Etudier au Royaume-Uni | Publié le

Visit by Cambridge University

Several 3ème pupils and some parents attended a meeting at the International School where Richard Partington (Churchill College) and Dr Caroline Burt (Pembroke College) gave a presentation.  Here are my notes from the meeting –

  • Advantages of Oxford & Cambridge – small group teaching – one to one tuition by world-leading academics.  Nowhere else in world; collegiate system – excellent libraires, social facilities, textbooks, Director of Studies. Resources – copyright libraires, large research grants, scientific equipment possibilities.
  • Outstanding students – top 3% of intelligence.  IB 42+.  Bac 16, 17.
  • Doesn’t matter which college you apply to.
  • Choose the right subject – curiosity, determination.  MUST BE THE APPLICANT’S OWN CHOICE, NOT THAT OF HIS OR HER PARENTS!
  • Excellent career prospects in ANY subject.
  • Results are the most important part of your application.
  • READING – crucial.  Successful applicants are pushing themselves OUTSIDE school, reading, thinking, listening to lectures etc.  If computing, you need to write code.
  • Revise for interview – see it as a test.  They are not interested in you as a person – it’s the academic side which is crucial.
  • Overall 5.1 for Maturité.
  • Interview – 25 to 30 minutes – problem-solving exercises in your subject. They want to see how far you can get, using logic, analysis etc.
  • In Maths, for example, they may want you to rethink something you have been taught.
  • They are well used to the French Bac.  Mention très bien minimum, particularly in the subjects most closely-related to the subject you are applying for.
  • Sciences – 17 or 18.
  • PPS & Archaeology-Anthropology – changing to HSPS & PBS.
  • Science is more general at the beginning whereas at Oxford you start immediately in specific areas.
  • Think about courses you have never heard of – History of Art, Land Economy.
  • Use the prospectus to look at other subjects – « related courses »
  • Arts – 3 years – Languages 4 years.
  • Oxford – November aptitude test, BMAT for Medicine – lots of practice available on websites.
  • Go to Master Classes for your subject – late June for Oxford, early July for Cambridge – subject-focused sessions.
Costs | Publié le

UK University Costs – Medicine & Other

Medicine tuition fees for international students can be as high as £30,000 tuition per year (Cambridge).

The average seems to be between 20 and 30k.

Other international course fees seem to fall within the 10k to 20k region.

... en première ? | Publié le

Case Study – Applying for an Early Entry Course

Earl Entry means that the UK deadline for applications is 15th October rather than 15th January of the following year.  Anyone applying to Oxbridge or for Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science needs to be particularly good as regards organisation!

One such 1ère student is currently preparing to apply for Medicine.  She and her mother are in constant email contact with me, asking questions, checking possibilities and so on.

Both parent and child attended the recent information evening.  They are familiar with the Florimont blog d’orientation.  They already have a short list of 5 medical schools in the UK.

Today the student and I met for 15 to 20 minutes.  The student showed me a file full of information about the medical schools she is going to apply to.

We looked at the Norwich Medical School website, and I showed her how to copy and paste entry requirements (see below) and course profile information (see below) into a Word document.  She will do this for each medical school and email me the document by an agreed deadline. (1st Monday after the holidays).  She is also going to check IELTS test dates and preparation days using orientationflo.wordpress.com to find when these are.  I advised her to talk to current Terminale students who have already taken and passed IELTS to see where and how they prepared and passed the examination.

The student (as if this wasn’t enough to do!) will also create a Google Calendar and put on it the following information –

  1. Open days for the 5 Medical Schools
  2. Florimont examination dates
  3. IELTS preparation days & test dates
  4. The 3 hospital & medical « stages » she is going to do in the summer holidays.

She will then « share » this calendar with her mother and myself so we are aware of potential clashes, and what needs to be done when.

As you can see, lots of work is involved.  As usual, those who prepare and plan well in advance give themselves an advantage, and this is particularly important when applying to a very competitive course!

EXAMPLE OF ENTRY REQUIREMENTS – from http://www.uea.ac.uk/med/medicine-health-policy-and-practice/mbbs-medicine#requirements

  • A LevelAAA to include Biology (Excl. Gen. Studies & Crit. Thinking) plus AS level grade B in a 4th subject
  • International Baccalaureate34 points to include a minimum of 6 in HL Biology plus 6 in two other HL subjects
  • Scottish Advanced HighersAAA to include Biology plus a minimum of grade B in a fourth standard Highers subject
  • Irish Leaving CertificateAAAAAA in Higher subjects one of which must be Biology
  • Access CourseContact the Admissions Office for a list of accepted courses and grade requirements.
Students for whom English is a foreign language
For entry to the Medical degree for overseas/international students we require evidence of a high level English language qualification such as IELTS 7.5, with a minimum of 7.5 in each component, or an equivalent TOEFL score.
Special Entry Requirements
For this Medicine degree, ALL applicants (including graduates and mature students) need to take the UK-CAT Medical Admissions Test prior to submitting their application: see www.ukcat.ac.uk for full details.
  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3
  • Year 4
  • Year 5
EXAMPLE OF COURSE PROFILE from http://www.uea.ac.uk/med/medicine-health-policy-and-practice/mbbs-medicine#profile
Essential Study (150 credits)
Students will select 150 credits from the following module(s).
Name Code Credits Period
Fitness to Practice – Year 1
 MED-1FPY 1 Year Period
Integrative Period Year 1
 MED-1B02 30 Semester 2
Locomotion
 MED-1A02 60 Semester 2
The Human Lifecycle – A Holistic Approach
You will be introduced to a broad range of skills: topics include the human life-course, biological and behavioural sciences, consultation skills, and research methods. The science and behavioural science material will often relate to your week’s PBL case.more…
 MED-1AL1 60 Semester 1
... en 3ème ? | Publié le

Pembroke College, Cambridge – Visit to Geneva, Thursday 22nd March

Pupil from Florimont have received a personal invitation from Dr Caroline Burt, Admissions Tutor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, to attend a presentation by Cambridge University at the LGB campus of the International School of Geneva.

Time is 5pm, Thursday 22nd March.

Please let Mr Lally know at dlally@florimont.ch if you plan to attend.