Acceptance to Oxbridge Universities — Increase Your Chances
Not just anyone can hope to secure an offer from Oxford or Cambridge — the two most prestigious universities in the UK, and arguably among the most prestigious in the world. Each year, tens of thousands of students compete for only a handful of places, seeking admission to study one of over 150 different subjects at a historic Oxbridge college. Competitive and academically charged, the Oxbridge universities admissions process acts as a great indicator of what awaits, should you receive an offer to attend. Only students of the highest academic calibre, with the most potential for growth and engagement, can hope to secure an offer. Read on to discover some expert tips, advice and ideas you can implement, in order to give yourself the best chance of succeeding in your application to Oxbridge.
Oxbridge application timeline 2020
Oxbridge Universities
Oxford vs. Cambridge
Which should you choose? Putting in the effort when it comes to research really is the best starting point for any application to Oxford or Cambridge. Initially, consider whether Oxbridge is right for you; the collegiate system is unique, study is tutorial-based, and the academic standard extremely high. Though both Oxford and Cambridge hold extremely high student satisfaction ratings, the student experience is likely to be somewhat different to that at other, less prestigious institutions. It is well worth reading accounts of life at Oxbridge universities, speaking to former or current students if you can, and attempting to create a well-informed idea of whether Oxbridge is the right fit for you.
Varying across subjects and colleges, the acceptance rate for Oxbridge universities tends to wander between 17 and 21%.
Research
You’ll want to invest time in researching how your subject of choice is taught at Oxbridge, how admission is conducted, with regards interviews and admissions tests, and which of the Oxbridge colleges you’d like to apply to. Each college is unique, as is each college’s student body; as well as varying vastly in terms of size, some, such as Cambridge’s Murray Edwards college, will only admit female students to its number. Whilst studying at Oxford or Cambridge, your college will be like your family home, and your fellow college members, more than likely, your closest companions. It is extremely important to assess the environments surrounding individual colleges, in order to make an informed decision.
Research, in all its forms, will allow you to give a stronger, better informed impression of yourself, when it comes to Oxbridge application interviews. Putting in the time and effort before your application could very likely spare you from disappointment, further along the road.
Personal Statements
An effective, well-communicated personal statement is a ‘must’ for anyone hoping to secure an offer from any course at any UK university. When it comes to Oxbridge, however, the standard expected is truly exemplary. An Oxbridge personal statement for Oxford or Cambridge must demonstrate stellar academic achievement, experience, and understanding of your chosen subject.
Structure — Be prepared to write multiple drafts of your personal statement before eventually submitting it to UCAS. An effective method of ensuring that nothing of importance is left out is to initially ‘word dump’ all you feel is worth mentioning in order to summarise yourself, and showcase precisely why you will make an ideal Oxbridge universities student. Academic achievements, motivations, work experience, and extracurricular activities are all important to mention — just make sure you don’t rely too heavily on one area, at the expense of another. Write down everything that comes to mind in your initial draft, and leave the polishing for later. It is altogether better to have too many words at first, than to find you don’t have enough at a later date.
Substance — Bearing in mind how competitive the Oxbridge application process is, it is extremely important your personal statement stands out as truly unique, and sets you apart from the masses. Admissions tutors have heard every cliche under the sun; if you find yourself tempted by phrases such as ‘from a young age,' or ‘for as long as I can remember,' you are better off leaving these out! ‘Substance over style’ is a good mantra to live by, when it comes to crafting a personal statement, particularly for Oxbridge’s most competitive courses, such as Medicine or Law. The weeding out of cliches is something a third party editor can do very well on your behalf. Make sure to have someone else read over your statement before submission, and allow yourself plenty of time to complete (several, if necessary) redrafts.
Spelling & Grammar — It should go without saying that any personal statement submitted for Oxbridge universities must be of the highest possible grammatical standard. Admissions tutors will not look favourably upon spelling or grammar errors, and it is far from unheard of for small errors to count against you when the chips are down. The good news is that spelling and grammar errors are amongst the easiest issues to correct, when it comes to the personal statement writing process. Again, this is an area where you will certainly benefit from having a third party read and review your statement on your behalf. Small errors are easy to miss, and it will often take a second pair of eyes to catch them out.
Personal Statement Service provides a thorough and highly professional service, when it comes to helping you perfect an Oxbridge-standard personal statement.
Oxbridge
Admissions Tests
An oft-dreaded, but sadly inevitable, element of the Oxbridge universities application process is the admissions test. Required for most, if not all, subjects at Oxford or Cambridge, admissions tests are subject-specific, and are designed to test not only what you know, in terms of your subject knowledge, but how you think, process information, and communicate your answers.
Another area where research can truly benefit the applicant, and increase your chances of success, admissions tests are far from easy to conquer, but can be done so with practice. Past papers, or Oxbridge-style admissions questions for a variety of subjects, can be found online, and are often free to access. Books, such as the cannily named So You Want to Go to Oxbridge? Tell Me About a Banana, are designed to provide insight into the Oxbridge applications process, in particular the admissions tests and interviews. You might also want to speak to others who have attended or currently attend Oxbridge, in order to gain the best possible insight into what to expect.
Admissions tests for Oxbridge are typically taken externally, and will more than likely be arranged on your behalf by your school or college. Don’t be shy of asking for additional support from teachers or guidance counsellors — more often than not, schools provide specific coaching for their faculty members on how best to support students through the Oxbridge admissions process, which would include helping [them] prepare adequately for admissions tests.
Interviews
After completing (and passing) your admissions test, the next step towards securing yourself an offer from Oxford or Cambridge is an interview with admissions tutors, and representatives from your chosen college and / or course. Whether you traditionally ‘struggle’ with formalised interview processes, or thrive under the challenge, preparation and practice will serve you well when it comes to increasing your chances of success at interview, and thus securing yourself an offer.
External resources are, again, your best friend when it comes to interview practice. Some examples of past interview questions are available online, across a wide variety of subjects. It is also worth bearing in mind that the questions you’ll be asked can vary dramatically in terms of tone, and area. Prior interview questions for History at Oxford have, for example, involved questions such as ‘how would you go about starting a successful revolution?’, alongside more basic subject knowledge, facts and figures.
In the case of Oxbridge interviews, practice really can make perfect — or if not quite ‘perfect’, practice can significantly increase your chances of being accepted to Oxford or Cambridge. Have a friend or relative practice interview questions with you, in order to perfect your tone, mannerisms, and fluency when it comes to communicating the answers to your questions, and demonstrating an appropriate degree of academic understanding. Admissions tutors will not only want to see that you have a good understanding of your chosen subject, but that you have the potential to engage with it at Undergraduate level and beyond, to the standard expected from Oxbridge students.
Oxbridge Acceptance Rate
Varying across subjects and colleges, the acceptance rate for Oxford and Cambridge tends to wander between 17 and 21% — tough odds to be sure, but far from an impossibility! Boosting your chances of securing a place really does come down to the time and effort you put into ensuring every aspect of your application is entirely watertight. Don’t miss out on the future you most desire, for a lack of effort in the present!
Above all, prior research, practice, and support will help you immensely on your journey towards successfully gaining an offer to study at Oxford or Cambridge.