Additional ways to show enthusiasm In order for your application to stand out to those assessing it, you may want to consider some of the below suggestions to further your knowledge, demonstrate commitment and showcase just how enthusiastic about studying medicine you are! Attend a summer school
Write an EPQ/individual project
Apply and attend a free Medicine summer school, or if applying to Oxbridge you may wish to attend a Chemistry and/or Biology one.
An EPQ is not necessary, however I would recommend taking this opportunity if your school does offer it. A medicine or even ethics related EPQ demonstrates your enthusiasm to study the subject in your own time, which will really impress admissions staff. It can be an efficient way to do extra reading or learn more about ethics ahead of interview, whilst gaining a qualification.
As well as national schemes, your local medical school may run one as part of their outreach programme. Summer school programmes can include a taster of the subjects studied at medical school, ethics workshops, admissions advice and the invaluable opportunity to ask current students questions. Take notes during the course, as these will be a useful reference at later stages. Afterwards do further reading around subjects you found interesting. See page 31 for a list of some of the summer schools on offer.
Start a Medical Society at school Gather all the students in your year who are applying for medicine and set up a society. Meet weekly to discuss anything you have read, discuss ethical dilemmas doctors face, practice interviewing each other (including role play), and even debate the sugar tax. Assigning articles for members to read and later summarise to the group decreases work load dramatically and enables you to practise talking about the subjects you will be asked about at interview.
However, if you school does not offer this, or you decide not to write one, an alternative is to research your own short project and present it to your teachers and other pupils, for example on the subject of a recent medical discovery.
Keep a Medicine Blog Use a free website to write about everything you have read, heard about or discussed related to medicine and healthcare. Even better than just summarising, reflect on the content and discuss what it has led you to think about and read next. Sources may be BBC Health articles, the Student BMJ, the New Scientist, as well as radio or television programmes. Not only is this a fantastic way to showcase your enthusiasm; it will help you keep a clear set of notes for anything you read, which you will be very grateful for when it comes to interviews and writing your personal statement.
Š Catherine Graham, Cambridge MedSoc Access Officer 2018-19, March 2019