When are IB students supposed to apply to Oxbridge medicine?

[aahmedov]

I know I have asked this before. And I cannot speak for other school, but at least in my school, we dont get our final predicted grades earlier than Decemeber. So if the deadline for applying is 15th October, it cannot work for me. What are my options?

[Award Winning Boss]

Ask your school to give your predictions to you earlier. Explain your situation and they should (hopefully) give you your predicted grades earlier. Otherwise, you'll have missed the deadline for all medicine schools.

[aahmedov]

So could I go to each of my teachers and ask them to give me a test and/or a series of test and write my predicted grades based on that? Or if I could the individual oral commentaries, TOK presentation earlier?

[Arrowhead]

It's really not that complicated. The teachers have been teaching you for a year. Every school bases predicted scores on different things. Some leave it entirely to the discretion of the teacher concerned. Other schools base your predicted scores as an aggregate/average of your scores in all term exams. Just let the school know you're applying to Oxford and that the deadline is earlier, they will accomodate you. They will also tell you the procedure. Don't worry before you've even set things in motion, you have time.

Arrowhead.

[aahmedov]

Yes thank you, but I still have a few complications.

We got a new chemistry teacher in March, and since she didint know us that well, and we had to skim through the book because we were far behind on the syllabus due to having an unqualified ib chemistry teacher as a cover, she deliberately put everybody's grade down and told us that this is just to be fair and that in IB2 we'll get a chance to improve it.

We are also getting a new language B teacher and a new TOK teacher.

And I am also changing to HL math next year. I finshed SL math in IB1, and I dont want to use my grade in SL math to apply for medicine in UK. Not beause it's bad but because it's SL.

And btw, in my school we dont have term exams. I was told that the predicted grades we got in IB1 were meaningless for practical purposes and was just for you to see where you are.

So I dont really see another option then the one I suggested above. If anyone has a few ideas of what I can do please let me know so I can think of a strategy now that I have 1 month left of summer holidays. Thanks in advance.

[Arrowhead]

We got a new chemistry teacher in March, and since she didint know us that well, and we had to skim through the book because we were far behind on the syllabus due to having an unqualified ib chemistry teacher as a cover, she deliberately put everybody's grade down and told us that this is just to be fair and that in IB2 we'll get a chance to improve it.

Okay, you're overreacting. Go to your teacher, talk to him/her, tell him/her you're applying to Oxbridge for Medicine, and what he/she would give you as a predicted score. He/She will probably tell you. I had a similar situation with English HL. My teacher changed from IB1 to IB2. On the flip side, the IB1 teacher was very experienced and effective and the IB2 teacher was a jerk, who hated me, and didn't understand the IB at all. I had averaged on 7s in IB1 in English HL throughout the year, he predicted a 5 for me. I went and created a ruckus in the administration and all but yelled at my IB coordinator. SO they emailed my old teacher, then in Saudi Arabia, and got a predicted score off of her, because I insisted that the new teacher didn't know me at all, and therefore could not make a good prediction for me. Speak to your teacher and ask him/her for a solution because your grade is paramount to getting an interview. He/She will understand your situation.

We are also getting a new language B teacher and a new TOK teacher.

Okay same thing for the new Language B teacher. If the old teacher was good and/or loved you, ask the school to make him/her give you a prediction. As for ToK, it's not really a subject, anyway. Your presentation and essay determine everything in ToK, you will have probably finished at least one of the two by October. Ask them to base your prediction on that, nevermind that they do that anyway.

And I am also changing to HL math next year. I finshed SL math in IB1, and I dont want to use my grade in SL math to apply for medicine in UK. Not beause it's bad but because it's SL.

If you're switching to Maths HL in IB2, even if you get a predicted score from your IB1 teacher, he/she will be expected to still submit it as a predicted score for Maths HL, because that's the course you're applying with. In this situation, your best bet is to make an incredible first impression on the new Maths teacher and get him/her on your side before you approach him/her for a predicted.

And btw, in my school we dont have term exams. I was told that the predicted grades we got in IB1 were meaningless for practical purposes and was just for you to see where you are.

Nevertheless, term exams scores are reflective of your ability. So in the grand scheme of things, they mean nothing, but in terms of helping a teacher determine how good you are, they will be taken into account. Especially if, as you've mentioned, you will probably have to accept a predicted score from a teacher who doesn't know you that well. But I imagine you've been doing very well in your term exams, or at least the predicted scores you were given at the end of IB1 were good, in any case, you can always direct a newer teacher's attention to that when making a case for a high prediction.

So I dont really see another option then the one I suggested above. If anyone has a few ideas of what I can do please let me know so I can think of a strategy now that I have 1 month left of summer holidays. Thanks in advance.

Again, you have a lot of options, talking to your teachers (new and old) and IB Coordinator, is your best bet. Speak to them first, hear what solution they can propose, before jumping in with your plan of action.

I hope things work out for you mate!

Cheers!

Arrowhead.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Arrowhead

[aahmedov]

Thank you again Arrowhead (for some reason that sounds like an insult).

But I have one last question about Oxbridge admissions.

Could I complete the IB, finish the 2013 exams, apply in October next year for the undergraduate course commencing at september 2014. And in that gap year, study 1 year in my own country while am waiting? If thats possible, I'd most definetly consider it.

In other words, apply with my final IB diploma next year.

[Arrowhead]

Thank you again Arrowhead (for some reason that sounds like an insult).

But I have one last question about Oxbridge admissions.

Could I complete the IB, finish the 2013 exams, apply in October next year for the undergraduate course commencing at september 2014. And in that gap year, study 1 year in my own country while am waiting? If thats possible, I'd most definetly consider it.

In other words, apply with my final IB diploma next year.

I'm reasonably certain you can apply for admissions now and take a gap year after getting in. I would suggest writing to Oxford, and specifically the college you want to apply to. Ask them if someone gets in for a course, can they take a gap year? If yes, then great, go ahead and apply and take the gap year if you get in. If not, ask them if your diploma is still valid for consideration if you apply a year after its release? In all likelihood, that should not be a problem.

Best of luck!

Arrowhead.

[aahmedov]

Ok, so bottom line is that there is a chance I can use my final IB grades to apply in October 2013 instead of using predicted grades to apply this October. I really dont see why they would accept predicted grades but not the actual grades. Predicted grades are so biased, whether the teacher likes you or not can make a difference of a 6 or 7. Or in your case, a 5 instead of a 7.

I will try to get my predicted grades as soon as I start IB2, but I really hope at least the mentioned above option can work for me too if needed.

Thanks

[IBCONQUERER]

I was in a similar situation last year as I was applying for medicine. I didn't end up getting in in the end but yeah what I did was I spoke to my coordinator and he basically spoke to the teachers.

However my coordinator was rather pathetic he predicted me 6's everywhere even subjects I had never scored a 6. Like chemistry for instance our teacher was new and I showed him all the tests we had done and the final IB1 exam where I scored a solid 7 (almost 100% i think) and he told me oh how can I believe you didn't just cram mark-schemes and write the answers in the exams. I was like fine can you give me a test with questions from elsewhere then and I'll be able to prove to you that I am capable of the 7. He was like I don't have time. It was even worse to see people that got 3's and 4's get predicteds of 6 and my classmate that scored a 4 got a predicted of 7.

It was a real pain and even with math my teacher, he predicted me a 6 when I was a consistent 7, it was really frustrating. Then I just went to my coordinator and showed him my reports, tests and then spoke to my teachers as well and luckily they changed my predicted from a 39/42 to 41/42. There has to be some basis for predicting and not just giving random numbers because you're afraid that some of the points are too high. It is given that I scored 6 in chem in the end but that was because our teacher changed in November and she was pathetic (We used to teach her) and also all of our lab reports were moderated down quite harshly and I was only a couple points off anyway. Had it been down to exams only I would've scored a solid 7. So just make sure you are predicted accurately based on performance and not what they think looks real and fake.

Edited July 29, 2012 by IBCONQUERER

[iHubble]

Ok, so bottom line is that there is a chance I can use my final IB grades to apply in October 2013 instead of using predicted grades to apply this October. I really dont see why they would accept predicted grades but not the actual grades. Predicted grades are so biased, whether the teacher likes you or not can make a difference of a 6 or 7. Or in your case, a 5 instead of a 7.

I will try to get my predicted grades as soon as I start IB2, but I really hope at least the mentioned above option can work for me too if needed.

Thanks

What do you know about predicted grades? For my part, I was predicted a 38 and ended up with 38. Only French A1 HL changed from 7 to 6 and English B HL from 6 to 7. If IB has been in place in your school for quite a long time, predicted grades are not biased.