Cambridge Medicine SAQ – The Ultimate Guide 🎯
The supplementary application questionnaire, commonly known as the SAQ, is primarily used for collecting data about the grades that candidates have achieved and their school background. Section 7.1 of the SAQ includes an optional additional personal statement. Does the SAQ additional personal statement actually matter and what should you include in your Cambridge Medicine SAQ? This blog will answer these questions.
What should I include in my Medicine SAQ? 🤔
Medics usually apply to four universities and choose a biological course for their fifth option. The Cambridge University Medicine degree is structured differently to most universities. Some of the features that make it unique are:
The supervision system
The opportunity to study a broad range of subjects during intercalation
The opportunities for summer research projects
Opportunities to get involved with the Cambridge Medical Society (Cambridge MedSoc)
The modules that are studied
The course structure
Before applying to Cambridge, you should research all of the above and think about what really appeals to you. In the SAQ, you should write about what genuinely excites you and why this is.
Want to find some practice interview questions?
You can view our FREE Sample Questions by clicking on this link 👈
Example Medicine SAQ for Cambridge 📝
A medicine SAQ may discuss why you think the supervision system is particularly well suited to your style of learning. If you are particularly interested in a part of medicine that the course covers in detail, the additional personal statement is an opportunity for you to mention a book or research paper that you have particularly enjoyed reading on the topic. If there is anything that you didn’t get the chance to mention in your personal statement that you feel that your interviewers would benefit from knowing about you, this can also be covered.
Make your SAQ stand out - Summary
To summarise, we believe the SAQ optional additional personal statement is a fantastic opportunity for you to show the admissions tutors why you are passionate about applying to study medicine at Cambridge. Alongside preparing for the BMAT, your interviews and the personal statement, it can form a small but significant component of your application.