Student reviews
What is studying medicine at University of Cambridge actually like?
The interview gets you a place; these reports are about the five or six years after that. Gathered from current student and recent graduate forums, weighted by how many independent sources agree. These are unverified community reports, not official university information.
6 reports
Supervisions are the core teaching unit: about 5 one-hour supervisions a week in groups of two or three, generally with accommodating supervisors, alongside roughly 20 to 25 timetabled hours of lectures and practicals a week.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
Supervisions are the core teaching unit: about 5 one-hour supervisions a week in groups of two or three, generally with accommodating supervisors, alongside roughly 20 to 25 timetabled hours of lectures and practicals a week.
"Supervisors are generally very accommodating and are there to help you learn rather than to grill you."
Natasha Reid, first-year Cambridge medic, Gonville and Caius (Life of a Medic)"Being able to go over things you don't understand in a group of only two or three helps fill gaps."
Hilary Patankar, first-year Cambridge medic, Robinson (Life of a Medic)Cambridge does real full-body cadaveric dissection in first year, with about four students working a cadaver at a time, though some regions (vertebral column, hand, cranial nerves) are taught via prosection instead. Students rate the anatomy teaching very highly.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
Cambridge does real full-body cadaveric dissection in first year, with about four students working a cadaver at a time, though some regions (vertebral column, hand, cranial nerves) are taught via prosection instead. Students rate the anatomy teaching very highly.
"Our anatomy course is the best in the country... every dissection table has only four people dissecting at one time."
Hilary Patankar, first-year Cambridge medic, Robinson (Life of a Medic)"Groups of about 3 students get a body to dissect every week for the year... the vertebral column, hand, and cranial nerves are covered through prosection instead (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, dissection threadsThere is very little hands-on clinical exposure in the first three years beyond GP visits and some patient-contact projects. Real clinical training is concentrated in years 4-6 at hospitals across East Anglia via Addenbrooke's, and many medics choose to live out near the hospital since the central colleges are a 20-30 minute cycle away.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
There is very little hands-on clinical exposure in the first three years beyond GP visits and some patient-contact projects. Real clinical training is concentrated in years 4-6 at hospitals across East Anglia via Addenbrooke's, and many medics choose to live out near the hospital since the central colleges are a 20-30 minute cycle away.
"There are not many clinical placements in the first three years... Year 1: GP visits. Year 2: hospital placements with group feedback on patient cases."
bookofbones_, second-year Cambridge medic, Pembroke (Life of a Medic)"Years 4-6 are the clinical years and are spent in hospitals/practices across East Anglia. The central colleges are more like a 20-30 minute cycle away from Addenbrooke's Hospital during 4th to 6th year (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Cambridge medics accommodation threadThe workload is widely described by students themselves as damaging to health. A Varsity opinion piece by a Cambridge medic argued the course's content volume and lack of faculty sympathy put unnecessary stress on students, with one supervisor's reassurance that exams are easy to pass reportedly making struggling students feel worse, not better.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
The workload is widely described by students themselves as damaging to health. A Varsity opinion piece by a Cambridge medic argued the course's content volume and lack of faculty sympathy put unnecessary stress on students, with one supervisor's reassurance that exams are easy to pass reportedly making struggling students feel worse, not better.
"The demanding workload, ever-increasing content, and lack of sympathy from faculty put unnecessary stress on students... a medical supervisor told students 'don't worry about exams, they're very easy to pass,' but such statements put even more pressure on struggling students (paraphrase from search snippet)."
Varsity (Cambridge student newspaper) opinion piece by a Cambridge medic"Approximately 3 essays weekly during term... 4-6 handwritten pages completed in 40-60 minutes, with research and learning time extending significantly beyond writing."
bookofbones_, second-year Cambridge medic, Pembroke (Life of a Medic)The college system gives medics a built-in friend group of around 10 medics per college, which students describe as a pre-made social circle, but college choice is mostly about fit and daily life rather than academics since teaching is centralised.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
The college system gives medics a built-in friend group of around 10 medics per college, which students describe as a pre-made social circle, but college choice is mostly about fit and daily life rather than academics since teaching is centralised.
"The college system provides a sort of pre-made circle of people... each college has roughly 10 medical students who typically form close-knit groups."
Natasha Reid, first-year Cambridge medic, Gonville and Caius (Life of a Medic)"Academically, Cambridge colleges would all be the same, and medical students in Cambridge go to the same lectures... narrow it down first by which ones give you the best feel and then look at things like food, accommodation, location (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Cambridge college choice threadsThe compulsory intercalated BA falls in year 3. Students report contact hours drop and workload eases compared to years 1-2, but it is still Cambridge-paced, and most study time shifts to the chosen Tripos subject rather than core medical content.
Single report(spans several cycles)
The compulsory intercalated BA falls in year 3. Students report contact hours drop and workload eases compared to years 1-2, but it is still Cambridge-paced, and most study time shifts to the chosen Tripos subject rather than core medical content.
"The workload during intercalation is somewhat less intense than first and second year, but it is still a Cambridge workload... the majority of work will be for the Tripos rather than for the 2nd MB (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Any Cambridge medics? What's the deal with intercalating?Get into University of Cambridge
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