course?
In terms of advice before applying, I wish I had been a lot calmer and had generally focused
on medicine rather than the application process itself. Due to the competitiveness of places
in medical courses across the UK, I think it is easy to become too obsessed with application
statistics and the admissions procedures of the different universities. I would advise that
whilst it is important to be aware what universities are looking for in potential students, a
lot of the time may better spent developing your interest in Medicine, and ensuring that the
course is for you.
I think Oxford did a very good job of portraying the course in the open days, so nothing
really surprised me in particular about the course. Whilst there is of course a heavy
workload, it is always delivered in an interesting and engaging way.
Target Schools
Oxford University Student Union 2 Worcester St Oxford OX1 2BX
Email: target@ousu.org
Web: targetschools.ousu.org
Phone: 01865 288452