University of Oxford, St. Anne’s College: Premedical Program

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St. Anne’s College Premedical Program is distinguished by it’s focus on biochemistry and biomedical science, with an emphasis on independent study. At its heart lies the philosophy that human diseases and clinical treatments can be full understood only with a detailed knowledge of cellular molecular process. Biochemistry tutors from St. Anne’s College lead the program in collaboration with their colleagues from chemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and experimental psychology. Classes are taught through a combination of tutorials and lectures given by experts from St. Anne’s College and the entire University of Oxford system.

The program encompasses five broad themes:

• Structure and Function of Macromolecules
• Bioenergetics and Metabolism
• Molecular Biology and Genetics
• Cell Biology
• Physiology and Human Disease

Class details are available on St. Anne’s program webpage.

Students will earn:

• 16 U.S. semester credit hours for the Fall Term (September Seminar plus Michaelmas Term)
• 36 U.S. semester credit hours for the Academic Year (Michaelmas Term, Hillary Term, and Trinity Term)
• 40 U.S. semester credit hours for the Extended Academic Year (September Seminar, Michaelmas Term, Hillary Term, and Trinity Term)

St. Anne’s College Premedical Program is highly competitive and a minimum GPA of 3.7 is required. A stand-alone Spring Term (Hillary Term and Trinity Term) is not offered for this program.

Tutorial System
The hallmark of the University of Oxford academics is the tutorial system. The tutorial is typically a one-hour meeting between one or two students and the tutor. Tutorials usually meet once a week or every other week, and at the center of the tutorial is an essay on a topic the tutor previously assigned. The tutor will lead a discussion about the essay topic in an effort to provide new insights. At the end of the tutorial, the tutor will assign a new topic and may offer recommended reading. Tutorials are individually arranged, taking into account the subject to be studied and the tutor’s area of expertise. They are similar to independent study classes, but Oxford students bear even more responsibility for conducting independent research and maintaining good academic progress. The University of Oxford organizes weekly lectures on myriad academic subjects, and all students at the University, regardless of college, are welcome to attend. Lectures are not usually mandatory except for some science subjects, but tutors often recommend them as good supplements to tutorials and research.

September Seminar/Extended Academic Year
IFSA students studying on the St. Anne’s Premedical Program Fall Term arrive in early September for the September Seminar. This month-long program helps students better understand the Oxford system in advance of the Michaelmas Term.

Academic year students can also apply for the Extended Academic Year Program which includes the September Seminar. This is a particularly popular option for students who plan to apply to MD-PhD programs.

The September Seminar includes classes, workshops, and lectures on scientific writing, amino acids and proteins, RNA/DNA, the protein toolbox, the genetic toolbox, enzyme kinetics and statistics, cell biology, cellular neuroscience, and more. Students will have the opportunity to visit the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron science facility with a trip to a fragment screening lab. Learn how the synchrotron works and how the beamline generated is used to solve biological problems such as understanding protein structures.

Lab & Field Trip Fees
Please review syllabi and course materials when registering for direct-enroll classes. Certain classes may have a one-off lab or field trip fee disclosed in the syllabus or during the first meeting of the class. These fees are not included in your IFSA program fee. You will be responsible for these fees, whether they are billed and paid by IFSA or billed to you.

Your tutorial topics should be limited to no more than two subjects, and those subjects should be related. For instance, the tutors reviewing your application will look more favorably at a tutorial request form that has choices limited to politics and history departments. They would not be as impressed with a tutorial request form that lists choices in chemistry, economics, and art history.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application Deadline
The application deadline is Dec. 15 of the preceding year for Fall Term, Academic Year, and Spring Term for all University of Oxford programs.

Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
• You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
• Admission to Oxford colleges is highly competitive. Students typically study abroad at Oxford their junior year, having completed two (2) full-time years of study at their home institution before the start of the Oxford term. Oxford colleges may consider an applicant with just one (1) full-time year of completed study, but those students will be competing with students who have completed greater study in their specific subject area. A student with less than two years of completed study may be limited to first- and second-year classes.
• Eligibility requirements can vary among host institutions. Please ask your IFSA Enrollment Counselor for specific information.

Application Acceptance
This program gives preference to students applying for the Academic Year over students applying for just the Fall Term or the Spring Term. Because even exceptionally qualified candidates may not gain admission, it is recommended you open a backup application to a non-Oxford IFSA program.

Recommendation Letters
Your application to this program will require two (2) academic letters of recommendation on home institution letterhead.

TRANSCRIPT
Upon completion of your program, IFSA will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your IFSA Student Portal. The transcript reflects classes taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at no additional cost. See our Transcripts page for more information.