what do top universities look for?

Answers by date: 3 records in 2 sources, newest first; the answers above are the current ones. The advice was refined (2018), never reversed, in these records.

date	who	answer	source
2018-05-07	Ali	To get into medicine, Ali says, get really good grades, by far the biggest single factor: it is not that hard with good grades and really hard without them.	Live Q&A + Hangout - Bank Holiday vibes - Ali Abdaal, Cambridge medical student 00:23:44
2018-05-07	Ali	Ali's rough rule of thumb: for Oxford or Cambridge be at least in the top five of your year group; for medicine generally, in the top 10 or 20 percent.	Live Q&A + Hangout - Bank Holiday vibes - Ali Abdaal, Cambridge medical student 00:15:32
2018-05-01	Ali	Ali calls it a myth that you need extracurriculars for Oxford or Cambridge: they look for massive nerds who are really good at their subject, not well-rounded people with Grade 8 piano or Team GB rowing.	First Live Hangout + Rapid-fire Q&A 00:24:15