Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Virtual Study Day welcomes 79 pupils

Our Study Days offer high-achieving Year 12 pupils at non-selective state schools an opportunity to experience higher level study in their chosen subject. Participants at our study days attend talks and workshops led by tutors, find out more about the course at Oxford and what tutors are looking for, and meet current St John’s students, whether that be virtually or in-person. You can find out more about Study Days here.

The day began with an introductory talk by Dr Sandra Campbell, who gave an outline of the Medicine and Biomedical Sciences degree at Oxford. Afterwards, students headed over to their first lecture on the ethics of CRISPR/CAS-9 given by Oliver Breymeyer, which asked students to use the knowledge they learned from the lecture to answer three ethical conundrums. The second lecture of the day covered the benefits of sports in psychiatric disorders by Maksim Richards, accompanied by an activity sheet which encouraged pupils to design their own study, and even imagine what they would do as UK Health Minister! Pupils were then given a presentation on the different careers and pathways available to those studying Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, presented by recent St John’s alumni, Andreas Halner and Elena Perticucci. Pupils also had the opportunity to ask questions in the Q&A at the end.

After a break, pupils attended workshops on the application process, covering personal statements, the BMAT and interviews. The day ended with a panel Q&A featuring St John’s students and teachers, as well as the Access team, in which pupils were able to ask anything and everything related to the application process, the subject, and life at St John’s and Oxford.

We received some wonderful feedback from the participants, including:

• “I really loved getting an insight into the way that Oxford works and what it would be like to study there.”
• “The taster sessions… …were really taught in an engaging way, and I learnt so much from them and it's actually inspired me to do a research project about a medical issue that I'm really passionate about.”
• “I really loved the sports and psychiatry lecture and then discussing it in small groups.”
• “It has given [me] a lot to talk about and expand on in my personal statement.”
• “It was an incredible opportunity and it was extremely educational. Talking to other people allowed us to share ideas and sometimes would highlight something I may not have thought of myself.”

For those unable to attend the Virtual Study Day, our Medicine and Biomedical Sciences tutors have compiled a variety of virtual resources on our website to enable you to learn more about the course and the College. To access the resources, please click here.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success!